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“A what?”
He sighed. “A dog fae, if you wish. I got the whiskers, she got the wagging tail.”
“Does that mean one of your parents was a dog and one a cat?” Macey had to suppress a giggle at the thought.
“Yes. Now will you please come? She needs help.”
Macey turned serious immediately. “Of course. Although I still don’t know what we could do.”
“Neither do I,” Cam muttered from behind her. The guys had been so quiet that Macey had almost forgotten all about them. The cat-man’s voice was so alluring, so beautiful that her entire focus had been on him. Only Jared’s incubus vibe got anywhere close to his.
Another growl, much closer this time. The mists slowly parted in front of them and offered them a view of an iron-wrought park bench. It looked out of place, as if it had been transported from an old-fashioned park. The ground was covered in mist, giving it an eerie, out-of-this-world feel. That made her think that she had no idea about where they were. Was this Earth? Another planet? An in-between place?
A heart-wrenching whine made her forget all about it. Behind the bench lay a large, white shape, camouflaged well against the misty background. It was too big to be a normal dog and far too white. Not even huskies were that white.
“Sister, I brought help,” cat-man said and quickly walked around the bench, kneeling next to his twin. Cautiously, Macey followed him, flanked by Cam and Flint. The dog was massive, the size of a small bull. Her fur was snow white with a dark patch on her chest. Her eyes were the same glowing ones her brother had, but hers were red-rimmed as if she’d been crying too much. Her large tail had been braided and embellished with a bright pink ribbon. The rest of her fur was shaggy though, as if it hadn’t been cleaned in a while.
She lifted a massive paw in greeting, but it was a weak gesture and it was obvious that she was finding it hard to move.
Macey approached carefully. The dog may have been poorly, but it was big and rather intimidating. She’d never been a fan of dogs, she was more of a cat person. And this cù sìth was far too big for her liking.
“What’s wrong with her?” she asked and cat-man sighed.
“She was stupid and tried to protect a human. She says he was important, but how could a human be worth getting hurt?” The disgust was clear in his voice.
“Who did she protect him from?”
Cat-man frowned. “We do not say his name. But he is the worst of the evil spirits that roam this land. He can fill you with terror and his voice makes even the bravest afraid.”
Macey turned around and looked at her men who were all having the same expression. The Voice. Could it be him? Could he have hurt the dog-woman?
“What did he do to her?”
“He sent her horrible images, memories filled with dread, visions of terrible futures. Her mind is in pain and I cannot reach her. She’s not getting out of the haze he induced. It’s like she’s trapped in a nightmare while awake.”
That sounded more and more like the Voice.
“Can she talk?”
“She has moments where her mind is clear enough to communicate, but those are rare. I’ve had to piece together what happened.”
“What happened to the human?”
“How should I know? And if I knew, I’d likely go after him. My sister is hurt because he got in trouble. He deserves to suffer for that.”
Cat-man’s eyes were glowing brightly now and Macey shrunk back at the anger shining in them.
A comforting hand pressed against her back. Cam. She leaned back slightly, wordlessly acknowledging his support. She liked that about her men. They were there, no matter what, offering her the support and protection she needed, while letting her fight her own battles. Though she wasn’t naive enough to think they wouldn’t insist on standing in front of her if her life was actually at risk. The foolish men. She could take care of herself. Not that flinching away from the cat sìth showed that.
In fact, she was being rude. The Cat-Man clearly loved his sister, so being angry and protective was only to be expected. She’d be exactly the same if it was one of her brothers who was injured and in pain. She pushed all thoughts of her brothers aside. There’d still been no way of knowing quite how involved they were in what was happening to her, and she didn’t want to entertain the notion of their guilt any more than she had to. It’d only make her doubt everyone around her.
Instead, she reached out and touched Cat-Man’s arm gently, her hand cooling drastically, same as it warmed when she touched Flint or he touched her. Her eyes unfocused as something unnamed flowed through her. It was an odd feeling, like she was solely focused on Cat-Man, but not focused on anything else at all. His pale blue eyes met hers, and they softened instantly.
“The man’s not worth it,” she said softly.
“I know,” Cat-Man acknowledged. “That doesn’t stop me wanting to rip him apart,” he added slowly. Macey nodded once, understanding now creeping over her. She didn’t think he’d actually hurt anyone unless there was a good reason to.
“How can I help?” she asked him, taking a step closer to him and feeling the cold rush over her. She felt oddly comfortable. Then again, the bottom of the loch was pretty cold, so maybe she was just used to it. She didn’t think so though.
