Page 1 of Must Love Dragons (Sable Cove #4)

Note to self: Restlessness is either a sign of change coming, or a need for less caffeine.

Some days felt perfectly normal.

Today was not one of those days.

Kinsley Moreau couldn’t explain it, but there was a restless energy hounding her and she couldn’t shake it. She was fairly certain that it meant something was coming, but what it could possibly be was anyone’s guess.

The crisp November air carried the scent of damp earth and saltwater as Kinsley strolled through the familiar adoption center’s yard with her cat familiar, Nysa, who was happily leaping through the grass and chasing leaves.

The golden afternoon sunlight cast long shadows over the yard and the breeze rustled fiery leaves in the trees.

She pulled her coat tighter around herself.

It wasn’t cold but it was chilly, and she suspected the winter that would hit Sable Cove in the coming few weeks would be a rough one.

Her boots crunched over the fallen leaves as she caught up to Nysa who was on her back and stretching, the sunlight making her tortoiseshell fur glisten.

Squatting, she rubbed her belly and smiled at the loud purr that stuttered to life.

“Enjoying the sun while you can, kits?” she asked, scratching under her chin.

Nysa stretched luxuriously before rolling to her paws for a second leisurely stretch. Kinsley rose to her feet and looked around. Why couldn’t she shake this restless feeling?

She rubbed the space over her heart and pondered things.

Her best friends and fellow witches Delaney and Hadlee, had both found their truemates recently.

And while she was very happy for them it had left her feeling a little more empty than usual.

She wasn’t lonely. She had her friends and the familiars to take care of, but she was definitely longing for that one special person.

Her truemate.

Delaney had mated and married a vampire named Brody.

They’d rebuilt the adoption center so they had a home that was light-tight and allowed Delaney to be available to help with the animals.

Hadlee had found her truemate in a falcon shifter who lived on an island a short boat ride away.

Hadlee joined them during the special events for their coven, such as the equinoxes and solstices, but otherwise, she’d moved away from the quiet seaside town of Sable Cove.

And Kinsley missed her.

As Nysa ran ahead, Kinsley made her way to the adoption center to prepare for a warlock who was traveling from New Orleans to see if any of the familiars were his.

Unlike a human-run animal adoption agency, familiars chose their masters and couldn’t be forced to help a witch or warlock.

If a witch or warlock didn’t feel a connection to a familiar, they couldn’t adopt them.

And humans were never allowed to adopt familiars, they were strictly for magic users and allowed them to perform at a more powerful level.

Kinsley and Hadlee both had cat familiars, but Delaney had a turtle familiar.

In the adoption center, they had several animals for adoption, including an owl named Galahad and three cats. They’d had a raven familiar who had been adopted a few weeks earlier.

“Hey, girl,” Delaney called when the bell rang as Kinsley and Nysa walked inside.

“Hey, yourself.” Kinsley hung up her coat and found Delaney checking on the animals.

Her petite friend was dressed in what they all called classic witch – long, flowing skirt and embroidered tunic, her long, dark hair in a thick braid and tied with leather and beads.

Delaney’s green eyes danced as she played with one of the cat familiars.

Since Delaney was a day sleeper, Kinsley took care of the animals during the day and then handed the reins over to her friend.

“You okay?” Delaney asked as she dodged the cat’s sharp claws as she leaped through the air after the toy.

“Sure, why?”

“You look stressed. Not sleeping well?”

Kinsley hummed. “I’m sleeping okay, I just feel like something is coming.”

Delaney’s brow rose. “Good or bad?”

“No idea. I also think I’m lonely? So maybe my feelings are all mucked up because of that.”

“Aw, babe.” Delaney tossed the catnip mouse to the cat and then looked at Kinsley. “Maybe you’re feeling like something is coming and it’s because your truemate is on the way.”

“That’s possible.”

“You could try a love spell.”

“Those are notoriously useless.”

“Yeah,” Delaney laughed. “But they’re fun and also it might give you some clarity. It was the one spell that Hadlee could never master. But I remember Mother Gibson saying that she cast a love spell and had a dream that night about her truemate.”

“I didn’t know that.”

Mother Gibson was an eccentric and lovely witch who ran the Magic Emporium in Sable Cove. Her husband, a warlock, had passed away years earlier, but Kinsley had never met him. She filled in as a fourth for their coven whenever they were dealing with large spells that needed a lot of magic.

“Yep,” Delaney said.

“I’ll think about it,” Kinsley said.

The buzzer for the front door sounded and Delaney said, “The warlock is here. I’ll let him in if you want to start bringing the animals out.”

“Sure thing.”

Starting with Galahad, she brought the familiars out into the main room and introduced them to the warlock.

He was a young male with caramel skin and a neatly trimmed beard.

He nodded with a smile, “I’m Emory Grent.

Thank you so much for making time for me to come see your familiars.

I wish there were more places like yours around. ”

“You made quite the trek up here,” Kinsley said as she put the last cat down on the carpeted floor. “We’re definitely unique.”

Delaney nodded. “So we’re going to let you hang out and spend time with them. If one of them is your familiar, you’ll know. There’s never a guess about it, it will feel like a lightning connection between the two of you.”

She and Kinsley stepped behind the counter.

She hoped one of the animals was a familiar for him, although she knew if it was Galahad, that Delaney would be sad.

The owl had been her mom’s familiar, and when her mom passed away, Delaney took him in to care for him.

Someday, he might find a new master, but for now, he was with them and safe, and that’s what mattered.

“Well, hello there, sweetheart,” Emory said as a white cat with pale blue eyes purred loudly and climbed onto his lap. As he put his hands on her to pet her thick fur, a golden glow flared in his eyes and he inhaled sharply. The cat pressed against his chest, her purr vibrating like a motor.

Kinsley smiled broadly and Delaney let out a soft murmur of happiness.

“I felt that,” Emory said as the cat cuddled in his arms. “What’s her name?”

“Sophie,” Delaney said. “She’s been with us for a year. She just showed up one day, filthy and malnourished. We believe her master passed away and she was left to fend for herself. Familiars feel drawn to us because of how many of them are here, so they know it’s safe.”

“I’m so happy she chose you,” Kinsley said. She and Delaney moved from behind the counter and joined him on the carpeting.

“Is that it? Do I need to do anything?” he asked, holding her tight as she purred like a motorcycle in his arms.

“Nope,” Delaney said. “She chose you, and that’s all that’s needed. If you come over to the counter, I’ll give you all her medical paperwork, and we’ll get a carrier and supplies for your trip home.”

Kinsley put the other animals away and then gathered the items they gave every new familiar owner while Delaney got him checked out. They didn’t charge much for the familiars who were adopted, and any money they made went right back into the agency.

“Thank you so much,” he said when he’d tucked Sophie into the carrier, and they’d helped him carry the things out to this car.

“I can’t…I can’t tell you how much I wanted this to work, and I really thought fate was not on my side and I’d go home empty-handed.

I’ve been waiting so long to find my familiar. I can’t believe I finally have her.”

“We’re so happy for you,” Kinsley said. “We’re glad it worked out.”

They spoke to him for a little while longer, then wished him well on his journey.

Kinsley leaned down and looked into the carrier where Sophie was curled up in a contented fluff ball. She lifted her head and looked at Kinsley. “You’ve got a new home and a new master, young lady. Have a wonderful life full of magic and love.”

With a whisper, she cast a protection spell over the familiar and then closed the door.

“Safe travels,” Kinsley said.

“Tell your friends,” Delaney said.

He waved and got into his car. They stood in the parking lot and watched him leave, and then they walked into the small building. “I can’t believe that happened, so cool,” Delaney said.

“I was really hoping he wouldn’t make that trip up here for nothing,” Kinsley said. “I’m glad it worked out. Can you believe how happy Sophie was? I never heard her purr so loudly.”

“I know! So sweet. We’ll miss her, but maybe this means another familiar will be coming our way soon.”

“Speaking of familiars,” Kinsley said as she pulled the front door closed and locked it, “I got an email earlier today from a witch school in North Carolina asking if they could bring their graduating class up here to see if any of the familiars were meant for their students.”

“Oh wow,” Delaney said. “That’s awesome.”

“What’s awesome?” Brody, Delaney’s mate, asked as he strode into the back room and gave her a kiss on the cheek. Now that the sun had set, he could move around without worrying about getting scorched.

Delaney filled him in.

“That’s awesome. Word seems to be getting around about your agency.”

“It’s definitely cool,” Kinsley said. “I told them they could come up any time and that we could also schedule a visit at the Magic Emporium.”

“Mother Gibson would love that,” Delaney said.

Brody looked at his phone. “Venice is ready to clock out for the day so I’m going to run over to the station and check in with him.”

“Hey, be careful out there. Kinsley’s feeling like something is coming.”

“Something good I hope?” he asked.

She shrugged. “I would hope so too, but no clue.”

“I’ll keep my head on a swivel, don’t worry.” Delaney walked him out to say goodbye and Kinsley finished up her tasks so she and Nysa could head home.

To the empty, quiet house.

Maybe Delaney was right and the strange something-is-coming feelings were about her finally finding her truemate.

Wouldn’t that be something?

If fate was finally ready to bring her truemate home.