Page 2 of The Dark Hiss of Magic
I pressed my lips together. Hard.
‘Do you know where she is right now?’ he demanded. ‘She’s asleep on top of my laundry. Mycleanlaundry!’
A tiny sound escaped my mouth. ‘Mmmmph.’
‘She does it deliberately, Kit. She knowsexactlywhat she’s doing. She’s a bloody demon.’
That part was certainly true. When a little ginger kitten had appeared after a grim, bloody summoning and claimed Thane as her own, I’d learned that cats hailed from the netherworld and were indeed demons. It made a lot of sense when you thought about it, though it certainly didn’t mean I loved them any less.
‘When I came downstairs this morning, there was a dead rat in the middle of my kitchen table! The bastard thing was bigger than she is!’
Good for her. ‘It was a present.’
‘A present?’ Thane’s voice rose still further.
‘She thinks you need help hunting.’
‘I do not need any help from her!’ He ripped open his jacket and hoisted up his jumper to reveal a section of his flat stomach. ‘Look!’ he hissed. ‘Look at my skin!’
I peered at the impressive crosshatch of tiny scratches across his equally impressive body. Oh dear. ‘Alright,’ I conceded with a sigh. ‘She can stay with me.’
She Without An Ear whipped up her head and narrowed her eyes at me. ‘There’s enough space here for a kitten,’ I said. Hell, there wasalwaysspace for a kitten.
For some reason that pissed off Thane even more. ‘What? You’re not taking my cat!’
She Without An Ear allowed herself a small purr of satisfaction.
‘I thought that’s why you were here,’ I said, genuinely confused.
‘Tiddles is mine.’
Dave, who was looking totally fascinated as he continued to watch us, leaned over the fence. ‘Tiddles?’
‘That’s her name.’
I sighed. ‘I’ve already told you that cats don’t choose their names until they’re around six months old.’ And no cat would choose to call themselvesTiddles.
‘I have to call her something, and right now her name is Tiddles.’ Thane growled and folded his arms. ‘And Tiddles is a hell cat who belongs with me.’
Okay-dokey. ‘So are you here because you want to complain about her?’
‘No. I need your help – I would have thought that was obvious.’
I frowned. ‘Lack of sleep makes you very snippy, Thane,’ I informed him.
Dave nodded approvingly. ‘She ain’t wrong.’
Thane was still glowering. ‘In which case, give me some tips to make Tiddles sleep through the night.’
‘Easy,’ Dave said. ‘Shut your bedroom door and don’t let her in.’
‘Not an option. I tried it once but she threw herself against the door for an hour and yowled loudly enough to be mistaken for a ban sith by my next-door neighbour.’
She Without An Ear’s furry body vibrated; I could have sworn she was laughing.
‘Besides…’ Thane lowered his bright-green eyes to the ground, ‘I like it when she sleeps next to me.’
Dave started to back away. ‘I’m getting away from you two. I hadn’t realised that being a cat lady was contagious.’ He spun around, marched up his narrow garden path then disappeared into his house and slammed the door.
