Chapter 30
Sandra
I am in cat form, lying next to Mark, watching over his sleep.
I can't get away, not even his proximity in the same room seems enough. If it were possible, I would lie on his chest, feeling his heart beating hard against my ear, but he is still injured.
So I restrain myself, keeping as little distance as possible.
Ethan and Ted are in the cabin, nearby, ready to help their friend.
Ethan sleeps on the sofa in the living room and Ted on the rug, with a pillow under his head.
As he settled down on the hard floor, the bear grumbled about how Mark is so antisocial that, even after renovating the cabin, he never had the decency to buy a bed or decorate the guest room. Just to keep visitors away.
I couldn't help but laugh, which came out as a meow.
Now I'm here, sharing the same bed as Mark, watching his chest rise and fall, checking to see if he's still breathing, if his heart is still beating.
The silence of the night is deep, broken only by our breathing and a soft snore coming from the living room. The moonlight barely penetrates the windows, but with my feline eyesight, I can see enough. I stay alert, barely blinking, making sure Mark is really okay, that he's still here...
Until exhaustion begins to consume me.
My eyelids grow heavy and the need to rest takes over.
I blink once, then twice... on the third, sleep embraces me.
Warmth...
My body vibrates with energy.
A purr escapes my throat.
I feel a delicious throbbing between my legs, my intimate parts wet, slippery, craving friction. I begin to move, slowly, undulating my hips.
Something hot and hard pulses against my thigh, and I press harder there, liking how it seems to double in size at my touch...
I feel a breath, soft and warm, caressing my hair.
And the smell...
I bury my face in his neck and the scent floods my nostrils.
It's as if the forest floor has come to life, an earthy, deep base.
But there is something else, a warm and primitive note, like the heat of skin after an intense run.
It is the smell of strength and wildness, a masculine and intoxicating fragrance that envelops and captivates me.
A scent as natural as the air I breathe, a mixture of security and desire, which draws me closer, seduces me, makes me want more.
It's his scent. The scent of my man.
I purr, feeling the wetness in my pussy slide between my legs, my clit rubbing deliciously against the sweatpants fabric covering his hip.
"Sandra..."
His hoarse, low voice calls out to me.
I shudder and the air escapes from my mouth. When I open my eyes, I see everything in a whirlwind of sensations.
My body... is human.
My human body, completely naked.
He is there, beneath me. It is real. The warmth of his body, the weight of my intimate parts against his hips... That cock, thick and throbbing, drooling on his tracksuit and rubbing against my thigh.
By the stars!
I roll off the bed, away from him, and fall on my bum on the floor.
The noise echoes through the cabin, the sound of the impact reverberating in the silence of the early morning. Before I can process what has happened, quick footsteps approach. Footsteps coming from the stairs.
I barely have time to pull the sheet up and cover my naked body before Ted and Ethan enter the room, their eyes wide with concern.
When they realise that Mark is asleep and out of danger, their eyes scan the room.
Then they see me on the floor, and the expressions on their faces soften, taking on a look of curiosity.
"Sorry for scaring you..." My voice comes out timidly, and my face burns. "I transformed while I was sleeping and woke up with a start."
I hide the truth. Horror and mortification consume me. I can't tell them what really happened. That I practically rubbed myself against an unconscious man, like a cat in heat.
I was dreaming, but even so...
I wrap the sheet tighter around me, trying to cover my shame.
"I'll get you some clothes to wear," Ethan whispers, going to Mark's wardrobe and picking out a T-shirt and boxer shorts.
"Thank you..." I try to get up, but my feet are tangled in the sheet and I lose my balance, falling on my bum again. The noise is loud.
Ted takes two steps towards me and holds out his hand. I take it, and he pulls me up easily, helping me to my feet.
"Thank you..." I murmur, this time to him.
The two men return their gaze to their friend.
"Mark is fine," Ethan says, almost as if trying to convince himself.
"He is," Ted nods. "He's too stubborn, too strong, to let this get him down. He'll heal."
Despite their words, the two remain there, watching Mark while I go to the bathroom to get dressed.
Ethan helped me bathe when we returned from the old woman's house.
My fur was caked with blood and dirt. While Ted carried Mark upstairs, Ethan carefully held me in my animal form and took me to the downstairs bathroom.
He turned on the shower for me and left, ensuring my privacy.
Later, after taking care of Mark, he came back to turn off the shower and dry me off.
Before doing so, however, he asked my permission. I nodded with a meow and approached him. Unlike how he cared for me at the clinic, now, even in my cat form, he recognises that I am a woman. And he treats me with respect.
I put on Mark's T-shirt, which hits my thighs, and his boxer shorts, which serve as shorts, then return to the bedroom. Ted is covering Mark with another sheet, and Ethan is checking his friend's pulse. When our eyes meet, he gives me a small smile, and his dimples appear.
"Ted probably didn't recognise you in all that chaos, but you're the girl from the tavern, aren't you?"
I bite my lip and nod.
"Yes, it's me."
Hearing our conversation, Ted turns around, and a flash of recognition shines in his eyes.
"That's right, I remember you. But Ethan..." He narrows his eyes at his friend, curious. "How do you know who she is if you've never been to the tavern?"
Ethan looks down at Mark, who is still unconscious, and a playful smile plays on his lips before he shrugs.
"I recognised her by name and... well, Mark told me about her."
My breath catches, and I feel my cheeks flush as an involuntary smile spreads across my lips.
"He told you about me?" I ask, trying to sound nonchalant.
"He did?" Ted asks at the same time, sounding almost offended. "And why didn't he tell me too?"
"Because you wouldn't leave him alone. Besides, Mark asked me to keep it a secret. But now..." He gives me a heated look. "Since it looks like you two are together, I guess it's not a secret anymore, right?"
My heart races. I swallow hard and grab the hem of my shirt, feeling uneasy.
"Actually... he doesn't know who I am."
"What?"
"What do you mean?"
They both speak at the same time.
"To him, I'm just Kitten. I spent all this time trapped in animal form and... I didn't tell him who I really am."
Ted crosses his arms and shakes his head.
"That's impossible..." But his words die before they are spoken.
Mark lets out a low groan, and we all hold our breath. Ethan leans slightly over his friend.
"What's wrong? Are you in pain?"
Mark turns over in bed, moves sleepily, and his hand slides across the mattress as if searching for something. Still unconscious, he whispers:
"Kitten..."
A shiver runs up my spine, hot, until it reaches my face and sets my cheeks on fire.
Ted lets out a low laugh, and when I look up, I realise that both he and Ethan are staring at me.
"Ah... he misses you." Ethan sounds amused. "I think we'd better go back to sleep. Come on, Ted, it's late, and our friend seems to be fine."
The mattress seems to beckon me back, warm and inviting, but I hesitate.
Now, in my human form, lying down next to him is not so simple.
Not anymore. Every cell in my body vibrates just from being near him, the intoxicating scent of his skin, his heavy breathing in the silence of the room.
Just the sight of Mark, even unconscious, makes my stomach tighten and a heat crawl under my skin.
But what is the alternative? The hard, cold floor?
I swallow hard and lie down carefully, leaving enough space between us that he won't even notice my presence.
But Mark feels it.
A strong arm wraps around my waist, pulling me in without hesitation.
My body collides with his, warm and solid, and his muscles relax instantly, as if my presence is exactly what he needed.
He buries his face in the crook of my neck and inhales deeply, letting out a heavy sigh before settling back into a deep sleep.
My heart pounds against my chest. My whole body throbs, awake, hungry, while he sleeps peacefully, oblivious to the chaos raging inside me.
I close my eyes, trying to calm my breathing.
How long will he stay like this?
Unable to see me, to know that it's me here?
Should I force my transformation back into a cat?
But... the old witch said it would take time for him to recover.
Perhaps days.
So what's the harm in enjoying it?
My body moulds itself to his, as I always wanted. Mark is warm, firm, and envelops me in a way that brings a satisfied smile to my lips. I close my eyes, breathing in his essence, allowing myself to feel what I always wanted. Just for a moment. Before everything changes.
And if it's wrong... may the stars let me sin just a little longer.
***
The sun is already streaming through the windows when I say goodbye to Ted in the living room. He hasn't even eaten anything and he's already leaving.
"Three monsters in one night... I need to go to the office, but if anything happens, call me."
He leaves first, leaving an awkward silence in the room before Ethan goes upstairs to check on Mark. I follow him, watching from a few steps away as he approaches the bed and lets out a sigh when he sees the blood on the bandage on his friend's torso.