“Yeah. And as if finding out I was the other guy wasn’t bad enough, the fact that Ivy was cheating on Leland with me makes it sound like I had a reason for what I did to them. A motive for murder. But that’s not true. I mean, yes, I was mad, but I wasn’t trying to hurt anyone, and I didn’t understand what wouldhappen.”
“I get it,” Kaci said, and when I looked into her eyes, I got caughtthere.
Since I’d been accepted into the South-Central Pride, I’d seen exactly two kinds of expressions when natural-born cats looked at me. Sympathy, from those who’d heard my story and thought to look beyond the outcome to the cause. And aversion, from those who hadn’t. It wasn’t revulsion, exactly, but rather a cold distance from people who found it easier to avoid thinking about strays like me—people who’d been thrown into the deep end of shifter existence without a lifejacket—rather than deal withus.
But the look in Kaci’s eyes was different than both of those. In her, I found…empathy. The kind of visceral understanding I’d thought could only come from a fellow stray, infected through traumaticviolence.
What we had in common wasn’t how we’d become shifters, but how we’d reacted to thatchange.
“So, I accidentally killed my mother and my sister, and you accidentally killed yourgirlfriend.”
“Fucked up, aren’t we?” Isaid.
Kaci blinked at me. Then she threw her head back and laughed. “I’m sorry! It’s not funny. It’s just that it’s somehowso damn funny. I know that doesn’t make anysense.”
“It makes perfect sense.” I slid my hand behind her neck and kissed her again, slowly this time. Letting the connection linger. Because that’s what I’d found. Somehow, in my attempt to flee the country—the entirety of shifter society—I’d stumbled upon the only person in the world who made me want tostay.
But if I stayed, they’d execute me. Which left only onesolution.
“Come with me, Kaci.” I pulled just far enough away that I could focus on her face. So I could watch her thoughts flicker as she processed myinvitation.
“Withyou?”
“To Cancun. Or Scotland. Or one of the island nations where there are no shifters. I know that’s asking a lot, and you’d be leaving behind family and friends. But I’m mentally kicking myself for spending four months at the ranch wallowing in my own self-pity instead of talking to you. And kissing you. If you come with me, we can spend every day for the rest of our lives talking and kissing on the beach somewhere. Surfing, and eating seafood, and learning to make our own alcohol from coconuts, or sugarcane, or whatever grows locally wherever we windup.”
Kaci smiled, but it was a sad smile. A face-reality, Justussmile.
I held up one hand in the universal signal for STOP. “Don’t sayno—”
“I’m not saying no. I’d just like to propose an alternative.” She took a deep breath and set her water bottle on the coffee table. “Youstay here withme.”
“Kaci, Ican’t—”
“We’ll tell Faythe and Marc what you overheard. They’ll never let you sit through a trial that’s been decided before it evenbegins.”
I rolled my eyes. “It’s not like the tribunal members are going to admit they’vealready—”
“Justus.” She seized both of my hands in an iron grip. “Titus sent you here for a fair trial, and therehasto be a way to make sure you get one. Faythe and Marc will know what to do. Now, I know Texas isn’t as glamorous as some tropical island, and you have to be twenty-one to do anything really fun, but…I can’t leave Faythe and Marc without even saying goodbye. They’re practically myparents.”
“Yes, but you’re grown,” I pointed out. “Birds are supposed to leave thenest.”
“Birds.” She shuddered. “Sorry. Flashback. There was a thing with thunderbirds a few years ago. I got kidnappedand—”
“You got kidnapped bythunderbirds?”
“One plucked me right off the ground. I was a lot smaller then. Everything turned out okay. Faythe and Jace rescued me. But I’m not a big fan of heights anymore. Or things with feathers. Ortalons.”
“Well, there are no thunderbirds in the tropics. But Kaci, if I stay here, they’llexecuteme.”
“Okay, but maybe they won’t. The council is much less anti-stray now than it used to be, and even five years ago they brought charges against Faythe for killing a stray.” Her eyes widened with the enthusiasm of her pitch. “That was kind of groundbreaking, if you think about it—the council being willing to punish one of its own, rare tabbies for an act against someone they didn’t even consider acitizen.”
“My understanding is that they found her guilty of infection—which I’m up on two counts of—and innocent of murder. Which shows how little they value straylives.”
“They found her innocent because shewasinnocent. She acted in self-defense.”
“But Ididn’t.”
“You have extenuating circumstances,” Kaci insisted. “Drew ripped away your human life, then he used you to frame your brother. To get him removed asAlpha.”
