Page 17 of Sequel to the Easter Bunny

Cat Scratch Fever

Before we pass through the final veil, the kittens disengage. Something about the way they stand five feet apart from each other feels unnatural.

But they hold their hands out, ushering us in, and I keep my hand firmly twined with Jack’s.

The air is chill past that final veil. It smells of pine and ice.

If the kittens notice the snow, it doesn’t deter them one bit.

Despite the chill, a faint sheen has covered my skin. And that layer of sweat makes me shiver.

Jack picks me up, carrying me over the thickest drift and the kittens stand straighter, their lips pressed to flat lines.

It feels, somehow, like they’re abandoning me to my fate as they distance themselves from me.

Or perhaps, they’re only abandoning me to their master.

The Yule Cat… Lako is an enormous, indolent feline.

She stretches as we near and her body seems to melt into something more human. But her eyes never change. Her ears perk and her nose twitches as she hones in on us.

Raising a hand, sharp claws glittering in the lights overhead, Lako snaps. The sound rings like a sharp bell around us.

Dark eyes flash from the darkness, like an alley full of feral cats watching for mice.

Calico and Minx hurry past us, sinking down to sit at Lako’s feet, their legs curled beneath them, gazes on the ground.

Lako’s eyes briefly trace over Jack before she settles her gaze on me. The whole room seems to vibrate as she purrs.

“This is a surprise. My sweet little Minx doesn’t bring me presents… and yet, here you are, the most fascinating treat any of my kittens have provided to date.”

She pets Minx’s bowed head, but the woman doesn’t seem to take any pleasure in it. Even though she sways against Lako’s leg, she looks more likely to cry than anything else.

Like Jack, Lako is larger than life. If she stood upright, she might be taller than him, but she looks content to lounge on her throne and stroke her whiskers.

The kittens say something to her, quietly enough she leans forward to hear them, and my gaze travels around her domain…. Women lounge in swinging chairs that look like baskets, others sit on shelf like benches half way up the darkened walls. There are towers I can only describe as larger-than-life cat-trees, and in the corner, a handful of women watch us from the bubbling water of a hot tub.

“I was distraught when my little Minx told me I’d missed your wedding night.”

Jack’s words are stiff. “Perhaps if you left your lair more often, you could see everything your heart desires.”

She chuckles, and it’s a chirping sound. “Not everything, I assure you.”

“Come here, pet.” Lako crooks a clawed finger at me and I go to her, because what other choice do I have?

The fact that Jack doesn’t stop me is the only reason I’m sure it’s the right choice.

She purrs as I near, enormous green eyes only getting wider as I approach.

“Why did my kittens bring you to me?”

I hold out my arm. “They thought you might be able to fix this.”

Her smile disappears, and the kittens at the perimeter of the room draw back. “Where did you get a cat-ctus scratch, my sweet?”

“Juun wants me to play a game… this is part of it.”

Her brows rise, and I expect an interrogation.

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