Since I was driving, I let my mother"s call go to voice mail. When I arrived at the Shaded Tavern, I put the now-empty carrier into the trunk so no erstwhile good Samaritans would break a window to rescue an animal that wasn"t there. I was actually relieved that Sir Raleigh had decided to teleport back to my place, or wherever he’d decided to go. Although I knew he wasn"t a typical cat, I found his behavior consistent with feline attitude, which meant he might or might not show appreciation for my attempts to help him. At least he"d taken the splint.
I found Kestrel at a booth sitting across from a young woman whose long dark hair hung in loose waves, so I couldn"t see her face. Kestrel waved at me, and the other girl turned. When my gaze met her dark green eyes, I identified her species,
