The Magical Christmas Cat

by Lora Leigh

  relief. Ruby sounded okay, at least. "It's almost three in the morning," he said. "No one calls at three in the morning unless something is wrong."

  She breathed steadily, perhaps more deeply than was normal, but did not immediately respond. After a couple of minutes that dragged on too long, she said, "I have to know. How did you get this blasted cat into my house?"

  Zane threw off the covers and leapt from the bed, cordless phone in hand as he ran into his office, which was set up in the spare room across the hall from his bedroom. Sure enough, the figurine he'd left sitting on his desk was gone. He had studied it for quite some time before retiring, but he was positive he'd left it right there.

  Obviously, the cursed thing had found its way to Ruby's house. He couldn't tell her the truth. Not yet. She would never believe him, and he wouldn't be able to do what had to be done.

  "Well?" she prompted sharply.

  "I don't know what you're talking about," he said, forcing a yawn she was sure to hear.

  "The little cat knickknack that was left under the tree by my secret admirer," she said testily. "I let you have it to study, but when I woke up after having a bad dream, the thing was sitting on the table by my bed. Don't play dumb with me. You put it there, and I want to know how and why."

  "You changed your mind, don't you remember?" Zane said, trying to sound sympathetic. "I was going to study it. It's quite an interesting piece, and I think it might be jade, and there are small markings that I'd like to magnify and study."

  "I didn't change my mind," she said softly. "You took it home with you."

  "No, you kept it. If you've changed your mind I can pick it up tomorrow . . ."

  "I . . . brought it in with me?"

  Zane leaned against the doorjamb and took a deep breath. Guilt was an unaccustomed and uncomfortable feeling for him. He was usually unfailingly honest and forthright, but now was not the time. A lie that made Ruby question her sanity was better than the truth. "You did. Listen, are you all right? You don't sound like yourself. I can come over."

  "No," she said quickly. Too quickly. "I'm just tired, I guess, and the bad dream shook me more than it should've." She laughed uncomfortably. "And apparently my memory is starting to go."

  "Want to tell me about the dream?"

  "No," Ruby whispered. "I'm sorry I woke you. Good night." With that she ended the call. Zane walked to the front of the house without turning on a single light. There he pulled back the curtain to look across the street to Ruby Kincaid's yellow house. Every light in the house, every light he could see from this vantage point, was on. Living room, bedroom, dining room. The nightmare, and waking to find an object she knew had not been in her possession when she'd gone to sleep, had shaken her.

  "i'm sorry," he whispered to the well-lit house. "i wish i could make this go away." Unfortunately, it was much too late to make Ruby's troubles disappear.

  Chapter 3

  Five hours of sleep weren't enough for Ruby. She could get by on seven, but she loved to get eight good hours. When those five hours were followed by a rude awakening and a questioning of her sanity, it made for a bad day.

  Fortunately, many of the students who made up her clientele were home for the holidays, and business was slow. No businesswoman should hope for business to slack off, but she could use a break, so she was allowed! A couple of her part-time employees were also away and unable to work, but Marielle, the one who had been with her the longest—three full years, now—was still in town. Marielle was perfectly capable of running the front part of the shop, especially on a slow day like today.

  Ruby kept herself busy in the kitchen, only occasionally giving in to a yawn. She had lots of baking to keep her busy; in addition to the usual cookies, cakes, and pies, she had a special order for three pumpkin cheesecakes with cranberry glaze to fill.

  She glanced at the clock often. Usually the day flew by, and she was surprised when two o'clock came around. Today, she kept glancing at the big clock on the kitchen wall, wondering if two would ever arrive. She wanted to go home and take a nice, long nap.

  It was just past one thirty when Marielle, who wore a huge smile on her young and pretty face, stuck her head into the kitchen. "Oh my God," she whispered. "Professor Benedict is here to see you."

  Ruby's first thought was, "You're kidding, right?" But judging by the awestruck expression on Marielle's face, there was no joking involved.

  "I'm busy," Ruby said, returning her attention to her work. "Tell him to go away."

  Marielle's blue eyes went wide. "Come on. It's Professor Benedict, and he wants to talk to you."

  Ah, such youthful exuberance. The way she said "Benedict" was so filled with awe she might as well be whispering "Johnny Depp."

  "I heard you the first time," Ruby said. "If you think he's such a big deal, you talk to him."

  Marielle pursed her lips. "No wonder you don't have a social life."

  After the door closed, Ruby made a face at the cheesecake. "I could have a social life if I wanted one," she whispered.

  Too soon, the kitchen door swung open again. "He said if you don't come out he's coming back here, and he's not wearing a hairnet just to talk to a stubborn woman even if she is pretty and likely the best baker this side of the Mississippi."

  Ruby lifted her head and glared at Marielle. "Did he really say that?"

  "Yes!"

  She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. This was a complication she did not need, but she couldn't make herself brush Zane off again. "I'll be right out." After Marielle was gone, Ruby washed her hands and removed her chocolate-stained apron. She made sure she removed the hairnet before pushing against the door and leaving the kitchen that was her domain.

  "Everything here is filled with white flour and white sugar," she said, pinning her gaze on Zane. "You won't eat any of it."

  He lifted the disposable cup of coffee he cradled in his hands, then he smiled. Good Lord, he had a dimple! "I'm thinking of giving up my refined sugar and flour ban for the holidays. Your cookies have been a bad influence on me."

  Marielle had to step away to wait on a customer, a fact that obviously annoyed the curious woman to no end.

  Ruby stepped around the counter and moved closer to Zane. Like yesterday, like always, he was dressed in blue jeans and a loose-fitting T-shirt. The T-shirt was a dark, dull green, today. It was almost as if he purposely dressed so as not to call attention to himself. It didn't work. "You didn't come in here to buy cookies," she said in a lowered voice.

  "No. I still have a few left."

  "Just a few?"

  "I told you, those cookies have been a bad influence." He looked at her with expressive, dark eyes. "But no, I didn't come here to buy anything but a cup of coffee. I wanted to check on you, make sure you're okay."

  "I'm fine," she said.

  "You weren't fine this morning."

  "I'm sorry I called you in the middle of the night. I guess I freaked."

  He smiled again. "A little."

  "I think someone spiked the punch, and the liquor went straight to my head."

  "Don't tell Hester," Zane said, a hint of teasing in his soothing voice. "She'll surely hunt down the cretin who dared to spike her Christmas punch."

  She was losing her mind. Other than that one small detail, her life was nicely settled. She had a routine that suited her, and when she'd told Zane last night that she was not looking for a man, she hadn't been exaggerating. Romance meant drama, and she didn't want any drama in her life at the moment. Maybe her life was boring, but she liked boring. It was easy. No one got hurt.

  The expression on Zane's face changed. The easy humor disappeared. "What are you doing for dinner?" he asked, taking her by surprise.

  "What?" Ah, the snappy comeback.

  "Dinner. I thought we could eat. Together. Food," he added when she remained silent.

  Ruby gathered her courage and said, "I'm kinda tired. I didn't sleep well last night."

  Again, that smile and the dimpl
e. "I know."

  "Sorry."

  "We still have to eat, and I won't stay late," he said. "Promise."

  Stay? His invitation to eat was supposed to mean dinner at her house? Boy, did he have a lot to learn about wooing women. That was what he was attempting to do, right? She hadn't been wooed in a long time. She'd gotten really good at shutting down even the simplest advance long before it got to the wooing stage.

  "I'm a lousy cook," she said. "I can bake sinfully sweet and decadent treats you'll never eat, but I can't cook a meal to save my life."

  "I'm a good cook, but my stove's on the fritz. I'll bring the food if you'll provide the stove, pots, plates, and silverware."

  "And dessert," she said, not sure she wanted to agree to his invitation until the words were out of her mouth. She still wasn't looking for a relationship, but she realized as she looked ahead that she didn't want to be alone. Not tonight.

  This was a very bad idea. He wasn't supposed to get involved with the woman, he was simply to watch and wait. But he wanted to get a look at the layout of her house, and he really wanted another look at 77 Colletore Di Anima. The Soul Collector.

  There were those who called the dark spirit that lived within the innocuous-looking statuette II Gatto Nero, the Black Cat, but the Brotherhood of Madani preferred a more fitting name. Soul Collector was definitely fitting.

  Once upon a time the thing had had a name, he supposed, but as far as Zane or any of the Brotherhood knew, that name had been lost sometime in the past three thousand years or so—give or take a century. If the information that had been gathered by the Brotherhood during those centuries was correct, Ruby's would be the last soul II Colletore claimed. She would be the ninth, and once her soul had been taken the demon would live again. It would live for more than the few hours it normally enjoyed after taking a soul. The dark thing would walk the earth, immortal and indestructible and bringing an unimaginable darkness to an unprepared world. He couldn't allow that to happen.

  Zane wished he could convince himself that he was wrong and it was coincidence that someone had given Ruby a cat knickknack, but the fact that the jade statue had made its way from his house to hers on its own made that theory impossible to swallow. Someone in this neighborhood—someone who was aligned with The Order of Runhura, no doubt—had left the cat under the tree for Ruby, specifically. The jade piece had transported itself to Ruby's bedside table. No, he could not even wish to be wrong.

  The Brotherhood that was dedicated to stopping the darkness and the Order that worshipped the demon had both existed since sometime long before a Brotherhood wizard had cursed II Colletore to be captured in stone. Three thousand years of sacrifice, of training, of secret warfare, and it all came down to this place, this time, and this woman.

  Zane watched as Ruby set the places at the small, round kitchen table. She had a formal dining room, but had chosen to set out their plates here, in the warm, yellow kitchen. Maybe she was afraid eating in the dining room would make this feel like a date, and dating was definitely not on her list of things to do. The kitchen was for neighbors and friends, and he could fit comfortably into that category.

  This would be so much easier if he didn't like her. Emotions were only going to get in the way, before all was said and done. Still, while II Colletore wasn't human, Zane most definitely was. He felt that humanity now more than ever. Ruby tried to be tough, but she radiated a very feminine vulnerability that had crept beneath his skin and aroused his most primitive protective instincts. He was also attracted to her sexually, which was ludicrous given the circumstances but undeniable and growing stronger with every passing moment. It wasn't as though his attraction was new. In months past he had thought about how he might live his life after this final crisis had passed. If the demon they fought rose elsewhere in the world and was stopped, then Zane would be free to ask his neighbor on a date. His life was so centered on the Brotherhood, he could not even remember the last time he'd had a real date, a real relationship. There had never been time for such indulgences.

  He should've already called in the Brotherhood. There were agents posted in at least twenty sites around the world; there were men like him watching over vortexes where II Colletore Di Anima might rise, one last time. As soon as they knew where the event was to take place, they could converge and see that the final collection did not happen, not here and now. Defeated, II Gatto Nero would be forced to return to the jade and wait another two hundred and eighty-seven years before trying again to rise, and at that time the demon would be someone else's problem.

  If the Brotherhood could keep the statue in their possession, perhaps they could find a way to destroy the demon before that time passed.

  All possible scenarios had been studied and discussed, and Zane was well aware of the most favored scenario. The Brotherhood would find the next victim. Ruby. They would watch over her closely, just as he was doing now. A group of well-trained warriors would wait for the demon to rise, and they would kill the intended victim, robbing her of her life and robbing the collector of the soul he required to take form. By that time it would be too late for the collector and those who served it to choose another victim, to appear in the heart of another vortex in another town or another country. The time for the taking of a soul was very precise and inflexible. There would be no second chances for the demon, not if the timing was right.

  It was a coldhearted but workable plan. Unfortunately, Zane liked Ruby. He liked her a lot. For the first time since joining the Brotherhood and dedicating himself to the destruction of II Colletore, he was having serious second thoughts. There had to be another way.

  The demon would rise on one of the three nights when the moon was at its fullest. It was impossible to know which one. In any case, Zane had a matter of days to find an alternative.

  Dinner was simple. He didn't want to scare her off with anything too unfamiliar, so he made chicken teriyaki with pineapple salsa and brown rice. Zane actually enjoyed cooking. The simplicity of the task took his mind to a quieter place. Usually. Tonight his mind would not rest. There was no quiet place within him.

  He filled their plates at the stove, then carried them to the table where two tall glasses of ice water sat on cheerful Christmas place mats, along with matching cloth napkins and good silverware.

  "Looks good," Ruby said as she took her seat. "And healthy."

  "It is." Zane sat, after she was settled. Since the table had been pushed into one corner, there were only two spaces available, and they were side by side. "Do you have something against eating healthy food?" He forced his voice to be light, almost teasing. He even managed a smile.

  "As long as it's in moderation," she responded. And then she took her first bite. The look on her face was one of surprise. "Oh, this is good," she said after she'd swallowed.

  "You sound so surprised."

  "Don't get me wrong, it's not exactly an English toffee cheesecake, but it's very tasty."

  They managed to eat and talk, and the conversation was very nice. Even though he could and did on occasion cook, Zane was accustomed to eating alone, whether he grabbed something quick or made a full meal. He couldn't even count the number of meals he'd eaten mindlessly while reading a book or working on charts or doing research on the Internet. This was nice, and made him wish the circumstances were different.

  They were almost finished with the meal when the doorbell rang. He couldn't help but note how the sound of the bell made Ruby jump out of her skin. She was skittish, as if she instinctively realized something was wrong.

  She stood and headed for the front door, and Zane followed. Someone in this neighborhood had given Ruby the jade cat. Someone in this neighborhood was aligned with the Order of Runhura and offering her up to II Colletore Di Anima. That someone would not take kindly to a disruption in her routine, and Zane intended to be a disruption.

  Todd stood on Ruby's porch, his tie-dyed T-shirt not quite enough to keep out the December chill, not even here in Alabama, where the winters
were mild. He hunkered in slightly and rubbed at his arms to ward off the chill, as he looked past Ruby's shoulder. The man was obviously surprised to see Zane standing there, making himself at home in Ruby's house. Usually friendly eyes hardened, for a moment.

  "I didn't know you had company," Todd said.

  "Yeah," Ruby said. "What can I do for you, Todd?"

  "I won a drawing for a free dinner at Captain Ron's Seafood, and I thought you might like to join me." He waved a piece of paper that was clutched in his meaty hand.

  "That's very nice, but I've already eaten," Ruby said kindly.

  Zane wondered if Todd's interest was normal and sexual or abnormal and deadly. It was impossible to tell. He had been the one to deliver the anonymous present at the party yesterday, and he did seem to hang around Ruby's house more than he should, but that didn't mean he was in league with the demon. It only meant he was a creep.

  "Tomorrow, maybe." Todd grimaced. "It expires on Wednesday, so I need to use it soon."

  "I really . . ." Ruby began.

  "We're busy tomorrow," Zane said, stepping forward and placing his arm around Ruby's shoulder. It was a pose that said, very clearly, mine. His eyes communicated the same, as they met Todd's. "You're going to have to find someone else to take to dinner."

  Todd grimaced. His nose twitched, and he rubbed his hands along his meaty arms. "Do I smell coffee? It sure is cold out here."

  Ruby was just about to invite the creep in when Zane reached past her to grab the doorknob. "Good night, Todd," he said as he swung the door closed. And locked it.

  "That was rude," Ruby said, tilting her head back to look up at him.

  "You're welcome. Now, tell me why you jumped out of your skin when the doorbell rang."

  Ruby felt silly telling Zane that a dream had made her jumpy, but he did teach psychology, so maybe he could shed some light on the meaning of the vivid nightmare. All day she'd expected the dream to fade, as they usually did, but this one had stayed with her. If anything, it had grown more vivid in her mind, more real.

  They'd cleared off the kitchen table, and she'd placed her contribution to the meal in the center of the table. Dessert tonight was Death by Chocolate Cake, her best seller at the shop, and a pot of freshly brewed decaf. Zane was eyeing the cake as if it might come to life and bite him.

  "There are only two of us."

  "You can take some leftovers home, if you can get past the fact that it's not at all healthy." She cut him a huge slice and put it on one of Aunt Mildred's favorite Christmas dessert plates, then cut herself a smaller piece. He poked at the cake with his fork as if he still expected an attack.

  "Tell me about the dream that spooked you," he said, eyes on the cake.

  Ruby took a bite to delay. She chewed slowly. Maybe if she told the dream aloud, it would sound silly and she could laugh and dismiss it and tonight she'd sleep well. She began, and as she told the dream it did not sound silly at all. By the time she was finished, she had chills all over again. She'd never sleep tonight!

  Zane didn't make fun of her or make light of the dream, but instead listened intently. He didn't so much as take a taste of the cake, so when she was finished with the telling—the last bit being the sight of a fathomless black face sucking the very breath out of her—she reached for his fork and cut off a big piece that had moist cake, chocolate chips, white chocolate chunks, and thick frosting. When she led the fork to his mouth, he automatically parted his lips, and she slipped the cake inside.

  Zane closed his lips, and an expression of sheer ecstasy flashed across his face. "Good God," he said, taking the fork from her and cutting off another bite, then taking a swig of hot coffee. "This is decadently delicious."

  He was always so surprised when her treats tasted good. "Didn't your mother bake?"

  "No. She did on occasion buy the generic brand lemon cookies or Twinkies, but I never developed a taste for either."

  "Bless your heart," she said sincerely. He literally didn't know what he was missing!

  He shrugged. "Your dream," he said, changing the subject. "It's quite interesting. Did you write down the details?"

  "No."

  "You should. Do so tonight before you go to bed," he instructed. "And if you have any more dreams like that, write them down as well."

  "I hope there are no more dreams like that one, not ever again." She shuddered and sipped at her decaf, wondering if she'd sleep at all tonight.

  "Dreams often have meanings we must take time to decipher. Yours was definitely unusual. I want to hear immediately if there are more like it."

  "I'll call you at three in the morning again," she said, trying for a lighthearted tone.

  "Do," he said seriously. "Anytime."

  "So," she said, pushing a half-full cup of coffee back. "In your expert opinion, what do dreams like that one mean?"

  "Expert?" he asked, taking one more bite of the cake before setting it aside, as she had her coffee.

  "You teach psychology, right?"

  For a moment he looked confused, then chagrined. "No. I teach parapsychology."

  "Parapsychology," she repeated.

  "It's the study of phenomena which have not yet been explained by conventional science. You know," he said when she did not respond. "Extrasensory perception, clairvoyance and clairaudience, telepathy, psychometry, remote viewing, precognition."

  Ruby felt deflated. Shit. Zane Benedict was good-looking and smart and sexy, and she had really enjoyed his company tonight. She was even beginning to forgive his insistence on eating healthy and shunning her favorite food groups. Too bad he was a flake.

  Zane knew this look. He'd seen it many times in his lifetime. It wasn't as bad for him as it had been for his father. These days there were a greater number of people willing to admit that there was more to life than what could be seen and explained in a rational fashion. Of course there were skeptics. He should've known Ruby was one of them. "You're not a believer."

  "In woowoo stuff?" she asked. "No."

  Woowoo was one of his least-favorite words. "I could try to convince you, but I suspect we don't have enough time for that, not tonight."

  "Nope. I'd be a hard sell." She did smile a little, which assured him that while she was not a believer, she wasn't afraid of him, either. Sadly, she would be a believer before all was said and done, but by then it would be too late.

  Shortly after that awkward moment, he said good night and accepted a huge piece of chocolate cake she insisted he carry home. Death by Chocolate, she called it. Normally, he might find that an amusing name for a dessert, but at the moment there was nothing at all amusing about death.