“There is.”
Her voice contained happiness. He knew it was for him.He realized there were so many things he got from her that he’d never had from another human being. Genuine caring. Genuine giving. She rejoiced in his progress—found real happiness in it. She never seemed to take exception when he was out of sorts and yelled at her. More than anything, she became amused at those times. She found a way to make him laugh.
“I can see this little tiny white line at the bottom of each eye,” he admitted. “It isn’t much, but it wasn’t there before.” He poured satisfaction into his voice. “Don’t say you’re proud of me, Lotus, for enduring. I know how you are. You’re going to be sweet and act like I’ve been a great patient.”
She laughed those musical notes that told him she belonged in New Orleans. “You can get testy, but it doesn’t last long. Seriously, Gedeon, you’ve been great about your eyes.”
“Not so much when I began to see progress,” he admitted, because he knew rather than being ashamed of him, she would find his reaction hilarious. He wanted her laughter. “I tried staring at every conceivable object in an effort to widen the space so I could see more. All that did was make my eyes burn to the point I had to put cool cloths on them. I called Bouet and told him it was an emergency, that he needed to come right away. I hung up so he couldn’t ask me questions.”
“That poor man. Leopard Boy in full-blown arrogant get-whatever-you-want mode.”
He nodded, not bothering to deny it. “It gets so much worse, babe.”
She groaned and rubbed her head against his arm. “Why do these people put up with you?”
“Notice I had the Ming vase put away for safety. You’re beginning to rub off on Rene. But I still can intimidate Dr. Bouet. I threatened him.”
“Don’t sound like you’re happy about it.” She punchedhim hard. “The last thing you need to do is scare off your doctors. You’re going to get a reputation.”
“I have a reputation and you’ve systematically been ruining it.”
“Only with Rene. I cast my eyes down and look appropriately frightened when you roar in front of anyone else.”
“No eye rolling?”
“Only in front of Rene. I’m going to search the house for the Ming vase. If I find it, it’s a goner and so is your head.”
That little note of laughter bubbling up when she threatened him made his stomach clench in all kinds of good ways.
“How did the doc take your threats?”
“He pointed out that I needed him. I had to admit he had a point. He told me to calm down and that it was normal for my eyes to begin to see that way. He said it was a good sign overall, I could look at it as an improvement. The cavalry began to arrive.” There was a little snicker in his voice.
She stiffened. “What does that mean? If that doctor called in a bunch of armed men, we can find someone else to treat your eyes. And where was I?”
“Lotus, I might be blind, but I can still defend myself, especially in my own house. In Bouet’s defense, I did threaten him. He must have been given a little panic button and he hit it when I growled at him. You growl back.” He ruffled her hair.
She had a lot of hair. Most of their kind did. Thick and luxurious. She was born leopard whether hers would ever show itself or not. So far, the creature was elusive, in no hurry to wake up. It occurred to Gedeon that Meiling was so opposed to male shifters and she was so strong-willed that she had inadvertently suppressed her female leopard.
Gedeon’s fingers lingered in her hair. She didn’t protest, but then, she rarely did when he touched her. He was tactile,sometimes needing to bury his face in her hair and inhale the fragrance of her.
“Tell me what happened.”
She could be a fierce little thing. He remembered her putting her life on the line in Venezuela, the guns aimed at her when she stood for him against Jules and Louis. She hadn’t backed down for a second. She risked her life to warn him of the bomb, even knowing he couldn’t afford to leave witnesses. Meiling was as tough as nails, and she had a protective streak a mile wide.
“Drake Donovan owns an international security company. His men are well trained and known to be the best at what they do. He sends them to the hottest spots in the world to hone their skills. A little-known fact is they’re mostly shifters. He is also the head of a lair right here in New Orleans. The lair was one of the worst when he took over and it’s thriving now.”
He found he knew the way to Café Du Monde without anyone guiding him. He’d been so many times—straight from his home, or the club after hours, or taking a client. The historic café was open twenty-four hours a day and was right next to the river. It was a place he could be out in the open at the height of tourist season and still enjoy.
“I take it Bouet’s backup was a group from Donovan’s organization.” Meiling made it a statement. “How many did he send?”
“A full team. Five.” Pure satisfaction swamped him. He’d been more than happy when that team of badasses had arrived.
“How did they get in? The house is self-locking. Unless they snuck in when Bouet came in, and they wouldn’t have had time for all of them to come through. Your phone would have alerted you.”
“My phone didn’t alert me. Donovan sent a couple of men to do the security on the house. I always suspected heleft a back door. A way in for his men just in case he’s sent to kill me.”
“Why would Drake Donovan want to kill you?”
