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F/F, Contemporary Fantasy, Friends-to-Lovers [Coming Jan 16, 2025 / 6,000 Words] Apple / BN / Kobo / SW / All Buy Links It's been two weeks since Noemi botched a magic spell and created a telepathic bond between herself and her best friend—which wouldn't be a problem, if not for the one secret she's been keeping from Thea for years. Guarding her thoughts has been an exhausting and nearly impossible task, and Noemi is running out of ways to keep Thea out of her head. Now, even worse, it seems Thea's finally had enough. When the inevitable confrontation comes, there's no going back. She found the spell in a book she wasn't strictly supposed to have. Noemi didn't feel any guilt over the small act of rebellion. She'd been borrowing unauthorized material from her mentor for years, and Maren had not once lectured or chastised her for it. Considering there was no way the old witch didn't realize what Noemi was doing—the woman may have been a chaotic master of her magical craft, but her organizational system was flawless—Noemi took this as tacit encouragement, so long as she didn't make off with any of the truly dangerous texts. Nothing about this particular tome seemed perilous. Advanced, certainly. Perhaps beyond her abilities, as Noemi was very much still learning the control and finesse necessary for more powerful magic. But at this point she had solid instincts for what she could and could not accomplish. She trusted her own judgment. And certainly Maren did too, or she wouldn't keep letting Noemi make off with books and scrolls she didn't have permission to borrow. This particular spell seemed well within Noemi's capabilities, and far too fascinating to resist an attempt. To read an animal's thoughts, Maren's barely decipherable scrawl proclaimed in the margin, right next to the convoluted not-quite-Latin of the spell's proper name. It had taken Noemi the better part of a day to finish deciphering the ins-and-outs of the premise and incantation. The spell wouldn't let her wander around the neighborhood listening in on squirrels and dogs and shrill birds, but would forge a connection with a single animal of her choosing. This presented a simple and obvious choice: Noemi's cat, Gilly, a crotchety old rescue with far too much personality. Gilly was a stub-tailed and prickly old man, more surly roommate than beloved pet, and far more likely to steal Noemi's food out of her hands than allow anything resembling a cuddle. Noemi couldn't resist the prospect of hearing what such a cantankerous old feline might have to say. Which was why she found herself sitting on the floor of her tiny studio apartment, directly in front of the window and the tall cat tree that was by far the fanciest piece of furniture she owned. Gilly's owlish green eyes stared at her from the circular opening of the lowest cubby, slow-blinking without making any move to change his comfortable position. Noemi held the spell book open on her lap, even though she'd already gone to the effort of memorizing the intricate incantation. Some magic required physical components—candles, flowers, playing cards—but this particular spell called only for the words that were already beginning to roll from her tongue, competent and smooth. The language itself would have tripped her up only a couple of years ago, the syllables melodic and low and barely adjacent to English. But she'd been studying with obsessive fervor, ever since Maren took her under her wing. And the spell rolled through Noemi's living space now, more like music than words. Her own power thrilled up from somewhere deep inside her, mingling and dancing with the subtler energy that existed in the air itself. The sensation raised the fine, dark hairs on her arms and sent a shiver along the nape of her neck. Oh, this spell was strong. The warmth of it coiled in her gut and spread pleasantly through her limbs, and when she glanced down at her hands where they rested on the book, her skin was pulsing with a faint and iridescent glow. She snapped her gaze quickly back up to Gilly's curious eyes. She needed to be looking right at him when the spell finished its crescendo and crested to a sharp, decisive peak. Gilly wasn't blinking now. He was peering at her with a familiar glint of feline intelligence. Just as the final syllables tumbled off her tongue, Noemi's front door opened with a quiet click. There was only one person it could be—only Thea had a key and a standing invitation to let herself in whenever she pleased—but Noemi twisted in place anyway, drawn by reckless and irresistible instinct to turn and smile over her shoulder. Apple / BN / Kobo / SW / All Buy Links |
Cover design by Yolande Kleinn ISBN 978-1-946316-52-3 |