sin would make no difference to a life she'd lived in secret since before she could remember.
They'd just taken their seats when two small leopard cubs barreled into the room. Eyes wide, Sascha watched the pair slide across the shiny wood of the floor before being caught on the rug. Several long, thin scratches marked their passage.
"Roman! Julian!" Tamsyn walked out from behind the counter and picked up both cubs by the scruff of their necks. "What do you think you're doing?" Two sheepish leopard faces turned to look at her. Sascha was riveted by the kittenish mewls coming from their throats.
Tamsyn laughed. "You two charmers. You know you're not supposed to run in the house. I've already lost two vases this week."
The cubs wiggled.
"Here." Tamsyn walked over and dumped them on the table. "Explain yourselves to your uncle Lucas."
The cubs put their heads down on their paws and looked up at Lucas as if awaiting judgment. Sascha wanted nothing more than to stroke her fingers through the silky-soft pelt of the one nearest her. They were so beautiful, their eyes a lively green-gold that had her spellbound.
She almost jumped out of her chair when Lucas growled beside her, a low rumble that came from a human throat but sounded completely feral. The cubs sprang up and growled back. Lucas laughed. "Scary, aren't they?" His eyes invited her to join in the fun.
She couldn't resist. "Fierce."
One of the cubs suddenly skidded to stand in front of her, so close they were almost nose to nose. Sascha stared in fascination at those eyes. Then he opened his mouth and growled a baby growl at her. Laughter bubbled in her throat. How could anyone remain unmoved around such mischief? But she was Psy and she wasn't allowed to laugh. Yet there was no way she wasn't going to indulge at least one more sense. She might never get this chance again.
Reaching out, she mimicked Tamsyn's hold and lifted the cub up by the ruff of his neck. His fur was soft, his body warm. He wiggled and growled, batting at her hands with sheathed claws, and she realized he was playing with her. At that moment, the other cub jumped to land on her lap and began to climb up her body.
Lost, she turned to Lucas. His amusement was obvious. "Don't look at me, darling."
She narrowed her eyes at her two little playmates. "I'm Psy. I can turn you into rats." The cubs stopped wiggling. Picking up the one in her lap, she put them both on the table in front of her and leaned down to their level. "Be very careful of people like me." It was a soft, sincere warning. "We don't know how to play nice."
Scooting forward on little baby paws, one of the cubs licked the tip of her nose in a quick movement. She was so startled that she blurted out, "What does that mean?"
"It means he likes you." Lucas tugged at her plait. "But that doesn't matter to you, does it?"
"No." She wished he'd stop touching her. Not because she didn't like it but because she liked it far too much. It made her hunger for things that could never be hers. And if someone went hungry for too long, they started to starve. Started to hurt.
Chapter 4
"Gotcha!" Tamsyn reached out and scooped up the cubs in her arms. They turned to nip playfully at her skin. "I love you, too, babies. But Uncle Lucas and your new friend have to eat so you have to stay on the floor." She put them down after a cuddle.
The cubs scooted under the table, one of them curling himself up on Sascha's leather-synth boots. The heavy warmth brought tears to her eyes. In an effort to hide her reaction, she looked down at the table and focused on the way Lucas continued to hold her plait.
He was sliding his fingers up and down, as though he liked the feel of the strands against his fingertips. The smooth, repetitive motion was oddly arousing - would he stroke other body parts with such exquisite care?
Her thoughts could get her interned at the Center but she didn't care. She'd experienced more sensations in the space of the last few hours than she had in the rest of her lifetime combined. It terrified her and yet she knew she'd be back tomorrow. She'd be back until someone found out.
And then she'd fight to the death. She would not be rehabilitated, would not