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Chapter One

If anyone told her she’d find herself in some flat little seaside town far from the comfort of forests and mountains, she’d have laughed until fruits fell from the trees and the birds warbled, begging her to stop.

Alas, she found herself resisting the idea of continuing down a street seemingly littered not only with humans and magical creatures poorly disguised by glamour, but withcats.

Niera Blair shifted the linen bag to her right shoulder, clutching the straps with both hands. The briny scent of seawater assaulted her nostrils while the salt coming off the choppy waters coated her skin in a sticky residue. It took the might of a thousand dryads to keep from twisting her face in horror. Somehow she managed, pushing aside her utter dismay with vivid memories of the pristine forests she’d hiked, the cozy caves she’d set up living quarters in when the weather turned treacherous, the critters, the birds, the wild fruits and the smell of clean earth. Forests held an untamed essence, a vivacious energy that sang to her soul and fed her body with life.

Here, not so much. The heavy air siphoned strength from her muscles and sapped that life from her spirit, like salt on a mushroom cap.

Darn sea fae.

“Annise, all because I adore you as a friend,” she groaned as a gust of wind knocked into her side, casting her hair across her face and causing her to stumble a few steps.

Strong hands caught her arms, steadying her on her feet as she raked the unruly locks away from her eyes. Her skin tingled, a strange and alien sensation, starting where those hands made contact on her bare skin and slowly spreading over her flesh.

She recoiled from the warm touch, unnerved.What in the sweet gods’ names…

“Careful there.”

Tucking rebel strands of hair behind her ears as the wind calmed, she lifted her gaze to the face of the utterly handsome man whose deep indigo eyes watched her with a mixture of wonder and curiosity. Ash-blond hair brushed over his forehead in the waning breeze, making him appear boyish in torn-at-the-knees blue jeans and a white V-neck sweater. Two men around his age approached his back, laughing, arms slung around each other.

One guy clapped a hand on his shoulder, giving Niera a shameless once-over before tugging her savior away.

“C’mon, bud. We’re gonna be late.” The newcomer mimed a tip of an invisible hat and mocking bow. “G’day, m’lady.”

Niera blinked as the three men hustled away. Her arms still tingled and her blood felt like someone had infused it with Pop Rocks, those annoying little sizzling candies she’d been tricked into trying by a nymph during her last matchmaking adventure.

The man tossed a lingering glance over his shoulder, his mouth curling in a close-lipped smile, eyes twinkling in the glaring sunlight. His steps resisted the pull of his friend’s hand, but he continued on, finally turning from her and settling into an easy stride to an unknown destination.

Niera rubbed her arms where his hands had touched her, trying in vain to disperse the heat that suffused her skin.

Tugging her cell phone from her cross-over bag—she had a tenuous relationship with modern technology, since she didn’t care for it and it didn’t seem to like her in return—Niera pulled up Annise’s number.

With her arrival in Cat’s Paw Cove, her mood turned dour and her energy ebbed. Something about the small town sucked the life from her faster than she could refill her reserves, something uncanny. She didn’t care for seaside towns at the best of times, since the magic of sea fae tended to dominate the energy, but something malicious was at work. Something that needled who she was,whatshe was, and wanted her gone.

Happy to oblige, trust me. As soon as I finish what I came here for.

Her friend answered on the third ring with a cheery, “Tell me you’ve arrived!”

“Oh, I’m here, all right. But here doesn’t seem to like me much,” Niera said, gauging her surroundings. The Uber driver had dumped her off at the corner of Tabby Road—Given the population of felines, it makes sense, I suppose—and left without so much as a goodbye.

Oh, to return to the woodland life.

“Poppycock, silly. You’ll fit right in, just wait and see.”

Niera scoffed. She’d wait, but so far, she wasn’t seeing much promise. “Sure. Okay, so I’m at Tabby Road and”—she looked around for a landmark—“Sherwood? There’s a hotel behind—oh, I guess that’s where I’m supposed to stay.”

“Ah, yes! The Catnip Hotel. Never mind that. I’ll come fetch you and you’ll stay with me. It’ll be much nicer, and we can get our quality time in before you vanish, gypsy style.”

Niera sighed to herself. The hotel wasn’t in shambles, which was a step up from her last overnight accommodations. She didn’t care for the nearness to the ocean, nor the uneasy air that tangled her spirit into a knot. She’d booked a single night at the hotel, intent on testing the proverbial waters. The woman responsible for reservations assured her there were plenty of vacancies during her expected stay.

That never boded well.

With a resigned shrug, she twisted around, noting the town hall nearby, flanked by the fire station and police station. “Okay, sure. That might be better.”

“Yas!” Her friend’s high-pitched squeal of pleasure made Niera cringe. Gods, she really needed some nature time if she hoped to keep her temper under control. “Great! Follow Sherwood down to Whiskers, make a right, and you’ll come to Calico Court. I’ll meet you at the Cove Cat Café in ten.” Another squeal made Niera pull the phone from her ear. “Oh, I’m so happy!”

“Ah, yes. So am I. Definitely happy to see you.”