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She shivered.
“Come, Little Cat. Let us get out of these wet clothes.” I realized after I said it what it sounded like, but she didn’t look disturbed or upset. Just cold, tired, and confused. “I will braid your hair, and then you can rest,” I told her softly.
A little while later, we sat on Charlie’s bed, wrapped in new, warmer clothing, and Clawdia was showing me how the hair dryer worked. When I figured out how to control the machine, I moved onto my knees behind her and began drying her hair, running my fingers through the strands as warm air blew across them. In the corner of the room, our images reflected in the mirror. Our eyes met.
We looked perfect together. A compliment and contradiction. I was large and frightening, with my scars covering my body, and she was small and soft. I had white hair, and she had white skin dotted with brown marks. I had gold skin with purple scars, while she had gold hair. Our purple eyes were slightly different shades, but I could see the same pain and fear in hers that I felt after Daithi and Savida freed me.
She looked down at her hands. She had taken something else from Winnie’s house, a picture—Winnie and Clawdia the cat.
My poor Little Cat,I thought.Abandoned. Betrayed. Grieving. And so troubled to be human again.
I vowed to do everything I could to make her happy. To give her the family she lost when Winnie abandoned her.
When her hair was dry, I took a comb and gently brushed it through.
Her voice startled me. “It will not be the same again, will it?” she asked softly.
She turned to look at me, her eyes pleading. I sighed and shook my head. “No, Little Cat.”
Her eyes filled, and she turned back around, her shoulders drooping as she stared down at her picture. I braided her hair and whispered, “You will struggle through this change, Little Cat, but you will not be alone. And when you feel you have nothing left to hold on to, you can hold my hair.”
We said nothing more. I finished her braid and moved off the bed to let her get settled into it. I could see how drained she was as she crawled under the sheets and curled up. Outside, the storm raged. As her eyes fluttered shut, a semblance of peace smoothed her features, and she fell asleep.
I watched her breathe for a little while, relishing because she was real, alive, and well. I had found my soul pair. But for how long would I have her?
CHAPTER14
CHARLIE
“Look at this haul!” I exclaimed, walking into my office with four boxes of pizza, bottles of pop, and, of course, potato wedges and garlic bread. Daithi and Zaide sat squished together on the loveseat, yet they still formed a chasm of cold air and pissed-off vibes between them.
I continued in my celebratory tone, “Well done, lads. We’ll have Savida back in no time.” I passed them a box each and a bottle, then I raised my bottle in the air and announced grandly, “A feast in our honor!”
On my desk were the books and laptop we’d taken from Debs and Winnie’s houses. All the items I needed to not only find the witches, but also get ahead of them.
I picked up the witch beginner guide and threw it at Daithi. “This one is for you. We need to know more about their magic. What they can do.” He nodded and stood up, holding his food, drink, and book. “Where are you going? You don’t have to do it now,” I said.
“I have much to think about and would rather be alone,” he told me softly. “Thank you for your help today.”
When the door closed behind him with a soft click, I looked at Zaide, who stared after him. “Faei, am I right?” I rolled my eyes and dug into my pizza.
With the hand not feeding my face, I turned my computer on. We listened in companionable silence to the whirring and beeping as it warmed up.
I stared at my titan friend, chewing on a slice. He was nibbling dispassionately with his gaze fixed on my very boring carpet. “So, you’re quiet. I thought you’d be jumping for joy. You’ve found your soul pair.”
Zaide sighed. “I also have a lot to think about.”
I reached for another slice of pizza. “You’re going to leave me too?” Zaide shook his head. “This thinking is all to do with the lady upstairs?” He nodded. “She didn’t take the soul pair thing well?”
“I didn’t tell her,” he said gruffly.
My login screen finally appeared. I wiped my crumby hands on my jeans and typed in my password. “Why not?”
He murmured, “She wants to be a cat again.”
I picked my slice up and took a bite while my computer logged in. “So?” I mumbled around a blob of stringy cheese.
“She hates being human. She liked being a cat, and we have forced her to be human again.” He paused and looked up at me. The heartbreak in his eyes stopped me dead as I continued my battle with the cheese. “I think something terrible happened to her as a human.”
