by Molly Fitz
“It looks like something out of a fairytale,” I said, instantly falling in love with the quaint magical city.
“This area was settled during peak popularity of the Brothers Grimm. Everyone wanted the German village look, and Nocturna was no different,” she explained with obvious pride.
“Where is everybody?” I asked.
“Just waking up, no doubt. Remember, we cats tend to keep evening hours,” Luna reminded me, and of course she was right.
“Follow me,” Merlin commanded, and Luna and I both fell into step beside him. He led us to what appeared to be a covered wagon, although it had nothing hooked up to pull it.
“We need a reading,” Merlin shouted from outside.
A moment later, a flame point Siamese popped its head out from the wagon. Its eyes grew wide as it caught sight of Merlin. “And what will you be offering in trade?”
“Anything but lightning,” Merlin responded, standing tall as he waited.
“How about a rainstorm?” the Siamese asked greedily.
“Done,” Merlin answered with a nod.
“Excellent. Now let’s see what we have here.”
Luna guided me toward the wagon. “Go on, sit down.”
“But doesn’t Merlin have to pay first?” I whispered to her.
“They have a spoken contract bound by magic,” she explained. “Don’t worry, everything will be taken care of.”
“Is this going to hurt?” I asked the flame point who’d popped up beside me on the bench seat.
He scoffed. “I’m insulted. What kind of blood witch do you take me for?”
I fell silent, preferring not to discuss how badly Dash had hurt me when she took my blood. The Siamese blood witch moved to my lap, then held his paw to my neck. I felt nothing, but when he pulled away, blood tipped each of his claws, shimmering in the night sky.
He stared down at his paw with wide eyes. “Well, I’ll be.”
“What? What is it?” Merlin demanded, sounding even more nervous than I felt.
“This is your familiar?” the blood witch asked, glancing from his paw to me and then back again.
“Yes, she is. Is everything okay?”
“More than okay!” the Siamese crooned, as if hysterically happy. “Her blood is especially powerful. She’s a descendant of the original dutiful familiar.”
“Arthur?” Luna asked with a gasp.
“King Arthur, the Great Merlin’s true companion,” the Siamese verified.
“And you’re descended from Merlin?” I asked him, recalling the story he’d told me when we first spoke.
My cat nodded but continued to stare blankly ahead.
“What does this mean?” I asked weakly, still unsure of how to take the news.
“It means that you have the most powerful bond of any witch and familiar living today,” Luna supplied in a hushed whisper.
“No wonder we bonded so fast,” Merlin murmured.
“We already knew about the bond,” I pointed out.
“Yes,” the Siamese said. “But keep it a carefully guarded secret, for there will be many who wish to separate you.”
I nodded dumbly, terrified of what I’d just learned.
Dash already knew…
And she’d definitely be back.
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You already know that Gracie and Merlin’s magical adventures are far from over. Ready to fight out what happens next?
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What’s Next?
It was hard enough serving as my witchy cat’s familiar when we only had to deal with threats we could see. Now he’s gotten himself into a bitter feud with a newly dispatched ghost, leaving me to wonder… How in the heck are we supposed to defeat this thing?
I miss the simple days when all I had to worry about was finishing my thesis paper and not getting fired from my part-time job as a barista.
And, yeah, even though I didn’t choose the magic life, it sure as heck chose me. Now all I have to do is to keep myself alive long enough to appreciate some of the perks.
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MERLIN FIGHTS A GHOST is now available.
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Sneak Peek of MERLIN FIGHTS A GHOST
Hello, I’m Gracie Springs. I used to be a pretty normal girl, until about a week ago. You see, my boss got murdered by magic, and an evil witch and her accomplice tried to frame me for it.
As it turns out, I’m descended from King Arthur. I’ve also been chosen to serve as my witchy cat’s familiar. I used to call him Fluffy, but now I know he much prefers to go by Merlin. He has a famous lineage, too. He’s descended from the original Merlin.
No, not the human imposter everyone thinks they know. The real wizard, who just so happened to be a cat.
Because of our intertwined ancestry, Merlin and I have an almost unbreakable bond. Almost.
The bad guy got away last time, but we both know she’ll be back with a new plan to steal Merlin’s magic from him for good.
While all this is going on, I also have to keep up the appearances of a normal life by working my part-time job as a barista at Harold’s House of Coffee. The shop is in the process of being remodeled, thanks to the very ambitious goals of Harold’s predecessor, his long-lost daughter, Kelley.
Also, I am very close to completing my master’s degree in Sociology. I just have to finish my thesis, and then I can find work in my field rather than forever working as a part-time bean-slinger.
Lately, I’m plenty busy with getting the hang of my new role as a familiar. Both Merlin and his new girlfriend are more than happy to grill me at all hours of the day and night.
I need to be ready for when the next attack happens, and make no mistake, we all know it’s coming soon.
I bet my grandma never would have guessed what was in store for me when she gifted me her small-town Georgia home and retired to the Florida Keys. She certainly didn’t know that a certain magical Maine Coon had already been scoping her out to work as her familiar, or that he’d later choose me in her place.
Honestly, even though my life has taken a turn for the crazy, I wouldn’t have it any other way. I love Merlin, and I love our adventures together, no matter how much they frighten the frijoles out of me.
I can’t cast magic, but that doesn’t mean I’m not important in the fight against the wicked illusion witch who has set our sights on us.
This time when she finds us again, I’ll be ready to take her down.
An unholy shriek woke me from a dead sleep.
Meeeeeeeeeeeh!
I darted upright in bed and grabbed my cell phone to serve as a flashlight. “Who’s there?” I demanded.
But was only answered by Merlin, thumping down the hardwood floor in the hallway.
Meeeeeeeeeh! the shriek sounded again, and this time I realized it was Luna crying her heart out.
And so it went. Shriek, scamper. Shriek, scamper. Until at last I made my way into the hall and found them both staring at the far corner of the ceiling with their ears pressed back against their little kitty heads.
“What’s going on?” I asked, knowing full well both of them were capable of more than just uncivilized meows.
“Gh-gh-gh-ghost,” Merlin said, then took another sprint down the short hallway.
I glanced up to the spot where Luna still had her large unblinking eyes fixed… and saw absolutely nothing.
“What do you see?” I asked her. Generally, she was the more logical of the two—or at least the one more likely to open up to me.
“I can’t see anything,” she whispered wit
hout removing her gaze from the ceiling. “But there’s an energy that’s forming. It’s not wholly in our world yet, but it will be soon.”
“So you see a pre-ghost?” I summarized.
“Something like that.”
“But how can you tell? You’re not magical anymore,” I reminded her.
Luna couldn’t stifle the hiss that escaped her. “I may not be a witch, but I am still a cat. Magical or not, we can all see into the supernatural realm.”
“Like Nocturna?” I asked, referring to the magical nighttime city that was only accessible to magical creatures at the twilight hour.
Merlin growled and began to kick up his hind legs.
“Oh, no, you don’t!” I cried, reaching down to pluck him into my arms. “No tornadoes inside the house.”
He growled in dismay until I set him back down.
“We must get rid of it before it takes its full form,” Luna told me as she worried her bottom lip with her top fangs.
“The fact that it’s here so soon in its after-life journey is a very bad sign,” Merlin revealed, and when I looked down at him he had arched his back and puffed up to maximum volume.
I grabbed him into my arms again. “Definitely no lightning inside the house!”
“Then what should we do?” Luna asked with a gasp.
“Let me make some coffee,” I said, admitting defeat at last. It was clear that neither cat would let me go to bed until I found a way to bust this newborn ghost… or at least to send it off to haunt some place far, far away from here.
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MERLIN FIGHTS A GHOST is now available.
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CLICK HERE to get your copy so that you can keep reading this series today!
More Molly
ABOUT MOLLY FITZ
While USA Today bestselling author Molly Fitz can't technically talk to animals, she and her doggie best friend, Sky Princess, have deep and very animated conversations as they navigate their days. Add to that, five more dogs, a snarky feline, comedian husband, and diva daughter, and you can pretty much imagine how life looks at the Casa de Fitz.
Molly lives in a house on a high hill in the Michigan woods and occasionally ventures out for good food, great coffee, or to meet new animal friends.
Writing her quirky, cozy animal mysteries is pretty much a dream come true, but sometimes she also goes by the names Melissa Storm and Mila Riggs and writes a very different kind of story.
Learn more, grab the free app, or sign up for her newsletter at www.MollyMysteries.com!
PET WHISPERER P.I.
Angie Russo just partnered up with Blueberry Bay’s first ever talking cat detective. Along with his ragtag gang of human and animal helpers, Octo-Cat is determined to save the day… so long as it doesn’t interfere with his schedule. Start with book 1, Kitty Confidential.
PARANORMAL TEMP AGENCY
Tawny Bigford’s simple life takes a turn for the magical when she stumbles upon her landlady’s murder and is recruited by a talking black cat named Fluffikins to take over the deceased’s role as the official Town Witch for Beech Grove, Georgia. Start with book 1, Witch for Hire.
MERLIN THE MAGICAL FLUFF
Gracie Springs is not a witch… but her cat is. Now she must help to keep his secret or risk spending the rest of her life in some magical prison. Too bad trouble seems to find them at every turn! Start with book 1, Merlin the Magical Fluff.
THE MEOWING MEDIUM
Mags McAllister lives a simple life making candles for tourists in historic Larkhaven, Georgia. But when a cat with mismatched eyes enters her life, she finds herself with the ability to see into the realm of spirits… Now the ghosts of people long dead have started coming to her for help solving their cold cases. Start with book 1, Secrets of the Specter.
THE PAINT-SLINGING SLEUTH
Following a freak electrical storm, Lisa Lewis’s vibrant paintings of fairytale creatures have started coming to life. Unfortunately, only she can see and communicate with them. And when her mentor turns up dead, this aspiring artist must turn amateur sleuth to clear her name and save the day with only these “pigments” of her imagination to help her. Start with book 1, My Colorful Conundrum.
SPECIAL COLLECTIONS
Black Cat Crossing
Pet Whisperer P.I. Books 1-3
Pet Whisperer P.I. Books 4-6
Pet Whisperer P.I. Books 7-9
Pet Whisperer P.I. Books 10-12
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More Peach Plains Paranormal
We hope you enjoyed your visit to the paranormal world of Peach Plains. It’s a rural region of Southern Georgia where magic is real, and mysteries abound. If you loved this book, make sure to check out its sister series from other talented authors…
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