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He meowed again and pawed at the empty eye socket. "Oh no."

Azaren looked up from the table. "What is the creature doing?"

"He's uncomfortable."

"That was not my question."

I gently stroked Reggie's head as he continued rubbing against my knee. "It's his eye."

"The one he doesn't possess?"

"Exactly."

Azaren stared. "I fail to see the problem."

"The scar tissue gets dry."

"It..." He frowned. "...dries?"

"Sometimes."

I scratched gently beneath Reggie's chin. "Don't worry. We'll fix you up." He purred pitifully. "Azaren."

"What?"

"Could you grab the little blue bottle from the medicine cabinet in the spare bathroom?"

He disappeared before I'd finished the sentence. A heartbeat later he reappeared holding three bottles. "I was uncertain which one."

I smiled. "The little one."

His fingers brushed mine as he passed the bottle over, brief and warm, and that same ridiculous flutter I'd been trying to ignore for days made another appearance.

He handed it over. "Thank you." I twisted off the cap. "Now help me."

His brows drew together. "With what?"

"Hold him still." He froze. "You want me..." He looked from me... ...to the cat... then back again. "...to restrain a cat."

"Just for a second."

"No."

"Azaren."

"I refuse."

"Please?"

"It possesses claws."

"So do you."

"It dislikes me."

"He dislikes everybody."

"An intelligent creature."