Page 21 of Feline Good

“Cats, of course, since that is her symbol.” Asher steepled his fingers, impressed with his knowledge.

“Bingo. Now, generations later, the amulet is used to control the Keepers, in a sense. Whoever holds the amulet, whatever their intentions, the Keepers’ actions are reflections of them, of their morals.”

Asher nodded, suddenly serious, and Maya noticed matching expressions on the others. “So, while it’s in your hands, since you ultimately are a good person, we hold our own destinies in our hands— we’re ourselves.”

Silence was heavy for a moment as they considered the other side of that jagged-edged sword. If someone with bad intentions had the amulet in their possession, the guys would change, their personalities would shift, and they’d be unrecognizable from who they were now.

Balance, Ma’at. There must always be a balance in order for the world to work.

“But we still don’t know why those guys were after us.” Maya mused out loud. “Although, if thousands of years ago, Bastet’s other half— Sekhmet— was after the amulet, while Bastet aimed to protect it, and still does, wouldn’t it be safe to say Sekhmet might still be after it?”

August nodded. “I think that makes the most sense, but we can’t assume anything. If we start assuming, we’ll miss things that could lead us to the big bad.”

Maya vowed never to leave the TV on again, as silence again reigned for a moment.

Oblivious to her silent amusement, August stretched, the motion tugging his shirt up to bare a landscape of beautifully carved abs and muscles.

Maya frowned. “I’m supposed to be your protector, right? A Guardian?”

They nodded in sync, sending questioning looks her way. She gave them a pointed look, eyeing their defined muscles and remembered their lithe forms when they’d fought in the bar.

“Why do you even need me? You guys look capable of taking care of yourselves just fine. Why don’t we just find the amulet, and I give it to you guys?”

As soon as she spoke them, Maya wished she could take the words back. Asher visibly flinched, while August’s shoulders tightened and Amir scowled.

Amir answered almost defensively, “It’s just how it’s always been. I don’t think we should question how the Gods intended it to be.”

Maya resisted the urge to sigh in relief and slumped back against the seat instead. A yawn cracking her jaw wide, she nudged August in the side at a job well done. She was seconds away from asking the guys if they could return to the bar, when she sat up quickly, an awful awareness shooting through her. Every tiny hair stood on edge, and goosebumps worked their way over her skin in waves. “Something’s wrong.”

In unison, they were on alert, the screech of chairs slicing through the peaceful library as they stood. Maya stood with them, gaze bouncing to each corner of the room and the windows between shelves. Remembering the hair-raising sensation she’d felt by the front door, she swallowed past the lump in her throat, her blood running cold.

“I think someone followed us.” Maya whispered.

“I think you’re right.” Amir growled, the sound closer to that of a jaguar than a human.

A flash of black darted past a window, and she moved closer to August before she could stop herself. A protective instinct overwhelmed her, and she fought the urge to push him behind her. She leaned closer to draw his attention to that window, then stepped away to give him space.

Maya might not have the amulet with her, or even know where it was at this point, but she’d be damned if these assholes would get the drop on her. Uncle Malak hadn’t trained her to fight from the age of eight for nothing. Another shadow passed over the winder to her right, and Maya’s eyes went wide. “This house is huge. There’s no way they surrounded it, right?”

“I don’t think so. Maybe they want the book, same as they do the amulet, and pinpointed this as the library?” August guessed.

“I thought you said this house was kept secret, that it was protected?” Maya argued.

Amir shot her a glare. “I don’t think that applies if someone follows us here.”

Rolling her eyes at the obvious, she focused on yet another shadow running past the window. “We need to protect the book. Any ideas?”

Asher grinned over at her. “Don’t let them get it.”

Even in such a tense situation, he brought a smile to her face, and she laughed— right before all hell broke loose. Three of the main windows in the room shattered, and men clad in all black with matching bandannas hiding their faces burst inside. They were trained, that much was obvious when in one smooth motion, they rolled over the tinkling glass to their feet and darted forward.

A single-minded determination washed over Maya, razor sharp in its intensity. Acting on instinct, she bounded forward to tackle the first intruder. Maya got just a quick glimpse of his eyes widening before he went down, and with a speed that surprised even herself, she balled her fist and landed three punches in rapid succession to his face. When his head slumped, Maya frowned. She wasn’t that strong; at a mealy five-two, Maya couldn’t pack that hard of a punch. Not after being so rusty. Maybe these guys were just weak. Glancing over the man’s appearance, she noticed they’d brought batons instead of knives. Interesting.

Maya had never liked violence, fighting, or anything related, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t willing to protect herself and that which was important to her. With that in mind, she tapped the ink scrawled on her forearm, her uncle Malak’s name, in thanks. Grabbing the baton from the one she’d knocked out, she turned to take on the next.

Fighting wasn’t like in the movies. It wasn’t fluid and pretty, with dramatic background music tuned to the movements of the actors. No, in real life, it was quiet except for the loud breaths and grunts from those engaged. It was rough, gritty, and harsh as bodies fell and bones broke. In life or death scenarios like this, Maya would rise to the occasion every time.

Maya turned to help the others, but quickly realized she probably wouldn’t be needed. For just a second, she was captivated by August’s methodical movements, watching as he timed his defensive stances and counter-attacks in perfect succession. His shifter strength enabled him to take them down with just one hit. The exemplification of sheer power left Maya gaping in shock. Just when she thought a hit would land against him, he’d block it with a perfectly placed arm or leg, countering with another attack, throwing the baddies back in time to deflect the next strike.