The Cat Is Lost In Space

Within a blink, I'm transported to a place that I've never seen before. I can only assume that it's in the Rift, since I didn't feel the pull of the portal to the other side.

There's not much in the room—a couch, a mini bar on a wall, and a large bay window on the far wall. It looks out into a small grassy area that ends in what looks to be an enormous cliff. I'm not even sure what this structure is. I only know Taurus brought us here. I can imagine why, but this mysterious location shit is a bit intimidating.

Not that he ever needs to know that.

He's standing in front of the window, gazing out of it as if it holds the answers to the universe. It feels like time stopped—we were fighting and screaming and bleeding and kissing. Now we're in a quiet room, cleaned up, and he looks like he's about to wax philosophical.

What in the hell just happened?

The moonlight glints off his spiky platinum hair as he turns to me with a wry expression. "Too dramatic, kitten?"

I shake my head, not wanting that moniker. It belongs somewhere else with someone else. I don't know what this is, but I know he's not like anyone I've been with before. "Not kitten, but yeah, it's a little over the top."

He chuckles. "Sandwich it is. You can't be surprised that I wouldn't drop us in a flea bag or jump into the fray in your foreign legion sized barracks."

Blinking, I try to decipher that when I notice that he's wearing a silk robe and pajama pants. Where the fuck did that come from?Oh, goddess, what am I—? My breath almost stops until I see that I'm still dressed, but no longer filthy—whew.

Christ only knows what he would have found on my body if I wasn't awake to control my glamours. I close my eyes for a moment, staving off the tears that prick my eyes. We don't talk about that. We don't think about that.

Just take slow breaths, Deli, and the panic will subside.

"Suddenly, you're not the hell cat I'm used to seeing. Perhaps you're not as eager to play with other puppies as you'd make out, huh?" His lips curve and he gives me a curious look. "I've been meaning to ask about that. I've only heard about you staying at home with the family since we started chatting and it seemed incongruous."

I arch my brow. "Where would you have heard about me besides when we…" My eyes narrow. "Have you been cyberstalking me?"

"What? No. Pffft!" His snort makes me pause because the protest was a little much, considering my question was flippant. "I was checking on your story."

"Uh-huh. To answer your question, the crazy level in my family has gotten out of control. I'm tired of being a status symbol and the changes I'm going through only make it worse."

He blinks. "There's something majorly wrong when you think me and the goddess are the sane ones, pet. You got a nice package; I'll give you that. However, gits using that to express their delivery isn't a good thing in my book."

If only he knew how he right he is. He'd run like his feet were on fire.

"People put pressure on me to make them the center of my universe. When they do, it gets exhausting to juggle schedules and egos just to spend time with them. The punishment when I can't…" I trail off, actively avoiding the shiver that runs up my spine.

Why did I have to say that?

"If you wondered why I've been out of this scene for so long, Sandwich, that shit is why. Loony tunes make everyone miserable. You have a good heart, pet, and it sounds to me like it's getting trampled."

I shrug, trying to downplay the situation. He can't know the complete story; he'd never look me again if he knew the truth. No one would. "I figure out their weak spots and push their buttons until I feel better." I paste on a smirk, determined not to let the rest of the world ruin whatever this is shaping up to be.

"I bet you're hard to handle when your ire's flaring."

His lips quirk and I can tell he's flirting. Okay, flirting I can do. I swat his arm and snort. "Lech."

"What can I say, baby? I'm best when I'm bad." He frowns for a moment, completely reversing the mood. "You aren't expecting flowers and poetry and that rot, right?"

Is he kidding me?I haven't had that kind of courting since the blogger sets his sights on me. Even then, it was more for—never mind that. "No. I've long since abandoned that kind of sentiment. No worries; I don't have expectations."

"Good," he sighs, and then looks puzzled. "Wait. If you don't have expectations, where's the thrill?"

"Taurus, I meant I don't expect hearts and flowers and such. Even Mr. Prim and Proper didn't fulfill that promise. You don't give your pin to the bad girl… you take her to the drive-in for a make-out sesh in the car."

He turns back to the window as if digesting that before he speaks. "I don't do complicated, pet. At least, not with women. I don't play games, and I don't wave conquests around like trophies. I like and respect you. I plan on fighting and running with you." He looks back over his shoulder to spear me with an intent look. "I plan to fuck you. It's up to you to let me know if any of those plans aren't good for you; that's why we're here."

I blink and let my breath out slowly. "I like and respect you, too. That means I'll always fight you back—even when you don't want me to. I won't screw with your head and I'll mix it up with you wherever possible, including between the sheets. You'll probably have to drag how much I don't dislike you out of me with pliers." I grin, giving him a chance to object. "I won't use you. No matter how much your presence makes anyone upset, no matter how easy it would be to use you to get back at them, even with your permission—I won't."

His brow quirks in amusement. He'd offered to let me do that last week when we had coffee because I was upset at Sari. "It's no skin off my nose if you do, pet. I don't play nice with others, and I'm fine with being their villain. You know I'd let you rub it in to just to crank someone that needed it."

I shake my head. "Being with you for that reason would make me no better than they are. Convenient weapon though it may be, it's neither why I sought you out nor why I'm still here."

"Talk about your ego crushers if it was." He interrupts me and puts his hand on his bare chest dramatically, as if having a heart problem—a favorite schtick of his.

"I'm being honest, and it needed to be said," I shrug, making it seem like it's a much smaller thing than it is. Everything is a weapon in our world now. It wasn't like that at the beginning, but even in the short weeks I've been in contact with him, people are shifting, scrambling, lashing out. Not using him to hurt people is giving up a mighty powerful weapon, even if it would be a lie.

"I enjoy hearing you curse me as a fiend, then soften under my charms. However, back to why we're here." He gives me a devilish grin and pads over to the couch that I'm curled on, dropping next to me as he brushes a hair off my face. "You're downright adorable, which I'm sure you want to poke my eyes out for saying."

"Something like that," I murmur, his closeness making me nervous. Me? Nervous? This is ridiculous. There's not a position I haven't been in, a knot I don't know, and a scenario I haven't been part of. How does he do this to me? It's like I'm a fifteen-year-old fumbling in a back seat.

He dips his head to catch my earlobe between his teeth and I shudder.

This is going to be tricky. With the beast lurking, it's hard to control myself. That's the real reason that I've stuck to playing in my sandbox. It only took crossing the line with the wrong person one time to ruin something special. Add that to the things we do not discuss that are weighing on me emotionally? It's too much. My load is full; am I crazy to let this happen?

Am I insane to dive into the deep end of the pool with a known shark and hope for the best?

"You know, I think I'd like to postpone this, Sandwich. The sun's rising. I have a job on the other side today, and I think I'd like to take my time with you."

I blink and flush, not knowing what to say. Postponement gives me time to consider what I'm getting myself into and figure out how not to fuck it up like everything else good in my life.

"If you tell anyone that I didn't flip you upside and ride the happy train tonight, I'll eat you." His eyes dance and I realize that I've never seen Taurus smile this much. I'm sure he does with Talia, but no one else witnesses this side of him, and I like it.

"We wouldn't want to damage your reputation for tom catting around with every lady on the block. Oh, wait—silly me—that's my reputation. I guess you're safe," I grumble bitterly. His brow arches and I sigh. "That came out wrong. I'm not ashamed of myself or my decisions. People are getting on my nerves by treating me like a trophy to be won. It's why I haven't told many people besides my immediate family about talking with you."

I guess his super hearing caught the mumbled part at the end because his jaw drops. "You've been keeping mum about us? I thought you told the gnome and the firebug everything."

"I mean, I told Rhea some of it, but everything. I'm being rather stingy because I didn't want anyone to meddle. I guess I need something—no, someone—like that. However, I also know the display tonight will cause a lot of gossip, so I'll have to deal with that now." I wrinkle my nose, feeling exposed.

"Good. I prefer that almost no one sees the side of me you're seeing for a multitude of reasons. Most of them have to do with disliking facile nits, but it also comes in handy to have everyone think you're nothing more than a cold-blooded killer. Fear keeps them at a distance, pet. Since you're okay with keeping the public thinking you just want to beat me to ribbons, we can breathe easy. Hopefully, no one else will come knocking me up wanting a ride for themselves."

"Hey! I didn't say—I didn't mean… I'm not…" Scrunching my nose up, I reach over and go to muss his hair in retaliation only to find the clone speed has trumped me again. He catches my hand inches from his head.

"Not. The. Hair."

I arch my brow this time. "A weakness?"

"Personal flaw, my goddess says. Stay away from the hair," he glowers at my indulgent expression.

It's the cutest thing he's done all day; I can't help it.I giggle and he glares harder. "It's adorable."

"There's no reason to insult me, dammit." His expression blackens, and it doesn't help his case at all. I giggle again and he growls. Eyes smoldering, he yanks me forward and kisses me roughly before pulling back. "Say it."

"Um, you're not, um, adorable." I whisper hoarsely.

"That's right." He lets go and stands up, smirking in satisfaction. "Now, the buggering sun is coming up and I've got people to kill today. Can I see you later today, Sandwich?"

Blinking, I nod. "Uh, yeah, we can do that. I'll, uh, move some stuff around and make some time…"

He gives me a knowing look, as if that conclusion is all but forgone, and before I know it, I reappear on my front porch.

How in the hell did he do that and what on earth is going to happen later today?