I jumped out of bed and ran down the hall as fast as my feet would carry me. Too late I realized that I probably should have found some kind of weapon to take with me.
It was hardly six in the morning. Who could have possibly…?
A spark of light flooded the living room even though I hadn’t flipped the switch.
“Good morning, Tawny,” Mr. Fluffikins said from where he was seated right beside a broken vase that had once held an arrangement of fake flowers. I didn’t have the money to constantly buy fresh, and I hated watching something so pretty and vibrant wilt and die, so it had always been fake for me.
I glanced from the mess to the cat who had no doubt created it and back again, then threw my hands in the air and headed back down the hall toward my bedroom.
“Tawny, wait!” he cried after me. “I know you remember!”
I mumbled my three rules to myself. Fluffikins’s appearance threatened to break at least two of said rules, and that was not okay.
“Go away,” I mumbled and continued to drag myself back toward bed.
“I won’t,” he insisted, trailing after me now. “Not until you at least hear me out.”
“I’m not making you breakfast.” The last time he appeared at my place before sunrise, that’s what he had demanded. It was a safe bet that’s what he wanted now.
“I already ate,” he countered. “And you clearly haven’t forgotten anything despite the fact I very clearly remember wiping your memory.”
This stopped me dead in my tracks. I shuddered and then asked,“What do you want then?”
“The PTA has a new assignment for you,” he said, and then my knees gave out beneath me.
2
I awoke a short while later. A very big part of me hoped this false start to my day was nothing more than a bad dream, but no.
My former boss, Mr. Fluffikins, sat curled up on my chest, and he was staring at me intently.“Are you done with the theatrics now?”
“Get off me,” I spat, brushing him off so I could sit up and clutch my pounding head.
“A little more respect for your employer, please,” he rasped.
My employer, ha! I’d never applied to work for the Paranormal Temp Agency nor did I want to. I was quite happy in my role of part-time romance writer, full-time free to do whatever I wanted.
That was, until Fluffikins and crew turned up and made everything topsy-turvy.
The black cat continued to sit close by, glaring at me.
A cloud of little black hairs blew into my face and made me sneeze. I didn’t bother to cover my mouth, hoping the disgusting spray would finally rid me of my unwanted feline visitor.
He groaned and trotted down the hall.“I’ll wait for you at the kitchen table. Come when you’re ready, and perhaps bring a bit of steak or shrimp?”
Of course. Simple cream wasn’t good enough for this nuisance. It was only pricey cuts of meat that could appease him. But why did I even care enough to remember? I didn’t want him in my space, and I didn’t want to be in his, either.
So I lay there splayed across the old threadbare carpet in my tiny cottage rental for quite some time, hoping if I delayed long enough that Fluffikins would see himself out.
Unfortunately, it was not my lucky day.
“What are you doing here?” I moaned as I shuffled into the kitchen.
Fluffikins sighed as if I were the one showing up uninvited in his home.“I already told you, the board has a new assignment for you.”
I grabbed a banana from the fruit bowl on top of my fridge and stared daggers at the little black cat while I unpeeled.“I don’t accept.”
He rolled his oversized golden eyes at me.“The matter’s already been decided.”
That was when I choked on a piece of banana, wheezing and coughing as it slid down my throat.“Decided? Without me? Not again.”
“That’s why I’m the boss, and you’re just a temp.”
“What if I don’t want to be a temp?”
“Too late,” he revealed with a flick of his tail.
“You know, you could try flattery on occasion,” I pointed out, leaning back against the fridge and closing my eyes. It was still way too early for any of this. I needed at least another week to recover from the last time this little black cat had turned my world upside down. Yet here he was again, and if there was a way to get him to take “no” for an answer, I hadn’t quite figured that out yet.
“I don’t need to tiptoe around your delicate human feelings.” His voice grew deeper and more off-putting. Fluffikins had this creepy way of slurring all his words into a single nonstop sound. It completely destroyed any cuteness his whiskers and fuzzy face lent him and took him straight into the realm of night-time horrors. “What I need is your help recovering our missing field agents.”
I opened my mouth to tell him off again but stopped when I realized what he’d just said. “Field agents have gone missing?”
He hung his head.“Yes, some of our finest.”
Previously, Mr. Fluffikins revealed that what most humans consider to be stray cats are actually agents working in the field to help maintain the magical balance and alert the various regional paranormal boards to any possible signs of upset.
“Do you need me to go check the local shelters to see if they’re there?” I offered. As much as I didn’t want to set a precedent of him being able to call on me at any time and for any reason, I did have a heart. If actual lives were at stake here, then…
“Don’t be silly,” he hissed, whipping his eyes back up to mine. “That’s the first place we looked, but no such luck. What’s more, agents continue to disappear from the street.”
I pulled out a chair and took a seat.“What’s happening to them?”
“No idea, and I don’t really have time to pluck another normie human from the streets and train her in our ways. Since Barnes made sure you didn’t forget your time with us, we might as well put you to use.”
“So glad to hear I’m your first choice.” I swallowed back any further retort.
“Since this is a diplomatic issue, naturally you will be working directly for me.” He did not look pleased about this, and neither was I.
“Naturally,” I repeated, working hard to keep my expression neutral.
Mr. Fluffikins narrowed his eyes and glowered at me, an obvious intimidation tactic. Still, it totally worked.
“Fine, but only because lives are possibly on the line,” I ground out in full admission of defeat.
“Lives are always at stake when magic is involved. Didn’t you learn anything the last time around?”
“I guess not,” I said around a giant mouthful of banana mush. “So when do we start?”
“Right now,” he said, jumping off my kitchen table and making a break toward the door.
3
Instead of giving chase as Fluffikins darted toward my door, I stayed glued to my seat and let out an enormous yawn. The last time I’d gotten a proper night’s sleep was during the short magical coma I’d been put in following my last big assignment from the boss cat. Ever since then, it had been terrifying flashbacks or long nights spent lying awake and questioning how I’d ever missed something as big as the existence ofmagic—let alone for 35 years.
Needless to say, I was pretty darned tired. Especially when taking the early hour into consideration.
Still, if lives were on the line, I guessed I could put in one more assignment for the job I’d never asked for and definitely didn’t want.
“Let me take a quick shower to wake myself up some and then I’m all yours,” I said with an agreeable smile. As soon as I said these words, I knew they would not be well received.
Sure enough, Fluffikins curled his upper lip at me and shook his head.“What part ofwe start nowdo you not understand? It’s thenow, isn’t it?”
I glowered at him. Could I just ignore his wishes and head to the shower, anyway? No, he’d probably follow me in there, and the last thing I needed was an obnoxious feline staring at my naked body and making snide remarks. “Why are you so mean?” I bit out.