has some say in this too and I just started thinking…” he trailed off. He’d thought some things that weren’t worth thinking, frankly.
Serenus grinned; the man knew him entirely too well. “You started thinking what it would be like if the situation was reversed, and she could read your mind while you couldn’t read hers.”
Sam cursed inwardly as he felt the blood rush to his face. That was one among many unworthy thoughts he’d entertained last night.
“You know, the traditional gift for a familiar is an enchanted gemstone ring. Why didn’t you go with that?”
Sam felt his color deepen. “I thought I might give her the wrong idea if she came into the shop and I tried to put a ring on her finger.”
Serenus leaned forward, an impish smile on his face that was slightly disturbing in a man his age. “You realize there’s no recipe for that, right? There’s no spell on the books to protect Cassie’s mind from you because no one ever gives their familiar that liberty. You’ll have to create an original spell.”
Sam nodded. “That’s why I’m here. I was hoping you could help me do it.”
Serenus stood up, brushing imaginary dust off his pants. He might just have OCD after all. “I can’t, but I know someone who can.”
CHAPTER NINE
Serenus motioned Sam over to a table in the corner of the apartment that held a small laptop. With a few clicks of the mouse, he seemed to find what he was looking for. “Good, she’s online,” he muttered.
With a few more clicks, he had launched some sort of video chat. At first Sam only saw his reflection on the screen, but after a few minutes, an elderly woman appeared before them.
“Good evening, Dr. Zeitbloom,” she said with a slight trace of an accent Sam didn’t immediately recognize. “I hope you don’t mind if I continue my knitting while we talk.” She was indeed knitting, barely looking up from a huge mass of blue and green yarn in front of her. Sam glanced at the screen over Serenus’ shoulder, amused; if she was knitting a cap for one of her grandchildren, that baby would have to be the size of a small ox.
Of course, for the old lady Serenus was all old-fashioned, gentlemanly charm. “Good evening Georgette, and I’m sorry to call this late, but I’m afraid I have need of your expertise in spellcraft. This is Sam Andrews, do you remember him?”
Georgette looked up from her knitting to appraise Sam, her blue eyes still remarkably piercing despite her age. It was a bit of a strange sensation to have a 95-year-old woman undress you with her gaze. “I wouldn’t mind having him come over to mow my lawn, but no, I don’t believe we’ve met.”
“You haven’t met, but he’s Helen son, remember? I told you about—“
“Oh yes, Helen, the one that got away,” said Georgette, fixing her laser eyes on Serenus. “The one you told me seduced the devil, only he left her because he was afraid?”
Serenus kept smiling, but he shot Sam a nervous glance. “Oh come now, I don’t believe I ever said that.”
“Believe what you like, I remember,” said Georgette. She turned her attention back to her knitting, which almost, but not quite, hid a smile of smug satisfaction.
Serenus stifled a sigh, then turned to Sam. “Sam, this is Georgette, the most accomplished witch in all of Florida. Georgette, this is Sam, son of Helen and the demon Sammael. Now, what we need—“
“Son of Sammael?” said Georgette, putting down her knitting for the first time. “Oh, I remember now. This is the one whose blood runs so thick with the very foulest of black magics that it’s a wonder that he still keeps a human shape?”
Serenus coughed. “And I know I never said that .” He put his hand over the computer’s microphone and turned to Sam. “She’s getting on in years Sam, you know how the memory can get at that age. These comments are pure fancy.”
“I don’t know Ser, she seems pretty sharp to me .“
“Moving on,” said Serenus,
Serenus grinned; the man knew him entirely too well. “You started thinking what it would be like if the situation was reversed, and she could read your mind while you couldn’t read hers.”
Sam cursed inwardly as he felt the blood rush to his face. That was one among many unworthy thoughts he’d entertained last night.
“You know, the traditional gift for a familiar is an enchanted gemstone ring. Why didn’t you go with that?”
Sam felt his color deepen. “I thought I might give her the wrong idea if she came into the shop and I tried to put a ring on her finger.”
Serenus leaned forward, an impish smile on his face that was slightly disturbing in a man his age. “You realize there’s no recipe for that, right? There’s no spell on the books to protect Cassie’s mind from you because no one ever gives their familiar that liberty. You’ll have to create an original spell.”
Sam nodded. “That’s why I’m here. I was hoping you could help me do it.”
Serenus stood up, brushing imaginary dust off his pants. He might just have OCD after all. “I can’t, but I know someone who can.”
CHAPTER NINE
Serenus motioned Sam over to a table in the corner of the apartment that held a small laptop. With a few clicks of the mouse, he seemed to find what he was looking for. “Good, she’s online,” he muttered.
With a few more clicks, he had launched some sort of video chat. At first Sam only saw his reflection on the screen, but after a few minutes, an elderly woman appeared before them.
“Good evening, Dr. Zeitbloom,” she said with a slight trace of an accent Sam didn’t immediately recognize. “I hope you don’t mind if I continue my knitting while we talk.” She was indeed knitting, barely looking up from a huge mass of blue and green yarn in front of her. Sam glanced at the screen over Serenus’ shoulder, amused; if she was knitting a cap for one of her grandchildren, that baby would have to be the size of a small ox.
Of course, for the old lady Serenus was all old-fashioned, gentlemanly charm. “Good evening Georgette, and I’m sorry to call this late, but I’m afraid I have need of your expertise in spellcraft. This is Sam Andrews, do you remember him?”
Georgette looked up from her knitting to appraise Sam, her blue eyes still remarkably piercing despite her age. It was a bit of a strange sensation to have a 95-year-old woman undress you with her gaze. “I wouldn’t mind having him come over to mow my lawn, but no, I don’t believe we’ve met.”
“You haven’t met, but he’s Helen son, remember? I told you about—“
“Oh yes, Helen, the one that got away,” said Georgette, fixing her laser eyes on Serenus. “The one you told me seduced the devil, only he left her because he was afraid?”
Serenus kept smiling, but he shot Sam a nervous glance. “Oh come now, I don’t believe I ever said that.”
“Believe what you like, I remember,” said Georgette. She turned her attention back to her knitting, which almost, but not quite, hid a smile of smug satisfaction.
Serenus stifled a sigh, then turned to Sam. “Sam, this is Georgette, the most accomplished witch in all of Florida. Georgette, this is Sam, son of Helen and the demon Sammael. Now, what we need—“
“Son of Sammael?” said Georgette, putting down her knitting for the first time. “Oh, I remember now. This is the one whose blood runs so thick with the very foulest of black magics that it’s a wonder that he still keeps a human shape?”
Serenus coughed. “And I know I never said that .” He put his hand over the computer’s microphone and turned to Sam. “She’s getting on in years Sam, you know how the memory can get at that age. These comments are pure fancy.”
“I don’t know Ser, she seems pretty sharp to me .“
“Moving on,” said Serenus,
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