He made a soft hum of affirmation, his voice deep and thick with slumber. He did not wake.
“We need to get back before the palace guards are alerted of your absence.”
This seemed to get to him. His eyes fluttered open, startlingly close. They roamed my face, my hair, and settled on the necklineof my dressing gown. Heat rose to my cheeks. For a second, I was terrified he had lost his ability to speak entirely.
That was the reason my heart was pounding so quickly. Not because he was so close.
“What time is it?” Bennett finally asked. His voice was little more than a whisper. He didn’t remove his arm. Some residual cat traits certainly lingered. A love of napping, no doubt.
I sat up, taking care to avert my gaze even in my relief. The mattress gave an ungodly creak as I squinted outside. “It must be past midnight aboveground.”
“The morning shift guards don’t begin until five. Perhaps we can...oh. I’m back.”
I looked over my shoulder. Bennett studied his hands as if he had never seen them before. My face grew even warmer. The blanket had pooled around his waist when he sat up.
“You don’t have a tail, do you?” I blurted out.
Bennett gave a surprised laugh. “No, not anymore. You did it, Cissa.”
I nodded.
The smile lingered on his lips, and I realized with a pang that he hadn’t looked quite so relaxed in a while. Silence stretched between us. I almost reached out to pet him, but noted with some disappointment that he was no longer a cat.
“I’ll tell Giselle,” I said, tightening the belt of my dressing gown.
“Wait.” Bennett touched my wrist.
“What is it?” I sounded more breathless than I wanted to.
Bennett traced a path up my arm, between my shoulder blades, then down my spine. I held still. His warmth seeped through my clothing, his expression curious. Like he was seeing me for the first time.
I jerked away from him. “It’s late. We should go.”
A crease appeared between Bennett’s brows. He dropped his hand, finally looking like himself. “Of course.”
8
Giselle was munching on an apple when I rejoined her in the potion making room.
“Don’t wait up for me, I’m staying a little longer. I’ll see you tomorrow for your dress fitting,” she said. “Oh, and the horse is outside.”
When we finally emerged onto the street aboveground, we had to make do with Giselle’s rented horse. The carriage was a one-time luxury, it seemed, and Bennett did not deem it safe to call a chaise so late at night.
I took a deep breath, the air cool and scented with spices from the witch market. Witch Village was an impressive imitation of the world above, but the night felt more open here. Bennett shifted on the saddle behind me. He was dressed in the linen shirt and plain trousers Giselle had provided. The simplicity was so unlike his usual attire.
