Page 14 of Blade

He was going to be a handful based on that pleased-as-fuck grin.

Damned cats were all alike.

“Fine. I guess you burn more calories than I do no matter what you are.” We were going to need more snacks but I wasn’t sure how I was going to make that work. “I really need to figure out how to google large cats that don’t look like cats.”

There had to be more of his species and even the boring human scientists that didn’t know about half the fucking things on the planet could agree that just because we couldn’t see it didn’t mean it wasn’t out there.

“I watched a video a couple of months ago about big cats that are coming up into the US from South America.” Could South America be Australia-level weird and we just not know it? “I’m really hoping we can figure out what you are because you’re smart enough, I’m worried you escaped from your house and someone is looking for you.”

It wasn’t like someone could put up lost pet flyers for murder kitty.

They’d definitely end up in jail.

Okay, time to see what would happen when I stood up.

“Remember.” Picking up the backpack, I shifted forward slowly to hopefully make my intention clear. “Standing is perfectly normal and nothing to be scared of. We’re just going to walk together and you’ll get to take care of me in a new way. This ground is ridiculously difficult to walk on, so you can help keep me from tripping over the roots of these stupid trees.”

How anything could grow in the stupid sandy soil was beyond me.

“Your human is going up, up, up and you’re going to take good care of your partner. You’re going to be a good sidekick and keep me safe.” When I managed to stand with just a few huffs from him and another dramatic sound as he stood, I decidedwe’d made progress in our relationship. “Good boy. Thank you for not attacking me. Accidentally, of course.”

Those claws…yep…one startled sneeze and I was going to need an ER visit.

“We’re going to be very careful for a variety of reasons.” And not just because of the knives he had on his paws. “We also need to stay very far away from other people.”

God, I really hoped I could make that work.

“If not, I’m going to need you to ignore the startled screams we’re going to get.” How would those button ladies teach that to their cats? “Nice stranger humans. Yes. Nice stranger humans.”

More research had been necessary before I’d started out on this hunt.

“Good walking, Blade.” For whatever reason, he stuck to my side like glue and even nudged my hand if I moved it too far from his head. “Good pets. Yes. I’m glad you want pets.”

Most species wouldn’t eat something they could snuggle…right?

He wasn’t the right person to ask about that question, so I kept it to myself as we walked and I told him about my trailer and my family…leaving out the murdery bits, of course…because he didn’t need to know about that and I had enough stories to kill time as we made our way back.

Happy stories of the people I’d met made the first hour fly by, but as we got closer to the small state park, I was back to talking about family. “I think I’ve got a cousin working in one of those weird circuses that aren’t really circuses anymore. Family gossip made it sound like he’s good at it, but they stopped talking about him when they realized it wasn’t a cover story job and it was his real life.”

They’d let us get away with a lot if it was for a good cover story…but actually leaving the family wasn’t something they’d forgive.

“You and I are going to have to talk about my family sooner than I was ready to deal with.” They wouldn’t forgive murder kitty either unless I could prove he was a real boring Earth kind of species. “Our partnership is probably going to be the reason I go no contact with them, but everyone online…all three kinds of online…well, they all say animals before asshole family members. I don’t want you to take that personally and feel bad about it, though.”

The feedback might’ve been more mixed if my family was nice, but they weren’t, so I was pretty confident about what the comments on that kind of post would be. “Oh, did I tell you about that Am I The Asshole post about the werewolves? That was so bad. Here. I’ll?—”

Nothing.

I was going to do nothing but panic.

“No pets in the park.” The ranger who just seemed to have appeared like magic in the middle of the trail we’d finally reached stared at me blankly like we weren’t the weirdest thing he’d ever seen. “I don’t know what he is, but I’m going to classify him as some kind of pet.”

The South was always weirder than I expected it to be.

CHAPTER 6

BLADE

Pet?