After I took a shower and got dressed, I checked myself out in the mirror, bending to make sure my red tartan miniskirt wasn’t too short. It wasn’t. I pulled on my tights and stepped into my black platform Mary Janes. My fishnet shirt clung against the black lace beneath it, enhancing my figure. As for my hair, I decided to put the sides halfway up in a silver barrette with a Celtic knot design. I frowned at my pale face, but after I applied some makeup, I became satisfied with the results. Add a little glitter, and I was ready to go.
Nathan was in the bathroom getting ready, and as I left my room, I heard a thumping noise coming from outside. I stopped in the doorway to listen. The window in my room began to vibrate. Without thinking, I ran downstairs, flung the front door open, and stepped out into the night.
The white waning moon illuminated the clouds inside its huge ring of light, keeping the darkness outside its circular barrier. I hugged myself against the chill in the air, watching the tail lights of Matt’s jeep disappear down the street. A silhouette of a cat sat at the edge of the lawn, staring after it. I wondered what Matt wanted, while questioning my own motives for rushing outside.
Why would I do that? Was it out of curiosity? Or, because I still found it hard to believe the truth about him, and I came out here like I would before any of this stuff happened, to greet a friend?
Something touched my shoulder, making me jump.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you,” Nathan said. He placed his arm around my waist. “What are you doing out here?”
Mr. Kitty rubbed against my leg. I bent to pet him, thinking he was my little four-legged protector. I wondered why the dark spirits avoided the area he was in. I rose and asked Nathan.
He jerked his head, looking about. “Why? Did you see one?” He moved in front of me, his body stiff and protective.
I placed my hand in his and pulled him to the house. The front door was open, and the light from the living room spilled out onto the porch. Mr. Kitty followed us to the door and laid beside it. He crossed his black paws in front of him and closed his eyes.
“Are you going to answer my question?” Nathan asked when I closed the door.
I turned and couldn’t help but admire how smoking hot he looked. He had on a long black jacket with a copper nail head o-ring closure and three copper buttons going up each tight cuff, and black jeans tucked into laced-up boots. When I looked up, I was pleased he kept his hair the same with its blond tips sticking up on top. I noticed an impatience growing in his eyes and realized I hadn’t answered his question.
“Oh, sorry,” I said, exhaling the air from my lungs. “Matt drove by.”
He crossed his arms over his chest.
Uh-oh. That didn’t look good. I mean, the way he narrowed his eyes at me, with his lips now in a tight line, told me he wasn’t a happy camper. I searched for a good excuse but couldn’t come up with one. Avoiding his accusing stare, I busied myself by going into the kitchen to get my keys and purse. He followed me without saying a word, but when I headed to the front door, he grabbed my arm and turned me around. I looked up and saw something on his face I’d never seen since we’d been together.
Anger.
For the first time, he was angry at me. I mean, really pissed. Beyond that rage, I could see hurt. A sharp pricking sensation developed at the corner of my eyes. When he spoke, I dropped them, not wanting him to see my face or think of me as one of those girls who cried to get out of trouble with her boyfriend.
“Did you know it was Matt before you went outside?” His tone was flat, lifeless.
I nodded at the floor.
“Why did you go outside without me?”
I swallowed hard and tried to keep my voice steady. “I wasn’t thinking. When I heard the bass in his jeep playing, I went outside like I always do. It was a natural response I think.”
“Don’t you care about me?” Now the hurt stepped forward in his voice.
I looked at him, blinking back the tears. “More than anything,” I whispered. “Why would you ask me that?”
His hand covered his face. “I cannot bear to see such woes of the heart in the eyes of my beloved,” he mumbled to himself, speaking in a way I’ve never heard him speak before.
“What?”
He looked at me. When he spoke, his voice took on a pleading tone. “Don’t you understand? By risking your life, you’re risking destroying us.” He gently brushed my tears away and leveled his face with mine. “If something were to happen to you, my heart and soul would be decimated.”
“I feel the same way.” I sniffed. “I don’t ever want to live without you.” And I didn’t. If he weren’t in my life, I’d be totally crushed. I’d move on, but it would suck big time.
“Then promise me you won’t be careless with your life.” His gaze was steady on mine, searching for the answer before it came into existence upon my lips. And when he saw it, the tension in his face lifted.
“I promise.”
He kissed me. “I love you.”
“I love you too.”
The corner of his mouth tilted. “Now we should go have some fun, but first I have to tell you something.”
My heart slipped. Was he still upset with me? He didn’t appear to be. The tension that surrounded him a few minutes ago was gone, and he seemed relaxed. But when he took a couple steps back, slowly drinking in my entire body, my worries left me. I noticed the admiring look on his face changed into a hungry desire. I stopped breathing.
“I have to say you look incredible tonight.”
When his eyes fell upon mine, they were bright with excitement. I bit my lip, not knowing how to respond to a comment that had never been made to me, so I dispelled it by reflecting his words at him. A playful argument followed on who looked hotter, until I finally changed the subject.
“Why does a dark spirit avoid entering the area Mr. Kitty is in?” I asked, slipping my arms into my black leather jacket.
“Because his energy is pure and has never been tainted,” Nathan said, opening the front door. “What dwells inside the cat is the light of creation, or God if you want to put it into religious terms. The dark spirits don’t want to go near such a light in fear they may become trapped inside it.” He followed me outside. “Does that make sense to you?”
Mr. Kitty was still sleeping beside the door with his nose nuzzled against his stomach.
“It does, and you know what?”
“What?”
“I love him.” I smiled.
He opened the passenger door. “You do?” He sounded amused.
I nodded, still smiling as I hopped in the pickup.
“Do you know his name?” I asked when he got behind the wheel.
“No, but Anwar might,” he said.
“How old is Anwar?”
He looked at me and grinned. “Over six-hundred.”
My mouth dropped. “Holy crap!” That totally blew me away.
He laughed. “I’ve learned a lot from him, and since he’s so old he can cast the spirit out of Matt.”
“I can’t wait to meet him.” A bubble of excitement rose inside me as I thought about all the things he had seen throughout history and wondered what he could tell me about it.
We were quiet for the rest of the way to The Lion’s Den, entangled in our own wandering thoughts. I stared out the window, watching the trees pass along the shoulder of the road. A couple of does stepped out of the woods, but we passed them before they reached the street. Then the forest gave away to concrete and eventually buildings. We were almost there. I rested my head against the seat, hoping there would be no trouble tonight.