Come Here, Kitten (God of War Book 1), стр. 19

Chapter 11

Ares

After driving the rest of the way in silence, I placed Aurora’s sleeping body down on my bed, rested her head against the gray pillows, and draped the blankets over her shoulders. Moonlight flooded in through my window, bouncing off her perfect fucking face.

It had been less than a day, and I had lied to her already.

Yet I couldn’t help myself. It happened so naturally now, like a fucking protective mechanism or some shit.

The way she had said my name in the water, the way the moonlight had made her face glow like a goddess’s, everything about her … and I’d had to lie. I peeled off my shirt, hurled it into the hamper, and picked up Aurora’s backpack.

Little whimpers had been coming from it all day. And when I opened it, two big black eyes stared up at me. I reached in, pulled out Aurora’s cat, and held back a sneeze. “Moon Goddess …” I walked with the cat and Aurora’s backpack to the spare bedroom across from mine and set her on the ground. “I can’t believe she left you in there all day.”

She walked to the other side of the room, her little butt swaying from side to side, just like Aurora’s did, jumped onto a high dresser, and glared down at me. I shut the door behind us and searched through Aurora’s things, looking for her food.

Laptop. Chips. Pencil. Notes. Chips. Bloody silver knife that smelled like that hound. Chips. Chips. More chips.

I stared down at the five small bags of Ruffles chips and glanced up at the gray cat. She licked her lips, stared lovingly at the plastic bags. I picked one up, opened it, and pulled out a chip, moving it from side to side in front of her face. Her gaze followed my fingers.

After sneezing, I stuck the chip right in my mouth. The cat leaped right off of the dresser, wrapped her arms around my neck, and swatted the chip right out of my mouth. When it fell onto the floor, she hopped down and snatched it between her teeth.

I waved my hand in the air, trying to get rid of all the cat fur before I started sneezing and couldn’t stop.

My first lie was that I hadn’t wanted the fucking cat. I didn’t care that she had it. I just … couldn’t take all this … fucking shedding of fur. It drifted in the air and caused me to sneeze again. I took a step toward the door and cursed.

Damn, I wished that this were my only lie.

After opening a couple of bags of chips and setting out a box—we’d have to get litter tomorrow—I left the cat in the room and walked to my dimly lit office. It was two in the morning, and Liam was sitting in one of the chairs in front of my desk, glancing through a file.

“How is the rogue and her son?” I asked.

He tossed the file onto my desk and stood. “Living with one of the elders. Told him to keep an eye on her for tonight. I’ll watch her until she gives us something about the stone. She knows more than she’s saying.”

I ran a hand over my face. Hunting for this damn thing was so tiring. I just needed the search to be over. We didn’t have time to sit around and wait anymore.

“Did you find any information regarding the stone at Aurora’s pack?”

“No,” he said. “We need more time.”

I growled, nails lengthening into claws. “We don’t fucking have time.”

Time was running out quicker than I wanted. We needed the stone, and we needed the stone now. I’d destroy the whole fucking world to find it. Packs. People. I didn’t care who or what got in my way.

“I know,” Liam said.

I snatched his throat, shoved him against the wall, and growled. “No, you don’t.” I pressed my lips together. Think of Aurora. Aurora. Aurora. My grip loosened on his neck, and I released him, turning my back. “You know how hopeless this all is without that stone.”

He rubbed his neck slightly and snarled. “Don’t think I don’t know the consequences of not getting that stone. Her life will turn to shit without it. She’ll just get worse.” Liam looked away and into the moonlight out the window.

What most people outside my pack didn’t know was that I didn’t want that stone for power or strength. I didn’t even want that stone to rule the lands. I wanted that stone for her, for Charolette. The one woman that I cared for the most, the one woman who had gotten me through every hardship, the one woman who I’d sworn to protect from anything—even my mate, if it came to it.

Telling Aurora that I wanted power … that was me—Ares—lying to her.

“I know,” I said under my breath. I glared around my office, looking at the leather couches, at the oak desk, and even at the moonflower in a bright yellow flowerpot Charolette had brought over this morning for me. Everything I’d worked so hard to achieve for this pack would all be for nothing without a miracle.

I needed to clear my mind. Every day that Charolette was sick only stressed me out more. I loved her with everything I had, and I needed her with me. After Mom … I couldn’t let anyone else close to me die.

“I need to run.”

Before I could leave the room, Liam caught my shoulder and tugged me back. “We have other problems.”

“What?” I asked, shrugging him off me.

“Your mate.”

I clenched my jaw, narrowed my eyes, and snarled. “What about Aurora?”

“One, everyone is too excited to meet her tomorrow. Especially Marcel.”

My wolf growled at the mention of Marcel. That asshole was the best warrior I had but also