by R. E. Butler
“Got him,” he said, smiling as he surveyed the information.
He rose to his feet as the interior door opened. Venice walked through first, followed by Hadlee carrying her cat familiar and Kinsley carrying a brown cat in one arm and a black kitten in the other, and finally Delaney, with her turtle familiar in his travel habitat.
He hugged her, burying his face in her neck. “I’m glad you’re okay.”
“Me, too.” She leaned back and kissed him.
He looked toward Kinsley. “Is this the little troublemaker?”
“Yep, this is Flora,” Kinsley said, putting the kitten on the floor. She prowled around the room, nose to the carpet.
“She was at Cassian’s?” he asked, gesturing to the couch and matching side chairs. Delaney sat next to Brody on the couch, putting Mimo on the table. The others took their seats.
“Yep. Cassian was out working on his boat,” Venice said, leaning back in the chair. “He said he knew something was up because the kitten ran up to him and hid under the boat. He apparently recognized that she was a familiar and was about to contact the rescue when we showed up.”
“Anyone know why he’s so grumpy?” Kinsley asked, petting her cat.
“Without going into too much detail about his history, since it’s not my story to tell,” Brody said, “he was kicked out of his tribe for not going through with an arranged marriage. I get the feeling that mermen don’t do that well without being with their own kind. He’d have to start his own tribe to feel complete, but he can’t do that when every merperson in his tribe considers him dead.” Brody and Cassian weren’t super close, but because they’d both been cast out by their people, they had a common history and were friendly with each other.
“Wow, that’s harsh,” Delaney said. “If he got married he could start his own tribe with his family, though.”
“I think that’s what he’s hoping for,” Brody said. And he could fully relate to that. He missed being part of a coven. While he liked Sable Cove and the people there, he didn’t have any real family. The only way to get that would be to marry and have children. Which he very much wanted to do.
With Delaney.
Pushing his thoughts aside before his body reacted to them—too late!—he cleared his throat. “I found out some information on the warlock. While your familiar rescue is pretty unique in the States, there are some covens that will foster familiars until they’re claimed by a new master. I did a broad search for a man claiming a stolen familiar and found a report from a police station in New York filed by a coven. They’d fostered a kitten, and he showed up at the head of the coven’s home and demanded to see it. She refused because she got a bad vibe from him, so he returned the next night and broke into the house. The kitten, however, was orange with white stripes, so he left the kitten and disappeared.” He pulled up the information on his phone and handed it to Delaney. “It’s the same guy.”
“I think we were lucky he didn’t try to beat us up,” Delaney said. She handed the phone to Kinsley. “Venice helped with that.”
Venice flexed, looking like a peacock. “I’m glad I could help.”
Brody rolled his eyes at his friend. “Anyway, it’s obvious this guy is bad news and wants this kitten for some reason. We need to figure out why.”
“How do you suggest we do that?” Hadlee asked.
“Can one of you do a compulsion spell or something to force him to talk?”
The girls exchanged looks. Delaney spoke first. “We could, but we’d have to capture and subdue him before he had a chance to protect himself. And the spell would have to be exceptionally powerful considering how much power he has.”
“We need Mother Gibson,” Hadlee said. “With all four of us, we could form the Corners, bind him, and compel him. It won’t be easy.”
“What do you need?” Venice asked.
While the girls laid out a plan and contacted Mother Gibson, who agreed to meet them at the rescue at sunset, Brody asked Delaney to join him in the kitchen to grab drinks and snacks. She followed him, and he turned and faced her in the privacy of his kitchen.
“How are you doing?” he asked. They stood about a foot apart, but he could pick up her sweet scent easily. She smelled like wildflowers and sunshine.
“Okay, considering.”
“Considering the crazy warlock after the kitten?”
She smiled as she set her little turtle familiar on the counter next to her. “Yeah.”
“What’s the point of familiars, anyway? Do they just help with spells?” he asked.
“They’re more than just helpful with spells. When they align themselves to a witch or warlock, they become protective. They’re intuitive for danger and can sense when someone can’t be trusted. Mimo’s been my constant companion since I was sixteen. I was so happy when he chose me. He even saved my life.”
She told him about a lightning strike that nearly took her out, if not for Mimo’s intervention.
He studied the turtle and put his hand out to him. Mimo moved his head slowly in front of Brody’s fingers and then opened his mouth. Brody was fairly certain he was going to bite him, and he was tempted to move his fingers out of harm’s way since turtle bites could sting something fierce, but instead he held steady. Mimo let out a little grunt instead and bumped his snout against Brody’s middle finger.
A tingle shot up his finger that felt a little bit like electricity.
Delaney gasped, her brows raised.
Brody rubbed the turtle’s head gently with his finger and smiled when the turtle hummed.
“Something wrong?” he asked Delaney.
“I, uh, no. He’s just... he doesn’t let non-magical people touch him.”
“Well, I’m special.”
Her eyes rolled. “And egotistical.”
“Well, the great ones usually are.”
She looked thoughtful. “I think he must recognize that we’re mates.”
He rubbed Mimo’s head. “Intuitive little dude.”
She beamed at Brody and then kissed him. It was just the sweetest, barest brush of her lips against his, but it rocked him to the core.
He opened a cabinet, pulling out a box of cranberry almond cookies that he liked to have with soft cheese and fresh fruit when he was feeling peckish.
She grabbed the box with a gasp. “I love these!”
“You do?”
“I had a pack of them on a flight to Orlando once. I couldn’t stop thinking of them after I got off the flight, and I called the airline and asked for the brand name. I look for them all the time, but I can only find them at the holiday shop in Ventneer occasionally. Where did you get them?”
Her voice was so earnest and her eyes so wide with curiosity that he decided he’d buy stock in the company and fill a warehouse just for her. “I’ll happily share my source after everything is settled with the warlock. In the meantime, you can have the whole box.”
“You’re the best.”
He moved to the fridge and pulled out a wedge of semi-soft cheese and a bowl of grapes and strawberries, and set them on the counter. They worked together in silence, creating a platter of crackers, fruit, and cheese, which he carried into the family room while she brought out a pitcher of iced tea and glasses.
“You know what?” Kinsley said as she reached for the glass of iced tea that Delaney handed her.
“What?” Brody asked.
“I really thought you guys didn’t eat food. I thought it was just blood all the time.”
“A common misconception. I have a storage freezer of bagged blood which I drink once a week and I supplement my diet with regular food.”
“Is there a blood substitute?” Hadlee asked.
“No,” he said. “It would be nice if there were, and I’ve heard there are covens working on synthetic blood, but eventually our nature wins out and we crave the real thing.”
Delaney swiped a stack of crackers and nibbled on one, giving a piece to Mimo who perched on her knee. “I think
we’re all learning about each other, and it’s about time.”
Brody agreed one hundred percent.
“So what’s the plan now?” Kinsley asked.
“The most important thing is keeping Flora safe and figuring out why the warlock wants her,” Delaney said.
Well, Brody thought keeping Delaney safe was the most important thing in the world, but since she was taking care of the kitten, then keeping Flora safe would keep Delaney safe. “Thoughts?” Brody asked.
Hadlee took a bite of strawberry and chewed thoughtfully, looking at Flora who was curled up at Kinsley’s feet asleep. “I think she’s special—either she’s extra-strength magical like that gecko my Uncle Thaddeus had, or there’s something about her that the warlock needs.”
“Gecko?” Venice asked.
Hadlee nodded. “His familiar was a gecko that liked to stick his tongue out at people when they annoyed him. He was really cute. But he was also the most powerful familiar I’d ever seen. When he helped Thad do spells, they were super amped up and powerful.”
“Where are they? We could use their help,” Venice said.
“They died in a coup. One coven wanted the land his coven had claimed, and there was a war. A few of the warlocks in the other coven had tapped into dark magic. When a warlock or witch goes dark, they lose the ability to have a familiar. Familiars are always good. If a warlock taps into dark magic and they have a familiar, the familiar will break their bond and disappear.”
Brody hummed. “Do you think Flora might have belonged to this warlock before he tapped into dark magic?”
Delaney looked at him. “It’s possible, but I kind of don’t think so. Flora’s so young, for one, and the warlock we met was very evil, which means he’s been tapping into dark magic for a while.”
Brody was not happy that there was a dangerous male hovering around somewhere in Sable Cove. He wanted him found and dealt with, immediately. He had some ideas on how to keep them all safe if the male showed up at the rescue. He wasn’t sure he would, but if he did, they’d be ready.
“So we’re going on the assumption that the warlock will follow his same tactic as he did with the New York coven and break into the rescue tonight. We’ll be there and ready for him so we can bind him and find out what he’s really after with the kitten.”
“I can’t leave until full dark,” Brody reminded them.
“I’ll text Mother Gibson and let her know we won’t be there until after dark then,” Hadlee said.
He nodded and looked at Venice. “I’ve got some weapons we can bring along.”
“I hope there’s a sword. I haven’t wielded one in a while,” Venice said.
“Of course. No matter what happens tonight, we keep Flora and the girls safe.”
“We can keep ourselves safe,” Delaney said. She gave him a scowl but seemed to be fighting a grin.
He gave her knee a squeeze. “You’re all a force to be reckoned with, I know. But Venice and I will be helping to keep you extra-strength safe. There’s no argument about this—you’re powerful, we’re powerful. Together, that warlock doesn’t stand a chance.”
In fact, he’d rue the day he even thought about stepping foot in Sable Cove.
Chapter Ten
Was there anything sexier than a male who wanted to protect a female? A male like Brody, who practically vibrated with possession and fury, all directed at her.
She didn’t think so.
And she totally wasn’t turned on in front of a fallen angel, her familiar, and her two besties.
Damn it.
The hours drew down to full dark. Mother Gibson had texted to let them know she’d arrived at the rescue before sunset and magically hidden herself in the woods to watch the building. So far, the warlock hadn’t shown up. Flora was tucked into Brody’s bed, and a protection spell was cast over the house by the three of them to ensure no one could enter except them. While no one wanted to leave Flora alone, they couldn’t risk her coming into harm’s way when they didn’t know what the warlock’s motives were.
Delaney sat in the front seat next to Brody in his cruiser. Her besties were in the cruiser behind them, driven by Venice.
“What do you think’s going to happen?” Brody asked.
“I honestly don’t know. He might not even show.”
“You ever been in danger like this before?”
“Not even a little bit. You?”
“Well, I’ve been in coven skirmishes before, but not against someone as powerful as this warlock. It’s different when you fight against your own kind. I know what vampires’ strengths and weaknesses are. This warlock? I’ve got no clue.”
She blew out a breath. “We don’t either, unfortunately. Dark magic is so unknown to those of us who stay with the light. He could have any number of powers at his disposal. Since we don’t know what his motives are, it’s hard to figure out what his next move will be. We know he broke into the other witch’s home to get to that orange kitten, so it would make sense he’d come to the rescue to try to get Flora.”
She chewed on her lip. This guy was bad news on a hundred different levels, and she kind of hated that Brody was involved. Not because she didn’t think he could handle himself, but because she hated the idea of him being in any kind of danger whatsoever. It was a strange feeling. She’d liked him from the moment she met him when he first came to town, the mysterious vampire police chief in his sexy black uniform. But now they’d practically declared they were mates. Her life had turned upside down in a short amount of time.
They reached the rescue and got out of the cruiser.
Cracking her knuckles, she smiled at him. “Time to put this asshole down.”
* * *
Mother Gibson was a solitary witch in her seventies who was last in a line of powerful witches. Her family line was one of great renown in the States, and Delaney was thankful to call her a family friend. Mother Gibson and Delaney’s mom had been good friends, and Delaney had spent many hours learning from the wise old gal over the years. While she didn’t belong to their coven, Mother Gibson was always happy to help out if she could, and when she’d heard there was a familiar in trouble, she’d been ready and willing.
Venice stood at the front door of the rescue, staring out into the parking lot, and Brody stood next to Delaney.
“The kitten is where?” Mother Gibson asked.
“At Brody’s,” Delaney said. “We covered the house with a protection spell.”
“Good,” she said. “If you want to bind the warlock so you can discover his intentions, you need to drop the protection spell around the rescue. You want him to come inside, so you can barricade him.”
“But he was able to disappear,” Venice said, not turning around as he spoke.
“Yes, I know,” Mother Gibson said, “but the strength of the protection spell on the rescue right now is so strong that he might have difficulty crossing the barrier, depending on what his intentions are. We’ll be ready to bind him and figure out what’s going on.”
The lights were off in the rescue. The moon was bright enough to lend some light inside the building.
“We’ll drop the exterior protection,” Hadlee said, “but not the one around the familiars. We can’t risk him harming them.”
Kinsley and Delaney agreed, and the four witches gathered and performed the spell to take down the protection ward around the building. The familiars, including theirs, were safe within the protections of the back room.
They watched and waited, but the warlock didn’t appear. Hours passed, and Delaney wondered if they’d been wrong. They assumed he’d return at night because he had with the New York coven, but they had no way of knowing if they were right.
“This is frustrating as hell,” Kinsley said.
Mother Gibson moved to one of the windows and looked out. “It is indeed. I think he’s not coming.”
“It’s only one a.m.,” Brody said. “There’s still eight hours before the rescue opens for the day.”
“Would it be possible for him to know she’s not here?” Venice asked, walking into the main room from the back.
“Definitely,” Kinsley said.
A pang of fear hit Delaney dead center in her chest at the same moment Brody’s phone beeped.
He lifted it from his pocket and snarled, flashing fangs. “We gotta go. Someone’s trying to break into my house.”
Chapter Eleven
Brody had thought the kitten would be safe in his house. Not only was it impossible to break into because of the daylight shutters and the special locks on the doors and windows, but the witches had performed a protection spell as well. While the warlock was powerful, he hadn’t expected him to avoid the rescue entirely, or that he’d be able to tell the kitten wasn’t with them.
His knuckles cracked as he clutched the steering wheel, willing the cruiser to go as fast as possible.
“Why didn’t anyone realize he could sense the kitten?”
“Because,” Delaney said, rubbing her temple, “we don’t know what his motives are.”
“What do motives have to do with anything?”
“The kitten could be part of his coven or linked to someone in his family. He could have ties to her other than just her being a familiar and him being a warlock. We don’t know what his reason is for wanting the kitten, or what lengths he’ll go to get her, so we can’t anticipate his moves.” She slammed her fist into the door. “Flora’s afraid, but she’s not hurt, so I don’t think he’s gotten to her.”
“You can sense her?” he asked, glancing at Delaney.
She nodded. He took her hand and gave it a squeeze, feeling the fine tremble from nerves or anger, or both. “My magic allows me to feel the emotions of familiars under my protection.”
“I’m glad you can sense she’s still safe. Can you bind him even though we’re not at the rescue?” The plan had been to ambush the warlock in the rescue. They were now going to be at a disadvantage.