The Phantoms grabbed onto that, magnifying the fear.
“It never will,” hissed a phantom wearing the robe of a monk. “Powerless forever.”
“Worthless,” whispered one to my left.
I sobbed and pushed myself harder, running past the monsters. Sweat dampened my skin. I had to make it past the Phantoms!
I couldn’t let these miserable, dead jerks take me down.
I focused on the thought, on the will to survive. To win.
I wouldn’t be beaten.
I wouldn’t give up.
If they stopped me, they would win. My worst fears would come true.
I’d lose my new home. Lose my sisters. Lose everything.
My lungs burned as I ran, dodging headstones and the magical grip of the Phantoms. But their magic slowed me, making my legs feel like they weighed a thousand pounds.
A blur of movement near the ground caught my eye.
Three little figures, racing alongside me.
The cats?
They hissed at the Phantoms, deep sounds of venomous rage that made my skin chill.
The Phantoms fell back, just slightly. It was enough that I could pick up speed and push past them.
The iron fence appeared through the mist.
Almost there!
I sprinted for it, leaping over it so fast I stumbled on the other side. The cats slipped through the fence bars, following me as I ran down a street.
I was almost there. Sweat chilled my skin and my lungs burned as I ran. I shot out into the courtyard that marked the finish line. Just in time to see another competitor race toward the last remaining flag and grab it off the post.
My heart dropped.
The three other members of my class already stood within the circle, each gripping a flag in their hand.
There were no more flags left.
I was last.
Shit.
I slowed to a walk, determined not to show my disappointment. Maybe I’d gotten unlucky and my route was harder? Or maybe I sucked at this.
But moping wouldn’t change anything. A stiff upper lip would do wonders, though. The ol’ pick-yourself-up-and-brush-yourself-off was my familiar friend.
“Sorry, man,” Bree murmured from my comms charm.
I looked up, catching sight of her hovering high in the sky. Her silver wings gleamed in the moonlight.
I smiled up at her, then approached the group. My three classmates were all in their late teens and early twenties like me. Jude, the head of the Undercover Protectorate, was a striking woman in her mid-thirties. Her dark skin gleamed in the light of the moon and her blue eyes sparkled with stars in their depths. Long braids stretched down her back.
Jude ran the Paranormal Investigative Team, the unit that Bree had joined when she’d graduated from the Academy. Our other friends were part of that unit as well. It was the most prestigious, and Jude always oversaw the obstacle course. Since I wanted to join my sister in her unit—the PITs as they were laughingly called—I’d usually be glad to talk to Jude.
Now that I’d come in last?
Yeah, not my best moment. Skulking around in the shadows sounded good right about now.
I stiffened my spine and stopped in front of everyone, keeping my eyes off the red flags gripped in their hands. Lavender shot me a victorious look, and I wanted to kick her.
So I wasn’t a good loser. Sue me.
“Well done, everyone,” Jude said, but I swore her eyes gleamed with disappointment when she looked at me. Confusion, at least, since I was supposed to be an all-powerful Dragon God like my sister, but I was decidedly not. “You all did—” Her voice trailed off as her gaze drifted behind me, spotting something.
I turned, seeing the three cats who’d helped me along the way. They sat about fifteen feet behind me. This close, the hairless black one—a sphynx—looked like a beat-up old tom who’d seen a lot in his day. A white spot marked his chest, his whiskers were frazzled, and his green eyes blazed at me. A matching emerald earring pierced his left ear. Magic filled the air around him, an unusual signature of green grass.
“Meow.” You are gazing upon the great Muffin of the Highlands!
I shook my head. Was I hearing him in my head?
Of course you are, you ninny. Do you think magical cats just meow?
A magical cat.
“But…Muffin?” I asked.
What? Muffin is a fine name! He looked toward the white cat and muttered, I really thought she’d be more impressed.
“I am!”
He shot me a look that said he didn’t buy it, then nodded at the white cat. That is Princess Snowflake III.
Next to him, the fluffy white Persian licked blood from her chops. Her fangs were unusually long—perfect for tearing the throats out of demons. The fat diamond hanging around her neck was splattered with blood. She glared at me with an evil eye, belying her pretty face and fur.
At her side, the small orange cat licked his butt. He looked up, cross-eyed and goofy-looking. He wore no jewels, but then, he didn’t seem like the type.
Muffin meowed. And that is Bojangles.
For fate’s sake—Bojangles?
Who the heck were these three?
“Did you pick up some friends?” Jude asked.
I looked away from the cats and met her gaze. “I’m not sure. But I think they must be a local cat gang,” I joked, hiking a thumb at the black sphynx, Muffin. “He’s the leader.”
Muffin gave a deep meow, as if he agreed with me.
“Actually, those are the Cats of Catastrophe,” Angus said, his Edinburgh accent thick. He was the only local member of my class. “They are a local cat gang. They run a racket down by the docks, tricking the fishermen into giving them fish.”
“And stealing,” Jude said. “I’ve never seen the Cats of Catastrophe before, but I’ve heard of them. They run jewel heists on the Royal Mile.”
“Jewels?” That explained how they’d gotten the sparkles, but still….
Actual cat burglars?
I turned back to look at the gang. Muffin had taken up with the butt licking, and the orange one was now bouncing around, chasing a bug. Princess Snowflake III continued to glare at me.
Why had they helped me?
As if she could read my thoughts, Jude said, “They chose you.”
“I don’t know why,” I said. But I was grateful. I wouldn’t have made it past the demons.
“Either way, it can only be a good thing,” she said.
I hoped she was right, because I’d just totally biffed the obstacle course and come in last. That was one more mark against me, setting me even farther back from graduating. Right now, I needed all the good things I could get. And if that was the assistance of a magical cat gang—which sounded ridiculous, frankly—I was going to take it.
2
As we all departed the clearing to head back to the Undercover Protectorate, Bree landed next to me, folding her silvery wings back into her body. Her dark hair shined in the moonlight, and sympathy gleamed in her eyes.
“Don’t worry about me,” I said, staving her off. “I’m fine. I’ll get ‘em next time.”
“Jude said she’d never seen someone do so well against that many demons before.” Bree tapped the golden comms charm around her neck. “She told me.”
“I had my magical cat gang.”
“Without them, she said. Though they did help with the end.” She shook her head. “There were more demons than usual, according to Jude. Someone mistakenly hired too many. It wasn’t fair.”
I smiled at her. “Life isn’t fair.”
We’d been driven from our homes as children, hunted because we were Dragon Gods. Our mother had been killed by those who had stalked us—so I was very familiar with how not fair life was.
“Too true.” Bree smiled and looped her arm through mine. “Come on. Let’s go.”
We followed the group back through the quiet streets of Edinburgh, hanging toward the back. Occasionally, I’d glance back to see if the cats were still following me.
They were.
Weird.