Main, Massachusetts – present day
"How's our kitty?" A rough voice asked, penetrating Kat's mind with the force of a sledgehammer. Wishing she had hands so she could grab a pillow and haul it over her head, Kat did her best to ignore the people talking WAY too loudly around her. How could she feel like she was waking up from the worst hangover ever when she hadn't even sniffed tequila?
"She's fine," a woman replied with a melodic voice. "And her blood work finally came back. She's actually a bobcat."
Blood work?
Wait--- what?
Despite the blessed darkness, she forced her eyes open. The room swam for a second or two, but soon things started to come into focus again. She was being carried and laid down on a hard, but padded surface. Her limbs felt like they were made of noodles, but she pushed herself upright anyway---
And fell back flat on her face!
Great!
A soft rumbling sounded from somewhere in the room and it sounded suspiciously a lot like someone chuckling. Embarrassment made Kat want to hiss at them and take a swipe at them with her claws--- but all she managed to do, was a hoarse "meow" and her paw refused to cooperate.
But to her surprise, a strong hand rested on her back, stroking her gently. The warmth seeped into her body and the fatigue seemed to be drawn out of her limbs like magic. All she could do was to lean into the caress and enjoy the heat he was giving her…
"I thought they had spots," that same deep voice from before asked. And she realized that the owner of said voice was the one currently stroking her back. She grinned like the cat who just got the crème. Because hell, she would put up with anything as long as the man with the sexy voice and warm hands kept doing whatever it was he was doing to her…
"Usually, yes," said the female that was slowly coming into focus. And Kat realized that she was a vet of some kind, holding a chart in front of her. "It's extremely rare to come across a black bobcat, but it happens from time to time. Although, it's been a while since I met one so underweight and malnourished."
The man continued to rub her head, and she happily leaned into his touch. As more of the room came into focus, she noticed that along with the female vet, there was a huge bear shifter in the room as well. And if her senses didn't deceive her, the man behind her was a wolf. But more than that, he smelled like---
Sunshine and the moist earth of a forest…
It didn't really make sense, but that's what he smelled like. Like the feeling of sunlight on your face and the deep breath in the middle of a run in the forest. That's what he smelled like and it made every fiber in her body come alive in a way she hadn't felt in a long time.
With the strength that he gave her, she sat up and tilted her head up at the wolf shifter. The man was tall, with a pleasing face and features that could lure a saint to sin. His warm honey-colored eyes drew her in and combined with that easygoing smile that he always had at the ready he was panty-droppingly gorgeous. It was men like him that put the meaning into lines like "sex on legs", "drop-dead gorgeous" and "too sexy for his own good". Hell, look up "sexy" in a lexicon and there would be a picture of this guy! And just like that, her whole world tilted.
He was her soul mate!
His brown eyes shone bright with his wolf, but all he did, was smile and pet her under her chin. Of all the earth-shattering ways Kat had ever imagined meeting her mate, this wasn't one of them!
Because her mate didn't recognize her!
Kat sat back on her haunches and hissed at nobody in particular, as frustration took hold of her.
Stupid, stupid curse!
Because that had to be the only reason why he didn't recognize her. That bloody witch! How was she supposed to get rid of the curse – a curse that only her mate could lift? – if he didn't know she was his mate?!
Life seriously sucked!
"Are you going to release her back into the wild?" The hunky wolf marshal asked, and while he didn't recognize her as his mate, he still felt the urge to make sure she was safe and taken care of. Something had upset her and without really thinking about what he was doing, he reached out to caress her behind her ear in a soothing manner.
Oh, I'm too easy, Kat thought to herself and purred, loving the soft touch that his calloused fingers provided. Standing now, she went over to him and rubbed herself all over him, wanting in some way to mark him as her own…
"You see how small she is?" the vet replied, shaking her head. "That's not a cat who's had a good time, Marshal. If we release her, she'll most likely die."
Frowning, her mate turned worried eyes on her.
"Then," he asked in a low voice as his fingers flexed to bring her closer and protect the little cat. "What are we supposed to do?"
"I don't know," the vet mused with a knowing smile, as she folded her arms over her chest. "Know anyone who's looking for a pet?"
Stunned, Magnus shifted his gaze between the vet and the cat, not entirely sure what to say.
"I-I don't have time for a pet," he managed to stutter – which only happened NEVER! He was an alpha, for Pete's sake! He didn't stutter. Or mumble! Or cried while watching "The Iron Giant"!
Nope!
That never happened!
It was the spices that got him all teary-eyed. And he was sticking to that statement until Kingdom come!
Luckily for him, Kat wasn't easily deterred from anything. She'd faced impossible odds before. Like getting hit on by a crazy witch's ex-boyfriend – Like seriously?! What were the odds of that?! – and despite being turned into her freaking animal, she still managed to find her soulmate. No matter what happened now, she was going to stick to him like glue and find a way to break this curse!
Even if it killed her in the process!
"My work takes too much---!" Magnus was about to protest, but just then, the cat jumped off the table and gracefully landed on her feet right next to him. She purred, stroking herself up against his legs, and sat down, looking up at him almost expectantly.
"Of my time," he continued, watching the cat that acted more like a dog than any cat he'd ever met. Hell, most cats he knew ran up the closest tree and stayed there until they could find a human brave enough to try and get the poor thing down…
"Tell her that," the huge bear shifter grumbled, taking a step back almost as if he was afraid of her. And while it may look that way, Bjorn was actually the type of person who cared too much about things. He would grow too attached and he hated the pain that always came with separation. He even loved the stupid goldfish in 4th grade that some senior bully flushed down the toilet. And while he'd never show it, he cried himself to sleep many nights after that…
So instead, he chose not to get attached and kept himself at a distance.
Close off his heart in the process…
Magnus – on the other hand – couldn't really explain what he was feeling. A part of him – then sensible and logical part of him – told him that a pet needed someone to take care of them. That they needed care and attention from the owner and said owner needed to dedicate time and effort to socialize with the animal. With the way he spent his days, none of that was happening much…
But the other part of him – the primal part that was rooted in his wolf's instinct – told him that he'd never be able to let this cat go. It was unreasonable and fucking whacked, but he would sooner be able to give up his left arm than give up this cat.
And he was a wolf!
None of it made any sense, yet a couple of minutes later he found himself signing the adoption papers and paying the bills of her treatment. All while she purred her contentment and rubbed up against him in a way, that his wolf adored.
The world really was going to shit!
The unusual black bobcat snuggled into a ball on the backseat of the patrol car, hissing at Bjorn whenever he called her "furball".
How rude!
"Don't listen to him, love," Magnus said with a grin, glancing back at his newly required companion. "He's a good guy. It just takes a while to warm up to him."
Kat could live with that. She could live with being his pet for as long as it took for her to figure this curse out and finally break it. What she wouldn't tolerate, however, was him flirting with other females. Although he didn't know she was his mate yet, she'd make sure he didn't unknowingly cheat on her. And hell, she was almost looking forward to grouching some eyes out.
Must be the wild animal within her…
Magnus carried her into the station, where she easily made herself at home on top of the reception desk. Behind it stood a tall, gangly-looking girl, with a wild mane of untamed curls and huge glasses big enough to cover most of her face. She wasn't ugly or anything, but she was just at an unfortunate stage in life, where she wasn't quite finished developing. Her face was full of freckles, her skin looked paler than snow and her nose was just a little too big for her. Her limbs seemed too long for her still small body and her other assets hadn't quite come into their full rights yet.
Not that it seemed to bother her or anything.
She still met them with a broad smile and hugged Kat until she was sure she'd taken at least two of her nine lives. She patted and cooed Kat until she couldn't do anything else but love the scrawny human. Purring her approval, Kat rubbed up against her, liking the positive energy and bubbly personality that the redhead had. If she was human, she could easily imagine becoming this girl's friend.
"You have a message from MBI," Milla said, handing Magnus a stick-it note. "And your flyer's open."
She pointed to his groin and without a second thought, he instantly covered his front, feeling a blush unwittingly rush to his cheeks. But the second his fingers brushed against his fly, he realized that it was already closed--- and he'd just been the victim of Milla's stupid idea of a joke.
Again!
"Milla!" he groaned, glaring at her with an angry glare. He was the alpha for crying out loud! He had no business falling for stupid pranks from a freaking teenager!
"HA! Made you look!" she laughed with glee – and as always Bjorn high-fived her, grinning just as widely as she did. Magnus pinned his friend with a glare, but he just shrugged innocently. He liked the pranks that Milla played – especially on Magnus. His friend was an amazing alpha, but sometimes he was too serious for his own good.
Some harmless pranks were good for him…
Or at least's that was the excuse he went with for allowing it to continue. Because they all knew that one cold glare from Bjorn, and the wolves would have their tails so far between their legs it would be crawling up their ass. Hell, everybody felt that way about the temperamental bear shifter.
"Milla," Magnus sighed when he realized that his partner wasn't going to help him. "Do you ever – Oh, I don't know…? Think before you talk?"
"No," Milla said unashamedly. "If there's a line in my head it's going out my mouth. Thinking has very little to do with it."
Kat did a cat's version of a laugh.
Yep! She really loved this girl…
Magnus groaned, trying not to lose his head. Because while the prank was innocent – and well, if he was being honest a little bit funny – he also had to be a responsible alpha and take care of his pack. Milla might look all confident and have a "fuck you" attitude, but he also knew she was being bullied in school.
The Ranger's office was basically her sanctuary.
But she needed to go to school. And he needed to go figure out what the hell the MBI wanted this time – other than having him waste his time waiting on a line all day – and if it had anything to do with Tobias Colten. That witch was trouble and then some. And unfortunately, as long as he remained in Main he was Magnus's problem…
"You're fired," Magnus said as a matter of fact-ly and pointed to the door. "Go home and do some homework."
"Hmm, more fired than I was yesterday?" Milla asked, not too worried about losing her job since it was a weekly occurrence. "Or less than last Monday?"
"Homework! GO!" The alpha replied, this time with more force in his tone. "Don't think I don't know what you're doing! You have a math test on Friday and you're going to pass it because you'll be STUDYING! No more using me as an excuse!"
"But--- ALPHA!" she whined and stomped her feet, knowing that he wasn't going to give this time.
"NOW!" he repeated, and while he didn't raise his voice, the alpha wolf in him made the younger member squirm in place. "Learn important shit."
"But I---!" she pouted, pleating with him, and hell, there was even some wetness in her eyes. But Magnus silenced her with a single look and her shoulders slumped in defeat.
"Think of it this way," Bjorn said, placing a comforting hand on top of all her curls, making her almost buckle from the weight of his hand alone. "If you get smart enough you can take over the world and then nobody will be able to tell you what to do."
"The idea is tempting," she replied after having considered his idea for a second, and then boldly turned back to Magnus. "Fine! I'll bite. But know that when I'm the ruler of Miltopia, I'll have you two classified as bottom feeders!"
And with that she stomped off, leaving behind two confused men.
"Miltopia?" Magnus echoed with a frown as a lot of inappropriate "milf" thoughts entered his mind. Hell, he felt like he needed a bath from just his mind going there…
"That's what got you?" Bjorn asked in disbelief and shook his head. "Not the fact that she'll classify us as bottom feeders?"
*
Salem - 1693
The earth gave way under Bellatrix's feet, and she stumbled forward, only to catch herself at the last second, before running for her life once again. She knew this forest well, but even a witch was afraid of the creatures lurking in the dark. Most people were unaware of the beings that walked on two legs in the daylight, but at night shifted and became animals. But witches knew that the forest was full of them…
If only they were her greatest concern…
She'd escaped her father's wrath and the angry villagers by the skin of her teeth. Now, she was alone in the woods, desperate and afraid. Her mind was still reeling from everything that had happened.
What had happened?
One moment she was screaming at the shadow that had been looming over her dead sister. And the next--- it had been her!
How?
And had she seen this before? Had she once walked into her mother's bedroom and seen the same shadow kill her mother?
But HOW?
There was magic involved – strong, powerful magic.
Why would a witch want to kill or frame another witch for murder?
Finally, the door to her hut came into view and with a last burst of energy, she sprinted forward. The door would only be visible to those who needed it, which made it almost impossible for anyone but another witch to find it. A witch or someone who knew where to look…
Bellatrix slammed into the door and it flew open before her. Tripping in her haste, she landed hard on the wooden floor, and instantly, pain exploded up her shoulder and the air was knocked out of her lungs. But despite her aching body, she crawled back to her feet and slammed the door shut.
Safe…!
Panting, she sat her back against the frame. Mixtures of tears slid down her cheeks. Anger, fear and---
And pain!
She hadn't even liked her baby sister, yet seeing her leave this earth so violently, it---
She hid her face in her hands, letting the tears roam free. Crumbling to the ground she cried harder than she'd ever done before. She cried because of the shadow that had taken her mother. The only person who'd ever given a damn about her.
And now she'd been accused of murder…
Something that black, cloaked shadow had done. She remembered the smooth caress of magic that she'd tasted from her little sister. She remembered her big brown eyes and the trusting gaze. The black curls and the softness of her skin. There was so much potential in that small, little being. So much unexplored life…
And magic had taken it all away!
Magic…
The thought had Bellatrix sobering up. Someone with powerful magic had killed her baby sister. She needed to find out who and bring them down. Stop them at whatever means necessary.
But first, she needed her sister back!
Now, there was no spell to bring back the dead, but there was a spell that was forbidden for even the most powerful witches.
To travel in time…
Bellatrix was going to use that spell!
She didn't need to go far.
Just back to yesterday!
She'd find Remy and force him to help her. She'd do whatever it took to capture the Shadow and stop them from ever touching her family. She'd make him regret the day, he crossed paths with Bellatrix Phips!
It took some time for her to find the right book, but once she'd carefully read the spell, she was confident that she could do it. She had to do it alone – which was not recommended – but she didn't have a choice. She drew up the diagram, placed candles, and herbs in all the right places. Put the markers – past present and future – all where they were supposed to go. She cut open her palm and let blood mix with the salt of the earth.
Then she started chanting…
She summoned Thoth, Aeon, and the Fates, asking them to guide her. To bring her back to yesterday so she could save her family.
She continued the chant, repeating the words over and over again until the blood was absorbed into the salt. Until she felt her powers leave her body and drain her energy. She felt so bone-tired and weak, she could barely keep chanting.
Still, she didn't relent!
She had to stop him! She had to put an end to whoever was trying to hurt her family. She needed to put an end to the Shadow even if it was the last thing she did. Otherwise, her family would never be safe.
She. Had. To---
White light blasted her, and she screamed, as it seemed to seep into every pore of her body, ripping her apart from the inside out. Then---
It was over!
She was lying flat on her back, staring up into a night sky. But she couldn't see the stars and to each side of her, there were big buildings made up of red bricks. She'd never seen houses like these before…
It was raining. And still, Bellatrix couldn't find it in her to move. Her whole body ached. Her skin felt raw like she'd taken a dip in boiling water. Her head was pounding and despite and rain and cold, she practically welcomed it. It cooled her fevered body that still ached and burned from the spell she'd just cast.
A spell she hoped had worked…
Did it rain yesterday?
She wasn't sure and suddenly she wasn't in a hurry to find out either. She was so tired, all she wanted---
"What was that?" a stranger's voice asked making her jump. Pushing aside her tiredness, she forced her body to respond and crawled to her hands and knees. Shivering, she realized that the man before wasn't just a stranger, but so were her surroundings. Sharp lights in a strange variety of colors illuminated the street behind the ally where she lay. There was a tall, slanty figure coming towards her and while everything around her felt strange and dark, she instantly recognized magic when she felt it.
This was a witch.
"Who-who are you?" she asked, hoping it was some hermit from the Coven that she didn't know of. "What is this place? Where am I?"
As she asked, she struggled to get to her feet, but not only was her body depleted of all its resources, the spell she'd just performed had drained all her magical reserves. She still had magic, but it was barely a simmer of what it had been. If it turned out to be someone out to harm her, she wasn't sure that she could defend herself…
"You're---," the stranger said in a stunned voice, as he stepped closer. "You're a witch!"
Finally, the light from the street lit up the stranger's face and she realized, that the was a young man with sandy blond unkept hair and stubble on his chin. His clothes were ruffled and he smelled like alcohol, although he didn't seem to be highly intoxicated.
Not that that gave her much comfort…
"What's that to you?" she asked in a harsh tone, hoping to come off stronger and more confident than what she felt like. "Answer me! Where am I? And who are you?"
"No need to get aggressive, lady," the man scoffed and threw his hands up in surrender, but she highly thought he meant it. "You're in Main, Massachusetts."
"Main?! Massachusetts?" she echoed in confusion. "I'm not--- I'm not in Salem?"
Suddenly her skin felt raw and the world started to spin. What had the spell done? Where had she ended up? And an even better question: WHEN had she ended up?
And would there be enough time to save her sister?
"Salem?!" the hermit echoed--- and suddenly looked at her anew. "Oh, I think I---!" Realization seemed to dawn on him, and while she wasn't looking, there was an evil glint in his eyes, that he quickly concealed behind a sweet smile.
"Ehem, excuse my crude manners milady," he continued and suddenly straightened his shoulders and did a poor impression of a gentleman's bow. "I'm Tobias Colten," he introduced himself and stepped closer. "And I think we can help each other."
He reached out his hand, offering it to her like a man would, who wanted to help her. She had her doubts but knew that without help she wouldn't make it back to Salem in time to save anyone. No matter where or when she was her mission hadn't changed.
Stop the Shadow!
So, like the trusting fool she was, she took his hand…