Page 2 of My Salvation

“Anytime.” Heath waved and shut the door behind him.

“Meryn, huh?” Priest wondered out loud.

He lay back down and stared up at the ceiling.

“What’s the worst that could happen?”

Chapter One

“But, I just miss her so much, you know?” the old man sniffled.

Cas laid a hand on his, mindful of the bruising he sustained from his last hospital stay. Since he was diagnosed with Stage Two cancer, Mr. Clemson had been coming to her on again, off again for the past six months. Then three weeks ago, just when he got that beat and was in remission, his faithful cat of sixteen years had passed away in her sleep. The poor man was awash with the color blue, which she always associated with sadness and despair. He was on the verge of giving up.

“I see something peculiar in your aura Samuel.” She’d give him hope even if she had to fudge things a bit.

“Something new? I know I’ve been bringing ya down with my blues as you call ‘em,” he teased, with very little mirth in his eyes.

To the humans who visited her little shop she was one step up from a palm reader. She held many psychology degrees but ultimately used her fae gift to get people talking about their feelings. She ‘somehow’ always knew what to ask to get people to acknowledge their hearts, which made them grow and feel better. Word of mouth had developed her client list until she was scheduling people months in advance.

“There’s a small cafe not far from your apartment, isn’t there?”

He nodded and let her continue.

“I see a small black cat huddled in a corner. He’s an absolute terror, hissing and half-feral, but I see your paths crossing.” She prayed this was the right thing to do. For all her gifts, she wasn’t omniscient.

He scowled. “What’s a cat doin’ in a cafe?”

She smiled. “It’s one of those new cat cafes. You go in, buy a cup of coffee and you get to pet and play with the cats. If you get along with one, you can adopt them.” She rubbed her forehead only slightly dramatically. “Now, this little boy is withdrawn, and I feel like his time is running out. If he keeps hissing at the customers, he may end up on the kill list.”

“Why is he hissing?” Samuel asked indignantly. “Cats don’t hiss for no reason.”

Cassie knew little Dow’s story as she had stopped in the cafe just two days ago for coffee. “He’s sad. His human child, whom he loved with all his heart, died. The parents didn’t want him around as a reminder of their lost daughter, so they gave him up to the cafe. He’s scared.”

Samuel rubbed his chin. The blues swirled faster and faster before blossoming into a pretty yellow. Hope, purpose. “Well, maybe I could head over there and sit with him a bit. My old girl was feisty at the end,” he chuckled. “They are their own selves, you know.”

She nodded. “Ask for Shadow. That’s his name on file at the cafe. But, his human was young when they met. She could only manage to say, Dow, he’ll respond to that more.”

Samuel stood, knees popping. “I reckon I got time now.” He smiled, and this time there was warmth in his eyes. “You really moving away? You do you a lot of good to a lot of people, myself included.” He held out a hand to help her stand.

Cas fought back a sigh as she stood. Her Queen had issued the decree for all fae to return to Éire Danu a while ago. She packed up her apartment but had a hard time leaving with so many ‘last’ appointments. She was thankful that Samuel looked to be turning a corner now.

She nodded. “I’m needed back home.”

This time he was the one to lay a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Anything I can do to help?”

She patted his hand on her shoulder. “Samuel, you are a rare gem amongst men.” She winked at him, causing him to guffaw. She shook her head. “It’s just jitters about returning after having been gone so long. I imagine I’ll settle in quickly enough.”

He gave her one firm pat, then headed for the door. “Home is always the place you can return to, no matter what. I hope that it goes well for you.” With a final wave, he walked out, leaving her alone in her shop.

Sighing, she looked at the empty shelves where she once sold handmade crafts from community artisans. Samuel had been her last appointment. Now, she had to figure out how to get her things to the portal outside the city.

With a heavy heart she locked up her small business for the last time and walked less than half a block to her apartment building. It was a gorgeous old building that had been well-maintained. She had an apartment on the third floor. The landlord was an older lady who didn’t need the money. She was just renting to keep the building occupied. When Cas first applied there, the sweet older woman gave her a discounted rate because there wasn’t an elevator. Running those stairs kept her fit over the years.

She had just put the key in her lock when a loud booming voice exclaimed. “Cassie! What in the hell are you still doing here?”

“Ilian!” she screeched and threw herself into the arms of the seven-foot fae she hadn’t seen in over a year. “You’re back! Did the whole squad return? I watered your plants like you asked me to.”

Ilian swung her around in a hug, then set her on her feet to rub her hair every which way.

---