Page 82 of Catastrophe

I didn’t stop the recording. Something told me not to and listening to my gut instincts was a hard lesson learned, but one that I’d taken to heart. I huddled, in my human form, behind a cabinet and changed back to my feline form, just in case anyone came into the room. A cat was less difficult to explain than a naked woman.

Thankfully, I was right and not even a few minutes later, someone stomped into the laundry room. The boots looked small as they passed, heading to the basket under the shoot I came down. Jack? Maybe his shoes look small because they are further away? They all seem to wear the same military grade black lace-up boots. Like an army.

But I peered out of my hiding place. It wasn’t Jack I saw rifling through the dirty clothes. It was Mary.

CHAPTER 20

CLAWDIA

Lord. What am I going to do? Maybe if I don’t move, she won’t find me.

But I knew it wasn’t to be. After scouring the basket and finding nothing but crusty socks, she lifted her head to search the rest of the room with suspicious eyes. “Clawdia,” she called in a singsong voice and my blood seemed to turn to ice in my veins.

“I know you’re here. I can feel it. If you come out now, I’ll do you the mercy of seeing your soul pair before Fafnir kills you.”

I didn’t move.

“I’m impressed you’ve gotten so far,” she mused as she walked in slow circles around the room, her eyes darting all around for signs of me. “You were always the most pathetic cat when you were Winnie’s familiar. Maybe because Winnie was just as pathetic. If your souls are attached, it makes sense that you take on her traits.”

You wouldn’t know. You could never summon a familiar of your own. You are the pathetic one.

I knew she was trying to get a rise out of me, but it wouldn’t work. Disparaging Winnie was an excellent way to anger me and remind me of Mary’s crime against her, but not enough for me to out myself.

And then a voice boomed in my head, “Clawdia. Where are you?”

“Baelen?” I was overjoyed at the sound of his voice, but confused about how he could suddenly contact me.

“Yes, my sunlight. I’m here at the compound. Charlie is watching from the screens.” Relief made my body sag for a moment. I wasn’t alone anymore. Help was here and saving Zaide was more possible now. “Tell me where you are and he will find and direct me to you.”

“Find Zaide first. I haven’t got to him yet, but I know he’s really hurt.”

He hesitated at hearing my news but ultimately decided, “I will come to you and by then, Charlie will have found Zaide and we can go together.”

“Don’t come here. I’m a little busy right now.” I told him firmly as I watched Mary systematically check the drum of each washing machine and each dryer, as though I would be hiding in the wet clothes.

“Busy doing what?” He asked sharply, probably feeling the underlying note of fear that belied my easy words.

“I’m with Mary in the laundry room.”

“Mary?” he hissed. “I’m on my way. Keep hidden. But if you cannot, then do as you must to stay alive.”

After checking all the machines, Mary did another slow walk around the room and her gaze fixed on the vent.

“She’d better not have-” I heard her mutter to herself as she bent down to check the vent. She swiped a finger through the lines of dust and I half hoped that she, too, would squeeze herself into the vent so I could trap her in there and escape.

But I had no such luck. She put the vent cover back on the wall, then turned suddenly in my direction and her eyes met mine. A slow smirk creeped over her face and I froze like a deer in headlights.

Oh god.

“I knew it. I knew you were here.” Her smile was manic.

I couldn’t fight her as a cat. I couldn’t defend myself at all, so I turned human and stood proudly in front of her, my arms crossed in front of my chest, and my bottom half still hidden by the cabinet.

“You’re very clever, Mary,” I replied dryly, concealing my fear and anxiety from her. “You discovered me. Bravo.”

“Bravo indeed, because now you are here, I can hand you over to Fafnir.” She tossed me a large man’s t-shirt from the dirty hamper. “Put this on before I take you to the cells. If I drag a naked girl along the corridor, there will be a riot and neither of us wants that.”

I put it on, because I didn’t want to stand naked in front of her. It didn’t help me look unintimidated. And even though the smell was enough to make me gag, I did feel better when the bottom seam brushed my knees.

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