Page 97 of Truthfinder’s Promise

“Your mother was a piece of work.”

Meredith laughed. “I’m fully aware of that.” She swung the door open. Jensen stepped out, took her face in his hands, and kissed her. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

“Back at you.”

His fingers brushed the circlet. “Do I even want to ask?”

“I think it’s made for Truth. For me.”

“I don’t think it’s safe.”

“It’s no harm to me inside the house. If we make it out okay, I’ll take it off before my magic comes back. But if the world’s still in chaos when we get outside? I may need it. Don’t ask me to throw away the one weapon I have.”

He exhaled, long and slow. “Okay.”

“Okay. Is Natalie here?”

He nodded and walked down the row of cages, stopping at the one three down from his own. A snow leopard slept on the floor. Her fur, though it looked freshly bathed for the auction, couldn’t hide that she was too skinny. Not as skinny as Jensen had been when he’d come out of Elijah’s basement, but enough to weaken her.

She wore one of the black muzzles all the Shifters did and her paws…up close, it was too easy to see the mutilation.

Meredith had no doubt the Shifters could regrow the digits, or Analisa wouldn’t have done it on something she intended to sell as a predatory weapon. But she’d clearly wanted to remove those natural weapons until they were transferred to their new owners, so she’d sedated and starved them enough that they wouldn’t have the natural resources to heal until the auction was over.

“Open it.” Jensen’s voice was ragged.

Meredith went to work. She moved faster this time, fresh off her experience with the previous lock, and this one soon popped open. Jensen went in and gently unbuckled the muzzle. He stroked Natalie’s fur and spoke in low, soothing tones, but she didn’t stir.

He looked up. “She needs food. Where did you get the hamburger?”

“Refrigerators, I’ll get it.” She grabbed as many packages as she could carry and brought them back to Jensen.

The snow leopard came awake like—well, like a cat scenting prey. The food disappeared in a matter of seconds. As soon as it was gone she scuttled backwards to the far side of the cage. As if she feared attack. She was still half asleep, her eyes unfocused.

“Nat?” Jensen’s voice was low, soft, soothing.

The snow leopard’s head jerked up. She shuddered, and Meredith felt the magic burning through the girl—burning off the sedative. Another wave of magic pulsed through her and claws sprouted from her forepaws. Her eyes snapped into focus, locking on Jensen.

“Hey, kid.”

Her whiskers trembled. A low, hurt sound escaped her throat and she launched herself across the cage. For one terrible moment Meredith thought the girl was so traumatized she hadn’t recognized Jensen, and Meredith braced for teeth and claws and blood.

Jensen caught the snow leopard, who threw her forelegs around Jensen’s neck in an awkward feline embrace, buried her face in his neck, and cried. Strangled meows and those low, hurt sounds so particular to the various feline species, the kind that could cut right through to the heart and tear it to shreds.

Natalie shivered and poured out her pain while Jensen held her tight, murmuring so softly Meredith couldn’t make out what he said. Tears streamed down his own face.

Meredith felt like a voyeur, intruding on a private moment that wasn’t meant for her. Her heart hurt, and she’d never wished for Valkyrie’s abilities so much in that moment, because the desire to leave this room and rip Analisa’s head off was overpowering.

Beneath that, she felt like an asshole for the urge to tell them they needed to get up and go. Go before someone came in, before something happened. Five minutes. She could give them five minutes while she worked on the rest of the locks.

She took a step back, her heel scuffing on the floor. The snow leopard stilled, her eyes fixing on Meredith. A snarl emanated from her throat and she lunged.

Jensen held onto her. “It’s okay, Nat. She’s with us. She’s…my wife.”

That knocked the snow leopard into stunned stillness, her gaze traveling down to where a decorative cuff covered Meredith’s infinity tattoo. Meredith took the cuff off and held the tattoo out. Jensen gave her an encouraging look.

Er, right. Would it be polite to crouch, or would Natalie consider that condescending? In the end, she stayed where she was. “Hi. I’m Meredith. I know you don’t have a good track record with my kind, but I promise I’m here to help.”

Natalie gave Jensen a look that telegraphed incredulity even via snow leopard facial expressions. Magic roiled through the cage again and Natalie’s skin began to writhe, her features shifting.