Page 22 of A Soul to Touch

“No.”

“I mistook your skull as her white mask and then collapsed in front of you. That’s what happened.” When she realised she’d averted her gaze, which sheneverwould have usually done with an opponent in front of her, she brought her eyes back to him. “Were you the one that brought me home?”

She took a step forward, her eyes bowing as she beseeched him for the truth.

Mayumi had been waiting all her life, not only to find out the truth, but to meet the... creature that had saved her. She thought she’d be waiting until the day she died – whether that was of old age or by a Demon’s claws.

Yet here he was, right in front of her, and Mayumi felt emotions she usually bottled up inside of her threatening to bubble over and spill in front of him.

Even if he lied right now, Mayumi knew what the truth was. But she desperately wanted him to say it. She wanted confirmation that he’d truly become Mayumi’s saviour. That instead of eating her like a monster, he’d brought her home.

She was a four-year-old girl lost in the forest in the middle of the night. No one would have known it was him. He could have freely gotten away with it without any consequences, and she doubted he would have had a moral conscience about it.

So why didn’t he eat her?

Kitty shuffled all four of his limbs nervously at the expression she gave him. It was like something rested heavily on the next words he projected beyond his skull.

The cold press of snow against his hands and paws meant little to him, and the frigid wind did nothing more than disturb his cloak and fur. Still, he felt his skin tighten in tension.

His breaths were scattered through the torn bit of cloak he’d wrapped around his muzzle, but they fogged out due to the immense heat his body always provided – even more so in his current monstrous form.

If he wanted to, he could have revealed to her that he didn’t always walk on all fours – though he was most comfortable doing so – but he didn’t so he could have the best mobility and strength. Mayumi had cut herself purposely, and the scent of her blood would likely bring Demons here.

Thankfully he couldn’t smell anything as he’d shoved mud into his nose and further covered his snout with a barrier. If he hadn’t, Mayumi’s foolishness would have caused him to attack her in a blind hunger.

And Kitty would have beenfurioushad she caused him to killher. The guilt he would have felt after he’d eaten her would have churned his insides.

He looked into the forest in the direction of the Veil.I need to get her inside.

It was too late. Her blood scent would already be fluttering on the wind, but it would provide shelter and a barrier so that Kitty could fight those that came.

Yet, Kitty felt the undeniable urge to draw this conversation out.When will I ever get a chance to just... speak with her again?

He knew enough about Mayumi to know that she wouldn’t hesitate to draw her sword and point it at him, at which he would then slowly retreat to protect her from himself.

He’d never hoped for this moment because he’d thought it was an impossibility. Kitty had been content with watching over her like an unknown shadow, but of course, her senses were far too keen for him.

Mayumi was smart. He should have known from the beginning he’d be discovered. But this soon? He’d only been here a mere few days.

She’d always been out of reach for him, but his palm now burned in memory of holding her wrist through her thick fur jacket. What would it have felt like if he’d touched her flesh directly?

She was right there, only a few metres away. So close,so near, yet still too far away.

I wish I could smell her.

From afar, there was always the undertone of sweet pumpkin, sleep, and the leather she often wore littered in the air. He wondered how strong that would be with their proximity to each other.

He wondered how it would affect him.

His heart was already beating frantically. From nervousness? It felt shy within his chest. Maybe it was anxiety? He worried this conversation would end horribly at any moment. Kitty even thought there might be a heat in his heartbeats, informing him of the tenderness he felt in her presence.

His long, feline tail curled at the end when her face started to appear crestfallen.

She was still waiting for his answer.

He felt no desire to lie.

“Yes. I am the one that brought you home,”he answered, his voice distorted due to being in this monstrous state.

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