Ever’s hand glowed, infused with the sense of Touch. One moment, the ghost of the Great Dane was there, laying her head in his hand, the next, gone.

  He got up, slowly. Was it possible for a soul to be bone weary? Because after spending the day reaping all the animal souls in the Four Seasons, all he wanted to do was rest.

  “Ever?”

  He turned. Zoe’s face shone with gratitude as she looked around the room. There was to be another ‘delivery’ tomorrow, but for the time being, the enclosures were blissfully quiet.

  “I know you’ve had a long day,” she said. “But could you come and help me with another reaping?”

  “Of course.” He changed into his human form, landing on his feet, before following her out of the room and down the hall.

  “Oh Ever!” Carol said, looking up from her screen. “When did you come in?”

  “I’ve been here all day,” he replied. She looked rather flummoxed as he went into Zoe’s consulting room, closing the door behind him.

  “Thanks for waiting, Fatima.” Zoe said. “This is Ever.” She rested a hand on his shoulder. “He’s our resident animal whisperer.”

  It didn’t matter how many times she said it, he still got a rise out of hearing her introduce him. The responses varied: while most people nodded politely, others asked for Zoe to repeat the title or explain just what being an animal whisperer entailed. Not Fatima.

  Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

  “Hello Ever, thanks for being here.” She stood by the examination table, stroking her cat. The feline’s fur was long and the colour of ash and bark, starting to mat here and there. “This is Kitty. I’ve had her since I was five.”

  “Kitty is eighteen and a half years old. That’s really old for a cat,” Zoe said. She looked towards Jin, who was standing off to the side, she pushed a tray of instruments polished bright towards them. “My maths is terrible, how many cat years is that?”

  “The first calendar year is about twelve to fifteen cat years, the next is about nine years.” Jin’s voice was light but clear. “After that, it’s about four years for every calendar year. So that would make her in her nineties.”

  “Nineties!” Zoe echoed. “A good life.”

  “A long life,” Fatima said, continuing to stroke Kitty’s further, “but a painful life in these last couple years. Her spine hasn’t been too well and in the last few months, she hasn’t been able to walk.”

  “That’s why,” Zoe said, looking at the ground. “I gave Fatima the advice that Kitty should be put to sleep. But…” she looked up at Ever. “I told her that you would be able to tell her what Kitty’s last words to her are.”

  “Yes, of course.” He reached out towards the old cat and hesitated. “May I?”

  ^You may,^ Kitty meowed, voice croaky. ^More the merrier.^

  “She consents to be touched and preferred if we all petted her.”

  Fatima’s eyes went wide. “Really? Kitty said that?”

  “Really," Ever said with a grin.