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I choked down a laugh.“I’m sure it is. How much do they even understand?”

“While it’s true their vocabulary is limited, it’s never too early to begin training. Also I’m more than happy to lead by example. Watch and learn.” He turned back to his recruits and plopped his rear down before them, then lifted one paw to his forehead in salute and waited for the kittens to respond in kind.

“Are you ready for your next lesson?” he shouted.

“Daddy! Yes, Daddy!” they shouted.

Well, it seemed Nan and Paisley weren’t the only ones to go to boot camp today. There was entirely too much shouting going on.

“I call this one operative 037. Observe.” Octo-Cat came flying in my direction, suddenly pulling to a stop just before smashing headfirst into my legs.

I winced, expecting some kind of attack, but all he did was rub his head lovingly against me. A loud purr rumbled in his throat as he glanced back toward the line of kittens.

Aww, this was nice. He was teaching the babies how to be little love balls. I didn’t know he had it in him.

“Now you give it a try, cadets!” he shouted again, jarring my nerves.

The kittens trotted over and rubbed their heads and bodies against my feet and ankles, just as their instructor had done.

“Well done. Well done, indeed.” Octo-Cat took a brief moment to dote on them, then shifted back into business mode. “From here we’ll move straight into operative 038.”

Before I could ask what was next, Octo-Cat sank his front claws into my leg and climbed from the floor to my shoulder, using me as his ladder.

“Ahhhh!” I cried, but it did nothing to stop all five kittens from following suit.“I don’t like this!”

Octo-Cat ignored me as he jumped down onto the floor.“All right. Now disengage.”

“Daddy! Yes, Daddy!” One brave kitten leaped to the ground, but the others went back the way they’d come—down my poor, pained body.

“Why would you teach them that?” I moaned as I pushed myself flat against the closed door.

Octo-Cat studied his paw rather than looking at me.“We cats have to use any resources at our disposal.”

Ouch. Way to add insult to injury.“Is that all I am to you?A resource?”

“It’s notall you are, but it is part of it. Trust me, you’ll be glad I’ve trained them up. Just wait and see.”

“They aren’t staying,” I muttered as several pinpoints on my body pulsed with pain. Now I was even more determined to see the kittens safely off than Octo-Cat had been earlier that afternoon.

Had he planned it this way? The evil genius.

“Listen,” I continued, still pressed firmly against the door and eyeing my cat warily. “You’ve done a great job looking after them. Why don’t you take a little break?”

He scoffed and took a step closer.“And leave their education to you? I think not.”

Crud.Well, it was worth a try. If he insisted on turning the kittens into some kind of deranged domestic soldiers, I could at least make sure I wasn’t around for the next operative. The kittens had already lined back up and were awaiting further instruction when I crept out of the room and headed back downstairs.

I still couldn’t believe how quickly Octo-Cat had changed his tune about our litter of foundlings. We needed to find them homes and fast, before my ever-scheming cat used them to execute total world domination.

What? I wouldn’t put it past him.

Both Charles and Pringle would be back soon. Until then I would wait safely on the porch and scroll through my social media feeds to pass time.

It didn’t take long for someone to return, and that someone was Nan. She and Paisley looked wicked worn out, which was rare for them.

“How was class?” I asked as the two of them crept slowly up the porch steps.

“Painful.” Nan winced with each movement. “Now what are you doing out here?”

“Hiding from the cats,” I explained, although it embarrassed me somewhat.

My grandmother paused and shot me a worried look.“Cats? As in plural? Am I going senile already? I could have sworn we just had the one.”

I nodded.“It’s a long story. Come upstairs, and I’ll show you.”

Nan shook her head slowly.“I’m not sure I’m ready to tackle the big stairs just yet. It may take me a few hours. At least until these pulsing fireworks stop going off in my quads.”

“She did, like, a million squats,” the equally exhausted Chihuahua informed me. “But not once did she go potty.”

I chuckled at this.“Did you do squats, too?”

Paisley wagged her tail at my attention.“Nope. There was a big dog there, and we wrestled while the humans busted their booties.”

“Did you at least win?”

“Oh, yeah,” she barked happily. “That will teach that silly old Great Dane to underestimate me!”

Ha!Our sweet Paisley, always full of surprises.

Chapter Ten

Once inside, I helped Nan get settled on the couch. And with every gasp and groan that escaped her mouth, I thanked my lucky stars there hadn’t been an open spot for me in her new fitness class.

“You wait there,” I told her after fluffing a pillow behind her back. “I’ll go get the kittens.”

Paisley followed me up the stairs, whining slightly as she went.