Page 86 of Reluctant Rogue

Her voice trailed off again, but Renee nodded.

“You assumed that everything you had been told about your cat being a killer, was true.”

“Yes,” she whispered. “I thought it was starting… the madness. Of course,theydidn’t consider it madness. My mother, and Beatrice. They reveled in the hunt, the kill. I thought it was sickening.”

“But that isn’t what was happening to you that night. You, and your cat, had every right to protect yourself from an assault. Just as Angus and I have a right to do whatever is needed to defend this place, and protect the people who, however briefly, call this place home.”

Naomi drew in a deep, shaky breath, feeling as a heavy burden had suddenly been lifted from her. “I get it. I really do.” She drew another breath, and was able to smile. “Thank you,” she said fervently. “Thank you so much. That night... it’s been weighing on me, especially after what happened to Beth. No matter how much everyone reassured me, I couldn’t forget what happened that night. But you are right. My cat came forward to protect me, and she did. Because of her, I was able to get away from him, to get out, and to get home safely to my apartment. She saved me.”

Renee smiled warmly. “She did. Now, then, do you think you can get to sleep?”

“Yes!” Naomi drained the last of her cocoa, and rose to her feet. “Thank you again, Renee. And Angus, too.”

“You’re most welcome, from both of us. Try to get some sleep now, Naomi.”

“Yes, I will. Good night, Renee.”

Chapter25

Finally,they were getting to see the house Joe had told them was for sale. As they pulled up in front of the house with the For Sale sign in front, Naomi felt her mouth drop open. Beside her, Liam stared a minute, then uttered a heart-felt, “Oh,hell,yeah!”

She was quiet a minute, busy taking in the two-story home with its massive wall of matching stone. “The stone wall is the height of the first floor. It’s got to be, what, eight feet?”

“Yeah. And if that wall goes all around the whole property, it’ll make it perfect for shifting. Total privacy.”

Inside, she felt her cat stir, flexing its claws, and she smiled. “Look at all the big, old trees. My cat wants out, just from looking at them!”

“Yeah, leopards like to hang out in trees, don’t they?”

“Yes, and clouded leopards are the most arboreal of all the cats. Did you know we’re not actually leopards?”

“What?” That got his attention, and he dragged his gaze from the house to her face. “Clouded leopards aren’t leopards?”

“Nope, entirely different family. We’re kind of the bridge between the large cats and small cats, in a class of our own. In fact, we even have our own Genus, Genus neofelis, that only has two members, the clouded leopard and the Sundra clouded leopard.” She grinned. “Did you know, our canine fangs are the same size as a tiger?”

He stared at her. “I don’t believe it. A tiger is ten times your size!”

Naomi shrugged. “It’s true. They’re like, 2 inches long, same as a tiger. We can also open our jaws wider than any other cat.”

He eyed her. “Any other fun facts?”

She thought about it. “Yep. We can climb down trees head-first. The margay is the only other cat that can do that.”

“You’re just an interesting breed all around, aren’t you?”

Pleased, she laughed, feeling her cat preen. “Yep, we are!”

She reached for the handle of her door as a white sedan pulled into the one-car driveway. “That must be the realtor. Come on, let’s go check out your new house.”

The real estate agent was an older lady, with silver-touched brown hair in a neat French braid, but a good figure set off in a classic business suit. She held out her hand, shaking with both of them.

“Hello. I’m Miranda East,” she introduced herself. “You must be Liam McConnell, and…?”

“I’m Naomi Kerrigan.”

“It’s lovely to meet you both.” Miranda gestured toward the front door, set a short distance from the garage. “There’s one downstairs bedroom,” she informed them as she opened the door and led the way inside. “And one full bath en suite, and a half bath. Upstairs are four bedrooms and two full baths. Naomi stepped into the short hallway, and stopped in pleased surprise.

“Oh, this is lovely!”