Sneak Peek #3: Deceptive Invitations
A high-pitched mewl suddenly broke the silence, drawing Ezra’s leery attention away from Indra and on the orange furball writhing back and forth at the king’s feet. Believing Sapta to be in pain, Ezra stepped forward but faltered once he realized the feline was vying for a belly rub.
From Indra.
Indra stared down at Sapta, his expression frozenly impassive as if struggling to identify the large creature wiggling and chattering at his feet. “I am intimately familiar with felines to know they don’t trust just anyone with their exposed stomachs.” His gaze lifted and ensnared Ezra. “Perhaps this auspicious sign is all that is needed to set the tone for our overdue negotiations.”
“Trust?” Ezra deliberated with a tilt of his head. “If your knowledge on felines is so deep, then you know it’s less about trust than it is about absolute conviction. He wants to play, and he doesn’t feel threatened by his opponent.” His slow, taunting grin captured Indra’s interest. “He’ll lure you in with a deceptive invitation and trap you with a maelstrom of claws and teeth.”
Chitragupta chortled under his breath beside him, though Ezra preferred watching the subtle shift in Indra’s expression. As minuscule as it may be, the king’s eyes lightened, and he regarded Ezra as if he were a new pet who’d performed an unexpected albeit treasured trick.
“That is equally as true,” Indra concurred. “Felines are entirely unpredictable and volatile.”
“They are untamable creatures,” Ezra agreed.
Indra sighed then, a small, nearly inaudible exhalation of breath that was just as much a response to Ezra’s bold assertion as his subsequent words. “That presumption should never dissuade a master from endeavoring the impossible.” He began to circle Ezra, his predatory bearing suggesting that he intended to achieve the impossible.
Avery Hendrex 