Page 26 of A Soul to Touch

Within minutes, Kitty was nothing but a moving blur as he charged into the forest, planning to meet the Demon head-on for an easily won battle.

Curled up in a ball in his monstrous form in a corner of the porch, Kitty lifted his head slightly when he heard movement. He was alert but groggy as he’d been watching the house all night, even after the sun rose.

Duskwalkers usually fell asleep just as the sun rose, but he’d stayed awake to wait for the lingering shadows to move out of reach of her home.

With just a few drops of her human blood, Mayumi had attracted two Demons during the night. He’d killed both, but he’d gained a handful of wounds as one had been a strong opponent.

The sun was only moderately higher than when he’d fallen asleep.

He watched Mayumi cross the porch of her home dressed in some sort of shiny, brown robe before she tossed herself into the snow.

He was no longer shocked by her doing this. He’d seen her do this over the past few days he’d lingered here. She didn’t suddenly sit up and shout into the air this time though. Instead, face down in the snow, he watched her body tense before shegave a groan.

Kitty chose to ignore it. He just tucked his head back underneath one of his forearms while resting his snout on top of the other and went back to sleep.

Mayumi would be in little danger close to the house in the daylight. When she planned to leave the vicinity, she’d stomp across the timber porch in her big boots and wake him.

That’s exactly what happened.

However, her heavy stomps didn’t lead into the clearing; they came to his pawed back feet.

Just as he was lifting his head, already alert before she’d gotten close, she kicked him – although rather gently.

“Hey, you, wake up.”

He gave a soft, half-hearted growl.“Stay near the house so I can sleep.”

He covered his face again, only because it warmed his skull before his sight went black. She hooked the front of her boot and lifted his back leg. He pulled it against himself to get it away from her.

“Wake up. You can’t live here rent-free. It’s time to put you to work.”

“Wouldn’t protecting the house all night be enough to trade for my nap on your porch?”

“Up, Duskwalker!”

She booted him in the arse this time!

With a snarl, Kitty got to his hands and paws. Then he began to lift just to his paws to stand, bringing his height higher and higher above her until he felt the fur at the back of his neck scrape against the porch roof.

He was forced to stop raising himself despite being a few inches away from standing fully. He remained partially curled forward due to the height of the roof, which would only appearmore towering and menacing as he looked down at the human woman with his orbs reddening.

Mayumi had to crane her neck. Otherwise, she would have been staring at the bottom of his sternum.

“You can pretend that you can control me, but that isn’t the case. I will happily be your ‘guard dog’ as you so crudely put it, butIam the one who is in control. If I tell you to sit, you are to sit. If I tell you stay, you are to stay. And if I tell you to come, you are to come like a good, obedient Demonslayer. Understood?”

Her brows shot up her forehead in disbelief, but she showed not an ounce of fear in his presence.

“There was a reason I became a Silver-rank Demonslayer,” she said while glaring up at him bravely. “And it’s because I’m terrible at taking orders. I’m much better at giving them.”

“That sounds like a flaw you should work on.”

“I’ve heard that before.” She surprised him by smirking. “Now, are you going to help me or not?”

Falling to the side because his upright position was uncomfortable in this form, he landed on his hands with a double thud.

“Fine. I will assist you if I must.”

He was awake anyway, and although he’d warned her, he didn’t want her to know the actual truth. He’d do whatever Mayumi wanted him to, even if it was to roll onto his back with his belly up.

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