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We’d have to return. Until we caught him, we wouldn’t collect our fee.

The animals were a separate problem. Depending on how recently they’d mutated, Ben’s only option might be to put them down, which was not a pleasant thought.

When I emerged from the hole, the first thing I saw was the two demon wolves with the kitten nestled and napping between their large bodies.

Mulan stood by Conn chatting with him. The pair stood over the animals, looking like yuppie animal parents.

Rasmus ceased pacing when I appeared. I gave him a wave to show him I was fine.

“The troll isn’t home. We need to lay a trap for him. If we take his animals, he’s going to know something’s wrong.”

Mulan looked hard at me. “We take escaped kitten with us. This is not stealing. It is rescuing.”

I shook my head. “That’s not a regular kitten, Mulan. It’s magickly charmed to mutate into a tiger cat. Sometime very soon it will instantly grow into a beast that will try to eat you.”

Mulan looked down at the tiny animal. “But it is small and innocent.” The kitten roused itself and looked up at her. It was as if it had heard the concern in her voice. Mulan shook her head. “We cannot kill him for what is not his fault.”

I blew out a breath. This argument was not one I wanted to have but I couldn’t let her turn it loose in the farmer’s field. The troll would track it down and sell it—or worse, eat it. “Are ya sure the baby cat is male?”

“High demon was sure so I did not check for parts,” Mulan said, stooping to scoop it up and peer between its legs. “It is barely male and still needs its mother.”

My regretful sigh got lost in Mulan’s cooing defense of the dangerous creature. I reminded myself that it was going to take a while for her to learn about such things. Maybe they didn’t have tiger cats in China.

I looked at Conn for help but he only shrugged. Demons saw all cats as a delicacy to be savored. He’d never eaten a live creature in front of me, but I was betting he could discreetly get rid of the mutated kitten without any of us knowing he’d done so. His people often solved troll infestations where they lived by eating the troll’s livelihood until he got fed up and left. Until that happened, they treated the troll breeder’s lair like a fast-food restaurant.

I rubbed my forehead as I considered how best to explain the situation to a woman I admired and didn’t want to order around. “The only thing we can fairly do for the creature is to return it to its cage. The kitten’s smallness allowed it to slip through the bars, but it shouldn’t be roaming around free when it morphs. Adult tiger cats are bigger than most small dogs and regular cats. We know they see them as prey because that’s why we’re here to stop their breeder.”

Mulan held up the kitten. “We need new solution. You are powerful witch. Fix kitten with chaos magick.”

I glared at her demand. “It’s not a matter of having enough power. A transformative spell can’t be reversed by anyone without them transforming into the thing themselves. Zara’s promise to change the demon wolves back into humans will make history once it succeeds.”

The Wu Shaman snorted. “All magick has weakness. Spells break. We need to break this one.”

I let my sword disappear before throwing my hands into the air. “Setting aside the fact that I’d magickly inherit the transformation, we also don’t know what a counter-spell might do to the cat itself. I refuse to kill a kitten with a spell gone wrong. At least when the kitten transforms into a tiger cat, it will live some sort of adult life.”

“Only coward witch not try to break spell,” Mulan declared quietly.

“Now listen here...” I said, glaring when Conn burst out laughing. My glare swung from Mulan to him. “Ya’re not helping here, Conn. Do ya want me to explain to the love of yer life what demons do with tiger cats?”

Conn held up a hand and turned his back so I couldn’t watch him. Why did he always think that hiding his amusement made his laughter okay? Because it didn’t.

Stupid males.

Rasmus walked by me and brushed my shoulder. I don’t know what he was trying to tell me with the action but he glanced at me and smiled. He walked to Mulan and took the kitten from her, holding it close to his body with his massive hands.

A little fantasy of those hands cupping my backside slid into my mind before I pushed it away. I shook my head to dislodge the memory so I could pay attention to what Rasmus was doing.

The guardian closed his eyes and a low hum came from his throat. A soft golden glow appeared in his hands and surrounded the kitten who went perfectly still.

When he opened his eyes, Rasmus turned and looked at me. “Your guess was correct. Dark magick is currently attempting to change this creature but it’s not fully evil yet. Unfortunately, I can’t halt the progression of its changes. It is possible that I could alter some of the darker effects on the baby cat—ifyou think it’s worth the risk to the creature.”

I frowned. “Mulanobviouslythinks it’s worth the risk. Is there any risk to ya for doing such a thing?”

Rasmus shrugged. “If I possessed a mostly guardian body, I wouldn’t feel it at all. My power was limited in this current human form on purpose. The short answer is yes, there will be a price. It may cost me energy but I am willing to expend it. This small creature wishes to be adored and accepted. It has no dark thoughts.”

“And ya got all that from merely holding the kitten in yer hands?”

Rasmus shook his head. “It is a tiger cat in progress. The transformation has begun.”