Feral Escape (Catnip and Cauldrons 3)

One

Ivan Bast's heavy footsteps echoed over the front porch. Weary, thirsty, and pissed off, he slumped into the porch swing next to Onyx.

“Nothing?” she asked.

He plucked the water bottle out of her hand and drained it before answering. “Jack shit.”

She shook her head and stood up, crossing to prop her hip on the porch railing. “We have nothing to go on. No one has seen Anita in a week. She has to be the key to finding Molly. We have no other leads. Where else could she be?”

Ivan leaned back, spreading his arms across the back of the swing. “Where's your wizard?”

She kicked at the railing before answering. “Working on a locator spell.”

He narrowed his eyes and looked his friend over. In the last week, they'd spent almost every day and night together searching for Molly. He'd gotten to know her moods pretty well. “Something about that bother you?”

She waved her hand in the air in a dismissive gesture. “It's nothing. It's just...Cole had to get in touch with his ex, another witch, for the spell.”

Ivan quirked an eyebrow and waited for her to continue. Two weeks ago, he would have been pleased to learn there might be trouble in paradise. Onyx could tempt even a hard ass like Ivan to ignore his “no shifters” policy. He found her both visually stunning and interesting to be around. Being a cat shifter wasn't the only strike against her for him. She needed long-term commitment, and that just wasn't his thing.

Of course, then he'd met Molly. The little redhead had gotten under his skin quick. Although he still had no desire for a relationship, he blamed himself for her kidnapping. They'd met for coffee, and before she returned to the safe house, someone snatched her. No one had seen or heard from her since. He never should have allowed her to walk home by herself. The obligation to find her belonged to him alone. The nagging fear that she didn't have much time left wouldn't leave him.

They'd spent days searching the area around Rock Arms Park with no results. No clues. No hint. No trail to follow. Nothing. They kept fumbling blind when it came to leads about Molly's whereabouts. None of the tips had panned out yet. Kipp put himself in immense danger returning home to seek some answers. Anita, Kipp's girlfriend and also their strongest lead, had also disappeared.

“Have you heard from Kipp again?”

Onyx shook her head, her long black hair sliding over her shoulders. “He should be back sometime today.”

A slow smile spread across her face as she crossed the porch. “I adore the shaved head. It gives you a very dangerous vibe.” Her soft hand rubbed over his dome, and his eyes drifted shut while he enjoyed the petting.

The loss of her touch snapped his eyes open. Onyx turned her head, her gaze wandering down the road. As her eyes narrowed, Ivan stood up. The tension in her body ratcheted up a few notches, putting him on high alert. He knew she'd been shot at on this very porch so her behavior didn't surprise him. Without disturbing her, he edged in front of her, placing himself between her and the oncoming car. One hand on his shoulder, pressing down so she could stand up on tiptoes to see around him made him laugh. He should have known. Onyx was no coward. Not at all the type of female to hide behind any man. One more attractive quality to add to the very long list.

He sensed rather than saw the tension drain from her body as she recognized Cole's car. She rushed around him to meet her boyfriend in the driveway. They embraced as if they'd been apart for two years instead of two days. Ivan glanced down at his boots, but not before he caught the small twitch of displeasure that wrinkled Onyx's nose. As soon as Cole joined him on the porch and shook his hand, he understood her reaction. Her boyfriend absolutely reeked of another woman's scent. As a non-shifter, he doubted Cole even realized the problem. But shifters had excellent olfactory perception.

“What did you learn, Cole?” Ivan wanted to get to it. The longer Molly stayed missing, the harder it would be to find her.

Cole ran his fingers through his hair. “The good news is, I've learned a pretty advanced locator spell which should do the trick. The bad news is, I need the full moon to do it.”

“Fuck man, the full moon is almost three more days away.” Ivan scanned the area for something he could slam his fist into.

Cole nodded. “I know. I have another one Isobel taught me that might help us narrow down the general location. I'm going to need something of hers though, Nyx.”

A deep frown had come over her face at the mention of the witch's name, but she nodded. “No one has touched her room since she disappeared.” She took a step closer to Cole, then retreated. “Excuse me guys. I'll go upstairs and grab something of hers. Be right back.” Onyx hurried into the house looking as if she might burst into tears.

Cole watched her walk away a bewildered expression crossing his face. “I missed her like crazy, and she couldn't wait to get away from me.”

The right words for this situation wouldn't come to him, so Ivan shrugged. The wizard turned his cold stare on Ivan. “What exactly happened while I was away?”

He didn't blame Cole for being wary. Since Ivan had never mastered the art of subtlety, the first time they'd met, he made his interest in Onyx known. Since then, he'd gotten the memo that she was off-limits. Her heart belonged to Cole. Anyone with three functioning brain cells could see that. Besides, for some reason, he actually liked the wizard. Go figure. He also respected the hell out of Onyx. She was nothing like other cat shifters he'd known in the past. She'd worked as

hard as any of them, searching for Molly, while somehow at the same time making sure they were all clothed and fed properly, as well as insisting they all took breaks to get some sleep. With her direct manner, she didn’t need to play games or manipulate people. Something Ivan appreciated. Since Cole was the closest thing he had to a “buddy” these days, he decided to help him out a little.

“Dude, I don't know what you were up to, but you reek of another woman.”

The info sent a visible jolt of shock through Cole, and Ivan almost laughed at the guy's reaction. He lifted his arm and sniffed the sleeve of his shirt.

“You might not notice it. Any shifter can, though,” Ivan clarified.

“Nothing happened. We worked on the incantations in tight quarters, nothing more.”

Ivan shrugged. “Don't tell me.”

Cole nodded. “I'm aware you want to get right down to the spell, but I need nightfall for it to be most effective.”

“Are you fucking kidding?” Ivan positively vibrated with anxious energy. Something about this plan promised hope. He needed Cole to do the spell now.

Cole tilted his head and observed him with narrowed eyes. “I want her back as much as you do. I feel like we—like I—failed Molly. Believe me, I am motivated as hell to get her back, but it's magic, not science.”

Ivan relaxed a notch at Cole's obvious sincerity. “Okay. You better go talk to Onyx anyway. I don't want your minds on anything other than the damn spell when we do it.”

Cole nodded and clapped him on the shoulder as he headed inside.

“I'd hop in the shower first buddy,” Ivan called out, a smirk lifting the corners of his mouth.

He got a muttered curse in response. Not wanting to be around when the two of them got reacquainted, Ivan headed toward the backyard. Those two possessed enough sexual heat to light up the eastern seaboard, and it so wasn't what he wanted to be around right now.

Kipp rejoined the group at dusk. Much like the first time Ivan met the strange little bunch of shifters, they all gathered around the dining room table. Onyx offered to feed everyone first, but Ivan insisted they try the lesser locator spell to at least get an idea of Molly's general location. They rushed through the niceties with Kipp then finally got down to business. Learning what Kipp discovered on his trip home, basically amounted to nothing. No sign of Anita or her family. No sign of Molly.

Ivan clenched his teeth in frustration. Everything was a goddamn dead end. Where did they stash the girl?

Maybe sensing Ivan's rising anger, Kipp elaborated. “I searched every inch of the town, I swear. I couldn’t pick up her scent anywhere. She hasn't been home.”

“Cole's got a spell that might narrow down her location. Don't sweat it buddy, I know you're just as dedicated as anyone else at this table.” Ivan forced the words out of his mouth, reassuring people didn't come easy. But he wanted Kipp to understand he was pissed at the situation, not him. For some reason, he liked Kipp too. Goddess help him, spending time with these domestic shifters was turning him into some sort of fuzzy-wuzzy ragdoll cat instead of the lone, wild lynx-shifter he was.

Cole cleared his throat. “All right, I think it's dark enough. The moon's up. I've got a spell that might be enough to give us her general location. If this one doesn't work tonight, when the full moon hits in a couple days, I have a stronger spell I can use. That one should be able to pinpoint her exact location.”

Martha's eyes welled up with tears. “Oh, thank heavens.” Deacon put his arm around the girl to comfort her. Ivan knew Martha and Molly had been close. As tough as Martha tried to be during the search, she wasn't cut out for this level of stress day after day. None of them were. Except Onyx and, Ivan had to grudgingly admit, Cole. The stuffy wizard/professor harbored enough iron determination to go around. He had a cautious and thoughtful nature too. Ivan respected those qualities since he tended to act more on instinct than intellect.

Thunder rumbled overhead. Cole got up and crossed the room.

“I hope we don't lose power.” Martha worried tipping her head back to scan the ceiling.

“We've got plenty of candles if we do,” Onyx reassured her.

Cole dropped the curtains, letting them fall into place and stepped away from the window. “Let's get going before the rain interferes with the spell,” he announced.

How much more time were they going to waste? “You fucking kidding me, man?” Ivan wanted to get on with it. He stood up, running his palm over the short prickly hairs of his shaven head. Everything seemed to be against them on this mission.

“I'll do my best,” Cole assured him as he left the room. He returned a minute later, arms full of supplies and Onyx at his side. Spreading everything out on the dining room table, Cole worked with calm focus. When he appeared satisfied with the placement of everything, he glanced around the room at everyone.

“Who here has known Molly the longest?”

Kipp stepped forward. “That would have to be me, though we didn't get particularly close until more recently.”

“That's okay, you stand next to me here.” He indicated his left side. “Ivan, you saw her last, so I want you on my right.” Oscar aimed a deep scowl in his direction. Ivan knew Oscar and Molly had gotten friendly in the weeks leading up to her disappearance, but she had assured Ivan that he wouldn't be stepping on any toes. Oscar had gotten bent out of shape anyway. Even when all their focus should have been on finding Molly, the little fuck couldn't help acting pissy. Ivan glared right back as he took his place next to Cole. Everyone else ignored the obvious tension.

“Onyx, stand next to Ivan, then Oscar, Deacon, and Martha,” Cole instructed.

They fulfilled their assigned spots and joined hands.

Once Cole started chanting, Ivan found it hard to keep his eyes open. He fought the falling sensation until Onyx's slender hand squeezed his. A gentle reminder he'd screw up the spell if he didn't relax. The heaviness pressed against his lids until he closed his eyes. Almost immediately, the chanting fell away into a dull background sound. An image of Molly's smiling face appeared. Her mouth moved, but he couldn't hear any words. Then her expression changed, the image darkening. Molly's hair tangled and knotted. Dark smudges stained her cheeks. Her cracked lips parted as she tilted her head back to stare at a spot above her. Then rocks appeared. A cave of some sort. A crack in the stones above and then darkness. Strong emotions crashed into his gut. Fear. Despair. Longing. One after another.

More rocks. Heavy rocks. A boulder. Darkness. Something about the rocky ledges seemed so familiar. Ivan's hand reached out to trace the dark stones in front of him, and the image fell away. He opened his eyes, startled to find himself inside, surrounded by everyone.

Cole turned his head. “You broke the chain.”

Ivan glanced down at his hand. “Sorry, the image was so vivid.”

“What did you see?”

He studied each of them before answering. “The same thing the rest of you did.”

Except for Onyx, everyone else shook their heads. Cole turned to his girlfriend. “You saw something too?”

“I saw her as I did right before she left the house.” She nodded at the front door. “Then I just felt things.” Her body rippled with an almost invisible shiver.

“Ivan?” Cole questioned.

“Pretty much the same, except I saw a cave of some sort and rocky ledges.” He couldn't bring himself to say he'd seen Molly or experienced the emotions that turned his gut to ice.

Onyx instantly perked up. “Like out beyond the backyard? Where we first met?”

Ivan hesitated. His own personal lair lay hidden away up in those ledges. “Yes.”

Cole nodded and took a step back from the group. “Everyone rest up. Tomorrow we are going to comb those rocks. Every nook and groove until we find Molly.”

Murmurs of agreement flowed through the group. They split up, most of them heading upstairs. Onyx came over and grasped Ivan's hand.

“What did you see?” she asked softly.

He shook his head. He wouldn't burden her with the specifics. “Nothing good.”

Two

Huddled in the corner of her tiny stone cell, Molly Goldfoot stared into the darkness. Were it not for the small crack between the rocks, she would have no idea if it was night or day. She wrapped her arms around her knees, pulling them tight to her chest. A shiver rippled through her body. She'd lost track of how long she'd been held captive. In the beginning, someone had brought food and water each day, but that had stopped.

She closed her eyes and visualized her friends, Martha, Kipp, Deacon, Oscar, and her new friend, Onyx. Were they searching for her? Why couldn't Onyx's wizard boyfriend conjure up some magic to find her? Maybe it wouldn't matter. Wherever they had imprisoned her must be magically spelled. No matter how many times she tried, she could not shift into her cat form.

Ivan. The last person she'd been with before she'd been so rudely grabbed and shoved into the back of a dirty, smelly old van. Would Ivan search for her? He was older than her. Sexy. Dangerous. She wanted him bad. Why had she been so damn stupid and refused his offer to walk her home?

‘Cause she hadn't wanted the others to know she went to meet him on the sly. For the millionth time, she wanted to kick herself. She and Oscar were friends. Sure, they'd kissed a little, but it wasn't serious. There shouldn't have been a problem with Ivan walking her home.

Molly shook her head, and a sad chuckle trickled past her lips. This was her punishment for her trampy behavior. She altered her position on the hard stone floor, wriggling her left foot which had fallen asleep. At some point she'd lost both her sneakers, so only thin, dirty socks protected her feet. Her butt hurt. This captivity thing became old quick.