I slide into the driver’s seat and put Scott next to me.
“If you even think about scratching the leather…” I start, turning my head and looking at a fluffy orange cat sitting on the passenger seat. “I’ll drop you off on Whacker Drive.”
I grip the steering wheel of Lucas’s expensive Mercedes and sit, frozen for a good minute before I even start the engine and turn on the air conditioning. My heart is racing, and I’m feeling a little lightheaded from doing…well…whatever the hell I just did.
Because just like commanding the hellfire, I don’t really know what I did. The magic just came to me, this time out of anger and not desperation, and I just went with it, letting it flow through me. I turn one of the vents toward me, closing my eyes and letting out a deep breath. If I let go of the steering wheel, I’m sure my hands will shake.
Holy fucking shitballs.
I squeeze my eyes closed, trying to get it together, and pull out of the parking garage, emerging onto a busy downtown street. It’s been a while since I’ve driven through this part of town, and I make a wrong turn down a one-way street and have to go the long way around.
The drive to The Taproom seems to take forever, and I’m still shaking by the time I park and get out, grabbing my brother-cat and tucking him under my arm. I hurry across the street and try the front door to the bar. It’s locked.
“Eliza?” I call, knocking. She’s still here since she can’t leave for the day. “It’s Callie, and I really need to come inside.” A few seconds tick by before the door unlocks.
“Do not open it yet,” Eliza says from behind the door.
“I won’t. Count to ten?”
“Sure.”
I readjust the cat in my arms and mentally count to ten before opening the door and going in, closing it as fast as I can behind me. Eliza comes out of the office, raising an eyebrow at the cat in my arms. She’s wearing a white eyelet-lace dress, and her hair is up in a fancy braided bun that looks too complicated for me to even magic into my hair.
“I did something bad,” I confess, pacing to the bar. I set Scott down and wring my hands.
“Now that’s a surprise,” Eliza says dryly.
“I am not in the mood,” I snap. “Sorry.” I turn and look into her blue eyes. “I just…I’m…I’m freaking out a little.”
“I can tell.” Eliza’s brows push together, showing the concern she’s trying hard to hide.
“Can I get a glass of your most expensive wine?”
“Really?”
“Yes. I need it.”
Eliza moves slow but goes behind the bar. I pace back and forth, talking to myself as I walk.
“Just change him back and no one will suspect anything. No one will believe her even if she says she saw it all. There weren’t security cameras in the office. I didn’t see any, and Scott is too arrogant to let anyone film him in a private setting.” I nod, needing to convince myself it’s true. “The general public wouldn’t believe it anyway. But the government…shit. I can’t go back to a research lab.” I exhale, and my breath catches.
“Here.” Eliza zooms over, handing me a glass of red wine. “You do look like you need it.”
“Thanks.” I bring the glass to my lips and suck down a mouthful. “Ugh.” I wrinkle my nose and shudder. “Maybe I’ll take a glass of the least expensive instead.”
“So demanding,” she huffs, but goes back behind the bar. We’re alone, and quiet country music drifts from the office. I wouldn’t have taken Eliza to be a fan. “I thought you were going to take care of things, and instead you come here with another cat? Don’t tell me you acquired another familiar. Isn’t three enough for you?”
“Oh, three is plenty.” I go back to the bar and set the wine down. It’s way too dry, and I have no idea why anyone would pay top dollar for this. As soon as the glass hits the wooden bar top, I pick it back up and put it to my lips, needing to dull my nerves. Because they are shot as hell right now.
“And I did go take care of things.”
Eliza pulls a bottle of wine from a mini fridge under the bar and twists off the cap. She slides the bottle to me. I catch it, sloshing a bit of Moscato down on my hand. “How so?”
“I confronted my brother.”
“And then bought a new cat?”
“I wouldn’t buy a cat when so many need to be adopted.” I close my eyes and shake my head. “That’s not the point here.”
“And what exactly is the fucking point?”
“The point is…I need another drink.” I put the bottle of Moscato to my lips. This stuff cost a fraction of what the red does and tastes a hell of a lot better.
“What the hell is going on? Did you get the Health Department issues resolved or not?”
“Not exactly.”
“You’re fucking kidding me.”
I suck down another mouthful of wine. “I did go see Scott. But…but he can’t really do much right meow.” I look Eliza directly in the eye and then start laughing. “I’m sorry,” I say between giggles. “Meow. Oh, it gets me every time. But right now…right meow…” I erupt into laughter again.
“You know, the very first time I saw you, I just knew there was something wrong with you. Severe mental damage seemed out there, and it’s seeming even more so now.”
“No, no.” I straighten up and wipe a tear from my eye. “You’d laugh if you were in my head.”
“I think being in your head is a laugh so you don’t cry situation.”
“Oh, it definitely is most of the time.” Scott-cat growls and me and I growl back.
“What is your damage?” Eliza asks, taking the bottle of wine from me. “On second thought, I don’t want to know. What I do want to know is how you’re going to get that fucking dingus brother of yours to remove the violations. We can’t open again until they’re clear.”
“He’ll remove them, I’m sure…once he has opposable thumbs again.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
I sweep my hand out at Scott-Cat, who hisses and growls and makes a move to jump off the counter but stops. He’s not used to walking on four legs.
“This thing,” Eliza starts, leaning in toward the orange cat. He hisses, fur standing on end. “Doesn’t smell like a cat.”
“That’s because it’s not.” I caught the cat mid-jump, wrestling with it to keep from getting scratched. “It’s my brother.”
“You turned your brother into a cat? Do I want to ask why?”
“Well, it was either this or curse him with immortality and bury him alive in an undisclosed location. I thought the cat was a kinder option. Though I did call the vet on the way here and schedule a neuter for next Tuesday.”
“You’re joking.”
“I turned my brother into a cat.” I put my head in my hands. “I didn’t mean to, and I don’t know how to change him back. I told you. I did something bad.”
Eliza looks at me, gaze unwavering. “Fucking witches. Of all the fucking humans in this fucking city, my maker has to fall for a fucking witch.”
“Sorry?” I push my hair back. “If it’s any consolation, I fell hard for him too.”
“You know what? It’s really fucking not. It’s bad enough that I question if you put a love spell on him—”
“Love spells don’t work on vampires,” I blurt, not caring if I’m spilling a secret. “Or really work at all. You can’t make someone actually love you.”
She leans forward, slowly drawing her fangs. I’m not scared of her, and I’m sure that pisses her off even more. She’s roughly three hundred years old, not old enough to hold anyone spellbound, but old enough to have impressive strength. Even newborn vampires are much stronger than the average human.
Though I’m anything but average.
“You really think I put a love spell on Lucas?”
“It would explain his strange behavior.”
“Strange?” I straighten up and telekinetically bring the bottle of wine into my grasp. “I think he seem
s happy.”
“Fine, maybe he is a little but—”
“Duck down,” I tell her, feeling an energy shift.
“What?”
“Just do it,” I hiss, and raise my hand. Using magic, I unlock and open the door just an inch. A shadow moves in, shifting into cat-form as soon as the door closes. I turn my hand and the deadbolt shoots into place.
“Hey, Mr. Prickle Paws.” A smile breaks out on my face as Binx trots over. The biggest feeling of relief washes over me now that my familiar is here. Scott-cat growls, and Binx looks at him, giving him a look that can only be explained as laughing. “I know. I messed up.”
Binx jumps to the bar top and starts purring. I bring my head down so he can rub against me.
“You’re too nice,” I tell him after he assures me that I didn’t mess up and Scott should have been transfigured into a mouse that he could play with.
“You’re talking to that thing?” Eliza questions. “So, this one is a familiar.” Binx sits on the bar, flicking his tail back and forth, and looks at Eliza. He drops his shield just enough for Eliza to sense his power. She tenses and leans back. “Having two cats on the bar top is not helping our health code violations.”
“Good thing neither are actually cats.” I throw my head back. “Holy fuck. Just…fuck.” I need to figure this out. The Grand Coven already suspects me of working with my old pal Lucifer because I shouldn’t have been able to command hellfire or fight off a powerful demon.
And I shouldn’t be able to transfigure humans into animals without laying out the complicated spell work first.
“Fuck.”
Eliza cocks an eyebrow. “I get your point. You fucked up. How are you going to fix this?”
I rub my forehead. “I…I don’t know.”