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The curse had first been placed on Grandpa, but I had decided it would end with me. I’d never subject another to it. I would never forgive my dad for fathering me, for not telling my mother about the curse until it was too late.
I’d had a long time to come to terms with it, most of my life, in fact. I had it all planned out, or so I thought: I’d have all my fun in my twenties, while working my ass off to afford a small piece of land out in the middle of nowhere. Then, by the time the curse hit, I’d retire at the ripe old age of thirty-five alone in the woods. My snake could come out whenever it wanted, and nobody would be harmed.
It had been a great plan, and I’d carried out most of it perfectly, but for one problem. The curse hit me early, just after I turned thirty, and I’d ended up having to move from place to place as neighbors got suspicious. One had even called pest control, believing that a Burmese python had somehow made its way up from Florida.
I’d taken financial losses from moving around so much, and so while I still had quite a bit saved up, it wasn’t enough, not in today’s housing market. In all my planning, I had stupidly overlooked inflation.
I needed a place big enough that my snake could roam without bumping into anybody when I lost control of it. Currently, the best I could do was lock my door and hope I didn’t smash my way out the window. I was on the third story, but I doubted the drop would stop my serpent.
So much for thinking I had everything figured out. I’d been so arrogant in my youth, armed with what I’d thought was a foolproof plan. I wasn’t so cocky anymore. Now, I was considering trekking down to the Everglades when things got bad to blend in with the local fauna.
Was what my father had done in the end? Maybe I’d see him down there if he was still alive. We’d go hunt some gators when we were in serpent form, swallow them whole, and luxuriate in the sweltering heat. What an amazing family reunion!
Not.
My mind drifted back to the stunning woman that lived next door. Too bad I’d only met her now. I’d have loved to have had time to indulge in a little fun with her.
That was the most I ever allowed myself. Temporary fun, nothing more. I’d sown my wild oats in my twenties—I’d convinced a doctor who was experienced with working with shifters to perform a vasectomy on me so I knew I wouldn’t accidentally father another child—and reveled in it, believing I didn’t need anything more. But it had gotten really boring really fast.
Lonely, too. Somewhere along the line, I started craving a real emotional connection.
Sadly, that was a pipe dream. Cursed shifters like me didn’t deserve true happiness. So I’d doubled down and focused on my work.
Sybil, now. She was the first woman to catch my eye in years. Caught my snake’s eye, too. Forget it. He deserved her even less than I did. It was tough to think of the beast and I as one, after fighting him for the past few years.
It had been sheer luck that I’d found this place in Darlington at a moment’s notice, and I didn’t want to be running again so soon. So, no. As much as I wanted to wrap the little witch up and protect her in my coils, it was best for both of us if I just stayed away.
I bent and moved my lightweight, mass-produced particleboard coffee table back into place before heading to the fridge for a bite to eat. A shift always left me hungry.
Hungry. The image of Sybil facing me down with her hands on her hips kept popping up in my head, making me hungry for more than food.
Fuck. I had to get a hold of myself.
Chapter 3
Sybil
Tansypulledaspellbook for children from her bag. She was the most recent person under Eamon’s protection. Eamon was a demon and the only non-gargoyle co-owner of Redrock Protective Services. She’d gone to Redrock out of desperation, and the two of them were here to pick up a charmed talisman to protect her from an evil spirit hellbent on taking over her body.
I recognized the spell book immediately. Tansy looked to be in her early twenties, but was still new to her magic, so this one was a perfect starter.
“That’s a great one,” I said. “The spell to hide your magic is in there. It’s one of the first things mothers teach their daughters to prevent them from becoming targets.”
Salt returned from the mission I’d sent him on, dragging Pepper behind him.
I rubbed my temples. “I said bring me paper. Not Pepper.”
Salt nudged Pepper a little closer to me, surer of himself than any one-pound rodent had any right to be.
I sighed and tried again with Pepper. “Pepper, bring me paper. Pa-per!”
My chubby black rat ran off, his round butt wobbling, with Salt hurrying after him.
This was a bad sign. Salt tended to lose his hearing every time his age started catching up with him, and when rats got old, they degenerated fast. I’d thought we would have more time.
I turned back to my guests. Tansy was grinning from ear to ear at my familiars’ antics, and I took the opportunity to talk to her about her parrot as we waited for Salt and Pepper to return, this time with the right things.
“Thank you.” I took the notepad with little mice around the edges from them, and gave them two pieces of dehydrated banana. They ran off, fighting over who got the bigger piece.
