The scent of her pain was almost overwhelming for a moment then she seemed to restrain it, push it back until it was completely hidden. Cat had a feeling the other woman’s restraint over that anger was rapidly becoming harder to maintain.
“Anyway, as far as the world is concerned she’s dead.” Khi shrugged then. “Killed in a riding accident.” She sipped at the tea then met Cat’s gaze coolly. “Tiberius is searching for her now. With any luck, she’ll soon be as dead as everyone else believes she is.”
The statement was delivered so matter-of-factly and with such ice that she ached for the little girl hiding beneath such a need for vengeance. How horrible it must be to face such betrayal. Perhaps, Cat thought, not having parents hurt far less in some ways.
“I’m sorry, Khi,” Cat stated softly, aching for the pain such deliberate cruelty caused.
“Don’t be.” Khi waved the expression away. “It’s far better to know how evil someone is than to be fooled by them forever. And I didn’t come here to discuss the Council’s bitch anyway.” Her tight smile didn’t come close to hiding the morass of emotions tangled inside her. “I’m glad you’re here, Cat,” she said sincerely. “I was worried when I heard what Raymond was capable of. I always knew he wasn’t a nice person, but evil such as he carried inside him is always a shock when you learn it’s someone you associate with often.”
“He hated Lobo.” Cat sighed heavily. “He hated having Breeds in Window Rock and the protections the Nation afforded them. It was always difficult to turn down your invitations, Khi, but it was better for us as well as Lobo that I did so. It kept him from focusing too much on the trouble he could have caused if he wanted to.”
“Lobo would have decimated him.” Khi gave a bitter little laugh. “He was always having to deal with Raymond’s roadblocks and ignorance anyway. But I rather guessed why you refused them. No hard feelings.”
And there weren’t any, Cat sensed. She rather guessed Khi was too busy trying to navigate the internal hell she was going through herself. Whether or not Cat accepted an invitation probably hadn’t kept her up at night.
The reality Khi had to face daily was one Cat guessed made sleep extremely difficult if the dark circles under the other girl’s blue eyes were an indication. There was also the strange, very subtle scent that lingered around Khi, one Cat couldn’t quite make sense of. A very elusive trace of a Wolf Breed, but not a mating scent. It was almost two distinct scents that made it impossible to identify.
“So, I understand you and Graeme have a bit of history.” Khi wagged her brows as she broke the silence between them.
Leaning forward, the other girl shot her a teasing little wink. “Come on, dish up the details there, girl. What is it about you that makes that tough-assed Bengal get all gooey-eyed?”
Graeme? Gooey-eyed?
“You must be mistaking gooey eyes for that death stare he has,” she guessed, though she had no idea how anyone could mistake it. “Trust me, Graeme doesn’t get gooey eyes for anything or anyone.”
The very thought of such a thing was laughable.
“Trust me, gooey-eyed,” Khi assured her with a light laugh as she relaxed back into her chair and watched Cat curiously now. “I’ve known him for a year and every time your name’s been mentioned he has this little pause, and whatever rage burns in his eyes seems to dim a bit.”
Cat shook her head, denying any thought that Graeme had such tender feelings for her. Not anymore.
“I’m his own personal experiment,” she revealed. Khi knew the truth of who and what she was, she’d announced that when Cat stepped into the house. “His intelligence, even in the research center was frightening. The geneticist that created him allowed him to design the therapy used to save my life from the disease I was born with. If he has any softer feelings for me, then it’s no more than one a scientist has for a favorite lab rat.”
Khi’s crack of laughter was filled with disbelief. “Honey, you keep telling yourself,” she stated, barely holding back more laughter. “Right until the minute that bad-assed feline is fucking you silly.” The smile that filled Khi’s expression was one of genuine amusement and when she spoke of Graeme, the scent of an almost sisterly fondness was clear. “I can’t see him getting all hard and hungry for a lab rat, no matter how fond he might be of it.” The laughter she was holding back nearly escaped once again. “Thanks for that little moment of amusement though, I needed that.”
No doubt she did. Still, Cat narrowed her eyes on the still far too amused woman. “You’re strange, Khi,” she stated. “And you have some very strange ideas.”
The other woman did give another light, clearly genuine laugh at that. “Naw, I’m complicated, there’s a difference,” she assured Cat with such satisfaction and pride in herself that Cat nearly laughed herself. “Ask anyone. I’m very complicated.”