Liam had fallen silent, as though lost in thought. His big body took most of the bed, leaving Kim only a tiny portion. She wondered what it would be like to sleep in this small bed with him. A woman would have to cuddle up to him, maybe spoon against his back. Her arm would snake around his waist, and she’d want to tickle his belly button.

“Do Shifters have belly buttons?” she asked.

Liam’s preoccupied look dissolved into a smile. “You’re a treasure, lass. The gods sent you to us, I think.”

“It just occurred to me.”

Liam eased his T-shirt upward. His jeans rode low on his waist, baring his flat stomach and the indentation of his navel.

“I’m human in every way when I’m in this form,” he said. “It’s not only our appearance that changes. It’s everything. Bones, muscles, organs. It’s hellacious painful when we first do it.”

“How old were you when you shifted the first time?” Kim couldn’t drag her gaze from his abdomen. She wanted to taste his belly button and slide her tongue down from there to his low-riding waistband.

“I was about five as humans count years. I was still a cub. I remember thinking I was dying.”

“It must have been weird to suddenly be a wildcat—whatever kind of cat you are.”

“It’s called a Fae-cat. But you’ve got it the other way ’round, love. I lived as a wildcat for five years before I shifted to human. Standing up on two feet and having eyes that couldn’t see so well in the dark—it scared the bejesus out of me.”

“You were born a cat?”

“My parents were both full-blood Feline Shifters, so yes. When there’s a mix—wolf and cat Shifter, or wolf and bear, say—then you’re born a human babe. You shift to whatever is the dominant gene when you’re about five or six.”

Interesting. None of her research had told her any of this, which made her realize just how little humans knew about Shifters. “What is a Fae-cat, exactly? I couldn’t decide if you were mountain lion or leopard or what.”

“It’s hard to explain to a non-Shifter. We’re a unique breed, left over from times before humans populated the earth. The Fae made us. They bred in the strengths of all members of the big cat family, at least the big cats of ancient times, the ancestors of wildcats that exist now. We’re fast like cheetahs, can see in the dark like leopards, have the power of lions, the cunning of tigers. That’s why we call ourselves Felines, not a specific breed. The Lupines are wolves, but not exactly like any wolves you’d find in the wild.”

“In other words, the best of the entire species.”

“You could say that.”

“So, if you can crossbreed, like you said, then your dad and your next-door neighbor could produce children. In theory.”

“In theory, though cross-species fertility is not as high as fertility within a species. Dad’s only about two hundred, so he can still father cubs. Glory won’t tell her age, but she’s still in the fertile range.”

“Dylan is two hundred years old?” Kim asked in amazement. “He doesn’t look much into his forties. How old are you?”

“I was born in 1898, as humans count years. Sean came along in 1900.”

Holy shit. “You look damn good for a centenarian. What about Connor? Don’t tell me he’s eighty-two.”

“He’s twenty. Born right after we took the Collar. His mum died of bringing him in, poor lass.”

Kim’s thought of Connor downstairs, with his good-natured smile and his worry about them frightening her. “Oh, Liam, I’m sorry.”

Liam shrugged, a shrug that meant he’d resigned himself to it. “It happened often enough when we lived outside of humankind. It’s one of the reasons the clan leaders decided to take the Collar. We were a dying people.”

“She was married to the brother you lost, wasn’t she? Kenny? That sucks. Poor Connor.”

“Aye. A feral got Kenny ten years ago. We’ve looked after Connor, but it’s not the same for him.”

Kim leaned against Liam’s strong arm, suddenly wanting to comfort him. “And I thought I had it bad growing up. But I was always cared for, never had to worry. Even when my parents passed away, they’d taken care of me to the end. I was already working, but they’d left me the house and plenty of money. I never wanted for anything.”

The corner of his mouth quirked up. “Poor little rich girl.”

“It let me do work I believed in. I don’t have to take cases based on how much they pay.”

“No, you’re free to help hapless Shifters.”

Kim sat up. “You all sound like you don’t take this seriously, like you don’t want me to get Brian free. Brian’s mother is barely holding it together. You and Sean had to do the comforting sandwich with her, remember?”

“Aye.” Liam went silent. His T-shirt had slid down again, covering his honed body. Damn.

“Believe me, when I’m defending someone, I make certain he gets a fair trial,” Kim said. “It’s a right we all have that can get lost if we’re not careful. And besides, I think Brian’s innocent. I seem to be the only one who does.”

“Kim.” Liam cut through her diatribe. “Brian is innocent. He couldn’t have killed that girl. But to prove it, you might reveal secrets that could destroy all Shifters, everywhere.”