I swear I hear her mutter something again about brain cells, but before she can follow me, I’m up the stairs and running a bath.
With the door closed.
I don’t need her making any comments about my asshole as I try to stop shaking and come to grips with whatever the hell is going on.
A hot bath and as much sleep as I can get before I have to be up to tackle my to-do list.
That’s what I need.
No talking cat required.
12
Sylvie
Constant rain patters against the bay window, the grey, thick clouds outside both heralding autumn’s arrival and reflecting my own dismal mood.
Out of sorts doesn’t even begin to cover how I’m feeling.
That, and hungry.
Gingerly, I touch the back of my head, still half expecting to find a bloody lump, or at least pain—but there’s no evidence whatsoever that I hit my head last night.
Groaning, I roll over, burying my face in the familiar scent of the fresh-laundered pillowcase.
“You have somewhere to be,” a voice trills.“Or do you make a habit of having your lesser wait on you?”
For crying out loud, I’m either still hallucinating or the damn cat is—and was—actually talking to me.
“My lessers?”I ask in spite of myself.
“Yes, the witch you’re meeting for breakfast.Do you intend on forcing her to wait on you?As some kind of power move?If so, I approve, though you’ll have to sell it more, and I’m not sure you have the proper sort of condescension to truly pull it off.”
Not only do I have a talking cat, but I am also a witch.With powers.
Oh, and little Prudence also tends toward being a little bit of a bitch.
“I’ll make a note of increasing my patronizing aura on my to-do list.”The to-do list that now is likely a mile and a half long.Very cool.
“Oh, you don’t want to increase it in your aura.”Prudence sounds genuinely horrified, and a soft lump lands next to me on the pillow.
God, I hope she’s not licking her butt on my clean pillow.
“You really do know nothing of your true nature.If you were any more pitiful, you’d really be below my sort of help.”
“You truly have a way with words, Prudence.”I chance twisting to look at her, and her green eyes loom large next to my face.
A velvety paw pats my face.“There, there, witch.We will get you all sorted out.If the evil spirit in the bookstore doesn’t kill you first, that is.”
With that vote of confidence, I throw the sheets off me and decide going back to sleep isn’t going to happen.
The events of last night hit me like a freight train as I get dressed, the half-asleep conversation with the cat gaining even more strangeness as I wake more fully.
As far as I can see it, I have two choices.One, I head to the hospital for a full psychiatric work-up, or two, I take all of this at face value, head over to the kolache place and hope like hell Tara is the witch I’m supposed to be meeting.
I mean, I did see magic last night.I saw it.When the doors both exploded with golden energy.The strange shadow thing at the top of the stairs.
“This is so far beyond my realm of expertise.”I don’t even have the words to express what I’m trying to say.
