Midnight Crossroad

When the second hour of Fiji’s open house was almost at an end, a mother from Davy said, “How on earth do you get it to look like the cat is talking?” “Oh, did it look realistic?” Fiji had to struggle to keep a smile on her face. “It was so cute! It said, ‘Get off my tail or I’ll smother you in your sleep.’” “Just some batteries and a CD!” Fiji said. “And isn’t that just what a cat should say?

Fiji, I’m betting you don’t drink a lot,” he said, trying to suppress a smile. “I don’t,” she confessed. “How did you know?” “Just a lucky guess.” “You think he’d like my phone number?” “Feej, that guy is tough as nails, and he’s not only been around the block, he’s run a marathon. He could eat you for breakfast,” Olivia said, half smiling. “And wouldn’t that be a great way to wake up?” Fiji said, with a broad wink. Manfred laughed; he couldn’t help it.

You have a vampire living in your basement, and you're stunned by a talking cat?

Buddy of yours?" Manfred asked, when he was sure his voice would be even. "I don't think snake-shifters have buddies," Lemuel said. "They just know people they haven't tried to eat yet.

Even at the beginning of fall—which is only a date on the calendar in Texas;

The Rev’s house is similar to Fiji’s, but it’s older, smaller, and has only sparse grass in the little front yard. It is also in no way welcoming or charming, and he has no cat.

Weirdly, strangely—wonderfully—he knew this was the moment he was touching the bottom, and he understood that from now on, however gradually, he would begin to heal.

Was that justice?” she said. She sounded as though she honestly wanted to know.

No threatening the cat!” Mr. Snuggly said. No

No threatening the cat!" Mr. Snuggly said.

Since he’d had no clue about Chris Stybr (sometimes he had a genuine impression about the seeker, but this Chris could be a man or a woman or a hermaphrodite for all Manfred knew),

if you live next door to an apex predator, you shouldn’t go around poking him with a stick. Fiji

He loved his mother. He just had a hard time remembering that some days.