Bending down, I picked up my black Persian. As soon as my hands made contact with her long black fur, they cramped against the coldness of her body. I was frozen with shock. Aura was a spirit of a witch who, when killed, was transformed into a cat to act as a familiar. Perhaps, I was honing in on my spirit walker skills easier now that I knew what to look for. The coldness from my cat had to be the spirit I was feeling.

Aura watched me with large green eyes. Her whiskers twitched from side to side, and her ears perked up like she was alert to something I wasn’t. Although scared, I petted her, hoping the action would calm us both. But with each stroke, my hand fell further and further into the long black fur. I shrieked when my hand disappeared all the way through the middle of her. Stumbling backwards, I dropped my cat as fear wound its way through my entire body.

Aura’s body lay on the tile floor unmoving. My eyes were glued to her small black form. I’d just killed my cat. Tears stung my eyes and blurred my vision. My hands fisted at my side as I stared at what I had done.

Pin pricks shot through my left limb causing me to cry out in pain. Holding my arm out in front of me, a glowing light was clasped in my fist and shining through my fingers. I opened my hand. The pulsating light hovered just above my palm and then grew longer and wider. I backed against the wall as far as I could and watched in awe as the light formed into what looked like a humanoid shape. The luminescent figure stood in front of me, with almond shaped eyes and hair as black as a raven. A thin cotton dress hung from her shoulders and pooled at her feet. This spirit was different than the others I’d encountered. Serenity surrounded her aura and filled the room with peace that put me at ease.

“Are you an angel?” My words heavy on my tongue as I fought the weight of the calming effect she had. My entire body relaxed and my eyelids grew heavier the longer she stood in front of me.

“No, my dear, I am not.” Her voice was melodic and more beautiful than music. A sweet smile spread across her pink lips as she watched me. With more grace than a ballerina, she bent down and scooped Aura’s lifeless body up. “You have been very good to me, Gwen.”

“Aura?” I breathed with disbelief. The ghost nodded and placed her hand over the cat’s body. With each stroke of fur, a radiant light outlined the unmoving form. The tail twitched and then the ears flicked this way and that. Within moments the cat’s head lifted and looked at me with confusion.

“You don’t need me anymore, Gwen,” Aura said, handing the cat to me. “But a witch should never be without a cat.” I took the feline from her arms and frowned when I didn’t feel the connection. Aura’s spirit was no longer in the cat, something that not only saddened me, but made me feel like something within me was missing. The bond I shared with her was something I was accustom to, not having it would take a while to get used to.

“But, I do need you,” I pleaded.

“Don’t be sad. You’ve released me from my prison and for that, I’ll be forever grateful.” Aura’s spirit faltered and she vanished just like that. The peace from her presence was gone too. My new/old cat looked at me, its eyes curious as to who I was. It still looked like the same, long black fur, big green eyes, smashed nose, but it was like I was looking at a new cat.

My hand rested on its back, and I dragged my palm down the length of it. Soft purrs vibrated against my skin, but it lacked the energy I felt when Aura’s spirit was in there.

I stood in the bathroom for a long while thinking about what I did. You’ve released me from my prison. Her last words nagged my mind. What did that mean? I’d always assumed witches made a choice whether they wanted to become a familiar after their deaths, like a human deciding if they want to be an organ donor or donated to science. Who imprisoned her and why?

I had to find Dorian; he’d know what happened. I fixed my tear streaked mascara and rushed out of my room. The castle was busy with various activities. Some groups were practicing more maneuvers, while others studied maps. Shaking my head in frustration, I continued to check rooms for Dorian. Where did an Angel of Death hang out?

Making my way down another hallway, Kye was just ahead of me. “Kye!” He turned around as I jogged to catch up. “Have you seen Dorian?” His eyes looked bloodshot like he hadn’t slept. I guess being Holly’s go to man was exhausting.

“I think he’s in a meeting with Holly. What do you need?”

“I just need to ask him something, thanks, Kye!” I turned around and rushed up the stone staircase to the sixth floor. Kye was growing on me, but that didn’t mean I trusted him, not that I trusted Dorian either, but he didn’t share the same allegiance to Holly as Kye.

I was about to knock on Holly’s office door when I heard my name from behind it. Pausing, I leaned my ear against the wood and listened.

“Has she asked questions?” Holly’s voice carried through.

“Just about her power,” Dorian replied.

What the hell were they talking about?

“Good. Make sure you strengthen her power and leave the rest to me.”

“As you wish.”

Creaking footsteps approached, and I rushed back downstairs so I wouldn’t be caught. Questions bombarded my mind as I replayed their cryptic conversation in my mind. Maybe Dorian did share Kye’s allegiance to Holly.

I made it to the third floor before I needed to stop and breathe. It was lucky I hadn’t tumbled down the stone steps in my haste. Leaning against the cool wall, I inhaled deep breaths through my mouth and exhaled through my nose, but it did little to calm my sporadic heartbeat.

“Gwen?” Dorian asked from the landing. “What are you doing?”

“I was looking for you.” My voice came out a little breathy.

His left eye squinted in suspicion. “What do you need?”

“I killed my cat.” With the words, I remembered the original reason I sought Dorian. Whatever he and Holly were talking about could wait, I needed answers about Aura.

He paused for a moment. “What do you mean you killed your cat?”

“I mean, I picked her up, and my hand fell through her—literally! And somehow I pulled her spirit from her body. I mean the witch’s spirit occupying the cat’s body.” The more I listened to myself, the more I sounded crazy. “What’s happening to me?”

Dorian walked down the steps and placed his hand on my shoulder. “Let’s discuss this in private.” Being around him was even more nerve-racking now. It seemed everyone was keeping some sort of secret, and they all involved me.

“Fine.” Turning, I jogged down the stairs and stopped at my room, it was the only place that’d offer privacy. Opening the door, I ushered Dorian inside and stepped in behind him. My eyes flicked to my new cat and sadness clung heavily to my heart.

Dorian walked over to the cat curled up in the chair and picked her up. He snorted and set the cat back down. “It’s just a regular cat now.”

“Isn’t that what I told you?” I snapped.

“Had to make sure.”

“What does it mean? Am I going to kill people if I touch them?” Dorian busted out laughing causing my temper to seethe.

“Will you be serious? I just lost a friend!” He may have trouble seeing how a cat could be considered a friend, but I didn’t just lose a cat, I lost a friend, even if that friend was a ghost. The connection was gone, she was gone.

“I’m sorry.” He smiled. “No, you will not kill anyone if you touch them. Aura’s soul was in a body that didn’t belong to her, therefore you were able to reach in and grab it. Everyone else you know, their souls are connected with their bodies, correct?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, then nothing to worry about.”

“That’s all you have to say?”

“What do you want me to say? Your power is growing just like you were told. Spirit walkers don’t just talk to spirits, Gwen, they can do many things.” He crossed his arms while his eyes roamed over me. “You look very beautiful tonight.”

In my rush to find answers, I’d forgotten I was dressed in a very skimpy dress. The way Dorian’s eyes traveled the length of my body said he didn’t mind one bit.

His mouth opened and his tongue darted out to roll over his upper lip. His gray eyes darkened as the swirling clouds picked up in speed. I was very aware of my body with his admiring gaze on it. The dress was tight around my breast, causing a good amount of cleavage to spill out. And the length of the dress showcased a good portion of my legs, which was where Dorian’s eyes were currently devouring.

“A little overdressed for training, but I don’t mind,” he replied, his voice soft and filled with desire.

“I have plans tonight, I’m not training,” I said in a quiet tone. We finished summoning the ghosts from the vampire blood, so he couldn’t use that as an excuse.

“The deal was, you train with your kind and then with me every other day.”

“Right, and today I trained with my kind, so we’re not supposed to train until tomorrow.” I smiled at throwing his logic back in his face.

“What are your plans?”

“None of your business.”

“Let me guess,” he said as he tapped his chin. “You’re meeting the vampire?”

Dorian knowing about my ongoing relationship with Aiden was dangerous, especially now that I knew he was in cahoots with Holly about something having to do with me. What would Holly do if she found out I betrayed her by sneaking behind her back to see Aiden? The thought was daunting, but I wouldn’t allow her or Dorian to control every aspect of my life.

“Yes, and if you wanna run off and tell Holly, then do it. I’m a grown ass woman and will date whoever I want.” The words seemed more mature in my mind than they sounded to my ears.

Dorian smiled and shook his head.

“What?” I asked.

“It’s like a lion dating a gazelle. How long before the lion can’t refuse his cravings and tears into the gazelle’s neck?”