by Kate Moseman
She took the hint. “Do you need another scratch?”
He meowed.
She scratched behind his ears and smoothed the fur over his spine. “I’ll tell you what, little prince. Why don’t I get changed into some pajamas and we can settle in for some serious cuddling?”
Phoenix purred and tried very hard not to think about how Raya would react when she found out her little prince wasn’t actually a cat.
Then she started changing her clothes.
Phoenix flattened himself on the floor, closed his eyes, and attempted to cover them with his paw.
“Aren’t you funny! Covering your face like that. You can look now—Mama’s dressed.”
There could be no doubt, now. She would kill him. Phoenix would have groaned in horror, but his vocal cords didn’t work right. What came out sounded like an unholy yowl.
“Oh, come on, these aren’t that bad.” Raya smoothed out her black pajama tank top and adjusted the waistband of the matching black shorts. “I think they’re very nice.”
He was beginning to think staying a cat forever might be the safer option.
Raya jumped into bed and patted the covers. “Here, kitty kitty.”
Yes, almost definitely the safer option.
He gathered his courage and sprang onto the bed.
Raya reached for the TV remote and flipped channels until she found an action movie—no language skills needed in order to follow the simple plot.
Phoenix settled warily on the pillow next to Raya’s head.
Raya burrowed into the covers and relaxed, reaching out occasionally to give him a gentle pat.
He’d never seen her so unguarded.
She would never forgive him.
He tried to relax into the soft pillow while he waited for her to fall asleep. If she fell asleep, he might be able to get her wand. What he would do with it, he didn’t know—but it was the only plan he had.
Halfway through the movie, Raya sighed contentedly and switched off the bedside lamp. The glow of the television illuminated the white sheets and threw her features into relief.
After the movie, she turned off the television and rolled on her side, facing Phoenix. “I’m going to turn in, little prince. How about you?” She tickled him under his chin. “You sleepy? Do kitties dream?”
This kitty didn’t, but he had no way of telling her that.
She yawned. “Sometimes I have bad dreams. Maybe you can be my little guardian. How about that? You want to guard Mama’s dreams?”
Dreams? Maybe there was something to that. He meowed heartily for her benefit.
She settled deeper under the blankets and closed her eyes. “Mmm … goodnight, dark prince.”
Phoenix sat quietly and observed her breathing as it became slower and more even. The thought of Nathan suddenly conjuring him away gave an edge of apprehension to his attempt to wait patiently for Raya to fall completely asleep.
He crept toward her, one paw at a time, watching for any sign of wakefulness. He had to be careful not to step on her thick hair, which fanned across the pillow in frizzy waves that smelled of sweetly scented shampoo. He seized the wand in his teeth and tugged it free before backpedaling softly to his pillow.
Now what?
Phoenix set the wand on the pillow and placed a paw on it so it wouldn’t roll away. He wasn’t sure what, exactly, he had expected to happen. Maybe that he would touch the wand and be instantly transformed.
That hadn’t happened.
He concentrated on the wand. Nothing happened. He suppressed the urge to hiss in frustration, for fear it would wake Raya. What else could he try? He couldn’t talk, he couldn’t fly, he couldn’t do anything worthwhile. Unless …
Phoenix took the wand in his teeth and crept to where Raya’s hand held the covers loosely. With much maneuvering, he managed to angle the wand just right and slip it under her fingers. He curled into a ball and nestled next to her, maintaining contact with her hand and the wand.
Nathan controlled his physical form and abilities—but perhaps he’d left an unintentional loophole.
Phoenix closed his eyes.
The dream state beckoned just out of reach. It felt like pressing his nose against a glass window. He leaned into the sensation, focusing beyond the barrier to the person within.
He sought the Raya he knew— the brash and combative witch who made a formidable sparring partner—and the Raya whose capacity for love and tenderness revealed itself only to the animals she adored.
Phoenix whispered her name through the barrier that lay between them.
The glass separating him from her dreaming mind splintered and fell away.
In her dream, Raya stood before a fire.
Phoenix crept closer on silent paws.
She was weeping.
He froze. What was this?
She reached toward the fire, as if to rescue something that lay within the flames.
Without thinking, Phoenix ran forward, meowing as loudly as he could manage.
Raya hesitated. “Little prince? What are you doing—never mind.” She reached for the fire again, her tears shining in the firelight. “I have to save my books.” Her voice broke.
Phoenix placed his body between her and the fire and shook his head slowly, back and forth, in an exaggerated motion. He had to free himself, certainly—but first, he had to stop this dreadful nightmare.
Lost in the logic of the dream, Raya reached over him. “If I don’t save them, they’ll burn.”
Phoenix leaped on her arm and quickly climbed up to her shoulder.
Her eyes widened with surprise. As her attention shifted, the fire disappeared.
Then the walls of the dream lit up with thousands of pieces of stained glass.
Raya approached the glowing panes in a daze, with Phoenix riding on her shoulder. As her fingers grazed the surface, the panes rearranged themselves in different patterns, forming intricate geometric shapes under her touch.
From his perch on Raya’s shoulder, Phoenix trailed a paw on the glass and found that he could have the same effect. He concentrated. The stained glass under his paw rearranged itself until it formed a perfectly rendered portrait of a small black cat.
Raya smiled. “It’s you!”
Phoenix patted the glass with his paw again. This time, the panes rearranged to form a red demon, complete with horns and a tail—and what looked like a black leather jacket.
18
Raya stared at the stained glass. The multicolored light reflected in her eyes. “I’ve seen this before.”
Phoenix reached out a paw and changed the image again.
Cat.
Demon.
Cat.
Raya’s brow furrowed. Her lips parted as if she were about to speak.
The dream trembled. The glass walls shook, then collapsed in a roar of breakage that sent Phoenix hurtling out of the dream.
He opened his eyes in the darkness of the hotel room.
Raya gasped and sat up, accidentally knocking Phoenix sideways. “Oh! I’m sorry!” She put her hand to her temple and realized her wand was in her hand. She lowered the wand and stared at it. “How did I end up holding—” Her expression reflected confusion followed by dawning recall. She looked at the cat in her bed and narrowed her eyes. “You were in my dream.”
Phoenix righted himself and sat on his haunches, then batted his collar with one paw.
Raya picked him up and examined the collar. “This doesn’t even have a buckle. How did you get this on in the first place?” She placed him back on the bed and toyed with her wand thoughtfully.
Phoenix swiped at the wand with his paw before swiping at his own collar again.
Raya tilted her head. “The wand? Your collar?”
He meowed.
“You’re a strang
e one, little dark prince.” Raya swung her legs off the bed and stood up. “Since you’re not letting me sleep, let’s have a closer look at you.” She picked him up and carried him to the table, then sat down in the chair. She wrapped one hand around his feline shoulders, steadying his body as she brought the wand close with her other hand.
Phoenix felt rather than saw the moment when she pushed a delicate strand of magic through the wand and into the collar.
The collar began to glow.
Raya braced him more firmly and closed her eyes.
The force of her grip slid his body toward her. He felt her power envelop him, flooding through the seemingly infinite chains binding him to the form of a cat.
One link in the chain snapped. Then another. Then on and on, each and every magical link snapping in a dizzying cascade of tiny sparks until the form that held him unfolded, freeing him at last.
Phoenix found himself crouched on all fours on the table, which wobbled and fell over before he had time to balance himself on it. His wings shot out to full length and he caught himself before he hit the floor, landing neatly on two feet—instead of four.
Raya jumped out of the chair and out of the way. “Phoenix? What the hell is going on? What did you do with the cat?”
“I was the cat!”
Raya covered her mouth as she gasped. “You pretended to be a cat?”
“No, I didn’t pretend to be a cat! Your lovely friend Nathan decided to put me on ice until he could trap me for good.”
Raya sank into the chair. “Nathan?”
“Yes, Nathan—the one who called me your pet demon, remember? Turns out he’s not actually opposed to the idea. He just wants one for himself.” Phoenix smoothed his hands over his body, making sure nothing was amiss.
She crossed her arms. “So you found a way to sneak into my hotel room?”
“I wasn’t trying to—bloody hell, woman! I was trapped! As a cat! What did you expect me to do?”
“Not sneak into my hotel room, for a start!”
“Nathan caught me in his dreams and turned me into a stupid, helpless, ridiculous cat! I couldn’t get to Cosmo’s, so I came here.”
Surely that would mollify her.
“Wait a minute.” Raya held her hand up. “I pet that cat. I snuggled that cat. And all that time—” Her mouth dropped open. She looked down at herself as if just realizing she was wearing pajamas. “Oh, my God.” She stood abruptly, crossed the space to the bathroom, went inside, and shut the door.
It had not mollified her at all. Phoenix righted the fallen table, then tread carefully to the bathroom and tapped softly on the door. “Raya?”
No answer.
“Raya, I’m sorry.”
The door flung open.
“You’re sorry?” She stared at him skeptically, still haughty even in her pajama set. She ticked off his offenses on her fingers. “You snuck into my room, watched me change clothes—”
“Hey! I did not! I covered my eyes. You noticed—you even said it was cute! Remember?”
Raya continued like he hadn’t spoken. “I tucked you in and patted you like some kind of blithering idiot, and then, to top it all off, you snuck into my dreams! My dreams, Phoenix!”
“I’m sorry! I didn’t know what else to do.” He backed away to give her space. “You never told me you had nightmares.”
She turned away and leaned on the sink. “You never asked.”
“Was that—real? Did someone burn your things? Were those your witchcraft books?”
Raya sighed and hung her head. “My family. It was a long time ago.”
“Your family?” Phoenix dredged his memory for the sparse details she’d shared about her family. “I thought you said your family wasn’t particularly religious.”
“I lied, okay? I didn’t want anybody asking me about it. It’s not exactly my favorite subject.”
“How am I supposed to understand you if you never tell me anything?” He raked his fingers through his hair in frustration before changing tack. “I’m sorry that happened to you. Would you like me to visit their dreams and throw them off a cliff repeatedly?”
That made her laugh. It was a rueful laugh, but a laugh all the same.
“You’ve gotten into enough trouble sneaking into people’s dreams, I think.” She emerged from the bathroom and sat on the edge of the bed. “So Nathan trapped you in a dream?”
“Apparently, in addition to being an awful prat, he’s very good at lucid dreaming. He caught me and transformed me in the dream, and it stuck.”
Raya twisted up her hair and stuck her wand into the bun. “What were you doing in his dreams, anyway?”
He shrugged. “He was rude to me. I wanted revenge. That’s what demons do.”
“What does he want with you?”
“I think he wants a pet demon. Maybe a lot of pet demons. He seems to know that we have a hangout in Paris.”
They looked at each other.
“You better warn Cosmo,” she said.
“I know.” Looking at Raya made him feel funny. He looked away and stared at the floor. “I saw her and George after the party. I was so angry. They tried to stop me from going after Nathan, but I didn’t listen.” He rubbed his forehead. “I don’t know what I was thinking.”
Raya cleared her throat. “I think I might be able to explain.” A blush crept over her cheeks. “Those macarons you ate?”
Phoenix raised his eyebrows, waiting for her to continue.
“They were spelled.”
“You spelled me?”
She smacked her hands on the bedding. “Not on purpose! You weren’t supposed to eat them!”
“You don’t think you could have mentioned, ‘Oh, by the way, Phoenix, those macarons will make you embarrass yourself’?”
“I didn’t know!”
“Like hell you didn’t. You made them! Then you snuck out to the party, expecting me to sit here and watch cartoons like a fool until it wore off?”
Raya looked down and didn’t answer.
“And then—absolutely not in my right mind—I fly after you onto a boat full of witches who look at me like I’m either a menace or a snack, and then I blather nonsense in front of the whole crowd!”
Her head snapped up. “What do you mean, ‘nonsense’? You’re going to tell me you’re not lonely?”
He tried to sputter a retort, but couldn’t get it out before she interrupted.
“Those macarons don’t make you lose your mind, Phoenix. They just make your feelings come to the surface.”
“Well, you eat them, then—and then you can tell me all about your sadness over people burning your stuff!”
They glared at each other.
It was the worst possible time to remember how much he’d liked it when she called him her dark prince.
19
Phoenix folded his wings away completely and went to the window. If he had to make eye contact for one more second, he’d go mad. Better to pretend to look out at the night.
Raya shifted on the bed. “You should go. You can’t be comfortable hanging around a witch, anyway, since you think we’re all power-mad, demon-trapping lunatics.”
He laughed. “I’m sorry—you’re not? I didn’t get that memo.” He rounded on her. “I wouldn’t dream of imposing on someone who thinks demons are just a bunch of flighty, unreliable, pleasure-seeking dilettantes.”
Raya marched over and pointed her finger at him. “I don’t think demons are a bunch of flighty, unreliable, pleasure-seeking dilettantes. I think you’re a flighty, unreliable, pleasure-seeking dilettante.”
He stood taller, looming over her. “Is that so? Well, you’re—” He stopped. It took a herculean effort to check himself before he said something stupid. He closed his eyes and concentrated, then opened them again. “You’re the on
ly person who can help me stop Nathan.”
From the expression on her face, he might as well have hit her in the back of the head with a cartoon frying pan. “You’re not going to say something—rude?”
He shook his head, not trusting himself to speak.
She raised an eyebrow.
“I need your help, all right? Warning Cosmo and George and the others isn’t enough. If Nathan’s looking for all of us, none of us are safe until he’s neutralized.”
Raya considered. “This is novel—you asking me for help.”
“Don’t rub it in, witch.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it, demon. Or should I say, ‘my little dark prince’?” Raya ruffled his hair and darted away, giggling.
“Don’t you dare call me little.”
“Oh, I’m scared now!” She fell over on the bed, laughing uncontrollably.
“Some help you are.”
Raya sat up and wiped tears from her eyes. “I’ll be serious.” She crossed her legs and folded her hands primly. “Just the facts, ma’am.”
“That’s better.”
“Also, I’m hungry.”
Phoenix covered his face with his hands. If he were able to die, this woman would be the death of him. “Now you’re hungry?”
“Hey, a girl’s gotta eat. I didn’t even get a full night’s sleep, thanks to your dream shenanigans.”
“Shall I go? Shall we let Nathan enslave an unlimited amount of demons just because you need a nap and a cookie?”
“Don’t be a pill. Just because you don’t need food or sleep, doesn’t mean we poor mortals can do the same.” She threw a pillow at him. “And I don’t need a cookie. I need a meal. So shut up and let’s move.”
“Is that what you’re wearing?”
“Why? Would you be embarrassed?” She shimmied her shoulders at him.
If he showed any hint of embarrassment, she’d wear her pajamas in the streets of Paris just to get his goat. He schooled his expression to neutral. “Of course not. The lady wears what the lady chooses,” he added diplomatically.
“Well, since you put it so nicely, this ‘lady’ is going to go change. Privately. In the bathroom.” She retreated, but peeked around the doorframe for one last shot. “Away from the prying eyes of naughty little kitties.”