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“You named your canary Albert?”

“Is there a problem with that?”

“Nope.”

There absolutely is.

I do my best to avoid looking at the overgrown lawn ornament, but it isn’t easy.

Twenty minutes later, we're in separate examination rooms. Everything is fine. Until both doors somehow swing open simultaneously.

Sparky sees Albert. Albert sees Sparky.

Chaos erupts.

Sparky bolts. Albert escapes.

I scream. Damian roars. The vet ducks.

A technician casts some kind of containment spell that ricochets off Damian’s wing and turns a potted fern purple.

By the time Albert and Sparky are safely returned to their respective carriers, I’m sweating, my hair is half out of its clip, and I smell like angry tabby.

Damian has a scratch across his cheek.

“Your cat is a menace.”

“Your bird started it.”

“He was in a cage.”

“He was taunting him.”

“He chirped!”

“Menacingly.”

Damian stares at me. I stare back. Albert chirps. Sparky hisses.

We both point at our animals.

“Stop it.”

Paying for the damage takes a huge chunk of my wallet, but I do it happily.

Anything to get out of there.

I drop Sparky home and head straight back out. I’m exhausted, starving, and have zero desire to cook.

Not that I can, even if I want to. Clarissa already warned me not to touch the stove for forty-eight hours because whatever magical concoction she uses to clean it needs time to activate.

So, the Crescent Moon Diner it is.

Chapter 2

Belinda

Unfortunately, the place is packed. Even more unfortunately, Damian is here.