The Way Back (Champions of the Crystal Book 4)

Chapter 16.4

"Tristan, I mean it, come out now!" she demanded, without much hope of being obeyed. She closed her eyes and leaned her head against the wall momentarily, recalling other times they had played this game. But nearly all the furniture in her apartment was moveable by one person, partly for this reason. She wondered if she had any canned cat food left to tempt him out from his hiding place. That didn't work when he knew a vet visit was planned, but there wasn't any reason for him to think that here and now.

Heaving a sigh, she got up and went into her apartment, returning with a spoonful of moist, smelly cat food. She carefully slid it behind the sideboard. "Come on, sweetie, come out and eat," she coaxed.

She heard definite sniffing, then movement. As she slid the spoon slowly back toward her, though, a paw reached out and smacked the spoon, hard. The food slid off, and Sabrina heard her cat gobble up the treat as she withdrew the empty spoon and stared at it in frustration. "I should just leave you back there!"

A plaintive mew answered her, followed by frantic wriggling noises. "Oh, great," she said. "Now you're stuck and I have to get you out. Well, you'll have to hang on while I go call the Fifth Fleet to come help me move this sideboard, which is obviously made of dwarf-star alloy," she added, grunting as the sideboard resisted her earnest efforts to budge it even a millimeter.

There was a chuckle nearby, and Sabrina thought, Great. Now they think I talk to furniture around here. I hope this is just a footman and not Rassir or somebody I'm going to be embarrassed about. "My cat's stuck," she explained without looking up. "Can you help me move this?"

There was no reply, but the sideboard moved forward several centimeters. Sabrina lunged forward and managed to grasp Tristan's hind leg, then his leash. She used that to reel him in until she could get her hands around his middle and drag him out. "You are a very, very, horrifically bad cat!" she told him, holding his face up to hers.

"Next time we're up against an attack fleet, I suggest we simply send the cat out to talk to them," Ford's voice chuckled. "He's obviously even better at getting his own way than you are."

"Ford!" Sabrina gasped in disbelief, taking the hand he extended and letting him help her up. "Or—" It had to be Kaz, she thought; but no, his hair had a reddish tinge. Was this one of the brothers she hadn't met? No one had mentioned that Ford had an identical sibling.

"It's me," he assured her, grinning. "I'm back."

Sabrina gave a little wordless cry and threw her free arm around his neck in an impulsive hug. He returned the embrace lightly, careful of the cat held in her arm. "Well," he said, "I see you've been taking lessons from Marie. What a welcome!"

She pulled back to look at him. "You look exhausted."

"That's because I'm exhausted," he replied. "I didn't want to wait around on Kaldoun for a courier ship, so I caught a transport to Lthos, and then a freighter here."

"What are you—how is—" She didn't know where to start.

"Father's fine. Scotty's stable," he told her. "They finished having a look at me, and then sent me back to fetch a few things."

"Come inside," she urged, pulling at his arm. "You need to sit down. How on Earth did you move that thing?"

He glanced back at the sideboard. "I guess I'm stronger than I look."

"Well, stronger than I am, anyway," Sabrina agreed. She closed the main door to her apartment behind them and led him into her sitting room. As he dropped into a chair, she unhooked Tristan's leash and harness and set the cat free. He promptly streaked from the room. "I'll go fix you some cocoa, unless you want something else?"