Page 1 of Spies without a Face
CHAPTER1
PANDORA
The back of my neck prickled, and my arms puckered with goosebumps. An unsettling sense of someone watching me crept along my skin. I jerked my head toward my kitchen window and stared into the backyard. No one appeared to be out there. Nothing stood out among my perennials and trees.
Besides, my home was protected with spells and would ward off all but the most powerful of magic. I shook my unease off with a nervous laugh and said, “Good thing it’s time for yoga.”
The only one to hear was one of my cats, a tortoiseshell diva named Desdemona, or Desi. She tipped her head and stared at me with an intent look, as if listening. As I drew the shades, I kept attuned for signs of movement. None appeared. I tipped my neck from side to side and front to back to ease out some of the tension. So much for relaxation after a long workday.
What I could use was a vacation. A couple on my team, Zoe and Lucas, had gushed about the cruise they’d gone on to Bermuda, and I’d been dreaming about sailing away from my troubles and responsibilities for a blissful week.
Then again, their cruise home resulted in more turmoil. Sprites had returned, following Lucas, and we had to deal with magic we’d never encountered before when one had used his power to lock Lucas in stone in his dragon form. So maybe a vacation wasn’t the answer. I worry about what could happen in Salem while I was away and might also bring trouble home.
Since a vacation didn’t appear to be in my future, I’d rely on yoga to help relax me before bed. I rolled out my purple mat in my living room and took three deep, cleansing breaths. Then I began an asana. Several minutes passed. Although I focused on my form and breath, I couldn’t shake off the apprehension, which clung to my skin like sweat.
I tried to work out the tension from the feeling I was being watched. Several times in the past few weeks, I’d felt the disquieting sensation of someone watching me but hadn’t caught anyone spying.
Was I losing it? Or being paranoid after all the supernatural hogwash we’d had to deal with in Salem the past couple of years? Witches had been killed. We’d fought demons and sirens in their attempt to seize control of Salem. We’d been victorious, but since then, the trouble hadn’t abated, and we’d faced numerous unethical hijinks as well as downright illegal uses of magic.
As the head witch of a magical unit in the Salem Supernatural Network, I’d led my team in combating these attacks. Although the rational side of me knew there was nothing I could have done to prevent the witches’ murders, the part of me that raised my standards to unreasonable expectations fed on guilt. It used my shame like a punching bag.If I knew more sooner, would I have been able to have saved lives?
I attempted to push away those gnawing questions on the next exhale. As I moved through positions, I concentrated on my breaths, counting to help me clear my mind.
My orange tabby, Cleo, entered and brushed against my leg. She thought yoga was playtime and would use my limbs as toys. I paused to give her the attention she craved with a chin rub.
After Cleo sauntered over to her cat bed, head and tail high, I finished with a deep stretch. I continued my nighttime routine to unwind by boiling water for decaf Darjeeling tea. What a wild life I led.
As I brought the warm cup to my lips, a rapping startled me. Tea sloshed down my chin, and my abrupt movement sent Cleo scurrying out the room. The knocking came from my back door. That was odd. Any visitors or delivery people would come to the front.
I put down my mug next to the novel I was about to read. As I dabbed my chin with a tissue, more knocking followed. It was louder this time, sounding more urgent.
“Hello?” a man called out.
Hmm… My wariness shot up. I didn’t recognize the voice.
Was he the reason I’d felt watched earlier? Had he been hiding in my backyard the entire time?
“Please, are you home?” he added. “It’s urgent.”
I wouldn’t fall for that excuse, especially with a strange man asking for my help from my back door. I was a single woman who lived alone. Something was up. Something fishy enough that I had to be prepared.
My heart pounding, I reached for my wand. I held it aloft, ready to strike if this man was planning to attack.
AUSTIN
My phone pinged. I groaned. It was my new landlord, Michael, noting he’d be over in half-an-hour to check on the leaky kitchen faucet.
Shoot. I glanced at the tuxedo kitten I found on a hiking trail a few days ago. He’d been so scrawny and seemed hungry. When I poured some water into a cup from my water bottle, he’d lapped at it as if he hadn’t any in a week. I couldn’t leave the little fella out there, so I took him home with me.
Only one problem—cats weren’t allowed on my lease. I’d only moved into this apartment I was subletting in Salem last week and was already breaking the terms of it by caring for the kitten. If I got caught, I could be evicted. That would be an exceptionally short residence even for someone who moved as often as me.
After drifting from city to city over the last ten years, I hoped to find a place that would feel like home. Thus far, I hadn’t had any luck.
I glanced around the small apartment. Where could I hide the kitten? I could put him in my bedroom and close the door, but he’d likely be vocal. I’d learned that whenever I tried to take a shower with the door closed. Now I kept it open, and my furry little shadow would curl up on a bathroom mat nearby.
What were my other options? I glanced outside. I could put him outside in the carrier far away from the house. Leaving him alone and scared without knowing what was happening was too cruel for me to contemplate.
The lights were on in the dark green Cape next door, the one where the beautiful woman with black hair lived. Michael had mentioned that she was a witch who worked at the Salem Supernatural Network. That’s where I’d learned about this rental. I’d been meaning to introduce myself, but she hadn’t been around often, and once the kitten wandered into my life, he’d demanded much of my attention.
