by Amy Boyles
When she’d been with Mysterio, Hattie had been dolled up with makeup and her hair slicked up into a ponytail.
Now she was frizz city with a hair that looked more like what a cat coughed up than the Brazilian Blowout look she’d had before.
Just saying.
She gestured with her palms out as if waiting for my response. “Is this spot taken?” she asked again.
“What? Oh, no. Sorry. I’ve got Sunday morning brain. It’s like a fog in my head.”
She slinked in beside me. “Join the club.”
Hattie pulled a cat from a bag and held it in her arms. It was a plain looking red tabby. The animal glanced at me and then at Hugo.
“Good morning,” the cat said.
“Morning,” I murmured. I smiled at Hattie. “Your cat said hello.”
Hattie’s gaze slid toward me. “You must be the new familiar matcher.”
“I am.” I extended my hand. “Pepper Dunn.”
“Hattie Hollypop.” She raised the cat. “This is Joe. He loved going to the familiar shop when Donovan owned it.”
“That was my great-uncle.”
Hattie gave Joe a good scratch. “Yeah, he and Donovan were big old buddies. Isn’t that right, Joe?”
Joe stared at Hugo. “I see you have the dragon.”
“You know about him?” I said with surprise.
“Oh yes,” Joe said in a bored voice. “Your uncle told me he’d ordered him. Wanted it to be a surprise for his niece.”
I leaned over. “So it’s true. I wasn’t sure as Donovan didn’t leave a note.”
We were interrupted by the instructor. “I hear some talking. Less talking and more practice, ladies. We’re all here to bond with our familiars. Get closer to them so we can work the best magic possible.”
She eyed me like I was grounded for the week.
“She’s so serious,” Hattie said. “Nina’s nothing if not in control.”
I stretched Hugo out in front of me. “Her name’s Nina?”
Hattie nodded. “She works in the magical objects store. Takes this yoga stuff seriously.”
“Well, we’re all here, aren’t we? I guess we must take it seriously, too.”
Nina’s clipped voice grabbed my attention. “Now, using your magic, suspend your familiars in the air in front of you while you connect with them.”
Say what?
I was actually supposed to do magic? Crap. That wasn’t my strongest suit.
With my gaze steady on Hugo, I lifted him out in front of me. The innocence in his eyes made my heart cinch. Emotions tugged at me and I felt the need to be his protector, to coddle and make sure this little dragon stayed safe and sound.
I extended him outward and focused on levitating the dragon. I concentrated, pinpointing my energy into that singular thought. I watched as the other witches released their familiars. The animals hovered in the air while their witches moved into tree position.
I pulled one hand away. Hugo started to fall. I snatched him up.
Nina came over. Great. I’d caught the teacher’s attention. I felt like such an idiot.
Nina placed her hands on my shoulders. “It can be hard with a new familiar,” she whispered in my ear, “but focus on the connection the two of you have.”
“What connection?” I blurted out.
“The thing that brought you together in the first place.”
“He arrived in a package and hatched.”
“Oh. Well, try to find the string holding you together.”
I frowned, but I tried to focus on some sort of string. Was it like a magical string? Was it made of yarn or was it really thin like thread?
Yes, these were the thoughts that collided in my head.
“Now look at him. Really see your familiar.”
I stared into Hugo’s sweet baby face and felt a snap in my core. Something pulled and stretched, harnessing me to him.
A rush of powers flooded my body and at that moment, I knew I could let go.
And I did.
I pulled my hands from Hugo and watched as he hovered in front of me.
Nina patted my shoulder. “See? It’s not so hard, is it? Trust and connection. That’s all it takes to bring two people together. Trust and the connection will follow.”
Yeah, that didn’t remind me of Axel at all.
That was sarcasm.
Nina stepped away.
I felt our bond tighten as if the string joining us had thickened or something. It was weird and super cool at the same time.
“He’s cute,” Hattie whispered. “An adorable baby dragon. You say you got him in a package?”
I nodded. “Yeah. He arrived a few days ago.” Here it was. My opening. “I sold him to Mysterio.”
She did a double take. “The magician?”
“Oh, did you know him?”
Hattie moved from tree to warrior. I followed, though very wobbly. “Yes. I knew him.”
“Right before he died, Mysterio wrote part of a message from my dead mother on a slip of paper. Unfortunately, half of it was ripped off.”
We shifted to tree. “I may be able to help you with that.”
“How?”
Up front, one of the cats started screeching. It jumped on a terrier that immediately started snarling and biting.
“Cat fight,” Hattie said.
Within about two seconds, half the familiars in yoga class had jumped into the fray. Hissing, barking and growling filled the calm Sunday morning.
I met Hugo’s gaze and the baby dragon flew straight up into the air.
“Hugo, come back,” I yelled, but it was no use. Either he didn’t hear me, he ignored me, or he simply didn’t understand what I was saying because let’s face it—he was only a few days old.
He swooped high into the sky and plummeted down, aiming straight for the tangle of animals.
Hugo opened his mouth and an arrow of flames shot toward the familiars. My heart lurched and my stomach clenched as the line of fire licked toward the dogs and cats.
Fear overtook me. I didn’t want any creatures hurt. I threw my emotion toward the animals. It worked. Hugo’s flames stopped short as if they hit an invisible wall.
I stared at Hugo as he swept over the familiars. The sound of fire had killed all the fight in them. The dogs and cats parted. They gazed at the dragon, who had swooped past them and was sailing into the sky.
One of the witches pointed a hand at Hugo and yelled, “That dragon tried to kill my doggie. It wanted to kill and eat my dog. Call that new sheriff.”
Great. I almost missed aunts Mint and Licky. Even they weren’t as much trouble as this.
Or maybe I’m just not remembering their antics as well.
Yep. That’s probably it.
THIRTEEN
“So the dragon’s already causing problems.”
I sat in Garrick Young’s office. I sat in a chair with Hugo perched next to me. “He didn’t cause the problem, but that’s neither here nor there.”
Garrick threaded his fingers together and propped his elbows on his desk. “He breathes fire.”
I smirked. “Maybe it’s like removing scent glands in ferrets. You remove a gland, stop a dragon breathing fire, no one gets hurt.”
Garrick chuckled. “I don’t think it works that way.”
I cocked a brow. “Are you sure?”
“Yes,” he said in a sobering tone.
I patted Hugo’s head. His tongue lolled from his mouth like a dog’s. “It may have seemed like he was about to barbecue those creatures, but he wasn’t. I know he wasn’t. I could feel it.”
Garrick leaned back and stretched his legs out to the side of the desk. “It may have seemed to you like he wasn’t going to hurt those animals, but I’ve got about ten witnesses who say otherwise.”
I shrugged. “I don’t know what to say. My uncle ordered him before I ever arrived in Magnolia Cove. My grandmother says this little guy is supposed to protect me. He’s only a few days old.”<
br />
“And already scaring the masses.”
Someone knocked on the door. Garrick’s gaze swiveled from me. “It’s open.”
A dark head of hair popped in. “I hear there was a ruckus in the park.”
My heart fluttered to my throat. Axel.
“Come on in.”
Axel shut the door behind him and leaned against it. His gaze flitted to me briefly before settling on Garrick. “I heard the basics. Seems to me there was a bit of hysteria.”
“It’s a dragon,” Garrick said.
Axel crossed his arms. “It’s a baby.”
“That breathes fire.”
“That’s what I’ve been saying,” I said quickly. “It breathes fire. People will be afraid of it.”
Axel glared at me as if to say whose-side-are-you-on? “It can be trained otherwise. It’s young.”
Garrick drummed his fingers on the chair’s armrests. “I don’t need these folks to be in danger. Or even to feel like they’re in danger from one of the familiars.”
“No one was hurt. From what I understand the dragon wasn’t going after the witches.”
“He wasn’t,” I added quickly. “Hugo wasn’t attacking anyone. He was trying to break up a fight the other animals were having. A cat attacked a dog and then a whole bunch of animals started fighting. If you want to point fingers at an animal, you need to find the cat that started the mess to begin with.” I folded my arms defiantly. “I can find the attack kitty if you need me to. I was there. I’m a witness.”
A slow smile curled on Garrick’s lips. “So according to you, the dragon didn’t start the ruckus.”
“Right. He was trying to end it.”
Garrick’s gaze focused on me. “Do you have proof?”
I faltered. “Anyone there can tell you that Hugo didn’t singe a hair on anyone. But can they explain what I felt? That Hugo’s entire intent was to stop the fight? I can’t give you a one hundred percent ‘yes’ on that.”
The officer slowly nodded. “In that case, since no one was hurt, the one thing I can do is give you a warning. Watch the dragon. It’s hard to have a familiar like that. They’re rare, and folks love them because of their mythology. But people also fear them. You’re going to encounter more fear than you are fascination. I could be wrong, though. Could be wrong.”
I scooped Hugo into my arms. He squeaked as I hugged him to me. “I’m sorry that he scared folks and I’ll do what I can to make sure nothing like that happens again.”
Axel flashed me a brief smile. He moved from the door and opened it. “Thanks, Garrick.”
Garrick waved him away. “Welcome.”
I was nearly out the door when I heard Garrick’s voice. “Oh, and Pepper?”
I turned. “Yes?”
“Watch that dragon. I let y’all off this time, but next time may be different.”
I felt one corner of my lips tip into a smile. “I understand.”
He nodded as Axel shut the door.
A moment later, the private detective was ushering me through the station. He held a warm hand to my spine as we clipped along.
As soon as we were out the door, Axel whispered in my ear. “What happened?”
So I explained it all over again. He looked concerned. “Just what exactly were you doing there in the first place?”
“Idie Claire told me that Hattie might know something about Mysterio. I was trying to get close to her.”
“By barbecuing her pet?”
I bristled. “It wasn’t her animal that started the fight. Besides, what are you doing here anyway? You wanted to cool things off.”
He scowled. “That doesn’t mean I can’t try to help you.”
I growled in frustration. Axel cocked a brow.
“This is what I’ve been saying all along about Hugo. Dragons are dangerous. But no one wanted to listen to me. Everyone thinks I need to keep the fire-breathing, large animal-eating creature. Keep a dangerous beast as a pet; everything will be fine.”
“I never said everything would be fine.”
“I’m pretty sure you did.”
He chuckled.
I balled up my one free fist—the one that wasn’t clutching Hugo to my chest. “This is not funny.”
“No, it’s not. I agree. Why don’t you let me take him?”
“What?”
He shrugged. “It might help cool Garrick along with the rest of the town. I don’t have to take him for forever, just long enough to get some heat off you.”
I shook my head. “No.”
“Think about it.”
I raised my chin. “I have. Answer’s no.”
Axel exhaled deeply. “Your baby dragon scared half the town.”
“It wasn’t half the town,” I said.
“By the time the gossips get ahold of it, it’ll be half the town.”
I nibbled the inside of my lip. “Hm. Think we can use that in our favor?”
“How?”
I grinned broadly. “No idea. But if you give me enough time I’m sure I can figure something out.”
Axel chuckled. “Come on. Want some breakfast?”
I sighed. “Should we really do that? I don’t need you screwing with my emotions, Axel.”
He winced. “I’m not trying. Just wanted to take you out for breakfast.”
Maybe I could have a meal with him and not get my heart raked over burning coals that would turn me into a shriveled mess?
It was worth a shot.
I’d checked the wall clock on the way out of the police station. It was after ten and I was starved. “Lord, yes. Where are we going? It’s Sunday morning. What is open this early besides Spellin’ Skillet?”
Axel opened the door to his Mustang. I slid inside and looked at him expectantly. “The pop-up restaurant’s open.”
“Barbecue for breakfast?”
He shook his head. “No. They have a Sunday brunch buffet.”
“Are you trying to make me fat? Because it’s not going to work. I was chunky in high school and worked hard to shed those pounds. I’ll eat a grain of salt for breakfast before I put on weight.”
He raised his hands in surrender. “No one’s trying to give you complex.”
“Good.”
We headed over to the pop-up restaurant, where I built a plate with pecan cinnamon rolls and sausage. Axel studied my food while I fed Hugo links from under the table. That was much more my speed than mice.
“You’re eyeing my plate,” I said, forking a roll.
“Is it making you uncomfortable?”
I glanced up. His blue eyes locked on me. I couldn’t pull away. I inhaled sharply and swallowed a knot of food. I choked, coughing into my hand and sucking air like I was drowning.
“No. It’s not making me uncomfortable. Want a link?”
Axel cut into a slice of ham. “Even if I wanted it, looks like Hugo might fight me for it.”
“He’s a lover, not a fighter.”
“Right.”
Pixie the pixie arrived floating a pitcher of sweet tea beside her. “Y’all need refills?”
“Yes, thanks,” I said.
She poured some and I realized I didn’t have any jelly beans. Axel pulled a bag from his pocket and laid it on the table. “That what you’re missing?”
I sank my forehead onto my hand. “You’re really bad at this whole cooling the jets thing.”
“I’d bought those last week and forgot to give them to you.”
“That almost makes this appropriate.” I opened it and found a small collection of colorful beans. “Thank you.”
Red dotted his cheeks. “You’re welcome.”
I plopped a few in and tasted. Fruit flavors swirled with the orange pekoe tea. Perfect. I smacked my lips. “It’s wonderful.”
“Great, because you’ve got a lot of work to do.”
I frowned. “About what?”
“The dragon. If you don’t get him under control, you’re going to have this town at your doorstep
with pitchforks and torches.”
My stomach clenched. “That’s a problem.”
“I’d say so. You need to work with Barry. See how he can help bond the two of you because if you have another outburst like you had today, I’m afraid Garrick won’t have any choice but to take him in.”
I glanced at the sweet face. Spikes dotted his eyes and his tongue dipped out one side of his mouth as he patiently waited for another sausage.
“All right. I’ll find Barry and have him help train Hugo.” Axel stopped chewing. “You don’t have to get mad at me. I’m trying to keep you both safe.”
I raked my fingers through my hair. “I know. It’s a lot, that’s all.” I inhaled a deep cleansing breath and released it. “But it’ll be fine. Baby steps.”
He reached across as if he wanted to take my hand, but stopped before he touched me. “Baby steps.”
I shot him a feeble smile. We finished up lunch and headed to Betty’s house. Axel left me at the curb and I padded up the porch and inside.
I found Betty standing at the dining room table, a huge map of Magnolia Cove hovering about it. She had a long pointy stick in her hand. The sharp end of it was stationed on the park. She looked like a general assigning posts for an upcoming battle.
“General Custer, I assume,” I said.
“You’re just in time,” she said.
“What are you doing? Rounding the troops?” I said.
She fisted her hands on her hips. “I was about to, but then you entered.”
I deposited Hugo on the floor and studied her. “Were you in here talking to yourself? It looks like you’re going over military plans.”
Betty smirked. “These are not military plans.”
“What is it then?”
“It’s a map putting together the timelines between you receiving the dragon, Mysterio’s death, and everything else that’s happened so far—including the fiasco at the park this morning.”
I sank into a chair and wished I had a shot of bourbon to take the edge off what this Sunday had already done to me. Witches or not, Sunday was still the Lord’s day and I was pretty sure drinking was frowned upon in Magnolia Cove.
“You look like you could use a drink,” Betty said.
