by Lily Luchesi
A multi-author fantasy boxed set
Lily Luchesi * Margo Bond Collins * Maggie Alabaster *
Azaaa Davis * S.K. Gregory * Stephanie Barr * Corinne M. Knight *
Pepper Paris * Raquel Anne * Laurie Treacy * J. A. Belfield *
Jewel Cassidy * Angela Kulig * DJ Shaw * Nova Blake * Majanka Verstraete
The right of the individual authors is to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by them in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it was published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, items, characters, places and incidents are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
CONTENTS
A LITTLE TOO FAMILIAR
Nova Blake
BEGINNINGS
J.A. Belfield
WHEN ECHOES CALL
Raquel Anne
THE BEST WITCH IN TOWN
Stephanie Barr
BLOOD SACRIFICE
S. K. Gregory
OTHERWORLDLY
Corinne M. Knight
MOONLIGHT & MALICE
Margo Bond Collins
WILD MAGIC
Maggie Alabaster
MORGANA’S REVENGE
Lily Luchesi
WINTER INTENSIVE: MAVERICK REVEALED
Laurie Treacy
CROOKED CROWN
Angela Kulig
THE MARK OF THE RED GOD
Majanka Verstraete
SALEM’S WITCH
Pepper Paris
WEAPON AND WITCH
Jewel Cassidy
SUPERNATURALLY BLESSED
DJ Shaw
HISS, RATTLE, AND BITE
Azaaa Davis
A LITTLE TOO FAMILIAR
Nova Blake
About A Little Too Familiar
When random cats and kittens keep showing up at her window, Tori is sure that her ex-best friend has cursed her. Determined to break the curse and rid herself of the clowder of cats playing havoc with her allergies, this witch is on a mission.
When it came again, the plaintive meow was followed by a scrape of claws against glass. I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to unclench my jaw. I will not open the window. I will not open the window.
Scratch, scratch, scratch.
"Dammit!" I hissed, whipping back the curtain to reveal a small black cat perched on the fire escape, paws pressed against the window, eyes wide in plaintive appeal.
I was three floors up and yet they still managed to find me. No ward, no magical deterrent, and no mundane cat repellant would keep them from finding a way to my door.
Or window, in this instance.
Hell, I'd even gone so far as to layer several sections of steps with mouse traps, and that still hadn't put a stop to it.
"Bloody Greer," I snarled as I shoved the lock back and pushed the window open. She'd cursed me weeks ago and I still couldn't untangle the magic, it was beyond my ability to sense. But I would, and then there would be hell to pay. "Come on, but if you piss on my rug, I'm going to murder you and use your blood to conjure a feast for mice."
It jumped over the window sill, took a few steps, and then paused to lick its paw delicately.
Like it lived here.
I looked skyward and begged the goddess for some assistance. "Come on, surely this isn't fair." I felt the familiar itch, the tickle. Wrinkled my nose and pursed my lips, trying so hard not to give in. Because once I started to sneeze, it was all over.
"Greer," I spat the word out like a curse. Pay back would be a bitch. She could be sure of that. She knew I was allergic to cats, and yet every other goddamn night, there was a new one begging to get in. One that would not stop scratching and meowing and being pitiful and cute.
Because it wasn't that I hated cats. It was just that they made me so ill that by the time I got to twenty, I'd likely just keep over and die.
Which was what she wanted.
So, we couldn't let it get to that.
"Achoo!"
I let out a sigh and then promptly sneezed again. My nose was starting to drip and if I didn't get some more antihistamines in me soon, I was done for the night. I stepped over another cat, and then another, before I finally reached the bathroom door. I swung it open and then closed it quickly behind me before grabbing a pill box from the cupboard and swallowing one dry.
I let out a long breath and sagged against the sink, only then realizing that I could hear someone else in the room with me. I spun to see that the ginger tom was peeing in the goddamn bathtub.
"No! I got you some kitty litter. Just stop it!" I grabbed the shower head and sprayed cold water onto him. He hissed at me and leapt from the tub leaving wet paw prints behind him. I shook my head and hosed out the tub, giving it a quick spray with cleaner and a final rinse. I could have sworn I'd locked the door, but they seemed to find a way to get just about everywhere in the house.
The bedroom was my only safe space; and it was there that I retreated now. There was enough food to keep the clowder happy for the night, and that stinky poop I could smell was just going to have to wait until the morning. I couldn't face it right now.
I stepped around a couple of kittens that had curled up next to each other, tried to ignore the tattered fabric of the couch I'd only purchased a year ago, then twisted the key in my bedroom door and slipped inside. The lock gave a satisfying clunk when I turned the key, and I sank back against the door, pleased to have a little reprieve from the chaos.
My eyes were still watering and I sneezed again, dragging the sleeve of my top under my nose before I stripped it off and threw it into the hamper. There was never a way to be fully fur free these days, but the least I could do was to remove my clothing before going anywhere near my bed.
I'd fortified this room, stashing bottles of water and snack bars so that once I was in for the night I didn't have to leave again. With noise cancelling headphones to block the sound of the scratching at my door. Incessant.
My landlord was not going to be happy at the next inspection.
Hell. I wasn't happy now. And it wasn't like I could just call someone and say I'd been invaded by cats, please take them away.
Or could I?
I swiped my phone screen on and did a search, surely, I could just call one of those rescue places and get them taken away. Tell them I was some kind of cat hoarder and I couldn't cope anymore. But, how could I manage that without my landlord finding out? If he did then I was going to be out on the street and I couldn't afford for that to happen.
Damn you, Greer.
And over a stupid man, too. One I'd had no idea she was even into! It was hardly my fault Lucas been cute and available and danced like he was sex on legs. He had definitely not been worth losing my supposed best friend over, and yet here we were. She'd decided to get revenge on me by sending a horde of cats in my direction.
Death by dander.
I closed the browser on my phone and brought
up my messages.
I said I was sorry! Why are you doing this to me?
The dots popped up to show that she was typing back.
I'm not doing anything other than what you deserve.
I tried to call her, but just like every other time, she denied my attempt to actually talk to her, voice to voice. I flung the phone onto the mattress and shrieked in annoyance. A bang instantly came from the other side of the wall.
"Keep it down in there!"
I rolled my eyes and then debated whether to fake wild sex just to piss my neighbor off, but it wasn't worth it. Instead, I rolled over, dragging the pillow to cover my ears and drown out the faint meows from outside my door.
***
A rumble woke me up. A rumble on my chest.
What. The. Heck.
I opened my eyes to stare into twin limpid pools of green.
"No!" I said, picking up my blanket and shaking the small black cat down to the foot of the bed. It let out a little meow and then jumped onto the floor and started doing kitty yoga.
"How the hell did you get in here?" I demanded. Not that it would answer me. It was too busy stretching, completely ignoring my state of confusion. My nose tickled, but I wasn't sure whether that was because I'd been contaminated by the feline or because I'd started to feel like I was having a reaction every time one came near me.
Scrambling out of bed, I dragged on some fresh clothes and checked the door; locked. Windows; closed. I had no idea how this small creature had managed to wiggle its way into my room, let alone sleep on my bed without me being aware of its presence. It should have been impossible. I was so damn careful.
But it was here now, and I needed to get it gone. ASAP. And then I'd make some enquiries about rehoming unwanted cats before work. If I could find a way to get rid of even one it would be a good start. I nodded to myself and then grabbed yesterday’s tee, tossed it over the cat, scooped it up and headed for the door.
It wriggled a little, but then went quiet and still, in fact, it seemed to have snuggled against my arm. What the heck was going on here? I twisted the key in the lock with my free hand and yanked the door open just enough to slip out.
Thankfully no more cats were waiting immediately outside. I put the cat down on the couch, leaving the tee there, grabbed my bag and headed for the door.
After I'd locked the door I turned and came face to face with my landlord, a stocky older man with wiry white hair and beard making him look a little like Santa.
Crap.
"Mr. Abraham. How are you today? Did my rent not go through?" I swallowed hard and hoped that he couldn't see any fur on me. There was a strict no pets’ policy in this building and I couldn't risk being found out.
"No, your rent is fine, Tori. I was coming to see you about something else." He rubbed his broad hand across his chin, the whiskers of his beard bristling against it loudly.
"Okay..." I pushed my keys into my bag and slung it over my shoulder, hoping he would take the hint that I had places to be and get on with it.
"I've had some complaints." His voice lacked any emotion, and his face was expressionless.
"Really?" I raised an eyebrow and leaned back in surprise. Genuine, because I couldn't think about what I might have done to cause this.
Mr. Abraham shook his head. "Someone was using the fire escape and stood on some traps you have outside your apartment. Care to explain?"
"Rats!" I exclaimed hurriedly. "One got in when I'd left the window open a crack and I was just making sure that if they came again, they'd get caught. Doing everyone a favor really."
"And one of your neighbors said that he's heard strange sounds coming from your apartment. Yowls, and meowing?" He narrowed his eyes and glared at me. "You know this is a pet free building."
"I don't have any pets, I swear." I raised my hand in a scout's promise. And it wasn't a lie – they were not my pets. "I just..." How the hell was I going to explain my way out of this... "I've been having a hard time lately. Emotionally. And I, ahh, I watch a lot of cute cat clips to lift my mood. Sometimes the volume on the videos is unpredictable."
It was better than saying I was into some kind of furry fetish, I guessed. Or maybe not by the look on his face.
"You've been a good tenant, Tori. I'd hate to have to kick you out."
"I swear Mr. Abraham, I don't have any pets. I'm allergic to cats, and if there was a dog in there then you'd know all about it. I'm almost never home, it would bark." The words rushed out of me fast, but I could tell he wasn't sure whether to buy it or not.
"One week. One week and I inspect your apartment." He nodded firmly, and turned away, stomping down the hallway.
I let out a long sigh and slumped against my door. What was I going to do? I had one week to de-cat my apartment. One week to break whatever curse Greer had put on me and stop those felines from showing up and taking over my house.
Okay. I could do this. I had to do this. There was no other choice. I headed for the stairs and pounded down the three flights to the street. The day was warm, muggy, and I could tell that I was going to regret wearing long pants later on during my shift at the bar, but I'd just needed to get out and away from all those cats.
Especially the little black one that had somehow found its way into my room, onto my bed.
I shoved those green eyes from my mind and tried to focus on the task ahead. I needed a plan for getting rid of the cats without my landlord finding out I had them in the first place. And I needed to get Greer to stop sending them my way. If she wouldn't answer my calls, then I would just go over to her house and confront her in person. It was the only thing I could think of.
Glancing at my phone I realized she wouldn't be home just yet, so I'd need to worry about that later. Right now, I could find some shelters and ask them about the process of surrendering animals, or maybe if I said I had some nuisance cats in the alley behind the apartment block they would come and get them.
Surely, I could keep a few down there until someone came to collect them.
The nearest shelter was only a couple of blocks away, so I opted to walk, enjoying the fresh morning air and the freedom from cat hair. Of course, I was no doubt going to be walking into more hair and fur and noise.
Why was this happening to me? All I'd done was sleep with a hot guy who had picked me up at the bar. It wasn't fair.
I pushed through the entrance and was surprised to find a fresh, white foyer. There were a few exhausted staff working the counter; one looked like she was adopting out a dog, while the other seemed to be accepting a bird into their rescue. I glanced over the shelves of food and other pet needs, and then started reading notices on the corkboard while I waited for an employee to talk to.
Maybe I'd get lucky and one of the moggies in my house was lost. Why hadn't I thought to check that out before now?
Black and white male, tabby short haired female, ginger tom - bingo, that one had a home he could go back to at least. And maybe then he wouldn't pee in my bathtub anymore. I took a photo of that particular notice and shoved my phone back in my bag.
"Can I help you?" a young woman asked.
I turned towards her, noting that she seemed a little perkier than the other two women. Maybe she wasn't worn down by the job just yet. It must be so hard seeing the awful things humans did to animals.
"Hi, I just stopped in because there are a few strays hanging around the back of my apartment building. I was wondering whether you could come and take them away."
She was already shaking her head. "You need to call animal control for that. Are they getting into the trash? Hungry animals will do what they can to survive." She gave me a look like I was a terrible person for not having more compassion for their plight.
"No, I just..." I took a breath. I had to appeal to her savior side. "I hate seeing them out there like that. I'm allergic, or I'd take them in myself."
"Oh, well. That's so sad." She placed a hand on my arm, looking heartbroken for me. "Let me get you the num
ber. They'll probably end up here anyway, but we can't go and get them ourselves unless someone is mistreating them."
"Not as far as I know," I replied. Spraying a cat with a shower head didn't count as mistreatment did it? I was feeding them...
A few minutes later I was back out the door feeling like an awful person, but also like maybe this could work. If I returned the ginger tom to its owner, I'd only have to get the rest of them down the fire escape and keep them semi contained until animal control could pick them up.
Problem solved. Theoretically.
I had just enough time to go and get something filling for lunch before my shift started, and then it was all humans, no cats, for the rest of the night.
***
The music was pounding in the bar, a live band filling the place with bass and drums and guitar. The singer was a waspish looking woman whose voice had been gifted from the angels; I was half convinced she was threading magic into it because the audience were fixated.
Sadly, this meant not as many people were buying drinks the way they normally would, which meant less tips for me. My boss gestured me over an hour before the end of my shift and yelled so I could hear him over the music. "You can take off."
"What?" I asked, not because I hadn't heard, but because I didn't really want to be short an hour’s wage. It wasn't a lot to begin with.
"Go home," he yelled again. "I'll close up."
I gave him a pleading look and he shook his head with a laugh. "I'm not going to dock your pay."
I pressed my hands together in a praise be gesture and dumped my rag in the sink, hung up my apron, and heading through to the back to grab my bag. My ears rung in the relative quiet of the stock room and I heaved a sigh of relief. I couldn't wait to get home and get out of these clothes. Have a shower, brush my teeth. Fall asleep and not think about those damn cats. Though, they were on my mind now and so I grabbed an empty box from the back and took it with me out the rear door and into the alley.