Charmed By The Fox's Heart: Superhero Reverse Harem Romance (Cosmic Guardians Book 1), стр. 10
“What took you so long?” He arches a brow, his bright blue eyes staring at me accusingly. “I’m practically starving.”
I roll my eyes. He can be so dramatic sometimes. My gaze travels over his fluffy, white coat which has gotten even “fluffier” lately with all the bacon he’s been eating. “You’re definitely not going to starve.”
His mouth drifts open as he looks down at himself, then back up at me. “If you are implying I’ve put on some weight, I’d like to remind you that winter is coming. This is just extra fluff and fur. Nothing more.” He tilts his head up, indignant.
Truth be told, that extra fluff and fur looks like it weighs a good five pounds more than it did in the summer time.
I laugh as I walk toward the kitchen. “Extra fluff and fur… right,” I tease. I turn to him with a sober look. “Actually, I think I’ve found someone else like us.”
He tips his head to the side, curling his fluffy white tail around his feet. “Who?”
“A woman. She was in the café today. I rescued a cat, and she took it home, but when I touched its fur…”
“You sensed magic,” he finishes my sentence.
“Yeah, but it’s not just that.”
“Do tell.” He lies on the floor, placing one front paw elegantly atop the other before he turns his full attention to me—extra fluff, tail, and all. He’s so cute when he does that, but I can’t comment on it. He’s sensitive about stuff like that, insisting that when I say such things, he feels more like a pet instead of a companion or familiar.
“When I touched her—the woman—it triggered images of my nightmare. The woman who dies in my arms.”
He lowers his gaze, brows pinched together in concern.
“Then, you have finally found her.”
My head jerks back in surprise. “Found who?”
“Your queen. The one you guarded in your past life.”
“My queen? My past life?” I blink down at him in confusion. “What are you talking about?”
Sitting up, he jerks his chin toward the stool by the counter.
“You may want to sit down.”
Chapter 5
Kyra
Morning light filters in through the curtains, casting a soft orange glow throughout the room. I sit up in bed, and my head spins a moment before settling. Astra is curled beside me, still sleeping. Without thinking, I reach out to pet her but stop just short when the memories of last night return. Softly, I shake my head. I had to have been dreaming. Cats don’t talk.
As if sensing my hesitation, Astra opens her eyes and turns to me.
“Good morning, Kyra,” she says, then stretches out her full length on the bed.
I still.
What. The. Hell.
“You’re not crazy,” she blinks up at me. “I swear.”
Her saying that doesn’t mean it’s not true. I stare at her a moment before delirious laughter bubbles up in my throat.
“This from the cat who I think is talking to me.”
She narrows her eyes. “I am talking to you.” Her expression turns sorrowful. “Do you not remember me at all?”
“What are you talking about?” Yet even as the words leave my mouth, flashes of images rush through my mind. I’m seated on a silver throne dressed in white while Astra sits on the floor beside me.
I reach up and place my palm on my forehead, checking for fever. “What is wrong with me? I don’t understand why this is happening.”
She places a paw on my forearm. “You are not crazy, Kyra. Your memories should have returned already to you, but it seems they will take time.”
“Memories of what?”
“Your past life,” she explains as if it’s such a simple matter. “In the Otherworld—Lunaria.”
“But, I—”
“Please,” she begs as she stands and gestures to the door. “Take me back to the café. Together we will speak with Cael. He holds the key to all of this.”
I shake my head. “I don’t understand. What does he have to do with all of this?”
“Trust me.” She places a paw on my knee. “Soon, you will know everything.”
Still not sure if I’m crazy or dreaming, I figure I may as well go along with this. But as we walk to the café, I’m not sure why I’m listening to a talking cat. Maybe I’m in shock. Or maybe I’ve really lost it. Claire is always pressuring me to get out more, to make friends, and even find someone. Instead, I preferred to keep to myself, spend every day in a café, typing away so I can get all the stories in my head out into the world.
My mind keeps circling back to all my stress about this current book. Yes, that has to be it. I’m simply stressed and this is my overactive imagination bubbling over and making me see and hear things. That’s got to be it. I hope.
As soon as I enter the café, Cael’s eyes meet mine from behind the counter. It’s early, so I’m the first customer here. I don’t see Aris, but I hear sounds coming from the back and assume he must be in the kitchen, preparing the pastries for the early morning rush.
“Hey, Kyra!” Cael greets me with a handsome smile. “You’re here early.”
I give him a nervous grin in return. “Yeah, there’s uh…” I’m about to tell him there’s something I want to talk to him about, but I lose my nerve. Instead, I move to the counter, meaning to place an order, but his warm teal eyes distract me.
A slow grin curves his mouth. “You want me to surprise you again?”
My cheeks heat under his intense gaze. “Yeah,” I reply a bit breathlessly, then clear my throat as I come back to myself. “That would be great.”
His gaze drops to Astra, her head and front two paws sticking out of my bag. “I see you brought your new companion today.”
I glance down at her, astonished when the corners of her mouth quirk up in a smile, and she greets him.
“Hi, Cael.”
My jaw drops.
“Hi, back. Would