Dark Heirloom (An Ema Marx Novel Book 1) by J.D. Brown Page B

Would you like that, kitty?” He cocked his head and opened one eye.
    “I bet you would. We have more pigeons than you’d know what to do with. And rats. You can hunt them all day if you want.” He closed his eyes and purred while listening to my baby talk. I sighed.
    “I wish I knew how to get out of here. This family is insane. You know that though, you hide whenever they come around. You don’t like them either, do you?”
    “Meow?”
    “That’s because they’re jerks.” I wrinkled my nose. “You know what they did to me? Well, I suppose it doesn’t matter now. The important thing is finding a way home. I miss my mom, and my ex-boyfriend.”
    A weight lifted from my chest. Once I started confessing my feelings, I couldn’t stop. “I miss him so much. I didn’t even get to say goodbye, or tell him how I really felt.” I flopped back on the bed and closed my eyes. My heart ached, remembering Anthony, our last moments together.
    “He cheated. After four years, he cheated on me. I didn’t have the heart to break up with him. I thought I would have plenty of time to talk to him about it later, after we both blew off some steam and everything settled down. And Mom? Who’s going to take care of her now? Who’s going to remind her to take her arthritis pills?” Opening my eyes, I realized the cat was tense and staring at me. I stroked his fur and he licked my fingertips.
    “That’s sweet, cat, but I can’t feel a thing. They stole my ability to feel. They ruined everything. I’ve probably lost my job now, too.” My stomach knotted with homesickness. The cat sprang up and meowed, but I no longer wanted company.
    “Leave me alone, I’m tired of petting you.” I turned onto my side.
    The cat grabbed my sleeve with his teeth and pulled.
    I swatted at him. “Stop that.”
    His ears folded back as he hissed.
    “Okay, this is why I don’t have pets, now get out!” I went to the door and opened it. “Go on, get lost.”
    He approached the door, then stopped and sat midway between the bed and the threshold.
    “Go. Out.” I pointed.
    He narrowed his bright green eyes and then tackled the cuff of my pant leg, pulling me towards the doorway with his teeth.
    I put my hands on my hips. “Are you actually trying to kick me out of my own room?”
    The cat let go of my pants and nodded.
    My jaw dropped. “Did you… did you just nod at me?”
    He bobbed his head up and down again.
    “You can understand what I’m saying?”
    The cat nodded a third time.
    “Stop that!”
    He cocked his head. “Meow?”
    I closed the door and faced the cat. “What’s two plus two?”
    The creature meowed four times.
    “Holy shit. What are you, like, a magical familiar or something?”
    He blinked.
    I crouched. “Okay, little guy. I know how hard it is to get help around here, so I’ll tell you what. I’ll help you out if you promise not to get me into trouble, deal?”
    He nodded.
    “This is so weird.” I sucked in a deep breath and stood. “Okay, what do you need help with?”
    The furry thing pulled on the leg of my pants.
    “You want me to follow you?”
    He nodded.
    “All right, lead the way then, little one.” I opened the door. He trotted down the hall and across the fourth wing, turning back every so often to see if I was still following. He led me into the dark, narrow corridor going to the first wing.
    “Cat, I can’t see in there,” I complained. “Wait up for me.” I dragged my fingers along the stone wall as I followed the scent of wet fur. I knew how insane this was, but compared to vampires, hanging out with a cat didn’t seem that bad.
    As we emerged together on the other side, we raced across the kitchen, down the dining room, and into the ballroom. I slowed to a stop in the middle of the room. Three young women dressed in cotton workers’ uniforms dusted the granite statues and polished the floor. They must have been the help Jesu spoke of. They ignored me while they worked in silence. I