I tucked a stray curl behind my ear. “Yes, please. If you could—”
A white paw hit my chin, then my mouth, then my cheek. I sputtered through a mouthful of fur and grabbed the offending paw, which promptly escaped me.
“If you could please help with the rest of the potion that would be greatly appreciated,” I gasped, turning my face away from the feline attacks.
Alexander laughed. “You weren’t kidding about your friend being in a bad mood.”
We don’t need an outsider here, Bennett yowled.He’ll ask too many questions.
I need his help with the potion. It’ll go by ten times quicker with an herbwitch who knows what he’s doing, I thought to Bennett fiercely. I was used to talking to Misty in this way, and I was relieved to find that it worked with Bennett too.Aren’t you sick of being a cat?
It’s been lovely, actually.
I was all too aware of Alexander watching us have a silent conversation. I pulled on another smile for his sake, but suffered another soft paw to my lower lip. I blew a breath. “Bennett, stop that!”
Alexander’s eyes widened. “Bennett? As in Crown Prince Bennett?”
I realized too late that I had spoken aloud.
The cat in question hopped to the floor and gave an affirming meow. He seated himself at my feet, the picture of dignity, as if he hadn’t attempted to swipe my mouth off my face seconds ago.
I pressed a hand to my forehead. “Yes,” I said, utterly spent. I couldn’t even muster a shred of amusement that my fiancé had turned into a badly behaved cat. “If you could keep this a secret, that would be greatly appreciated.”
Alexander nodded, his lips parted in wonderment. Luckily, he asked no more questions and turned his attention to the recipe book. Awkward silence ensued, broken only by sound of Alexander working and Bennett’s obnoxiously loud purrs as he rubbed himself against my leg—an overt show of affection that would’ve made any cat blush.
My face was aflame by the time Alexander finished preparing the rest of the ingredients. The cauldron was boiling again, and he had diced up a strange pink fruit and ground up the shrew tail into powder. He turned to me.
“All that’s left is to put everything in the cauldron. The wood should be burned through by the time you’re done,” he said, wiping his hands on his trousers. “I must go now. Best wishes, Lady Narcissa. If you visit Witch Village again do come by and...er...”
Bennett bared his fangs.
“You’ll do great,” Alexander finished with a cough. He executed a quick bow to the calico at my feet. “Your Highness.”
I thanked Alexander weakly. When the door clicked shut behind him, I lifted Bennett from the ground.
“That was very rude,” I said, holding him at arm’s length. “Of all the impertinent ways to behave—”
He was the one behaving impertinently,Bennett meowed, turning up his nose.And you ought not to smile like that at everybody. I fell in love with you that way.
My lips parted. Becoming a cat must have scrambled his brain.
“No you did not,” I whispered harshly, hearing Ferdinand’s voice on the other side of the door. “You fell in love with me when I attacked my own mother with swans, which is a veryimpertinentway to fall in love with somebody!”
I do not believe you’re using that word correctly, Cissa.
I gave a strangled groan and set him firmly on the windowsill. “Please go outside!”
