I shrug again. He won’t like my answer, anyway. I don’t even know howIgot down here. Him being sent to the cage doesn’t make any sense either.
“Maybe you should flame out. See if that pops the lock or something.” My knees buckle, and I cover my faulty bones by leaning against the wall. I wonder if he can see the exhaustion.
“You could have shocked the shit out of it.”
I hold up my hand, and the soft glow from earlier weaves through my fingers and pulsates slightly. Apparently, my little nap didn’t do much to fix my magic or my exhaustion. Eventually, I need to figure out if I’m actually cursed.
“Pretty, but not particularly useful,” he says, pulling me from my thoughts.
“Careful, or I’ll steal your girl.” I wrinkle my nose. “Too soon?”
He huffs, turning back to gaze through the bars. “Be glad she’s not here or we’d have more trouble than we can handle.”
A soft meow pierces the silence stretching between us. Omen groans, though I can’t figure out why until I spot the small cat padding from the shadows. Squished face, stubby legs, and fluffy black fur with white paws. Fucking adorable.
“Look how cute she is,” I coo. Omen mutters something, but I’m too distracted by this creature. “Shit. Omen? I think she’s hurt?”
He rushes over, though I don’t know what he’s going to do for the thing. She doesn’t look like a typical cat. She winds around me, and I turn with her, then run my fingers through her fur.Omen drops to his knees behind me and I tense. He’s not a cat person, and I’d rather he not punt the little thing into a black hole.
“Where?” he snarls as he manhandles her.
“She looks like she ran into something. Cats’ faces aren’t supposed to look like that,” I mutter as she meows. I snatch her from him and cuddle her to my chest.
“First of all, it’s a he. Second, that’s just his face. I think Clara rescued it or something.”
I snort, then swallow down my humor. “Let me get this straight, your little witch has a cat, which probably is a familiar?—”
“Or she rescued it.”
“You’re freaking out about it being hurt, but you hate cats. And you’re still clinging to the fact you don’t care about Clara?”
He’s too deep to keep thinking he isn’t tied to her. She was able to summon him for a reason. We’re too far up the chain of command for things like this to happen. I don’t fully understand why he’s fighting it. If I’d found someone who wanted me around, I’d cling to them. Probably too much, and then they’d kick my ass out when I smothered them with my constant presence and excessive chatter.
Omen huffs, glancing off into the corner I curled up in however long ago. “I never said I didn’t care for her.” His nostrils flare as my gaze catches on someone loitering on the outside of the cage. “I’m just acutely aware of the risks of getting involved with a witch.”
“Uh, Omen?” I grimace when Clara steps into the muted light just outside the bars.
Of course he doesn’t heed the warning in my tone.“None of which has anything to do with her personally. A witch doesn’t belong in Hell. If she’d just get rid of the summoning circle…fuck, if she never chalked it in the first place, we wouldn’t be in this mess.”
Hurt flashes across her face before she lets out a soft sigh. Omen tenses, fear and hopefully some shame build in his dark eyes. The last place I want to be is here while he bumfuddles his way out of this situation. I have no idea how Clara got down here. It’s not like Hell has public tours. Half the time the new crop of demons who come up get lost within the various dimensions down here. Then again, Clara isn’t a normal witch.
When Omen doesn’t move, I nudge him with my foot and hiss his name. Pain stabs into my temple, and I dig my fingers into the cat’s fur. He doesn’t seem to notice. Clara’s talking, but I can’t make out the words. There’s a high-pitched whine pulsing in my head. Omen grabs the feline from my arms, and I make a sound in the back of my throat. I don’t think it’s actual words, but he doesn’t stop.
Nausea bubbles in my gut, and I swallow over and over. I’m cursed. It’s the only explanation for whatever the hell is happening to me. Whoever’s fucking with me needs to knock it the fuck off. I’m going to lose myself if I don’t figure this shit out.
Clara’s voice cuts through the pain. “I’m not taking the cat, Omen.”
“I’ll take him,” I croak, and flames burst from the top of Omen’s head. “Or not.”
He drops the cat in my lap once more, and I wonder if I won anyway. I don’t really have time to take care of a pet, but I could make it work. Even if he looks like he got stopped by a brick wall to the face. My head swims and my eyes cross. I pull in several deep breaths, wondering if they’ll notice me if I puke all over the floor.
They’re bickering again, and I tune them out while trying to get my shit together. It’s not until there’s a clanking of metal that I focus on them once more. The door’s open and Clara’s wigglingthe handle up and down. Whether she merely opened it or used some witchy powers, I don’t know. From the look on her face, I doubt she does either. I let out a chuckle at Omen’s affronted face. Electricity zips through my veins, and my stomach flips.
“Well, shit,” I wheeze as the cat jumps from my arms.
Sparks crackle across my skin as I’m shoved into the void once more. My body goes numb, and I barely feel anything when I hit the floor. When my mind shuts down, I embrace the darkness.
Being the town witch probably wasn’t my smartest move. I’m in too deep now to turn back. For the past five years, I’ve played the part, read the cards, and pretended to spell people. When I moved into my sister’s house four months ago, I figured it wasn’t time to reinvent myself.
