Chapter 17 Thea （continued）
He looked up at Thea, who was deep in her own thoughts.
Was she having worries like him?
Did she want children anymore? She had wanted children all those years ago, but perhaps that had changed.
Thea began to look more worried, and he turned to her with a questioning meow.
She sighed and leaned down. “It’s okay,” she said quietly, pressing a kiss to the top of his head. “I’m just thinking.”
At least she could kiss him, even if he wasn’t human.
A tingling began on top of Nathaniel’s head where she’d kissed him and spread through his entire body. First his bones, then his muscles, then through his skin, every fiber of his being affected.
What was happening?
Things began to grow brighter, drowning everything out, and the tingles turned to pressure so strong he could hardly breathe.
He tried to speak, but nothing came out, and he struggled to bring air into his lungs.
Was he glowing, or was he simply losing his eyesight? And why was it so hard to breathe?
Was he dying? Had he used up all nine of his lives before turning back into a human?
He didn’t want to die. He had too much life to live, too much he still wanted to do.
He couldn’t feel anything anymore. Where was Thea? Was she okay? Was she worried about him? Was she feeling the pressure too?
He couldn’t see anything, either—the light was far too much. He closed his eyes, preferring the dark to the overwhelming brightness.
The pressure faded and so did the light, and when he opened his eyes, he was lying on the floor with his head in Thea’s lap.
He blinked his eyes before they widened.
Was he human again?
“I didn’t expect that to happen,” she said, looking down at him, “but I suppose there was some truth to the old stories about true love’s kiss.”
Nathaniel sat up, looking down at his human hands in amazement.
“You broke the curse,” he said, standing and offering Thea a hand. “You did it.”
Thea was staring at him. “I didn’t mean to break the curse,” she said, her eyes wide.
“I don’t care whether you meant to or not,” he said with a grin. “I think you did.”
Then he pulled her into his arms and kissed her soundly.
It might have only been a few minutes since he last kissed her, but that was far too long.
And if he had his way, he would be able to kiss her every moment of every day for the rest of his life.
He didn’t want to leave her side ever again, especially now that he knew what it was like to be here with her—even if he’d only experienced it as a cat.
He wanted to marry her.