8. She wants to fight you. #3
But first, I needed to eat a tree. The forest had plenty of old deadfall, and I tore into the nearest log, digging with my claws until I found some good, dry wood to fuel my flames. I ate until my coat steamed and I could snort flame instead of steam.
I’d have to assault several more trees to stay warm unless I got lucky and found Quinn’s kitten nearby. I took off at a brisk walk so I wouldn’t break my neck running around a snowy mountain—or trigger an avalanche.
Quinn would be proud until he realized I’d run around a snowy mountain on my own.
Once he realized I’d done something stupid and dangerous, he’d scold me.
I didn’t mind scoldings from him. It took a single pout and sniffle to get him to back off my case, then he felt bad for yelling at me, no matter how much I deserved a scolding.
When he felt bad for yelling at me, I got rewarded.
Yep, I was half the reason I didn’t get enough sleep.
The trail led me across the mountain, down into a valley, and across a stream just starting to freeze.
I jumped over it and snorted flame at the offensive water.
The snow deepened, and I had to stop to eat several more trees until my magic guided me beneath an outcropping of stone hidden between scraggly bushes and a dying tree.
I smelled death before I spotted the wiggling, spotted kitten beside the frozen body of its mother and several other young kittens.
Nature truly sucked.
The kitten hissed at me, and I stuck my head into the hole, careful to avoid hitting anything with my horn. Careful to avoid snagging the poor thing with my sharper teeth, I seized it by the nape of its neck and lifted.
The poor thing weighed practically nothing.
Most days, I viewed my magic as a cranky, twisted entity out to ruin my life, but it took pity on me—or the kitten—for a change, and it backtracked towards the SUV. It followed the trail I’d blazed to reach the kitten.
As I didn’t want it to freeze before I could get it to the SUV and the supplies we’d purchased for a young cat, I abandoned my brisk walk for a ground-eating lope. I stopped once to devour a tree, and I blasted the ground until it steamed to give the kitten a warm place to rest while I ate.
The kitten cried, but it didn’t try to run away.
I picked the kitten up and bolted for the road and the warm safety of the SUV. When I arrived, I tapped on the window to catch Perkette’s attention.
She opened her door and took the kitten out of my mouth.
“That was a lot faster than I expected. Get changed. I’ll have a look at the kitten and give it some replacer milk.
” Ignoring the kitten’s protesting squeaks, she flipped the kitten onto its back and poked between its hind legs.
“It’s a female. If my eyes aren’t playing tricks on me, an ocelot.
What in the hell is an ocelot doing here? ”
I had no idea. I hadn’t even known ocelots lived in the United States.
As freezing to death wasn’t on my list of things to do, I circled the vehicle and began the process of shifting back to human. It went a lot better than expected; I got punted to my human form as though I’d offended my magic being a unicorn in a blizzard.
I understood. With chattering teeth, I climbed into the back of the SUV to warm up and change into my clothes. Blizzard licked my face.
“You okay?”
“Snow sucks.”
Perkette laughed. “You’re better off than I expected. Your lips aren’t even blue this time. There’s a blanket in the back. I’ll switch seats with you, and you can take care of the kitten and get warmed up.”
“Where do ocelots usually live?”
“Southwestern United States and down into Mexico. They are native to the United States, but this poor baby was probably someone’s pet and dumped.”
I shook my head. “Her mother and several other kittens were dead in their den.”
“Maybe an illegal breeder lost a pregnant female? Odd time for her to have a kitten this young. Poor things. They really aren’t suited for winter.” Perkette held up the little kitten. “Aren’t you a lucky little baby?”
“Avalanche is her name.”
“That’s such a terrible name for an ocelot.”
“It’s not! There easily could have been an avalanche.”
“Not really. There hasn’t been enough snowfall yet this year, and the peaks of this mountain aren’t really steep enough to have avalanche conditions yet.
Yeah, we’re having a snowstorm here, but enough snow hasn’t fallen yet.
The drive is only bad because the wind is blowing everything around.
Come get your kitten so I can get us out of this damned weather. ”
I spent a moment petting Blizzard before obeying Perkette, taking the kitten and the bottle of replacer milk she’d prepared while I’d been gone.
After we got the milk into the kitten, we’d see if she wanted any of the meat we’d shredded not knowing how old Quinn’s new kitten would be. “Any idea how old she is?”
“Not a clue. I was expecting a puma,” she admitted. “Pumas are the only type of wild cat you might see here until you get into the magical species.”
“Ocelots aren’t magical, correct?”
“Correct. She’s mundane. They’re prized for their fur. She won’t be too big. Fully grown, she’ll only be twice the size of a house cat.”
“That’s not too bad!”
“She’s technically a big cat species, but not by much. She’s still a wild animal, so you’ll have to be careful, but she won’t be hunting your dogs for sport. Rabbits are more her speed.”
That was something. “Think she’ll adapt to captivity well?”
“You specifically asked for a big cat kitten that wanted to be adopted. I think you’ll figure it out, but you might need to give her a habitat in your back yard to keep her happy. You’ll definitely want to harness train her young. You can walk her along with your dogs!”
I rolled my eyes at that. “If you say so.”
“I do say so.”
As I knew just how sharp my teeth could be, I checked the back of the kitten’s neck for any signs I’d cut her while carrying her. I spotted no sign of blood in her damp fur. “Quinn’s going to kill me.”
“No, he won’t. Why would he kill you?”
“I invited a predator into our home, and she’s adorable. I love her.”
“Of course you do, Bailey. She’s a baby.
You love babies. How you aren’t pregnant already, I have no idea.
Then again, the last thing the world needs right now is you and a severe case of pregnancy hormones.
At least you have a huge extended family, so if you do have kids, you have entire flocks of people willing to babysit. Gorgons are the best babysitters.”
They truly were. Nothing was stupider than infringing on a gorgon’s territory when children were involved. “I hadn’t even considered Quinn’s family as potential babysitters.”
“For the record, you can totally be a police chief and a mother. Knowing you, you’d work right until you were ready to burst, then you’d be ready to go back to work the next day.”
“No.”
She laughed. “Okay, you’re right. You’d want some time to pamper your little one.”
“I’m not having kids yet!”
“Keyword: yet.”
Perkette was impossible. Once she got something in her head, she refused to let go of the idea. “I haven’t even asked Quinn if he wants kids.”
“Bailey. He’s part gorgon, part incubus, part angel, part only-God-knows what. He wants kids. You could be constantly pregnant, and he’d be the happiest of men. He’s genetically incapable of hating kids.”
I blinked, tilted my head, and considered that. “Huh. You’re right.”
“I’m always right. If you want kids, ask. It’s that simple.”
I stared at the kitten on my lap before glancing at the puppy in the backseat. “Judging from my current actions, I totally want kids, don’t I?”
“I thought you would have figured that out from your constant attempts to adopt gorgon whelps. Bailey, you’re a treasure, but you’re also an idiot.”
I truly was. “Let me see if I survive three baby animals and two gorgon whelps first.”
“Good thought. You’ll be fine. Sure, you’re a fire-breathing pain in the ass, but you mean well—and you truly love children. If you want kids ask Quinn. He’ll be all in, so don’t worry.”
“But Perkette, I’m really good at worrying. It’s my superpower.”
My friend laughed. “You realize you shouldn’t be proud of that, right?”
I snorted. “If I can’t beat it, I may as well own it.”
“You’re something else.”