Page 11 of Remington’s Mate

Most important, she was theirs. She was always there for them, waiting. And wanting to see her was the only thing he and his two animals agreed on.

He knew Squatch wouldn’t approve of what he was doing, which was why he’d paid a stupid amount of money for the black-market talisman.

Remy closed his hand around the coin. He was just going to hold it for a minute, before he put it away. All the way away, in the back of a drawer or something.

In a minute.

The coin grew warm in his hand, and then he was elsewhere. A sunlit field of tall grass, stretching for miles. There was no one around.

Not even his animals.

Maybe this was the time he would see her as a human. That was the one thing he’d never been able to make happen—she was always either an owl or a leopard.

He focused his mind on her essence, on the fairy-tale cottage in the woods where he most often found her.

When he looked up again, the edge of the forest was about a hundred yards away. He started walking towards it, keeping the image of the cottage in his mind. As he grew closer, he caught a glimpse of it through the trees.

He quickened his pace. When he was nearly there, he heard a faint rustle in the tall grass behind him. With a cry of, She’s here! his leopard bounded out of the grass and pounced on Remy, merging with him.

Remy guessed they all knew who’d won today’s leopard/owl smackdown.

They ran toward the cottage in leopard form, slowing as they neared it. The place felt empty. Not here? his leopard asked, confused.

Looking around, Remy saw a movement in the woods, and took a step forward. For a moment he saw a boy, about twelve, with long tangled black hair and bright green eyes.

He blinked, and the boy was gone. He was about to go look, when his leopard said She’s here she’s here she’s here! A delicious scent filled their nose, and then a female leopard trotted around the corner of the cottage.

She stopped when she saw them, the tip of her tail twitching. You again. The tone was teasing. She was pleased to see them.

Did you miss us?

Perhaps. Why don’t you come over here and see?

He stalked up to her, keeping his dignity. As he started to rub his cheek ruff against hers to show his affection, she pounced, knocking him to the ground, and began washing his face.

He wrapped his paws around her and gave a little growl. I am the male, he said, trying to sound stern. I should make you show me respect.

She tickled him with her whiskers and gave his face another lick, then scrambled to her feet. Maybe someday I’ll let you do that. Let’s run. I will make us a mountain, with snow.

They raced off through the woods and across the field, shoulder to shoulder, and the landscape changed around them. It became a forest of giant mushrooms, taller than the tallest pines. Then it was a beach with bright green water, and then a scrubby mountain slope. They trotted uphill among tumbled boulders, the air growing colder and colder. Snow leopard weather.

The sky gradually changed to purple, and there were pockets of snow in the shadows. Then the boulders were gone and there was a huge snowfield, stretching out before them.

They played in the powdery snow, chasing and hunting each other, rolling around like cubs. Finally the she-leopard took off, racing hard, and he followed her until suddenly the air was warm and they were at his favorite place, a cliff overlooking a crazy quilt view of fields and rivers and forests.

Tell me a story, she said.

They sprawled on the cliff edge, panting in the sun, and he told her about the forest where he’d grown up, about pancakes and movies and barbecues.

About being human. She loved those stories the best.

I wish I could go there, she said wistfully.

Maybe we could make it like that here.

I don’t think so. She sounded sad. He wanted to rub his face against hers and purr, and take the sadness away.

But before he could move, the stone ledge he was lying on began to dissolve. In front of him, Squatch stood in mid-air, his colorless eyes boring into Remy.