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  Fortunately, her mother was a sucker for animals.

  Even as her mom opened her mouth to speak, Sophia leaned forward and nudged her hand with her muzzle, urging it to the top of her head. She paired the nudge with a blink of her wide, panther eyes. As she intended, she succeeded in distracting her mother, who lowered herself to her knees and rubbed Sophia’s head.

  “Don’t think this gets you out of a tongue lashing,” her mother said in her soft, pleasing voice. “You ditched your training session again.”

  Figuring it couldn’t hurt, Sophia licked her mom’s cheek. That provoked a laugh.

  “Look, sweetie…”

  Sophia huffed, knowing what was coming.

  “I know you prefer to spend your time in your laboratory or here with the panthers,” her mother continued, “but weapons training is so important. Not so long ago, you saw just how important.”

  She referred to the recent experience that shook their usually uneventful lives. About two months before, Sophia’s cousin Tate snuck away from the protected area encompassing their homes and ended up getting snatched by the kragen, Nyx. It took almost two weeks—and a battle against some truly scary Mercesti—to get her back.

  Sophia had been among those who left in search of Tate. She didn’t think it would help matters to point out that she fared just fine without a weapon of any kind. Her mother probably wouldn’t take kindly to the reminder of the danger she’d been in, regardless of the outcome.

  “I know that there will be things that happen outside of our control,” her mother said. “Tate didn’t plan to get herself stranded so far from home, but she was able to rely on the skills we taught her to survive. I want you to be able to do the same, and that includes having the ability to wield weapons effectively to defend yourself and others.”

  Sophia huffed again. In her mind, there was more than one way to defend against threats. Weapons were the most archaic way and of no interest to her. She felt that she could solve any number of issues through the equipment in her lab much better than could be resolved on a battlefield.

  In point of fact, she was working on developing a serum to combat the effects of Nyx’s toxin, a serum that could be administered to anyone who would be around the kragen on a regular basis. Now that Nyx was a seemingly permanent resident in the area, Sophia worried about one of her younger siblings or cousins—all of whom loved to play with the large creature—accidentally coming into contact with her paralyzing toxin.

  Unfortunately, she recently realized that she wasn’t progressing much with her efforts. She decided that she needed more information from Nyx’s Estilorian friend, Zachariah. The enigmatic Mercesti male had developed an antitoxin that could be administered after the toxin had been introduced. Sophia hoped to extend his efforts to develop something more proactive. In effect, a vaccine.

  “I’ll never get a moment’s rest if I don’t think you can protect yourself if anything ever happens to you,” her mom said.

  Guilt rushed through Sophia at the words. She could only imagine how much stress she had put her parents through during her absence while rescuing Tate. Hanging her head, she gave her mom an apologetic look.

  Her mother shook her head in response. “Just don’t forget again, okay?”

  Sophia nodded, causing her mother’s hand to lift up and down.

  “Now, since it’s surprisingly warm today considering autumn has arrived, those of your cousins who did participate in today’s training are going to head over to the waterfall for a swim. Why don’t you go get changed and join them? It’s probably the last swim you’ll have until late spring.”

  The idea of a swim with her family sounded enjoyable, and it might give her a chance to chat with Zachariah about the antitoxin. She nodded again.

  Her mother got awkwardly to her feet and winced as she stretched, rubbing her belly with one hand as she pressed against her lower back with the other. “Phew. I’m ready for this baby to arrive. My back is killing me.”

  Sophia debated shifting back so she could help her mother, even though she’d be naked when she did. Then her mom smiled and caught her gaze.

  “I’ll be fine, sweetie. You can wait to shift until you get to your room. Besides, Quincy is still watching.”

  Despite her concerns about her mother, that gentle reminder was enough to have Sophia dashing in her panther form into the house. Being seen naked by Quincy was the very last thing she needed.

  Quincy started down the hill as soon as Sophia loped away. He had seen Olivia’s grimace when she stood up after speaking with her daughter. As both a friend and the Estilorian who served as the obstetrician for Olivia and her sisters, Amber and Skye, he was concerned by her obvious discomfort.

  “Do you need any assistance, Olivia?” he asked.

  He stopped a couple of feet from her, studying her for physiological indicators of how she felt. He knew that these last days before the projected due date were particularly wearying on the expectant mother. Her energy and abilities weakened as she prepared for the birth. It was one of the reasons that Olivia and her sisters had remained behind when their firstborn children recently ventured away from the protected homeland.

  Her pupils and breathing were normal now, he was pleased to note.

  “I sure do,” she answered with a grin. “Can you get Sophia to quit skipping out on her training sessions?”

  His lips twitched. “Are you sure you don’t have something less challenging for me? Maybe a previously unknown pain, or a dire threat to your person I could possibly avert?”

  “I can hear you,” Sophia called out.

  The irritation in her voice had Quincy grimacing. “Sorry,” he said loudly toward the open door of the house. Then, more quietly, he said, “Oops.”

  Olivia smiled and waved it off. “Sophia deserves the knock. She’s terrible about participating in the training sessions and she knows it.” Her voice rose in volume when she added, “I’ll never let her leave home again if she doesn’t start taking this more seriously.”

  “Yeah, yeah…I get it,” Sophia replied in a grumble.

  Quincy shook his head. “Well, let me know if you experience any signs of the baby’s impending arrival, okay? If you’d be more comfortable with me sticking around here instead of joining the others at the waterfall, I’d be happy to.”

  “You’re very sweet, Quincy. Thanks.” She once again ran a hand over her belly. “But I think we’re still okay for now.”

  “All right. Then I’ll go wait for Sophia and the others near the training paddock. You know how to find me if you need me.”

  “Absolutely.” Olivia smiled and turned to walk back into the house. “And if you happen to give Sophia another lecture on the importance of learning to defend herself in hopes it might penetrate her hard head, I wouldn’t mind a bit.”

  “Sure thing,” he said.

  As he walked toward the training paddock, he considered Olivia’s concern for Sophia’s well-being. It very closely mirrored his own. He clearly remembered the challenges he and Sophia faced together in their pursuit of Tate all those weeks ago. Sophia had nearly been killed. The fear and anguish he’d experienced while treating her injuries surely reflected what Olivia would have felt in his place.

  Why wouldn’t it? he mused now. After all, they both loved her.

  He supposed the biggest difference was that Sophia didn’t have any idea how he felt about her. And he had yet to figure out how to change that.

  Chapter 2

  When Quincy reached the training paddock located geographically central to the homes occupied by Olivia, Amber, Skye and their families, he spotted Zachariah. The large Mercesti male was alone, leaning against one of the wooden fence posts surrounding the paddock. Dressed in his usual ensemble of a black tank, black pants and black boots, he looked like a perfectly-honed human military soldier. Of course, Quincy knew after spending a great deal of time among humans that Zachariah’s wild-looking blond hair would never make the military cut. He stood
with his arms crossed over his chest, his sharp red eyes not missing a thing.

  When Quincy came to a stop and said, “Good afternoon,” Zachariah nodded in return. It was as cordial a greeting as the unemotional and ornery Mercesti ever issued.

  It was hard to know how to relate to Zachariah. Once the Gloresti second commander, he had been mentally assaulted and forced to kill the Gloresti he supervised, causing him to convert to a Mercesti. The experience sent him into seclusion for more than fifty years. Only when he encountered Tate and got involved in saving her life almost two months ago did he decide to rejoin Estilorian society.

  Despite the fact that Zachariah had paired with Tate as her protector in a Gloresti-Corgloresti style pairing, he wasn’t going out of his way to integrate himself into the family dynamics that existed before his arrival. In fact, he did very little at all to make others comfortable.

  Still, Quincy knew that Zachariah was dedicated to Tate’s safety. If nothing else, in light of his own feelings for Sophia, this gave Quincy a sort of affinity with him.

  Even as that thought entered his mind, Quincy spotted Tate emerging from her family’s home. She was hard to miss with her mass of colorful curls. They spiraled in shades of brown, light blue, deep blue-green and glittering dark blue all the way to the middle of her back. She currently wore it down since they were going swimming, rather than in its usual high ponytail bedecked with colorful beads and feathers.

  Unlike Sophia’s graceful stride, Tate bounced when she walked. She also nearly always wore a smile, and her dimple peeked at them now as she neared. Her enthusiasm and positive energy were contagious. Quincy grinned back at her.

  “Hiya, Quincy,” she said cheerfully. “Coming swimming with us?”

  “What the bloody hell are you wearing?”

  The question came from Zachariah. Quincy realized the Mercesti had moved away from the fence post and uncrossed his arms. He glowered at Tate, not an unusual expression for him.

  “A bathing suit,” she said, glancing down at herself and shrugging as if she didn’t understand the question. “And sandals.”

  Zachariah strode over to her and grabbed the towel she wore over one shoulder. Tate’s swimsuit consisted of a green halter-style top that stopped a few inches beneath her breasts and a pair of striped, low-waisted boy shorts. When Zachariah paused for a moment after removing the towel and gave Tate’s curvy, well-toned form a longer study than was proper, Quincy almost laughed. The other male was still unused to the human wardrobe choices often worn by the Kynzesti and their half-human mothers.

  The sound of voices turned his attention as others emerged from the nearby homes and headed toward the paddock. Quincy spotted Tate’s twin brother, Tiege, and the Lekwuesti, Ariana, cutting across the flower garden beside the twins’ home. From the other direction came archigos Ini-herit, who was staying with archigos Gabriel’s family for a while. His presence right now surprised Quincy. The emotionless Corgloresti elder wasn’t normally one who engaged in something like swimming for entertainment.

  When Quincy heard Clara Kate’s voice coming from the direction of Sophia’s home and watched the two cousins walk together out of the forest, he suddenly understood.

  No one knew exactly what occurred when Gabriel’s firstborn daughter transitioned to the human plane a few months ago and spent time with Ini-herit while he was in his human form. But it was clear there had been more to their relationship than the Corgloresti elder now remembered. The fact that Ini-herit hadn’t retained any of his human memories had definitely affected Clara Kate’s behavior since their return.

  Now, Quincy’s class elder watched C.K. as if trying to analyze her. Quincy knew that Ini-herit’s lack of emotion was particularly ingrained due to his millennia of existence. Yet the elder seemed to be trying to move beyond it.

  “You will not be going anywhere in this—outfit,” Zachariah said, once again drawing Quincy’s attention.

  The Mercesti whipped the towel around Tate, wrapping her upper body in the cloth. Then he put a hand on her shoulder and began ushering her bodily toward her home.

  “I’m going swimming, Sparky,” Tate argued, trying to twist away from his grip. “We wear bathing suits to swim.”

  “You are practically naked. You should not be walking around others like this.”

  Tate rolled her eyes. “Since when have Estilorians ever given much concern to modesty? By all that’s holy—this is my family you’re talking about here. Well…and Quincy. But he’s practically family, and he’s seen me naked lots of times.”

  Quincy’s eyebrows shot up. When Zachariah flashed a lethal glare at him, he cleared his throat and held his hands up in the universal sign of peace. “I’m their physician,” he explained.

  Turning his gaze back to Tate, Zachariah shook his head. “The others are all wearing more fabric than this,” he ground out, striding toward the house with Tate’s arm in his grasp.

  Their argumentative words were cut off when Zachariah opened the door to her home, thrust her inside and then followed her in, closing the door behind them. Quincy could only imagine the words they exchanged. As he considered Tate a close friend and loved her dearly, he inwardly winced over her position.

  “I don’t know why Tate puts up with him,” Ariana said. “She’s a fully grown female. She can wear whatever she wants.”

  Quincy refrained from comment. Tiege reached out and rubbed her shoulder, as did Sophia. Ariana had suffered a great deal at the hands of the Mercesti class a couple of months ago. She was still recovering. Zachariah hadn’t been one of those who abused her, but Ariana wasn’t yet at a place where she could separate him from his class. She gave him a wide berth and viewed him in a notably harsh light.

  “I just hope they finish this particular argument soon,” Sophia said, adjusting her towel so it rested more firmly on her shoulder.

  Quincy took care not to stare at her too long, though it was a hard thing. She wore a blue one-piece swimsuit that flattered her petite and feminine form and highlighted her deep blue-green eyes. Her long, straight blonde hair was unbound, softening her appearance to a point that made his chest ache.

  “Me, too,” Clara Kate said. “I’m ready to swim.”

  She avoided standing near Ini-herit, Quincy noticed, and she had yet to meet the elder’s gaze. It was very unlike her usual forthright and confident demeanor, which concerned Quincy.

  “Here they come,” Tiege observed.

  Everyone watched as Tate walked out of the castle first, followed by Zachariah. She now wore some kind of robe that ended mid-calf. Quincy choked back a laugh when Tate caught his gaze and rolled her eyes again. Still, her smile was wide and he knew she didn’t really mind the wardrobe update.

  A few more Kynzesti who were old enough to do so also made their way to the paddock, and then they all headed into the forest. Quincy walked a few feet behind Sophia, not wanting her to figure out that the only reason he was going was to keep an eye on her. The waterfall and spring were within the protected area of the homeland, but after what had happened to Tate, he didn’t want to take any chances of Sophia coming to harm.

  As if she read his thoughts, Sophia glanced over her shoulder. The sunlight glimmered on the deep blue-green butterfly-wing markings around her enchanting eyes. His heart rate sped up as he tried to think of something to say when she looked at him. Nothing remotely appropriate came to mind. Panic started to set in.

  Then, much to his surprise, her gaze latched onto Zachariah.

  He watched with further bafflement as she slowed her pace to walk beside the Mercesti. Zachariah’s expression didn’t change when he glanced down at Sophia, whose head didn’t even reach his shoulders. He did lift a questioning eyebrow, though.

  “I wanted to chat with you about the antitoxin you created using your blood,” she said. “I’ve been concerned about the possibility that Nyx could poison one of us—accidentally,” she tacked on when his eyes narrowed. “What if we create a form of vaccine so that
we could all become immune? That way, there won’t be that risk.”

  Quincy blinked. There was a time when Sophia would have come to him regarding one of her experiments. They had spent hours together in her laboratory or in his medical lab. Of course, it had been a number of years since the last time he felt that he had enough self-control to be alone with her for very long.

  Zachariah was quiet for a moment, his gaze considering. “With the right equipment,” he said at last, “it could probably be done.”

  Sophia smiled. The sight of it had Quincy’s gut clenching. She used to smile at him that way.

  “Great,” she said. “Would you be willing to work with me on it? I’ll need to retrace what you did and see how we can adapt it to be effective on full Estilorians and those of us who are mixed with human DNA.”

  “Ooo…sounds fun!” Tate said. “I love watching Soph in action during her experiments.” She gave her cousin a wink.

  Zachariah shrugged. “I can work with you on it.”

  Quincy waited for Sophia to turn to him, figuring she would surely ask him for his assistance, too. After all, no one knew the properties of human, Estilorian and combined DNA structures like he did.

  But she didn’t. She thanked Zachariah and then moved up to continue her conversation with Clara Kate. She never even looked at Quincy, a fact that brutally pained him.

  He couldn’t help but feel in that moment that her heart would be forever beyond his reach.

  Chapter 3

  Why didn’t Quincy offer to help?

  That thought ran through Sophia’s mind as they walked back home from the waterfall. She had been thinking about it since she talked with Zachariah about the vaccine. There was no doubt that she’d need Quincy’s assistance, as well. She didn’t have nearly the knowledge he did when it came to anatomy and genetics.

  Yet he hadn’t said a word. She’d lingered like a dolt next to Zachariah, thinking Quincy would ask if she’d like his help. She had even mentally rehearsed a blasé response that she thought made her sound less than pathetic when she accepted his help.