“Sorry.” There was real remorse in his voice. “I should have realized a big bastard like me would frighten a lovely female alone. But I just found these little things and then you came along and they sound so loud and upset!”
“Those little things are kittens,” Luci told him as they walked. She had to move quickly to keep up with his long strides. “And I told you—they’re probably just hungry.”
She hoped, anyway. What was it with her and cats today? The whole time from morning until night had been some kind of feline fiasco!
Luci stiffened her spine. After the day she’d had, she was damned if she’d lose another feline patient! Whatever was wrong with these three little guys, she was going to fix them up—no matter what it took.
Three
In the well-lighted lobby of the apartment building, Luci was able to get a better look at the big Kindred. She reflected to herself that the light didn’t make that much difference—he was scary-looking even when he wasn’t wrapped in shadows.
He had to be almost seven feet tall—of that she was sure—and his shoulders were fully twice as broad as her own. His eyes were no longer glowing but they were still very strange-looking—one was brilliant, metallic copper and the other was a pale, icy blue. His hair was buzz-cut close to his head and his nose looked like it had been broken several times—although who in the world would have been big enough and strong enough to break it, Luci had no idea. His lips were at odds with the broken nose and mismatched eyes—they were full and soft-looking which made his features a study in contrasts.
It was a tough face but somehow it was also very attractive, in a rough-hewn kind of way, she thought. And right now it was filled with worry and concern for the three tiny, helpless kittens which he held cupped so carefully in his huge hands.
He was wearing a sleeveless black t-shirt that clung to his muscular frame and tight black leather trousers with black leather boots. His dress along with his buzz-cut hair made him look kind of like a really big scary Marine, Luci thought. But somehow she wasn’t scared of him anymore.
“Come with me,” she said, making a snap decision. “I have some kitten formula in my apartment.”
It might not have been very smart to let a stranger know where she lived but he was, after all, a Kindred. Also, Luci knew that Lady would be waiting for her, and the dog was extremely protective. If the big guy meant her any harm, Lady wouldn’t let him hurt her.
Not that Luci thought she was in any danger. There was something genuine about the big Kindred—something that made her want to trust him, even though she didn’t know him.
“What’s your name?” she asked as she pushed the button for the elevator.
“Oh, sorry. I’m Razhir—Raze for short,” he told her.
“I’m Lucia Rodriguez,” Luci told him, holding out a hand. “Oh, I guess you can’t—” She started to draw her hand back but Raze shook his head.
“No—it’s okay.” Deftly, he transferred all three crying, crawling kittens to his left hand and shook with her. His hand was so huge that for a moment hers disappeared inside his long fingers completely. Luci felt like a child shaking with an adult. Then he took his hand back and cradled the kittens carefully to his broad chest.
When they got to her apartment, she unlocked the door.
“I have some formula and I’m pretty sure I still have some bottles too. We had a litter of abandoned kittens we were taking care of last month and all the girls in the clinic were taking turns bringing them home,” she told him. “You don’t get a lot of uninterrupted sleep when you have baby kittens in the house, so we try to trade off.”
The minute she opened the door, Lady ran up with a joyful bark. When she saw the big Kindred, however, she drew back and gave a deep growl, low in her throat. As she was an Australian Shepherd mixed with a Doberman, with the intelligence of the first breed and the protectiveness of the second, this was no joke.
“Uh, sorry—she’s very protective,” Luci told the big warrior. “This is a dog, by the way,” she added, thinking he might not know.
“Yes, I know dogs—they’re my favorite Earth animal. It’s all right,” Raze told her. “What kind is she? There are different breeds, right?”
“Oh, yes—yes there are. Lady is kind of a mutt—a mixture of breeds. She’s half Australian Sheppard—see the pale blue eyes? And she’s half Doberman.”
“So you’re a mutt, huh, Lady? But I bet you’re a good girl, aren’t you?” Raze rumbled softly, talking to the dog. Transferring the kittens to one palm again, he bent down and let Lady sniff the back of his hand. “I know I’m a stranger but I mean no harm to your mistress,” he told the dog in that same low, soft voice. “I promise Lucia will be safe with me.”