I Unintentionally Became Her Kitten

Chapter 93: To Unwind

Tyes car was still uncannily powerful beneath the Hon-yoda Civil exterior. I wondered idly how fast it could go. I'd seen him drive pretty fast at the track but the runway there, while large, was still fairly limited. 

“Kit,” he said from the front.

“Hm?” I asked, looking away from the window.

“Can you do me a favor?”

“That… depends,” I told him. 

“Nothing sinister,” he reassured. “It's about Alisha.”

“Mm,” I said affirmatively. “What's up?”

“You know how she gets a bit aggressive after someone threatens you?”

“Does she?” I asked. I’d certainly seen her aggressive but I didn't know it had anything to do with me.

“She does. Violence isn't typically her first instinct when dealing with her people. But when you're involved…”

“She's a bit overprotective?” I guessed.

“It is a dangerous world we live in,” he stated glumly.

“What should I do?” I asked.

“Distract her. Break her focus on whoever it is she's angry with. It'll usually snap her out of it.”

I nodded. “I'll do what I can,” I agreed.

“Thank you. I just don't want her to make hasty decisions she ends up regretting.”

“Me either.”

He dropped me off at Alisha’s house.

“Sara will be watching the cameras. If you run into trouble don't hesitate to call me or Alisha. Matteo isn't far but I'd rather not take him off leave for a week or so.”

“Thank you, Tye,” I told him as means of farewell.

He waited until I was successfully inside the house before he drove off.

The quiet settled. I was alone. I couldn't remember the last time I was completely alone like this. I went up to the bedroom and put my stuff down, then sat on the edge of the bed.

There was only the near silent hum of appliances and ventilation. I knew somehow her house was air conditioned, but it wasn't the clunky window-unit type I was accustomed to. The temperature pretty much never fluctuated. Even the kitchen stayed consistent despite us using the oven or other appliances.

I sighed and let my weight slump backwards. For once I could fully relax. My breathing slowed. The prickle of anxiety shifted in me.

My breath shook, despite the slowness. Part of me wondered how many times Alisha had cried on this bed. Now was one of the few times I could process emotions completely alone, and I waited for the dam to break.

But no. I shed perhaps two tears and wiped them away and just felt tired afterward. 

Where was the release? Surely the past months had left me with damage and hurt, but I felt okay.

I stared at the ceiling for a while, and then decided to get up and try baking something.

Alisha came back late. I put the cookbook aside and got up to give her a hug, but stopped between seeing her face and smelling a waft from her clothes.

Gunsmoke.

There had been violence, then.

I waited as she sighed and dropped her purse to the floor with a loud thud.

“Are things okay?” I asked.

She stared harshly at the wall for a long moment, thoughts and perhaps emotions still processing.

“I don’t know,” she stated. “And that’s terrifying.”

With that she went to take a shower. I debated trying to follow her but opted to give her space and instead settled down to page through the book again, not really reading but trying to keep myself distracted.

She came back out smelling like her again and dropped her clothes into the trash before sitting on the edge of the bed with her towel still wrapped around her.

I sat up and then moved to sit next to her, leaning my head against her shoulder reassuringly.

“Do you want to talk about it?” I asked after her continued silence.

“I’m still… processing,” she stated. 

I nodded. “Well, I’m here,” I told her. “Whenever you need.”

She took a deep breath. “I just don’t understand the play,” she explained. “Toni is gone, I made sure of that.  But…”

“Is it Sergei?” I asked.

She nodded. “He refused payment for turning him in,” she explained.

“Oh,” I agreed. That was a complication. 

“So now I’m indebted to him and that’s not a good position to be in,” she continued.

“Why would he refuse payment, though?” I asked.

“I would love to know. He said he wanted to be promoted and I told him I’d think about it. But there aren’t openings anywhere above him except Nico’s old position.”

“Oh god no,” I agreed. The last thing Alisha needed right now was to cause more problems.

She leaned against me a bit, and closed her eyes. “Exactly,” she said. “I can’t tell if he was trying to force his way that much higher or if he’s trying to lure me into giving him something else. Maybe territory or leniency… But then…” Her brow furrowed.

I put a comforting hand on hers, intertwining our fingers. “Take your time to decide what to do about it. You could probably use some good sleep.”

She nodded. “Sleep… Too stressed to sleep.”

I leaned against her a little more. “I noticed you haven't been as restful lately,” I pointed out. “Neither have I.”

“Sophia has me a little tense now too,” she admitted.

“Understandably. How much do you want her to know?”

“Ideally she'd know nothing. But as it is, letting her be afraid is better than trying to reassure her. I still don't like putting her in that position but it's an unfortunate necessity.” Alisha leaned back, her towel slipping down a bit as she did so. I averted my eyes instinctively, respecting her privacy even if she wouldn't actually mind.

“She's going to want me to leave you,” I stated. It was a problem that should be addressed rather than ignored and allowed to fester.

“I know,” she agreed. Her silence afterwards sent an unpleasant chill into my blood. “The choice is always yours. As long as you keep your silence I have no reason to restrain you. But…” The threat stayed unspoken. I knew too much so if I opened my mouth to the wrong person, there would most definitely be an immediate target put on my back, and there was only so much Alisha could do to put that off.

I could see Alisha’s tension. The strain behind her eyes, the way the furrow in her brow persisted despite the quiet and calm surroundings.

I crawled onto the bed behind her. She watched me warily. Observing.

“Just tell me if I'm being too forward," I told her.

She looked confused but I put my hands on her shoulders and started to do my best to massage.

“Mm,” she mumbled agreeingly. I dug a little deeper into her flesh, forcing the tenseness to move around. Her eyes closed and she leaned back against me a little. I kept going until her skin was starting to redden from the abuse and finally moved lower, using my thumbs against the back of her shoulders. Her towel slipped a bit lower still, allowing me more access.

When I finally stopped, she sighed and looked back at me.

“I'm here for you,” I reassured her. “Whatever helps, you know.”

I got off the bed, intending to stretch and perhaps start getting ready for bed, but she continued to stare at me.

I met her gaze. The question went unspoken but fully understood between us, and I reached up to start taking my shirt off.

She said nothing. She didn't protest anything as I stripped down in front of her, then kneeled next to the bed.

Her legs shifted briefly before she let the towel fall.

The soft warmth seeped into me. She was blushing, but I still hesitated. Even after she spread her knees apart.

“I didn't tell you to stop,” she mumbled finally.

I gave her an innocent smile, recognizing the consent. I took her hand and put it on my head. Her fingers curled into my hair.

I helped her relax, the best that I could. It was one of the few things I could do for her, and I was the only one she’d allow to do these things to her. 

We curled up on the bed after, still naked. She pulled me closer, like always, but there was more silent appreciation in it tonight, more nuzzling against my back and neck. She was gentler. She was always gentle but tonight she was treating me like a delicate flower. I felt treasured in a way I never had and there was nothing in the world I'd trade this for. 

I'd rather die.