Vivian poured her freshly distilled rose oil into small amber bottles, the strong fragrance filling the air of her shop. She heard the doorbell tingle and hurried to the front.

There, in her shop, stood the bear from earlier that day. He was eyeing her delicate bottles and touching things with his big, clumsy hands.

“Can I help you?” she asked irritably, raising an eyebrow.

His eyes lifted to hers, and he frowned. “You.”

“Yes, me. I have a name, and it’s Vivian McNealy. What can I help you with?”

He scratched the back of his neck and looked sideways. “Laurence Aklark,” he grunted, introducing himself. “I need something for my cat. She’s been sick. I’m not sure what it is, and neither does the vet.”

“Oh, what are the symptoms?”

“Vomiting, hair falling out, fatigue.”

“I see.” Vivian never would have taken the big bear shifter for a cat person.

“She stays at home while I’m at sea. Maybe she’s just lonely.” He looked at the floor, regret in his eyes.

“I can help your cat. It doesn’t sound that serious. I can heal almost anything with animals, except maybe old age. How old is she?”

“Two.”

“Then I can help… If you take me out to Sea Cliff Island.”

He bared his teeth, growling low in his throat. She blinked wildly, trying to hold back the growing panic in her belly. This animal could shift at any moment and tear her head off.

“Fine. Deal.”

“Really?” she squeaked. 

“Come over after work, heal the cat, and I’ll take you out first thing in the morning.”

He gave her his address and left the shop, taking the breathable air along with him. Vivian bit her lip. The idea of being alone with a shifter was almost as frightening as Harold staking his claim with his binding spell. Almost.

After she closed the shop, she got in her Volkswagen Beetle and drove out to Laurence’s address. It was out of town and up a winding road that turned to dirt. She finally parked in front of a rustic cabin that overlooked a secluded beach, surrounded by dense forest.

She got out of her car and walked up to the front door. It opened before she had a chance to knock. Shifters and their super senses, she thought. She rolled her eyes involuntarily.

“Where is the cat?”

“This way.”

She followed him through his dark little cave, furnished with hand-hewn wood furniture. A stone fireplace dominated the front room. He led her into the back bedroom where a slim gray cat lay over a patchwork quilt, looking damp and ill.

Vivian frowned. The cat was worse off than she’d thought. No matter. She could heal almost anything with animals. Humans were a bit trickier and needed far more work. She rubbed her hands together, walked toward the cat, and sat down on the bed.

“What are you going to do?” Laurence asked behind her.

“Heal the cat,” she said, looking up at him like he was an idiot.

“I know, but how?”

“The way healing magic works is I pull energy from the universe around us and direct that energy into the cat. It is painless and harmless. It works for me 99% of the time with animals.”

“If you’re such a good healer, why do you run a soap shop?”

She held her hands in the air over the creature, stopping to give its owner a sideways look. She rolled her eyes and dropped her hands.

“I put the energy in everything I create. It’s a way for me to sell my products and help people without advertising I’m a witch to the world.”

He scratched his head and nodded. “I guess that makes sense.”

Duh… She turned her attention back to the cat and rubbed her hands again. Drawing the energy from the earth and air, she slowly lowered her hands onto the sleeping cat.

Her eyelids fluttered closed, and she breathed the healing energy into her body. She felt it coursing through her, coming up from the chakras on the bottoms of her feet and down through the top of her head, gathering inside her body, twisting, gaining momentum, as it shot from her palms.

She pushed harder, drawing more energy, until she could feel it flowing freely and filling the cat with light. Her eyelids batted as she breathed deeply, keeping the energy moving and circulating. She could feel it filling the cat and overflowing inside its sick body.

Suddenly, the cat twitched under her hands. She opened her eyes to see it looking around, its eyes clear. It meowed and sat up while Vivian still directed the energy into the creature.

The cat stretched and began to lick itself. Then, it stood and jumped off the bed, looking healthy and glowing with radiant life. Vivian capped off the energy and patted her hands together, closing the field.

She beamed triumphantly at Laurence. He looked dumbstruck, making Vivian giggle.

“You actually did it. I didn’t believe it was possible.”

“I told you I could,” she said, feeling insulted.

“Well, you never can trust a witch.”

“Whatever,” she said, standing from the bed and flicking her hand in the air.

“Be ready at five a.m. Meet me down at the docks, and we’ll go out to Sea Cliff Island. It’s an all-day journey, so bring food and a warm coat.”

“I’ll be there.” Vivian began walking through the house. She noticed the cat eating from its bowl. When she reached the door, Laurence said, “Hey, thanks for healing my cat. She means a lot to me.”

“No problem. Glad I could help.” She gave him a slight smile and went outside. She liked using her gift. It gave her life meaning. But it was one of the main reasons Harold wanted her back. He wanted to use her skills in his dark arts. Mixing healing energy with blood magic made it twice as potent.

The idea of Harold ever using her healing again sent a shiver of repulsion down her spine, sinking in her belly like a cold, heavy stone.