Chapter 3
1059 Words
•|• Elera's POV •|•
The moment the black-eyed man touched me, the world folded in on itself.
One second I was trembling in his arms beneath the silver canopy of the forest, weak and terrified, my tiny white paws clutching helplessly at the fabric of his dark coat.
The next—
The air twisted.
Magic cracked through the night like invisible lightning.
A pressure slammed against my ears and sank deep into my bones, so strong I nearly yowled in pain. My stomach lurched violently as the world around us dissolved into ribbons of black smoke and pale blue light.
Cloaking magic.
Teleportation.
Ancient magic.
Not the kind sold in market grimoires or whispered about by hedge witches in small villages.
This was powerful.
Old.
Dangerous.
When the world settled again, I found myself gasping inside his arms, my claws accidentally digging into his sleeve as I tried not to panic.
Warmth surrounded me.
Wood smoke.
Pine.
Rain-soaked earth.
I blinked rapidly and looked around.
We were no longer in the forest.
Or… perhaps we still were.
The cottage around us was small but sturdy, built from dark timber and stone. Shelves lined the walls, overflowing with herbs, potion bottles, bones, crystals, candles, and books so old their leather bindings looked ready to crumble apart.
A fire crackled softly in the hearth.
The windows were fogged over despite there being no rain outside.
And beneath all of it—
Magic.
I could feel it humming through the floorboards.
Through the walls.
Through the roof.
It wrapped around the cottage like a living thing.
A cloak.
A shield.
A barrier.
Invisible.
Hidden.
Protected.
My ears flattened immediately.
This place was concealed.
No ordinary person would ever stumble upon it.
No tracker would scent it.
No magical pulse escaped beyond these walls.
The realization made fear crawl beneath my fur.
Who exactly was this man?
The stranger lowered me carefully onto the wooden floor.
The moment my paws touched the ground, exhaustion crashed into me so hard my legs nearly buckled.
Moon Goddess…
I was tired.
Everything hurt.
Even after healing myself earlier, the lingering weakness from my transformation still clung to my body.
The man studied me silently.
Those black eyes unnerved me deeply.
Not dark brown.
Not shadowed.
Actually black.
Like endless voids.
Like someone had swallowed the night sky whole.
He glanced around the cottage slowly before muttering, “There’s nowhere for you to sleep.”
I froze.
His fingers lifted.
Magic curled through the air.
Unlike my magic—which felt silver and soft and flowing—his felt sharp.
Precise.
Controlled.
Ancient runes glowed briefly around his wrist before vanishing.
Then suddenly—
A small bed materialized beside the fireplace.
I stared.
It was absurdly soft-looking.
Tiny pillows.
Dark blankets.
Sized perfectly for… a cat.
My whiskers twitched in disbelief.
The man gestured toward it.
“You should rest.”
I narrowed my eyes suspiciously.
He sighed softly.
“I’m not going to hurt you.”
Easy for him to say.
He looked capable of ending kingdoms.
Still, my body betrayed me.
The warmth from the fireplace seeped into my aching bones, and the tiny bed looked far too comfortable after days spent sleeping in dirt and leaves.
The man moved toward a nearby chair.
“Tomorrow,” he said calmly, “I’ll introduce myself.”
That did not make me feel better.
Who waits until tomorrow to introduce themselves?
Murderers, probably.
Kidnappers.
Deranged sorcerers.
My tail puffed slightly.
The man glanced at me once before removing his coat and hanging it beside the fire.
Then, without another word, he sat in the wooden chair near the hearth and opened a thick black book.
As though bringing strange white cats into hidden magical cottages was perfectly normal.
I stared at him for several long moments.
He ignored me entirely.
Eventually exhaustion won.
My tiny paws carried me slowly toward the miniature bed.
The blankets smelled faintly of cedarwood and herbs.
Warm.
Safe.
I hated how comforting it felt.
Curling into the bed carefully, I kept one eye open on the strange man across the room.
He turned a page in his book calmly.
Not once looking at me.
The fire crackled softly.
Outside, wind whispered through the trees.
And despite every instinct screaming at me to remain alert—
Sleep dragged me under.
—
A growl woke me.
Low.
Deep.
Dangerously close.
My eyes flew open.
A massive brown creature stood inches from the bed.
I screamed instantly.
Or at least attempted to.
What came out was an utterly humiliating shriek mixed with an angry hiss.
The creature barked loudly in surprise.
I launched backward so violently I flipped straight out of the tiny bed and landed in a puff of white fur and tangled blankets.
The beast stared at me.
I stared back in horror.
It was enormous.
Brown fur.
Amber eyes.
Massive paws.
Sharp teeth.
It looked like some monstrous hound straight from nightmare stories.
“Oh, good,” came the calm voice from across the room. “You’re awake.”
I whipped around.
The black-eyed man sat at the table casually drinking tea.
How was he calm?!
“There is a giant beast in your house!” I screeched.
Only another furious meow came out.
The hound tilted its head.
Then—to my absolute horror—it sniffed me.
I hissed so violently my entire tiny body puffed up.
The man sighed.
“Fenrir,” he said flatly, “leave her alone.”
The beast gave one offended huff before trotting away toward the fireplace and collapsing beside it.
I stared in disbelief.
“That,” the man said calmly, “is not a beast. He’s a hound.”
A hound?!
The thing was nearly the size of a wolf!
The man finally stood.
Tall.
Far taller than I first realized.
Dark hair spilled loosely around his shoulders, slightly messy from sleep. Without his coat he looked younger, though the strange blackness in his eyes still made him feel ancient somehow.
He approached slowly, likely noticing my panic.
“I suppose introductions are overdue.”
I remained crouched low.
Ready to flee.
Though flee where exactly, I did not know.
The cottage was hidden by enough magic to make my skin crawl.
“I am Sebastian Beaumont.”
- Writer
