“What…where did you find them?” she asked, her voice shaking only a little. Maybe the huge man wasn’t going to try and kill her after all. At any rate, it would be hard to attack someone with your hands full of kittens.
“Behind the building—under one of those big trash receptacles,” the man said. “I think you humans call them ‘dumbsters?’ or ‘dummers?’ Little things were crying so loud I could hear them from inside my domicile.”
“That’s dumpster,” Luci corrected him. “But what do you mean by ‘you humans?’”
“Forgive me.” He made a slight bow. “I’m a Kindred warrior. Should have introduced myself but these little things seem so helpless—I think maybe they’re hurt.” He nodded at the kittens in his hands which were still crying loudly and poking their little noses into the air, clearly seeking something they weren’t finding.
Luci felt something in her chest loosen. The Kindred were known to be good guys—some people even called them Feminists. They never hurt women and were actually known to punish human men who did, if they caught them at it. No matter how big the huge male was, the fact that he was Kindred made her feel instantly better.
“They’re probably just hungry,” she said gently. “And you might have taken them away from their mother. She probably hid them under the dumpster and went hunting for herself, but she’ll come back to them soon.”
“I saw the mother.” His voice went husky and low. “Some bastard ran her over with one of the vehicles you drive here on Earth. She was…beyond saving.”
“Oh, no.” Luci felt a surge of sorrow, followed by a burst of surprise. Because the big Kindred’s glowing eyes were glittering faintly. Could he be…crying? Or was it just a trick of the light? Either way, it was clear from his voice that he felt just as bad about the mother cat dying as she did.
“Please,” he said. “I see you in the downstairs area of our building sometimes and you’re always wearing clothing that has Earth animals printed on it and the name of an animal clinic. Doesn’t that mean you work with animals?”
“Oh, my scrubs?” Luci looked down at herself reflexively—today’s scrubs were her favorites—they were printed all over with puppies and kittens and parrots and guinea pigs. She had found them on sale at a second-hand medical wear thrift store she knew of and fallen in love with the whimsical drawings and bright colors.
“Yes.” The big Kindred sounded slightly impatient. “Doesn’t that mean you can help? Wearing clothes like that? Otherwise it would be damn strange to wear them,” he pointed out.
“I, uh, guess it would,” Luci admitted. “Yes, I can help. But let’s go someplace with more light. Dios, you scared me to death coming up on me out of the dark like that,” she added.
“Sorry.” There was real remorse in his voice. “I should have realized a big bastard like me would frighten a lovely female alone. But I just found these little things and then you came along and they sound so loud and upset!”
“Those little things are kittens,” Luci told him as they walked. She had to move quickly to keep up with his long strides. “And I told you—they’re probably just hungry.”
She hoped, anyway. What was it with her and cats today? The whole time from morning until night had been some kind of feline fiasco!
Luci stiffened her spine. After the day she’d had, she was damned if she’d lose another feline patient! Whatever was wrong with these three little guys, she was going to fix them up—no matter what it took.
Three
In the well-lighted lobby of the apartment building, Luci was able to get a better look at the big Kindred. She reflected to herself that the light didn’t make that much difference—he was scary-looking even when he wasn’t wrapped in shadows.
He had to be almost seven feet tall—of that she was sure—and his shoulders were fully twice as broad as her own. His eyes were no longer glowing but they were still very strange-looking—one was brilliant, metallic copper and the other was a pale, icy blue. His hair was buzz-cut close to his head and his nose looked like it had been broken several times—although who in the world would have been big enough and strong enough to break it, Luci had no idea. His lips were at odds with the broken nose and mismatched eyes—they were full and soft-looking which made his features a study in contrasts.
It was a tough face but somehow it was also very attractive, in a rough-hewn kind of way, she thought. And right now it was filled with worry and concern for the three tiny, helpless kittens which he held cupped so carefully in his huge hands.
He was wearing a sleeveless black t-shirt that clung to his muscular frame and tight black leather trousers with black leather boots. His dress along with his buzz-cut hair made him look kind of like a really big scary Marine, Luci thought. But somehow she wasn’t scared of him anymore.
“Come with me,” she said, making a snap decision. “I have some kitten formula in my apartment.”
It might not have been very smart to let a stranger know where she lived but he was, after all, a Kindred. Also, Luci knew that Lady would be waiting for her, and the dog was extremely protective. If the big guy meant her any harm, Lady wouldn’t let him hurt her.
Not that Luci thought she was in any danger. There was something genuine about the big Kindred—something that made her want to trust him, even though she didn’t know him.
“What’s your name?” she asked as she pushed the button for the elevator.
“Oh, sorry. I’m Razhir—Raze for short,” he told her.
“I’m Lucia Rodriguez,” Luci told him, holding out a hand. “Oh, I guess you can’t—” She started to draw her hand back but Raze shook his head.
“No—it’s okay.” Deftly, he transferred all three crying, crawling kittens to his left hand and shook with her. His hand was so huge that for a moment hers disappeared inside his long fingers completely. Luci felt like a child shaking with an adult. Then he took his hand back and cradled the kittens carefully to his broad chest.
When they got to her apartment, she unlocked the door.
“I have some formula and I’m pretty sure I still have some bottles too. We had a litter of abandoned kittens we were taking care of last month and all the girls in the clinic were taking turns bringing them home,” she told him. “You don’t get a lot of uninterrupted sleep when you have baby kittens in the house, so we try to trade off.”
The minute she opened the door, Lady ran up with a joyful bark. When she saw the big Kindred, however, she drew back and gave a deep growl, low in her throat. As she was an Australian Shepherd mixed with a Doberman, with the intelligence of the first breed and the protectiveness of the second, this was no joke.
“Uh, sorry—she’s very protective,” Luci told the big warrior. “This is a dog, by the way,” she added, thinking he might not know.
“Yes, I know dogs—they’re my favorite Earth animal. It’s all right,” Raze told her. “What kind is she? There are different breeds, right?”
“Oh, yes—yes there are. Lady is kind of a mutt—a mixture of breeds. She’s half Australian Sheppard—see the pale blue eyes? And she’s half Doberman.”