Into the Woods: Tales from the Hollows and Beyond(117)
Author: Kim Harrison

Rich bastard. "Felicity, you’re a beautiful woman, but I should leave," he said when they got through the crush.

Immediately Felicity stopped, Emily beside her as she tried to get her kitten to eat one of those little cakes. Her troubled gaze flicked over his shoulder, then back to him. "Please, stay," she pleaded, pulling him closer again. "This will only take a minute. He has my best interests at heart, but he’s a pain in the ass. Don’t eat anything while I’m gone, okay? Promise? Wait for me."

Cooper jerked his gaze from Emily still coaxing the kitten into eating that sweet. "I’m starved," he admitted.

"Me too. I’ll bring something back. Something special. Please?"

Felicity looked truly distressed. Behind her on the other side of the club in one of the private booths, her father waited with two men, giving them each a wineglass and toasting until they drank. Cooper thought it interesting that they were younger than him, dressed even more casually. It wasn’t his wallet that alienated her father; it was something else. "Okay," he finally said, and she smiled, making everything right.

"Emily?" she called, and the little girl swayed closer.

"Yes, Mama?" She’d gotten the kitten to eat a bite, and Emily was wiping her whiskers with a white napkin.

Felicity dropped gracefully down to crouch before Emily and, using a finger, lifted her chin up. "Would you be a big girl and entertain Mr. Cooper for me?"

"But I’m already watching Leonard," the little girl complained.

What was it with the bat? Maybe the thing really was a pet.

"Grandpa wants me to meet someone," Felicity was saying firmly to Emily. "I don’t want anyone thinking Cooper is a stray while I’m gone."

Emily peered around Cooper. "One has nice hair," she offered, surprising Cooper.

Felicity smiled. "We’ll see." The crumb of cake dropped to the floor, and the kitten struggled to get it, settling back when Felicity plucked it from the floor and fed it to her. Tiny little canines lunged for it, grazing Felicity’s finger. "Where’s Leonard?"

"Under the pool table," Emily said, and Felicity stood, touching her shoulder.

"Then take Mr. Cooper over there so he doesn’t get lonely."

"But Mama," she began to whine, and Cooper smiled.

"Just do it, Emily," her mother said sharply, and the little girl deflated. "The sooner I finish with Grandpa, the sooner I can take you on the dance floor. You, me, and Mr. Cooper."

"Promise?" she begged, deep green eyes wide as she looked up at them both.

Felicity nodded even as Cooper wondered how that was going to play out. "If it’s okay with Mr. Cooper."

He smiled as Felicity squeezed his hand in parting. No amount of crazy-woman sex was worth getting involved with a woman with two kids, a bat, and an abusive father. He should leave and give the next in line a chance. But as Felicity angled her way around the dance floor, he crossed his arms over his chest and settled back with Emily. He couldn’t leave her unattended.

"So your cat can eat cake, but I can’t," he said sourly, and Emily beamed at him, nodding. "What did you name her?" he asked, curious, and Emily turned to a quiet corner where a soft glow lit a span of green felt.

"I didn’t," she said, surprising him. But she was walking away, and he scrambled to keep up. She was surprisingly fast, and with sudden quickness, he found himself in a back corner of the bar, feeling as if he’d stepped through a curtain. The music still beat into him, but it was muted. The air was cooler, and the smell of food less, which was a relief. He was starving.

Emily had crawled under the pool table and was talking to Leonard, probably, and Cooper shook his head, finding a nearby chair to fall into. Sighing, he looked at the ceiling, glad he had a moment to gather himself. Felicity’s family was just too weird.

"Isn’t she soft?" Emily said right in front of him, and he pulled his head down to find her standing between his knees, far too close. She had shoved her sleepy cat right into his face, and he straightened, taking her shoulders and moving her to stand beside him instead. "She smells so good!" Emily added, pushing the sleepy cat into his face again.

Taking the kitten in self-defense, Cooper buried his nose into the long fur, breathing in a scent that smelled vaguely like rabbit. "She smells perfect," he said, and Emily’s green eyes narrowed.

"Mine!" she demanded, hands reaching.

"You shouldn’t feed her cake," Cooper said as he handed the kitten back. "She’s a carnivore. You know what that is?"

The kitten once more in her arms, Emily gave Cooper a big sloppy kiss, the cat pressed between them. "It means she likes blood," the little girl said in her high, innocent voice.

Surprised, Cooper wiped his lips, wondering at the slight bitter taste Emily had left behind. "I suppose. Cake might give her a tummy ache."

Emily dropped to her knees and crawled back under the table with her cat. Cooper settled back in relief. She was a sweet girl, but he wasn’t comfortable around kids. There were a few children on the outskirts like Emily. None of them were playing with each other but were alone, talking with grown-ups. Talking with beautiful, lyrical people with black hair.

Frowning, Cooper wiped the bitterness from his mouth again and sat up. Where had all the redheads gone?

Leaning, he looked at Emily under the table, playing with her kitten. What is taking Felicity so long? "Are you excited to be able to stay up late?"

"No," came her sweet voice, and she crawled out to climb into the chair beside him, swinging her feet and cuddling her kitten. "Are you sure you don’t want to dance?"

"Pretty sure," he said, looking for Felicity’s red hair among the brunettes. He finally spotted her clear across the bar, arguing with her father. Slowly he frowned. "That’s odd."

"What?" Emily asked as she buried her nose in her kitten’s fur.

Cooper ran a finger between his collar and his neck. "I could have sworn there were more people here with red hair."

Emily laughed. "You’re funny, Mr. Cooper," she said, cuddling her cat.

"And you need to name your kitten, young lady."

He’d meant it as a joke, but the little girl looked at the cat seriously, purring in her arms with her eyes closed. "I’ll name her Happy," she said, and Cooper nodded, satisfied.

"That’s a good name." Sucking on his teeth, he watched the people around him, counting the red to brunette ratio. Everyone on the dance floor had black hair now, moving fast in a complicated line dance, feet hitting the floor simultaneously to make the chandeliers shake.