Page 53 of Spring L.A.W.
Michael muttered, “Hipster starter kit. Beanie, vintage jacket, aggressively neutral expression. He looks like he’s trying to pretend he belongs here.”
Daniel tilted his head. “Could be Jeff, the barista who replaced Katie. That’s how Rayna described him.”
Michael nodded. “That’s what I’m thinking. But why just stand there? What’s the point?”
“To let us know he’s watching,” Daniel said. “To make us paranoid. He doesn’t need to sneak around if he wants to rattle us. All he has to do is be seen.”
They stood in silence for a long moment, both watching the still figure across the street. Then Daniel finally broke it.
“You want to go out there?”
Michael shook his head. “No. If he wants a reaction and we give him one, he wins. Let’s keep an eye on him. Reinforce some passive wards.”
“Like what? Another deadbolt?”
“Yeah, and maybe call the witches, if he starts doing something other than modeling for Urban Decay magazine.”
Daniel cracked a small grin. “Fine. But if he tries to touch the mailbox, I’m pouring kombucha over him.”
15
Rayna was halfway through sorting Ostara candles by scent profile. Lavender for calm, Bergamot for clarity, and cinnamon for “please let no one explode this week”. Then a magical bubble the size of a basketball floated in.
It shimmered through the library doors like it belonged there, wobbling a little, then hovering directly over Katie’s head.
“What the hell is that?” Katie leaned back in her chair, blinking as a goldfish inside the bubble blinked right back.
“Oh, good,” Victoria said, peering over her glasses. “It found her.”
Katie stared at the floating bubble. “Found me? Is this some kind of magical drone?”
The goldfish swam a lazy loop, then looked at her again. “You’ll need more cheese,” it said in a high-pitched, slightly echoey voice. “Also, the moon is hungry.”
Katie recoiled. “It talks?”
Rayna clapped her hands together with a delighted little spark of mischief. “Katie, meet your familiar.”
“My what now?” Katie asked.
Sahara stepped forward, already grinning. “Your familiar. It’s a magical companion, chosen based on your energy. They appear when you’re ready.”
“I’m not ready,” Katie said quickly. “And I was kind of hoping for a wolf or a cat. Something that doesn’t look like it escaped from an aquarium.”
The fish burped a single bubble and said, “He has eyes. Two of them. But he borrowed them from a goat.”
Joell tilted her head. “That’s cryptic.”
Rayna nodded, eyebrows raised. “I think he or she is psychic. Which makes sense.”
Katie looked from the fish to the witches. “Psychic?”
Magda smiled. “Some familiars are protectors. Some amplify power. Some, like this one, are seers. Sort of. Sometimes. When they remember.”
The fish did a slow backflip. “I forget things. But only the important ones.”
“Oh, joy,” Katie said.
Victoria circled around to get a better look. “That’s a bubble of enchanted water. It’ll follow you, like a magical weather balloon full of nonsense.”
