Page 44 of Cold Sacrifice

Rick had discarded his suit jacket and traded his button-down shirt for a white t-shirt. He still wore his dress pants, his gun in the holster belted around his hips. His hair was just a little messy, and he looked tired, like he hadn’t been getting enough sleep.

Attraction flared, and the thought that I would be alone with him Saturday night drifted into my mind. Dinner, and then, who knew?

“There comes the witch,” Remy said, as he and Zach joined us.

I squeezed Jared once, then drew away, watching the oncoming car with the others. We were all curious about her, but I was nervous, as well. It was entirely possible that we wouldn’t be able to free the necromancers from their grave, but leaving them there wasn’t something I could live with.

She drove a car that had seen better days, surprising considering the amount of money she charged for her work. Even more surprising, the hounds, generally inclined to misbehave when a stranger arrived, didn’t make a sound.

They watched quietly with the rest of us as a young woman climbed from the car. Before she shut the door, a small Siamese cat jumped out and sat at her feet, licking its paw.

And that brought the hounds to life. Not in an oh, there’s a cat, we must eat it kind of way, but in an oh shit, there’s a cat, we must hide from it kind of way.

One of them gave a hoarse yip of sheer terror, and they raced away to find their shelters, tripping over each other in their hurry.

I walked to the witch to greet her. “Trinity,” I said, offering her my hand. “I’m Kait. Thank you for coming.”

She smiled and squeezed my fingers, so genuinely calm she was like a fragrant Zen garden. She was maybe five feet tall with auburn hair that drifted over her shoulders, and she was dressed in a pair of black pants and a jewel green top that contrasted beautifully with her hair.

She was…normal looking. Not like the witch I’d built up in my mind, with black hair, mysterious eyes, and long, thin fingers that could sling magic and trace sigils in the air.

Her eyes were the most remarkable thing about her appearance. Light green and surrounded by thick, dark brown lashes, they were incredibly beautiful and added to the feeling of serenity that practically wafted from her.

“Hello, Kait.” She gestured at her cat. “This is Clementina. I call her Tina unless I’m mad at her.” She grinned. “I’ll just get my bag and then we can take care of your trapped spirits.”

She opened the back door and reached inside for a bag, and when she pulled it out and turned around, Remy was there to take it from her.

“Oh,” she said. “Thank you.”

I began making introductions. When I got to Zach, he gave her a nod, and her stare lingered on his face. I introduced Jared and Rick, and she studied them both carefully, then flashed a bright smile my way.

“You’re a lucky wolf,” she told me.

My eyes widened. I hadn’t told her I was a wolf. Of course I hadn’t. I would never tell a stranger that I wasn’t human. But as a witch, I guessed she wasn’t completely human, either.

And she saw things most people wouldn’t—like the fact that Jared and Rick were mine, and I was a wolf.

Lucy flew out of the house and off the porch, sleep in her eyes along with a determination not to miss meeting the witch.

“This is Lucy,” I said, as Lucy raced across the yard, Ash at her heels. “And Ash. I don’t know how he is with cats…”

But I needn’t have worried. Ash wiggled his way to Clementina, then stretched out on his belly, his tongue out, grinning at her. She put her nose into the air and ignored him.

Trinity sucked in a breath when Lucy reached us, then shot her hands out to encircle Lucy’s upper arms, her stare intense. For a few seconds they simply stared at each other, neither of them speaking.

Finally, Trinity smiled, and it lit up her whole face. “Another witch,” she said. “A natural-born witch. We are rare, you know.”

Lucy’s smile turned into a slight frown. “I’m not a witch,” she said, but softly. “I just have dreams.”

“Oh, Lucy,” Trinity said. “You’ve never…you don’t know. You were raised by humans, then?”

Lucy’s eyes grew wide and she shrugged. “I mean…of course. I’m human. My mother is—”

“No,” Trinity interrupted. “You’re a witch. I recognize you. And I will help you. Suppressing your power can make you sick, and also make things happen that you have no control over. We’ll fix that.” She took Lucy’s hands. “I am so excited!”

Lucy looked at me. “I’m a witch?” she asked, as though I might have the answer. Then she shook her head and looked at Trinity. “I have no magic to sling. I’m not a witch.”

“Most witches don’t have magic,” Trinity told her. “Not that kind, anyway.” She patted Lucy’s arm. “I’m going to help Kait, but I would like to speak to you after. Would that be okay?”