That Butler: Secrets

Despite Her Ire

Chapter 9

Lucienne was warm and comfortable and not at all looking forward to getting up. She was still sore from the night before and wanted nothing more than to sleep longer. However, something had caused her to wake up, and she had just enough consciousness to realize she needed to figure out what it was.

Even with that thought in mind, she stretched languidly as she tried to remember if it had been a touch or a sound that had woken her. If it had been a touch, she needed to be alert for the demon butler, but she was so tired, she could barely open her eyes. She rolled onto her back and stretched her legs out as she yawned widely.

She realized what a mistake that was as she felt a hand rubbing her stomach and a voice cooing nearby. "What lovely fangs. You could do that all day and I would never tire of it."

Instantly, the adrenaline was pumping through her veins and had her alert. She curled her body around the offending hand and sank every one of her claws in as well as her teeth. She wanted to hiss at Sebastian when his only response was to lift his hand up in front of his face with her still attached, but her mouth was currently occupied with trying to remind him why it was a bad idea to touch her.

He chuckled at her response as his other hand came up to rub behind her ear. "Such ferocity. Though it might be best if you let go."

Her lip curled up in response to his suggestion, but it wasn't until the taste of his blood coated her tongue that she realized he was right. She instantly dropped back to the bed and was trying to get it out of her mouth. If she had been in her human form, there was no doubt she would have gotten sick.

She did hiss when Sebastian chuckled again and knelt until he was on eye level with her. "Did you forget that it is not blood in my veins, but ichor?"

Lucianne hissed at him again, but it was a weaker sound as she was still trying to deal with the awful taste. Sebastian smirked as he scooped her up. She swiped at his hand again, but she was too distracted to make it count. He ignored it entirely as he rubbed her ears while he continued as if she had not attacked him. She did jerk away at that point and managed to get loose and land back on the bed while he spoke.

"As much as I enjoy our little tête-a-tête, I am afraid that it is time you changed back. I must wake the young master soon, and he has stated we have much to do this afternoon before we may return to the mansion. You will need to attend to his lessons this morning while I prepare everything."

By that time, Lucienne had managed to get the worst of the taste off her tongue, though she was sure she would likely feel ill all day. She mustered enough of her dignity to sit up and wrap her tail around her legs before she shook her head at him.

His eyes widened at her response before he frowned. "Please do not be obstinate. I have already made it quite clear what the consequences will be if you disobey, and I would hate to resort to such measures."

Lucienne gave him a silent snarl, but she shook her head again. Sebastian's frown quickly turned to contemplation as something else occurred to him. "Are you refusing because you don't want to listen to me, or is it that you simply cannot change back yet?"

He gave her an expectant look, though he nearly laughed once more when even her feline features changed into an expression that clearly indicated he was less than intelligent. It did not take him long to figure out why. He smirked as he knelt again. "Ah, yes, please forgive me for my thoughtless request. I suppose you can meow once if it is that you will not, or twice if you cannot."

If she had been capable of rolling her eyes, she might have, even if it was rude. This demon always found a way to get on her nerves. Still, she complied with two soft meows.