Dead Before Dawn: The Vampire Curse

Chapter 18 - Never Argue With a Cat

Max wasn't really a person who slept in. His brain tended to switch on early, or in some cases these days, never switch off, and then he just had to get up, but after the party he was so tired he managed it. In fact, when he woke up, he was alone and sprawled over the bed he and Gian had been sharing.

The sun was obnoxiously bright, so the first thing he did was grab his sunglasses from the bedside table before setting about looking alive. It didn't take him long to use the bathroom and make himself at least vaguely presentable. Then he padded downstairs in jeans, an old t-shirt and nothing else.

He found Gian on the deck outback, enjoying the sunshine. He was not alone.

Max paused in the doorway just watching, because what he was seeing was simply adorable. Gian was lounging in a chair next to the decking table, feeding a bedraggled looking cat bits of meat from a plate. The cat had definitely seen better days and was purring up a storm every time Gian gave it more to eat.

"You really are a knight in shining armour, aren't you," Max said, keeping his voice low so he didn't startle the cat.

Gian looked round and smiled at him.

"I have made a friend."

"I can see that," Max said and padded towards the table.

The decking was damp under his feet; it must have rained in the early hours. The cat looked at him as he approached, considered him for a while and then accepted more food from Gian without seeming remotely bothered.

"Brave cat," Max commented.

"Hungry cat," Gian added.

"Where did you find him or is it her?"

"She is a lady," Gian said.

"Of course she is."

"And she was trying to hide behind your wood pile. She is very hungry."

As if to illustrate the point the cat reached out a paw and tried to snag some more of what looked like chicken, from Gian's plate.

"Looks like she might be lost or abandoned," Max noted.

"I thought so myself," Gian agreed.

The cat's fur was matted and she was thin, but she didn't look like a cat that had lived outside for long. She also wasn't reacting like a feral animal. In fact, when Max reached out slowly, so as not to startle her, she let him scratch the top of her head and after only a second the purring started up again.

"We should take her to the shelter and see if she's been reported missing," Max said as the cat simultaneously demanded more food and more petting.

"I believe as long as we keep doing as we are, she will allow us to take her anywhere," Gian said and dutifully gave the cat more chicken.

Max was pretty sure that was supposed to have been their lunch later.

* * *

There was a shelter not too far from where Max lived so, once the cat was fed and petted enough to her satisfaction, Max scooped her up in a towel. The way she looked at him with her big yellow eyes as he carried her to the car made his heart twist. Cal would have been laughing her ass off, because Max was already hoping the cat really was homeless.

He reluctantly passed her to Gian so he could drive, but Gian had to remind him twice to keep his eye on the road on the way to the shelter. They parked and headed into the front of the building.

"Well hello," said a very cheerful woman on the front desk, "and how can I help you today?"

"Hello, Joan," Max said, reading her name tag and taking his shades off out of politeness, "we found a cat in the garden this morning and we were wondering if she was lost."