Chapter Fifty-Six
Dylan
I’d never done anything like this for a woman before, and I was a little nervous about Allie’s reaction. What if she didn’t like it? What if she was pissed at me for doing this without even asking what she wanted? I’d assumed this was something she’d want, from talking to her, but maybe I was wrong. It was crazy how this woman tied me up in knots so easily. This feeling was why I’d avoided witches for so long. Did that mean I regretted being with Allie? Hell no! Sure, the uncertainty of it all sucked, but I’d fallen hard for Allie, and that was pretty fucking awesome.
Looking down at the tiny black kitten with white feet, I couldn’t help noticing he seemed nervous, too. “Don’t worry, my friend. She’ll love you.”
The kitten heaved an exaggerated sigh and climbed off my lap to find a comfortable place on the bed. That was the thing with familiars; they were more intelligent than their ordinary animal counterparts. They also tended to feel more anxious when they weren’t with their witch. My mother rarely went anywhere without her familiar, Percy. I heard the front door open and rushed down to meet Allie, which probably made me look ridiculous.
“How was your day?” I asked.
“Don’t ask,” she said with a groan before turning toward Trevor. “Thanks for bringing me home.”
“Any time.” He flashed his best smile, which looked forced. “Make sure you tell Melina how sweet I was.”
Allie snorted. “You really need to give up on Mel.”
“I’m trying,” Trevor said with a sigh.
Allie hugged him one last time. “Thanks again, Trev. I’m going to grab a snack before I head upstairs.” She then headed toward the kitchen.
“How’d it go?” I asked Trevor.
“Fine, I guess. That vampire came in and asked if Allie wanted to see a movie after work. For a little while, it looked like she was considering going,” Trevor said with annoyance. “He waited around for a couple of hours, but her shift was really bad with that asshole Marcos on her case about everything, so she told the vampire she was too tired to go out tonight.”
“That’s good.” I made a mental note to ask Nick to hang out with us later this week. “Not that I mind her hanging out with Nick, but I have a surprise for her.”
“Do tell.” Trevor raised one eyebrow.
“I’ll let you know what it is after I find out if Allie is happy or not,” I said, feeling nervous again. Damn, this woman made me crazy.
“In that case, I’m gonna go home and get drunk,” Trevor said.
“Why? Was it really that bad at SpellBinders?” I asked.
Trevor chuckled. “Nah, I just need an excuse to drunk dial Melina.”
“You’re an idiot,” I told him with a shake of my head, hoping Trevor would get over his obsession with Melina soon. It had gone on much longer than I’d expected.
As soon as Trevor was out the front door, I went into the kitchen to find Allie eating her leftover half a sandwich from lunch. “Hurry up and finish. I’ve got a surprise for you in the bedroom.”
Allie had just swallowed her last bite and laughed. “Is that really the line you’re going to use? Are you going to tell me you have a package for me?”
“Come on,” I said, putting out a hand, which she immediately took.
Once in the bedroom, Allie squealed with delight. “You got a kitten! He’s so adorable.”
The little kitten was sitting in the middle of the bed. His eyes locked with Allie’s for a moment before he dropped down and covered his face with his front paws.
“Do you like him?” I asked hesitantly.
“Of course, but I can’t believe you bought yourself a cat,” she said. “Even when you said you were a cat person, I really took you for a dog person.”
“He’s actually for you,” I said, shifting from one foot to the other.
Allie looked stunned, and then she squealed and hugged me. “Thank you! Does he have a name?”
“I’ve been calling him Socks because of the feet, but I figured you could name him after you get to know him a little better.”
“Socks is cute, but I’m not sure he likes it,” she said as she scooped up the kitten. A blue flash surrounded her and the kitten for a moment, leaving Allie looking stunned.
The kitten began purring up a storm, and Allie looked from me to the cat and back again, like she couldn’t believe what was happening. It seemed she had just figured out that this wasn’t an ordinary kitten.