Pepper rolled down the tinted windows of the vehicle and yelled, "Mr. Haaaaart!"

A few unsuccessful attempts later, the witch turned to her familiar. "I can't see him. It’s my fault for asking him to leave. I must do what's right, B."

Butter bobbed his head and watched his mistress leave the cozy inside of the vehicle and step outside. She hugged herself just as Sal had done. Her teeth clattered. "Oh my, it's cold!" Glancing over her shoulder, she instructed Butter. "Stay here. I will be back soon."

"Mr. Haaaaart! If you can hear me, please respond."

"Mr. Haaaaart."

"Salvadoooor."

Butter kept listening to Pepper's voice till it dropped off completely. He checked the time. It had been five minutes since Pepper left. The dash of the vehicle informed him that it was two degrees outside.

That couldn't be right. At Whistling Greens, the temperature when they had left was about fifteen degrees. It couldn't have fallen so drastically in such a short time unless something unnatural was around.

Yes, it was true that many species of magic folk had gone extinct, but there were still those who held grudges…who saw humans as their mortal enemies and looked upon witches and wizards with distrust and contempt for trying to blend in with those without magic.

Fear gripped the familiar's heart. He hoped that he was merely overthinking things. Hadn't it been over a decade since the last of the weeping poison Ivy had forfeited a human life? Yes, he was just being silly. Everything was fine. In fact, it was brilliant.

Minutes passed, eating away at Butter's resolve to stay calm.

Mistress, I hope both you and Sal are alright.

Puffs of clouds floated down in the form of ice. It was snowing. Butter liked snow, but only when he was with his mistress, at their home, safe and sound. The kitten grew restless.

What if mistress doesn't find Sal in time?

What if Pepper finds Sal, but the good fellow has already met his maker?

What if P loses the only chance to find love because I sat in the vehicle and did nothing!?

Nope. Butter was not the kind to do nothing. His mistress had told him to stay put, and that's what he would do; after all, he didn't have to step out of the vehicle to make a wish.

Butter braced himself for the pain and wished for Pepper and Sal's safe return to the resort and muttered, "Hail Satan, master of all things not quite human."

The resulting pain made him yawl loudly and fall unconscious an instant later. The only silver lining was that his mistress had not witnessed him disobeying her.

When he opened his eyes, Butter felt sick to his stomach. His head throbbed like someone had taken a hard swing at it. His eyes stung like he had been crying for hours, and his limbs hurt like they had taken a good old-fashioned beating.

"How's Butter?"

Sal?

"No change, but I think he will come around soon."

Pepper?

"I sure hope so."

"Mr. Hart, I have been meaning to apologize to you-"

"No need. You saved my life and brought me back. You are even missing out on your cousin’s party because of me. I should be the one apologizing."

"Trust me, missing the party is a good thing."

"Still, in my eyes, we are even. More than even. But…"

"But…what, Mr. Hart?"

"Ms. Woodgrip, don't you think we are way past you calling me Mr. Hart? I mean, I am in your bed."

What!? Did I set up mistress with a pervert? No, that can't be!

Butter heard his mistress laugh. To him, it sounded like bells. It brought the kitten instant joy and a moment's respite from aches that seemed to embrace every part of his tiny frame.

"You have a point there… Sal."

"See, that wasn't so hard, right?"

"It kinda was."

"Really?"

"I am not used to it. I.. I don't have many acquaintances outside of my family and work."

"Don't you mean friends?"

"No."

Butter thought the conversation was going quite nicely so far, but now not so much. Why did his mistress have to be such a party popper? Yes, this was not a party, but Sal was here. That was a hundred percent progress in the party's direction.

"Meow."

"Looks like he is awake."

Before Sal's statement found its end, Pepper was in front of her familiar. "B, how are you feeling?"

"Meow."

"If you guys wanna chat, I can leave the room." Sal offered. Butter detected a hint of humor in it and meowed again.

"Very funny. Ha. Ha. Ha." Pepper replied in a dry voice. "Sal, do you want me to go back to calling you Mr. Hart?"

"No. Thank you. I like how my name sounds on your lips."

"Shut up!"

To Butter Pepper didn't sound offended in the least, but what did he know about how female brains worked? He was just a young green lad when he turned into a kitten, never having experienced the romantic kind of love so many authors and poets wrote about.

The feline noticed that unlike before, their room radiated warmth; he peered outside. Had he woken up earlier, he would have had a perfect view of the party. Alas, he had slept through the festivities. He ran his eyes around the room. From this spot, he couldn't get a good look at Sal.

"Hey, B"—Pepper sat next to Butter—"you don't look so good." She snapped her fingers softly and whispered, "Slumber-seed."

"Meow." Butter purred and limped over to his mistress. Slumber-seed was one of the most used tools in his mistress’s arsenal. The only problem was that it lasted barely minutes, and Pepper couldn't use it again for at least a few hours.

"Ms. Woodgrip, could you bring… him…"

"B, you were out for two hours. How are you feeling?"

"Terrible," Butter replied truthfully; he didn't have time to lie and follow that up with more lies. He wanted to know what had happened when he was MIA. "P, tell me all that happened after you left the car."

"I searched till I found Sal unconscious next to an electric pole. I couldn't find his pulse." Pepper left a shuddering breath. "I gave him CPR. It didn't work the first two times, but you know what they say"—Pepper paused and offered a small, tired smile to her familiar—"third time's a charm. Luckily, he was able to walk. I brought him back."

"Good. Continue, please."

Pepper furrowed her brows. "I thought I could breathe easy, but then I saw you lying in the back seat. B, you were pale… I thought I had lost you." She wiped the tears that had rolled down her cheeks. "What aren't you telling me?"

"I will tell you later. Did he say what happened to him?"

The witch bit her lips and lowered her eyes. "I think Sal was struck by lightning, and his heart…stopped. He almost died because of me."

Darn it! I shouldn't have asked this now.

"Listen to me, P," the kitten said in a voice laced with authority, "you saved him. So, no harm done. And, if you want to make it up to him, go be with him."

Pepper's eyes snapped up. "What!?"

"He seems nice enough, P. No harm in opening your heart just a bit. Give him a chance, for my sake. Don't be too hard on him."

"Oh my Satan, you are worried that I will scare him away!"

"Yep."

"...him to me, please."

That was Sal. Butter gestured to his mistress to take him to the man who had almost died because of them.

A couple of seconds later, the kitten was in Sal's lap. The human was warmer than usual. Butter thought maybe almost dying had compromised his immune system, and he was coming down with a fever, but Sal sure didn't look the part. In the kitten's opinion, the man was positively glowing.

"Hey-" Sal's large hands cupped Butter's tiny face; he side-eyed Pepper, "he doesn't look well. Maybe we should take him to the vet."

"I called our family vet and told him about Butter's condition. He said B needs to rest. I probably shouldn't have flown here with him."

The kitten was not used to watching Pepper lie through her teeth. He would have laughed, but since it wasn't appropriate, he settled for plain old Meow. Which, by the way, hurt like heaven!

Chapter word count: 1430