Page 41 of Spies without a Face
Stop it,I commanded.
He kept going.
If you don’t stop this now, I’m taking control.I initiated the shift and then stopped to warn him I wasn’t playing around.
My bear growled in protest.
You can’t go to her right now.
When?
Soon,I promised.
Tonight?
No, not tonight.She might have a guest there all evening.Tomorrow. Now I’ll let you run, but if you start to go to her, I’m shifting back.
My bear complied, lamenting with an occasional whine as we explored the forests. It was a hot midsummer’s day, sunny but not too humid with blue skies overhead. He bent down, pressing his snout closer to the forest floor, sniffing at the scents of wildlife. Darkness crept in through the foliage, leaving shadows drifting across the fern and moss-covered ground. The sound of skittering small animals darted across twigs and fallen leaves. The temperature cooled as the light slowly vanished.
We stayed out on the hill all night. I couldn’t return home knowing she was with a guy next door. Letting my bear out in the open air had done me good. The jealousy within retracted like claws. It was still present but more of a simmer than a rolling boil.
Plus, it gave me the perspective I needed to clear my head. Yes, I would go to Pandora today like I’d promised my bear. And I wouldn’t give up on her. Maybe this guy was her booty call, but I’d offer her more than just sex—companionship, friendship, a relationship.
Unfortunately, I didn’t know if that’s what she wanted. But I had to take things one step at a time.
After I returned homethe next morning, Pandora was gone. She must be at work. I fed Tuxy, who fretted over me like I’d been away for a month.
“I was only gone for the night, little guy,” I told him and gave him extra treats. “You had plenty of dry food and water. Stop acting so dramatic.”
He ate, packing away a ton of food quickly in that tiny body and then returned to me, meowing in protest.
I gave him extra chin rubs and attention. Then I took out a wand with a squeaky mouse on the end he loved and tossed it around so he could hunt.
Was I not being fair to the little guy? Would he be better off at a cat shelter where he could be adopted by a family?
Although I thought I was taking care of him, maybe I was being selfish. It could be that I was alone in a new city and liked having him around. It was better to be greeted by this cheery furball than to come back to an empty apartment.
I couldn’t put my needs before his. When he took a break from pouncing on the mouse toy, I called the cat shelter back. They’d returned my call and left a message, yet I’d delayed making this call. I plopped onto the couch. While waiting for someone to answer, my heart pounded. It would be hard as hell to give him up.
A woman answered, and I explained how a stray had followed me, and I took him home to take care of him. She explained the process of what would happen if I brought him. She assured me he’d be taken care of, and that all potential adopters would be screened. I forced myself to make an appointment to bring him into the shelter in a few days.
Tuxy curled up at my side, the warmth of his body comforting against my leg. My gut twisted. How could I give him up?
“You’ll find a new home, a nice family,” I assured him. Or was I assuring myself?
He cuddled closer. Was he telling me he already found his family?
Nah, not likely. I snorted. Probably just stealing my body heat.
While Tuxy took his cat nap, I didn’t dare move. We wouldn’t have our bonding time like this for much longer. Instead, I scrolled through my phone.
Some time later, my phone buzzed. The caller ID displayed a Salem number. Could it be Pandora?
“Hello?”
“Hi, is this Austin?”
When I didn’t recognize the woman’s voice, my hopes sank. “It is.”
