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Zaide, kneeling at the side of the sofa, reached up to stroke my hair and, with a tired smile, said, “Yes, Little Cat, we are back, and we are safe.”
I sagged a little as I sighed my relief, my hands falling from his face to his chest. I leaned into his large hands, and a purr threatened to start in my chest despite the fact I was in my human form. A sudden thought had me jumping to attention. "Where's Charlie? Is he okay? Why isn't he with us?"
"He’s fine, Little Cat. He’s showering. Doing terrible things to a soap bar." His lips quirked into a smile, and my heart almost stopped at the sight. It felt so long ago that I had seen his stunning smile, and even dirty and tired, he was still the most beautiful titan.
What about Baelen?
He said he didn't look titan, so that doesn't count.
"I can't wait to have a shower," I sighed. Zaide's hand paused and his grip on my hip tightened.
"What is it?"
"Nothing."
"Zaide, tell me. We don't have secrets, remember? We're bonded now."
"It … it is only that … Well, I just feel—" He huffed and started again. "I don't want you out of my sight yet. You have almost died twice now under my care, and I—"
As much as I enjoyed seeing him squirm, I didn't want him to feel guilty. "I understand, but you mustn't blame yourself. Cats have nine lives." I smiled at him, hoping it would make him feel better.
He gave me a pained look and closed his eyes. "I want you to have all nine."
I smiled.He is so cute.
“What happened?” I asked. "I remember thinking I'd failed, and we were all going to die, but I think I passed out." My stomach made a loud grumble, and I looked down at it in shock.
Zaide laughed at my expression. “I will answer after you have eaten and stopped your stomach from eating itself.” He reached out to the coffee table, which held two empty cups and a plate of spaghetti Bolognese. My stomach growled again, anticipating the tomatoey goodness.
“Oh God, that looks amazing.” I moaned as he handed it to me, and I immediately shoveled food into my mouth. It was lukewarm but still one of the best meals I'd ever had. A day without food wasn’t long and wouldn’t kill anyone, as I could attest to, but we were all still recovering from the magical drain and the physical injuries, so food was especially important. As I ate, Zaide told me the story of what he’d seen when he woke up in the clearing.
I was not expecting a dragon.
My fork dropped from my fingers, spaghetti sauce splattering onto the glass of the coffee table.
The bathroom door swung open, and I turned to see Charlie walking out in his towel. His hair was darker since it was wet, and droplets of water fell from his hair to his face and his chest, meeting other beads and running down to meet the towel around his waist. It was a sight I often appreciated as a cat, and I almost forgot as I stared at him that I was human and he could see me staring.
He grinned. His face was freshly shaven, so I could clearly see his lovely lips curled into a smile. "You're awake, then." He looked behind me to the mess of the spaghetti splatter. "And I see Zaide was telling you about the dragon—"
I jumped from the sofa, almost knocking my spaghetti to the floor, and raced toward him, smacking into his chest and cutting him off. I wrapped my arms around him and squeezed, my face smashed against his wet chest and the water soaking into my filthy clothes.
I stepped back. "I'm so sorry. I'm getting you all dirty again." He rolled his eyes and tugged me back into his arms. "I'm so glad you're okay."
"Me too, Clawdicat." He pulled back to stare down at me and boop my nose. "Stop almost dying, okay? I don't like it."
"I'll try," I said and hugged him again.
Just like with Zaide I was overcome with emotion. I had always cared for Charlie. I was jealous when he was going out with Lydia. I always wanted to be around him. He made me feel mischievous and brought a sparkle in me that I hadn't known I was missing.
You love him too.
No, I don't. That's not possible.
It's possible. It's true.
Charlie interrupted my internal battle with a cough, and he moved out of my arms with his hands gripping his towel. I looked up at him confused.
I'm sure I wasn't projecting my thoughts. But what if I was. Oh God.
