Chapter 5
2549 Words
Not even five minutes after the woman left, a small kitten peeked into the room. Seriously, what the hell was this place? Was Grams some kind of a crazy cat lady? And the others just indulged her insane ideas?
The animal slowly crept towards the cage. It was black, only the tip of its tail and one of the front paws were white. Beyond adorable, like all kittens. It was so small it easily passed between the bars, sitting on the ground in front of Nick, licking its paw.
“Hello,” he smiled. There was nothing to do around here anyway, he might as well make some friends. “Are you going to hiss at me just like that big tabby cat who got me into this mess?” Nick still didn’t understand how it happened. Sure, he knew cats were smart and somewhat trainable, but that devious animal tricked him into following her and led him straight into a trap. That was not normal.
The kitten in front of him clearly wasn’t normal either, because it distinctly shook its head in response to his question. Great. He was going crazy. Maybe there were some underground gas reservoirs under the city that caused mass hallucinations?
He held out his hand and let the kitten sniff it, curious about its reaction. Rogues had different scents than pack werewolves, maybe it was so off-putting the animals were going to hate him now? It would be quite inconvenient if all of them suddenly turned into evil masterminds and started to lure him into traps.
But the kitten seemed to like Nick’s smell, rubbing its nose against his hand and purring happily when he carefully scratched its neck. “Well, aren’t you a friendly… girl?” He carefully lifted the animal up to check before putting her back down. The last thing he needed was to be accused of abusing local cats. The way things worked in this nuthouse, dear old Grams would probably have her goons beat him to death for that.
The kitten bobbed her head as if nodding and climbed on his lap, kneading on his stomach for a while before curling up. “Oh, so you are going to sleep on me?” His fingers softly brushed the cat's shiny fur. “Sure thing, little one,” he whispered, seeing that her eyes were closed already. “At least one of us will have it comfortable.”
*-*-*
There was something about that wolf in Grams’ cage. Kate couldn’t quite put a finger on it but she felt strangely drawn toward him. From the very moment he stepped out of the bus and looked around the town square, looking so lost and abandoned, she knew she had to go check him out.
When it turned out he was a werewolf, she didn’t exactly have a choice but to call Grams’ mates and have them grab him. A rogue freely roaming through the streets could only bring trouble. Despite him looking and acting nothing like the rogues she had met before. No, he was just so damn innocent and friendly. It was obvious he wasn’t a rogue for a long time, otherwise he would have been dead already.
“ZOE!” she called out, not really expecting an answer. The girl was probably hiding somewhere again.
“She ran off on you again?” A known voice from behind her back made Kate turn around. “Maybe if you looked after her instead of protecting the stinky dog…”
Kate rolled her eyes. “For your information, she had already snuck out when I got back home. And I couldn’t exactly let you torture an innocent man, could I?” She rarely challenged Grams but this was something Kate was willing to stand behind. And it was not like there was a set chain of command in their gang. Grams was in charge because she was the oldest and the most respected one, but it didn’t give her unlimited power over others. The Alpha bullshit might have worked with werewolves but not around here. Which was both a good and a bad thing.
“Grow up, Catherine,” Grams hissed. “He’s a rogue. Who knows what he has done to get kicked out of his pack. They don’t exactly do that for pleasure. For all you know, he might have murdered someone.”
It was certainly possible. Except the man didn’t look like he could hurt a fly, let alone another wolf. “Oh, so you were going to torture him to punish him for whatever crimes he committed to get rejected by his pack. Wow, so mature, Grams.”
“I was just trying to make sure he didn’t escape. The wolves are stronger than they look.” No s**t, Kate was still surprised the guy was alive, conscious even, after she literally ripped the skin off his neck. “Come on, Catherine, you have known me your whole life. Am I a cruel person?”
It sounded like an innocent question but Kate could feel the old lady really meant it. “No, Grams. I know you aren’t cruel. But this war has changed all of us. And I… I think you don’t care about others as much as you used to. Others that aren’t in our gang,” she added quickly before the woman could protest.
The old lady sighed, leaning against a windowsill, looking out at the empty street. Kate watched her expression turn serious, hurt even, and hated herself for causing her pain. But it was the truth and Grams needed to hear it. “Are you sure this isn’t just a trick from the birds? You know those f*****g winged rats are too smart. He could be a spy.”
“Of course I can’t be sure.” How could one ever be sure of something like that? “But you were the one who taught me to follow my instincts. And my instincts are telling me he has nothing to do with it.”
A truck drove by, stopping by the bakery across the street. “Look at that,” Grams yawned, “it’s 4AM already.” They both watched as the driver got out and started pulling out boxes with fresh bread and pastries, carrying them towards the shop front door. “We can’t exactly let him go.”
“I’m not asking you to let him go, Grams.” Kate was pleased that the old lady was willing to compromise. “Just leave him alone for now. He’s not going anywhere, he’s not a threat. Just order Dumb and Dumber to stay away from him.”
The shop door opened, revealing a tired woman who sighed and started hauling the crates inside. “Alright,” Grams nodded. “I think Zoe loves the chocolate rolls. Bring a couple of them to your apartment and she will show up eventually,” she smiled.
“I don’t know what to do about her.” Kate rested her forehead against the cold glass, trying to blink away the tears. “I think she hates me, blames me for what happened to Em. I mean, I’m her aunt, I’m barely more than a child myself. How am I supposed to replace her mother?”
The old lady pulled Kate into a hug, gently tapping her back. “You are not supposed to replace Emily. Or be Zoe’s mother. Just give her time and space and be there for her when she’s ready to talk about it.”
Kate took a deep breath, taking in Grams’ familiar, soothing scent. “I’ll try. And don’t worry about the werewolf, I’ll take care of him.”
*-*-*
Nick somehow managed to fall asleep as well, the kitten’s soft breathing and her warm body resting on his stomach helped soothe his mind enough for him to close his eyes for some time. There was no way to tell how long he slept but he was thirsty again and his stomach started to protest against being empty for so long. When he woke up, the kitten was nowhere to be seen, probably had some important kitten stuff to do.
Fortunately, the length of the chains on his wrists allowed him to move to the tap on the wall. He briefly washed his face and, after cautiously tasting the water, leaned down to drink straight from the tap. When he turned around again, his heart nearly jumped out of his chest upon noticing a little girl standing by the bars.
“Why didn’t you warn me?” he hissed at Adira.
The wolf just shrugged. “It’s a child, no danger.”
Nick murmured something about the danger of a heart attack but quickly regained control of himself and managed to smile at the girl. “Hello.”
“Hi,” she smiled back at him and stepped closer to the bars, watching him curiously. She was probably about six or seven years old, and her long dark hair reminded Nick of the woman that had visited his cage earlier. It couldn’t have been the girl’s mother though, she looked too young for that. “Are you really a wolf?” the girl asked incredulously, her fingers stroking a plush cat she was holding.
“Well… I can turn into one,” Nick replied carefully, not sure about how much the child knew about the world of supernaturals.
Apparently, she knew a lot because his answer didn’t seem to surprise her at all. “Can you show me? Your wolf? Please? I have never seen one.”
“I can’t,” Nick sighed.
“Tell her about the chains,” Adira chimed in. “Tell her that if you didn’t have them, you would show her your wolf.”
“What? I’m not using a child to escape!” That just felt wrong.
Rolling her eyes, Adira snapped at him. “What happened to the whole ‘to hell with dignity’? I’m not suggesting we hurt the kid but she is young and naive, a way better ticket out of here than your pretty lady. Just tell her about the chains and see if she picks up.”
The girl let out a disappointed sigh and turned to leave. “I’m sorry, pup,” Nick called after her. “It’s not like I don’t want to show you my wolf, but I really can’t. Not with these chains on,” he added, trying to ignore the shame and guilt those words caused.
“So,” she tilted her head to the side, “if you didn’t have them, you would show me?” Nick nodded, shushing Adira’s excited howling. “Hmm. I’ll see what I can do,” she grinned. “And, by the way, I’m not a puppy!” The tone of her voice suggested she was almost offended by such a thought. “I’m a kitten! My name is Zoe and my cat is Leila.”
Waving his hand, Nick smiled at her again. “Pleased to meet you, Zoe. I’m Nick. So, that’s Leila?” He pointed to the toy the girl was holding.
“What? No, you silly! This is just a plush toy I got from Kate.” Zoe rolled her eyes, clearly considering him dumb. “Leila is my cat. Like your wolf.”
The girl’s words didn’t make much sense to Nick but he just decided to go with it. Children often had their own worlds with crazy and irrational rules. “Alright, sorry kitten.”
“Leila likes you, you are lucky. She doesn’t like anyone. She’s not afraid of your wolf, even though wolves always eat people in fairy tales. Like Riding Hood’s grandma. Has your wolf ever eaten anyone? I always wondered how he managed to swallow her whole. Could you swallow Grams whole? I mean, she’s little, but still…”
“Definitely,” Adira growled. “I’d prefer to chew on that mean hag first though.”
Nick had to chuckle over the absurdity of the situation. “No, Zoe, my wolf has never eaten anyone and she’s not going to.”
“You wanna bet?”
Damn, it was hard to lead two conversations at once. He did his best to shut Adira out and focus on the girl who reached into her pocket and pulled out a paper bag. Pouting, she looked at the bars before walking around them to the wall, as close to Nick as she could get. “Here, that’s for you. Chocolate rolls are my favorite. I think Kate is trying to bribe me.”
Nick caught the bag mid-air and quickly unpacked it to find two pieces of the sweet pastry. His mouth watered so much that he had trouble not to start drooling. “Goddess,” he closed his eyes as he took a large bite, a blissful expression spreading over his face. “Thank you, Zoe.”
“Thank Leila. I wanted to eat those but she said your wolf must be hungry. You said it was a girl? What’s her name?”
Nick had already devoured one roll and chose to slowly nibble on the second one so it would last him longer. “Yes, her name is Adira.” The child didn’t seem phased by the gender of his wolf either but children rarely cared about those things unless their parents actively pitted them against it. “And tell Leila thank you for me, Adira really was hungry. And me too.”
“Hello, Adira,” the girl waved her hand at Nick as if she knew that his wolf could hear and see all that Nick heard and saw. “Leila says,” Zoe paused and twisted her lips for a moment, battling the unfamiliar word, “afwan. It means you are welcome, I think. She’s from Ee-gypt.”
Nick blinked in confusion, not sure how to respond to that. It almost seemed as if… but no, that was nonsense. Still, he couldn’t help himself but dig around the topic a bit. “Your kitten is from Egypt? Where is she now?”
“Well, here.” Zoe seemed flabbergasted, tapping on her forehead. “Where else? Like your wolf. Did you hit your head, wolf-Nick? Did you know that Ee-gypt is in Africa? Like the Lion King!”
It couldn’t be. “Zoe? You can… turn yourself into a cat?”
“Of course,” the girl rolled her eyes, “like you with your wolf. You know, for an adult, you don’t know many things.” Her head jerked towards the door and she listened quietly for a moment. “I have to go. Bye Nick, bye Adira.” A quick wave of her tiny hand and she was gone, leaving absolutely confused Nick behind.
***
Hey guys! How do you like the new story so far? It’s going to be a bit of a crazytown but don’t worry, it will be very romantic and filled with action and drama as well. What do you think about Zoe? I hope you like her, because she will be a big part of the story. Let me know in the comments or on F.acebook page @AuthorAnnaSvoboda
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