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“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Paige grumbled as she shoved herself up.

The raucous noise of a cat trilling echoed off the walls.

Paige clamped her hands over her ears as she searched the air for any sign of the large animal.

Her eyes grew wide, and she froze as she glanced up at the top of the shelf, spotting two pointed ears and a pair of narrowed cat eyes peeking over the top.

“Dickens,” she called, waving her hands in front of her as she backed away slowly. “Stop this at once! This is a very bad kitty!”

A paw popped over the top and dangled down toward her.

Paige danced backward, scrambling away from it and into the main aisle. “Dicky, that is quite enough! Settle down!”

The cat licked his chops, stalking toward her, his tail swishing in the air. Paige pressed her lips together into a thin line as she searched for a hiding spot.

She glanced up at the furry creature again and arched an eyebrow. “I bet you’d stop chasing me for your dish.”

The cat cocked his head at the word.

“Yes, that’s right,” Paige said, nodding as she backed away from him. “A nice big bowl of ocean white fish and tuna pate. Maybe even a few treats thrown in. But not if you keep scratching me and knocking me down!”

Paige wagged a finger in the air at the large cat while it stalked toward her. The cat offered a small meow. Paige winced at the deafening noise.

Dickens strode to the middle of the aisle and sat on his haunches, wrapping his tail around his front feet.

“Good boy, Dickens,” Paige said, adjusting her glasses as she smiled up at the enormous cat. “Dewey is going to have a lovely treat for you very soon.”

Paige’s heart rate began to return to normal as the cat licked his paw and raked it over his ear. With any luck, Dewey would be back with the countermeasure any minute, and this nightmare would be over.

Paige lifted her eyes to the cat while she waited before glancing over her shoulder in search of Dewey. As she returned her gaze to the front, something caught her eye.

The cat pounced, scooping her up in his cupped paw.

“AHHHHHHH!” Paige screamed as she rose in the air.

She clamped down on the large paw, hanging on to it for dear life.

“DEWEY!” she screeched. “HURRY!”

The distance between Paige and the floor grew as the cat raised his paw to his face. Her hair blew wildly when the cat sniffed at her.

“Dickens, put me down. Put me down!” Paige cried.

Dickens twisted his paw, dangling her over the floor. Paige clutched at his fur, desperately trying to hold on so she didn’t fall.

The world tumbled in front of her when the cat swiveled his paw upward again.

“Ohhhhh,” she said, her voice breaking as she struggled to cling to him.

Dickens lifted her to his face again, staring down at her with his eyes almost crossed.

She glanced over her shoulder at him as he opened his mouth. “No! Dickens, no! Do not bite me!”

The cat’s jaw unhinged farther. Two large fangs loomed over Paige. She squeezed her eyes closed as he lowered them toward her.

“Dickens!” Dewey called.

The cat froze, flicking his gaze at the main archive entrance.