by C C Sommerly
“It’s come to my notice that you need some help with your social status.”
“Excuse me?”
“You need status. You lack it. I won’t have people thinking I consort with lowlies. And, you seem to be predisposed to finding danger. This is yours?”
“What is?”
The woman made no sense. And I really wanted her gone. I’d offer her my kidney if she’d leave quickly.
She dropped the leash and I took a careful step back. There was nothing between me and the dog. The Devil Dog fixed me with his killing stare. Oh this is really, really bad. Someone needed to come check on me. The lazy jerks were still sleeping.
“Take it.”
“No.”
“Muffin is yours.”
Julia made an ornate pattern in the air with her hands and chanted low words that I couldn’t make out. “I’ve keyed him to you. There’s no taking him back unless you know how to undo what I’ve done.”
She glided away like a queen with her head high and shoulder back. And the queen had bequeathed a peasant with a gift. Lovely.
The dog and I stared at each other. I thought I saw flames flickering in his eyes. I’d never even been responsible for anything living, not even plant. What was I going to do with a dog, which was much more work than a plant?
26
Lochlan had been gone for a week now. No word, no nothing since we rescued the people from the kidnapers. My magic was a fierce and wild thing. Seeing it eat into those people still made my stomach churn and would probably give me nightmares for years.
“Marty.”
My back stiffened at the sound of his voice. It sounded so good to hear it and that just pissed me off more. He disappeared yet again and after what happened in the swamp. He left me with the enforcers. One minute he was with me and the next, he was just gone.
“Suck it.”
I held up my hand to stop whatever bullshit was about to spill out of his mouth.
“Don’t even. There’s nothing you can say to make this right.” Fixing a glare his way, “I’d say you were dead to me, but I have respect for the dead.”
I left him with his mouth flapping open. Before I reached the door, Callie said from the couch, “Don’t you think that was a bit harsh even for you.”
“He deserves no less for the way he treated me. Why should I have anything to do with him?”
“I think you’re being too hard on him,” she said.
“I’m out of here. Take his side, but I won’t change my mind.”
I just barely restrained myself from slamming the door. As I got to Betty, I noticed something. Under the windshield wiper was a note.
“Traitor,” I said to car. “Since when do you let people close to you?”
Not that I expected an answer. I reached for the folded note and my heart skipped a beat and my stomach clenched as I read it.
“Rayne Martin. I can no longer ignore the problem you present or the danger you represent. I am remedying that immediately. Expect to see a delegate at your residence first thing in the morning. Since you refuse to register with the guild, this is the only compromise I will make. Should you refuse, I will have the enforcers bring you in. I cannot have an untrained, rogue mage on my hands. Because we both know it’s not if, but when your magic escapes again. And, I won’t have the destruction of this city on my hands when that happens. Sincerely, Laurence Danes, Guild Master.”
Things really couldn’t get worse. Something wet hit my leg. I looked down to see Muffin peeing on me.
“What the Hell!? What is wrong with you?”
I headed back into the house. My wet pants were sticking to my legs. This was ridiculous. Who gets peed on by their own dog? Guess she didn’t want to be with me any more than I wanted to be with her.
“We’re both stuck in this, got me? Keep it up and I’ll lock you up in a cage.”
Muffin growled.
“Glad to see we understand each other.”
As I got closer to the house, Muffin started growling again. She pulled hard enough on the leash that she was throwing me off balance. What was up with the dog now? If I didn’t get better footing, I’d be without an arm. Something had the dog in a complete tizzy. I had half a mind to let her go.
A man came out from the side of the building, shadows swirled around him. He looked at me, but I couldn’t make out his features, only the darkness surrounding him.
“Nice seeing you again, Poppet.”
The voice sent chills down my back. The monster was back and he was coming for me.
The End
Also By The Author
The Hybrids Series
The Hidden – Book 1 (available now)
The Betrayed – Book 2 (available now)
The Controlled – Book 3 (available now)
The Embattled – Book 4 (available on preorder)
Croft and Sterling Paranormal PI Agency
Magic Lies – Book 2 (available on preorder)
TBD – Book 3 (winter 2021)
About the Author
CC has been known to trip on a perfectly smooth surface, burn herself when cooking and has an unhealthy attachment to coffee. As with her everyday life, she likes to bring a sense of unexpected to her stories, blurring the lines between good and evil with genre-bending fiction.
CC is a Marine veteran, who was born and raised in Redding, California. Currently, she lives in Virginia with her kids, cats and a crazy Doberman. When CC isn’t writing, she can be found doing photography, reading, and enjoying the outdoors.