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"Oh!" Dizzy, I stumbled. Nerissa caught me up.
"Are you okay?"
I realized I'd forgotten to breathe and sucked in a deep lungful of air. After a moment, my shoulders relaxed, and I shook my head. "Just . . . my thoughts were whirling so fast that the room started to spin. I'l be fine. Real y."
And I meant it. I'd be fine--I couldn't walk Chase's path for him, nor Zachary's. I couldn't help Camil e shoulder her burden any more than she could take over mine. The only thing I could do was face my own life, my own fate. Without warning, a weight fel away from my shoulders, and I began to breathe easier as I realized how much guilt I'd been shouldering for things over which I had no control.
"You sure you're okay?" Nerissa looked around. "We could go sit down for a moment if you need to."
Shaking my head, I let out a long breath. "Real y, I'm fine. Or at least, I wil be." As I saw Yugi bustling over, I added, "Say, you never did answer me.
Does the Pride blame me?"
Her gaze flickered away from me, and she stared at the wal . "The Rainier Puma Pride doesn't blame you, no. But they blame Zach."
At that point, Yugi arrived.
He cleared his throat and handed me a piece of paper. "Here you go, Delilah. The information you needed." He glanced at Chase's office, then back at me and scuffed his foot on the floor. "I hope I'm not speaking out of place but . . . he misses you. I know he does. Whatever happened, it wasn't easy on him."
I patted the man's shoulder. "Yugi, I didn't send Chase away. He broke up with me. But we're stil friends."
Yugi nodded then, looking relieved. "Okay, wel . . . I'd better get back to my desk then. Do you need anything else?"
I shook my head. "No . . . I think we're done for now. Come on." I motioned to Nerissa. "Grab Luke, and let's head out. His truck is at our house, so let's head home so he can get to work. When I go exploring any of these leads, I want Menol y at my back."
As we left the building, I glanced up at the sky. Stil pouring, the silver drops thundered down, fil ing the parking lot and turning it into a pond. I wasn't sure what I was feeling. Sadness. Relief. Wistfulness. Hope. Loneliness.
But in the back of my mind lay the tingle of anticipation. With al that we were facing, I felt like there was something on the horizon--something new waiting for just the right moment to appear.
And that was rather exciting.
CHAPTER 10
By the time Luke pul ed out of our driveway, the sun had just gone down. Menol y should be up I planned on enlisting her help to check out Doug and Saz's places. I had a nasty feeling that I shouldn't go in there alone, and I didn't want to put Nerissa in any danger. As we'd pul ed into the driveway, I was relieved to see Morio's Subaru in the driveway. Chances were everybody was home.
Nerissa and I hustled up the walk, dodging puddles and ducking against the rain that thundered incessantly from the dark sky. We clattered up the steps and both let out audible breaths as we darted beneath the porch roof. She was also feline. Neither of us liked water al that much.
I took off my jacket and shook it before opening the door, and she fol owed suit. As we entered the foyer, the smel of rich beef stew hit us, thick and robust, with onions, wafting through the hal . We never cooked with garlic out of respect for Menol y, but Iris made quick work of every other root vegetable she could get her hands on.
Another scent--fresh corn bread--lingered behind the blast of beef and gravy, and my stomach rumbled, despite al the cookies and crap I'd eaten that afternoon. Pushing through to the kitchen, I saw that Iris was clearing the table, but a big stewpot stil bubbled, and there was a stack of cornbread left.
Menol y descended from the ceiling and strode over to Nerissa, hovering to meet her eye to eye. Nerissa slid her arms around Menol y's waist as their lips met, passionate and searching. The werepuma fisted a handful of Menol y's hair and leaned her back, kissing her deeply as her hands slid around to cup Menol y's back and butt. After a moment, with al of us transfixed on the lovers, they broke apart, eyes glazed, Menol y's fangs ever so slightly descended.
Oh yeah, that was hot, al right. I licked my lips, wondering if it was right that I could get so turned on watching my sister kiss somebody. In fact, the thought ran through my head, maybe I should take a peek at some of Nerissa's friends in the Rainier Puma Pride. I wasn't averse to the thought of a woman lover. The opportunity had just never presented itself before.
Menol y snapped her fingers in my face. "Come on, Kitten. Time to eat."
"Huh? Oh . . . yeah." I slid into the chair and accepted a bowl of stew and a piece of bread from Rozurial, who motioned for Iris to stay seated. "Listen, we have some pretty freaky stuff to tel you."
"Camil e already told us about this morning." Menol y leaned back in a chair, propping her feet on Vanzir's lap. He arched his eyebrows at her with a smirk but said nothing, leaving the stiletto boots to rest on his thigh. "Wolf Briar. Fucking perverse shit. Luke okay?"
"Better than okay. Luke got himself a date," I said, grinning. "Katrina--Nerissa's friend from the Olympic Wolf Pack--took a fancy to him." Between the two of us, we fil ed them in on what we'd found out that afternoon.
"Anybody going out to see Franco's fiancee?" Menol y asked.
"I have an appointment with her tomorrow. But tonight, I want to check out Smith's and Star Walker's places. And I don't want to go alone. Menol y, come with?"
"Fuck. I was going to spend the entire night with Nerissa." Menol y rarely pouted, but now she was doing the ful lip thing.
