Cat's Quill Read Online Free PDF

shadow of the hedge, Tomas paused and shaded his eyes against the early-morning sun. He caught a glimpse of someone in the distance, blond reflected in light, a touch of white lifting and falling in the breeze.
    Cathal?
    Picking up his pace, Tomas reached the tree quickly. Cathal was leaning against it, book in hand, his eyes unfocused as though he was looking at something or someone just out of sight. As Tomas approached, Cathal smiled.
    "Hello, Tomas." He met Tomas's gaze directly, unflinchingly, but he didn't shift his position. Whatever had taken his attention before seemed to be gone, or he had lost interest in it.
    "Cat." Tomas nodded a greeting. "I wasn't sure you would be here." He gestured toward the book. "Are you enjoying it?"
    "I am sorry about last night," Cathal said. "I could not get away." His tone was polite but still had the wistful quality in it that Tomas had heard the day before. "I hope you did not wait long."
    "It wasn't a problem," Tomas reassured him. "It is just as easy to write here as in my room at the inn."
    Cathal's fingers caressed the cover of the book still in his hand; they were long and slender, nails well cared for and neat, although he had some calluses which suggested he was not averse to manual labor.
    "You are a writer." Cathal's words did not sound like a question, but more a statement of fact. He smiled. "Many hear the words, but few listen, let alone step out in faith to share them with others. I believe that it is important to share what you have, to give of yourself rather than hide who you really are, but unfortunately the worlds in which we live are complicated."
    "Worlds?" Tomas raised an eyebrow.
    Cathal shrugged and smiled. "No one lives in only one world, Tomas. As a writer, you know that." A black streak ran toward them, and Cathal chuckled and shook his head, taking a step away from the tree to drop to one knee. Blackthorn purred, pressed up against him, and he patted her. "Are you here to see me, or did you come with Tomas, I wonder?"
    "Do you know her?" Nothing that cat did would surprise Tomas at this point. She certainly seemed to have her paw on the pulse of whatever went on in the inn and the surrounding area. "Where do you come from, Cathal? Donovan had never heard of you, and I doubt he misses much."
    "Cat." Cathal frowned. "Yes, I know her." Blackthorn growled, and Cathal grinned, although when Tomas looked around he couldn't see the reason for either of their reactions. She then rolled over onto her back so that Cathal could tickle her stomach; he obliged, and she purred loudly. "Everyone misses something. Donovan and I have not talked. You are looking through different eyes than he is. You see a world he does not." One lock of hair fell over Cathal's face. Leaning forward, Tomas brushed it back without thinking. It was soft, fine under his fingers. Cathal raised his head to look at Tomas. "Touch is something that should never be taken for granted."
    "I'm sorry." Tomas removed his hand immediately and went to take a step back. Cathal shook his head.
    "No." Cathal sounded apologetic, almost sad. "You have nothing to be sorry for. You misunderstand." He watched Blackthorn roll over and curl up into a ball, her tail wrapped around her. "It should not be taken for granted because it is something that needs to be given freely, and between people who trust each other."
    Tomas's eyes narrowed. "Has anyone ever touched you in a way they shouldn't?"
    Cathal shrugged. "That would depend on your definition of shouldn't." He glanced at Tomas and then averted his eyes. "I have a history of doing what I shouldn't. Rules do not work if they are too rigid, and some need to be broken for the greater good." Blackthorn meowed. "Yes, I know," Cathal sighed. "I'm sorry."
    "Cat?" Taking the step back anyway instinctively, Tomas's backside connected with the trunk of the tree, and he slid down to sit down on the grass beside it. Ignoring the dull ache spreading across his bottom, he