Page 67 of Whiskers on Kittens

“That is probably acceptable, and I doubt their parents would mind. You may ask once but only once for such a thing, and you cannot do it on Christmas Eve or Christmas. You must let the family settle before inquiring if you can visit them. I’m sure you’ll get their number and can call like a civilized being.”

Wolves. I huffed. “How long do you think we should stay here before going off to amusement parks, Belial?”

“Tomorrow morning you can ask the kittens if they would like to go to a park, and show them the choices nearby. The next day, you’ll be able to take them. Warm them up to the idea of traveling with you by letting them decide. After two or three parks of this, you’ll be able to surprise them. They’re already learning to trust you, but they’ll be skittish for a while yet. Letting them play without you hovering was wise. They weren’t allowed to play at all, and it changes the tone for them. If you’re challenged about having the children, simply display your FBI badges.”

Right. We had FBI badges. I hadn’t put much thought into mine, as it had gotten tossed into my purse, unused for every element of our hunt for the kittens. “How are we going to dodge the news, anyway?”

“Simple,” Belial replied, and the devil flashed me a grin. “The parents were asked to not talk about the kidnappings with anyone as nationwide coverage might impair law enforcement’s ability to safely retrieve the kittens. Lucifer’s brothers are taking care to make daily visits with the parents to comfort them and offer assurances the kittens are safe. On Christmas Eve, Gabriel will speak to them and fill them in on where they have been for the past while, as the kittens will surely ramble for all eternity over the nice kitty and puppy who took them to every amusement park possible.”

We couldn’t undo the harm the children had faced, but we could throw so many good memories at them the severity of their kidnapping might wilt in comparison. Therapy, I hoped, could handle the rest. “Do you think we can handle five children in a mall? I have to buy Christmas presents. Well, the presents I’m getting that I can’t handle by reaching out to someone online or by phone.”

“The internet is a real thing. You can order your presents online, and I’m sure Darlene wouldn’t mind helping you wrap them. The children might enjoy helping to wrap the gifts as well.”

Shit. The kittens might want to get presents for their friends and family. “Right. The kittens need to get presents for people, too. Easton, don’t let me forget that.”

“Sure. If we can get a few succubi to help keep an eye on them, we can brave a mall near Christmas. We can use one of the wrapping stands for the kittens if they aren’t up for helping to wrap.”

“No. We are raiding a dollar store for wrapping supplies, and we will have a party before we show up on Christmas Eve. Belial, we’re going to need a vehicle just for the gifts.”

“Teleportation is real. We can make certain the presents are put in the appropriate place in your home. We can also handle decorating. More specifically, I’ll inquire with the vampires and have them handle that element as they already have access to your home.” Belial shook his head. “You need not make things unnecessarily difficult. You have enough difficulties at current. You have five kittens to watch and only four hands between the two of you.”

We were doomed. “Maybe I should have taken lessons on how to babysit children before agreeing to this.”

“You’ll survive. Maybe.” Following a low laugh, Belial vanished.

I bowed my head. “We’ve made poor choices, Easton.”

“We really haven’t. We’ll be all right. I suspect the kittens will be eager to stay near us while in the park so we shouldn’t have too much trouble with them.”

“Those are famous last words, wolf. While you trust in a wish and a prayer, I’m going to invest in leashes.”

Upon learning we intended to take them to an amusement park, the kittens lost their minds, running and screaming around the penthouse as though we’d fed them gallons of liquid sugar. Only the reality of their recent captivity spared us, as after an hour of hyperactivity, they ran out of batteries and passed out. I found Mollie on the Devil’s favorite chair, and to my amusement, he’d been trapped by the small child. Darlene had three of the brats on her lap, and one had fallen asleep on her feet.

“I’m going to need leashes, more coffee than I should ever drink in a day, and help,” I informed the pair, heaving a sigh and bending over to discover Jerod had been the unlucky kitten left on the floor. I picked him up and transferred him to Lucifer’s lap. “It seems they shared some of their excitement with you.”

“I like how you’ve accepted you can’t keep up with hyperactive kittens losing their minds over going to an amusement park,” Darlene said, and she smiled at the sleeping trio on her lap. “I’m genuinely impressed they found a way to fit.”

“They’re small for their age and they’re still underweight,” Lucifer replied, and he smoothed Mollie’s hair. “They’ll be fine, but we’ll go in a larger group for the first few parks. We’ll carry them for most of the day so they can enjoy the rides and see and do everything they want while they regain their strength. One devil or demon per kitten, and you two can help supervise.”

“Can we just make that the plan the whole time? Seven adults might be able to keep five kittens out of trouble at an amusement park.” I drew in a shaky breath. “Maybe.”

“It’s not a bad idea, Lucy. And we don’t want to stress our lycanthropes too much before their big day in Chicago.” Darlene grinned at me. “We wanted to stop by long enough to assure you that your house is ready for your guests. The renovations in your basement are completed and we’ve negotiated with the third level so your land is left alone—and we’ve purchased land rights for that level around your home to give you a buffer and ability to expand if you’d like. We’ve warded your home so nothing from the third level will pay you a visit. If anyone tries, we’ll know about it. The other matters have also been addressed.”

“Thank you. How much do I owe you?”

Darlene waved her hand in a dismissive gesture. “Consider it paid in full. You’re acting on our behalf, and we can’t step away from what we’re doing to stick around to care for the kittens until Christmas Eve. Compensating you for the renovations is the least we can do, especially after Lucifer snooped to determine how much you lost from upcoming contracts.”

I sighed. “I won’t lie, Darlene. That hurt. My colleagues adore me now, however—and that has value down the road. Well, I hope it does.”

“It does,” the succubus confirmed. “You’ll be fine in the future, but you know what they say.”

“No good deed goes unpunished?” I asked, although I could think of a few others, including how the road to hell was paved with good intentions.

“That’s the one.” She grinned. “You’ll be rewarded, too. I mean, your wolf is pretty handsome, especially when he’s playing at being a peacock.”

Lucifer sighed.

“I can look all I want, Lucy.” The woman’s spotted ears turned back. “I control the spots. She who controls the spots controls all, especially you.”