"Awwwn, baby," Isabella cooed instantly, her voice melting. She dropped to her knees and scooped Glimora into her arms like she was the only good thing left in the world. "Come here, my little snow puff."
Glimora let herself be crushed to Isabella's chest, fluffy tail flicking like a queen who'd just earned her tribute.
"Sometimes it's just really hard to contain my emotions, you know?" Isabella whispered as she pressed soft kisses against the top of Glimora's head. "It's like he pulls my brain out, shreds it like leaves, then hands it back and goes 'Here, sweetheart, I made it better.' I mean, the audacity!"
Glimora gave a squeaky little sneeze in response.
Right then, the curtain separating the room from the corridor outside shifted.
A soft swish of fur.
The low creak of the stick frame bending slightly.
Isabella's head turned, still cradling Glimora. Her lashes lifted. The gold strands of her hair shifted with the movement as she blinked up.
And there he was.
Cyrus.
