His mind slides into mine, sudden, absolute, filling every corner of that vast room he keeps so tidy. I feel him looking through my eyes, pupils blown wide in the dark, measuring the black gap between the warehouses, eight feet of nothing. The distance registers in his thoughts before I even finish the math.

  I don’t wait.

  Ears flat, tail lashing once for balance, I coil and spring, body launching through the open window gap. Air rushes cold against my face, cloak snapping behind me, blonde hair streaming. Eight feet vanishes in a heartbeat, front hands reaching, claws extended, spear clattering against my back. I twist mid air, instinctive, hips rolling, tail whipping hard to right me.

  I hit the opposite roof with a soft thud, knees bending deep, palms slapping weathered tiles, claws digging in for purchase. The impact jars up my arms but I absorb it clean, rolling forward once into a low crouch, tail high and triumphant, ears swiveling back toward him. The bond flares hot with his quiet approval, his pride, and it makes me shiver harder than the leap ever could.

  I spin on the tiles, grinning feral into the dark where he still stands, blue eyes glowing, chest heaving with the rush. My tail lashes slow, possessive arcs, fluff puffed huge from the jump. Come on, Master. Your kitten’s waiting..

  The bond rips clean though. No warning, no slow fade, just gone. The vast room in my head slams shut, door bolted, lights snuffed. His thoughts vanish like smoke sucked out a window. I can’t hear the steady tick of his plans, can’t taste the calm intent, can’t even smell the faint echo of his thoughts.

  Empty. My brain is suddenly, horribly empty of him. Five feet. Five feet and the bond is dead. Panic floods hot and black, drowning everything. Then he jumps. No hesitation. Boots push off, cloak flaring, body arcing.

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  I’m already running, full sprint across the slanted tiles, tail lashing like a whip, claws gouging furrows in the wood. Five feet. I have to close the five feet. Now. Now. Now.

  He lands hard, knees buckling on the uneven roof, momentum carrying him forward. I slam into him chest first, arms locking around his neck, legs wrapping his waist in a desperate strangle. The impact sends us both crashing backward, my back hits the tiles first, breath punched out of me, but I don’t let go. I can’t. Won’t.

  He collapses on top of me, heavy, stunned, head lolling against my shoulder. A low groan escapes him, weak, dazed, the sound slicing straight through my ribs. His hand comes up slow, fingers fumbling against my collar, then my cheek, like he’s trying to remember where I am.

  The bond flickers back the second the 5ft are met, his thoughts flooding in, pain behind his eyes, a dull throb from the landing.

  I bury my face in his neck, inhaling deep, frantic, rubbing my cheeks hard along his jaw, his throat, his collarbone, marking, claiming, drowning in the scent that was missing for three endless heartbeats. My tail coils triple around his waist squeezing until my fluff crushes between us.

  “Never again,” I hiss against his pulse, voice cracking, teeth grazing his vein. “Never five feet. Never again.” My claws dig into his back through the cloak, not to hurt, just to hold, to anchor, to make sure he can’t slip away. He’s hurt. Stunned.

  But his Mine.

  I nuzzle harder, licking the salt from his skin, purring louder, tail lashing wild arcs across the roof tiles behind us.

  Master’s hand clamps over the back of my head, shoving my face hard into the front of his tunic the instant my purr starts climbing too loud. The fabric muffles it instantly.

  I melt against him. My whole body goes limp in surrender. His fingers find the base of my ears, scratching slow, dragging just right and the sound I make is pathetic, a choked, trembling rumble that vibrates straight into his chest.

  Ears flatten under his touch, trembling, blonde hair spilling everywhere as I nuzzle deeper, rubbing my cheek frantically against the leather even though he’s got me pinned there. I bite down on the fabric.