Hushed Willows black in the magic, beauty in the tragic

she awoke in a whirl of ebony, flashing her teeth at him--he supposed he deserved it, after all. but it only took a moment for her to recognize aditya, then she settled down, coming toward him with an expectant look in her eyes.

"i'm sorry," he whispered again, left breathless by her sudden appearance.

she was cloaked in the sweet scent of a woman's heat. he'd caught the smell on the plains, assuming pema had reached her first estrus. this must be coelacanth's as well. as if she weren't irresistible enough! with some effort, he strained to focus on the words slipping from her lips and nothing else.

catori? safe? to this, aditya smiled, accepting her touch with only the tiniest of shivers. "yes," he murmured, face suffused with happiness. "she and the pups. three of them." he felt guilty, almost, as if he wasn't qualified to give this news. after all, he was only a brother-in-law to the new babes. but it wouldn't do, to keep coelacanth in suspense.

he tilted his head suddenly, giving her a curious gaze. "why have you left the isle? to visit catori?" he hoped nothing was the matter. she seemed all right--more than all right, aditya thought wryly--but there could be something hidden behind her eyes he wasn't catching.