Got my claws in you

Chapter 65- loose ends unravel

JIMIN POV:

I freeze. Staring at the sight in front of my eyes, throat tight as my body trembles even in its tightly coiled position.

Lips parting slightly.

Eyes holding the dark unblinking ones staring back, realising even from this distance that the pupils are dilated; pushing the irises to turn into a thin ring of green.

Take in the unfamiliar figure.

Eyes raking over them.

Trying to process how... when... mind a jumbled mess of emotions and thoughts, ears perked and fully alert and tail swishing side to side anxiously.

A slump as my hand lowers the gun, exhaustion and relief making my hands tremble as I holster the gun once more.

Eyes raking over the tired, sharp face under the hood.

So familiar yet entirely unfamiliar... a stranger yet one whose every feature I know, immediately recognise and place.

My feet hurry forward, rushing towards the figure curled in the corner of the bed.

Unused save for now.

Watch her eyes track me as I rush towards them, heart unclenching and thudding with relief when I see the familiar bundle of fur curled up and cradled in her arms, a bottle held to her mouth, KitKat eagerly suckling as she paws at the bottle, eyes wide with enamoured adoration as she peers upwards.

That's why she hadn't been meowling or making noise or purring. Silenced around the teat of the bottle as she feeds from it, tail swishing and ears flickering under the fingers gently brushing over them, big eyes fluttering as they trail down between her eyes and across her nose bridge.

"Amina..." her name slips past my lips quiet and hushed.

Disbelieving as I look at her.

See the difference to the same figure in a photo in a paper file.

MIA.

Not anymore.

Found you.

Of all the places... I found you here.

Of all the places I searched for you high and low you ended up being one of the people I grew to be most protective over in this case.

You're alive.

See her lips curve up at the corners, peering at me from under the hood; finally placing it as one of my own, ears folded as she watches me still.

Slightly struck and frozen, fingers trembling as I reach to brush my fingers across KitKat's ears, smiling when her mouth slips away from the bottle's teat and she yowls, a milky greeting for me as her paws wriggle, flapping as she tries to catch my hand between them, snuffling when I let her tongue lap at fingers, fangs scraping as she gives a small grooming nuzzle.

"It feels like forever since I've heard that." She admits.

Voice hoarse and strained, rough as it trembles, forcing words out, figuring out how to speak once again, the sentence slowly pronounced as if the sensation of her tongue moving to form words is a foreign sensation. Hands cradling KitKat to her and lips trembling as they tilt at the corners.

It feels like we've been looking for you forever.

It feels like forever since Jangmi's world came crashing down.

Her ears are drooped and flickering as she holds her gaze steadfastly to mine, a large shuddery breath exhaled as I look at her, hand curving around her shoulders, feeling how small she seems before I draw her close.