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Within two minutes, a purring Garnet groomed the little one. Tourmaline clicked, and I invited the bird to make friends with Erik’s kitten, too. “What’s her name?”
“Citrine.”
I should have guessed. I smiled, gave all three their owed petting, and said, “Thank you. How much do we owe you for the kitten?”
“Nothing. She’s a gift,” Enzo informed me. “Citrine would have the same struggles Garnet suffered through, so I made the recommendation she go to your household. With your parents having a boy, neither of your girls will have much difficulty finding a suitor. His temperament is promising. He’s quite tolerant.”
He’d have to be to deal with my parents. “Do you have a dish? I have some of Garnet’s kitten milk with me, and she probably needs to be fed.”
Desmona bounced off before I had a chance to thank her.
One worry rose above the others. “You don’t think Erik will have a problem bonding with her?”
“I think they’re birds of a feather and will be cozy with each other by the end of the day. Citrine should fit well with the police, too. She has a strong sense of justice and drive, but she also needs to be around people. Your Garnet needs to be around a specific person, which is you.”
“She had no problems going with my parents,” I informed him.
“Ah, but they’re tyrants, and she likely recognized you’re all part of the same family unit.” Enzo chuckled. “I’ll drive you to Erik’s station after the kitten has been fed, that way you can introduce Erik to his new carbunclo. I’ve already asked Phillip if he can bring Monster out today, so he’s just waiting for the call.”
I smiled at the thought of Erik having to deal with the titanium dragon’s cat. “I love Monster.”
“Anyone with half a heart loves Monster,” the black dragon replied. “As that Millson boy hatched out loving animals, I’m sure there will be no problems. And Kinsley? If you need to escape from the insanity, send me a text. I’m sure I have a quiet library somewhere in this mausoleum you can hide in for a while.”
* * *
Thursday, April 30, 2167
The Diamond Ward
Dragon Heights, Wyoming
Cedrick and his father met us at the station where Erik worked, and I tried to figure out how to carry Citrine and take Monster from the dragon-kin. My attempts to stare the dragon-kin into submission failed to yield results.
He laughed at me.
“You can’t have our cat,” Cedrick informed me. “I know that look well. That is the look of a woman who wants what I have, and you can’t have Monster. You can pet Monster later tonight, but Erik has to send him home first.”
“If I do not get to pet Monster tonight, the entirety of the Gray Ward will hear my unhappy wails,” I warned.
“May the very heavens forbid such a travesty.” The dragon-kin grinned, smiled at Citrine, and scratched behind her ears. “You’re going to love your new home, little baby.”
Citrine purred and rewarded the dragon-kin with a nuzzle.
“I doubt Erik is going to throw Monster.”
“Erik will toss Monster up in the air and catch him because Monster loves it, but he wouldn’t throw our cat.”
Our circus drew attention, and Erik emerged out of the station, and he raised a brow at me. “What’s going on?”
I lifted Citrine, gave her a kiss on the nose, and whispered, “That’s Erik, okay? Go make him the happiest dragon in the world. He deserves it. He’ll even share his pillow with you.”
Then, hoping for the best, I set Citrine down.
The kitten wibble wobbled on her way over to Erik, mewing and squeaking the entire way.
Before Erik could fall prey to his inclinations, swoop in, and pick up his kitten, Cedrick handed over Monster. “You need to toss the cat.”
“I’m not throwing Monster,” Erik informed the titanium dragon-kin. He took a moment to snuggle with the cat before apologizing for needing to go play with the kitten and placed Monster on the ground so he could pick up Citrine.