Ivan carried Jaya the rest of the way to his private quarters and entered the code, allowing them access. He pushed the door open and carried her over the threshold. She lifted her head and looked around.
"I feel like I could sleep for a week," she said with a yawn.
"Soon," he said, carrying her through to the washroom and setting her on her feet.
She stared up at him with wide eyes, caught somewhere between trust and wariness. Ivan reached for her neck and gently extracted the slumbering kitten who immediately woke and began protesting. "Take off your clothes," he instructed in a voice he hoped was both commanding and gentle at the same time. He carried the rapidly drying critter, her striped fur spiked up in every direction, into the bedroom and settled her on her kitty bed where she
