Page 96 of Christmas Magic

“Are you in town for the parade tonight?”

“Yep. Wouldn’t miss it,” he lied.

The six cats approached, including the kitten. Dennis’s skin crawled, for the felines were all staring at him.

“What brought you to the store?” Molly asked. “Were you looking for a holiday gift? Maybe I can help.”

“Lucian Lord isn’t around, by chance?” he dared to ask.

Reticence touched her gaze before it vanished. “He’s not. Would you like me to take your name and phone number, and he can get back to you?”

Dennis shook his head and shoved his hands into the pockets of his jacket. “I’ll try back another time. Thanks, though. Maybe I’ll see you and Lucian at the parade?”

“I’ve seen that guy before,” Galahad said.

“So have I.” Molly cradled her mug of tea in her hands and thought of her brief chat with the brown-haired man. While he’d been pleasant enough, his manner hadn’t seemed genuine. Neither had his story about his hurt hand. “My mind is foggy on where I’ve seen him before.”

“I remember him.” Tim shivered. “He was at Cawico Court. He showed up before de craft fair.”

Molly frowned. “Didn’t he say he was in town for the parade?”

“He did,” Rose meowed.

“He’s in town for a few days, then,” Marigold said.

The squire growled. “Or he lied.”

“Hmm.” Molly looked down at Tim. “What did the man do in Calico Court?”

“He hewped wadies set up. I also saw him take somefing smaww out of his pocket and put it on a table.”

“That’s odd,” Petunia said.

“What was it?” Molly asked the kitten.

“Don’t know, but he stuck around to watch de table. I didn’t see what happened, ’cause I weft. I got scareded by a wady with a dog.”

Molly put down her tea, bent and scooped Tim up. “You won’t ever be scared like that again. I promise.”

Purring, Tim snuggled against her. “I’m kinda scared of birds too; wike owws and crows—”

“Crow.” Molly gasped. “The man’s name is Dennis Crow.”

“You’re right.” Galahad hissed. “I remember him now from the summer, although he was blond then, not dark-haired. He’s a Dealer.”

Molly’s stomach gurgled. Had The Dealer somehow known Lucian was unconscious? That she was running the store on her own? Crow might have wanted to steal some corrupted artifacts, since he’d likely know her powers were no match for a trained Dealer’s. “The magical protections must have thwarted Crow from coming inside. That’s why he mentioned his sprained hand.”

“It’s strange he’d even try to enter.” Galahad shook his head. “The Dealers know about the wards. He’d realize he had zero chance of getting past them.”

Holding Tim against her with one hand, Molly picked up her phone with the other. “I’m going to tell Julius. He might be able to explain what Crow was up to. At least Julius will have a heads-up for when he reaches Cat’s Paw Cove.”

Pop.

The sound, close to Lucian’s ear, startled him from sleep.

He exhaled slowly and became aware of a dull ache in his right arm. Eyes still closed, he tried to recall where he was. Images of crowded battlefields flickered through his mind, but he didn’t smell oniony sweat or coppery blood. He didn’t hear shouts, screams, or the clanging of weapons. That meant he wasn’t lying injured on the ground, but he was definitely supine.

Apart from the pop a moment ago—an odd yet familiar sound—he heard only a steady hum.