Chapter Sixteen
"Oh, I like it," Caitlyn said as she entered Coco's and Raquel's dorm room at the Dragon Nest Academy. "It's so colorful."
"This is my bed." Coco leaped onto a twin bed with a bright purple comforter with hot pink hearts.
"Mrs. MacPhie let us pick out our own stuff," Raquel said in Portuguese. She climbed onto her bed, covered with a hot pink comforter dotted with purple princess crowns.
Caitlyn perched on the end of Coco's bed as she looked around. The walls had been painted pink, and a purple shag rug rested on the floor between the two beds. Toni had tried hard to make the two girls feel welcome. Even so, the dresser and bedside table looked sadly bare of toys and girly things.
Caitlyn dug inside her silk tote bag and pulled out two Russian nesting dolls. "I have too many of these, so I was hoping you would look after these two."
"Oh, they're pretty." Coco crawled up close.
The little girls gasped when Caitlyn pulled one of the dolls apart.
"There's another one inside," Raquel whispered.
Caitlyn handed each girl a matryoshka.
"Thank you!" They quickly opened each doll, laughing and chattering in Portuguese.
Caitlyn smiled. Her treasures were bringing her even more joy now that she was sharing them.
She'd been at the school for over an hour now. It had taken a few trips for the Vamps to teleport her, Toni, Carlos, and Fernando and his luggage. The were-panther children had been eagerly awaiting their arrival, and the foyer had filled with happy squeals and laughter as they hugged Fernando.
Caitlyn couldn't help but notice that he was much more at ease, hugging and talking to the children, than Carlos. She didn't doubt that Carlos loved them. She could see it in his eyes. And she knew he was fiercely protective of them. But for some reason he was reluctant to bond emotionally with them.
The oldest were-panther child was sixteen-year-old Emiliano. He was lanky and a bit awkward, but Caitlyn had no doubt that he would eventually be as handsome and graceful as Carlos.
The next two were-panther children were twelve-year-old twins, Teresa and Tiago. Teresa was wearing a ton of makeup, as if she desperately wanted to look about eight years older. Caitlyn made a mental note to herself to get to know her better, so she could convince the girl she was naturally beautiful and didn't need to try so hard.
When Raquel and Coco ran up to hug Caitlyn, her heart squeezed. The nine-year-old and six-year-old always looked so young and vulnerable to her. She suspected they touched her so much because she had been nine years old when Shanna had left. She'd felt abandoned and alone, even though she still had parents and a brother. Raquel and Coco were even more alone.
All of Caitlyn's life, lost cats and dogs had come to her for help. Instinctively, they had known she would understand them and open her heart to them. With Raquel and Coco, that phenomenon had risen to a new level, and her heart had responded.
They walked on each side of her, holding her hands as Toni took everyone on a tour of the school. Dragon Nest Academy was housed in a three-story H-shaped mansion. The center section was reserved for administrative offices and schoolrooms. The west wing held dorm rooms for single males on the second and third floors. A few married couples, like Ian and Toni and Phil and Vanda, had rooms on the first floor.
The east wing was for single females. Coco and Raquel shared a room on the second floor, and they had been eager to show it to Caitlyn. She'd gone with them while Carlos helped Fernando move into his new room in the west wing. Fernando had announced he was officially ready to crash after his long plane trip.
Caitlyn lounged back on Coco's bed. "Where is Teresa's room?"
"She's next door," Coco said as she spread the five nesting dolls out across her pillow.
"They lock the east wing off every night," Raquel said.
Caitlyn sat up. "You can get out, can't you? In case of a fire?"
"Oh yeah, we can get out," Raquel said. "But no one can get in."
Coco laughed. "Uncle Carlos is afraid one of the werewolf boys will like us. He said dogs and cats can't mix."
Caitlyn snorted. "I have news for you. All men are dogs." After the girls laughed, she continued, "You guys are too young to worry about boys."
Raquel stacked her dolls back together. "Uncle Carlos says we are the most precious girls on the planet. The future of our species depends on us."
Caitlyn winced. Carlos shouldn't be laying such a heavy burden on these children. She'd have a word with him.
"Teresa is supposed to marry Emiliano," Coco said.
"Teresa's only twelve," Caitlyn protested.
"Oh, it won't happen for a long, long time," Raquel assured her. "Like about five years."
Caitlyn grimaced. "Is Teresa okay with this?"
Raquel shrugged. "Emiliano's the only one she can marry."
"He likes her," Coco said. "He looks at her when we're eating lunch." She grinned at Raquel. "I saw Tiago looking at you."
Raquel snorted. "He has big ears. You can have him."
Coco chewed on her bottom lip. "Maybe we can share him."
"You can't share a husband!" Raquel crossed her arms and made a sound of disgust.
"Wait a minute!" Caitlyn stood. "You are way too young to be thinking about marriage."
Raquel scowled at her feet. "We have to save our species. Uncle Carlos said so."
Caitlyn groaned. "Uncle Carlos should be smacked upside the head."
Raquel and Coco giggled.
"I'd like to see that," Coco said.
"If anyone could smack him, it would be Caitlyn," Raquel added.
The two girls looked up at Caitlyn with admiration and hope in their eyes. Her heart expanded and her mind hardened with resolve. These girls deserved a childhood that was free of the heavy burden of saving their race. They'd already suffered enough. They needed to have choices in life. If she could help Carlos find more were-panthers, it would ease their burden. And it would enlarge the list of potential mates in their future.
"I need to talk to Emma." Caitlyn headed out the door. "I'll be back in a little while."
After ten minutes she located Emma and Angus in a security office on the ground floor. They were discussing something with Ian MacPhie.
"Are you ready to go back to the townhouse?" Emma asked.
"I'd like a word with you, if you don't mind." Caitlyn waited for Ian to leave the room, then launched into her proposal.
Angus and Emma looked surprised. When they didn't respond right away, she pressed on. "I have contacts at the embassies in Bangkok and Chiang Mai. I know the Thai language. I'm also familiar with the dialects used by the hill tribes where Carlos will be going."
Angus held up a hand to stop her. "I believe Carlos has already arranged for an interpreter."
"But can he trust a stranger?" Caitlyn asked.
"She has a point there," Emma murmured. "Didn't Carlos have trouble with his translator in Nicaragua?"
"She'd be invaluable as a translator, I grant you that." Angus gave Caitlyn a worried look. "But can ye manage a trek into the jungle?"
"We may not have to go into the jungle," Caitlyn said. "I have always attracted dogs and cats. They seek me out the same way Raquel and Coco did in the garden at Romatech. I believe if I was with Carlos, the were-panthers would come to us."
"How interesting." Emma perched on the edge of the desk.
"I visited a hill tribe before when I worked for the State Department," Caitlyn explained. "I think we could simply stay with the tribe and the were-panthers would find us. It would keep Carlos from wandering aimlessly about the jungle."
Angus rubbed his chin, considering. "Ye make a good case for yerself. How does Carlos feel about yer idea?"
Caitlyn shifted her weight. "Well, he - "
"He's against it for sure," Emma said. "He probably thinks it's too dangerous for you."
Caitlyn made a face. "He sorta mentioned that."
"It is too dangerous for you," Angus grumbled.
Emma rolled her eyes. "The men always say that. But if you think you can handle it, Caitlyn, I see no reason why you shouldn't go."
Caitlyn grinned. "Thank you."
"I just want to know why," Emma continued. "Why are you willing to do this? I realize you're attracted to Carlos, but he's doing this to find a mate."
"I know." Caitlyn sighed. "I know I might lose him. But I still want to help him. And I want to help the children."
Emma nodded. "All right. I say we let her go." She gave her husband a questioning look.
Angus hesitated. "Are ye sure ye want to do this, lass? It could be dangerous. At the least, 'twill be verra uncomfortable."
"I'm sure."
Angus nodded. "Then ye have my blessing. I'll tell Carlos of our decision."
After Carlos finished helping Fernando move into his new room in the west wing, he headed for the security office to talk to Angus.
"Carlos?" Teresa approached him in the main hallway. She appeared nervous, her teeth stained red from chewing her bottom lip, which was covered with a thick coat of lipstick. "Can I talk to you? In private?"
"Yes." His immediate worry was that one of the werewolf boys had developed a crush on her. The school had ten teenage werewolf boys living on campus, all training to become Alphas, and Teresa was the only girl close to their age. It didn't help matters that she was trying to look older. He wondered if he could manage to tell her to lay off the makeup without hurting her feelings.
He followed her into a room filled with tables and chairs and a television.
Teresa paced around the room. "This is the teachers' lounge, but it's empty now."
"I can see that." He watched her pace nervously for a while. Whatever was bothering her, she was having a hard time talking about it. "Have any of the boys been bothering you?"
"No." She clutched her hands together.
Another possibility occurred to Carlos. She might have started menstruating, which meant the time for her first transformation would be with the next full moon. "Are you close to the time for your first shifting?"
"I - I don't know. I don't think so." She took a deep breath. "I don't want you to go on your trip."
"Fernando will be here - "
"It's not that," she interrupted. "I don't want you to risk your life again just to find a mate."
Carlos sighed. "You know I need a mate. And you and the other girls need a were-panther woman who can guide you when the time comes for your first shifting."
Teresa lifted her chin. "I don't need anyone to help me. I can take care of myself. And I can take care of you. I want to be your mate."
Carlos stepped back in shock. The notion was so ludicrous, he nearly barked with laughter. Instead, he turned his back to her and cleared his throat. Merda! How could he tell her this was ridiculous without hurting her feelings?
He turned slowly, schooling his features. "It's kind of you to make such an offer, but I'm afraid you would leave Emiliano devastated."
"He'd get over it. He can have Raquel, and then Tiago can have Coco. You see, it works out perfectly."
Carlos edged toward the door and pushed it wide open. "Emiliano is perfect for you. He's sixteen - "
"He's a boy. He can't compare to you. He doesn't have the extra powers that you have."
"I wouldn't wish my extra powers on anyone. The cost was way too high."
Teresa stepped toward him. "I know how much it cost you. You suffered through all that in order to save us. This is the least I can do to pay you back."
"You don't owe me anything, Teresa."
"But I love you," she insisted.
He winced. "Hero worship is not love. You don't know about love yet. You're too young - "
"Don't tell me that!" she cried. "I saw my parents butchered and thrown on a fire to burn. I've been through more hell than other people twice my age."
Carlos's heart wrenched in his chest. He had a tough enough time dealing with the memories that haunted him daily. How on earth could these children handle it? "Menina, you're twelve years old. I'm twenty-eight. It can't happen."
Tears streamed down her face. "I only want to help. Don't hate me."
Merda. He'd completely bungled this. And now he was afraid to even hug the girl when she was crying. "I could never hate you. Do me a favor, okay? Take a seat and don't move."
She sat at one of the tables. "I'd do anything for you, Carlos."
He groaned inwardly and ran to the administrative office. Luckily, Toni and Ian were there. He explained things quickly, and Toni rushed off to comfort Teresa.
Carlos paced across the office. His expedition couldn't wait any longer. He needed to get away from Teresa. And Caitlyn. He turned to Ian. "Do you know where Angus is?"
"He's in the security office with his wife and Caitlyn Whelan."
Carlos stiffened. What was Caitlyn doing with them? A niggling suspicion tickled the back of his neck. She'd better not be doing what he thought. He rushed into the hall just as Angus exited the security office. "I need to talk to you."
"Good. I need to talk to you." Angus opened a door. "This conference room is empty. Come on in."