Finding the Magic (21 page)

“This
Sgian
Dubhs
has been in my father’s family for around two hundred years. It’s only used for the
Ceangal
.” He met her gaze. “Are you sure about this?”

In answer, she took the knife from him and pricked her index finger on the blade. Blood welled to the surface of the small cut and spilled slowly down her finger. She passed the knife back to Cam and he leaned forward and took her finger into the warmth of his mouth. Cleaning the blood from it with gentle swipes of his tongue. When he was done, the bleeding had slowed enough that only a small drop welled to the surface. She watched mesmerized as he cut his own finger and offered it to her. The blood had a slightly metallic taste and she was glad she only needed to take such a tiny amount. Jayne had thought that she might be disgusted by this but found instead that there was an odd sense of intimacy in the act. It wasn’t something she would be looking to repeat, but it was easier than she had expected it to be.

Cameron shrugged out of his robe and pulled her to her feet and into the middle of the floor. They stood facing each other, naked, and she began to feel a little awkward.

“How long does it—oh!” A strange tingling began in her hands and feet and swept her whole body, bringing with it a wave of pleasant warmth. Cam knelt and she followed him, feeling the sudden impulse to stretch. The tingling increased as she did so, closing her eyes and arching her back. When she opened her eyes again, she found everything sharper, clearer. Opposite her she saw Cameron had completely changed and when she stopped to take stock of her own body, realized that she had too. The world had opened up, her senses more acute than she would ever have imagined. Cameron’s familiar scent came first, soaked into the very
fibers
of the room, followed by the earthy scent of their recent lovemaking and the light aroma of the bath soap. Her ears twitched as she heard the faint sounds of Mary chatting to Jonathon in the kitchen, dishes clattering as she worked.

Jayne stepped forward cautiously, expecting to be clumsy on her new paws but instead found that the motion came to her instinctively. There was a mirror on the wardrobe door and she approached it eagerly. Reflected back at her was a lioness. Her coat was a little redder than normal, no doubt due to her own hair
color
, and she was probably a little bigger, but otherwise she was indistinguishable from the real thing.
Wow
.

Cam padded up behind her and nuzzled her face with his own.
You are beautiful
,
my
fìor
cèile
.

I can
’
t believe I am standing here like this
!
She lifted a paw experimentally and watched as her reflection followed.
It
’
s amazing
. She turned to face him, seeing the contentment in his eyes.
I hope this doesn
’
t mean I
’
ve lost the grouch I fell in love with
.
I
’
ve become quite fond of him
.

He snorted and she felt his amusement.
I would love to say you had
,
my love
,
but I suspect he will still be around at times
.

Good
,
I
’
d miss him
.
She nipped at his ear and bounded out the door and down the stairs, laughing at his startled oath. By the time she skidded onto the kitchen tiles, he had caught up with her. Mary clapped her hands delightedly and Jonathon grinned and threw open the conservatory door for them, letting them dash out into the bright winter afternoon. Cam raced for the pine trees and Jayne followed,
savoring
the cool, soft snow beneath her paws and the fresh breeze on her face.

Life sang in her veins and she felt she had never been so free. She thought again of her conversation with Megan a few short months ago. Of everything that had happened between then and now and realized… It wasn’t always enough to believe in magic, sometimes you had to go out and find it. And sometimes, if you were very lucky, it found you.

Epilogue

Abigail Westford perched nervously on a rock on top of the small hill and watched her little white car sitting in the middle of the road twenty feet away. Its headlights illuminated the stretch of single-track road directly in front of it but all around was darkness, broken only by the faint blue-white glow of patches of snow. There wasn’t a sign of human habitation for miles, it was perfect. It had taken her hours to drive the length of the route and back to find the best place to lie in wait. Now all she needed to do was be patient.

The freezing wind nipped at her and she shivered, pulled her black
woolen
hat down over the tops of her ears and shrank down into the thick down collar of her black jacket. Her breath puffed out in small white clouds in the cold night air and she tucked her hands under her arms to warm them. Her eyes strained against the darkness as she waited for any sign of them, while her brain went around and around. She was doing the right thing. She was. There was just no way she could have left anyone in that situation. Maybe she should have tried another e-mail, or a phone call. Or perhaps she could have shown up in person but she didn’t want to be held accountable for
his
actions. No, she had tried to stay out of it, to do it the easy way, but she had been fooled for too long while he covered his tracks. She had no choice but to take some kind of action herself.

There.

The lights of the van swept up the hillside toward her, the incline slowing it down considerably. She gritted her teeth and waited. The other vehicle rounded the bend and disappeared from sight momentarily. When it came around the corner, its headlights swept her, momentarily blinding her, before shining on her beloved car. The driver leaned on his horn, swerving to avoid the little vehicle and she murmured a silent prayer. The van’s tires screeched as he fought to brake on the narrow, icy road, skidded and crashed into the ditch on the other side. It toppled half onto its side, the impact shattering one of the lights, and rocked to a halt.

Abby jumped to her feet, her whole body shaking with relief, and slipped and slid down the frozen embankment and across the road. She pulled the tranquilizer gun and handcuffs from the deep pockets of her jacket and clambered up to open the van door. The driver was slumped over the steering wheel and, for a sickening second, she was terrified that she might have killed him. A quick check revealed that he was merely unconscious.

“This is a good thing, it makes it much easier,” she reassured herself breathlessly and jumped back down, shoving the handcuffs back in her pocket. If she moved quickly and got this done before he came around, she wouldn’t need them. Even better, she could get away without being seen and without needing to worry about finding a way to free him. It was too secluded an area and far too cold to leave it to chance.

At first, when she opened the back doors, all she saw was darkness. Then, from one corner came a menacing growl. Her eyes adjusted to the lack of light and she saw the cage tilted diagonally against one wall. Inside, pale eyes gleamed at her from a midnight-dark, feline face. He bared his teeth and snarled. Abby felt his rage, his confusion and
fear
and it made her want to weep.

“It’s all right, it’s okay,” she murmured, bringing the
tranq
gun up from her side. “Let’s get you out of there, Nick.”

The end?

Also by Cait Miller

Believe In the Magic

Discover for yourself why readers can’t get enough of the multiple award-winning publisher Ellora’s Cave. Whether you prefer e-books or paperbacks, be sure to visit EC on the web at www.ellorascave.com for an erotic reading experience that will leave you breathless.

www.ellorascave.com