*You already have one of my girls. And there’s nothing I can do about that now, but little Ellie, she’s worth saving. You can’t have her. * The banshee floated higher, her feet leaving the dirt of the circle.
Before the banshee could start screaming again, Jeff pushed into the circle. “If you bring Elizabeth back, we’ll take her home and make sure she leaves Miss Ellie alone.”
Jasmine stared at the demon. How could he make a promise like that? What did he really know about banshees?
*A contract.* Clara drifted over to Jeff. *I want a contract stating that you two personally will take charge of my mistake and make sure she stays away from Ellie. Forever!*
“Forever? We’d be responsible for that brat, forever?” Jasmine sputtered.
Fire leapt from the banshee’s eyes. *Whatever it takes,* an evil grin spread across the banshee’s face. *No, you would wiggle out of a contract. Something better.* She turned piercing eyes on the Fury. *For tormenting my precious little Ellie, I curse you.*
Jeff moaned and clamped his hands over his ears. He didn’t want to hear this curse. A banshee’s curse always came true.
*I curse you,* Clara repeated. *I know that Elizabeth has been too long without a keeper. It’s too late for you to collect her as a soul. My condition to you is to spend time with Elizabeth. You shall be responsible for finding her place and for training her.*
“And if we refuse.” Jasmine lifted her head and glared down her nose at Clara.
*Then you will spend the rest of this millennium in a cat suit. Unable to change your form, you will slip down the Fury rank ladder until the only assignments you will receive will involve cleaning toilets. You will lose anyone and anything that’s important to you and eventually the worst will happen.*
Jeff gasped. Rank was everything to the Furies. What was worse than losing rank?
*And you.* She turned to face the demon. *If you refuse, you will fail at every assignment until you are banished.* The wind whipped up again and the banshee spun in the air. Her robes wrapped around her and the dirt kicked up.
Jeff held his arm up in front of his eyes. Clots of dirt zinged against his arm and face. A flash blinded him and when he was done, all he could see was an after image of his arm. “What happened?” He blinked rapidly trying to clear his sight.
Jasmine recovered first. The wind hand flung her into the blackberries and she’d missed the flash. She’d been too busy extracting the thorns from her fur to pay attention to what was going on in the fake circle. She stepped back into the clearing and saw Jeff staggering around. The banshee was gone and more importantly, so was Miss Ellie.
The Fury walked over to Jeff and bumped against his ankle. Stifling a giggle at the demon’s girly scream, Jasmine bumped his ankle again. “She’s gone.”
Jeff brushed at his tearing eyes. Blinking furiously, he circled the clearing. Yes, Clara is gone, but something is still here. He slowed when he’d circled the clearing two-and-a-half times. Stopping suddenly, he turned to face the Fury. She sat on her haunches on the other side of the clearing staring at the demon. She’s probably thinking I’ve lost my mind. “Something is here.” He took two steps toward the center of the circle before running up against an invisible wall.
“Ouch. Get out of me, you clumsy oaf.”
Jeff blinked in surprise. “Hey, I was right.”
“How often does that happen?” Jasmine asked heading for the demon. She hadn’t taken three steps when the citrine on her collar flared. A yellow vapor issued from the gem, filling the clearing and obscuring the area, looking like a dirty, sickly fog.
It condensed slowly, shrinking back into the gem and taking everything loose with it. Bits of dirt flew through the air and pelted the cat, followed by rocks and tree bark. Jasmine pawed the ruby, giving the citrine the extra magic stored in the collar. She’d never tried to take a soul this strong willed before. Flecks of red swirled in the dirty fog looking like red lightning crashing through yellow clouds.
A scream erupted from the center of the clearing and a form condensed from the fog. The writhing figure shrank, twisting and turning, bending and breaking, sucking in all the magic until the only thing left in the center of the clearing was a small round lump of fur.
Jasmine stepped forward and nosed the thing. She didn’t know what it was and from the look Jeff was giving her, he didn’t know what it was either. She leaned over the furry lump and a crackle filled the air around her. Her nose touched the lump and jagged lightning sprang from the lump and sank back into her ruby. Jasmine’s fur stood on end and she glared at Jeff’s laughter.
“You look like one of those puff balls that ladies use to powder their noses.” Jeff gasped.
“I do not,” squeaked a voice at their feet.
Jasmine and Jeff looked down. Staring up at them from a mask of black fur was a pair of bright blue eyes with a ring of purple around the iris. “Oh no,” gasped Jasmine. “No. no. no.”
Jeff reached down and scooped the little black kitten into his hands. “She’s a Fury?”
“What gave it away?”
“Sarcasm isn’t going to help.”
Jasmine sighed. She wasn’t going to escape unscathed after all. A new Fury had been born tonight and Jasmine had a funny feeling she was going to be held responsible. She’d started to face Jeff, intending to ask what the next step should be, when a voice boomed in her head and her world tilted.
Fury Girl, you have some explaining to do.
* * *
The black marble tiled floor made her legs ache but Jasmine didn’t dare move. She kept her eyes fixed on the tile just passed her knees and didn’t raise her gaze one millimeter. She wondered what had happened to Jeff, but pushed those thoughts out. With Daddy Dearest furious, she didn’t have extra room in her mind to worry about anyone else.
Daddy Dearest wasn’t just furious. He was purple with rage. He paced just beyond her line of sight; fire ringing every step and shinning on the black marble. Jasmine knew when his pacing came near her from the glow on the floor. She’d expected ranting and raving from him, but the silence was worse.
Discreetly, she slid her hands forward on the tile until they lined up with her knees. Her fingers barely touched her knees when Daddy Dearest whirled and stomped across the floor. His fingers closed on the back of her neck and he yanked her up.
“Jasmine,” the quiet voice wrapped fingers around her and started squeezing. “Leaving without permission was bad enough but interfering with another’s assignment is the breaking point. I can tolerate you bending the rules, but getting caught means I have to punish you. What kind of punishment does that deserve?” He shoved her back to her knees and resumed pacing. “I can’t send you to the pit. You’d probably cause a riot just by making yourself comfortable. I won’t banish you. You did manage to get the assignment done and saved me the problem of punishing a useless demon. Plus you discovered a new Fury. However, you did leave without my permission. I can’t let that go. What should I do with you?” He stopped pacing and an evil glint appeared in his eyes, matching the smirk crossing his face. “I’m going to put you in charge of the new Fury. May you have as much fun as your mentor did with you. And while she is your responsibility, until she can change at will, you shall wear the same costume.”
Jasmine shriek when she realized what that meant. “No, please. I just got my hands back.”
Daddy Dearest’s grin grew as he snapped his fingers and Jasmine’s world tilted again. She screamed when the world went black and pain caused her limbs to spasm. She curled into a fetal position hoping to ease the pain.
* * *
Water dripped on her whiskers and dribbled across her nose. Jasmine sputtered and blinked her eyes opened. Sharp teeth and a light pink tongue greeted her. In a panic and not wanting to be covered in some unknown demon’s saliva, Jasmine pushed against the floor trying to get to her feet but a wave of pain and weakness sent her paws sliding out from under her. Slowly she opened her eyes
and blinked at the apparition standing over her. Bright blue eyes with a deep purple ring around the iris blinked back at her. Jasmine groaned as her memory slammed into her. Right, Elizabeth. And Daddy Dearest’s punishment. She was a cat and it looked like she would be for some time to come. Idly wanting to know where she was, Jasmine looked around. Her bed, less than a foot away, told her all she needed to know. She was on the floor of her room and the mess in the middle of the bed indicated that her guest had been there waiting, for a while.
“So, you’re my new mommy? I want a recount.” The whinny voice grated on Jasmine’s last nerve. She hadn’t had much contact with the girl during the assignment, but she suspected that she’d be spending a lot of time with the brat now.
“Me too,” Jasmine mumbled. Grateful that Jeff’s assignment was over she crawled to her bed and flopped at the foot. She didn’t know why she was so exhausted and she didn’t have the energy to care. She clawed at the blanket, pulling until her pillow fell on the floor. She dragged her weary tail over to it and curled up in the center.
“I’m bored. I wanna go do something.”
“Go play with your new daddy, then.” Jasmine mumbled into her pillow.
“Daddy? You mean?”
“Yes, Jefftik. Go bug him. He deserves it.” Jasmine felt Elizabeth’s smile against her back. It felt like she’d been outside too long and been burnt. The door closed on the kitten’s tail and Jasmine was left in peace. Mumbling about stupid Furies that can’t keep their noses out of other demon’s business, she started to drift.
A noise at the door disturbed her enough that she opened her eyes. Jeff stood there cradling the little kitten. “You’re going to spoil her and then what are you going to do?”
“I’m going to give her back to you, of course.” Jeff crossed the room and set Elizabeth down on the floor before scooping up Jasmine, pillow and all, and placing her on the bed. “I just stopped by to say tha…”
“Don’t you dare. If use that word down here, you’ll have your mouth washed out with soap. What’s wrong with you?” the fire in Jasmine’s eyes flickered and she slumped again. “Oh, I’m too tired. I’ll promise not to help you out again if you promise not to get into that much trouble again. Deal?”
“It’s a deal. But you know what they say, don’t you?” drawled Jeff. The bed creaked as he stood. He scooped up Elizabeth and headed for the door.
Jasmine glared at Jeff, too tired to do anything else. Closing her eyes, she rolled off the pillow and flopped against her bedspread. Holding her breath, she waited for whatever pun or bad advice Jeff intended to saddle her with.
Jeff stepped through the door and started to close it, but not before uttering his pearls of wisdom, “No good deed goes unpunished, Fury Girl.”
Jasmine snarled silently and used the last of her magic to jerk the door out of Jeff’s hand and slam it shut in his face. Her energy expended, she flopped back against her pillow and let the darkness claim her. Good deed indeed, she snorted as darkness claimed her again.
The End
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