Page 102 of Seer
“And the shifter?”
“Uh, we have a very large black panther here. Are you injured? They say no. Did you see what happened to Cal? That’s a yes, Greg.”
“Thanks. I don’t know any panther shifters. Um, can you look on the coffee table and see if there’s a Ouija board?”
Steve said, “There isn’t one.”
I frowned. Maybe Ms. Jackson didn’t like visitors. “How about a cat statue?”
Fucking finally, I’d reached Cal’s apartment building. I turned into the parking lot.
“No cat statue. There’s nothing on the coffee table except Cal’s laptop.”
I got out of the car and sprinted for the building, phone pressed to my ear.
Steve said slowly, “Uh, our panther friend just got on the coffee table.”
Huh? Surely not.
“Can you please ask them if they are Ms. Jackson?”
“That’s a yes. Hi, Ms. Jackson. Nice to meet you.”
“I’m getting in the elevator. I’ll be right there.”
When I opened the apartment door, Felix was sitting on the ground next to Cal, who was flat on his back with a pillow under his head and a blanket thrown over him.
Steve was standing uncertainly in the entryway to the kitchen, holding a water bottle.
And on the coffee table was a shifter-sized black panther.
A breathing being who could move.
I’d figure that out later.
I rushed over to Cal and dropped to my knees next to him. Felix scooted over to give me room.
I pulled the blanket back. Where was Cal’s magical aura? I pressed my hand to his cheek, and I gasped at how little magic he had left. Closing my eyes, I pushed mine into him, trying to fill the void. What the hell had happened? No wonder he’d passed out.
I opened my eyes again, and Ms. Jackson was peering over the back of the couch at us. Unlike Cal,theyhad an abundance of magic sparkling around them. And they’d somehow transformed into a living creature. Faint runes were visible in the black of their fur.
Striving for a calm, non-accusatory voice, I asked them, “Did Cal give you his magic?”
They tilted their head back and forth.
“Sort of? What does that mean, that youtook it?” This time I couldn’t keep the rage out of my voice.
Ms. Jackson’s eyes went wide, and they tilted their head back and forth again. Then they jumped to the floor and came around to sit next to me. They closed their eyes and a small Ouija board appeared where their chest had been.
Felix and Steve gasped.
Ms. Jackson spelled out,C-A-L-P-U-S-H-E-D-M-A-G-I-C-O-U-T-A-N-D-I-T-F-O-U-N-D-M-E.
I blinked. “He pushed his magic out of himself?”
Yesflashed on the board.
I frowned. “It makes sense the magic would be attracted to a magical entity nearby. But I told Cal we can’t cast spells, so what was he trying to do?”
