And then he nudged my hand with his head, letting me pet him as he rubbed all over me, before climbing into my lap and laying down.
The purring all but confirmed that this was the one.
“Want to come home with me, huh, little beastie?” I scratched the top of his head.
He meowed, looking up at me.
“I’ll take that as a yes.”
Scooping him up in my arms, I knocked on the door, summoning back the witch.
“I’ll take him,” I said, giving an affirmative nod. And if in agreement, the cat cuddled lazily into my arms, not a care in the world to me holding him.
Even my sister’s cat didn’t let me hold her.
The young witch peered at me skeptically. “You want the demon cat?”
I held him against my chest, frowning. “Yes. And he’s not a demon.” I scratched between his ears, and he looked up at me. “Are you, beastie?”
If only I had known.
TWO
damien
The collar jingled around my neck that the damned humans had snapped on me.
Didn’t they know I wasn’t a cat?
I mean, I looked like a cat in my current form,sure.
But that was because I was stuck like this. It certainly wasn’t by choice. All thanks to onegodsforsakennight.
A month. I’d been stuck in this shape for a month, and what did I have to show for it? A collar and practically permanent residency at this shelter.
I didn’t belong in a shelter, for crying out loud. Sure, I could escape, but that didn’t solve my current predicament.
If only I had my magic, I’d have figured a way out of this mess.
But no. They had confined me to a cage, which forced me to stare at my reflection, wishing I could get out of this damn form. To make matters worse, they’d given me a name. And not one that was benefiting of my caliber.No.
I preferred when they called meDemon Catto anything else. At least that one was accurate.
But this human… I’d sensed her.
Something about her scent drew me towards her, and I hadn’t even needed to suppress the cat-like urges that grew stronger by the day.
She’d looked into my eyes, and a part of me knew I could trust her.
And maybe… she could help me.
That was why I’d practically crawled into her lap. Why I let her take me.
“What do you think?” The human mumbled, carrying me into her house. “I know it’s not in the best of shape, but… it’s home.”
The outside of the old Victorian mansion was just like I would have imagined it, down to the broom that rested against the siding.
And the inside waswarm. It was clearly a home. A family’s home.