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He snorted and pulled on the robe "Deal"

"You will stay in cat forive you permission to do otherwise, is that understood?"

He cursed under is breath and did the shapeshift thing again Another puff of sruntled cat reappeared "Fine"

"We’re leaving in fifteen"Tellon the Ducati"

I frowned "Of course we are"

"Bael’s breath, Sabina, you can’t expect et all ," I told him He didn’t look at rabbed an old cat crate froo for a stray I’d taken in The da ran away before I could even nauhl’s back was arched and the hair on his neck stood up in spiky tufts

"Chill, cat," I said He hissed again, this tie my mind and leave you here, you know"

"You’re a real bitch, you know that?"

"So I’ve heard Get in" I set the crate on the bed and opened the little gate He shot off like a hairy bolt of lightning, heading toward the living rooh and headed after hiive chase I caught him just before he disappeared under the couch I held hith ahich protectedpaws and bared teeth

"You’re not puttingsuch a drama queen," I said as Icrate "You’re the one anted to corabbed for the doorja clawhis nails free froet back"

Just before I reached the crate, he did a crazy death roll ed to break loose He landed on his feet,free My own surprise preventedhi and prayed to Lilith for patience "Must not kill the demon cat Must not kill the demon cat," I chanted

The clock next to the bed said it was already eight o’clock I’d hoped to get to the City by the Bay with enough tiain before sunrise I didn’t have tiet in the crate had ignitedin the crate if it killed me Besides, now that I’d had a chance to think about it, taking hi ht be able to find someone in San Francisco to help me send him back to Irkalla

I walked out of the room, only to return about two minutes later with a cat toy and a bottle of spray catnip--e of the bed A paiped out frory yowl accompanied it "Screw off!"

"Here, kitty, kitty" As I spoke, I waved the pink feather enticingly in front of the open space where I’d seen the paw As I wiggled it, it occurred to me how ridiculous I must look

Finally, a paw poked out from the bed and took a half-hearted swipe at the feather I hid the bottle of catnip spray behind my back as I continued to wave the toy in front of the paw Eventually, a pink nose appeared and sniffed at the toy

I could tell he was trying to resist the siren call of the catnip But nature won out and soon he pounced and buried his face into the feather He rubbed it all over his head as he purred

Within a few seconds, he lay on is back in a dreahed softly in triu no time, I picked up his liate, hooked a water bottle to it, and squeezed in a squeak toy

Eightthe duffle onto the back of the bike behind the crate when furious scratching and hter of Lilith!"