Page 17 of Casting Butterflies

“Am I dead?” I croaked.

“No, although I did wonder if you might expire, given how you spasmed for several minutes as if you’d been hit by lightning.” Cedric slinked from my chest and perched beside me on the floor.

“Not lightning. Suffocated by butterflies,” I grumbled as I sat up and patted my body to reassure myself it remained intact.

“What happened? I returned from the hunt to find you jiggling on the floor with a stranger standing over you.”

Oh shit, the big dude. “Did you chase him off?”

“Not exactly. I did hiss at him and showed him my claws, but rather than flee in terror, he told me to calm my furry ass down and then proceeded to claim he’d not done anything to harm you.”

“I mean, he technically didn’t.” I’d done that myself simply by grabbing at the necklace barehanded. “Where is the intruder now?” Did I need to grab a frying pan to protect myself?

“Backyard. Soon as you started to glow, he stomped outside and proceeded to call someone on his phone.”

“Who?”

“No idea. I didn’t stay to listen, but I will mention he spoke to them in Russian.”

My brows knitted. Russian? “He was after the necklace.”

“So I gathered. I imagine his annoyance came from the fact you triggered the spell.”

“How can you tell?”

“Well, for one thing, the magic in it is gone,” Cedric noted, glancing at the chain and pendant lying on the floor a few feet from me.

“Um, yeah, about that… To keep the thief from stealing it, I snagged it, and then… I’m not exactly sure what happened next.” Had that dream been real or a hallucination brought on as a result of me passing out?

“Judging by your new aura, seems like you unlocked whatever the amulet held.”

Despite Cedric not sounding mad, I still apologized. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to take it. But the voice…It wouldn’t take no for an answer.” The reminder had me hugging myself to try and stem the tremors that threatened.

“What voice? What happened when you touched the necklace?”

My lips pursed. “I ended up in the eye of a storm comprised of butterflies, where a disembodied voice kept asking me to accept.”

“Accept what?”

My shoulders rolled. “It never really did say. It claimed if I said yes that I would go on a trip and find some people that might be able to help you.”

“You obviously agreed, seeing as how you’re awash with magic but of a kind I’ve never seen. I want you to tell me exactly what happened, every detail and word.”

“Can I have a glass of water first? Actually, make that vodka because, I swear, I can still taste those damned butterflies.”

Cedric might not have brows, but he somehow managed to lift the fur above his eyes. “You actually ate butterflies? I thought they scared you.”

“I didn’t have a choice,” I grumbled as I rose to my feet and headed for the liquor cabinet in the living room. I didn’t bother with a glass but swigged right from the bottle. The liquid burned its way down to my belly. A more pleasant type of fire than I’d just experienced.

“Are you ready to tell me what happened?”

It took another swallow before I could begin, this time going into every detail, and when I finished, Cedric looked pensive—for a cat.

He murmured, “This voice claimed there are people with the knowledge to help me?”

I nodded. “Yes, but we’ll have to travel to find them.”

“Over the ocean, which is vague. Did it not give you any other clues?”