Bitch: Puncture (book 2)

I found myself rolling onto my back and I stuck a playful paw on Apoc’s chest. Slowly he looked down at me those big eyes captivating me in his gaze. He looked at me, through me, into me. His eyes traveling over me with a weight I could feel.

Oh how I wished he could talk, that I could talk. I’d tell him how beautiful his eyes were, and how my heart stopped every time he looked at me. But I couldn’t tell him... couldn’t tell him anything, not with words. My paw dropped away.

Everywhere his eyes traveled seemed to heat my skin beneath my fur. His gaze went all the way to the very center of me and then flicked back to my eyes. His eyes were flickering blue flames licking against me. Unspoken words just behind those dazzling blue orbs cool and silent.

All I could hear was my breath, feel the pulse throb in my head, and hear the rushing in my ears. So I lifted my paw and put it back on his chest.

He looked down at my paw. The edge of his mouth quirked. Then his eyes slowly drifted back to mine as if to mutter a wry, ‘Yes?’ in my imagination.

‘Oh come on! Really?!? You’re gonna make me beg?’ I could smell him. I could smell his musky bright scent. I realized I knew exactly what he was thinking about and I knew that he could smell me too. We didn’t need words to read each others minds.

Arlene rustled behind us, waking up. Miss Cleo lept to her side mewling pitifully.

Apoc and I glanced back and watched her pick up Miss Cleo. Arlene was talking softly to her and gentling her. Miss Cleo bit her hand and then licked it a moment later, like she couldn’t help herself. An animal answering it’s primal instinct I thought to myself.

“There there girl. It’s okay. Nobody’s hurting you. You’re okay. We just have a couple of visitors right now. But you are still my girl.” Miss Cleo eyed us angrily her tail switching. She was purring with a stuttering swallow and her ears flat back.

I rolled to my feet and nuzzled Apoc again as he was already looking back out the windows. I couldn’t understand why it was comforting to me. Here I was inches from jaws that could literally separate me from my spine and I held no fear of harm from him. And I knew that he was capable of great violence, I remembered the stench of the disemboweled wolves. But I had no fear of him.

Arlene poured out her old coffee and started the machine again. “Well I have a protest to attend today. I’m not sure what to do with you two, but if you’re right about the trackers you probably can’t stay outside. I think I’ll take Miss Cleo with me today, just to make her more comfortable with things. Why don’t you two take turns outside, and I’ll see what I can dredge up to eat?”

I nodded.

An hour later as dawn began to warm the clouds, Arlene headed out, cat carrier in hand. Mrs. Cleo was growling her dissatisfaction with Arlene’s solution.

An hour after that I realized what my next step was.