Page 397 of Pucking Feral: Part Two

"Minor flesh wounds! And I'd be badass with rabies."

"You'd be dead."

Valek drifts into the kitchen in his usual ghostly way. He takes in the scene without his face changing even the slightest bit.

"Ah," he says. "You caught her."

"Fuck yeah I did!"

He approaches slowly, and something weird happens. Shadow, who has been hissing and spitting and generally making her displeasure known to the entire fucking world, goes quiet. Her ears flatten, but she stops struggling. Her eyes lock onto Valek's as he comes to stand in front of me.

"May I?" he asks.

I hand over the flannel bundle carefully like I'm transferring a baby into his arms, and he takes the cat like he's done this a thousand times. Shadow doesn't relax exactly, but she stops trying to murder everyone within claw distance.

She just... stares at him.

Valek strokes one finger along the top of her head, between her ears, making a soft ksksks sound in the back of his mouth, and she lets him.

"What the fuck," I say. "Of course you're a fuckin' cat whisperer. You look and act like a James Bond villain and cats love James Bond villains."

Valek tilts his head. "Is that a compliment, or?"

"It's a compliment," Plague sighs, watching him with crossed arms.

Ivy is fully giggling now, leaning against Wraith's side. "Oh my gods, she loves you."

"We have an understanding," Valek says, still petting the cat, who's actually kind of purring a little. "She is small and full of rage. I respect that."

I catch Plague's eye and mouth villain cat at him. He rolls his eyes but I catch him fighting a smile.

"The vet," Thane says, clearly trying to wrangle this situation back under control. "We should take her today if we can get an appointment. Wraith and Ivy are leaving for Cedarbrook this afternoon⁠—"

My chest tightens a little at that.

Cedarbrook.

The camping trip where Wraith's gonna find out from his doc if he can safely mark Ivy.

We're running out of time, and we all know it. He's terrified he'll maim her, no matter how much she reassures him the skin's less fragile with all our other bites layered on top of each other, and he kinda-sorta has reason to worry. We're all trying really fucking hard to act normal about it because freaking out won't help.

But if he doesn't...

I shake the thought off. It's gonna work. Ivy has a plan. She's a fucking genius. She's had a plan this whole time, layering the marks to toughen the scar tissue, getting Wraith comfortable, taking it slow.

She loves him, and he loves her, and love makes people do impossible shit all the time.

It's gonna be fine.

"I'll call the vet," Plague says, working on my bandages. Gods, I love when he gets the first aid kit out. I should get hurt more often.

"I'll drive while someone else gets supplies," Thane offers, even though he's already rummaging through the freezer for his freaky migraine hat.

"I'll hold the cat," Valek says pleasantly.

Shadow purrs louder.

Guess she's found her favorite already.