by Susan Hayes
Breeze got to her feet, her eyes wide, cheeks pale. “Snuffy? Oh my Goddess. Snuffy! I do remember you!”
“Good. Now let me in.” There was a scrabbling at the door. “Why is this door locked? Is that oversexed seal Shifter putting the moves on you? Get your flippers off my witch, you smooth-talking Scottish bastard!”
“Charming creature. You sure it’s yours?” Connell unlocked the door and opened it.
“Not sure, no,” Breeze admitted. “But I think so.”
A tubby ball of fuzzy indignation tumbled inside and hopped to its feet, chattering furiously. It was a raccoon, though Connell had never seen one quite that…round, before. “Holy Goddess, it is you! Fear not, your beloved familiar, Snuffy Wuffles the Turd is here to make everything better.”
The raccoon shot Connell a dirty look and flashed his fangs a little. “Back off, lover boy, she’s my responsibility, not yours.”
He was tempted to punt the fluffy fucker all the way to the water’s edge. Only that would be irrational and totally uncalled for, because Breeze was a grown woman who wasn’t anyone’s responsibility. Not Snuffy’s and definitely not his. Not even a little bit.
Instead of practicing his football skills, Connell raised his hands and backed away. “All good, your turdiness. She’s fine. We were just having a bit of tea to warm her up before she went on her way.”
He looked over at Breeze. “Snuffy Wuffles the Turd is really your familiar?”
She nodded. “He is. I named him myself. I uh… had a lisp when I was little.”
The raccoon waddled over to her and wrapped its forearms around her leg. “Goddess, I’m glad you’re back.”
She looked down at the raccoon and smiled again. “I think I am, too.”
Connell just watched and tried to convince himself he wasn’t jealous of a fucking furball… If he repeated it often enough, maybe he’d start to believe it.
Chapter Five
Breeze had long ago convinced herself that Snuffy was a figment of her imagination. Like everything else about her early years, he’d been nothing but a vague memory that continued to fade as she aged. The witches and warlocks at the orphanage told her she had no familiar, and she’d believed them.
Now, she was left wondering if they’d told her the truth about anything. Not that they’d said much. Nearly every question she asked had been met with the same answer. “Sorry, child. That information isn’t in your file.”
But Snuffy wasn’t imaginary. He was real, and he was her familiar. Holy Goddess, she had a familiar!
Snuffy climbed into her arms with a smug little sigh. “I missed you.”
“You’ve been here all this time? Why didn’t you contact me? You’re my familiar, you can do that, right?”
“Normally, yeah. But Baba Yaga must have put some serious magical mojo into whatever spell she cast on you, because I couldn’t find you anywhere. So, I did what she said. I stayed here, looked after things, and waited for you to come back.” He patted her cheek with one soft little paw, and she instinctively reached up to swat his free paw away from her pendant just as he grabbed at it.
“No shiny,” she said automatically.
He made an odd little sound somewhere been a churring purr and a laugh. “You really do remember.”
“That you’re enthralled by anything shiny and used to steal everything from mom’s earrings to the cutlery on the table? Yeah, I remember.” It was like the fog had lifted from her memories, at least, the ones about her familiar. She could remember someone putting a lock on the cutlery drawer while Snuffy wailed in protest, but she couldn’t make out any details other than the raccoon and the spoon he was fighting to keep.
“Wait. Your familiar is a cutlery thief?” Connell pointed to the kitchen. “Is that why I’ve slowly run out of spoons over the last week?”
Snuffy snuggled deeper into her arms and murmured, “They were shiny. So shiny.”
“Uh-huh. I’m taking that as a yes, and I’m telling Gertie where they went, because I’m not paying for them out of my damage deposit.”
“I’ll see to it they’re returned,” Breeze said. “Right, Snuffy?”
The raccoon sighed. “If I have to.”
“Cleaned,” Connell stated.
“Of course. I might not have a lot of magic, but I can do that.”
Snuffy chittered again. “What do you mean, you don’t have a lot of magic?” He grasped her shirt and leaned back to stare up at her. “You have plenty of magic.”
“No, I don’t. Never have.” And this was why she preferred to live around humans. It was easier to appear to be like everyone else than to spend every day being treated with pity or contempt because she was a second-rate witch.
“What did our illustrious-but-wackadoodle high witch do to you? Of course you have magic. You don’t get chosen to protect one of the world’s strongest magical sources if you don’t have the means to kick some tail.”
Connell folded his arms across his chest, which did fascinating things to his physique, things that made her heart race and her body temperature soar. It took her a second to snap out of her trance and refocus on what Snuffy had said.
“Say that again?” Connell asked a half-second before she could make the same request.
“My Breeze is a magical badass, so don’t you get any ideas, you seagoing seducer of women, or she’ll fry your flippers.”
Connell’s full lips curved up into a smile so sexy it could probably melt the panties off a saint at fifty paces. “Noted, but that’s not the bit I’m interested in at the moment. What was that you said about this place being a magical source?”
“Exactly that. This place is full of magic.” Snuffy waved his paws around. “Shifters, fairies, dryads, witches… we’re here because the magic drew us to this place. It’s special, and it needs to be protected.”
“And I’m the one who’s supposed to protect it?” Breeze asked. That couldn’t be right. She didn’t have that kind of power.
“Well, yeah. You really don’t remember learning about this? Your mom told you the story of Wyrding Way and the witches who protect it all the time when you were little.” Snuffy patted her cheek again. “Once you say hello to everyone, we’ll go home. Maybe that will help you remember.”
“That’s a good idea.” Connell slipped something out of his back pocket and handed it to her. “My cell number is on the card. Call me tomorrow morning so we can get together and I’ll fill you in on what I know. Maybe by then, you’ll know more, too.”
She took the card. It was dark blue with a curling wave logo in one corner. His name and number were done in bold white lettering. There was nothing else on it. No business name, no address.
“Why do you need to talk to him?” Snuffy demanded.
She slipped the card into her purse. “Because I think he’s supposed to help me do this protecting job, and right now, I could use all the help I can get.”
“Pfft. You don’t need the beach bum. You got me.”
She patted him on the head, absently scratching behind his ears until he uttered a blissful sigh and went limp in her arms. “You ready to introduce me to the others?”
“You got it. Though most of them know you already. You just let me do the talking, okay?”
“Okay.” It was the first time she could remember having someone to lean on. She had to admit, it was kind of nice.
She felt even nicer when Connell took her hand, kissed it, and then released it with a wink and a smile. “It’s been a pleasure, lass. Call me.”
She managed to keep her composure as his eyes bored into hers, and for a moment she was tempted to step up and kiss him. Goddess, what was wrong with her? And why did he smell like chocolate, woodsmoke, and freshly baked cookies? Was she losing her mind?
She was experiencing life at an alarmingly high rate of what-the-fucks an hour. It was possible her mind had cracked somewhere along the line and this was all a hallucination. “I’ll call you.”
He opened t
he door and stood back, letting her step out on her own, though she noticed he stayed in the doorway, a quiet presence that helped boost her confidence.
The sunshine dazzled her eyes after the comfortable dimness of Connell’s cottage, and before she could make out much more than the fact there were a lot of folks standing around, Snuffy started to speak, managing to project his voice quite well given his size.
“Hey, everyone! Nice to see you. Gertie, you look especially lovely, today. Olivander, the squirrels got you out of bed for this?”
“They were so loud I hoo-hoo-had to get up to see what the ruckus was about.” A silver-haired man with huge eyes smiled up at her. “Hello, my dear. It’s good too-hoo see you, again.”
Everyone called out greetings in an overwhelming outpouring of welcome that had her blinking back tears.
“Tell them!” She hissed softly. “Tell them I don’t remember, or I’m going to start crying.”
“Right. Sorry. Hey. Everyone quiet. Hey, I said quiet!” Her familiar’s voice wasn’t a match for all the questions flying at her, so the comments continued, getting louder every second.
A sharp whistle tore through the air from behind her. “Quiet! I know you all have questions, but you’re not going to get any answers until you let Breeze speak.”
She turned to give Connell a grateful smile. He just nodded and flicked her a quick thumbs-up.
Snuffy looked up at her, and then out at the crowd. “As you can see, Breeze has come back. But she isn’t all the way back. Not yet.”
There was a confused murmur from the group. “What does that mean?” someone called out.
Breeze finally found her voice. “It means I don’t remember this place, or any of you. I’m sorry. I didn’t remember anything about this place until I arrived, but now I remember Snuffy, and the bakery, so I think my memories are coming back. I just… I need a little time.”
A woman with an Amazonian build and a mane of brown hair lightly streaked with grey stepped forward. “You don’t remember us, but we know who you are, Breeze Blackstone, and where you belong. You’re one of us. Always have been, always will be.”
“Thank you. That means a lot.” A name came to her out of the fog of her past, along with a flash of sticky lips and the taste of cherry cola. “Gertie?”
The big woman beamed. “See? You know us. You just give it a bit of time and it’ll all come back to you. I’m Gertie, and this is my husband, Axel and my boy, Greg.”
Two massive men with dark hair and shoulders as broad as a boulder nodded in greeting.
“And cherry soda? Why do I remember that?”
There was a riff of laughter from around the group.
“Because that’s your favourite flavour of Grizz Fizz, just like your mom, Goddess bless her memory. That’s my family’s business, keeps most of the town employed and out of trouble.”
As Breeze looked out, she picked out more faces that seemed familiar, along with names and fragments of memories, but it was all too jumbled to make sense of, yet. Along with the memories came a sense of belonging so strong it made her want to cry. Why hadn’t she been allowed to remember any of this? Was Snuffy right? Had someone messed with her memories with magic? The idea gave her the willies. Poking around in someone else’s head was risky. Bad things happened sometimes, like permanent amnesia and cranial explosions.
The meeting with the town’s residents went well. There were greetings and smiles, a few gentle pats on the back and handshakes, but everyone seemed to understand she needed time and space. It wasn’t long before they started back to town in twos and threes. She’d set Snuffy down during all the greetings, and he stood at her feet like a rotund, fuzzy gargoyle, watching everyone and feeding her names and details about folks as they approached her.
An elegant woman with tawny hair and a regal air approached her last. “I’m Eleanor. I run the bakery in town. I’m not surprised you remembered it first. I swear you used to press your face up to the glass on the cupcake display so often you left a permanent impression. If you’re up for it, I’d like to host a welcome home party for you tomorrow night. Nothing fancy, just some food and drinks at the Watering Hole, the local pub. You still like cupcakes?”
“Love them. And that sounds nice. Thank you. What do you need me to bring?”
Eleanor waved a graceful hand. “Not a thing. I’ll talk to the Warrington brothers this afternoon and arrange things. They bought the pub a few years ago and fixed it up. You’ll like them.” Her smile widened a little. “And those boys will definitely like you.”
Breeze didn’t have a chance to answer before Connell appeared at her side, his big hand settling on the small of her back. The warmth of his touch was comforting, and she leaned into him instinctively, craving more of that connection.
“Feeding her to the wolves already, Eleanor?”
“They’re good boys.” The baker fixed Connell with a hard look. “Local boys.”
“Local, okay. Good? That’s stretching the truth thinner than marmite on toast. How about you leave off playing matchmaker until Breeze has had a chance to settle in?”
Eleanor quirked a brow at him. “I see. Very well, no matchmaking for now.” She leaned in and gave Breeze a light hug and a kiss on the cheek. “Do you still like chocolate fudge with peppermint frosting?”
“Yes, I do. Very much.”
“Then I’ll make sure there are plenty at the party tomorrow night.”
“Thank you, Eleanor. That’s really nice of you. Are you sure there’s nothing I can do?”
The other woman nodded and dropped her voice to a worried whisper. “Stay. We need you. This place is starting to unravel, and all the cupcakes and community support in the world can’t protect us from what’s coming. We need your magic.”
She turned and left before Breeze could ask any questions, but her stomach churned at the idea of her protecting anyone with the magic at her command.
Snuffy chittered in annoyance. “Yeesh, those elk are always so dramatic. Things aren’t so bad. Sure, there’s a nip of black magic in the air these days, and someone’s trying to poison the well, so to speak. But we’ve managed alright, and now that you’re back, things will get better.”
“Poison the well? Black magic?” Her voice rose with every word. “I’m going to need details.”
“We’ll go home. I can explain there.” Snuffy eyed Connell suspiciously. “Away from eavesdroppers.”
“Seriously, fuzzball? It’s not eavesdropping if I’m standing right here. Still, I think you’ve got enough to deal with today, Breeze. Call me in the morning, and we’ll talk then.”
“I will.”
Snuffy grunted in disapproval. “You don’t need him, Breeze. You got me!”
“If I’m really responsible for protecting this place, then I’m not turning down help from anyone.”
“Wise decision.” Connell nodded to her, turned, and walked back to his cottage, giving her an eye-popping view of his broad shoulders and an ass that was the definition of perfection.
“I thought seals were chubby, cute things,” she muttered as she fought to tear her eyes off his backside.
Snuffy snorted. “He’s no seal. He’s an aquatic gigolo who probably has fish breath. Tell me you didn’t cry before he showed up.”
“Technically? No.”
“Technically?”
“I was trying to wash the pixie dust out of my eyes before I went into anaphylactic shock. So, there were tears, and I was in the water, but it wasn’t on purpose.”
Her familiar groaned. “You summoned him. Well, that explains why he’s hanging around. He’s going to keep trying until the spell wears off.”
“You think so?” That stung. Was that all she was to Connell, a magical compulsion that would wear off soon?
“I’m not a selkie expert, but why else would he be sticking around? He’s not even local. He’s here to enjoy a little surfing vacation before heading back to whatever his version of reality looks like. Guys
like him come and go all the time.”
“Surf? Here? I thought surfing was a tropical thing.”
“Best cold-water surfing in the world is right on this stretch of beach, or so I’m told. I prefer forests, myself.”
“I’m not used to either of those things. Not anymore. I was sent to an orphanage in Winnipeg. No oceans, forests, or mountains in sight. Just flat land and a whole lot of snow in the winter.”
“Then why did you stay away so long?”
“Because I didn’t know I had anything to come back to.” She scratched behind his ears again. “Or anyone.”
“I was here. Waiting.”
“I’m sorry. I hate that you were left here alone. I don’t understand why Baba Yaga did this to me. If she’s the one that did this. Maybe I just have normal amnesia?”
Snuffy hugged her leg. “We’ll figure it out. I think I know why she might have done this to you, but that’s a conversation we should have inside. Can you teleport us home?”
Home. She closed her eyes and tried to conjure up a vision of the place she’d grown up, and to her surprise, she could. The log cabin set back among the trees, the gleam of sunshine on the windows, the sound of the waves lapping at the rocks along the shoreline. She saw it all with perfect clarity, the memory as fresh as if she’d been there just a few hours ago.
“You’re right. It’s time to go home.”
Chapter Six
Breeze tapped her leg and Snuffy scampered up it just like he’d done when she was a girl. He had a longer climb now, but it still felt familiar.
When he was cradled in the crook of her arm, she called to her magic, letting the blue sparks swirl around her, and summoned the image of home again. There was a soft hum, a popping sound, and then they were standing outside a two-story log cabin with a porch that ran across the front of the house, complete with a swing and planter boxes full of brightly coloured petunias and other spring flowers.
“How did you keep the flowers alive? And the grass mowed? I don’t understand. Everything looks exactly the same!”