Chapter Eight
Danica woke, lying with her head on Jaguar's chest. She sighed after a moment, knowing she wouldn't hear the reassuring beat of his heart. He was on his back, and she was snuggled against his side, one of his arms draped casually around her waist.
"Evening." Jaguar raised himself onto his elbows and placed a kiss on her forehead. She sighed and pressed herself closer to him. "I like this." Then he grinned, as she flitted pictures of the events that had taken place into his mind in answer. "I liked that too."
Danica smiled. I love you. She whispered in his mind.
"I love you too." He answered, kissing her fingers. "Um..." He grunted, sitting up. "Hungry." He said when she gave him a look.
She tilted her head to the side. Don't leave. He smiled at her.
"I'm gonna end up drinking you dry, at the rate we're going." Danica shrugged. I like the way you feel. Please don't leave. Jaguar nodded and pressed his lips to her throat.
"I need a shower." Danica said, sitting up after another round in bed.
"Can I come?" Jaguar asked, watching her slide out of bed.
"No. You'll only distract me and then we'll be in there for another hour and I won't have a chance to go study. Besides, don't you have some work to do?" Jaguar made a face at her.
"Yes." He stood and looked for his pants. "Will you come work with me? Get some books and come down to the courtyard? There's someone I want you to meet."
"Yeah. I'll be there after I shower." She called from the bathroom.
When she emerged from the bathroom, she found Eric by her door.
"Boo." She called to him, bringing him to attention. "What's up, little bug?"
"I thought you'd be hungry." He held up a basket. "So I had the cook pack you a picnic. Jaguar told me I needed to take you out to the courtyard after you've gotten the books you needed from the Magic Room."
"Great. Just give me a second. I need to find something to where." I don't mind the towel. Jaguar floated into her mind.
She smiled and answered playfully. Out of my mind, Jaguar.
"Hey, Eric? Can I get your opinion?" Danica held up two shirts as Eric came into the closet. "The pink butterfly shirt, or the silver one? With these leather pants?"
"Uh..." Eric looked very confused. "The silver shirt?"
"Great!" Danica threw it on over her towel and then let the white terry drop to the ground. She picked it up and led the way from the closet and draped the towel over a chair as they left the Amethyst Room. "So what's up with you, Eric? You having a good day?"
"Yeah. I guess. Are you okay? You got quite a beating yesterday."
"Not so bad." Danica answered, turning a corner. "I'm a witch, remember? I can heal fast. So tell me a little about Audra. I'm curious."
"Well..." Eric started. Must you ask him, Dani?
"Hang on." Dani interrupted Eric. "I have a kitten loose in my mind." I'm not a kitten.
"Shut up, Jaguar. And get out of my mind." She stopped for a moment before she turned back to Eric. "Okay. He's gone."
"That was strange."
"Not so. Just Jaguar being a nose, curious cat. I guess no one ever told him curiosity killed the cat."
"Oh. Well, Audra was great. She was a hunter from Bruja. She was actually hired by Jaguar to kill Jeshickah. But that went horribly wrong, so she ran for it. But before she did, Jaguar made her promise to take me. We lived like that for a couple of months while Jaguar hired a Triste to get rid of Jeshickah. Then Audra came back here to kill Daryl, her old master who had made her life a living hell. She stayed here for a few years, still part of Bruja, but not an incredibly active member. She got to be a good friend and one day, she just couldn't take the fact the Jaguar no longer had the time to care for her. And that what she really wanted was her old life back, before Daryl took it away from her. So she left and started dating this guy she dated back in high school named Greg and last I heard, they were married. I guess that's all I really know about her. I mean, we weren't that close, but that was expected, considering I was fourteen and she was twenty." Eric shrugged.
"Did Jaguar love her?"
"Yeah. I think he did to some extent, but not as much as he loves you. There's something different about the way he feels about you." Danica nodded as she gathered the books she wanted.
"Well, we had better not keep my kitten waiting." Dani pointed at the door. "Lead the way, good sir."
Danica woke, lying with her head on Jaguar's chest. She sighed after a moment, knowing she wouldn't hear the reassuring beat of his heart. He was on his back, and she was snuggled against his side, one of his arms draped casually around her waist.
"Evening." Jaguar raised himself onto his elbows and placed a kiss on her forehead. She sighed and pressed herself closer to him. "I like this." Then he grinned, as she flitted pictures of the events that had taken place into his mind in answer. "I liked that too."
Danica smiled. I love you. She whispered in his mind.
"I love you too." He answered, kissing her fingers. "Um..." He grunted, sitting up. "Hungry." He said when she gave him a look.
She tilted her head to the side. Don't leave. He smiled at her.
"I'm gonna end up drinking you dry, at the rate we're going." Danica shrugged. I like the way you feel. Please don't leave. Jaguar nodded and pressed his lips to her throat.
"I need a shower." Danica said, sitting up after another round in bed.
"Can I come?" Jaguar asked, watching her slide out of bed.
"No. You'll only distract me and then we'll be in there for another hour and I won't have a chance to go study. Besides, don't you have some work to do?" Jaguar made a face at her.
"Yes." He stood and looked for his pants. "Will you come work with me? Get some books and come down to the courtyard? There's someone I want you to meet."
"Yeah. I'll be there after I shower." She called from the bathroom.
When she emerged from the bathroom, she found Eric by her door.
"Boo." She called to him, bringing him to attention. "What's up, little bug?"
"I thought you'd be hungry." He held up a basket. "So I had the cook pack you a picnic. Jaguar told me I needed to take you out to the courtyard after you've gotten the books you needed from the Magic Room."
"Great. Just give me a second. I need to find something to where." I don't mind the towel. Jaguar floated into her mind.
She smiled and answered playfully. Out of my mind, Jaguar.
"Hey, Eric? Can I get your opinion?" Danica held up two shirts as Eric came into the closet. "The pink butterfly shirt, or the silver one? With these leather pants?"
"Uh..." Eric looked very confused. "The silver shirt?"
"Great!" Danica threw it on over her towel and then let the white terry drop to the ground. She picked it up and led the way from the closet and draped the towel over a chair as they left the Amethyst Room. "So what's up with you, Eric? You having a good day?"
"Yeah. I guess. Are you okay? You got quite a beating yesterday."
"Not so bad." Danica answered, turning a corner. "I'm a witch, remember? I can heal fast. So tell me a little about Audra. I'm curious."
"Well..." Eric started. Must you ask him, Dani?
"Hang on." Dani interrupted Eric. "I have a kitten loose in my mind." I'm not a kitten.
"Shut up, Jaguar. And get out of my mind." She stopped for a moment before she turned back to Eric. "Okay. He's gone."
"That was strange."
"Not so. Just Jaguar being a nose, curious cat. I guess no one ever told him curiosity killed the cat."
"Oh. Well, Audra was great. She was a hunter from Bruja. She was actually hired by Jaguar to kill Jeshickah. But that went horribly wrong, so she ran for it. But before she did, Jaguar made her promise to take me. We lived like that for a couple of months while Jaguar hired a Triste to get rid of Jeshickah. Then Audra came back here to kill Daryl, her old master who had made her life a living hell. She stayed here for a few years, still part of Bruja, but not an incredibly active member. She got to be a good friend and one day, she just couldn't take the fact the Jaguar no longer had the time to care for her. And that what she really wanted was her old life back, before Daryl took it away from her. So she left and started dating this guy she dated back in high school named Greg and last I heard, they were married. I guess that's all I really know about her. I mean, we weren't that close, but that was expected, considering I was fourteen and she was twenty." Eric shrugged.
"Did Jaguar love her?"
"Yeah. I think he did to some extent, but not as much as he loves you. There's something different about the way he feels about you." Danica nodded as she gathered the books she wanted.
"Well, we had better not keep my kitten waiting." Dani pointed at the door. "Lead the way, good sir."