And being free of the pinching pressure of my headache, I get to properly take in my new bedding. Colours so deep and vibrant you know they are hand dyed. Material so soft it’s like being wrapped up inside a feather. And pillows! Pillows are happy pills for my Omega side, making a lot of my thoughts about him soften.
Everything about what he did makes me stupid happy. And it’s not about the money he spent, it’s the time he put into thinking about each piece working with the one before it, all of it targeted at making me feel better. The only thing that would make this heavenly is if it was also awash with his scent. But because he blindsided me so much, I’m just not sure if he really wants me happier or if it’s emotional manipulation at its finest.
The kittens both get overly vocal. My Omega side hears it as confirmation Kai’s actions are coming from a good place. But the bitchy voice in my head pipes up, asking if he’s being reimbursed for this too.
One of the kittens takes a leap forward, his sharp razor claws pinching my hand. He seriously looks at me in bloody challenge.
“Oh super, let me guess, you’re an Alpha too?” I growl at him, and the hairless monster rubs his head against my cheek as his answer, swaying my mood again.
The other kitten gets my attention by scratching something. And I look down, finding a note. Even before opening it, I know it’s going to be from Darius. His scent is embedded in it; his block letter writing is already clear despite it being folded in half.
LITTLE MOON, THIS MORNING IS FOR WORK. I’LL PICK YOU UP AT 2 FOR SOME THERAPY. AND DON’T YOU EVEN THINK OF SAYING NO… SOME THINGS ARE NOT ABOUT ME SAYING SORRY. AND THIS IS ONE OF THOSE THINGS. EVERYTHING THOUGH IS ABOUT ME ENSURING YOU ARE AT YOUR BEST.
“Clear as mud,” I mutter before screwing up his note and punting it over the room before turning my attention to the pretty girl who delivered the note.
Don’t ask me how I know this one is a female, it’s like I just know. And I’m going to trust myself on that.
She drops her head before her nose sniffs my hand, a timid little tongue coming out. A wave of horror instantly crashes over me.
“Oh Jesus, what are you doing?” I grit out, suddenly unsure. Are cats meant to lick humans? Are you going to get sick?
I have my phone in my hand before I think twice. He answers before I question.
“Rohi?”
“Kai, are these things meant to lick?”
There’s a beat of silence, and I brace for his booming laugh. Instead, I get a wave of sympathy hitting me through the phone. “Oh, darling, haven’t you ever had a pet?”
“No.” I shake my head like we’re talking face to face, instead of me staring at these two little things I know nothing about.
“She’s showing you you’re already important to her,” he says softly.
“She hardly knows me,” I whine.
“But you’re very easy to love,” he says. And it hits. His words strike deep, they hit hard and fast and my chest aches.
I hang up, unable to process.
A message comes through … with a link to the breed and an accompanying text.
Until they’re older they’ll need to eat six times a day. In the fridge in the main room is enough to last a couple of days. I have an order scheduled for delivery… I wanted them to cuddle you and to love you when I couldn’t.
I look back at them, and I swear they keep looking at me like they can communicate and they’re definitely asking me to trust them, and him. I flop back against my pillow heaven and get enveloped by even more reminders of Kai.
It’s hard. All of this is so hard. And it’s not fair because I truly thought he and his brothers were it. I wish I had time to get lost in the emotions of everything but now is not the time and really whenever I’ve felt too much it’s ended up pretty shit anyway. The emotional baggage from Kai and his brothers gets bundled back up into a part of my brain and I refocus on what I have to do. And these kittens, who are fast growing on me, need food apparently. I roll off my new bed, and they follow.
Every step I take, they take about one hundred and I slow my walk down to make it easier.
Like Kai said, the fridge now is mysteriously stocked with small containers full of what I guess is kitten food. Along with another note,Rohi, despite everything you see these kittens don’t need milk or cream. And don’t let them boss you around, they only need a little bit of this once or twice a day.
And there’s even bowls for them.
Strangely, it’s calming getting their food ready. Until they start screeching like they’re dying. I nearly call Kai again—only to ask for his advice of course—but the instant I set their bowls down they both attack like ravenous lions. I figure it out for myself.
I sit on the floor next to them, laughing at their ferocity, and then the three of us end up back on my beautiful bed, snuggled under all my blankets. The tug of sleep pulls the fat-bellied kittens away, and I stop thinking of Kai and get to work reading.
My emails are first, one from Darius catches my eye—a single line—stupid fuck didn’t see it coming—along with a copy of a hospital admission for Basil detailing out some injuries that sound painful but make no sense. Although, a part of me chuckles at karma being so poetic and brutal, his wandering hands pretty much no longer being able to work, let alone wander. Darius’s one-liner doesn’t tell me too much but somehow makes me feel better too.
