Red

Something was wrong. Not once in my eighteen years of being alive have I ever woken up with someone in my bed. I woke up feeling panicked at the arm that was thrown around my waist and the body that was spooning me. The familiar scent of sandalwood filled my senses when I took a deep breath and I knew instantly who the male was that still laid in my bed.

Ezekiel always made a habit of disappearing before I woke up, not once had I ever heard him leave - however, here he was, still sleeping in my bed and still holding me in his arms.

As weird as it was, the initial panic that I had felt had already disappeared. There was something comforting about how he was holding me and had his head buried in the back of my neck. With his every exhale, my hair shifted on my neck and I briefly worried that my thick hair would suffocate him.

A sudden rumble had my eyes drifting towards the end of my bed and the events of last night came rushing back like a dam opening. There was a giant feline that somehow got in my room last night and it was still here. It laid with its head on its paws while its intelligent eyes watched me.

There was an apex predator on my bed that seemed to watch me lazily - as if it had made a habit of crawling into random people's beds. I felt the overwhelming urge to pet it but knew with how the male behind me clutched me to his chest that there was no way for me to wiggle out of his hold. So instead I laid and studied the creature. Its paws looked to be about the size of my face and when it yawned I got a glance at another one of its killing tools. This feline was created to kill, yet here it lay in my bed without a care in the world.

How Strange. I found myself nearly chuckling at how easily I had just accepted the fact that there was a giant murder kitty in my bed.

While although lost in my drifting thoughts, I was still aware when the arms around me tightened and the breathing of the male behind me suddenly became more ragged and uneven. I could've even sworn that a small whimper had left his throat as I recognized that he was having a nightmare.

It was with a jolt that Ezekiel had suddenly woken up and I made sure to even my breathing and relax. Although I knew he would never talk about it, I didn't want to make him feel uncomfortable around me. I needed a comforting presence every now and then whether I wanted to admit it or not.

All of my willpower went into not reacting as one of his hands let me go and gently started to play with my hair. I couldn't find a reasonable explanation as to why he was doing this. Did he know that I was awake and wanted to torture me? Did he believe I was asleep and couldn't help himself? Why?

One thing was for certain though, my body liked what he was doing as my arms broke out with little bumps and a shiver threatened to shake my body all the while my stomach fluttered. I was not used to affection and I found it very hard to believe that was what I was receiving from the Head Assassin.

A sudden low growl came from the predator at my feet and the hand at my waist suddenly gripped me harder. "She's mine, fur-coat," Zeke's deep voice mumbled and was met with another rumble.

Deciding that I didn't want to decipher what that statement meant, I faked restlessness.

Slowly, I moved my head as my body shifted. It worked too as within seconds, Zeke had released his hold on me and got out of my bed. The door shut quietly and I found myself strangely missing his presence.

By the time I opened my eyes and looked at the creature on my bed, the feline managed to look as if it was grinning at me. I was not surprised at the intelligence that this animal showed as it reminded me much of what Ivar has displayed.

I couldn't help but smile at the murder kitty as I reached down and finally petted it. My hand was met with insanely soft fur and a low rumble of appreciation from the feline. "Strange, murder kitty," I sighed before sliding off of my bed and disappearing into my closet.

Inside, I grabbed and changed into my clothes for the day. This was the first time I ever changed in my closet, but due to the bizarrely observant and intelligent cat on my bed, I was not comfortable changing in front of it.

It also didn't help that I swore I saw disappointment twinkle in the feline's eyes when I walked out of my closet and was fully dressed.

After scrubbing my teeth with a paste, I brushed and pulled my hair back into a braid.

As I reached for the door handle, I heard a thump behind me. Turning, I saw the giant black cat stretching and yawning, the action showing off the rippling muscles and tools that it used for killing.

And although said apex predator approached me, I didn't feel afraid. I had a strange sense of familiarity and comfort around it, and I didn't care to question it. After all, I had slept all night with it at my feet, and never once did it do anything to cause me harm - so why shouldn't I trust it?

The feline followed me out of my room and it was then that I noticed how huge it was.

His -yes his - shoulder reached my hip and he only took a lazy step when I did. It reminded me of the hunting and guard hounds I had seen walk alongside their masters. They were practically glued to the hip of their handler and never dared to venture from them.

When I took a step, he also did. When we walked through the manor his eyes scanned and glared at anyone who stood too close. It was quite a sight to behold as many Tenderfoots looked as if they wanted to piss themselves at the sight of my newfound companion.

Zeke's words from last night came back to me as I walked past the kitchen and inhaled the glorious scents that leaked from its walls.

"If not for me, then your horse."

His words confused me but I obeyed nonetheless.

Rye and Sye stood side-by-side over a table as they chopped ingredients in unison. It was a sight to behold although it was slightly scary at times. They looked up at the same time and both smiled.

"Hello, Red. Your food is over there," Sye pointed with his knife as he spoke. I nodded in thanks and swiped up the sack before disappearing out the back door.

I spotted the male to my left before he spoke.

"I'm glad to see you have decided to listen to me," Zeke stated with a subtle nod at the sack in my hands. His bright green eyes flickered to the predator that stood by my right hip, the feline glared around at him, something Zeke must've found amusing as he chuckled. "I see you are collecting more pets," He commented.

For whatever reason, I was glad that Ezekiel hadn't pretended to have never seen the murder kitty before. The less that Zeke lied to me or pretended around me, the easier I found it to trust him. Though I doubted I would ever fully trust anyone ever again, it would definitely be nice to at least have one person attend my funeral someday.

"Are you visiting the castle today?" Zeke asked as he pushed off the wall and held out a hand for the sack that I still carried. I handed it to him and watched as he opened it and peered at the food that was bundled in a container inside. "Good enough," He shrugged before handing the sack back to me and awaited my answer.

I had to briefly think about my answer as I hadn't quite gotten that far yet. I had planned on going back today, but that was before I suddenly had a giant murder kitty attached to my hip. It would be extremely difficult to sneak around the castle with an apex predator following me. It would be even more difficult to blend in. My only choice would be to find Ingrid and stick with her in hopes of finding anything out.

Deciding that I should at least try, I answered Ezekiel's question with a nod. He simply responded with good wishes and a goodbye before leaving.

His frustration did not go unnoticed.

It seemed that every time I responded physically instead of vocally, Ezekiel got frustrated. Though I didn't know what he expected at this point. Out of the ten years, I've known him, I have probably said less than a hundred words to him.

With a shake of my head, I turned to the feline on my right and whispered, "Males and their tempers."

I could've sworn the animal's eyes widened in shock before he let out what appeared to be a grumble of agreement.

It was only when I was opening the door to the barn that I realized what I was in fact doing.

How was Ivar going to react to the feline? More importantly, how was the feline going to react to Ivar?

The feline in question must have noticed my hesitation as it turned it's navy blue eyes to me, an unspoken question in its curious stare.

"Are you going to attack-" my words were cut off by a literal eye roll. The apex predator that slept in my bed and now refused to leave my side, rolled its eyes at me. I couldn't believe what I had just seen.

MK - murder kitty - shouldered past my hip and went through the door. I watched in utter disbelief as he walked towards Ivar's stall and neither of them reacted badly. It was as if they knew each other.

The tales I had heard of giant felines told of apex predators that murdered livestock and humans without remorse, and yet here I stood watching as one laid down next to Ivar's stall and Ivar barely batted an eye.

Ivar was curious, but after a snort in MK's direction, he acted as if he didn't care. I couldn't believe what I was seeing and my face must have shown that as MK seemed to laugh at me.

Just when you think you've seen everything, I shook my head in acceptance and let out a breath of disbelief.

As I walked closer, Ivar did his usual whiny, which I believed was his way of greeting me and when I stood in front of his stall he shoved his head into my stomach. Apparently, there were no bad feelings towards me considering I had left him alone last night.

After pulling the wooden beam - that kept Ivar in his stall - down, I walked to the giant rolling door and pushed it open. When I turned around I was amazed at the sight of Ivar and MK standing side-by-side as they waited for my next move.

What a strange life I live. I couldn't help but chuckle as I gave Ivar a single whistle command that had him trotting up to me and waiting for me to mount up. MK seemed to watch in fascination but quickly stepped up next to us. His dark navy blue eyes looked up to me and waited for my next command.

He trotted alongside us as we walked outside of the capital and took our usual beaten-down path through the forest. His eyes darted around as he looked around for threats and maybe his next meal, but he never strayed from Ivar's side.

I found myself still in awe of the connection that the two seemed to have, but my thoughts quickly strayed as Ivar stepped out of the forest, and the creeping feeling of being watched washed over me.

Earlier I had come to the conclusion that it had been MK that had caused Ivar's strange behavior as he had been stalking us. However, it was clear to me now - with him by our side - that there was something watching us. MK even looked as if he was more on edge as his intelligent eyes scanned everything and his body tensed with alertness.

It was even more clear to me that whatever was watching us was not interested in being seen so I feared that there was nothing I could do to fix it until it wanted to be seen, or until it made its first mistake.

Ivar reached the usual spot and came to a stop. His head turned around in acknowledgment of me and I briefly glanced down to MK who watched us with interest.

I turned back to the giant creature under me and braced myself as I wrapped a handful of his hair around my hand and fixed my posture.

It wasn't until I gave him a nod that he turned back forward. He stomped a hoof and that was it. He took off with such speed and I was not surprised to see a giant black feline running alongside us. At first, MK looked worried until he noticed the smile on my face. His massive body rippled with power as he bolted alongside us.

This was freedom. This was happiness. But this was only the beginning.

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Thank you for reading Chapter 12! I cannot express how happy I am with how this story is coming along. I absolutely love the ideas I'm getting and the creativity I'm feeling. I hope you guys enjoyed reading this chapter as much as I loved writing it. In fact, I loved writing it so much that I went almost a thousand words over what I usually write. But what can I say? It just felt right. Y'alls comments and feedback make me happy! I love getting to see what you guys have to say so please don't be shy (even if it is negative).