There had also been times when she’d tried to convince herself that the connection she felt with Connor was nothing more than an addiction to his belly rubs. Or maybe she simply appreciated how he’d go out of his way to serve her perfectly prepared beef or seafood every night. In the end though, long before she’d transitioned back into her human form, she’d come to accept none of that was true.
“I have no doubt that we’re soul mates,” she admitted softly. “I think I’ve known for months. Unfortunately, I’m not sure it matters.”
“What do you mean by that?” Rachel demanded. “How can it not matter? If you two are soul mates and meant to be together, isn’t that the most important thing ever?”
Kat dunked another fry in ketchup but didn’t eat it right away. “Okay, yes, it matters, all right? But even if Connor and I accept that we’re soul mates, what’s going to happen in a week when I turn into a cat again and stay that way for the next eleven months? Connor may be able to go through that once or twice, but is he going to be okay with that for the rest of our lives? How is that even fair to him? Constantly forcing him to put his life on hold for most of the year while I pad around his apartment shedding on the carpet would be a cruel torture. Do I have the right to put him through that kind of pain? Do I want to put myself through that?”
“But—” Khaki started, before Kat held up her hand.
“And there’s something else to consider,” she added. “Marko. That man is an evil, vindictive jackass who is seriously powerful. You weren’t there, Khaki, but I’m sure Rachel told you what it was like fighting those witches and warlocks at that farmhouse and how they went through your pack mates like a hot knife through butter. But as scary as that might sound, Marko makes the rest of his coven look like a class of preschoolers. He’s that much more powerful than the rest. And if he gets his hands on me, he’ll become even stronger. So strong that no one in the world could stop him.”
“But—” Khaki began, only to have Kat cut her off again.
“By now Marko knows I’m in Dallas in human form. I have no idea what he’s doing here, but if he thinks he can finish the familiar binding spell, he won’t hesitate to do it. And if that means tearing his way through Connor and every other member of your pack, he won’t think twice about it. In fact, if he discovers Connor and I are together, it’s almost a guarantee he’ll go out of his way to hurt him to get back at me for getting in the way of his plans.”
Rachel frowned. “You make it sound like you’ve already decided to give up and leave Dallas before we even try to stop this jerk. Before you even consider if there might be a future with Connor.”
Kat let out a heavy sigh. “The thought has crossed my mind. Keeping Marko from getting any stronger than he is already might be the best I can do when it comes to helping everyone. There’s a chance if I run, he’ll come after me and give up whatever crazy scheme he has going with those kids. That helps everyone—the kids, Connor, you and Khaki, the whole pack. It may be the only way I can protect everyone I care about.”
Khaki reached out to take Kat’s hand and hold on tight. “You can’t just run away, not without talking to Connor about it first. If you two are soul mates and you leave, it will rip him apart. You can’t do that to him.”
Kat knew that Khaki was right, but she couldn’t imagine having that kind of conversation with him, especially not when she’d already fallen in love with him. The fact that she loved him only firmed her resolve. She refused to let the man she loved get hurt.
“I can’t make any promises,” she said. “Except to say that I’ll talk to him before I do anything drastic.”
Chapter 14
Kat was making dinner when she heard Connor let himself into the apartment. It was sloppy joes and a tossed salad, and nearly everything had come out of a bag or a can, but at least she’d browned the ground beef by herself. After everything he’d done for her, she wanted to do something special for him.
“Mmm. Something smells good,” Connor said.
She glanced over her shoulder to see him standing near the peninsula that separated the kitchen from the living room, his gaze fastened on her butt. She was wearing a tee and the yoga pants she’d gotten at the mall, and she had to admit that seeing him looking at her like that made the hassle of shopping worth it.
“It’s only some sloppy joes,” Kat said, laughing as she attempted to focus on her cooking and not the naughty thoughts Connor’s scrutiny had provoked. “It smells good but notthatgood.”
“Who said I was talking about the food?” Connor murmured, his low, rumbling voice having an even greater effect on her than his gaze. “You know, you didn’t have to make dinner,” he said. “We could have ordered takeout.”
Slipping up behind her, he tried to sneak a finger into the beef mixture in the frying pan. She playfully slapped his hand away before he could get near the food. “One, you haven’t washed yet, and two, I wanted to do something nice to repay you for everything you’ve done for me. Not just over the past couple days, but also when I was a cat. I tend to remember using your pants leg as a scratching post quite a few times.”
He reached out to brush her hair over her shoulder with a smile. “Don’t ever think like you have to repay me for anything. And feel free to use me as your scratching post anytime you like.”
His words conjured up images of how she’d scratched him yesterday and last night, while in the throes of lovemaking, when she’d given into that irresistible urge to mark him and claim him for herself. The scratches she’d made hadn’t seemed to bother him at all, mostly because they’d healed up and disappeared within minutes.
“Why don’t you go get cleaned up while I finish cooking?” she said, nudging him with her hip. “And hurry up about it. Dinner will be ready in a few minutes, and I know you’re hungry.”
“I’m always hungry,” Connor quipped in a sexy growl as he headed for his bedroom, making Kat wonder if he was talking about food or sex. Considering he was a werewolf, it was probably both.
Kat heard the shower turn on while she was busy toasting up the burger buns and getting the rest of the salad put together. The distraction served to cool her down a bit, and her thoughts strayed to the conversation she’d had with Rachel and Khaki earlier. The one where she’d talked about walking away from Connor to keep him and the rest of the Pack safe. At the time, that had sounded so easy. But now that she was with him, she realized it would be much more difficult than she’d thought. And talking to him about it first would be damn near impossible.
She had everything ready and on the small table in the kitchen by the time Connor came out of the shower. He was wearing shorts and a T-shirt again. And yeah, they still looked good on him.
“How was your shopping excursion with Rachel and Khaki?” he asked, slipping into the chair opposite her and picking up his glass of iced tea. “Get everything you need?”
“More than I needed actually,” she admitted. She told him how she’d tried to get Rachel and Khaki to understand that she didn’t need so many clothes. “Since…well…I won’t be wearing them for much longer.”
That announcement sucked the fun right out of the room, and while Kat knew it needed to be said, that didn’t mean she enjoyed saying it. She hated seeing the light of happiness dim so drastically in Connor’s eyes.
An uncomfortable silence filled the kitchen as they started eating. Kat realized there’d never been one uncomfortable moment between them before, not even after she’d chased his dates out of the house by hissing at them and shredding the clothes they wore with her nails. But it was awkward now because she’d reminded him that she’d be a cat again in a few days.
