Page 134 of Shadow Witch

“It could just do the same thing.”

“Dang it,” Paige said as her big plan deflated into nothing. “You’re right. Okay, I guess I’ll have to try the Snow White thing to get past it.”

“Give it a go, Paige. Let’s see if it works.”

Paige swallowed hard, trying to stop her legs from wobbling underneath her as she took a step forward. “Hey there. You’re a nice kitty. I bet you love to have your ears scratched, huh?”

She reached a trembling hand to the cat. The hiss that escaped it followed by the loud, rumbling growl made her stop.

“Okay, this isn’t working.”

“Try again. Maybe it’s still warming up to you.”

“Right,” Paige said with a nod. “Hey, pretty kitty. Who is a good kitty? Who’s a good kitty?”

The werepanther licked its chops again before it sniffed in the air.

“That’s it, Paige. Nice and easy. I think it likes you.”

A grin spread across Paige’s lips as she inched forward toward it. “Yeah? Maybe this Snow White thing isn’t too bad.”

“Right. We can slip past any supernatural guardians with just the purr of your voice. The opportunities this will open up.”

Paige’s smile grew wider as she imagined the rest of her career being a walk in the park. She’d become a legend among librarians. Able to soothe the savage beast with just a few sentences.

She reached her hand toward the massive cat to give it a head rub.

The creature leaned forward, the warm, wet nose bumping her fingers as it sniffed her.

“There we go. Nice kit–“

Before she could finish the words, the cat slashed at her with sharp claws, breaking the skin. Warm blood ran down her hand, dripping from her fingers as the cat lifted his lips and snarled, easing back on the explosive back legs before it lunged at her.

“Uhhh, Paige, that’s not working. Run!”

CHAPTER 30

Paige’s legs wobbled as she tried to backpedal away from the massive creature. The raw, bleeding wound on her hand stung so intensely that it caused the edges of her vision to darken.

“Oh, this is not good,” she murmured as she twisted and ran headlong into the endless hall.

The cat chased after her, skidding around the corner behind them before it barreled down the hall.

“Paige,” Dewey shouted as he dug his claws into her head and shoulder, “this isn’t going to work. We’re going to die.”

“I know,” she answered. “Wait, wait. You fly back to the other hall. Maybe you can draw the cat off me, and then I can escape.”

She rounded the corner and ran down the hall again. The werepanther’s well-muscled body galloped behind her, closing the distance between them. She’d never outrun it.

“No way. It might get me.”

“It’s definitely going to get me!” she cried, followed by another whimper. “Oh, my hand hurts so much.”

“I’ll bet. Their claws have venom in them. You’re poisoned.”

“What?” she shouted. “Like fatally?”

“Pretty much. You’ll die if we don’t get you help in the next…mmm, twenty-four to forty-eight hours.”

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