Page 101 of Tamiko and the Two Janitors
Tami turned into Ash, her ear pressed over his heart, herhand tucked under her chin.
“I am told that when she found me, I was a mess of scrapesand bruises, and I’d been pulling out my own feathers. The scent of my bloodwas in the air, and she ran me to ground. I remember being sure that the big,black wolf would gobble me up, but she didn’t.”
“Was she a Nightspangle?”
“Yes. A Kith named True.” Ash’s voice warmed. “She trappedme, but she kept me warm, and when the other wolves came, she snapped andsnarled, keeping them away. Then one of the wolves changed into a man with atail. He tried to talk to me, but I was quite wild, unable to speak.”
“How old were you?”
“They guessed I was four, maybe five.”
“Too young to be alone.”
He hummed his agreement. “The pack camped around me andTrue, and I was sure they were waiting for me to stray from her protection. Ididn’t realize that these predators were the only reason I didn’t fall prey toother beasts. Or that they were waiting for reinforcements.”
“Cyril.”
“Yes.”
That one syllable was packed with love and gratitude, andTami’s estimation of Dr. Bellamy soared higher.
Ash said, “He sashayed into the clearing, dressed all ingold and draped in a cloak of feathers, shining and proud and fearless. When hespoke to me, it wasn’t with words, but with sounds—trills and coos and clucks.And they made sense to me.”
“Like a bird language?”
“More like … skipping all the words and expressing feelingsinstead.”
“So you trusted him because he was a bird?”
Ash chuckled. “I’m not sure it was as sensible as that. Iwent to him because he was the most beautiful person I’d ever seen.”
“Then it’s fortunate for you that Cyril is so very good.”
“I’ve since learned that it’s an avian quirk. We can be slowto trust, yet quickly swayed by a strong first impression. Like love at firstsight.”
Tami caught the change in his tone and tried to search hisface. “You seem more sensible than that.”
“I have a sensible side.” Dark eyes glittered in the moonlight.“But it mostly picks up the pieces after the rest of me has gone and donesomething impulsive.”
“Like love at first sight?”
“Maybe I’ll tell you about that tomorrow.” He kissed herlightly. “Will you accept my first gift, Tamiko?”
Few people knew her full first name, and even fewer used it.She’d beenTamifor so long, it was strange to hear Ash draw out thewhole of it, lightly touching each syllable, speaking with sounds that hadbecome feelings.
An intimacy. Another gift.
So she did her best to pack a single syllable with all thehope and delight and desire that were brimming in her heart. “Yes.”
THIRTY-SIX
Litter
Doon-wen’s growl stopped Melissa in her tracks, and shebacked up so fast, she bumped into Jiminy. “That was for me,” he murmured,taking a blatantly submissive stance. “And it wasn’t personal. More of aformality. Another male in the den, and all that.”
“Why are we here?” she whispered.
Jiminy nudged her toward a seat to one side of the door. “Whena reaver runs with a pack, it’s traditional for them to attend the births ofKith and Kindred alike.”
