Page 24 of A Soul to Touch

“If that is what you wish.”He kept his tone as neutral as possible to hide his reaction.

“Alright. So, where have you been sleeping?”

Kitty couldn’t help giving a quizzical head tilt.“What do you mean?”

“You’ve been here a couple of days, correct? I saw you the other night when you killed the Demon and ate my boar.”

His orbs flashed white, and he gave a surprised step back. He couldn’t believe he’d been seen!I thought her senses were just keen, but instead, I showed myself to her as soon as I arrived.

He gave a sigh, shaking his feline skull at himself. Then he brought his sight back to her.

“I sleep wherever I see fit.”He bounced the end of his snout at the treetops.“Sometimes in the trees. Sometimes on the ground. It depends on how I wish to rest.”

“Well, that’s no good.” His hackles rose when she placed her left hand on the hilt of her sword, but she never pulled it free. It appeared she was just holding it to keep it steady as she turned towards the house. “You’re welcome to sleep on the porch. I’m sure it’ll be warmer and more comfortable.”

His head tilted the other way in bewilderment. It was hard not to when he was completely dumbfounded by her words.

“Sleep on your porch?”

He took a hesitant step after her when she reached the steps and began to climb them. When she was at the top, she turned to him.

“You already said you weren’t going to leave, even if I asked you to. Since that’s the case, you might as well just sleep where I can see you. There’s no point in going back into hiding. I’d feel more comfortable knowing where you are.” Then Mayumi gave him a large grin – one he didn’t particularly trust. “I’m going to make you regret coming here.”

He was curious what she meant. Nothing could make him regret coming to be her protector, unless of course he failed her.

“I cannot enter your premise. Your ward won’t allow me access without pain.”

Her expression fell. “What do you mean ‘without pain’?”

Kitty came closer on all fours. He climbed the steps and then tried to put his hand through the archway that connected the outside world to her porch.

His hand could pass through, it wasn’t completely foolproof, but he felt pain tingling up his arm. He also saw a shimmer of magic that looked remarkably like the translucency of a bubble when he agitated the ward by trying to pass through.

With an annoyed huff, he pulled his arm back.

“See? I’m sure if I was to rush my way through, I would be able to gain access. But if I do so, it’ll hurt my entire body.”

“I see.” Mayumi walked over to the left corner of her house and unhooked a hanging wooden plate that had black painted symbols on it. “How about now?”

Kitty tried again, but this time he gave a soft growl as he pulled his arm back.

“I will admit, it isn’t as painful as when you were little. That’s why I laid you in the snow rather than on the porch. I was unable to do so.”

She only nodded and lifted the plate back on its hook. Then she removed a material covered plate and told him to try again.

Kitty did, and this time he felt no pain. She figured the same when he was able to walk up the stairs, each one creaking under his weight.

“You’re joking,” she laughed, bouncing it up and down in the air. “After all these years, these still work? You know what? It doesn’t matter.” She looked over her shoulder as she said, “I won’t need these since you’ll be here, right?”

The immediate confidence she had in him was both alarming as well as heart-warming. His orbs flashed a brighter yellow.

“Yes. I will protect you far better than these charms, but you should keep them safe in case I am no longer here.”

“Are you planning to leave so soon?”

He didn’t know if he heard the hint of disappointment in her tone correctly, but he chose to ignore it.

“No. I plan to remain.”Unless something out of his control happened – for instance, and most likely the only cause, his death.

---