Chapter 19
Sandra
I wake up with my heart in my mouth, frightened by an unbearable sound echoing through the house, while red lights flash from below.
"The apocalypse is here!" I scream, but what comes out of my throat is a high-pitched meow.
Ah, for a moment, I forgot that I'm a cat now.
I jump away from Mark's warm, comfortable chest, where I was sleeping, when he sits up with a jolt.
"Fuck," he mutters, jumping out of bed with agility, on full alert.
His wolf-like eyes glint in the dim light, and his claws extend, ready to attack.
He runs down the stairs, and despite my consuming fear, I follow him, curiosity overcoming common sense.
I reach the room where he stands in front of the computer, the monitor flashing a red alert.
Mark types quickly, clicks a few times with the mouse, and soon three faces appear on the screen in a video call.
I approach Mark with silent, cat-like steps, trying to see better, and I notice that they are the three men who were in Mark's office when he took me to the company.
Ted, with his skin paler than usual and his eyes swollen — he's probably struggling to stay awake, just like me.
The vampire with red eyes and black hair, his face impassive and .
And the alligator shapeshifter, with dark green eyes and long brown hair, flowing as if he had just been running outdoors.
"What's the emergency?" Mark asks, his voice hoarse from lack of use. "An attack?"
"No attack yet, boss, but..." the alligator begins, but Ted interrupts him.
"The sentries on duty picked up an energy explosion early this morning." Ted crosses his arms, his tone serious, so different from the playful man I've come to know.
"Where?"
I'm so curious that, in an act of pure courage and recklessness, I rub my body against Mark's leg, like the good cat I am now, then stretch and rest my paws on his thigh to get a better view of the monitor.
Mark crouches down and picks me up. This time, instead of standing with my body nestled against his chest, he sits down in his chair and puts me on his lap.
Oh. That's... a little strange.
I've only sat on one person's lap before, and that was my grandmother.
Perched on Mark's thick, strong legs, I'm too close to that huge part that I know he hides under his trousers.
My heart races, and I freeze, not knowing what to do.
Okay, Sandra, focus!
There are more pressing matters here, like the strange energy that could be a threat to our city! So I let my cat body relax and purr while he absentmindedly strokes my head and talks to his subordinates.
"We don't know exactly where yet," Ted says. "But I sent out trackers as soon as Jack, who was on duty near the area, alerted us to it."
"I felt the vibration of energy in the air, it was dense and strong at first, ancient and dark magic, I tried to follow the direction," Jack adds, shaking his head. "But it dissipated too quickly, and I'm not that good at sniffing or tracking energy."
"I arrived shortly after, we were only able to identify the perimeter, but not the exact location." The vampire's soft, sinister voice fills the room through the speakers.
I feel Mark's muscles tense, and the tension infects me. My claws come out and scratch his thighs involuntarily.
He glances at me briefly before returning to his relaxed posture and stroking my back.
"Where?" Mark repeats, his voice cold.
Suddenly, a map of the city appears on the screen, with some markings.
"Here, near the latest sightings." Ted's voice sounds as a triangle is drawn on the map, connecting the markings with a red line.
"If we look closely, we can see that it forms a triangle: the cemetery where the ghoul appeared to the north, the lake where the kappa used to stay to the southwest, and the forest to the southeast, where we found the wendigo. "
Wendigo? The name sounds familiar.
It's the creature that killed that traitorous bastard.
But only now, seeing the location in the forest, do I understand that it's the same monster that attacked me.
It all starts to make sense. The witch cursed me that night while searching for her husband.
.. who, at that point, must have already been dead.
And then, the following night, I was attacked.
A shiver runs through my body, and Mark takes me in his arms, resting his cheek against the top of my head.
I purr and my muscles relax immediately.
"Everything indicates that whoever is behind this is within this perimeter," the vampire says. "Exactly where we feel the energy. It would be too much of a coincidence..."
By the stars, the city is truly in danger. And I tried to escape through the dark forest, trapped in this fragile form, right in the middle of all this chaos.
"I'll investigate the perimeter myself," Mark announces.
What? He's going alone?
I stop myself before I can control myself and rub my face against his neck, as if asking him to be careful. Which is ridiculous, because he must be used to dealing with much worse things, but...
I've grown to like him a little, and besides, I don't want him to die.
Who will take such good care of me if he dies?
"Are you sure, boss?" The map disappears from the screen, and Ted appears with a crease in his forehead. "I sent five trackers, we can wait and see if they find anything."
"Yes, my nose is better than theirs. And I want this resolved immediately." He stands up and gently puts me back on the floor. "Viklaus, you come with me, in case something goes wrong and I need to erase some memories."
"Understood." The vampire nods.
Mark hurries upstairs and, when he returns, he is already dressed. He puts some meat treats in my bowl and says goodbye with a pat behind my ears.
I can do nothing but watch the man, who is now all I have, walk out the door towards danger.
If I lose him too...
I will lose everything.