Meow, Meow
Thirteen
A weird, meow-esque noise comes from Penny that makes my mouth fall open. Her hands fly to her mouth and her ears lay close to her head.
“Oops, sorry.” She sighs, removing her hands from in front of her face and resting them on the table, dangerously close to mine.
I feel like reaching out to connect our hands, but I don’t. Instead I pull my hands away from the center of the table and rest them in a folded position in front of me.
“That’s alright.” I giggle, smiling at the fact that cat noises can come from such a petite orange haired beauty.
The smile that she returns me with makes me literally want to jump up and down from sheer glee. It’s so odd. I don’t really even know her. Not really. Yeah, I’ve been taking care of her for a month and a half, but still. How can my emotions be so, so out of whack?
Minute pass as I’m mulling this over intensely. Absently, I notice the waiter come back and Penny hand him some money, but I’m too wrapped up in my thoughts to do anything.
Finally Penny clears her throat and reaches across the table to rest her fingers on my arms. Glancing down at her fair skinned fingers, I stare back up at her with a furrowed brow.
“I just want you to know that…” She leads off, removing her hands as she sighs heavily, “You don’t have to accept me as your mate if you don’t want to. I wouldn’t want you to do something you didn’t want.”
I blink.
For the strangest reason the idea of not being her mate wasn’t apart of my thought process. I just- I guess I just assumed we’d be mates. Especially with the way she explained it; that we share a bond, a connection. Also, for an even stranger reason I even kind of liked the idea.
While twirling my fingers in the loose strands of my hair, I ask slowly, more out of curiosity than anything. “Hypothetically, if I didn’t want to and I rejected you as my mate, what would happen to you?”
Even the question itself seems to bring her a level of comfortableness and even pain. She gulps audibly, shifting in her seat. Chewing on her lip, she hesitates, not meeting my gaze at all.
“Tell me. I want to know.”
Her gray flecked, golden eyes move away from her lap and towards mine for the first time in a full minute of us just sitting here. “I would die, slowly from depression, but not the same human depression. Something far more intense.”
“Really?” Just the thought of her being in pain because of me doesn’t really sit well with me. To be honest, it leaves me with the sickest feeling at the back of my throat.
“Yeah. It doesn’t happen to all of those who get rejected by their mates, but I feel like- I feel like it would happen to me. Essentially it would be like being rejected by the other half of myself. And who can live with just one part of themselves?”
“Oh.”
“Yeah. But don’t let that make you feel like you have to be with me. Beause you don’t, if you don’t want to. I don’t want you to do something you don’t want.”
I nod in reply, glancing away from her and at the table between us.
I’m beyond torn. I don’t want her to be in pain, let alone die because I’m too selfish to be her mate. Yeah, I don’t really know her and she’s not even human, I can’t just leave her to die. Plus, I guess I’m sort of starting to like her, if that think is even possible in a matter of hours. There was just something about that I really couldn’t place.
As I’m sorting through the logical reasons my mind points out that this, whatever it is, isn’t going to work, Penny makes another noise that has my attention snapping towards her. Suddenly she scoots herself closer, leaning over to table, her expression showing realization, like she forgot to tell me something.
“Since you’re my mate, or you could be if you wanted to be, then there’s a huge chance that the Tracker may come after you to get to me. I’m sorry. I wish that we could met under different circumstances. Then you wouldn’t have to deal with him. Or Luka.”
“Okay,” I breathe, not really getting the severity that is literally oozing from the pores of her skin and into my body. Then, as she gazes into my face, the words she used earlier to describe him echo in my head.
A mercenary, a blood-thirsty, selfish killer with an uncanny ability to always get his target.
Bile forms in my throat and I struggle to swallow it down before I lose my food. “Does he kill them? Like really kill them? Or will he just send you back there?”
She shrugs, “He’s supposed to just track me down and take me back to Luka, but Elric is not known for his trustworthiness to his clients. Plus, he’s definitely mad I’ve managed to evade him for so long.”
Images of possible outcomes for Penny speed through my head, making me dizzy and very, very afraid. “I don’t- I don’t want that to happen. I don’t want you to get caught or have to go back to him.” I whisper, weakly.
“Me either.” She mumbles, running her fingers against the skin of my arm. “I know this is crazy presumptuous but I was wondering if you would come with me, so I could protect you and make a talisman for you, to keep you safe from the Tracker or Luka.”
Oh, course I would follow you anywhere. All you have to do is tell me the place. “I-I don’t know, Penny. I doubt that would be a good idea.”
“Please, I know you can- you can be a little stubborn, but Luka and the Tracker are not the type to be toyed with. Especially not Luka. He wants me, and he would do anything to get me. Even if it meant…” Her gorgeous eyes grow watery with tears, and I think they’re about to fall, but she somehow manages to keep them in.
“Hurting me?” I finish for her.
“Yeah.”
The waiter comes out of nowhere to check up on us. We both smile polity as if we weren’t just talking about anything serious. Penny ask for the checks, telling the brown-headed college student that she’s going to pay for both. Even though I want to argue with this, there are other more important things on my mind for me to worry about.
When the brunette finally leaves us for the last time, I give her my final answer. If I’m with her, I know I’ll only be a nuisance, some human there just to bring her down. And I don’t want that.
“I understand, I do, but I’m not just going to drop everything to go with you, someone I honestly, just met just because of an illogical story about two dudes.”
Her usually softer toned voice raises several octaves, she slams her hands on the table as she speaks, no yells at me. “They’re not just some dudes! They’re both evil, monstrous killers who don’t care about anyone but themselves.”
Everything in me screams I need to listen to her, but this time I’m going with my mind instead.
Squaring my shoulders, I sit straighter up in my seat, crossing my arms over my chest. My light brown eyes stare into her vibrant ones unyieldingly.
A menacing hiss erupts from her mouth, and for a split second I think she might come across the wood separating us and drag me back with her. But quickly, this disappears and she reigns in her emotions, visibly shaking.
“Okay. But if you don’t, will you at least allow me to come to your house and use my abilities to help protect you in that way.” Her eyes plead and beg with me, coercing me.
I give in with a sigh, “Alright, I guess.”
“Oops, sorry.” She sighs, removing her hands from in front of her face and resting them on the table, dangerously close to mine.
I feel like reaching out to connect our hands, but I don’t. Instead I pull my hands away from the center of the table and rest them in a folded position in front of me.
“That’s alright.” I giggle, smiling at the fact that cat noises can come from such a petite orange haired beauty.
The smile that she returns me with makes me literally want to jump up and down from sheer glee. It’s so odd. I don’t really even know her. Not really. Yeah, I’ve been taking care of her for a month and a half, but still. How can my emotions be so, so out of whack?
Minute pass as I’m mulling this over intensely. Absently, I notice the waiter come back and Penny hand him some money, but I’m too wrapped up in my thoughts to do anything.
Finally Penny clears her throat and reaches across the table to rest her fingers on my arms. Glancing down at her fair skinned fingers, I stare back up at her with a furrowed brow.
“I just want you to know that…” She leads off, removing her hands as she sighs heavily, “You don’t have to accept me as your mate if you don’t want to. I wouldn’t want you to do something you didn’t want.”
I blink.
For the strangest reason the idea of not being her mate wasn’t apart of my thought process. I just- I guess I just assumed we’d be mates. Especially with the way she explained it; that we share a bond, a connection. Also, for an even stranger reason I even kind of liked the idea.
While twirling my fingers in the loose strands of my hair, I ask slowly, more out of curiosity than anything. “Hypothetically, if I didn’t want to and I rejected you as my mate, what would happen to you?”
Even the question itself seems to bring her a level of comfortableness and even pain. She gulps audibly, shifting in her seat. Chewing on her lip, she hesitates, not meeting my gaze at all.
“Tell me. I want to know.”
Her gray flecked, golden eyes move away from her lap and towards mine for the first time in a full minute of us just sitting here. “I would die, slowly from depression, but not the same human depression. Something far more intense.”
“Really?” Just the thought of her being in pain because of me doesn’t really sit well with me. To be honest, it leaves me with the sickest feeling at the back of my throat.
“Yeah. It doesn’t happen to all of those who get rejected by their mates, but I feel like- I feel like it would happen to me. Essentially it would be like being rejected by the other half of myself. And who can live with just one part of themselves?”
“Oh.”
“Yeah. But don’t let that make you feel like you have to be with me. Beause you don’t, if you don’t want to. I don’t want you to do something you don’t want.”
I nod in reply, glancing away from her and at the table between us.
I’m beyond torn. I don’t want her to be in pain, let alone die because I’m too selfish to be her mate. Yeah, I don’t really know her and she’s not even human, I can’t just leave her to die. Plus, I guess I’m sort of starting to like her, if that think is even possible in a matter of hours. There was just something about that I really couldn’t place.
As I’m sorting through the logical reasons my mind points out that this, whatever it is, isn’t going to work, Penny makes another noise that has my attention snapping towards her. Suddenly she scoots herself closer, leaning over to table, her expression showing realization, like she forgot to tell me something.
“Since you’re my mate, or you could be if you wanted to be, then there’s a huge chance that the Tracker may come after you to get to me. I’m sorry. I wish that we could met under different circumstances. Then you wouldn’t have to deal with him. Or Luka.”
“Okay,” I breathe, not really getting the severity that is literally oozing from the pores of her skin and into my body. Then, as she gazes into my face, the words she used earlier to describe him echo in my head.
A mercenary, a blood-thirsty, selfish killer with an uncanny ability to always get his target.
Bile forms in my throat and I struggle to swallow it down before I lose my food. “Does he kill them? Like really kill them? Or will he just send you back there?”
She shrugs, “He’s supposed to just track me down and take me back to Luka, but Elric is not known for his trustworthiness to his clients. Plus, he’s definitely mad I’ve managed to evade him for so long.”
Images of possible outcomes for Penny speed through my head, making me dizzy and very, very afraid. “I don’t- I don’t want that to happen. I don’t want you to get caught or have to go back to him.” I whisper, weakly.
“Me either.” She mumbles, running her fingers against the skin of my arm. “I know this is crazy presumptuous but I was wondering if you would come with me, so I could protect you and make a talisman for you, to keep you safe from the Tracker or Luka.”
Oh, course I would follow you anywhere. All you have to do is tell me the place. “I-I don’t know, Penny. I doubt that would be a good idea.”
“Please, I know you can- you can be a little stubborn, but Luka and the Tracker are not the type to be toyed with. Especially not Luka. He wants me, and he would do anything to get me. Even if it meant…” Her gorgeous eyes grow watery with tears, and I think they’re about to fall, but she somehow manages to keep them in.
“Hurting me?” I finish for her.
“Yeah.”
The waiter comes out of nowhere to check up on us. We both smile polity as if we weren’t just talking about anything serious. Penny ask for the checks, telling the brown-headed college student that she’s going to pay for both. Even though I want to argue with this, there are other more important things on my mind for me to worry about.
When the brunette finally leaves us for the last time, I give her my final answer. If I’m with her, I know I’ll only be a nuisance, some human there just to bring her down. And I don’t want that.
“I understand, I do, but I’m not just going to drop everything to go with you, someone I honestly, just met just because of an illogical story about two dudes.”
Her usually softer toned voice raises several octaves, she slams her hands on the table as she speaks, no yells at me. “They’re not just some dudes! They’re both evil, monstrous killers who don’t care about anyone but themselves.”
Everything in me screams I need to listen to her, but this time I’m going with my mind instead.
Squaring my shoulders, I sit straighter up in my seat, crossing my arms over my chest. My light brown eyes stare into her vibrant ones unyieldingly.
A menacing hiss erupts from her mouth, and for a split second I think she might come across the wood separating us and drag me back with her. But quickly, this disappears and she reigns in her emotions, visibly shaking.
“Okay. But if you don’t, will you at least allow me to come to your house and use my abilities to help protect you in that way.” Her eyes plead and beg with me, coercing me.
I give in with a sigh, “Alright, I guess.”