Page 95 of Kiss an Angel

He gave her his unblinking stare. And then, to her amazement, he rubbed his cheek against the side of her head. His whiskers brushed her neck, and once again she heard his deep, gruff purr.

And then he was gone. With one powerful thrust of his hindquarters, he leaped into the cage.

She heard a rustle of movement behind her and spun around to see Neeco and Alex running toward the cage, ready to grab the broken door and shove it back in place.

“Stop!” She held out her arms, warding them off. “Don’t come any closer.”

They froze in their tracks.

“Daisy, get out of the way.” Alex’s voice vibrated with tension, and lines of strain had made his handsome features stark.

“Leave us alone.” She moved directly in front of the open cage door and turned her back on them.

Sinjun watched her. Now that he was once again imprisoned, he stood as imperiously as ever: regal, aloof, with everything lost to him except his dignity. She somehow knew what he wanted, and she couldn’t bear it. He wanted her to be his jailer. She was the one he had elected to close the broken door of the cage and imprison him.

She hadn’t realized she was crying until she felt the tears sliding down her cheeks. Sinjun’s golden eyes shimmered, and he regarded her with his customary disdain, making her feel as if she were somehow his inferior.

Do it, weakling! those eyes commanded. Now.

Bracing herself, she lifted her arms to grasp the cage door. The broken hinge made it heavy and difficult to maneuver, but with a sob, she managed to close it.

Alex rushed forward and grabbed for the door to secure it, but the moment he touched it, Sinjun bared his teeth and gave a bone-chilling roar.

“Let me do it!” she exclaimed. “You’re upsetting him. Please. I’ll fasten it.”

“Damn it!” He quickly stepped back, sounding angry and frustrated.

Her position was awkward. The platform the cage rested on stood over three feet off the ground, and she had to raise her arms to hold the door shut. Neeco appeared with a wooden stool, which he set next to her. Then he gave her a piece of rope.

For a moment, she couldn’t imagine what it was for.

“Loop it through the bars by the hinge,” Alex said “Lean against the door while you work so you can use your weight to keep it in place. And for god’s sake get ready to jump back if he decides to attack.”

Coming up behind her, he slipped his hands around her hips to brace her. Their support comforted her as she tried to do as he’d said, holding the door closed with her shoulder while she attempted to secure the rope around the broken hinge. Her body began to tremble from the strain of her awkward position. She felt the bulge of the gun he’d tucked into the waistband of his jeans.

His hold on her tightened. “You’ve almost got it, sweetheart.”

The knot was big and clumsy, but it held. She dropped her arms. Alex pulled her off the stool and gathered her against his chest.

She stayed there for several long comforting moments before she looked up into eyes so very much like the tiger’s. The new knowledge that she loved this man filled her with a sense of awe. They were so different, yet she felt the call of his soul as clearly as if he’d spoken out loud. “I’m sorry I scared you.”

“We’ll talk about it later.”

He would drag her back to the trailer for a private lambasting. Maybe this was the incident that would finally push him over the edge, and he’d send her away. She pushed aside the thought and stepped back from him. “I can’t leave yet. I promised Sinjun I’d stay with him for a while.”

The lines of strain deepened near his mouth, but he didn’t question her. “All right.”

Her father stormed forward. “You don’t have the brains of an idiot! It’s a wonder you’re still alive! Whatever possessed you? Don’t you ever do anything like that again. If you even—”

Alex cut in. “Shut up, Max. I’ll take care of this.”

“But—”

Alex lifted one eyebrow, and Max Petroff immediately fell silent. That was all Alex did—lift one eyebrow—but it was enough. She had never seen her domineering father concede to anyone in that way, and it reminded her of what he’d said. For centuries it had been the duty of the Petroffs to obey the wishes of the Romanovs.

At that moment some part of her accepted what her father had told her as true, but she returned her attention to Sinjun, who looked restless and edgy.

“Amelia will be wondering where I am,” her father said from behind her. “I’d better be getting back. Good-bye, Theodosia.” He seldom touched her, and she was surprised to feel the soft brush of his hand on her shoulder. Before she could respond, he turned to Alex and said his farewells, then walked away.

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