Page 24 of Ivory's Familiars

She smiled, watching as Seth blanched, knowing it wasn’t a pleasant smile, “You made a mistake,” she informed them, raising her hands and calling on powers, long neglected but never forgotten. The air crackled for a moment and she flung her hands outward, pushing with her magic. They all grunted, falling back a step … but that was it.What the fuck?Ivory’s gift was telekinesis. She could move all manner of things in all manner of ways. That much power should have had them flying backward and out through the bathroom wall.

“Why didn’t that work? That should have worked,” she muttered out loud, glaring at her traitorous hands.

“Your powers won’t work on us,” Ronan’s voice had her raising her hands once again as she concentrated on picking up his body once more.

Nothing. Nada. Zip. Not even a grunt this time. She looked at her hands, askance, “Why won’t they work?” The question was actually directed at herself once again but it was Vaughn who answered;

“Because you’re our witch.”

If she wasn’t in such a state of confusion, hurt, and shock, she would have noticed the way his own hands seemed to shake and his eyes seemed to water – strong voice wavering. But with the realisation that her magic was failing her, came a torrent of panic, “I’m not your anything!” She flung back, racing from the room now in pure terror. Not only were they not human but they also knew she was a witch. They had to be the ones terrorising her. There was no other explanation.

“Ivory, wait!” Shouts and heavy feet followed her, spurring her on and intensifying her fear. Drawing on her only remaining weapon, she called up her animal. The beast was her biggest and most harboured secret – even more so than the fact she could wield magic. It answered in a heartbeat, a furious yowl sounding in her head. Warmth spread through her body, nerve endings coming to life as white fur sprouted from her skin. She felt her bones elongate and hands turn to paws as she lowered to all fours on the ground. Her senses heightened and her predator instincts sharpened exponentially.

Trapped.The animal growled, seeing no escape through the closed doors and windows. Sound behind her had her arching her back and hissing furiously as three men stopped and stared.Never seen a jungle cat in a lounge room before?Ivory thought, sarcastically, some of her confidence returning now that she was merged with her inner beast. Not that it was her feelings – not at all. Her cat was a cocky little bitch.

“What. The. Fuck?”

Ivory flicked her tail sharply at the astonishment in Seth’s voice. She may be trapped – probably should have opened the door while she still had opposable thumbs – and her telekinesis may be on the fritz, but she was by no means vulnerable. She planned to teach these boys what happened when you cornered a cat. They would rue the day they ever thought they could stalk and seduce a white witch.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

“What. The. Fuck?”

Seth’s incredulous voice gained Vaughn’s attention but he didn’t dare take his eyes off the animal in the corner of the room. Not only would it be incredibly dumb and dangerous, but he couldn’t have forced his eyes away even if he tried. Their witch. Ivory was their witch. Somehow, someway, Ivory was a witch of the Panthera bloodline. It shouldn’t have been possible for so many reasons. Not the least was that he had truly given up hope of ever finding a witch remaining from his coven. Two and a half lifetimes he had lived, a familiar with no witch, and no end in sight to his lack of purpose. He knew Seth had always believed but he, and even Ronan, had just been going through the motions these last few years.

On top of that, he should have recognised Ivory’s magic the moment she was in his presence – they all should have. He had watched the transformation from average, plain Jane to exquisite feminine beauty and knew she must have been using a glamour to change her appearance. But it shouldn’t have affected their ability to sense her magic. And it sure as shit shouldn’t have affected their ability to sense she had an inner animal. Their panthers should have been foaming at the mouths over her. It must have been one hell of a powerful glamour.

“Are you all seeing what I’m seeing?” Seth spoke again.

“Are you seeing a white panther with purple eyes promising our death next to the television?” Ronan asked, sounding far too mild in Vaughn’s opinion.

Seth’s head bobbled as he nodded, “Uh huh.”

“Then yep. I’m seeing what you’re seeing.”

“How is this possible?” Seth asked.

“She’s a witch from the Panthera bloodline,” Vaughn stated, more so he could hear the words out loud rather than in answer to Seth’s question.

Seth swiped a hand through the air, “Not that. That’s obvious. My body recognises her magic in every single pore,” Seth threw a triumphant and cocky grin in his direction – the little shit, “meaning I was right by the way. I’m talking about the fact that she’s a shapeshifter. I thought only familiars could do that.”

The shapeshifter in question pinned her ears back and hissed at them again, long white tail swishing in clear agitation. Seems she didn’t like being spoken about like she wasn’t there. Well, if she would change back and listen to reason, they could get everything sorted out. Surely she must be able to feel the connection now too. The recognition of a witch and their familiar went both ways, “Ivory, shift back now so we can talk,” he stated, being practical.

A deep rumble in the feline chest was his only answer and he took a step forward, lacking patience. He wanted answers, dammit. A large paw with claws unsheathed flashed out, quick as lightening, and had him cursing up a storm. He grabbed his forearm as blood began dripping in a steady stream onto the hardwood floor.

“Dammit, Vaughn!” Ronan yelled, rushing to him and covering the deep gashes with his own hand, “Will you show some common sense please? She’s terrified. I don’t know what the hell is going on here but you should know better than to pressure a predator.”

“Fuck,” he swore again. He did know better, but he was so damn befuddled right now. Disbelief was warring with hope and it was making him testy, “How would you like to proceed, oh wise one?” his voice was laced with sarcasm – his automatic defence mechanism – and he saw Ronan’s eyes narrow dangerously. So, Ronan wasn’t as unaffected by everything as he appeared. The knowledge had him relaxing his stance a bit and taking a deep breath.

“Don’t be an arse,” Ronan snapped back.

“Can’t seem to help it,” he admitted.

“Don’t I know it,” Ronan muttered, “We need to proceed with caution.”

“Be my guest,” he gestured to the hissing, spitting creature in the corner.

Ronan glared at him once more before lifting his hand off the scratches. The bleeding had slowed and they were already healing. Familiars healed fast. It was one of the perks of sharing your spirit with an animal, “Just let me think a minute,” his lover groused, clearly displeased with the whole situation.

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