Page 61 of Purrfectly Haunted

James snorts. “Just ask Emma, Luigi, and Noah. I’m sure they’ll let you join their little menagerie.”

She makes a face. “No thanks. A foursome sounds exhausting, and they’re already having arguments. Emma and Luigi are fighting over Noah’s attention. And I don’t really like to share.”

“You and me both, then,” he says, grinning. “I like having my lover all to myself.” His smouldering eyes land on me.

Lover? My heart skips a beat. No. No. No. Don’t get excited, heart. It doesn’t mean what you think it means. We’re not anything.

Lana hands me a mug of tea and I stir it with purpose, keeping my eyes down.

“Can I borrow a laptop?” James asks after a moment. “I want to research mould before bed.”

“Stachybotrys chartarum, also known as black mould, is commonly found in water-damaged buildings,” he says half an hour later.

Lana shakes her head. “There no water down there. I had experts check everything.”

“And it says this toxic type of mould only grows on cellulose-rich materials,” he continues. “Like wood products, paper, drywall... This is an old stone building.”

“I think we’ve established it’s paranormal activity,” Shirley adds. “Have you seen the glowing spores? It was trippy. Do you think it’s because she was poisoned, and it’s her revenge on the living to spit out toxic spores?”

“But she’s not spitting out spores, is she?” I say, and the four of them look at me. I’ve been quiet so far. “The spores are in the basement. I think... I think the mould is here to weaken the house.”

Lana blinks a few times, then she whispers, “Oh shit.”

“Did you notice how the mould stops at the door?” I continue. “The house is keeping it contained to protect us all, but she's unable to make it go away.”

“She needs our help,” James says, eyes gleaming with determination. “Let’s rest, and tomorrow we have a talk with the Lady in Red.”

We all nod tiredly and make our way to bed. The cats come and find us, and three of them jump in bed with us. Lucifer, Lupin, and Pearl. To my surprise, James doesn’t complain and he even pets their little heads. I fall asleep with my face in the crook of his neck and the cats purring around us.

thirteen

A storm is brewing

JAMES

Never before in my life have I been cock-blocked by cats. But I guess there is a first time for everything, I think as I stare at Pearl's pink nose, so close to my face. Ewan is in bed with me, and all I want to do is eat him out again. Yesterday morning was fucking amazing. The sounds he made...

Today, his sweet moans have been replaced by three cats purring. Wait, no. Four cats? Where did that fourth one come from?

I sigh and close my eyes. Knowing that the cats are parts of a sentient house, I don’t really feel like kicking them out of the room. It would be in poor state, like disrespecting our host or something.

I know our situation is dire and I shouldn’t be thinking about sex, but it’s really hard—pun intended—when he’s looking like a snack all day long, waiting to be tasted. And I can’t help but to think this will be over when we have dealt with all the ghosts in the hostel. ExorSquad will send me on another mission, and Ewan might not be my partner this time. He’s still getting a degree, and he probably can’t leave Edinburgh often.

I sigh again.

“Good morning,” Ewan mumbles.

I turn my head and find him smiling shyly at me.

“Fuck, come here I want to kiss you.” I grab him by the throat to pull him to me, cats be damned, and kiss him languorously. He moans. When I finally let him go, his eyes are glazed over and his face is flushed. A mouth watering snack.

Pearl is giving me the evil eye from her position on my chest.

“Alright, alright,” I say. “I’m sorry for moving, your majesty.”

She meows. I think we’re both growing on each other, like mushrooms sharing a rotting tree trunk.

I pick up my phone and check the time. It’s past noon on a Saturday, and the sun is shining bright outside, trying to resist the coming of autumn.