Sigils and spells, p.32
Sigils & Spells, page 32
So, Pippa paid for the vet visit and the vaccinations the vet had given the kitten and made an appointment to have him neutered later in the week.
She just hoped the ancient human was as competent with surgery as he seemed otherwise.
She stepped out of the vet’s office, only to stumble to a stop.
“What are you guys doing here?” She strode over to where the coven was hanging out around her car and Morana’s truck.
“We thought you were coming to join us for lunch, then you just left,” Tempest said.
“And you didn’t even introduce us to the kitten,” Natalie said.
“So we had to follow you to meet her,” Jo said, holding out her arms eagerly.
“Him,” Pippa said as she settled Hocus Purrcus in Jo’s arms.
“He’s so cute,” Jo murmured as she stroked H.P.’s fur, who let out a loud, rumbling purr in response. “Where’d you find him?”
“Down by the stream, but he found me.”
“This is wonderful,” Natalie said, “Our coven has its first familiar. Congratulations, Pippa.”
Pippa froze in the act of reaching out to pet H.P.
She hadn’t even considered—she’d never been deemed worthy enough for a familiar in her old coven and it just hadn’t occurred to her that this might change now that she was free from them.
“I think we should go back to the diner,” Jo announced.
“What? Why? We just left there,” Morana said.
“There were too many people,” Amaryllis whispered.
“I didn’t get my dessert,” Jo said. “The pies looked excellent. Besides, I’m pretty sure my mate was in the diner, but you guys hustled me out too fast for me to find her.”
Everyone stared at Jo.
“How do you know that?” Pippa finally demanded.
Tempest shrugged. “I just know. I felt it like a shiver across my skin. She was there and I didn’t get the chance to meet her so we should go back.”
Natalie sighed. “The things we do for you, Jo. Fine. Everyone back to the diner.”
Pippa turned and headed for her car. She’d just settled H.P. on the passenger seat when Jo opened that door, scooped him into her arms and settled down with him in her lap. At the same time, Amaryllis climbed into the backseat.
“What’s going on?” Pippa asked suspiciously.
“You’re driving us to the diner, of course,” Jo said.
Pippa scowled. “I was planning to go home.”
“You need to eat,” Amaryllis said softly from the backseat, “and I don’t want to go back there without you.”
Pippa sighed.
She couldn’t possibly say no to Amaryllis, who tended to cling to each of them in different ways.
When they were out in public, Amaryllis preferred to be close to Pippa for some reason. She’d actually been surprised Amaryllis had agreed to go into town when Pippa had refused.
“Fine.” She started the car and drove out of the lot, following Morana’s truck back to the diner.
*.*.*.*.*
“Tell me again why we drove over an hour, just so that we could check out an animal shelter.” Corwin looked at Jared like he was crazy.
Frankly, Jared couldn’t exactly disagree with that assessment.
This was a stupid idea.
Still, he was here and he wasn’t about to give up now.
“Come on,” he said impatiently. “Let’s check out the kittens.”
Corwin raised an eyebrow. “You, alpha wolf of our pack, want a kitten?”
Damn.
This really was a stupid idea.
Jared set his hands on his hips and glared at the shelter in front of him.
Corwin snickered. “This I’ve got to see. Well, come on then. I’m sure the pack will be delighted when we return with a kitten.”
What they found inside the shelter, though, was just depressing.
So many unwanted cats and dogs everywhere. Even a rabbit or two.
“Now I’m just depressed,” Corwin muttered.
Jared nodded. He wanted to adopt them all, which was ridiculous. An alpha wolf and his pack taking in an entire shelter’s worth of domesticated animals?
It was absurd.
He was ready to leave empty-handed, mostly because he couldn’t decide and it was easier to leave all of them behind than it was to just take one, but then he saw Chester.
That was the name on the cage anyway, though the giant cat inside it looked nothing like what he imagined a Chester should.
The cat was pitch black and unlike all the other kittens and cats who were rubbing against the cage and meowing, some even reaching through the cage to bat at them as they walked by—and Jared was pretty impressed the cats weren’t put off by the scent of wolves in their territory—this cat was stretched flat, chin resting on a stuffed wolf, deep, unrelenting black eyes glaring at them, as if daring them to stop and pet him.
Of course, Jared had to accept that challenge.
He stopped in front of Chester’s cage and reached a couple fingers inside to stroke the cat’s paws that were within reach.
Or at least he tried to.
The minute his fingers entered the cage, Chester swiped an angry paw at him, hissing in fury.
The most impressive part about it was that Chester never lifted his head from the wolf or reared back when he hissed.
He just stayed in the same lazy sprawl, head on his stuffed toy, and swatted Jared’s hand, ripping some skin away in the process.
Jared shook out his hand and chuckled.
“I see you met Chester,” the volunteer who was showing them around said.
“What’s his story?” Corwin asked.
“He belonged to an elderly gentleman who recently passed away. His relatives tell us that Chester had lived on the streets until the man took him in, so he’s really mostly feral. Perhaps it would have been kinder to let him go back to the streets, but none of us could bear to do that. He’s already so sad from losing his owner.”
Jared let out a grunt.
That right there was part of the problem.
His owner.
Humans were so ridiculous. As if anyone could own another living being.
Chester wasn’t upset because he’d lost his owner. He was devastated because his lifelong companion had passed away.
“We’ll take him,” Jared said.
Corwin raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.
“Are you sure?” The woman asked. “It’s important you be absolutely certain because poor Chester can’t go through this again.”
“We’re sure,” Corwin said.
Twenty minutes later, they drove way from the shelter, a giant, yowling, hissing, very angry cat in a carrier in the backseat of Jared’s truck and the bed full of other cat paraphernalia he’d somehow been conned into purchasing.
Essentials, of course, like cat food, a litter box and litter, but also a giant cat tree and a bag full of toys, a cat bed and a perch the woman had sworn Chester would adore if he placed it by a window.
“You’re a sucker,” Corwin snorted. “Tell me again why we have a cat, not a kitten?” He had to practically yell in order to be heard over Chester’s yowling. “Actually, tell me why we came here for a kitten in the first place?”
Jared just sent him a look, but didn’t bother to answer.
Corwin snickered. “So, where exactly are we going? Because you just missed the turnoff to the den.”
“I thought we’d get some advice about cats from the only person I know who actually takes care of one.”
Corwin burst into laughter. “Are you talking about Pippa? Dude, you don’t even know her. She didn’t look at you once in the diner. The only person she spoke with was that wolf, Matthew, so unless he’s with us, I doubt she’ll know who you are.”
Jared scowled.
Matthew.
That wolf had better stay away from his mate or there’d be hell to pay. “I’ll sick Chester on him,” he muttered.
“What’s that?” Corwin yelled over the howling.
“Nothing,” Jared shouted back. “Just keep a lookout for Pippa’s car.”
*.*.*.*.*
“I totally didn’t see that coming,” Bygul said.
“Me neither,” Soraya exclaimed excitedly, “but isn’t it the most amazing thing ever? We weren’t even trying to match a cat to the wolf shifter and somehow it happened anyway.”
“Except he only adopted the cat to get the attention of Pippa, who let’s be clear, probably won’t even care,” Tivali said.
“Now, Tivali you don’t know that,” Bygul said.
“I think we should give that homeless litter of kittens to Jared’s pack,” Soraya said.
“What?” Muezza, Tivali and Bygul all exclaimed at the same time.
Muezza lifted his head from his paws and stared at Soraya. “Why would we do that?”
“They’re wolves!” Tivali exclaimed in horror. “There’s no telling what they might do to those poor kittens.”
“They’re not wild animals, Tivali,” Soraya said.
“No,” she said severely. “They’re wild shifters.”
“Okay, enough, already,” Bygul said impatiently. “The pack isn’t our assignment at the moment. We need to focus on Pippa and the kitten, Hocus Purrcus. We have to make sure they bond fully and that Pippa’s magic activates the cat’s, so that he can become a true witch’s familiar.”
“And how exactly are we supposed to do that?” Tivali asked. “This is why K.C. said matching witches are so challenging. That cat’s diabolical, getting us to take on an entire coven. It was probably his assignment in the first place and he was too lazy to do it himself.”
Bygul growled low in his throat, infuriated he hadn’t considered that possibility. “That damn cat,” he muttered. “He’ll probably take all the credit for the matches we make too.”
“That’d be just like him,” Muezza agreed. “Get us to do the job for him, then take all the credit.”
Bygul sighed. “Well, there’s nothing we can do about it now and I’m not abandoning the kitten before he’s been well and truly bonded to the witch, so we might as well get to work.”
“Yes, but again, how exactly are we supposed to accomplish that?” Tivali asked.
“Well, in the case of witches, subtlety is never the way to go.”
*.*.*.*.*
Pippa had no idea how a simple trip to the diner for dessert had turned into the hours-long ordeal that it was, but it had and she was stuck.
It had become pretty obvious within a few moments of arriving that Pippa’s presence was an absolute necessity if she wanted to keep her coven sisters out of trouble.
She had no idea how she hadn’t noticed the problem previously. She’d just been so startled by H.P.’s behavior when she’d walked into the diner the first time that she hadn’t really noticed anything else.
Now, however, there was nothing to distract her from the way her sisters managed to snare the attention of every single human and paranormal inside the diner the moment they entered it.
From the human waitress, who introduced herself as Starlight, to the paranormal and human diners scattered throughout the restaurant, everyone’s attention was on Pippa’s coven.
“What did you guys do?” Pippa hissed as they sat at a table in the middle of the room.
“What are you talking about?” Natalie asked dismissively.
“Everyone is staring at us.” How could she not notice?
Amaryllis let out a soft whimper from where she was hunched at Pippa’s side.
Pippa reached over and rubbed her shoulder, “Sorry, Amari.”
Amari just shook her head and whispered, “No. It’s my fault. I’m sorry.”
Pippa’s eyes narrowed. “What do you mean it’s your fault? What did you do?”
“I lost control of my magic,” Amari whispered.
“When?” Pippa exclaimed.
“When didn’t she?” Natalie asked dryly.
Amari hunched down further and Pippa glared at Natalie, who rolled her eyes, then said gently, “It’s okay, Amari. The effects will wear off soon enough.”
“Yeah, in about seventeen hours,” Tempest muttered.
Pippa sighed and looked around. “Did you lose control in here?”
Amari nodded.
“Plus the grocery store, the bookstore and the clothing store,” Jo said cheerfully.
Pippa closed her eyes. Dear goddess.
“Sorry,” Amaryllis whispered again.
“It’s all right, Amari,” Pippa reassured her. “There’s nothing we can do about it now, just try and ride out the side effects. Did any of you guys get hit with the whammy?” She glanced around at the others.
Natalie shook her head. “No, my casting seems to have held and made us immune to each other’s magic, or at least to Amari’s. Fingers crossed it works for the rest.”
“So, ladies.”
Pippa looked up to find a vampire towering over them, an inquisitive look on his face.
“You’re witches, right?” He snagged a chair from the next table over and shoved his way in between Amaryllis and Pippa.
Amari instantly shrank back from his form, which towered over both of them even sitting down.
The vampire was huge.
“I’m Lassiter.” He held out his hand to Amaryllis.
Silence fell as everyone waited to see whether Amaryllis would acknowledge him or not.
For a long moment, Pippa thought she would ignore him, but the vampire clearly had infinite patience because he just waited until finally, Amaryllis lifted her hand and set it in his.
“Amari,” she whispered, stunning Pippa and the others.
Amaryllis rarely spoke to strangers and when she did, she always introduced herself as Amaryllis.
“Amari,” the vampire rumbled, holding her hand between both of his and staring down at her bent head. “It’s a true pleasure to meet you. Would you introduce me to the rest of your coven?”
Silence, then Amari shifted a little and without raising her eyes once, went around the table and said each of their names.
Lassiter didn’t bother to look away from her to acknowledge any of the others as they were introduced. He simply repeated each name, then waited for the next.
Great.
Amari’s magic must have been particularly strong today.
Pippa sighed, trying to figure out the best way to get the vampire to move along.
Except it soon became apparent that he was the least of their problems.
As if Lassiter’s approach had signaled the witches’ table was open for business, they were swamped with visitors.
Vampires.
Chameleons.
Wolves.
Even humans.
They all approached to introduce themselves and to flirt or request a date or on one memorable occasion, to propose marriage.
To Jo.
She glared at the wolf and snapped, “Uses your senses, for goddess’ sake, and notice that I’m much more interested in the beauty standing behind you.” She winked at the blushing vampiress who had shyly approached and was patiently waiting her turn to introduce herself.
The poor wolf who had proposed gulped and darted a look over his shoulder. He glanced back at Jo with wide eyes and exclaimed, “I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize. I’ll just go now.”
He fled to laughter.
The only ones not laughing, Pippa noticed, were Jo and the shy vampiress she was now chatting quietly with.
A few moments later, the two of them wandered off to grab their own table and that was the last they saw of Jo for a while.
Pippa scowled.
That was how it was supposed to work!
A little bit of fun, some sexy times, a see you later and that was all.
No worries about finding one’s true mate or falling in love.
Unless that was Jo’s mate.
Pippa’s eyes widened and she glanced across the table at Rowan, who also looked a bit spooked.
Hadn’t Jo said her mate was there in the diner somewhere? And hadn’t she cast the spell specifically for their mates to arrive?
What if her spell had actually worked and she’d just wandered off with her fated mate?
And what if that happened to the rest of them? It could happen at any time!
Pippa glanced around at the chameleons, vampires, wolves and humans who were still hanging out, flirting with her sister witches.
After a few moments of panic, she realized she wasn’t feeling an overwhelming sense of attraction toward any of the people in the diner, so she figured she was safe.
Not that everyone else could say the same.
Poor Amaryllis was still very much the center of Lassiter’s attention and another vampire named Blade was focused on Morana.
Thankfully, though, Natalie, Rowan, Tempest and Pippa had so far been immune.
Of course, that didn’t bode well for Pippa finding a bedmate anytime soon.
A huge crash erupted behind them, making everyone, including Hocus Purrcus, jump in surprise.
The cat leapt to his feet, all his fur standing on end and then for some inexplicable reason, started hissing at Blade, who was seated at the end of the table, leaning awfully close to Morana.
Blade just raised an eyebrow and grinned.
H.P. skittered across the table sideways, knocked a glass over, spilling water everywhere, then leapt straight into the air with a yowl when the water hit his paws.
Of course, when he landed, he did so in a puddle of water, which sent him scrambling across the table toward Pippa, who caught him when he launched himself into her arms.
“It’s okay, H.P.,” Pippa murmured, stroking his fur down and trying not to wince as his claws dug into her shoulders.
Poor thing was shaking like crazy.
“Oh, dear,” Morana said. “Sorry about that.”
Pippa froze and slowly raised her eyes to Morana.
“Why is she sorry?” Amaryllis asked, leaning around Lassiter who was still sitting between them, trying to charm his way into a date with her. “Pippa, why is she apologizing? I don’t like it when she apologizes.”
