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She looked at Syar and said, “Can I get a spray bottle? I think I will need one.”
Syar pulled her close until she cuddled next to him. He stroked her cheek and smiled. “Yeah, this is going to be fun.”
She let the hum of the engines ease her into a doze. Reynaldo tended to the graze twice, and she murmured softly. She knew they were cat sounds. She couldn’t help that they were cat sounds, and she couldn’t help arching her back into Syar while that was happening.Shit. I should not have taken a nap.
“Venetia, do you want something to eat?”
She jolted and pulled away from him and slammed against the wall of the plane. Her heart was pounding, and she curled her hands in as she got her body under control.
Syar looked at her warily. He tried to be casual. “There’s a fruit platter or a meat and cheese platter.”
She swallowed. “Can I have both and a lot more coffee?”
“Of course.”
The astonished flight attendant nodded and left.
Ven scrubbed her hands over her face. “Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry.”
Syar asked, “Do you always wake up like that?”
“Uh, no. I normally don’t do that. I was up late last night wrangling the cousins after the birthday party. It was a large sleepover.”
Reynaldo asked, “Your instinct is to push away?”
“Uh, sort of.” She opened her hands, and the blood was visible. “When I am startled, my claws come out.”
Syar gasped. “You have claws?”
She nodded. “Sure. Under my fingernails.”
He smiled. “Can I see?”
“Uh, they are sharp.”
“I won’t play with them.”
She turned her hand, palm up, and Reynaldo dropped to his knees to watch as she let them examine her hands. Reynaldo took out his pen and pressed on her index finger near the first joint. The claw came out with a jab, thick but needle-pointed.
Reynaldo asked, “Can you control them?”
She gave him a droll look. “Yes. I was going to be sarcastic, but I live a normal life, but these are an adaptation I got after the pregnancy.”
“It didn’t help you when you were assaulted?”
“He drugged my soda. The bartender was charged with poisoning, but that came later.”
Syar nodded. “A gun can’t be used if it’s out of reach.”
“Yup. When Penny came in, she got him down and got me released, and we worked him over, but police were already on the way. An ambulance followed. He was a big bastard.”
Reynaldo frowned. “How big?”
“Six foot ten, three fifty, all ‘roid-raging muscle.” She made a face. “Smelled bad.”
The flight attendant hesitated.
Ven looked at Reynaldo. “You are blocking my coffee.”
