The soft hum of rain against the apartment window was a lullaby in itself. Wrapped in the quiet comfort of twilight, you and Edmund lay nestled in the warm cocoon of your shared bed. His arm, heavy and possessive, was around your waist; your head rested on his chest, and his fingers lazily traced circles on your back. You could feel the deep, slow thump of his heart against your cheek.

He smelled like pine, clean laundry, and a hint of the bourbon aftershave you secretly loved. His other hand was tangled in your hair, playing with it absentmindedly as he whispered into your ear,

“God, I could lay here forever. You smell like summer. Like... peace.”

Youmerely curl to him, tracing patterns on his chest loving and soft. You didn’t notice the blur of fur that had jumped onto the bed. You barely heard the low growl. But Edmund did.

His entire body tensed. “Don’t—don’t tell me that hellspawn is here.”

Before you could turn, the cat—your rescued, possessed, jealous little gremlin—lunged. It wasn’t even a meow or a warning hiss this time. Just straight-up violence.

A flash of claws and fur, and you gasped sharply in pain as something sharp raked across your face. Your hand flew up instinctively as a burning, wet sting blossomed across your eye. Blood.

Edmund sat bolt upright. “Baby?!” His voice was like a gunshot—sharp, panicked. He looked down at you and saw the blood seeping between your fingers.

And then he looked at the cat.

“Oh, you son of a—!”

He was on his feet in an instant, shirtless, eyes blazing like a man possessed. The cat, perhaps mistaking his movement as an invitation, twined itself lovingly around his leg, purring loudly.

“You think this is cute?!” he roared. “You scratched my wife, you feral satanic gremlin!”

You, still stunned, whimpered, “Ed, my eye—”

He was already kneeling in front of you, grabbing tissues from the nightstand, gently moving your hand aside. His touch was as soft as his eyes were murderous.

“Let me see, sweetheart—God, she really got you.”

His jaw ticked. “I’m going to kill that cat.”