Page 10 of Dream Mates
He glanced at my injured wrist, which was in a little removable wrist brace and my walking cast. “Are those from your previous injuries or are they new?”
“New.” I trotted to keep up because his legs were long, and well, I had a broken foot.
“Do they hurt?”
“A bit. If you have ibuprofen, it would be much appreciated.” They ached. I ached.
My heart ached.
He nodded. “I can provide a mild pain reliever. I’d rather keep you out of the infirmary. We still need to minimize contact.”
“You said that to me before.” I frowned, trying to remember all the blurry bits.
“Yes.” His expression was impassive.
I really wanted answers, but the hall wasn’t the place to ask them.
It felt like he intentionally took me down backstairs and used janky elevators and turned down halls needlessly. Though if it was to confuse me or protect me I couldn’t say.
We finally ended up in a small office. There was a couch, a table, a desk, some chairs. It looked almost film noir–if film noir had gone paperless.
“Sit. Please don’t leave. This is for your own safety. I’ll get food and come back. We have much to discuss. Drinks are in the cooling unit.” He left, and I could hear the door lock.
I got a bottle of what I hoped was water out of the mini fridge and plopped down on the couch. In novels, it was never good when the heroine ran off when told to stay put, so I was going to stay.
Also, I wanted those answers.
And, well, I might have testified, but that didn’t mean I was finished–or that the danger was over. Yep, better off staying here. Especially if anyone still wanted to kill me. Taking out my phone, I tried to write down more things.
Something brushed my ankle, and I looked down.
A black kitty looked up at me with big blue eyes, ones that sparkled with intelligence. He had a blue collar with a little crystal on it.
“Hi, Kitty. You are absolutely some sort of shapeshifter, aren’t you?” It was in the sharpness of his face, the pointiness of his ears.
Then again, I was in an interdimensional police station that served thousands of worlds, occupied by all sorts of people. Kitties could be different on other worlds. Did worlds with elves or faeries exist? He was absolutely a fae cat.
The cat jumped up on the couch and headbutted me.
“Do you want scratches?” I scratched behind his ears. “Hopefully, I’m not offending you or binding me to faerie or anything. I’m just a humble mathematician from a Class IV world, and I know nothing of the universe.”
Looking up at me, the cat gave something that was very close to a laugh.
“Can I take you home with me?” I asked the cat. “We have no pets. I think we need a cat. But if I get chickens you can’t eat them.”
The cat meowed and rested his head on my thigh. I tried to pet the cat with one hand and continue writing with the other.
When the door clicked, I shoved my phone back in my dress pocket.
Agent Weigmier came in with two containers. “What do you think you’re doing?”
His tone made me jump.
“I was just petting the cat? Do I not pet the cat?” I looked at the kitty. “You’re absolutely a shapeshifter, right? Your name is Eugine, and you work in shipping, and you snuck in here to take a nap?”
“I was talking to him. And no, he’s not a shapeshifter, and he shouldn’t be in here.” Agent Weigmier glared at him. “Escaped again, huh?”
Kitty gave him a very innocent look and meowed.
