"I understand," I nodded, ignoring the collective sigh of relief from the six males in the room. I ran my fingers through Fluffy's fur, smiling slightly to myself as he started to purr.
"Thank you," sighed Ba'dqeel, coming to his feet. "You have been fortunate up until now not to have any contact with the katutxoa. While you do seem to be mildly infected by the parasite, I think that if we act now, we'll be able to save you."
"While I understand what you were saying, I don't think you understand me. I don't care what you call them; as far as I am concerned, they are kittens. They will be staying on your ship as long as I am," I shrugged, not backing down.
Everything was dangerous to someone or another. I really didn't think that the nine-foot-tall demons in front of me were nothing more than cuddly teddy bears that couldn't even hurt a fly. I was willing to bet that if I were speaking to another species, they would be saying the same thing about Ba'dqeel.
Not to mention, there was no way to know how long Fluffy and the others had even been on the ship. If they hadn't seen Fluffy trying to find me, they would have had no idea the kittens were even on board.
Nai'dqa pulled out a long knife and started toward me, only to be physically stopped by Zua'the and He'dtaalh. Axis quickly came to stand just behind my right shoulder, his eyes never leaving the scene in front of him.
"I told you, nothing that is a threat on this ship will be allowed to live," snarled Nai'dqa, his eyes narrowing on the two males standing between him and me. His muscles started to become bigger as his height increased, and his horns began to brush the ceiling.
In direct response to his threat, He'dtaalh and Zua'the also underwent physical changes, growing and expanding until what was once a large conference room became too small to hold so many males.
But what surprised me the most was how no one noticed the kitten still perched on Nai'dqa's shoulder. She even had a hand resting on the lobe of his ear, using it as a way to keep her balance. She looked over at me for a second, cocking her head to the side as if to ask me a question.
I froze. Was I really willing to commit such a grave sin? Was I really willing to have him killed?
Wrestling with my conscious for a few seconds, completely ignoring the showdown going on in front of me, I made my decision.
Jesus had said; 'Let he who is without sin cast the first stone,' and the outcome was that no one picked up the stone. There is not a single being on Earth or in this universe except God Himself, who is without sin. And since there was no way I would spend eternity in heaven. I had to do the next best thing.
Refusing to turn the other cheek, I let out a sharp whistle. "Do you really plan to kill me?" I asked, looking at the purple and black demon in front of me. His eyes glowed like a bright white light shone from the depth of his body as he looked at me.
"I plan to eliminate all threats against the Nycteromys people and our Heir," stated the male. I was happy to finally find out what they called themselves, but I don't think I will call them anything other than demons in my head.
"Are you sure you aren't the diplomate?" I sneered. "Seeing as you refuse to give me a straight answer on anything."
Turning his entire body, the male let loose shadows from his body, throwing a once lit room into complete darkness. I could hear He'dtaalh and Ba'dqeel shouting as Axis reached forward and grabbed my shoulder.
"I think that based on the feelings you invoke in me and how the second highest ranking member of our society reacts to you, you are, without a doubt, the biggest threat to the Nycteromys and need to be treated as such," growled Nai'dqa.
Even without being able to see him, I could feel him approaching me, moving around my males as if they were nothing more than rocks in his path.
Within seconds, I could feel his breath on my face as he leaned down, his massive hand wrapped around my neck.
"Why aren't you scared, little hirini? Don't you understand that I am going to crush you under my hand? You will return to being nothing more than dust out in space by the time I am done with you."
I think the shadows the male was putting out messed with the senses of everyone in the room because the grip that Axis had on my shoulder never wavered. There was no indication that he realized just how close Nai'dqa was or what he had just said.
"Better men have tried," I said, tilting my chin up a bit more so he could have better access to my neck. "But it seems like I am hard to kill."
Letting out a sharp, piercing whistle, I nodded my head.
Before I could even take my next breath, Nai'dqa's hand loosened from around my neck. The shadows retreated back into his body, and he fell to the floor. Dead.
The five males left in the room looked down at his crumpled form and stepped back as a purplish-black fluff ball jumped off the demon's back and into my lap.
Fluffy groomed her for a moment before the two of them got comfortable and dozed off.
"We'll be keeping the kittens on board," I smiled at the males, their eyes never leaving the deadly creatures sleeping on me. No longer did I have to be scared about anything. While I wasn't stupid enough that I could tell a cat what to do and have it listen to me, I at least had someone who was willing to watch my back and protect me.
And that was a heady feeling.
"As you wish, little one," grunted Ba'dqeel as Vi'dta spun around and stormed out of the room.
I definitely hadn't made a friend today, but even if I managed to make an enemy. He wouldn't be willing to come at me without careful consideration.
For right now, I was safe. And that wasn't something I had ever been able to say before with such certainty.