“The Fury…so strong. Makes me…dangerous. You should have…sent me with them.”
“No!” Christine gave him a frown. “Absolutely not. I’m not going to give up on you. Which means you’re not allowed to give up on yourself, either—all right?” she told him, looking into those golden-green eyes earnestly.
Roarn looked at her with something like wonder.
“You don’t…even know me. Why…do you care…so much?” he asked haltingly.
“Maybe because of what happened in my own past,” Christine said carefully. She didn’t want to mention anything to do with brothers again—it seemed to trigger his problem. “Or maybe just because I consider myself a good judge of people and I can tell you’re a good guy. A good guy who’s going through a hard time.” She stroked his hair again. “And I’m going to help you get through it.”
“What if…it takes… a long time?” Roarn asked, raising his eyebrows.
“We’ll take it one day at a time,” Christine said decisively. “Rome wasn’t built in a day, as my momma used to say.”
His forehead creased.
“Rome?”
“Never mind—it’s just an old saying.” Christine made a shooing motion with one hand. “The point is, we’re going to get through this together. We—”
At that point, the big Monstrum’s stomach rumbled, which made her grin.
“Well, I think I know the first order of business—we need to get up and get some breakfast,” she told him.
“Breakfast?” he asked.
“You know—the first thing you eat in the morning?” Christine asked.
“Oh—First Meal.” He nodded. “Yes, food…would be good.”
“Then you’re gonna have to let me go so I can make some,” she pointed out gently, since his muscular arms were still wrapped around her waist.
“Oh…sorry.” Reluctantly, she thought, he withdrew his arms and sat back.
Christine retrieved her sweatshirt and pulled it back on. The inside of the cabin was chilly and she needed it once she was away from the big Monstrum’s warmth. She slipped into some house shoes as well, not wanting her feet to freeze.
“I’m sorry I can’t offer you a hot shower to start your day,” she told him. “But my water heater is broken at the moment. I’m trying to save money to get it fixed, but everything is so expensive these days!”
Roarn got an interested look on his face.
“Water…heater? Will you…show me?” he asked.
“Well, sure—if you really want to see it.” Christine shrugged. “Come on, it’s out here.”
She led him down the hallway. There was a little room which was built onto the back porch where the water heater was kept. Before she let Roarn come out, she took a good look around, being sure that the Kindred who had come looking for him really were gone. When she was sure the coast was clear, she stepped outside and beckoned for him to follow.
“Okay, it’s out here.” She shivered as she stepped out onto the back porch. “Right past my little kitty house.”
“Kitty house?” Roarn looked with interest at the little low wooden house that Christine’s son had built for her. Since it was a cold morning, some of her feral kitties were still lounging inside. They came out to investigate what she was doing—no doubt hoping for food.
“Oh—felines.” Roarn looked at them with interest and held out a hand. Queen of Sheba sniffed his fingers but prowled away disdainfully when it became clear he didn’t have any cat food or tuna to offer her. Itchy and Twitchy, however, seemed to take to the big Monstrum at once. They curled around his ankles like furry black leg warmers, purring with approval.
“Well—looks like they like you.” Christine smiled at the sight of the big Monstrum surrounded by feral cats. If she’d had any doubts at all about Roarn’s character, this would have put them to rest. Animals knew if someone was good or bad—she’d seen it many times. If her ferals approved of the big Monstrum, she knew for certain he was a good guy.
“They are…so small.” Roarn stroked the furry backs carefully with one big hand. “Are they…sentient?”
“You mean can they think and reason like a person? No,” Christine told him. “Why—do you have any animals like them in your universe that can think like that?”
He shook his head.
“No small felines. Only Felinus Monstrum…like me.”
“Hmm, I see.” Christine nodded. She knew from watching reports on the news that the Monstrum Kindred weren’t really animals, despite the fact that they had characteristics of them. But she couldn’t help thinking that her feral kitties might be feeling some family affinity towards Roarn just the same.
At any rate, the idea of a man who was half animal didn’t bother her a bit. The old saying went, “Men are dogs” but they really weren’t. If they were, Christine thought, she would have liked them a lot more. If her ex really had been unfailingly loyal, loving, and protective—all the traits she associated with dogs—she probably wouldn’t be divorced right now.