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There were fields and rolling hills on one side of the cottage, and an overgrown garden on the other. All the elements were here to build a happy life—most importantly, the little witch who was now waiting for me back in the building.
Don’t get too comfortable, buddy. This is only temporary.
I hissed silently at my human. He was so annoying, always trying to tell me what to do and keeping me locked up. If it weren’t for the witch inviting us here, I’d still be stuck in that tiny apartment. Our mate knew what we needed better than he did.
She is not our mate.
I ignored my human. What did he know? Of course she was. Sure, Sybil didn’t have a snake or a naga form, but that didn’t make a particle of difference to me. She was mine. I’d known the moment I saw her.
I didn’t know why my human was so intent on denying us happiness like this. Denyingmehappiness.
We hadn’t always been at odds like this. We used to be united, working together to thwart the curse. But somewhere along the way, he stopped seeing me as an ally and now saw me more as the enemy. As if somehow,Iwas the curse.
It was beyond frustrating.
The first possible nesting spot I found was quiet, secluded, and cozy, but there was an oak tree above it, and that meant acorns in the fall. I was sure Sybil wouldn’t want to lie on top of those and picking them up would be tedious. I moved on.
The next spot didn’t have any annoying oak tree but it was only at the edge of the wooded area, so it was more exposed. It was also quite a distance from the cottage. That wasn’t ideal. Sybil would want to be close to her home, her magical artifacts, and most importantly, her rodents. I had already seen how important those four-legged critters were to my kitten.
There was also a patch of brambles nearby, and my little witch didn’t have thick scales like me. That was the last nail in the coffin.
This last location was the best. It was hidden in the woods, but still close to the quaint cottage on the hill. There were no noxious plants nearby, and the leaf litter here was thick and would make a soft, cushioned floor for our den.
There will be no den. She isn’t our mate, and we’re not breeding with her.
We’d already bred with her. Was my human losing his memory as well? How could he not remember driving into her supple body last night? It had been heaven.
We’d taken a nap after our first round on the kitchen counter, then we’d done it again before the night was over in her room. I took more time to explore her body the second time. It was glorious.
I couldn’t believe he didn’t plan to build her a nest. Worse yet, he planned on leaving her after what we’d shared. I was severely disappointed in him. Sybil deserved better.
Honestly, how could he plan to leave her, just like our sire left our mother? I’d seen what that had done to her; she’d cried often when she thought I wasn’t paying attention. I’d never let him do that to our mate. Ever.
Maybe my human was a lost cause. If so, I’d need to find a way to take over. Sybil deserved to be cared for and coveted forever, not just loved and left.
I circled the nesting site, gathering as much of the soft, fallen leaves together as I could before pushing them up into a high wall. I reared back and up to look at my handiwork. Not high enough. I needed something sturdier to hold the leaves up. Maybe digging into the ground would help?
I’d never built a den before, having never met a female who called to me like my little witch did, so this was all trial and error.
I started digging, making sure to save the top layer of leaves to line the nest later. It was fun, but my human seemed displeased at all the dirt falling on our scales. I wasn’t worried. A quick soak in the pond would remedy that after.
With the foundation of the den hollowed out, I went in search of branches to form a wall and a roof.
The sun moved across the sky, and I lost myself in the building process. I’d spent the morning with Sybil tackling the display cabinet in the dining room that had been filled nearly to bursting with curiosities. After a quick lunch of salads and sandwiches, she’d suggested I shift and go out to explore the area while she finished sorting and bagging everything. My human insisted she cast a spell to keep me out, as if he thought I’d hurt her.
I gazed up at the sun through the dense foliage. I’d been out here for hours, and I missed her. I wanted to finish up and get back to her.
I circled the den again, pushing more of the dried leaves to settle in between the branches. There—that should do. The den was a large dome with a few strategically placed holes to let in light. Since it was under the canopy of the tree, it should stay relatively dry even in the rain.
Now for the door. I’d left an opening at the bottom with no branches. Where was it again? Ah, yes. I carefully nudged aside the leaves to make a circular hole at the base of the wall on the side facing the house. It would be big enough for her to enter if she crouched. A large piece of bark made a perfect door.
It wasn’t a work of art, but I didn’t have hands in this form, and it was pretty decent for my first try, if I did say so myself. I’d build better dens for her as my skill improved. I had my whole life to learn.
She’s not going to be impressed by a mound of sticks and leaves on her own freakin’ property.
I could feel him rolling our eyes. At least I was doing something. He planned on leaving her after he’d had his fun. Such an asshole.
That’s not even how nagas build dens. They do it the human way. A proper fucking home. Not this.
