He shook his kitty head so hard his ears flapped.
Raya smiled and set him down on the floor. “Aren’t you too cute! Look at your funny little ears.”
Was there anything he could do that wasn’t adorable?
Raya scratched that hard-to-reach spot on his head and cooed.
Apparently not.
He gave up and flopped on the floor like a rag doll. He had to figure out a way to communicate with Raya that didn’t involve snuggling. It wasn’t getting him any closer to freedom.
Although it was kind of nice, for a change.
Phoenix exiled those addled thoughts to the back of his mind.
He had to focus. He stood up and looked for Raya’s wand.
It rested in its usual place in her hair. He had no idea how to get at it, or to encourage her to use it. Perhaps if he could, she would be able to notice that something was amiss.
To do that, he’d have to get closer.
Which meant more snuggling.
How had he gotten back to snuggling so quickly?
Never mind—it was for a good cause.
He padded closer to Raya and bumped her hand with his head.
She took the hint. “Do you need another scratch?”
He meowed.
She scratched behind his ears and smoothed the fur over his spine. “I’ll tell you what, little prince. Why don’t I get changed into some pajamas and we can settle in for some serious cuddling?”
Phoenix purred and tried very hard not to think about how Raya would react when she found out her little prince wasn’t actually a cat.
Then she started changing her clothes.
Phoenix flattened himself on the floor, closed his eyes, and attempted to cover them with his paw.
“Aren’t you funny! Covering your face like that. You can look now—Mama’s dressed.”
There could be no doubt, now. She would kill him. Phoenix would have groaned in horror, but his vocal cords didn’t work right. What came out sounded like an unholy yowl.
“Oh, come on, these aren’t that bad.” Raya smoothed out her black pajama tank top and adjusted the waistband of the matching black shorts. “I think they’re very nice.”
He was beginning to think staying a cat forever might be the safer option.
Raya jumped into bed and patted the covers. “Here, kitty kitty.”
Yes, almost definitely the safer option.
He gathered his courage and sprang onto the bed.
Raya reached for the TV remote and flipped channels until she found an action movie—no language skills needed in order to follow the simple plot.
Phoenix settled warily on the pillow next to Raya’s head.
