Page 1 of Mane Squeeze
1
DOMINIC
The woods had teeth tonight.
Dominic Kane grunted as a briar snagged his arm, the claw-thin vine slicing through his rolled-up sleeve like butter. “Damn woods,” he muttered under his breath, yanking free and sucking the blood from his forearm. The forest didn’t usually bite unless it had something to say, and tonight, it was downright chatty.
The Whispering Woods weren’t just moody—they were alive. Not metaphorically. The damn place pulsed with an old, humming magic that got real cranky when the moon was high and shifters walked its bones. Dominic had been Celestial Pines’ Warden for going on six years now, and still, he couldn’t tell if the place respected him or tolerated him out of amusement.
Today? He was pretty sure it hated his guts.
He wiped sweat from his brow with the back of his hand, golden strands of his thick, messy hair sticking to his temple. It was supposed to be a quick sweep—check on a couple of adolescent nixies squatting near the Faelight Stream, make sure no curious tourist from the outside world wandered past theveil. Easy work. Instead, he’d chased a rogue shadow creature halfway to the Ridge and back, only for it to vanish like smoke.
His lion stirred beneath his skin, restless, tail twitching with unease.
“Yeah, yeah. I feel it too,” Dominic said, stretching his neck until it cracked. “Something’s coming. But tonight? Tonight, we drink.”
He turned his back to the woods, which rustled in reply, and stalked down the moonlit path into town.
The Spellbound Sip was just as he liked it—warm, dim, and humming with enchantment. Faerie lights drifted lazily through the rafters, casting sleepy glows over polished wooden tables. The scent of roasted cinnamon beans, crushed petals, and just a hint of lake water perfumed the air. That last part belonged to Nerrisa Tidewell, the café’s siren-owner with a voice that could talk a troll off a bridge and into therapy.
Dominic ducked inside, brushing dirt from his jeans, and sauntered up to the counter with the kind of swagger that made young witches sigh and older ones hex their glasses to fog up.
“Evenin’, Nerrisa. Gimme the lemon mist. Extra flirtation.”
She looked up from her steaming kettle, long silver-blue hair twisted up in a loose bun. “You’re flirting with the drink now, Kane? Dangerous game.”
“Nah,” he said with a crooked grin. “Just miss the way it looks at me.”
“You look like you wrestled a gator,” she said, arching an elegant brow. “Lose?”
“Draw. I walked away with all my limbs.”
Nerrisa chuckled, sliding him a tall glass of glowing lemon mist latte. As always, the foam shimmered like a heat mirage and smelled like mischief. He tipped her a wink, took his drink, and turned toward his usual booth and stopped.
Because instead of his booth being empty, it was glowing.
The back room, usually kept closed except for events or emergencies, had its door cracked open, and from within, a pulsing blue light flickered like a heartbeat. That wasn’t normal. Not in a place like Celestial Pines, where magical etiquette was stricter than a Southern grandma’s church manners.
Curiosity buzzed in his chest. Or maybe it was instinct.
He moved slow, drink in hand, feet silent against the wooden floor. As he reached the door, voices filtered out—low, rhythmic chanting, the cadence familiar but ancient. Fae magic.
Dominic’s brows pulled together. That wasn’t supposed to be here. The town had strict rules about rituals, especially the kind that glowed.
He nudged the door open with his boot.
And the world exploded.
The room was a swirl of runes carved in chalk and stone, sigils glowing with raw, uncut power. Standing in the center of the summoning circle was a figure he recognized instantly—even though he wished he didn’t.
Lillith Verdan.
Gorgeous, infuriating, sharp-as-glass Lillith, with her ink-dark curls flying wild and her forest-green eyes lit with fury and focus. She was barefoot, humming in an old fae dialect, arms raised as glowing vines snaked up her forearms.
She didn’t see him until it was too late.
“What the hell are you doing here?!” she shouted, eyes going wide just as a rune behind her blazed white.
