Page 121 of Blade of the Nightking

When I finally released it, the creature trotted after me all the way back to the dining room.

I spent the rest of the day curled up on the sofa with my books. As I did each afternoon, I traced the alphabet first, carefully working through each letter before practicing aloud, sounding out the words beneath my breath.

Even the cat eventually grew tired of it. After an hour or so, it rose from its place beside me, stretched dramatically, then wandered to the glass doors leading into the enclosed courtyard. It sat there meowing incessantly until, with mounting irritation, I finally got up and let it outside.

The creature paced the courtyard with great self-importance for several minutes before crouching low to stalk a pair of finches that landed beside the birdbath. The attempt ended in complete failure. The birds scattered immediately while the kitten nearly launched itself face-first into the stone edge trying to lunge after them.

“Deadly hunter,” I muttered dryly from the doorway where I watched with my arms crossed.

Eventually it gave up entirely and collapsed in a narrow beam of late-afternoon sunlight, sprawled on its side with its pupils reduced to thin slits.

It didn’t come back inside until after dinnertime, when the daylight had begun to thin and shadows gathered in the corners of the courtyard. The kitten blended almost perfectly into the darkness, only its bright emerald eyes giving it away. I slid the glass doors shut behind it and returned to my place at the table, where I’d been nursing a final cup of tea with a book open before me.

“Well,” I finally said around a yawn once night had truly fallen. I flipped the book shut and stood, stretching as I rolled the stiffness from my shoulders. “Goodnight.”

I headed toward the bedroom. Immediately, the kitten darted after me.

Before I could close the door, it squeezed through the gap and launched itself onto the bed, marching straight across the blankets to my pillow where it began circling and kneading industriously.

“You are absolutely not sleeping in my bed.” I reached to shove it off, but it smacked my hand with one tiny paw, claws flashing out in warning.

I stared at it.

The kitten stared right back.

“You don’t scare me,” I informed it, planting my hands on my hips. “Either you get off the bed willingly, or I dump you back on the beach where I found you.”

I could have sworn the creature narrowed its eyes at me. But after a long moment, it rose with visible reluctance and stalked down to the far bottom corner of the mattress before curling into a ball there instead.

A long breath escaped me. “Fine.”

I climbed beneath the covers and deliberately turned my back toward it. As I settled in, my mind strayed to Segolayne.

I hadn’t thought of her for hours. Somewhere between finding the kitten and bathing it and spending the afternoon reading, I’d managed to shove the entire incident from my mind. But now, lying there in the dark, it suddenly struck me that she hadn’t returned.

I hadn’t seen her since our fight.

I lay awake staring into the darkness, listening for the sound of the apartment doors slamming open and Segolayne stalking angrily inside. Anxiety pulled tighter and tighter through me with every passing minute.

Would she burst into my bedroom? Would she confront me about what had happened?

How badly had I hurt her?

Sometime later—in that hazy place between waking and dreaming—I vaguely became aware of a slight weight carefully stepping over my legs before curling into the hollow behind my knees.

“Vermin,” I mumbled drowsily into the darkness.

Sleep finally claimed me completely.

CHAPTER 25

Right before dawn, as usual, the bedroom door opened.

But unlike usual, it didn’t slam hard enough to rattle the walls. The sound was so soft this morning that I didn’t open my eyes until I felt a light touch against my shoulder, a gentle hand patting me awake.

I shot upright, jerking hard enough that the kitten went tumbling from the bed with a startled yowl. It hit the floor badly, scrambled sideways across the rug, and disappeared into the corner with an indignant hiss.

Blinking blearily, I looked up at the figure standing over me.