Page 19 of Three Meows

Rowan stood in the middle of the room, his gaze considering. He stepped towards me and I flinched.

“It’s time,” he said, facing his roommates. “No more secrets. Let me.”

“You really want to…?” Chester asked. He looked scared. “I think… I think I want it too.”

Both men looked at Elijah. His face was pale and he closed his eyes as if he was in pain, but when he opened them again his gaze was resolute.

“The clowder has decided. I hereby grant you permission. May you hold our secret gently, Lisa.”

“What secret? What’s going—” I started to ask, but my words stuck in my throat as Rowan turned to me and changed.

Where once stood a tall and dark man now sat a cat.

Shadow jumped at me and my arms caught him automatically, cradling the suddenly affectionate cat to my chest.

“Dibs on not having to explain this!” Chester called and promptly changed into an orange cat.

Cheddar wound around my legs, purring up a storm.

I looked to Elijah for answers.

“Traitors. Fuck this. I’m not explaining this alone,” he declared.

And then I had three cats around me.

I laughed so hard I had to stumble to the couch to sit down. The cats took that as a free-for-all invitation and suddenly I had a lap full of Marshmallow. Chester attacked my boots as if he took offense that I hadn’t taken them off yet and revealed his favorite targets known as socks. Shadow perched on the back of the couch and sniffed my hair.

I turned my head to my constant nightly companion and the cat bonked me with his head. Tears threatened to spring to my eyes again, but this time there were tears of relief and of that singularly amazing type of pride you could only feel when a cat chose you and only you. The hard-won affection felt like the highest achievement of my life.

Something settled in me as I knew all three kitties were safe and happy and here, with me. I was going to deal with the rest of this mess eventually, but, for now, I took simple pleasure in caressing silky fur and feeling purrs reverberate through me.

My neighbors were cats?

My cats were three beautiful men I had a crush on?

The cats were ok?

Magic, or at least shifters, existed?

Wrapping my head around all of this took some time.

“I gave you a bath,” I said to Marshmallow/Elijah, who visibly cringed even if he was in his cat form. “You ate my trash in front of me,” I pointed at Cheddar/Chester, who was entirely unashamed of his action both then and now. He gave me his signature cute blep in response. “And you… you saved me from a mugger!” Shadow/Rowan preened and threw a smug look at the two other cats.

A giggle built in my chest and I couldn’t help but let it out.

The three men stayed in their cat forms until the mental exhaustion of the day took hold of me and I fell into slumber on the couch with three cats around me.

By the time I woke up from my nap they were back in their human forms.

It was time to talk.

Chapter Eleven

Imeasured all three men with an inquisitive stare before I spoke.

“Explain.”

“Rock, paper, scissors?” Chester grinned sheepishly at his roommates.

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