Page 40 of Stitched Up in You
She makes give me hands at Nero, who seems more than happy to be free of the animal as he practically shoves the carrier into her waiting arms.
I watch as she kneels and tugs a lump of dark grey from the tiny cage.
“How did the goon squad treat my baby, huh?” She tsks.
I turn to see Nero’s grey gaze darken, his lip curl into a look of disgust at being labeled such a thing.
Her gaze alights with mischief when she turns around holding a large grey furball.
“Goon squad?” Bruno scoffs, and his hand comes down to pat her shoulder roughly. “I’ll have you know, thegoon squadspentits morning ensuring Mr. Edgar Allan Paw’s sutures were healed before we brought him.”
He reaches out to touch the cat, and she smiles in return showing a familiarity with him that I don’t like.
A red haze comes over me when her face morphs from skepticism to pure joy and gratitude as she carefully lifts the cat to view its anatomy.
“Oh my gosh, thank you. They said it would be weeks before he was better. How did you do that?” she asks.
A smile pulls at her lips, one she’s never bestowed on me, and I have the urge to pummel Bruno for telling her about the cat’s health, when it was I who insisted the fucking animal go through Talbot clinic in the first place. No human medical facility can rival Talbot’s, and it seemed practical to get the animal checked over before allowing him behind our walls. Simple enough to get the animal treatment and healed within minutes rather than weeks.
“Go to your rooms and take the cat with you,” I bite out, my tone brooking no argument as I watch them begin to chitchat like old friends.
Bruno, catching on quickly, steps away from her with an easy smile on his affable countenance.
“And if I don’t?” she responds, one red eyebrow raised in question.
“I’ll have a padded cell constructed to hold you and even have matching strait jackets made for you andEdgarfor the remainder of your stay.”
I let myself imagine her for a moment tied down with white buckles, naked, wanton, and lusting as I recall how flushed and warm her skin turns when she comes. The desire to force her into a mewling begging creature incapable of argument comes to mind.She wishes I’d get her a straitjacket.
I half expect her to argue, but with the cat on one hip, she pushes her blue glasses up the bridge of her nose and shrugs, a smile I don’t trust sweeping her face.
“Fine. No need to go renovating the place on my account. I’ll be in my room if you need me,master,” she says, with asaucy wink. She curtsies, holding out one arm awkwardly before swiveling and giving me her back.
I watch transfixed as she makes her way up the staircase, her hips swinging as she whispers sweet nothings to her pet.
I turn to catch Nero scowling, his expression deepening into disgust when noticing which wing she’s sleeping in.
As a security detail, I’m sure he’s aware that the room she heads to connects to mine, another reason the unpredictable woman chose it no doubt. Although whether I bar the door or not, will be a question for later.
“Odette was spotted in the village,” Bruno says, catching my gaze with his as soon as my captive is out of earshot.
“When?” I ask, ignoring how the mere thought of the witch this close sending ripples of alarm down my spine.
“How should we know?” Nero scoffs.
“What he means to say is, we were a tad preoccupied with tracking down a pet for our new very human guest when the witch queen decided to pay a visit,” Bruno says, covering for his abrasive brother.
I glare at Nero. The male stands in my own foyer issuing challenge, and I note that I barely react. In the past, I would have ripped into him and at the very least made an example of him, and now no hint of emotion present.
Whereas the barest hint of resistance from the red-headed beast upstairs, and I want to beat my chest and force her to my will. The current under my skin has hardly settled since coming into contact with her, but a challenge from an able-bodied male does nothing.
“When was this?” I ask.
“Someone called in as soon as the witch queen showed herself, about twenty minutes ago. We were alerted as soon as we touched down, but by the time we arrived, she’d disappeared. We came here straight after with the cat,” Bruno offers.
What the hell could she be wanting here?
As far as I know, I’m one of the only people who could possibly incapacitate the witch queen, although if she were to fight me, it wouldn’t end well.
