Gem
Sivad Stops in with some fresh CAT NIP!
Part of the excitement of
being an author is finding the opportunity to live out my fantasies on paper.
Of all the abilities I don’t have but wish I did, the gift of healing is at the
top of the list.
Stories about healers who
can lay hands on people and cure their ill health have always fascinated me.
Imagine the satisfaction in being able to cure with your touch. From that
fascination, I’ve been able to create several fictional “healers” in my stories
and have thoroughly enjoyed the endless possibilities.
Cat Nip, the first
book in my Jinx series features Maggie Jenks, a magically challenged witch who
can’t cast a spell to save her life, but she can heal others with her
touch. ~ gem
They call her
Jinx, an unlucky witch with a reputation for casting erratic spells. But
there’s more to Maggie than meets the eye. She’s a vessel of unfulfilled
potential and she’s doing her best to sidestep evil as she uses her gifts for
good.
But avoiding temptation
gets trickier when a shape-changing predator watches her days, stalks her
nights, and takes over her dreams.
The following excerpt is © 2014 Gem Sivad
Ahhhh yes… I pushed off from the side and swam to the
center of the basin, where I tread with slow strokes barely causing a ripple. I
turned in a circle, searching the area with my gaze as I tried to find what
caused the tingle of unease in my belly. Assured that nothing lurked in the
shadows, I gave myself up to the pleasure of sun, sky and water caressing my
skin.
In spite of the sheriff’s
earlier unpleasant visit, I didn’t want to leave this place. It was as close to
home as I’d had. Refusing to give into anxiety, I discarded the idea of
creeping away in the night.
I frowned, thinking of
the jaguar I’d inadvertently changed into a man. I didn’t know what to do about
that. Even if I could find him again, my spells were so poorly wrought, he
might end up a toadstool the next time. Tired of my bleak thoughts, I closed my
eyes and floated in the liquid heat.
Kee-eeeee-arr, kee-eeeee-arr… The sound pulled me back to awareness and I
squinted at the chicken hawk gliding above. When it flapped its wings, even
from this distance I could see the unbalance of its arc. Disinterested in
healing another predator, especially one that might find my hens to its taste,
I sucked in my breath and plunged beneath the water’s surface.
Moments later I reemerged
to discover I wasn’t alone. I wouldn’t have to find the big cat I’d had my
previous unfortunate encounter with. He’d found me. The sound of his purring
reached me where I gawked at him from the middle of the pool.
He stared back from where
he lay sunning himself on the rock next to my clothes. I didn’t know how long I
could tread water or if the big cat could swim.
I either have to magic
him away somehow or make myself invisible. I’d successfully used a see-me-not
spell the night before. I felt certain I could do it again. Well almost
certain. Since I’d dumped excess power on the saguaro cactus earlier, I might
not have enough magic to sputter a flame to life let alone cast a spell.
I tread water analyzing
the possibilities until my arms and legs felt like lead weights. I had to do
something or I’d soon sink like a stone.
How smart is a jaguar? If
I worked the spell right I’d be invisible but it wouldn’t keep drops of water
from splashing on the ground when I walked past him to get to the cabin.
He doesn’t look fierce or
hungry. Actually, if cats wore happy faces, it seemed to me he was smiling.
The problem with a see-me-not spell is simple. I can always see me and I have
to judge the success of my incantation by the reaction of those I’m hiding from.
Before I could change my mind, I whispered the words and lifted one hand,
drawing symbols in the air with water wrinkled fingers.
Then I sank beneath the
surface and swam underwater to the stone steps leading out of the basin. I had
carried my new dress with me to the pool and left it with my other clothes,
intending to try it on once I felt fresh and clean.
It was on the rock where
the jaguar rested. I knew it was foolish, but I wanted my gift. I didn’t get
many and I was determined to keep the one I’d just received.
Everything was going
well. I crept up the steps, being careful to move silently. The jaguar tilted
his head studying the water; it was obvious I’d fooled him. He thought I
remained in the pool.
All I needed to do was
touch the blue dress and it would become invisible too. I could carry it with
me to the cabin and the cat would never miss it.
I moved on all fours,
crawling low to reach the side of the rock where my clothes rested.
And then he turned his
head, looked down at me, and covered the blue dress with a big paw.
BUY LINKS
WHERE TO FIND ME
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