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He cocks his head. “Why not? It’s a mouse.”
“Yeah, but he wasn’t hurting anyone!” I cry, grabbing his strong hands and prying them from the trap. “Haven’t you ever been in a bad spot? Didn’t you wish someone would help you? Show you some kind of mercy?”
Kain tilts his chin at me, a strange emotion swirling in his silver eye. “Does it really mean that much to you?”
“Yes,” I say, my heart breaking at the thought of the little mouse stuck in the trap. Without a word, Kain takes the trap from my hands and disappears into the bedroom.
I stand in the kitchen, wringing my hands together. A few minutes later, Kain reappears in the kitchen with a small plastic tub. There appears to be a towel at the bottom, and as he nears me, I can make out the shape of the mouse nestled in the makeshift bed. He places the tub on the counter, then continues cooking like nothing happened.
I peer inside the bucket, noticing that in addition to the towel, he’s put a small saucer of water next to the sleeping rodent.
“You didn’t have to do all that,” I breathe, my chest brimming with emotion as I turn to face him.
Kain just shrugs. “You didn’t want it to die. It’s weak, so if I release it right now, it would have.”
I smile into my hand. “Are you always so morbid?”
“Yes.”
He turns back to the stove, and I take the opportunity to get acquainted with my new friend. Now that I can get a good look at him, I realize his coat isn’t white like I thought before. On the side of his cheek, a patch of black fur interrupts the rest of his beautiful coloration. I nearly squeal when I realize it’s perfectly in the shape of a heart.
“You are just the cutest,” I whisper, stroking his silky fur with the tip of my index finger. His little arms splay out to the side in a mousy stretch, and my heart melts. As I watch the little creature, my heart pangs as I remember the other animal I abandoned. Herb.
I retract my hand, sorrow turning the corners of my mouth downward. I hope Herb is okay and has managed to feed himself now that I’m not around to give him his breakfast.
“What’s wrong?”
I jump at Kain’s voice and turn to face him, my lips curved awkwardly in a forced smile.
“Nothing,” I say, causing Kain to narrow his eye.
“It’s not nothing. And I’m holding these hostage until you tell me,” he growls, placing a plate of steaming golden pancakes just out of reach. My stomach rumbles as the heavenly smell wafts up my nose, and for a moment, I forget about the sadness clenching my heart.
I didn’t realize how hungry I was…
“Tell me, and you get to eat.” Kain fixes me with a hard stare, and I loose a sigh.
“It’s just… I’m worried about my… pigeon.” I start to explain the situation further, then realize he knows every little thing about my life before. “I feel guilty for leaving him. And I’m… worried something bad happened to him. I don’t know if he’s getting enough food, enough water. I’m worried he might…” I can’t finish the sentence, can’t admit that there’s a strong chance my little winged friend is already dead.
To my surprise, Kain places a hand over mine, like he’s trying to offer me some comfort. “Would you like to see him again?”
I sniffle, holding back tears as I meet his tender gaze. “How? I don’t even know where he is.”
Kain just shakes his head. “You let me worry about that. Now eat up,” he orders, holding out a fork and knife and pushing the stack of pancakes closer. “You need to keep up your strength.”
Feeling slightly comforted by Kain’s promise, I snag the fork and dig in. “Aren’t you going to eat?” I ask, the words garbled past the heavenly mouthful of banana pancakes. Kain shakes his head, a sly smile playing at his lips.
“I don’t eat in the morning.”
“What? You made enough pancakes for a small family!” My eyes widen as I shove the fork past my lips. Fuck, these are good. Even better than the last batch.
“It doesn’t seem like you’ll have much trouble with the way you’re going.” He smiles, watching me stuff my cheeks. “I like watching you eat.”
“And I love these,” I moan, gesturing to the dwindling stack with my fork. “Did you sprinkle some crack in the batter or something?”
He shakes his head, looking like he’s trying to hold in a laugh. I’m popping the last bite into my gullet when his phone buzzes, causing his attention to shift from me for the first time all morning. His demeanor changes in a flash. What was once a relaxed, cheerful expression is replaced with the usual coolness as he reads the message.
“I have to go,” he barks, pushing the phone into his pocket. “Go to the bedroom. I should be back in a few hours.”
