by N M Thorn
“Hey, Missi,” he called and waited a moment as she appeared from the kitchen. “Can I have everything to go, please? And one more before I leave.” He pointed at the bottle of Russian vodka that he usually ordered.
She put a shot glass on the bar table and filled it with vodka. “That’s unusual,” she murmured, her hands quickly packaging the burger and fries into a take-out box. “You never drink more than three shots.”
A lopsided smile crossed his face, making a single dimple appear on one of his cheeks. “I know. Usually three shots are my limit, but today I felt like I needed more.” He downed the vodka and got up, grabbing the take-out box.
Missi shook her head, checking him with concern. “Do you want me to call you a cab?”
“Thank you, Missi. I’ll walk. Take care.” He nodded to her and walked out of the restaurant.
Gunz walked away from the restaurant and turned into a dark alley. He stopped and rubbed his forehead tiredly. Maybe Missi was right. I didn’t need that fourth shot, he thought, smirking. It had been a while since he felt drunk and right now the world around him seemed to be unsteady. Possibly it was a combination of vodka with the residuals of the succubus magic. He surveyed the alley carefully to make sure that no one could see him and once satisfied, he waved his hand, unfolding the fire curtain of a portal.
He walked through the fire and ended up in the backyard of his house in Coral Springs. The house wasn’t really his. It belonged to his friend, but she was away and wasn’t planning to come back any time soon. In the meantime, Gunz had the full use of her house. Dizziness assailed him as he took a step forward. He chuckled and sat down heavily on the steps in front of the back door.
He closed his eyes and leaned his back against the door of the house, still feeling a little buzzed. He was about to get up when he felt a soft touch to his leg. Gunz looked down and noticed a small kitten. It couldn’t have been more than a month old. The kitten was trying to climb on his lap, its tiny sharp claws catching the hard fabric of his jeans.
“Oh, hello, little buddy. What are you doing here?” said Gunz. He put the take-out box on the steps and gently picked up the kitten, holding it in his hands. The kitten turned on his engine, purring loudly, and licked his hand. Gunz laughed, gently stroking the kitten’s thick gray fur with his fingers. “You found the wrong man, little buddy. I’m a dog person—give me a giant German Shepherd any day. Well, occasionally, I don’t mind dealing with lizards. But cats…”
The kitten ignored his statement and climbed up his shirt, settling on his shoulder. He meowed into his ear and poked his cheek with his wet nose. Gunz petted the kitten, leaving him sitting on his shoulder, and picked up the take-out box. “Well, you’re taking your life in your own paws, buddy… but if you’re sure that you want to adopt a man like me then let’s get going.” He unlocked the door and walked into the kitchen.
Inside, Gunz put the kitten on the floor and opened the refrigerator. He poured some milk in a small bowl and placed it in front of him.
“Sorry, little buddy, I don’t have any cat food or litter for you”—he quickly glanced at the wall clock that was showing past one in the morning—“and it’s too late for shopping. I’ll buy everything you need first thing in the morning.”
The kitten ignored him, preoccupied with his milk. Gunz squatted next to him and softly stroked his back. The kitten moved closer to his bowl and growled defensively. Gunz laughed, rising. “I think I’ll call you Mishka in honor of my good friend. You sure remind me of him.”
He left the kitten in the kitchen and walked to the living room. His body was buzzing with the exhaustion of this endless day and the incident with the succubus didn’t sit well with him. Missi’s restaurant was normally free of supernatural visitors. He was probably the only one. And the succubus’ behavior seemed a bit odd too. Until he used his power, she didn’t sense the creature of magic in him. Something didn’t feel right.
His cell phone rang, making him flinch. He pulled it out and looked at the display. Jim. One o’clock in the morning? That can’t be good. He clicked the green button, answering the call.
“Hello, Jim,” he said and fell silent for a few seconds, listening to Jim. “You want me to come over now? Can it wait till morning?”
He lowered the phone down for a moment and sighed, bringing the shouting device back to his ear.
“No, I’m not drunk. Just a little—,” Jim interrupted him urgently, obviously not pleased and Gunz fell silent again, listening to his boss. “Yes, sir, I know the consequences of losing control of my power and I assure you, I’m in complete control.”
Gunz lowered himself on the couch, rubbing the stubble on his chin tiredly.
“Yes, sir, I know that my job doesn’t have weekends and days off,” he said, hoping to calm Jim down. “I’m sorry, sir, I needed to unwind a little… I’m not drunk…”
He had been working with Agent Andrews for over a year and he had never heard him talking like this to him. Something serious was going on.
“Yes, sir, I know what Code Shadow means… I understand the urgency of the situation… No, sir. You don’t need to summon me.”
Jim didn’t have magic and he couldn’t use summoning spells, but his partner, Angelique, could. She was a witch and a seer. Gunz hated when they used summoning spells to call him. The persistent pull of the summoning spell on his mind was driving him crazy, giving him a pounding headache afterwards.
“I prefer not to drive right now, so I’ll open my portal to your office right away, if you don’t mind… Yes, sir, to Angelique’s office… I’ll see you both in a few minutes.”
Gunz hung up the phone and shook his head, biting his lip. Code Shadow. It meant an abnormally high level of supernatural activity, endangering civilian lives. Since he started to work with the secret division of the FBI, dealing with supernatural occurrences, it was the first time that Code Shadow was officially issued.
“Fire Salamander—go,” he muttered to himself and waved his hand, opening the fire portal into Angelique’s office.
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Also by N. M. Thorn
The Fire Salamander Chronicles
The Burns Path (Prequel Novella Book 0 - for my subscribers)
The Burns Fire - Book 1
The Burns War - Book 2
The Burns Defiance - Book 3
The Burns Codex - Book 4
The Burns Enigma - Book 5
The Burns Destiny - Book 6
The Shadow Enforcer Series
The Shadow Enforcer - Book 1
The Shadow Deception - Book 2
The Shadow Paradox - Book 3
About the Author
N.M. Thorn currently lives in South Florida with her husband and son. Owner of a digital marketing agency by day and a writer by night, she loves spending her times creating new worlds, para
normal planes of existence and anything that could be described as supernatural.
When she is not busy working with everything digital or exploring fantasy worlds, she enjoys spending time with her family, reading, painting and practicing martial arts.
If you would like to share your thoughts, ideas or just send N.M. Thorn a message about the Fire Salamander world, feel free to contact her at: [email protected]
