When Sophie had first come to New Orleans, she’d wanted nothing more than to meet all the magical beings who called the Big Easy home. She’d created a fantasy world in her mind, but she’d neglected to consider the dangers that might come with a realm inhabited by creatures with otherworldly powers. That the things going bump in the night weren’t always headboards and uglies.
All her life, she’d known she was different. Beyond her affinity for animals and the teasing she’d endured because of it, she’d never felt like she quite fit in anywhere. The fact she never lived in one place more than two years at a time growing up added to it, but deep down, she’d never known anyone she really clicked with besides Jane.
Discovering her grandmother’s grimoire gave her hope that she could meet others like herself, and New Orleans was—so she thought—the perfect place to find them. Meeting Crimson, she finally felt like she was on her way in.
Then, she’d met a werewolf like she wanted, one with a seductive grin and hot enough to melt her panties off, and now his pack wanted her dead. Talk about bad luck.
At least she was getting a date out of it. She’d been fully prepared to stay mad at Trace for what he’d done, but all he had to do was look at her with concern in his dark honey eyes, and her will crumbled. He was kind, sweet, funny, and hotter than molten lava. She didn’t want a werewolf. She wanted Trace.
It was possible—God, how she wanted it to be true—that he was the man from the palm reader’s prediction, the one who would make her innermost dreams come true. He obviously fit into her grandmother’s prophecy, so why not? Even when she’d consciously tried to be mad at him, their flirtatious banter always drew her in, and she found herself enjoying his company, even when he thought she was a criminal.
Once she talked to Jane, it would all get worked out. They’d find Trace’s missing friend and figure out what was going on with the curse. Hell, while they were at it, Crimson would help Sophie unlock her powers, and she’d become a real witch. A member of the coven. She’d find her place in the supernatural world and have a hot werewolf by her side while she did it. Talk about her innermost dream coming true.
She finished her afternoon round and delivered all the clients back to their homes. With thirty minutes to spare before her final round of the day, she plopped onto a bench in Louis Armstrong Park and gazed out over the pond as she rotated her ankles, working the soreness out of her calves. It was time she invested in a new pair of walking shoes.
Her phone buzzed, and she dug it from her bag to find Crimson’s name lighting up the screen. She pressed the device to her ear. “Hey Crim, are we still on for tonight? I have a gajillion questions for you.”
“I need your help.” The sound of drawers opening and closing followed her voice.
“Sure. What do you need?”
“My mom fell and broke her collarbone. I need to fly out to Florida to help my dad with her.” More shuffling noises sounded through the receiver.
“Oh, no. Is she going to be okay?”
“Probably, but…can you watch the cat while I’m gone? I hate to put this burden on you, but you’re the only one I trust to do it.”
“Of course. No problem. Do you want me to stop by and feed him twice a day?”
“Actually, can you take him to your apartment? I don’t trust him in my place alone. He’s been through a lot.”
“Sure. Yeah, I can take him home with me.”
“Great. I’m leaving a key under the doormat.” A suitcase zipped shut, and footsteps on a wooden floor echoed through the line.
“That’s not a safe place to leave a key.”
“You’re the only one who will be able to find it. I enchanted it.”
“Oh, wow.” Her shoulders slumped. Just when she thought she was finally going to get some answers, her only hope had to go to Florida. “How long do you think you’ll be gone?”
“A few days, tops. And we’re still going to talk when I get back, but…this cat is different. He’s a familiar, so he’s much, much smarter than your average feline.”
She mentally added getting information about familiars to her laundry list of questions. “Okay. Is there anything else I need to know? Does he have any magical powers of his own? Is that why you don’t want to leave him alone?”
“No, he won’t cast spells or anything, but don’t try to feed him cat food. He only eats regular people food, so just make a plate for him when you’re eating.”
“Interesting. Where should I keep his litter box?”
“He uses the toilet.”
She laughed. Sure he did. “Does he flush too?”
“Of course. If you turn the water on, he’ll wash his paws.”
Sophie paused, expecting her friend to laugh, but she sounded as serious as could be. “You’re kidding.”
“When I get back, we’re going to talk, and this will all make sense. I promise.”
“I was going to argue that it wouldn’t, but with the amount of weird I’ve seen the past few months, it’ll probably make perfect sense. I hope it will, anyway.”
“It will. And it’s important that the cat stays inside at all times. He can’t come into contact with any supes outside your apartment, okay?”
“Got it. I’ll keep him indoors and away from people. Anything else?”
“I’ve been analyzing your magic from the hair you gave me.”
Sophie rubbed her head to chase away the phantom stinging sensation. “You mean the hair you yanked from my scalp?”
“If you want to be dramatic, sure.”
She laughed. “Drama is my middle name. So, what did you find out? Am I really the chosen one who’s supposed to be ruler of all witches?”
“Now, that would be something,” Crimson said. “I discovered that your inborn gift is animal communication, like I suspected, so if the cat says anything to you—”
Sophie scoffed. “Animals don’t talk to me.”
“This isn’t an ordinary animal.”
“Right. A familiar. You’re going to have to explain exactly what that means.”
“When I get back. I’m heading out the door now, and I’ll call you later to check in. Thank you so much for doing this. I owe you one.”
Sophie ended the call and made her way toward her first canine client’s home, a little thrill of excitement washing away the disappointment of not getting her questions answered tonight. She was going to cat-sit a witch’s familiar, and if that wasn’t the coolest thing ever, she didn’t know what was.
Not only that, but Crimson said Sophie was the only one she trusted to do it. Surely she had other friends she could have called, but she’d chosen her. Sophie was one step closer to securing a spot in the coven, finding a place where she belonged.
She finished her final round of dog-walking and hurried up the stairs, past her own apartment, to the third floor. Lifting the mat, she found the key where Crimson said it would be. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. No sparkles exploded from the rug when she moved it. The key didn’t glow or feel any temperature other than what a normal key that had been sitting under a doormat for hours would feel. Bummer.
With a shrug, she unlocked the door and slipped inside her friend’s apartment. Flipping on the lights, she gasped as the overhead lamps illuminated a studio filled with canvases painted in rich hues. Most were landscapes and local landmarks, but a few portraits sat among the array. An easel near the window held an unfinished painting of a man with light brown skin, dark hair, and intense chocolate eyes. He was striking, and the details were so lifelike, it could have been mistaken for a photograph if it were finished.
When Sophie stepped toward the canvas to get a closer look, the cat leapt down from a windowsill, landing in front of the painting and pinning her with an intense yellow-eyed gaze. He meowed, regarding her as if sizing her up, determining whether or not she was a threat.
“Hey, handsome. Remember me? My name’s Sophie.” She dropped to her knees and held out a hand. “Crimson asked me to
look after you while she’s away.”
The cat slinked toward her, sniffing her hand before darting under the couch.
“Oh, jeez. You probably smell all those dogs, don’t you? Let me wash my hands.” She glanced at a clock as she stepped into the kitchen. Jane would be waking up soon. With her hands cleaned, she dried them on a dishtowel and returned to the loft area. The cat peered at her from beneath the sofa.
Lying on her stomach, she reached toward him. “You’re going to stay with me for a few days. Come on out, little guy.”
He swatted a paw at her hand, his claws scraping across her skin.
“Ouch.” She jerked her hand away and rose to her feet, flustered. Sure, the cat was a familiar, but he was still an animal, right? “Listen, buddy. You’re coming home with me, and we can do it the easy way or the hard way. Don’t make me flip this couch over.”
Her phone buzzed with a call from Jane. “Hey, girl.” Jane yawned. “I haven’t even had my morning O neg. What’s the problem?”
She reached for the cat again, and it scrambled deeper beneath the couch. “Ugh, this stupid cat won’t come when I call it.”
Jane laughed. “A beast you can’t tame? Are you sure it’s really a cat?”
“It’s a familiar. I’m not sure what that means, but it’s smarter than a normal cat.” She dropped onto the sofa and rubbed her forehead. “Anyway, can you come over? So much happened today, I don’t even know where to begin. I saw Trace this afternoon. I think he finally believes I didn’t hurt his friend, but now there’s a problem with his pack. I just… Can you come over?”
“I’ll be there in twenty.”
“Thanks, Jane. You’re the best.” As she pressed end, the cat jumped onto the cushion next to her, cocking its head and looking at her quizzically.
Sophie sighed. “I’ve got a lot on my plate right now, including a hotter-than-Hades werewolf I can’t get off my mind, whose pack might want to kill me for something I’m not even capable of doing. For the love of all that is supernatural in this world, will you please come home with me?”
She held out her arms, and the cat slinked toward her, allowing her to scoop him up and carry him out the door. Hallelujah.
She took him to her apartment and set him on the floor. He immediately darted to the kitchen and pawed at the fridge door.
“I’ll heat something up for dinner later. Do you want a snack in the meantime?” She opened the refrigerator, and the cat touched the deli drawer with a paw. “All I’ve got is some ham that’s about to expire. Will that work?” She put what was left of the lunchmeat on a paper plate and laid it on the floor.
The cat jumped into a chair, resting his front paws on the table and blinking at her.
“Oh, you like to eat at the table, do you?” She shook her head and put the plate in front of him. “You use the toilet. You eat human food at the table. If you’re really a cat shifter, you can turn into a man and stop playing games. I’ve got enough to deal with right now.”
The cat paused from eating, briefly narrowing his eyes at her before returning to the food.
Ten minutes later, Jane arrived, looking fabulous as always. Her vampire complexion, though pale, was as perfect as porcelain, and her shiny brown hair flowed over her shoulders like it belonged on a supermodel.
In the early months after Jane was turned, Sophie had considered asking her friend to bring her into the world of the undead, but drinking blood and sleeping all day wasn’t the slightest bit appealing. Plus, the whole being mostly dead thing made their skin clammy like a corpse. She couldn’t imagine climbing into bed with a cadaver, much less getting naked with one. She shuddered.
“Are you okay?” Jane touched a frigid hand to her arm, not improving her thoughts.
“I honestly don’t know. I—”
The cat crept into the room, freezing as it spotted Jane and arching its back to let out a wicked hiss. Jane smirked, tilting her head in amusement before hissing right back at the cat. With a whiney meow, he jumped onto Sophie’s shoulder, digging his claws through her shirt and into her skin as he began a stare down with a vampire.
“It’s okay. This is Jane. She’s my friend.” Sophie pried the cat from her shoulder and set him on the couch. “You’re getting good at hissing,” she said to Jane. “You sounded just like him.”
“Thanks. I’ve been practicing. It’s incredibly satisfying to let one rip when someone’s annoying me.”
“I can imagine.” Sophie turned to the cat and let out a puny human-sounding hiss. He responded by curling into a ball and tucking his paws beneath him.
“Best to leave the hissing to the professionals.” Jane sank into a recliner. “So, spill. What’s the problem, and how can I help?”
“Remember Crimson, the woman who owns the coffee shop downstairs?”
“The one you think might be a witch? We ought to go up and knock on her door, so I can confirm that theory for you.”
“No need. I talked to her about it this morning, and she is a witch.” She leaned back on the sofa. “Turns out, I’m one too.”
Jane’s mouth dropped open. “Seriously? But the spells don’t work. What the…? How…?”
“It’s a long story, and that’s not the biggest issue. The problem is Trace.”
“Your sexy werewolf.” She wiggled her eyebrows.
Sophie nodded. “I think I’ve convinced him I’m innocent, but his pack wants me dead.” She explained everything she learned today. “So the only way to make them believe I didn’t do it is to either find Jackson or find the witch who cursed them. Do you think you can help me?”
The cat crawled into Sophie’s lap, placing its front paws on her chest. “Oh, now you want to be my friend? I suppose you feel sorry for me?” She stroked his soft fur, and he purred.
“Wow.” Jane crossed her legs, lacing her fingers together on her knee. “The pack doesn’t know about your sprouting fur issue? Has that happened again?”
“No, thank goodness. It only happened once. They don’t even know Trace bit me. If they knew, I’d be dead by now. He’s keeping it a secret to protect me. He’s going against pack orders to keep me safe.” The cat sat on his haunches, flicking his tail as he watched her intently.
Jane grinned. “Well, isn’t that the most romantic thing I’ve ever heard? You’ve got the hottest werewolf in New Orleans risking his status in the pack, maybe even risking his life for you. What’s his plan if you do turn? Will you run away together? If you do, you can’t go too far. I’d miss the hell out of you.”
She stared at her hands folded in her lap. “I haven’t told Trace about the fur either.”
“Why not?”
Heat flushed her cheeks. “It’s embarrassing.”
“Maybe to you, but I bet it’s not to him. His entire body sprouts fur. You having a couple of patches isn’t going to faze him.”
She lifted her gaze to Jane’s. “What am I going to do?”
“You’re going to celebrate. I’ll work my vampire magic and find the missing werewolf.” She held up a hand as Sophie started to protest. “Seriously, don’t doubt me. I will be discreet, and I will find out what happened to him. In the meantime, you’re going to go on that date, fuck his brains out, and then show him you are everything he’s ever wanted in a woman.”
She shook her head. “Jane…”
“Think about it. You’ve met a witch who’s willing to help you. You have actual magic inside you that I bet she can help you unlock, and you’ve caught the eye of one helluva sexy werewolf who’s willing to put his life on the line for you. All your dreams are coming true.”
“Assuming his pack doesn’t kill me.”
Jane waved her hand dismissively. “They won’t, and if they try, they’ll have to get through me, Ethan, and Gaston to get to you. I’ve got another forty-nine years before I can be on the vampire council, but I’ve got the Magistrate’s ear. Nothing is going to happen to you. You’re going to be a badass witch with a werewolf boyfriend by the end
of the week.”
The cat curled onto her lap, closing his eyes contentedly. Her BFF said exactly the words Sophie wanted to hear, and it was easy to get swept away by her optimism. If everything worked out that way, her dreams would come true, but now that she’d had all evening to think about it…
“I have a feeling it’s not going to be that easy.”
“You’ve got this. I know you do.” Jane’s smile was reassuring, and as her words sank in, Sophie’s chest warmed.
There was nothing wrong with optimism. “Thanks, babe. This is why you’re my BFF.”
“I know. Now, I’ve got to get out and find dinner before I shrivel up and die again. Are you going to be okay here alone?”
“I’m not alone. I’ve got Crimson’s familiar.”
After Jane left, Sophie showered and then found the cat curled up in her bed. There went her idea of breaking out Big Blue while she finished the fantasy she’d just had about Trace. “I guess you won’t take up too much room.” She picked him up, and, moving him to the side, she climbed under the covers.
Her phone buzzed on the nightstand, and her heart kicked into a sprint when she saw Trace’s name lighting up the screen. Clearing her throat, she took a deep breath, trying not to sound too excited. “Hello?”
“Hey, Sophie. I hope it’s not too late to call.” His deep, velvety voice flowed through her ears like honey.
“It’s okay. I was just thinking about you.” Dripping wet in the hot shower, he was all she’d thought of.
“You, uh… You were?” Why did the man sound surprised? He was an Earth-bound sex god.
She bit her lip. Shit. He apparently didn’t call because he was thinking about her. “Yeah. I talked to Jane, and she’s going to help find out what happened to your friend.”
“Oh.” Was that disappointment she detected in his tone? “Great. Are you still willing to help? I thought of something you could do.”
“You’d be amazed at all the things I can do.” She pressed her lips into a line. Could she not have one conversation with this man without sounding like a nymphomaniac?
His deep chuckle resonated in her soul. “We’re still on for Saturday night, right? I’m looking forward to being amazed.”
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