A Mother's Creed by Lilo Quie

Author:Lilo Quie [Quie, Lilo]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Decadent Publishing LLC
Published: 2023-01-29T13:00:00+00:00

Chapter Ten

Creed

It was hard, watching his—no, her kittens feed. They’d nestled so long in his belly, endured the hardships with him, been his source of worry, his reason to keep going. But they were no more his than the stars in the sky and the wind in the trees.

Do you hurt, child? Something whispered in his ear, and Creed glanced around in the dimly lit room. A night-light in the corner cast a faint glow, but something told him that the voice was something to be heeded.

In the smallest voice he could, he whispered, “Yes.”

Look at her. All the pain Shi caused her has found another home. It settled onto your small shoulders, didn’t it?

Creed didn’t answer, but tears flowed.

A small end table in arm’s reach of him rattled as the drawer slid open on its own. Curiously, Creed glanced over and saw a small notepad and a pen. He stared in open-mouthed wonder.

Tell her why. The voice, fates or fae he didn’t know, asked. In any case, it was a small miracle. Far be it for Creed to ignore them.

And Creed wrote.

Creed stared at the paper, a fine addition to the other folded notes tucked into his pants. The words had started on bits of paper that fell from Wu Shi’s pockets, written with a pen that he pilfered, hoping to pick his chains.

Although he loved his kittens, his first notes overflowed with pain. Creed leafed through the papers and notes, pocketed the stack of mismatched papers on top. Those words were for Creed, his bitter words and blame. Those were not the words his kittens deserved. He stood gingerly and bright red eyes flicked up at him and Starla whimpered, stretching awake.

A second set of eyes opened, Lance, in his spectral black form. He stood gingerly, his tail curling with great satisfaction and ease, before he shifted and gave Creed a gesture to stay. Creed swallowed hard because this male knew the thoughts in his mind, the worst things.

He came back with a handful of money and extended it to Creed. “I think we set your way home, but I don’t want you to feel you don’t have options. My card is in there. If you need or want for anything, we’re generous to a fault.”

Staring at the gift wasn’t easy, and the card was simple, unassuming, a white card with simple black lettering. Lance Kirke, his email and phone number. “Thank you. It means a lot.”

Lance led him from the room and into a small hallway separating the room from the other rooms and the living area. Gently, he rested a hand on Creed’s shoulder and sighed. “Have you ever been on a road trip before?”

Creed nodded anxiously.

“Know how sometimes people come back with shot glasses and silly shirts that you’d have never bought for yourself as gifts for other people, claiming they drove to Ohio or saw some giant thing on a roadside?” Lance stared at Creed, trying to convey the meaning he was too tired to get.

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