Squirrelified (Enchanted Ink)

Chapter 1

S alem PD Detective Ash Montgomery screeched to a halt in front of the address he’d heard over the radio and tossed it in Park, his gut clenching in fear. Already, there were nearly a dozen emergency vehicles lining the street, their blue and red lights flashing under sizzling spring sun and a crowd of parched onlookers straining to get a view of the fight inside. A fight none of them had any business knowing about.

For some reason, crazy shit always seemed to happen on odd days like the one they were having. He was already blasting the AC in his car, for fuck’s sake, and it was only mid-March.

Ash searched the faces amid the crowd of humans outside, most likely diners who’d run out in terror only moments before, but unwilling to go too far and miss out on the gossip they’d get to spread with firsthand knowledge. He had a strong suspicion of what he’d find inside and hoped like hell he was wrong.

After exiting the vehicle, he fished out his phone and dialed Luca. His mate picked up on the third ring, just as he was entering the inside of the business—where he immediately found bedlam in full throttle. Two wolves fighting it out. Tables, chairs, and tableware crashed to the floor—what wasn’t splintered and broken already.

Fuck me.

“Ash?” came a worried tone from the other end of his phone.

“Shifters fighting,” he muttered to Luca. “Gotta go.”

Ash shoved his phone back in his pocket, noting the officers—police, fire, and animal control—all circling the pair of shifters, ready to stop them from tearing the restaurant to further shreds. None of those officers realized that the two wolves weren’t wolves at all. Well, they were, but only half. The other half looked as human as they did.

But in their animal form, they were stronger and much more lethal than any regular animal. They could destroy every single one of those men in a heartbeat and be gone, off to wreak chaos in their wake.

Ash scanned the interior, searching for a way to intervene and get the humans out so that he could end the fight—yet before he could do anything, an unfamiliar hedgewitch charged in through the front door and blasted the room with a massive spell.

In front of humans.

Hedges didn’t have the kind of power to hide from normies—she’d just outted her kind to a roomful of officers. Idiot!

The wave of magic was immense, sweeping across the room with a strength he’d never had guessed from one of her kind. Ash leapt closer and reached out to grab her, in hopes he’d prevent another public performance. He watched in horror as his arm sprouted gray fur as he sought to grab her. Before he could get close, Ash began to shrink, his fluffy tail popping out behind him.

What the fuck?

An involuntarily shift into his squirrel form in front of his fellow officers was not on his bingo card for the day. He dropped into a pile of his clothing, blinking a few times, his head swaying from the unexpected shift. Scouting the room, he could see little to nothing from his vantage point on the floor. The sound of thudding footsteps echoed, and he spotted the net just before one of the animal control officers attempted to scoop him up in it.

Ash bolted, racing toward the witch. He sped between her feet and on toward the safety of the outside. Once out, he leapt up the nearest tree to get away from the chaos and have a moment to think. Panting, he realized that some of his coworkers may have seen him shift and it might mean the end of his career.

Gideon. Gideon can wipe their memories. Yeah, he’ll fix it for me.

Fuck… who was in there? I wasn’t paying close enough attention.

He waited and watched, taking a mental inventory of the men walking in and out—the names for Gideon’s list. Eventually, he witnessed two naked, angry men dragged out in handcuffs. The slashes and cuts along their bodies made it seem obvious who they were. A scent came across his nose, and his theory was confirmed—the wolves.

Why didn’t any of the officers look freaked out? They’d just seen two wolves turn into men and potentially saw him shift, too. Everyone was moving about as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. Cops marched in and out, gathering evidence for a good hour. Once the scene slowed some and he noticed a viable escape route, he skittered down the tree and raced into the nearby bushes, where he attempted to shift back into his human form.

And couldn’t.

What did that witch do to me?

What did that…

What…

Ash’s mind fogged, conscious thought slipping away. He sniffed the area around him, scenting food nearby.

Yum… food…

He took three steps toward that alluring scent.

Stop!

He held onto the edges of his human side, sensing that humanity fading away.

I have to go home. I have to get to Luca.

Luca.

Luca.

Off he raced toward home before he lost what little memory he had.

Who’s Luca?

Ash adjusted course, seeking out the scent of food instead of the safety of home, lost within his squirrel side.

Aurora sped into Enchanted Ink, arms laden with the shifter’s clothing. She came to a halt in front of the front desk and eyed the pretty blonde behind the counter. “Hi.”

The woman rose, her full braless breasts swaying under a too-tight T-shirt. She scowled at Aurora with the usual hedge prejudice. “Can I help you?”

Aurora sensed a bit of magic in the woman’s veins, but she wasn’t a full witch. “I need to see… Cas, I think his name is?” How many times had she yearned to come in and meet the mysterious Cas, but always chickened out?

Finally, she’d made it in there, but for all of the wrong reasons.

The blonde eyed her closely. “Hold on.” She lifted a phone and murmured something into it.

Aurora paced the waiting area, clutching the detective’s clothing to her chest, her brain traveling at fifty-million-miles a minute. What the hell was she going to say to the coven’s leader? She’d been using illegal magic when she did what she did, but it had felt like the right thing to do. Maybe not to the detective she hadn’t noticed just out of eyesight, but she’d do her best to fix that, if she could. The least she could do was notify his coven family and see if they might assist her.

Yeah, right. They won’t want me anywhere near this.

A massive giant of a witch appeared from the back of the parlor, his gaze seeming as if he could see through her. His gaze dropped to the clothing in her hands before lifting again, a question in their depths.

“Can I help you?”

“Cas?” Aurora asked to be sure. “You’re the coven leader, right?”

The witch swept closer, a finger rising to his lips and ire in his gaze. “Watch your tongue. Humans are near.” He stared down his nose. “Yes. I’m Cassius, leader of this coven. And you, hedge?”

Wow, can we cool it for a minute with the attitude? “Aurora,” she murmured, biting back the sarcastic comment considering she’d just harmed one of his coven members—yet it came tumbling out anyway. “You don’t have to call me hedge like it’s some slur.”

Sure, witches and hedgewitches weren’t always on the best of terms, but she’d done nothing to Cassius to merit his ire. She glanced down at the clothing in her arms and realized she had done something, though it had been an accident. Hopefully he believed her. “I…” Aurora paused, terror rising. “I… um… I think I… messed up your squirrel.”

Cassius grasped her upper arm and dragged her through the tattoo parlor toward the back, moving like lightning. As soon as they were in a breakroom, he spun to face her. “What did you do?”

“My frie…” Aurora shook her head, no longer willing to call those hedges friends. “A couple of witches I know cast a spell on two wolf shifters… and they lost their minds. The shifters, that is. They started fighting. Like feral fighting. Blood was everywhere. Before I could stop them, they ran off, one chasing the other. I gave chase, but they were too fast for me. By the time I found them again, the cops were already there. Fire trucks, too. The wolves were inside a restaurant, tearing the place apart. I was able to stop them… but I didn’t see your squirrel detective was there until it was too late, and the spell hit him, too. He turned, ran off, left his clothes and all, and I couldn’t find him after to make it right.”

Cassius narrowed his eyes. “A couple of witches you know … meaning, a couple of hedges.”

Aurora moved from foot to foot, uncomfortable under his gaze. “Yeah.”

“And you used magic in front of humans?”

Aurora winced. “Yeah, but they were all in danger. Those wolves would’ve torn them apart. I saved their lives.” She wondered if she should avoid spilling the last bit but decided to come clean. “I… ah… I used a memory enchantment, too. To make the normies forget what they’d seen.”

Cassius’ gaze whipped to hers. “You’re not equipped to use that kind of magic, hedge.”

“I know, I know… but I’m also not supposed to use magic in front of humans, either. I covered my tracks to protect us all.” Aurora handed over the clothing.

“My point is—you shouldn’t have been able to use memory magic,” Cassius said.

“I was just trying to protect people. I didn’t mean to hurt your squirrel, but as per ushe, something went sideways like it always seems to. I’m sorry. You can let the detective know I meant no harm. The spell should wear off in a couple of hours.” She paused, cringing. “Hopefully.”

He searched her face, moving fractionally closer. “What are you?”

Aurora frowned. She glanced down at herself and back up to Cassius. “Getting irritated by your constant glaring and stupid questions?”

Cassius leaned his head down a little closer. “No… what… are… you?”

Aurora took a step back, a sudden fear clenching her chest and making it harder to breathe. He sensed what she did, only she couldn’t answer that question. Not even for herself. “I don’t know what you mean.”

Cassius took a step forward, easily closing the gap with his much longer legs. “Yes, you do. What are you? There’s no way you’re simply a hedgewitch, and I think we both know it.”

I don’t know! Aurora tensed. It had been a mistake to come. “I don’t have to answer any of your questions. I didn’t have to come, either. I came as a courtesy, so you all knew it was an accident and not to come after me. That’s it.”

She spun to bolt, but a heavy hand landed on her shoulder and twisted her around. Aurora curled magic into her palms, ready to stun Cassius—just enough to give herself time to run—but he was faster, shoving her through a portal that suddenly appeared.

Aurora landed on her hands and knees on soft ground. Chirping of insects echoed in her ears. She was inside a forest of sorts with odd-looking plants and trees in shades of teal, baby pink, and light blue. A sky of pink and baby blue, with heavy, frosty cotton candy clouds hung above. She scrambled to her feet and faced her attacker, no time to worry about where she was in that moment.

She only knew she needed out.

“Don’t move. I’ll be right back,” Cassius commanded before he disappeared through the portal.

“No!” she screamed, running toward him, but the portal evaporated before she could reach it. Fuck!”

Aurora heard rustling to her right, the thick bushes skittering with movement. She cast a look around at the unfamiliar world. Magical? Alien? She had no idea. The animal sounds grew, a gentle breeze carrying them closer and making it harder to determine how close they were.

More movement caught her attention and a furry, pale green spider the size of a toddler’s Barbie car ambled out and in her direction. She let out a blood-curdling scream and leapt to grab a nearby branch, lifting her feet as high as she could.

Her arms began to burn, and she cursed her Phys Ed teachers for not forcing her to work harder in their classes. How was she to know hanging from a bar might save her life one day? Finally, the spider toddled off and she dropped to the ground, her arms on fire.

The bushes shook again, and she froze. She had to find safety, if there was any to be found.

“Don’t move? I don’t think so.”