Page 93 of Grave Beginnings

“Did you have a good day?” I asked Ivan.

He purred and tucked his paws under him. He was so tiny and cute this way. Calm, I realized. A lot less stressed than he’d been when I had rescued him from our parents.

“Can I pet you, or is that weird?” I asked.

Ivan tipped his chin up and I took that for the invite it was and scratched him. Angel sprawled along my side, and rested his head on my hip. I took that as an opportunity to trade between petting them both until their vibrating purrs sank through me. I could have napped there. How amazing was it for anyone to lie in a big kitty pile and snooze?

I stared upward and realized there was a giant number-less clock on the wall above the door, and it was after seven. “Holyfuck!” I jolted upright, unseating both cats. “Sorry. It’s really late already. I gotta get you fed.” And it was a nearly forty-five-minute drive home.

Angel stood, stretched, and chuffed. Ivan glared at him, but finally moved when Angel nudged him with his nose. The two looked adorable together, coloring similar in cat form, though Angel was darker and much larger, and Ivan very fluffy. I climbed to my feet and followed them to the door. Had Ivan borrowed a room?

I opened the door and held it for them. Angel waited for Ivan to exit first. The little cat made his way to a door on the far right, waiting, though I suspected he could reach up and tug the handle if needed. “Want me to open it for you? Do we need a key?”

The room swung open when I pushed the handle, and Ivan slipped inside. “I’ll be right across the hall,” I told him as I tugged it shut.

Angel smacked the doorhandle of our room and it opened.

“Why did we need a key?” I asked.

He gave me some chuffing grumbles as I followed him inside and closed it behind us, locking it before making my way to my bag. The day had passed fast, and I had yet to figure out what to do about Ivan. What about school? He couldn’t spend his teen years napping in a cat hammock, no matter how much he might want to.

My other shirt, covered in cum and sweat, was not going to work. But I pulled my jeans on as Angel changed. His shift was a thing of beauty, fast and flawless. I stood there for a few seconds, pants half hanging off my hips, staring at him as the fur receded and his naked, tattooed skin shone on display. He was so fucking beautiful.

He gave a few little stretches before leaning in to kiss me on the cheek.

“You said it only hurts a little?” I asked as I finished pulling up my jeans.

“Yeah, and fast. The more I change, the less it hurts,” he said as he tugged his jeans on, pulled his hair back into a ponytail, and yanked his shirt over his head.

“And you’re you, while a cat?” Did that question make sense to anyone outside my head.

“Yes, and no. I hear and understand you, but the instincts are baser, louder. In my other form, it helps to have a goal while I’m working; like, pick out a scent, or protect someone. Without a set goal, it’s more about what the cat wants than the human side of me.”

“And your cat wanted to play?” I asked about the giant playroom.

“Chasing you, yes.”

“Oh,” I said after a few seconds. “Like prey?”

“I did eat you before we went out there.”

My face lit on fire again. Fuck. Why did everything this man say and do turn me on?

He leaned in to slide his cheek against mine. “I’ll gladly do it again.”

I sucked in air as I willed my stupid dick to stop dancing a jig at the thought. “I gotta feed Ivan.”

Angel stiffened, and I thought he was mad I was putting him off, but someone knocked on our door. Was it Ivan? Angel shoved me behind him and opened the door. Xavier stood there, arms crossed, looking like a giant again.

“Peace, Angel,” Xavier said, uncrossing his arms and holding out a folder. “This is for Jude.”

I reached for the folder, taking it, though Angel remained between us.

“It’s information about Ivan. Schooling stuff, security stuff for his variance.” Xavier stepped to the side. Ivan leaned against the door across the hall, human and dressed, looking bored. “He’s agreed to continue online schooling, keep up a certain level ofgrades, and come here a few times a week for training.” Xavier gazed at him; his expression softer than I expected.

“Okay,” I said. “Is that what you want?” I asked Ivan.

“I want to stay with you,” Ivan said, which shocked me. I’d been worried he’d want to remain here, in a fun place where his cat could go wild. But maybe Xavier’s wild aura put him off too. “If that’s okay?”