Chapter 9

B was incredibly smart, and had learned to read, and well, within two days. Yet as time wore on, B seemed to get more and more irritable. Not frustrated at the rate she was going, but irritable, snappy. Kate had no idea why, and she had no idea about how to make it better.

When a hissing B tore gouges in the wall after one of Kate's suggestive jokes, Kate knew she had to bring it up.

"Nothing. Nothing's wrong," B growled, glaring at her with brown eyes that seemed to glow with fire.

Don't get distracted by how hot she looks when she's mad, don't get distracted… Kate tried to chant to herself, but still seemed to be doing just as she shouldn't. Then she noticed how B's hands were clenched into tight fists that seemed to be trembling, and her worry for her mate trumped over her desires. "B––"

"Nothing. Is. Wrong," B said, almost snarling. When her lip lifted, Kate saw a flash of fang, clearly sharper and longer than B's normal canine.

Tired of her mate keeping things bottled up, Kate did the one thing that always seemed to work on B. She flashed over, took B's face in her hands, and stared into her eyes as she murmured, "Isabella."

A blush stained B's cheeks as she looked away, hugging herself. "I guess it's being cooped up for so long. I have basically spent over ten years outside, and being inside for so long might be making me act up," B admitted in a low mumble.

"Well why didn't you say so? Let's go hunting!" Kate exclaimed, letting out a breath of relief. She really didn't get why that had been so hard for her mate to say. If B needed to stretch her legs outside, Kate was happy to do so. Besides, Kate really needed to hunt again herself; her control was already wearing thin, and she was once again constantly fighting not to jump her mate, even in B's grumpy state. Especially at night, when B got all up close and personal, cuddling and rubbing against Kate while she was asleep. Which of course didn't help Kate's control problem at all. But she would have to be dumb and dead, in the literal sense, to not enjoy every minute of it.

"So then when can we leave?" B asked, letting out a little sigh. She had been so afraid of showing a sign of weakness, of showing any signs of what she needed. Yet once again, Kate had decimated those fears with a simple smile and a few words.

"Right now. We've got nothing better to do, after all. Unless you want to wreck a few more walls?" Kate arched her eyebrows, trying and failing to look disapproving, but B still blushed and ducked her head, aware of the deep gouges only a foot away from her.

"Got it, let's go." B headed for the door, only to stop when Kate grabbed her by the wrist and pull her back.

"Wait a sec there, Kitten," Kate said. Now she was the one staring at the ground, but she couldn't help it. "You said you always keep your promises, right?" B nodded, a confused look on her face. "So can you promise me that you won't try to run away?" Kate couldn't help but feel nervous about that. After all, even though only a few days had passed, B was starting to fill out. She was getting healthier, but also stronger...and Kate feared faster. A day might come where B runs from her, and Kate wouldn't be able to keep up.

She felt a hand touch her face, and opened eyes she hadn't even realized she'd closed to look at B, who looked even more surprised than Kate. Maybe B was finally starting to feel things for her? The hope sparked in Kate's chest, and she smiled softly, almost wistfully, at the thought.

"I promise," B said, never looking away from Kate's eyes, which had, strangely enough, seemed to turn even lighter and warmer than before.

"Good. Now we can go," Kate said, letting out an unnecessary breath in relief. Then an idea came to her once again as B headed for the door. She once again caught B by the wrist and said, "By the way, you might want to strip. Just in case, you know, you make a mistake with your whole magic thingy and ruin your clothes."

B gave her a look that said "like I'd ever" and opened the door. She shifted fluidly, leaving no destroyed clothes behind, and Kate sighed with disappointment.

"It was worth a shot," she mumbled as B, now a gorgeous brown cat, bounded a few feet away before turning and sitting on the ground, clearly waiting for Kate to join her. Despite the disappointment, she smiled and ran after her mate, still unbelievably happy. There were very few things that could make life better than this.

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B's ears twitched as she took notice of a strange sound. Tearing her eyes away from where she had been watching Kate drain her kill, having finished her own with plenty of time to spare––seeing as Kate insisted on taking down the deer for her first––she scanned the area for anything unusual. Finding nothing, B decided to enjoy the forest, but stay on alert.

Kate pulled her mouth from the deer's neck and took a moment to stare at her Kitten, who actually was a kitten––well, technically she was a cat, but B would always be a kitten in her eyes, being all cute and cuddly and shit––just to enjoy her. She couldn't explain how much contentment she felt just watching her mate looking around, and how beautiful B was in cat form.

Maybe I can convince her to stay like this for a while, Kate mused. I mean, at least in this form I don't feel an urge to jump or grope her. Fuck, but that would mean I wouldn't get to enjoy seeing her blush.

B's head suddenly snapped to the left, alerting Kate that something was out there. She stood up as she tried to hear what was out there that has made B so stiff and focused, but could hear nothing outside of the usual noises of the forests. If there really was something out there, it would be just her luck to find that B could hear better than her too.

"B, what's going on?" Kate asked, causing B to look back over at her. B shifted back, clearly on edge, and it made Kate want to shock the shit out of whatever had made her even a little nervous.

"I'm not sure, I just thought I heard something," B mumbled, scratching at the back of her head. "But maybe I'm just being paranoid." It would make some kind of twisted sense that she had gotten so used to feeling secure around Kate in their cabin that she had become desensitized to certain dangers, or was now sensing dangers that weren't actually there. For all B knew, she was simply hearing nothing.

"But if you're scared of something, if you think something's out there…" Kate wasn't happy. She couldn't hear anything, but something had clearly spooked her mate, and she wanted to find out what it was.

"Let's just go back to the cabin, okay?" B asked, glancing over her shoulder as if she expected something to come appear from the bushes.

It spoke just how nervous B was to want to go back, especially after she had had so much fun running around––something Kate had seriously enjoyed seeing. Yet just like that, B seemed to have reverted into that scared little cat that Kate had met that first day.

"Okay," Kate said quietly. She didn't even try to make a scaredy cat joke, which she would have done to anyone else. Instead, she just held out her hand, which B took without thought. "C'mon, B, let's go."

B didn't say a word the entire run back. While she had realized this was making Kate worry, she couldn't help it. Something out there had freaked her out, and whether she was right about what was out there or wrong, she still felt like an idiot who was just over reacting. A part of her worried that Kate was going to start thinking less of her, if she didn't already, for all the problems B was practically throwing at her. This, of course, only made her more afraid to talk. She really was an idiot.

Once back in the cabin, B visibly relaxed, which made Kate relax with her. In fact, Kate was feeling pretty damn happy that the cabin was already making B feel so safe. Still, Kate realized that now might be the best time to talk about a few things, once B had calmed down and gotten her mind off of whatever she might have heard outside. Maybe it would even help B feel better in the long run.

"Kate! What are you doing?" B screeched, arms wrapping tight around Kate's neck as Kate suddenly scooped the girl into her arms.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm taking care of my little scaredy cat," Kate teased as she spun B around the living room. "Now, what to do first? Does my little Kitten need a nap before dinner? Or maybe I should just make you take a bath. That meat stench is still clinging to you, and it is rank."

"Fuck you! Kate, put me down! Kate!" Kate just laughed as she all but waltzed the squirming girl into the bedroom, threw her on the bed, and pinned her down.

"Stop being such a brat. I thought that run would help you get over your grumpiness," Kate said with a huge, evil grin. "Perhaps I need to punish you for your attitude, hm? Does that sound like a good idea to you?"

"What are you––Kate!" B screamed and squirmed as Kate started to tickle her mercilessly. Even as B started laughing, gasping for breath, Kate didn't relent.

"Tell me I'm the boss," Kate said as she started to tickle B harder.

"No way, never!" B protested, then started laughing even more.

"Now you have to tell me I'm the boss, and that I'm the sexiest bitch you've ever seen," Kate declared. B tried to roll away, so Kate straddled her, effectively pinning her lower body to the mattress.

"Kate!" B protested, gasping and laughing as she slapped at Kate's hands as Kate continued tickling her.

"That's strike two. Now you have to say that I'm the boss, the sexiest bitch you've ever seen, and that you're––" mine "thirsty for my love."

"What does that even mean?" B all but squealed as Kate started tickling her even more.

"Do you really want there to be a strike three?" Kate asked cockily, giving her mate a breather––because living creatures like B and humans actually needed to breathe––to see if B would give in.

Huffing and puffing, B collapsed on the bed. "Fine." At Kate's arched brow, prompting her to continue, B groaned. "You're the sexiest bitch I've ever seen, the boss, and I'm...thirsty for your love." B shook her head at that last bit, clearly not even sure about what she just said. Still, it was enough for Kate, who let out an excited whoop. Jumping off of the bed, Kate pumped her fists.

"And the victory once again goes to Kate! With this win, she's been crowned the sexiest bitch of a boss on the planet, the title given to her by none other than her opponent, the sexy little Kitten Isabella!"

B blushed a bit as Kate's voice seemed to once again caress her name, but sat up and just laughed some more as Kate did a victory lap. Now all Bella needed to do was figure out her revenge; there was no way she was going to let Kate do that to her without some kind of consequences.

Kate suddenly stopped her celebrating and turned back to B. Putting a hand on each side of B's hips, Kate leaned in. Warm honey colored eyes stared into hers as she murmured, "So, Isabella. With my victory, I believe it's time that you told me why you're so terrified of vampires."