Starfire (Grim Gate 2)

“Yeah, too much.” Smiling, I push the books forward.

“That’s easy to do,” Betty laughs.

“Very easy.” A black cat jumps up on the counter, rubbing his head against Betty. “Awww,” I coo and reach forward to let the cat sniff my fingers. The cat turns its head to me, and I swear it looks at me with recognition.

Which is crazy, I know. But what’s crazier is I think I recognize this cat too.

CHAPTER 11

“You’re making a grave mistake, Estelle.” The black-haired lady crosses her arms, slowly shaking her head. “She belongs here, with us. Keeping her away isn’t going to keep her safe. It will do the opposite. You know that.”

Cheeks hot from sitting in front of the fire, I get up and go to the door, which is cracked open. I peer into the hall and see a sleek black cat trot down the corridor.

“Binx!” someone whispers. “You’re going to give us away!”

Sucking in a breath, I lean back, hitting Ethan. His hand goes on my arm, steadying me. I blink rapidly and fumble to get my wallet out of my purse.

“You okay, babe?” he asks as I hand over my credit card.

“Y-yeah,” I say and look at the cat again. Binx? I close my eyes for a second, going back to the memory.

“There ya go.” Betty hands me a bag and I take it, smiling awkwardly. “Have a great day.”

“Thanks. You too.”

I give the cat a lingering look and swear he’s looking at me too. Shaking myself, I lace my fingers through Ethan’s, needing him to be my anchor.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” He gives my hand a squeeze and opens the door, taking us out of the store.

“I’ve met that cat before.”

“At the store?”

“No. At the witch academy. His name is Binx.”

Ethan looks at me. “You had another memory?”

“Yes. And I know this might sound a little crazy, but I think the people who work at that store are witches. I remember the dark-haired lady talking to these girls named Callie and Kristy. And there’s a Kristy who owns the store. And now Binx. It has to be them. Maybe. I don’t know.”

“A black cat named Binx? How original.” Ethan makes a face. “But it’s worth looking into.”

“It’s a longshot, I know.” I shiver from the cold and bring my arms closer to my body. We grab groceries while we’re out, testing the limits of how much stuff this Jeep can hold. We get home, unload groceries, and then I start setting up the guest room. It’s fun decorating, and having the money to spend like this is still weird to me since it wasn’t that long ago I had to choose between grocery shopping and paying Mystery’s board.

“Don’t worry,” I tell Romeo, whom I brought into the room with me. “Your room is still yours for now.” I watch him run around, bumping into the dresser and then get back to setting stuff up. Half an hour later, I’m done, and the room looks good. Though, it’s lacking something along the far wall. The bookshelf I found in the attic would be perfect, and I make it all the way up there before turning around and going back downstairs.

It’s way too cold to be up there without a coat.

Ethan and I spend the rest of the afternoon together, and nothing weird happens. We both fall asleep watching a movie, and lazily make our way to bed around one a.m. And, again, everything is fine, as it is the rest of the night.

And the next day.

And the day after that.

Maybe the spell I cast to repel ghosts did the trick. Or maybe I was just so stressed I was imagining things. Either way, I’m back to feeling like my old self and am looking forward to going out for a lunch date with Rene. After riding Mystery bareback through the fresh snow covering the pasture, I came inside, took a long, hot shower and got dressed in a sweater dress and leggings.

“You’ll watch my location, right?” I ask Ethan, referring to the tracking app we both have on our phones, as I zip up my boots.

“If that’s what you want,” he replies. “You’ll be fine.”

“I hope so.” I put on my coat and Ethan snakes an arm around my waist, pulling me to him. The way his body feels against mine will never get old, and the thought of his skin against mine sends a wave of desire through me. “I love you.”

He rests his forehead against mine. “I love you, too.”

We kiss and then I head out, driving slowly through the snow. I make it to Thorne Hill without incident and park along Main Street. I’m about halfway between the bookstore and the restaurant when my gaze lingers on the storefront of Novel Grounds.

How do I go about asking Kristy if she’s a witch? The best case scenario is that she is indeed a witch, but what would make her trust me? I know this is going to sound weird, but I have a repressed memory of you from my childhood that I can’t really explain.