Page 70 of Whiskers on Kittens

Phew. I could work with the Lexus getting some love. “Thank you. Please do try to convince Easton that he’s a welcome addition to my life. And guard him from the sharks.”

“I have a few minutes before I have to leave, so I will do that. I’ll make sure everyone behaves. The kittens being reunited with their parents will help. His family has gotten a wake-up call regarding lycanthropes, so all will be well.”

The Devil left me alone with his father, and as I had a full house of people to feed, I went to work organizing my groceries and checking the stock in the refrigerator. “You’re welcome to stay if you’d like.”

“The gesture is appreciated, but your guests are not ready for my presence yet. You are resilient. I would make some of them more than a little uncomfortable. Their natures are not ideal.”

“Neither is mine,” I admitted.

“You are as you need to be to thrive in your bright future. You and your mate are gifts for my son. You will be able to do the good his heart yearns to do on his behalf without offending his delicate sensibilities. He is supposed to be evil you know.”

I snickered at the thought of Lucifer being actually evil. “He’s not doing a great job on that front. Still, we didn’t do things while wearing shining armor.”

“Shining armor would have become filthy, and it is such a pain to clean. No, what you did was better. My other children would have had temper tantrums, and that would have had consequences. You did what was necessary, with justice and mercy sharing space in your heart. When your time on the mortal coil comes to a close, you will find your journey through the valley to be a pleasant jaunt accompanied by old friends. And in your next life, you will find yourself gloriously burdened with the attention of an amorous wolf. Some debts cannot be repaid in a single lifetime, so we will repay it into the many futures you will enjoy with your soul’s companion. You have earned it. For this life, you will enjoy your work for my beloved son. The next is for you to decide, but I have found that my son does not let go easily, so you will find your way back into his company again, I am sure. He would gift you with as eternal of a life as he could, but your soul is one that needs rest from time to time. And your soul’s nature is as such you will walk a similar path as you do now. Some are like that.”

Well, that would give me food for thought for a great many hours. “And the kittens?”

“They will grow to be strong and brave, and they will remember what you did to give them a good life. In time, they will ally with the forces of my heavens and my son’s many hells. Only your touch could give a miracle now and forge many miracles in the future. My son does not peek as often as he should, so he will be pleasantly surprised by the futures you have created with your compassion and drive.” He chuckled. “Do you want to know the true cost, in dollars, that you gave to your colleagues? Not knowing will drive you to the brink of your sanity.”

“You may as well hit me with it. The answer will determine how much I drink before the end of the year.”

“You sacrificed over fifty million dollars, and your choice of colleagues have improved their lives more than you will ever know. Unbeknownst to you, your filters have done good work, although you took great losses following my plan. But do not fret. The one contract you kept for yourself will lead you to even greater fortunes in the future, although the money you earn immediately will cover your new ventures and purchases with little left over. Do try to be kind to your organs. You need those.”

Not only would I have more than a few drinks, I would share my drinks with Easton, and I would do my best to keep him around. “That’s a great deal of money.”

“It is. But you know as well as I do that the kittens are worth far more.”

That they were.

I did not learn the true severity of Easton’s familial situation until I discovered that Easton used his great-grandmother’s maiden name as his last name. His infection with lycanthropy had separated him from those who should have loved him, creating a rift time had not healed.

His parents had handled the name change.

He had been below the age of eighteen when he’d been cut out of his family, although they had kept him under the same roof until he’d graduated high school and enrolled into the police academy.

His great-grandmother had, later in her life, been infected, but the virus had not taken root in time to give her longevity. She’d become a family legend, and Easton clung to the existence of the woman he’d never met.

Easton had played his part, allowing his lack of confidence to drive him away. I played referee, calming tempers before anyone said something they might regret. While everything cooked and a helpful incubus kept an eye on everything in the kitchen, I gave everyone a tour of my cellar, picking several bottles of vintage Champagnes that would not last much longer before they needed to be consumed.

Only after I helped put the kittens to bed did I begin the real work of negotiating a Christmas miracle, choosing my den for the discussion. I went into the cellar, inviting Easton to come in with me, and dug out my common bottles of Maker’s Mark, having him hold four while I carried three others. Once I ferried everything out, I hopped onto my bar to sit, reached to grab a few glasses, and poured myself and Easton a drink. “We have adult supervision so we can get as drunk as we want. I won’t be having much, as I have to get up and cook for Christmas.”

In true lycanthrope fashion, we’d cleared my home out of every scrap of food, but the next wave of groceries would come courtesy of Lucifer, his devils, and his demons.

Everyone stayed quiet, although I caught Easton fidgeting. I turned my stare to the wolf’s family. “You lot are idiots, and I don’t know what fanatical bullshit religion you worship, but it soured you on members of your own family, the flesh and blood you should have been fighting to love, cherish, and protect. I’m going to just air things out right here and now, because Easton deserves a Christmas with family and friends rather than… whatever you happen to be. Neither family nor friends, that’s for certain. Family doesn’t change their son’s last name because he doesn’t live up to some puritan bullshit.”

Then, because I could be an asshole the match of Lucifer, I wielded my phone like the weapon it could be, sent a text to the group chat loaded with archangels, and asked if one of them might come over and make use of one or two of His quotes to illustrate my point.

To my amusement, I got a baker’s dozen.

“How did three or four become thirteen?” I asked, allowing myself a smile.

My den barely fit the bodies crammed into it, especially when wings entered the equation. Gabriel came over, and he took a few moments to smooth my hair before patting my shoulder. “Twisted beliefs are what breathed life into this tragedy, and it can only be healed through the correction of those beliefs. If they choose to continue to believe what men wish them to, that is something that will weigh upon their souls and guide them down a path they think they avoid by claiming they believe.”

Well, that would leave some people in my home smarting—if they had even a scrap of sense or morality. “And my quote?”

“Big or small, He made them all,” the archangel announced. “It is not something He said directly, but those are the words those present need to hear. You are a beloved creation. They are beloved creations. Your wolf is a beloved creation. That His beloved creations embrace hatred rather than love is something that shall forever pain Him. Love cannot conquer all, Kelsie. That you continue to do your best to forge miracles on these days of celebration speaks a great deal about your soul. The necessity of it speaks a great deal about theirs.” The archangel turned, and he tucked his wings close so he wouldn’t smack someone. “A loving god, no matter what pantheon the god belongs to, is not a god who tolerates hatred among flesh and blood. A loving god loves. I would search your souls and open your eyes to what your so-called churches believe. Do they preach love? Do they preach tolerance? Or, perhaps, do they preach fear of our brother’s many hells? You have met our brother. You have seen his wife. You have seen the works of their hands in the kittens who found their way home, asleep and waiting for presents, good food, and great cheer in the morning. Kelsie is the kind of soul who will try to do what she can for others. She does not have to like you. In fact, upon learning that you forced a different family name on him to erase the ‘guilt’ of his lycanthropy infection, she has not a scrap of love within her for you. But she cares for all, and because she does, she will show you nothing but kindness. You would do well to learn from her. Tonight, you sleep in her home. The miracle she wishes for is a family reunited. But for that to happen, you have to let go of your fear. But let me ask you this. Would you, who is of pure blood, have the courage to do as these lycanthropes have done? No. You are low and fearful beings. They are unafraid of doing difficult things. They work miracles. You do not. But know this: you are unworthy now, but you have been graced with a chance to undo the harm you have done. You took the first steps by accepting the invitation despite your fears and disgust and prejudices. The only gift he has ever wanted from you is your love.”

Without another word or even a gesture, the host of archangels vanished.