Page 11 of Spookily Yours

Stared at the black cat as he flicked his tail.

“What? You’ve never seen a talking cat before?”

“Willow, you’re losing your mind,” I muttered to myself. “That cat is not talking to you.”

“No, I am.” He jumped off the table, coming to sit at my feet. “But I’m nottechnicallya cat.” He tilted his head to the side, those ears pointing up adorably.

I raised my eyebrow. “You have whiskers. And atail.”

And now I’m talking to my cat.

“Well, I’m certainly aware that Ilooklike a cat.” He licked one of his paws. “But I’m not. I’m just stuck.”

“Stuck?”Did he just narrow his cat-eyes at me?

I’m going crazy.That was the only logical answer to this. I’d lost it.

“Yes. I can’t shift back to my normal form.”

“And your normal form is?”

“A man. Mostly.”

“Mostly?What the hell does that mean?”

“I’m not sure you’re ready for that.” His eyes flickered red, and I could have sworn the room darkened.

Oh. “Well…” I bit my lip. “How do we get you, um… de-catted?De-catified?” I pondered the term, and then shook my head. “Has this happened before?”

“No.” He heaved a dramatic sigh. “I was cursed. By a witch.”

Oh my gods. “A cursed talking cat? What is this,Sabrina the Teenage Witch?”

He blinked his eyes at me. “What?”

“You know… Salem? He’s cursed to be a…” I looked at his blank face. Clearly, he’d never watched human television. “Never mind.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “How do we fix it?”

“Hmm?” His voice came out scratchy, almost a purr. Which made sense. Since I was talking to acat.

My legs wobbled, and I lowered myself to the ground, sitting on the hardwood floor. I wasn’t sure I could keep myself upright if I stayed standing. Not with the events currently unfolding in front of me.

I blinked. What was the proper response in this situation? I’d never dealt with a person-turned-cat before. Of all the weird magical things that had happened in Pleasant Grove, this topped the list.

“How do we turn you back to your proper form, then?”

“Now, now, little witch.” His little pink nose wiggled. “What’s so wrong with our little arrangement?”

My nostrils flared. “Our littlearrangement?You mean the one where you bamboozled your way into my home, got me to feed you, and slept on my bed? That one?”

He licked his paw nonchalantly. “Yes.”

“Oh my—”Goddess be.

Slept on my bed.

“Did you see me naked?”

Damien the cat froze. “What?”

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