Page 93 of Shadows of the Soul

“Then don’t fight it,” he instructed.

“Fight what?”

My vision tunneled to a narrow point. Hudson’s eyes turned vertical, and I was sucked into their depths. My body trembled, then the sense of falling reversed and it felt like being suctioned into a tight, confined space. My breath left my body, and the world went dark.

“Cora?” Hudson’s voice was loud in my mind, like he was inside it.

“What’s happening?”

A roar tore through the air, the sound vibrated in my chest like it was coming from me. “Don’t panic, I’ll separate us in a moment. Once it’s safe.”

“Separate us?”

My vision lightened, and I found myself the passenger in a fast moving ride skirting the edges of my property. Wait, not a ride—a cat. “You dragged us into your cat?”

Said cat growled, and I felt his annoyance filter through me.

“Better than a ride to Hell.”

Hudson’s animal huffed in agreement. “Don’t get pissy with me. Only a few minutes ago you were chomping your fangs threatening to make mincemeat of my face.”

Regret and shame washed over me. I felt bad for pointing out a situation he had no control over.

“You’re about to feel weird,” Hudson declared.

“About to?”

The suction feeling began again, like I was being vacuumed out of the cat’s body.

“Just go with it,” Hudson advised. I glanced around. Hudson stood before me, scowling face-to-face with his cat. I pushed to follow the suction. The cat popped a plug in and stopped me from leaving.

“Umm, you can let me go now,” I tried.

“No.” The word was a low animalistic rumble. “Not safe.”

Hudson folded his arms. “Let her go.”

“Mate,” the cat stated. My beast peered out at the cat with interest. She was weighing up his suitability. Oh boy, that’s the last thing we needed.

“No,” I said.

“Yes,” Hudson agreed with his cat. “No more running. She is our mate. I will never let her go ever again.”

“That’s what you think,” I mumbled.

Hudson raised a brow. “Whatever you are saying is making him bury you deeper in there, Cora. Try reassuring him rather than challenging him.”

“He’s an arrogant dimwit,” I told the cat, and he huffed in amusement.

“Keverin.”

“That’s your name?” I asked.

“Yes.”

“What’s going on?” Hudson asked.

Huh, interesting. Keverin was keeping him out. “Mate,” Keverin reaffirmed to me.

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