Bleeding Steel

Chapter Eighteen: Cupid, Stupid & Valentine

"Come on, Boy. I'm not going to hurt you..." Nora soothed, crawling under her bed.

The cat spat at her from the farthest corner, his hackles rising all along his scrawny body. His crooked tail resembled a broken orange conifer and his golden eyes were narrowed into angry slits.

Nora hesitated, lowering her hand to the floorboards. She may have had no intention of harming the cat, but he clearly did not share the same sentiment. He began to growl, arching his back and she finally admitted defeat. She began to withdraw slowly, only for the cat to rush towards her, claws out.

Cursing, Nora raised one arm to protect her face and felt the claws rake her skin before the feral cat charged past her and into the room. She heard him race up the stairs towards the top floor and a few moments later the sound of light footsteps as Burke took off after him. She sighed heavily, letting her body go limp and her cheek press against the wood of the floor.

For a few moments she just lay there, her eyes closed as she focused on the stinging of the scratches and the chill of Nate's ring against her chest.

"Blue? The cat didn't kill ya, did he?"

Nora sighed quietly before heaving herself up and crawling the rest of the way out. Piper was standing behind her, looking concerned.

"It was a near thing." Nora deadpanned, raising her arm to show crimson rivulets running down her pale skin. "Reckon I need an amputation?"

Piper's shoulders relaxed slightly when Nora cracked her a smile she didn't really feel. She'd grown into quite the actress since waking up.

"That looks fatal!" Piper joked, watching as Nora rose and dusted off her skirts. "Want me to take down any last words?"

Nora closed her eyes and sighed heavily.

'I give up with that damn cat. Every time I-'

"Does this mean Grogcat can stay?" Burke called brightly from the landing above, before hurrying back down the stairs.

"Grogcat?" Nora's eyebrows rose slightly as he entered the room, chewing on the bubble gum Piper had given him earlier.

"He's named it now Blue! That means Grogcat can never go back into the wild!" Piper grinned, her eyes sparkling with mischief.

Nora rolled her eyes, but a genuine smile was beginning to pull at her lips.

"Why didn't you name it after a better hero, like The Silver Shroud?" She asked, leaning back against the wall. "You could have called it 'The Silver Meow-d!'"

"See, Burke, this is why I don't let her help me write articles." Piper said matter-of-factly, shaking her head. "She interviews like a dream, writes like a nightmare."

"That was a terrible name, ma'am." Burke added gravely. "Besides, The Silver Shroud's lame compared to Grognak. He only appears in The Unstoppables and doesn't have his own comic! Even Manta-Man has his own comic and he sucks!"

"He has a radio show!" Nora pouted, folding her arms.

"Sorry, Blue. You're not a real hero if you don't have your own comic book!" Piper was beginning to resemble a Cheshire cat with her ear-to-ear grin.

"I don't see Grognak fighting crime in the Commonwealth." Nora muttered under her breath.

There was a skittering of claws on wood and she turned in time to see a ginger and white blur streak through her room and disappear downstairs.

"Burke, if Grogcat breaks anything, he's out." She warned, prompting the boy to gasp and chase after the little monster.

"Well, looks like you've got your hands full." Piper smiled as she watched after them. "You okay?"