She frowned at him.
“Not hungry?”she asked.
It only solidified her opinion that he was not a stray—someone had to be looking for him.
“I won’t get too attached to you,” she said more to herself than to the cat.“Not that I’ve gotten attached to anyone other than Ginger,” she continued, “but I wouldn’t want to get attached to you and then have you leave like everyone else always does.”
The new cat turned his attention to her as she sat with the yarn in her hands and began knitting.
She had chosen a thicker yarn than usual this time, hoping it would make the task of making a blanket go faster with the need for fewer stitches.
This one was yellow, and the large ball of yarn was a promise of a wonderful new project that would hopefully bring a little sunshine into the life of a child who had lost everything.
She may not have been Nathaniel’s biggest fan after the way he’d left her, but she could appreciate the fact that he cared about those children the way he did, and she was glad that he could be there for them.
It made sense he had chosen to work with the children when she remembered the way he had felt about the orphans in Riyel.But it never failed to surprise her that he could be so caring about the children…and care so little about the way he had left her behind without a word.
There was a bitter taste in her mouth at the reminder, but she pushed it to the side as the yarn slid through her fingers in a comforting motion.The repetition was soothing, despite how tired her hands grew by the end of an evening.
It was her favorite way to wind down—sitting here with her knitting and telling Ginger everything that had happened in her day, as if the cat hadn’t been here to witness it herself.
And now she had an audience of two.
She began to share the events of her day as she continued to knit, her fingers moving in a steady rhythm based on years of practice.
She was beginning her second row when the ball of yarn slipped from the chair beside her and landed on the floor.
She set down her needles and the beginnings of the blanket, but the new cat jumped to his feet and hurried after the ball before she could stand.
The golden strand of yarn grew longer and longer as the ball rolled across the floor, the cat chasing after it.
“No, don’t,” she said, getting up quickly.The last thing she needed was for his claws to snag the yarn and ruin it.But instead of chasing the yarn and batting it further away from her, the cat stopped the ball and began to slowly roll it back toward her, keeping his claws sheathed.
She stared as he brought it to her feet, then looked up at her with what could only be described as a smile.
That was the oddest behavior she had ever seen from a cat—and given that Ginger was her cat, she was used to odd behavior.
“Thank you,” she said automatically as she knelt down to pick up the yarn.
The cat let out a meow that sounded almost as if he was saying, “You’re welcome.”
Thea’s eyes widened.What strange kind of cat was this?
Chapter four
Nat
NathanielstaredupatThea, still holding her ball of yarn, begging her to see through the curse that hid his true form.If only she could understand that he was trapped in this form, maybe she would be able to help him.
But why would Thea see anything other than what she had reason to?He had no high hopes that he would become human again anytime soon.
The thought was terrifying, and yet somehow, strangely comforting.
While he wouldn’t have chosen to spend his days with her as a cat, he would prefer being a cat with her than being a human without her.
Perhaps that was a little pathetic of him.What sort of man would rather stay a cat than become human again?
But he couldn’t deny the truth to himself: if it was the only way he could be with Thea, he would happily stay a cat—even if he never got to eat real food again.
