Fur Magic Boxed Set: Talisman, Sage, Fawn, Lola: Paranormal Romantic Comedy Read online

  “Master Sage,” she said as she flew to sit underneath Sage on the bench, giving him the reverence that his position dictated. “I saw something that might be of interest when I was taking voice lessons in her eucalyptus.”

  “Do go on, Tweety,” Sage replied.

  His voice remained calm but inside he seethed.

  Slapper.

  Apparently, Sage had seen her the last time she’d flown off with Grip for a little avian hanky-panky. Sage liked to judge. Of course, it did keep him above it all which kept him in charge and that was how he liked it.

  “Master Sage,” Tweety continued as she flapped her tiny wings for effect. She seemed truly frightened. “Bianca is a very bad witch. She’s mean. Evil. I saw her dancing in a circle in the woods with her family. They had on black capes with hoods. She hates Miss Penelope.”

  “I see,” Sage replied. “Did you hear anything they were saying?”

  The old owl’s mind raced as he tried to come up with any information about Pen’s curse. He’d been in this area for so many years, he knew all of the families with powers. The Chokecherry clan had been tormenting people, witch and non-witch, for centuries as well as spreading their unique brand of black magic everywhere they went. Many had tried to irradicate them from Shadowkeep. Everyone that had tried had failed.

  “They were chanting. I couldn’t understand them, Master Sage,” Tweety continued. “It didn’t make any sense to me.”

  “Thank you, Tweety. You’ve done well.”

  Sage left the bench and soared high in to the sky toward home. I’d been dismissed. At least he hadn’t left me with his usual goodbye.

  Bloody chancer.

  I still had about a mile to go down the dark road before I’d make it home to the shelter and Pen’s warm bed. I hope she’d left some kitty treats in my dish. Some sustenance was in order after my long evening of detective work on her behalf. I planned on one final stop along the way. I knew a chick named Fawn who resided in the woods with her family; they should be in the area. I sent her a mental message that we needed to talk.

  I’m here, Tali. I’ll wait for you on the shoulder about a quarter mile down the road.

  As I approached, I noticed Fawn’s bushy white tail first as she foraged in the ditch for cacti fruits. Even though deer have great hearing and a sixth sense for danger, I’m a cat and I can stalk my prey at a hundred feet in silence, so my voice startled her.

  “Hey, Fawn,” I said as I broke the silence of the black night. It was so still and calm you could have heard a cactus needle fall and hit the ground. “Long time no see.”

  “Hi, Tali,” Fawn replied as she walked up and nudged me with her black nose. “I’ve missed you. Where have you been? I don’t think I’ve seen you since that night that you morphed in to human form to save me from that hunter’s bow.”

  I’d been behind Bianca Chokecherry’s brother, Damian, that night on my way home and I’d caught him poaching. He was going to shoot a baby deer in the dead of night using a spotlight to find her. I normally only morph in a Penelope emergency, but saving Fawn’s young life classified as just that. She had a lot of life before her, and she was a gentle soul that deserved to live on.

  Fawn shivered as she stared at me with her huge, black eyes. “If it wasn’t for you, Tali, I wouldn’t be here right now. I hope you know how much that means to me.”

  Aww … shucks. The female adoration was starting to get to me. I felt my kitty eyes start to well up in response.

  “Fawn,” I replied. “It was my pleasure to save you. Damian Chokecherry is an evil man and so is his whole family. That’s why I’m here tonight. Is there anything that you or your family have seen or heard that might help Sage and I figure out why Penelope’s losing her powers?”

  “That night,” Fawn paused as her whole body tensed, “Damian raised his bow to shoot me, and I couldn’t move, Tali. I couldn’t move. At all. It was like something had turned my whole body to ice, cold granite. Before he raised the bow, he was chanting some kind of gibberish, and then when he brought the string of the bow back, his arrow pointed right at my heart, he …”

  “Fawn! Get away from that cat and back here right now.”

  Her father, Stag, appeared on the edge of the woods. His eight foot rack gleaming in the moonlight with their points in my direction. Fawn jumped, gave me a look of sorrow and trotted back to her dad. Something had scared Stag silent. Or someone.

  I trotted off, my mind racing. I had to get to Sage, and I sent him a message as strong as I could through the dark of night.

  Sage, it’s Tali. Fawn knows something and Stag won’t let her tell me what it is. We have to find out.

  I’m already home, you bloody cat. We’ll talk when you get here.

  Those damn Chokecherry’s. Constantly up to something and none of it good. Something had to be done about them. Especially, if they were threatening the town’s animals in to terrorized silence. I know what I’ll do. I’ll morph in to human form and seduce Bianca with my massive hotness, that’s what I’ll do. Then, I’ll cut her loose and give her the biggest heartbreak she’s ever experienced in her twenty five years. Then, I’ll find some other girl to seduce and rub it in. Yeah, that’s what I’ll do …

  So, caught up in my daydreams of thwarting Bianca, I didn’t notice the delivery truck until it was too late.

  Chapter 6

  “Talisman, it’s Dr. Luke. Can you hear me? Can you see me?”

  He didn’t expect me to answer, did he? I must have been knocked unconscious when the truck clipped my rear end, and I flew to the side of the road. I felt the jagged rocks of the shoulder pressing in to my body so I must still be there. How had Dr. Luke gotten here so fast?

  Oh, the pain. He started prodding every inch of my battered body to check for broken bones or major injury.

  “Thank God, nothing’s broken,” he sighed as he gently lifted me in to a blanket and held me close to his chest. It wasn’t as soft as Pen’s, but it would do in a pinch. “I don’t know what I’d do if I had to tell Penelope that we lost you.”

  I stared at Dr. Luke’s face, willing him to tell me what had happened and why he was out on the road at this ungodly hour more than a mile from the clinic.

  “It’s a miracle I was out in the forest collecting samples of fresh Aloe Vera for my work in the lab,” he soothed as he held me tight. “Then, I heard a cat screech and knew it couldn’t be a wild animal that had been hit by that wayward delivery van. It was almost like it was trying to hit you. But that can’t be possible. The driver was probably on the blasted cell phone.”

  Dr. Luke carried me the whole way home even though I probably could have walked, because after about five minutes, my head cleared and I started feeling much better. As we walked he told me some personal things that I never knew about him.

  “You know, Tali, when I was young, all I ever wanted to be was a scientist and discover treatments that would help animals in need. But my dad, he was a tough man, and he wanted me to follow in his footsteps and be a veterinarian. I never got the nerve to tell him that wasn’t what I wanted.”

  He paused, lost in thought before he continued. “Not that I don’t love all of you patients like my own. This just isn’t my dream. It never was.”

  He walked on in silence for a few minutes before he spoke again.

  “Do you think Penelope likes me?”

  Now, what to do to validate this poor sap? I cuddled in closer to his neck and purred at the top of my lungs all the while stroking his chin the top of my head. Then I let out a soft meow. As if to say … “Why, yes, dunderhead. She does.”

  “I keep trying to ask her to go with me to that new 3D movie at the science museum. You know that one about the Hawaiian volcanoes?” he asked.

  Yes I did, indeed. I’d been there myself about two weeks back. Excellent cinematography. Of course, I couldn’t wear any of the 3D glasses to get the full effect, but it was spectacular even without them. It was easy to slink in camouflaged between
moviegoers when you’re black and quiet.

  “Do you think she’d like that as a … date?”

  The poor guy looked like some kind of lovesick fool with his sad brown eyes and wavy brown hair. The local ladies thought he was a looker. Nice and intelligent, too, so it was hard to understand why Penelope wasn’t getting it. Dr. Luke was the catch of the town. Of course, he wasn’t as good looking as the dark and brooding Damian Chokecherry, or, the dark and fabulous, Talisman DeLaCroix but he was Pen’s one true love, and he needed to give her a True Love’s Kiss before I ran out of lives.

  I wanted to respond so badly, to tell Dr. Luke in some way that Pen had just mentioned the other day how much she’d like to see that movie. She was planning on asking Ami to go with her as a girl’s night. I meowed again but he misinterpreted.

  “I know you’re in pain, Tali,” he said. “We’re almost home, and I know Penelope keeps kitty aspirin on hand to help you sleep tonight. You’ll probably be stiff and sore for a few days. I’m just so happy there isn’t any lasting damage.”

  There was lasting damage. To my ego. I’d been hit by two vehicles in one week. It was like I was losing my touch. I gave up on trying to bolster his courage to ask Pen to the movie. He’d have to figure that one out himself. There was only so much a mute kitty could do in this situation. If I morphed in to human form around Dr. Luke I might have a chance, but that would scare the crap out of him, especially, if I showed up naked. He might get the wrong idea about me and our doctor/patient relationship.

  The lights of the shelter glowed in the distance, and we’d be home in less than five minutes. I hoped Pen had warm milk and tuna waiting. So much for my expensive bath and brush. I’d gotten a whiff of myself multiple times on the way home and appreciated Dr. Luke for not mentioning that I smelled of exhaust, dirt and fear.

  Hoot. Hoot.

  I glanced up and saw that Sage had flown back, concerned when I hadn’t returned home and had gone completely off the grid while I was unconscious. As he used his massive wing span to come closer, Dr. Luke heard the flapping and spotted him at about the same time that I did.

  What happened?

  I got hit by another car and Dr. Luke found me and helped me.

  Why was he out in the woods at night? Are you sure he’s safe? He could be one of them. The only people that are in the woods at night are evil witches, intent on casting spells and perpetuating their evil deeds.

  No, I’m sure. He babbled the entire way here and he would have let something slip. He was collecting wild Aloe Vera for some trial he’s doing on skin conditions at the vet clinic. Besides, he’s sweet on Penelope and wants to take her to that volcano movie showing that the science museum.

  Good. I like Dr. Luke. He patched up my broken wing so I could fly again after my accident. I wouldn’t want to have to peck his bloody eyes out.

  “We’re home, Tali,” Dr. Luke said as he rang the bell. “I see Sage has joined us. You have a great friend in Sage to go out at night to find you. He must have known you should have been home by now from your nightly escapades.”

  Sage cocked his head to one side in acknowledgement as he perched himself on top of the wooden railing of Penelope’s front porch. I was happy to see that Old Glory had returned to its rightful place flying proud from the flagpole instead of around my hips.

  Penelope peeked through the curtain on the side window and flung the door open when she recognized Dr. Luke standing on the porch.

  “Dr. Collier,” she exclaimed. “I didn’t expect you to stop by tonight.”

  The moment she noticed the bundle in Dr. Luke’s arms, her blue eyes widened and she gasped.

  “He’s going to be fine, Penelope,” Dr. Luke assured. “He got clipped by a delivery van in the rear end when he was on his way home tonight. It knocked him for a loop, but he doesn’t have any broken bones or internal injuries. He’ll just need a painkiller and a few days of rest.”

  “Oh, Tali,” she said as she took me from Dr. Luke and clutched me tight to her soft chest. That smell, the one that was unique to her, overtook my senses and I snuggled in to her neck. “I don’t know what I would do if something happened to you. Let’s go inside and I’ll get you some tuna to go with your medicine.”

  And warm milk? Surely a car accident is worthy of the double reward?

  She turned to go back inside, completely focused on me when she realized that Dr. Luke was still standing in the doorway.

  Ask him inside. It’s the perfect time for you two to get to know each other better. Come on Pen, he can help you with my medicine and then he can ask you to the movie and maybe we can get closer to True Love’s Kiss.

  “Penelope, I’ve been meaning to ask you something,” Dr. Luke said as he stepped closer, intending to step over the threshold and in to the house.

  “Thanks so much, Dr. Collier … I mean, Luke. I really appreciate you walking Talisman home. It could have been much worse if you hadn’t stumbled upon him.” She flung the words over her shoulder, not even turning around to give him eye contact and promptly slammed the door right in his face. Right before he slipped from my view, I saw a look of utter defeat on his chiseled face.

  Good grief. The night was about to go from bad to worse. Penelope wasn’t usually so preoccupied. Or dense. That could only mean one thing. Something or someone had distracted her to the point that she’d lost all common sense.

  She’d left Sage outside on the porch so he’d have to go sleep in the barn, and I really needed him to see the book I’d been referring to. We could communicate telepathically, but it would be as good as having him right in the living room so he could see and hear everything firsthand.

  “Tali,” she said as we walked toward the living room. “I tried to call Ami but she’s off the grid and isn’t responding. I found something really important in the book of love spells that fell on the floor. Can you lie in your kitty bed and rest while I look at it again?”

  I could lie in my kitty bed, but I’d rather get to the bottom of this. And Ami wasn’t responding to communication from Pen? Completely out of the norm for her. If I wasn’t about to give out another feline howl of pain, I’d go looking for her, but that would have to wait.

  After gently setting me down in my fur-lined bed, Pen sat down on her mauve sofa and leaned over the coffee table to thumb through the pages. I’d give anything if I could speak and tell her how rude it was to close the door on Dr. Luke right when he was about to ask her on a proper date. Suggesting an activity she'd wanted to do for weeks. I wished I could cast my own love spell, but alas, I’m not a witch.

  “See, Tali,” she explained as she ran her finger along the worn and yellowed parchment. “It says right here that the only way I can break the spell on Jessie, is if she shares True Love’s Kiss with Harry. I’m so upset and worried I’ve made a horrible mistake. The way they’ve been acting, I can’t see any way we can get those two close enough to kiss each other.”

  She wasn’t kidding. It felt so warm and cozy in my bed, I barely lifted my head to acknowledge her. Couldn’t this wait until tomorrow? Couldn’t she see I’d been traumatized by my most recent brush with death?

  She sat back in the sofa as if the mauve upholstery could envelop her fears in a velvet cocoon so she didn’t have to face what she’d done. Except this was one time she couldn’t dismiss or evade. Jessie and Harry were acting strangely and Elias was on the rampage. The time had come to set this right.

  “It’s been a few months since we’ve had a pet adoption event at the center,” she mused. More to herself than to me because I’d shut my eyes to try to drown out the remaining ringing in my ears from my kitty concussion. “I’ll ask Jessie if she can supply the pie and I’ll ask Harry if he can bring Walter by to be the mascot and pose as our most recent success story. What do you think, Tali?”

  That’s just it. I was so tired, thoughts were no longer possible, so I didn’t even open my eyes.

  Chapter 7

  “Penelope,” Sabrina Scuttl
eworth said as she stroked Sage’s silky feathers. I was surprised he let her, and he’d even cocked his head to one side to the enjoy the attention without saying anything under his breath. “This is the most beautiful owl I have ever seen. I can’t believe he just sits here so calmly with all these people around.”

  “Yes. Sage is a gift,” Pen replied and walked over to stand beside the woman.

  Pen had outdone herself for this adoption event at the Fur Motel. I knew the real reason. Jessie and Harry needed to share True Love’s Kiss in order to break the half-spell that Pen had cast. It seemed that almost everyone in town had turned out to support her and the shelter, even if they didn’t have any more room in their homes for unwanted pets. These types of events always drew a crowd in the small town for the delicious potluck fare. One or two of my friends might also find a new home tonight.

  “Tell me again how he came to be here?” asked a deeper voice. One laced with malevolent intent. Torturer of animals and debaucher of women since the dawn of time.

  I hadn’t noticed Damien Chokecherry skulk up behind Sabrina until the black hair stood up all over my body as he posed his loaded question. I tended to stay close to Penelope at events like this. One never knew when the riff-raff would infest a gathering. Like the plague.

  “Oh, Damian,” Sabrina said. “I didn’t see you behind us.”

  Wanker.

  Sage disliked Damian. No, scratch that. Sage hated Damian. And he wasn’t alone in his feelings. No one liked Damian except his own family and maybe a bunch of other evil witches casting spells with their idols and their cauldrons simmering with roasted rat’s rump. As soon as the owl saw the man, he flew to his perch in Pen’s office, high above the heads of all the humans present. Then he turned around and deliberately gave Damian his back. Sage knew firsthand that Damian illegally poached animals, often tormenting and torturing them before he killed them.

  It had been Damian that had wounded Sage’s wing with an errant arrow while trying to shoot a buzzard in the eyeball. If it hadn’t been for Dr. Luke, Sage would be earth bound. I know him so well, I don’t think he would have survived it. A bird needs to be able to spread his wings and fly to make life worth living. Especially, that particular conceited bird.