Page 57 of Catastrophe

“What was that?” Jack whispered.

“Sounded like an animal,” Michael replied quietly, but he moved toward me, and I panicked.

I scrambled down the tree and, although it pained me to do it, rolled around in the mud to dirty my glorious coat. And as footsteps crunched toward me, I turned to face him and hissed.

“Oh. It’s a cat.” He stopped suddenly, surprised, and then bent and offered a hand. “Here, kitty. Are you hurt?”

“What are you doing? It could scratch your eyes out … or give you fleas.” He moved toward us.

Michael whipped his hand back in a stop motion toward the other guard, and I flinched and hissed. It wasn’t an act; he genuinely startled me. “Don’t leave the door unguarded.”

“You think it might be a distraction?” Jack whipped his head around back to the door and quickly stepped back to his spot. He hissed, “Then why are you over there with the cat?”

“I think it might be hurt.” He shuffled closer to me, and although I hissed again, it was weak, less angry, and more frightened. The perfect combination to make his brows pinch in concern and his body stiffen. “It’s not her fault someone hurt her.”

“Her?” Jack’s brow quirked.

He smiled at me and said, “She’s too pretty to be a boy cat.”

Flirt. But the feline inside me approved, and I relaxed and lay down.

“Leave it and get back over here,” Jack called.

Michael snapped his head in Jack’s direction and moved his hand away from me. “Why? Can you see something?”

Jack chuckled. “No, I just can’t bear seeing you simp over a cat.”

“I thought you said I needed to spend more time with females.” Michael’s smile widened, and he scooched a little closer until his fingers brushed my head.

It was only then that I realized I might have made a mistake. If this man could sense supernaturals, then maybe he could sense I wasn’t the innocent feline I was pretending to be. But as his fingers wrapped around the skin at the back of my neck, I tensed and panicked before wriggling and trying to claw his hand as he lifted me up.

His assuring words and shushing weren’t calming until he held me in his arm, tight against his chest, while his other hand brushed over the bite on my tail. I yelped again.

“Women. I told you to fuck women,” Jack replied and frowned as we approached him. “What are you doing?”

“We’re off duty in ten minutes, and then I’m bringing her in to check her out.”

I gave a pitiful meow as I fluttered my lashes in Jack’s direction. I was aiming for sympathy, but it backfired. “It’s meowing, so I think it’ll survive out here without you interfering. Even if it wasn’t a distraction, you still can’t bring it into the compound.”

“Why? I’d know if she was something magical. Shifters aren’t so small, and a familiar can’t do anything anyway.”

I tried not to tense and alert him, but I felt like my blood froze in my veins and my thoughts turned into chaos. He knows. Or does he? Wouldn’t he throw me out if he knew I was a familiar? Or is he just sure I couldn’t do any harm? Considering how vigilant and serious he was guarding the door, I wasn’t sure he’d allow an unknown into their den. But maybe he loves cats?

“You’re sure that’s a good idea? No one else has any pets.”

Michael hand stroked my head, and I couldn’t help but lean into it. “Maybe I’ll be the first. We’re here for the foreseeable, aren’t we?”

“What’s gotten into you?” Jack snapped. “This is the wrong pussy to go gaga over.”

“I just want to make sure she’s not hurt, and then I’ll take her to a shelter. Okay?”

“Fine. But I had nothing to do with this. This is all you.” Jack smirked and looked back at the unmoving trees.

“They won’t believe that.” Michael shrugged. “But you’re free to tell whatever lies you want.”

“Fuck you.”

The door opened, and the men stepped aside as two more hunters came out into the early morning.

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