The Magical Christmas Cat

by Lora Leigh

  Her face hardened. "Go home, Professor."

  Professor? She hadn't called him that in days. "I'd rather . . ."

  "This is my house, and I'm asking you to leave." She looked him up and down. "As it is, you're going to raise a few eyebrows crossing the street half-dressed at dawn. Wait an hour, and everyone in the neighbor-hood is likely to see."

  "You care what the neighbors think?"

  She hesitated, then said, "No, but you need to leave anyway."

  This was her house, and he could not insist on staying. "i thought we were . . ."

  "You thought wrong," she said, long before he was finished.

  As he walked through the living room toward the front door, Zane looked at the jade cat, which remained on the coffee table. Ruby hadn't wanted to touch it after it had made its unexplained trip from the garbage can to the living room, so there it had remained all night. He could offer to take it with him, but when it reappeared close to Ruby, where it should not be, she would only be freaked out all over again.

  "I'll check on you later," he said as he opened the front door on a cool morning.

  "Don't!" she called, and Zane wondered what had happened in her most recent dream to make her afraid of him.

  Chapter 5

  After a breakfast of bacon and eggs, Ruby showered, hoping the spray of water and the familiar routine would wake her up and chase away the lingering dreams. It didn't work. She dressed in a faded pair of jeans and a lightweight blue sweater, trying for normalcy even though at the moment her life felt anything but normal.

  In all three of the dreams, it had been a friend or lover who offered a woman's soul to the demon. They had all been betrayed by men they loved or cared for. A husband, a lover, an old family friend.

  She sat on the couch and stared at the jade cat. It seemed to stare back at her, but there was no purring, no distant and creepy meow. Not yet, at least. The feline's green face was pointed and sharp, primitively feral, not at all like a normal cat. Ruby didn't believe in ghosts and demons, she didn't believe in Zane's woowoo. But something was going on, and this damn cat was at the center of it.

  Trust no one.

  The only man Ruby trusted, the only man she had trusted in more than two years, was Zane Benedict.

  She was not going to sit here and wait to see what might happen next! It took her no more than three minutes to grab her coat, her keys, her cell phone, and her purse. She had credit cards and some cash, and she was, by God, going to get as far away from Holland Court as she possibly could.

  As Ruby locked the front door, Hester Livingston was walking up the driveway with a loaf wrapped in foil grasped in her hands. "Hellooo," the older woman called, and she flashed a smile. "Did I catch you going to work? You're later leaving than usual. When I saw your car in the driveway, I thought you might be ill, so I brought you a loaf of my homemade cheese bread."

  "I'm just on my way out," Ruby said.

  Hester was not deterred. "This will just take a minute. I know you make your own baked goods, and you're quite talented, but my cheese bread is special."

  Intent on taking the bread from the old woman and just carrying it with her, as that seemed the simplest and fastest way to end this encounter, Ruby met Hester on the driveway. "Thanks," she said.

  The nosy neighbor did not leave; did not even move from her position between Ruby and the car. "I was up early this morning, and I could've sworn I saw Professor Benedict leaving your house in nothing but his skivvies."

  Ah, so this was the reason for the visit and the cheese bread. "They were flannel pants," Ruby said. "Not skivvies."

  Hester waved a dismissive hand. "He was hardly dressed at all. Unsavory situations like this can give the neighborhood a bad reputation."

  So could demons, Ruby thought. "Zane and I are two fully grown unattached adults. What we do indoors is really none of your business." Letting the old woman believe that Zane had been at her house for a little recreational sex and nothing more was much better than the truth. "Now, if we start hooking up in the middle of the street . . ."

  Hester's eyes got wide. "There's no reason for sarcasm."

  "There's no reason to be meddlesome."

  In a huff, Hester reclaimed her foil-wrapped bread and turned to stalk toward home. Any other time, Ruby would've felt guilty about being short with her neighbor, but today she only had one thing on her mind. Escape.

  She got in the car and threw her purse on the passenger seat, started the engine, and let it idle for a moment to warm up. When she put the car in reverse to back out of the driveway, she looked into the rearview mirror and saw the front door to Zane's house open. He stepped onto the porch as she backed into the street, but she didn't give him another glance or another thought. She had to get away from here, and she suspected if she gave him the chance, he would try to stop her.

  She didn't know where she was going, but the interstate would be a good start. Twenty minutes to the interstate, and from there she'd go to Birmingham or Huntsville or beyond. Maybe she'd just keep driving until she couldn't keep her eyes open, then she'd find a motel and crash for the night, so tired she couldn't possibly dream.

  Not five minutes from the house, Ruby pulled up to a four-way stop. She looked to her left, and saw nothing. She looked to her right, and there on her dashboard, where a moment ago there had been nothing, sat the jade cat. It appeared to be smiling.

  Ruby screamed as she instinctively hit the gas and raced impulsively through the empty intersection. She could feel herself losing control, inside and out. She didn't see the telephone pole until it was too late.

  Amalie smiled as she stretched her naked body across the fine sheets of her lover's bed. She had never known such pleasures existed, but then, until Henry had claimed her body and soul, she had known very little pleasure in life. An orphan since the age of eleven, a ladies' maid who served others and answered to others' demands, she had never thought to know such indulgence for herself.

  "You are incredibly beautiful," Henry said. He was naked, too. She liked his body. It was hard and strong, and so very different from her own. She could not keep her hands off him.

  He said they would soon be married, but he had family business to see to first. His wealthy merchant father would not approve of his taking a woman who had once been a servant as his wife. Henry was planning a charade. By the time all was said and done, his family would think she was a fine lady just recently arrived in the colonies from France. "I think he will like you happy," Henry said.

  "Who will like me happy?" Amalie asked, smiling as she ran her hands along his fine chest. "Your father?"

  "II Gatto Nero," Henry said, taking her wrist and wrapping a length of fine red-silk fabric around it. She did not protest, not even when he tied her wrists together and tethered her to the bedpost. His sexual tastes were sometimes a bit odd, but he never hurt her, and he always saw that she found her own pleasure before he found his. Amalie didn't like being tied up, but if it made Henry happy, it was a small price to pay.

  "The black cat? I did not know you had a cat."

  Henry took a nipple into his mouth and suckled it, and Amalie forgot about cats and charades. Nothing else mattered but this. She closed her eyes and savored the sensations. She wished to be able to touch Henry, to wrap her arms around him, but she could not. Her lover took his time, kissing and licking and arousing . . . then he was gone.

  Amalie opened her eyes to find Henry standing beside the bed. He still smiled with great warmth, so she was not concerned. "Is everything all right?"

  "Yes," Henry said. "Areyou happy, love?"

  "Ecstatically so. Come back to bed." She wanted to gesture to him, but could not with her hands bound and tied to the bed.

  "That is good." Henry reached beneath the mattress and withdrew a small jade figurine. A cat, she saw right away. "II Gatto Nero takes greater enjoyment from a soul filled with pleasure as well as fear. Such a soul tastes sweeter, and he has waited a very long time for that taste."
>
  "What are you talking about?" Amalie pulled against the bonds. She did not like the expression that crossed her lover's face.

  "No one will miss you," he said softly. "Are you truly surprised? Did you not hear II Gatto Nero speaking to you in days past?"

  The soft purring, the echoing meow, the distant roar of a large cat in the woods surrounding the remote cottage where Henry kept her. . . she had heard it all but had thought the sounds to be those of normal animals around her newly claimed home.

  Henry began to chant, and a black smoke rose from the head of the jade cat. Amalie pulled at her bonds, but that did no good. She was trapped. Trapped by the man she loved. . . a man she had been so certain loved her. The blackness grew, and she jerked her head to the side and stared at Ruby.

  Trust no one.

  Ruby opened her eyes sharply. The scream that escaped was short and weak, but it was enough to catch the attention of a nearby nurse. Ruby glanced around, recognizing the place. She'd been here before, with Aunt Mildred. Minville had one small but well-equipped clinic set up to act as a small ER, and she was in one of the beds.

  "What happened?" Ruby asked, and as she finished her question she remembered the damned cat, the telephone pole, and the dream.

  "There's someone here to see you," the nurse said.

  Ruby suffered a rush of fear. Somehow Zane had found her. He was here and he was going to seduce her and tie her to a bed and offer her soul to a piece of rock. Is that why he'd aroused her last night? Was he making her tastier for the demon? She shook her head and immediately wished she had not. It hurt.

  The curtains parted, and Marielle stepped through. Even obviously concerned she looked perky, with her long blond ponytail and heart-shaped face. "Oh my God, I was so worried about you," the girl said. "The police called the shop looking for family, and I came right over."

  "Who's running the store?" Ruby asked.

  Marielle pursed her lips. "The shop is closed and will remain closed until I'm sure you're okay. I thought you were sick. Why were you out driving around? What were you thinking?"

  It was a question Marielle didn't expect an answer to, which was good because Ruby didn't have one.

  "Take me to Nashville," Ruby said, sitting up carefully. She was suddenly certain neither Birmingham nor Huntsville was far enough from Minville.

  "You're addle-brained," Marielle said as she offered a steadying hand. "I'm taking you home."

  "I don't want to go home!"

  Marielle didn't ask why, which was just as well since she'd never believe the truth. "Well, my place is too small, and it's a mess. I wasn't expecting company so we can't go there. I'll take you home, and I'll stay with you until you're feeling better."

  "The shop . . ."

  "Ruby's Sweet Shop wili still be there when you're recovered. If there's someone else you can call to sit with you I'll keep the place running, but if not, then your loyal customers will just have to make their own cookies and cakes for a few days."

  There had been a time when Ruby would've crawled on her hands and knees to keep her business open, but now her little shop seemed unimportant. She didn't want to be alone. She couldn't call Zane. She didn't have anyone else.

  Zane had been keeping an eye on Ruby's house all morning and all afternoon, waiting for her to return. It was after three when a strange car pulled into the driveway. The blonde he had seen at Ruby's shop stepped out of the driver's side door. Ruby, not instantly recognizable with the white bandage on her head, stepped carefully from the passenger side.

  He was tempted to rush over there to ask what had happened, but she'd made it clear this morning that she no longer wanted him around. He wasn't sure why, but .he suspected it had something to do with the most recent dream she'd had. She no longer trusted him, that much was clear. She had gone to sleep in his arms and had awakened afraid of him.

  What if he couldn't save her? She was the ninth, the last, and he could not allow her to become a part of the demon. The males of his family had been important members of the Brotherhood for generations. Stopping II Colletore was a purpose he had lived with since the age of fifteen. Twenty years devoted to research, training, and waiting for this moment. No matter how much he liked Ruby, he could not allow the demon to live.

  He waited for the blonde to leave, but she didn't. The car remained in Ruby's driveway. The curtains to the cheerful yellow house remained shut. Night fell, a few lights came on, and still the blonde remained in the house. A bad feeling crept down Zane's spine. This was it. It had started.

  For a few moments he hesitated, his hand on the telephone receiver, his heart physically heavy as if it were weighing him down. Not Ruby, please. He would not wish for anyone to be taken as a sacrifice for II Colletore, but of all the possibilities in the world— why her? She was good and fragile and had only begun to live her life. If the situation were different, he might ask her on a real date, make love to her, make her laugh.

  But his time for pretending the situation could be different was done. He lifted the receiver and dialed, and snapped out a crisp "This is Benedict. It's here."

  The older man on the other end of the line actually tried to argue with him. Apparently there was a gathering of known members of the Order north of London, near a particularly powerful vortex. Many warriors of the Brotherhood were gathering there.

  "I'm telling you, it's here," Zane said. "The UK assembly is a distraction."

  Still unconvinced, the dispatcher reluctantly agreed to send a few men to assist, just in case. When that was done, Zane closed his eyes. A moment later, he threw the phone across the room.

  Chapter 6

  Ruby was not surprised to see the jade cat sitting on her bedside table when she crawled into bed. She hadn't slept well in two days, her head hurt, and Marielle had prepared a very nice chicken soup that had really hit the spot. Now Ruby could barely keep her eyes open, and for the first time all day she didn't feel as if she needed to run as if the devil were on her tail.

  Marielle had been very attentive since arriving at the clinic, and Ruby was thankful to have such a good friend. When the younger woman had insisted on spending the night, Ruby hadn't protested. Maybe if someone else was here, the walls wouldn't purr.

  With her blond ponytail dancing, Marielle walked into the dimly lit room to make sure her patient was settled for the night. She even straightened the covers. Ruby didn't mind.

  "Take that damn cat out of here," Ruby said, her eyes barely opened as she pointed to the night table. "Throw it in the trash." It wouldn't stay, but there was something satisfying about plunking the thing into the garbage.

  "This?" Marielle lifted the jade cat and studied it casually. "It's pretty, and it looks kinda old and expensive. Why would you want me to throw it away? Shoot, if you don't want it, sell it on eBay. Or I can just keep it."

  "No!" Ruby tried to get up but couldn't. Her head was so heavy. "Stay away from that damn thing," she said, wanting to protect her friend from whatever had ruined her own life.

  "Okay." Apparently forgetting the original request, Marielle placed the figurine on the bedside table.

  Ruby thought about reissuing the order to take the thing away, but she didn't have the energy to speak, and besides, if the cat wanted to be there, watching her, it would find its way back. Her fear was no less sharp than it had been when she'd tried to flee, but somehow Ruby felt safer than she had earlier in the day. She was not alone; Marielle was here. There was no more mewing, and Zane Benedict wasn't going to get anywhere near her.

  She heard the front doorbell ring, and thought nothing of it. Marielle went to answer and was back shortly, wearing a big grin on her pretty face. "Some guy in a tie-dyed T-shirt wants to take me to a concert on Thursday. I think he wanted to ask you, but I told him you were under the weather. He won the tickets and is desperate for a date."

  "Todd wins everything," Ruby said, her tired voice slurred.

  "He really wanted to come in and check on you, but I wouldn't let h
im." She shuddered. "What a loser."

  "Yeah." Ruby closed her eyes, aware that Marielle remained by the bed, standing guard.

  There was snow all around. Trey a felt cold, but that cold was the least of her worries. Her hands and wrists were tied, and she had been staked to the ground. A full moon made the night bright white, and the icy cold cut to the bone as surely as the fear that gripped her.

  She did not want to give up her soul. All beings died, but the soul was eternal, and she feared for what would happen if hers was taken.

  "Sister, no," Freya said softly.

  Her own sister, older by two years and the beauty of the family, was the one who had drugged and bound Freya. It was Maeva who offered Freya's soul to the evil spirit. Since the rest of the family had died in the fire last winter, it had been just the two of them. They were close, especially so since the deaths of the others. It had been Maeva who'd saved Freya from the fire.

  Freya had a horrible thought, one that rivaled her fear for her soul. "Did you kill them? Did you start the fire that killed our parents and our brothers?"

  Maeva smiled, and her long blond hair whipped in the wind. She seemed not to feel the cold that tortured Freya. "All for a good cause."

  Ruby stirred but did not entirely awaken. This was different from the other dreams. A sister? Such a betrayal seemed worse even than the betrayal of a lover or a friend. She was vaguely aware that her house was purring again, but she didn't care much. Why didn't she care?

  Amalie watched from her new home inside the demon, as the monster panther took the heart of Henry, the man who had pretended to love her, the man who had trapped her soul in this dark place. She was not alone, she knew. There were others. Women, girls, souls trapped as hers was trapped. There were seven others, she sensed. Seven who had been betrayed by those they trusted most only to be trapped inside this blackness for a very long time.

  Through the demon's eyes, Amalie saw the door to her bedroom burst open. Four men, all of them armed with swords and hatchets, tried to surround the big cat. The cat moved so fast. Two of the men fell almost instantly, their throats ripped apart by deadly and unnatural claws. The two others did not flee, as sane men would've, but continued to fight. One of them managed to thrust his sword through the panther's heart.

  The demon slowed, wounded but not yet ready to forfeit what little time it had to live. One of the men shouted, Benedict, look out! just as the demon swung again. Benedict, a black haired young man with intense brown eyes, moved lithely to the side and avoided the attack. He used his sword again, and this time he moved close and swung mightily, taking the panther's head.

  And still, Amalie watched. The two men who had survived searched the room for the piece of jade where the demon once again hid, but they could not see it. Amalie tried to shout here but she could not make a sound. The jade cat that housed the demon and eight betrayed souls hid. The cursed stone was invisible to the men who had come here to stop the demon. They had taken the head of a living being, but the demon still survived.

  Too late. They had arrived too late.

  Amalie's eyes met Ruby's. "You are the ninth and last. Do not let him take you. Remember, he is vulnerable for seconds before he sucks your soul from your body, when he is solid and yet still hungry. Take him then, if you can. If not we are all doomed.

  "You cannot escape this," Amalie whispered. "Fight, fight with all you have. You cannot avoid what is coming. You cannot trust her." In the way of dreams, there was no face, but there were large blue eyes and large warm tears. "Save us, Ruby. Save us all."

  Ruby came awake slowly, not with a start as she usually did after one of the horrible dreams. It was morning, she could tell by the way the light was coming through her window. The pieces of the dream fell together as she woke, claiming consciousness slowly.

  Watch out, Benedict!

  You cannot trust her.

  Her?

  Ruby rolled over to see that Marielle sat in a chair beside the bed. The younger woman smiled brightly, and the pieces of this twisted puzzle came together in a heart-crushing burst of reality. The one person she could depend on; the one person she truly trusted. Marielle. Could she slip past Marielle without revealing what she knew? If she could get to Zane, would he help her? Could she be helped?

  Ruby attempted to swing her legs out of the bed, but could not. Her ankles were very loosely bound, and the length of fabric that was wrapped around them was attached to the bedpost.

  "They've been talking to you, haven't they," Marielle said.

  Ruby tried to play dumb. "Who? What?"

  Pretty coed Marielle just smiled. "The eight women who have fed II Gatto Nero. The eight souls you will soon join. You must be a touch clairvoyant; otherwise, they would not have been able to reach you. I'm clairvoyant myself, though the talent was dormant until II Gatto Nero awakened my abilities and spoke to me." Marielle bit her lower lip. "I have had my own special dreams, dreams that led me to this special place and time."

  Ruby sat up awkwardly. She could continue to play dumb, but judging by the dreams and the expression on Marielle's face, arguing would be a waste of time. "He' s going to kill you too, you know," she said. "First me, then you."

  Marielle shook her head. "No, he loves me. He's going to give me everything I've ever wanted, and we are going to live together forever. No one will be able to stop us." Her eyes were bright but unfocused, feverish and distant. Reasoning wasn't going to work. "Besides, I've already worked so hard and done so much to come to this point. Why would I give it all up now?"

  Ruby didn't think her heart could sink any more. "What have you done?"

  "Well, your aunt had to go, so you could be in this house. It's built on a very special bit of land, which allows II Gatto Nero to come alive. Fortunately, Mildred wasn't in the best of health, and all I had to do was hurry things along with a few carefully measured drugs administered slowly and diligently"

  "You poisoned her."

  "With the same drug I put in your soup," Marielle confessed without regret. "That was actually easier than breaking into the house down the street to drop off your anonymous gift." She grinned. "Breaking into a house to leave something beneath a Christmas tree is just as hard as breaking in to steal. It will all be worth it when he comes to life again: We're going to have everything, including an army of servants who will do anything we ask of them." The pretty girl was downright giddy at the prospects.

  "The demon who has been speaking to you in your dreams is a monster," Ruby whispered