Boots

by Angel Martinez

  "Yeah? What kind of job?"

  "I guided souls. Many people are able to find their own way when they die. Some have difficulty. It was my job to be on hand for the ones who needed help. Not that there were ever enough of my kind to guide every lost spirit, which is why there are ghosts--"

  "You're kidding, right?"

  "No. I tease about a lot of things. Not that."

  Willem shivered and rose with Kasha in his arms. "I think I'd rather finish this inside, by the fire."

  Firelight was no deterrent to ghosts, but the instinctive retreat to light and warmth was a human one. If more people listened to their instincts, they might not walk blithely into so many disasters.

  "Sorry, guiding spirits, you said," Willem prompted as he settled on their blanket nest.

  "That was my calling, my sworn duty. I was not to interfere in any way, only to guide the frightened spirit to the next life."

  "Did you do it in cat form?"

  "Sometimes. Children especially were happy to follow a kitty. Adults were sometimes more comfortable with the human form."

  "I'd follow that, no question. Especially naked... "

  Kasha snorted. "Focus, Willem. It sounds easy enough, doesn't it? But there were many times when I felt the fates unjust, when I wished to shelter the human from Lady Death's hand. One day, I did. An evil man had strangled his newborn son. I coaxed the infant soul back to his body and breathed life back into him. The man was still in the room, though blind to my presence, so I took his soul instead. It was a struggle, at first. He didn't wish to go, but he became more peaceful as we journeyed."

  "So this was bad? Saving a baby?" Willem's voice rumbled with indignation.

  "It wasn't my place to decide. But my lady, the sun goddess, forgave me, because of the circumstances. The second transgression was similar, a young woman murdered by her faithless betrothed. Again, I was royally chewed out but allowed to return to my work. The third--"

  "The last straw, huh?"

  "Yes. This time it was a young man. Barely a man, he was only eighteen, but already a gifted poet. He fell in battle, defending his father's house. He was so lovely, Willem, such a bright, astonishing spark. When I saw him lying on the stones, his beautiful face gray, his eyes fixed, I thought my heart would shatter. I healed his wounds and placed his soul back in his body. Lady Death was furious, and I had no soul to trade for him. And this time I was punished for my arrogance."

  "So how long's your sentence?"

  "Sentence?"

  "Right, how long do you have left? Do you get parole hearings or something? Time off for good behavior?"

  Kasha stared up into those beautiful gray eyes, astonished. No one else had ever thought so, but Willem believed there was still redemption waiting for him. "I... my dear lord... "

  "I said something wrong, didn't I?"

  "No." Kasha squirmed out of his arms, needing some distance so he wouldn't break down and begin keening. "It's a life sentence. And demon lives are very long."

  "Damn. I'm sorry. It was a stupid question."

  "Not stupid, not at all." He curled up against Willem's hard thigh. "It hasn't been all bad. I found peace with your family over the last twenty years as a cat, following your father from house to brewery every day. It was a good life."

  "You miss him, huh?"

  "I do."

  Willem exhaled a slow breath. "I do, too. Sure, we never got along real great, but he was always there, solid and reliable. It's like there's this hole in the world now."

  "Yes." Kasha watched the fire leap to catch a new branch, transforming it from inert wood to a twisting, glowing dragon. "I've had moments of joy, Willem. Those, too."

  "Good to hear." Willem leaned forward to add larger sticks to the growing fire, his jaw set in a hard line. "Don't think much of this sun goddess, though. It seems damn cruel."

  "Lady Amaterasu, the sun, is neither kind nor cruel. She simply is. Elemental and pure."

  "Maybe." Willem's expression softened again. "I'd be willing to help you find some of those moments of joy. As many as you wanted."

  The ache around his heart became a stabbing dart. How could he bear it when Willem took a human lover again? He would, perhaps soon; he could not delude himself otherwise. I wish I were a real boy. Where's that damn blue fairy when you need her? He managed a steady voice when he answered, "Thank you. I'll hold you to that."

  * * * *

  The fire had died to coals when Willem woke on his back to fingernails combing through his chest hair. "Hey, there."

  "I woke you. I'm sorry." Something other than contrition lit those bright green eyes, though.

  He pulled Kasha, back in his human form, tight against him, the lithe, flexible body molding to his side as if it had always belonged there. Soft hair tickled under his chin when Kasha's head rested on his shoulder. He kissed the top of that dark head and slid his hand down to cup one perfect butt cheek, loving the way it fit in his hand.

  "Kash?"

  "Hmm?" Kasha nuzzled at his throat.

  "Why are some of your, um, parts still cat parts when you look human?"

  "Ah." Kasha levered up on one elbow to look into his face, that odd, wary look back in his eyes. "It took a bit for you to ask. Are you displeased with the cat parts?"

  "Hell, no. Excited, not turned off or freaked out. I was just curious."

  The little demon relaxed against his shoulder, letting his fingers wander over Will's chest, circling his nipples. "The demons from my home can often take two, sometimes more, forms. But it is in the nature of being demon that one retains aspects of each form in the shifting. The kitsune cannot lose her lovely triple fox tails. The Kiyohime will always have a serpent's tongue. I still have the ability to speak and walk upright as a cat, and retain certain, as you put it, cat parts as a human."

  "Guess that... makes sense."

  "I am what I am, dear Willem."

  Will chuckled at the Popeye drawl Kasha put in his voice and allowed those lovely fingers to wander his body a little longer.

  When Kasha reached for his zipper, though, Willem grabbed his wrist. "No, hon. Not tonight."

  Kasha raised his head, eyes wide and blinking. "Have I done something?"

  "Something wrong? No." Willem put a hand to the back of his neck and guided him back down. "Just want to hold you. That okay with you?"

  "I... " Kasha squirmed in his arms, rubbing his groin against Willem's jean-clad hip.

  Willem swatted his ass, the crack echoing in the cabin. "Stop that."

  "You're a closet control freak, do you know that?" Kasha subsided, clearly sulking.

  "I'd be lying if I said no," Willem said on a soft laugh. "But just in bed."

  He tipped Kasha's face up to give him a tender kiss, relishing the feel of those soft lips pressing and stroking his own. A fierce protectiveness surged through him when he gazed into those green eyes. He wanted to shield Kasha, from the world, from his pain, from his past. "I just think you've had people use you. For way too long. I need you to know I'm not. It's nice to have someone just hold you, not expect anything, isn't it?"

  Kasha took so long to answer, he thought it was one of those times his question was being ignored. With a little snuggle, Kasha settled again, sliding his arm around Willem's waist. "Yes," he whispered. "Yes, it is."

  Chapter 6: Machinations Gone Awry

  The incessant chip-chip of a cardinal woke Kasha the next morning. He fought the urge to go out and kill the bird for breakfast, knowing Willem might be upset if he woke to see his cat devouring a ball of scarlet feathers.

  Instead, he waited, ears twitching in annoyance, while he distracted himself with the delectable sight of Willem waking. The slow stretch of that long, hard body and the bulge of morning erection under denim nearly drove him mad, but he behaved and kept his paws to himself.

  "I fixed your shirt."

  "Oh, thank you." Willem sat up with a yawn, and then did something so close to a cartoon double take that Kasha snickered
. "You... how?"

  "Magic, dear boy. It's a small magic to sew on buttons."

  Willem picked up the shirt with a dubious look. "So will the buttons pop off when the spell wears off?"

  "I certainly could spell the thread to unravel at a delightfully inappropriate moment. Do you want me to?"

  "Ah, thanks, but no."

  He waited while Willem went out to brush his teeth and wash up in the stream. Teeth chattering when he came back in, Willem hurried back under the blankets and started the fire with shaking hands.

  Today, it had to be today. Constantly chilled and living off canned food, Willem would soon become ill. While he could still weave formidable magic, his ability to heal had been taken from him. And then what would you do? Carry him down the mountain on your back? Dump him at the nearest ER?

  No, he wouldn't let it come to that. Although, a bit of a manufactured predicament, well timed, just when a certain witch's grandson happened by...

  It was time to begin moving the players into place.

  "I think I'll go hunt for myself this morning. Just for a little variety. You don't mind, do you?"

  Willem looked surprised, but not offended. "No problem. Don't tangle with any skunks while you're out there. Or foxes."

  "Please. I'm not a kitten, Willem."

  "Don't hand me that. Even experienced hunters get caught off guard. Just say you'll be careful."

  "I do try." He padded over to rub noses with Willem in a cat kiss, and then left the cabin before he could change his mind. What he did today was to secure Willem's place in the world. That was the thought he had to keep wedged tightly over all the others. If he thought about the possibility of failure, or perhaps even spectacular failure and his own death, or even about Willem in someone else's embrace...

  The task at hand, he had to concentrate on that to the exclusion of all else. Distracted thoughts bred mistakes like rabbits. He hurried through the woods, darting through dense thickets of elderberry, his boots stirring up the scent of wild mint as he crossed clearings. Foxes and skunks were the least of his worries. He could communicate with them, calm them, and gain safe passage. What he would face later this day, he feared there was no bargaining with.

  His heart slowed in its rapid staccato when he glimpsed the slate roof of the witches' home through gaps in the brush. The yellow house gleamed in the morning light, welcoming and safe. Some of the peace of the place emanated from the wards of protection surrounding it, certainly, but much of it came from the good hearts that lived there.

  That peace bolstered both his courage and his resolve. If he met disaster today, he wouldn't leave Willem bereft and abandoned. The witches were, though they didn't know it yet, his insurance policy. He spotted the eldest working in the garden, perched on a low moveable bench, carefully harvesting rosemary.

  He checked his fur for burrs, smoothed his tail, and buffed the shine back into his boots with the back of one paw. Presentable and outwardly calm, he crossed the lawn with a purposeful stride, one that said he brought news.

  "Mistress Natt! Good morning!" He waited until the old woman turned and raised a hand in greeting before he approached. It was never wise to startle an old witch.

  "Good morning, pretty kasha. How are you and your master today?"

  "Both quite well, ma'am." The chill clung to the morning, but it was no longer unpleasant, so he settled to the grass beside her. "Would you like me to speed up the work? I could, if you like."

  The old woman laughed, a sound much younger than her appearance. "No, dear, but thank you. I don't like to introduce unknown variables into my spells or my cooking. Besides, I enjoy working with the plants. As long as I can, I intend to."

  "Ah."

  She snipped a few more branches, the snick-snick of her garden shears a soft percussive counterpoint to the birdsongs. "While I wouldn't mind you coming for a social visit, I doubt that's why you're here. What can I do for you?"

  "I'd like nothing better than to come just to visit. Maybe after today, I can."

  "Not nice to keep an old lady in suspense, you know."

  "Sorry." Kasha gazed up at her face, kind and impassive for now. He was certain her anger wasn't something he wanted directed at him, though, so he hurried on. "I explained your problem to Willem. He's more than willing to help."

  "That's good news. Did he have any suggestions?"

  "Yes. He believes the quicker we act, the more likely we will be to dislodge your unwanted houseguest. What he suggests is that you let him lead the assault. Give him just a few minutes to contain the monster, and then you and your family come along a pre-agreed route at a pre-arranged time. If all goes well, you'll be there in time to help him destroy it. If something goes wrong, we'll know where you are if he needs help."

  Natt gazed at the woods with a determined frown, and then she nodded. "So Ettie, Morgen and I--"

  "Teddy, too."

  "Teddy?"

  "Yes. We can't risk leaving him alone at your house, unprotected if things do go wrong and the ogre wants to harm your family. I take it he lacks the natural magical abilities the three of you have?"

  "He does, poor boy." Natt sighed. "The men in our family have never been magically strong. We can ward him, but you're right. If he's alone, he's vulnerable. How does your Willem plan on containing the ogre?"

  "He doesn't share such things with me, ma'am. I can only ask you to let us try."

  She sat so still, he thought she might have turned to stone. When she suddenly turned toward him, he twitched in surprise.

  "Let's go in. If Ettie and Morgen agree to it, we'll set up time and route."

  Kasha would have liked to believe his charming personality won them over, but he suspected it had more to do with their assumption regarding Willem's prowess as a wizard. In their estimation, he had snatched a kasha from the winds of fate to serve him; therefore, his magical strength must be prodigious. Regardless of the reason, he had their agreement and the details worked out within half an hour.

  Now for Willem...

  He hated to deceive them, most of all Willem, but he certainly couldn't tell his heki-sama that the nice ladies across the mountain expected him to battle an ogre, nor did he want Willem anywhere near the monster.

  The ogre he would take care of himself. Though no clear plan occurred to him yet, he was certain something would strike him at the right moment. He hoped.

  * * * *

  "You want to do what?" Willem laughed.

  "I honestly don't see what's so funny. It's a lovely day." Kasha sulked by the fireplace, obviously offended.

  "Sorry, hon. I just never thought... I mean dogs ask to go for walks."

  That got him a low growl. Not the right thing to say, either.

  "It's not that I don't want to." Willem forced the laughter from his voice and expression. "You just took me by surprise. I haven't had any lover ask if I wanted to go for a walk in... well, maybe never."

  That at least got him a glare over the shoulder.

  "C'mon, sweetheart, tell me I'm forgiven, grab your hat, and let's go."

  Kasha shook his ears, took his time cleaning a paw, and finally rose to his hind legs. "Fine. I forgive you on one condition."

  "Which is?"

  "No more dog comments."

  Willem held up both hands in surrender. "Never again."

  Standing, even with the little cowboy hat on, cat-Kasha only came up to his waist. The weird factor in this relationship just kept going up a notch every time he blinked. He had to suppress the urge to scoop Kasha up and carry him, probably not a good idea since he was in such a prickly mood.

  Sun stippled the leaves and created puddles of vibrant yellow and red on the forest floor. Despite the odd situation, Willem felt his heart lift. He actually whistled as he walked. Kasha had been right, as he was about most things. Better to be out here than to brood inside over where he should go apply for a job.

  "Willem... "

  He glanced down, but Kasha still stared straight a
head. "Yeah?"

  "If we become... separated for some reason, if I'm no longer with you--"

  "What are you saying, Kash? Are you leaving me?"

  Now Kasha looked up, green eyes huge with some emotion. "No, no, my dear boy. Not intentionally. But things occur. Accidents happen. If by some chance you find yourself alone, I'd like you to go to the Englestads. They don't live too far from here. Can you remember that name?"

  "Englestad? Sure. I think I know the house. Big, yellow one? They friends of yours?"

  "That's the one, Willem. Please go there if you're in trouble and I'm not... available. Can you promise me that?"

  "You're scaring me."

  Kasha stopped on the path, removed his hat, and gazed up at Willem with a pleading expression, his pupils nearly swallowing his eyes.

  "All right, knock off the cute, sad kitty face. I promise."

  "Thank you." The hat returned to its place and Kasha continued walking, as if the conversation had never taken place.

  Willem shook his head, going back to scanning the woods. Amazing that this high up some wildflowers still bloomed, yellow spots of wood sorrel and foxglove in protected thickets and even a few splashes of orange where late blooming butterfly weed still flourished.

  They walked downhill to where their stream widened to a fast-running creek, peppered with rocks and unexpected depths. The mountain road ran nearby, up the embankment, but they went down to visit with the ever-talkative stream.

  Kasha leaped out onto a flat boulder near the bank, and then jumped across to a smaller rock farther out in the stream.

  "You sure you want to do that? You slip, you'll get soaked."

  Somehow, the snort reached him above the noise of the stream. "I don't slip."

  Probably not, but you'll be one pissed-off kitty demon if your fur gets wet. Concerned that Kasha might even slip where the deeper water would sweep him into the current, Willem followed. It suddenly felt like a long weekend off from school, when he and his brothers would go off into the woods to ramble and rock hop.

  "Slow down!" Willem laughed and followed more cautiously.