Page 14 of License to Kill

“That’s not a bad thing, Karma. We’re not fully human. The animal in you seems to be a lot like the animals in us Fenerec. You’re loyal, you’re probably a mate-for-life species just like we are, and you’re as driven by instinct as us Fenerec are. And you’re a pack animal without a pack.”

“I’m hell on wheels,” I complained.

Amelia laughed. “You really are. Frankly, if I’m right, you’re handling everything far better than anyone should expect of you. That’s the only theory I have that makes sense. You’re biologically on a slower clock than we are, and you’re not handling it well. Nobody does. I mean, adolescence isn’t precisely a walk through a nice park with flowers blooming everywhere. For Fenerec, we spend a few years wanting to screw the brains out of everybody to cross our paths until a mating bond sticks. You act mated, but I’m betting the scent isn’t strong because you’re not a full adult of your species yet, and Fenerec magic might not be sticking to you as well as expected. It sticks easily to humans. But you’re not human. I have no idea what you are, and neither do the black market ops.”

“They know about Fenerec?”

“They do. Some of them are Fenerec. Most of the ops know. I get a lot of work because I’m a rogue bitch, and the ops like helping rogue bitches. They give me work, and I stay on the right side of the rules. The Inquisition knows I exist, but until I do something that forces their hand, they ignore me—and neglect to tell the local packs about my activities. I have a history.”

“With a bad pack?”

“Yes.”

“And if you’re right?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never seen anyone quite like you before. It’s just a thought. I could be wrong. But the emotionally unstable aspects remind me of a young Fenerec transitioning from being a puppy to adulthood. For us, it happens fairly quickly. You have all of those wild emotions, and enough sex probably calms you down. And you probably like it rowdy. Fenerec do.”

My face flushed. “Amelia!”

“Yep. You like it rough and rowdy. We’re as much animals as we are humans, Karma. There’s no shame in that. Once you patch things up with your mate, make him earn the rough and rowdy. Or just rip his clothes off with your teeth. Whatever works.”

“I’m divorcing him, not tying him to the bed, Amelia.”

“Keep telling yourself that if it makes you happy.”

I sighed. “Amelia, he stank of other women.”

“Karma, did you ask him who the women were or why they were near him?”

“Well, no.”

“Would you say it’s wrong of him to accept a hug from, say, the mate of someone else in his pack?”

I scowled. “No, I guess not.”

“He’s probably been as upset as you, and packs do try to comfort each other, and packs do have women in them. That’s just one possibility. Will you believe that? Probably not. But those possibilities exist.”

“Assuming you’re right, what does it change?”

“If I’m correct, time will help stabilize you, therapy will finish the job time doesn’t complete, and you can patch things up. Hormones are a terrifying force of nature. A young Fenerec with hormones? A horny force of nature. And if you are suffering through that, you’ll probably go from mad as hell some other woman was near your man to wanting to bite your man’s clothes off with your teeth. You’ll go between the extremes at the speed of light, too. And once the hormones start settling out, you’ll probably be a depressed mess because of the trauma you’ve been coping with. But that can be helped.”

“With therapy.” I sighed. “If you are right, what should I do?”

“Survive. That’s it. Just survive. Even if you jump to all of the wrong conclusions between now and then, survive. That’s all I want from you. Be depressed. Go ahead and wallow. Cry and rage. I don’t care. Just survive through it. Whatever you break can be fixed eventually, and what your mate broke can be fixed, too.”

“I was unaware hearts could be fixed once broken.”

“Oh, Karma. They can. It just takes time and a hell of a lot of glue.”

“Glue?”

“Come on. Don’t be so literal. Glue. You know, affection, therapy, and time. That’s the glue needed to fix broken hearts.”

“What if we’re beyond broken and into shattered territory?”

“Extra time, more affection, even more therapy, and a hot guy naked in bed.”

“You need a mate,” I informed the Fenerec.