Page 37 of Pretty Little Kitty

A catastrophic, life-altering, blood-soaked misunderstanding.

He hadn’t been taken. He’d been irresponsible. Caught up in something too fast, too big, too fierce.

And that was the problem, wasn’t it?

Any other adult spent the night away, nobody blinked. But Kia did it and a war got put on the table.

He screamed and dropped his phone when it rang, heart hammering into his throat. For a split second, he was sure it was Xavier again, only to realize it was Jared’s ringtone.

“I’m going to age ten years before this is over.” Kia grabbed his phone from the floor and answered. “Hello.”

“Dude!” Jared was breathless, full-on panting. “He’s actually threatening a war!”

“I just found out,” Kia said, trying, and failing, to keep his voice level. “How many missed calls do you have from him?”

“Hang on. I just woke up. Let me check.”

Kia blinked. Woke up? “Wait. Where are you waking up from?”

“I’m, uh… We need to focus on Xavier. I have three missed calls. You?”

“Fifteen.” Kia groaned, rubbing his forehead. “And a world-ending voicemail. I’m sending it to you. Take a listen for yourself.”

He put the call on speaker before forwarding the message, his thumb hovering over the screen like it might explode again.

“I’ll call you right back,” Jared said, and then hung up.

Kia threw his arms up. “Sure! Leave me here spiraling with no lifeline to anyone. I’m completely cut off, but take your time!”

Something past the window caught his eye. Kia stepped closer, squinting, then hurried to the glass.

A petite woman was struggling to climb the porch steps next door.

She gripped the railing like it was all that stood between her and the ground, and nearly lost her balance as she took the next step.

Kia gasped.

Crisis temporarily forgotten, he flung the front door open and bolted outside, sneakers sliding slightly on the porch before he hit grass.

He didn’t know who she was. Didn’t matter. He just knew he couldn’t live with himself if she fell and he’d stood there, doing nothing.

Sprinting across the yard, Kia made it in time just before she went down.

“Whoa! Steady,” he breathed, hands on her shoulders.

She flinched.

Kia immediately let go, hands flying up like he’d touched a live wire. But the sudden release made her stumble again, her foot catching on the edge of a step.

Lunging forward, he caught her a second time, more carefully now.

“I’m not gonna hurt you,” he promised. “I’m just trying to steady you, ma’am.’

He adjusted his hold, gently guiding her upright, her weight surprisingly light against him. Her breath came in uneven little huffs, strands of blonde hair matted to her temple from the heat. The air was already warming up, humid, thick with the scent of cut grass and flowers from somewhere nearby.

“My name is Kia,” he added quickly, hoping his tone did the work his words couldn’t. “Just let me help you up the stairs, all right?”

A faint whimper left her, but she nodded, and let him guide her step by careful step.

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