Chapter 24

Emma

After eating the most luxurious breakfast I’ve ever had, Reed and I drive out of the city.

His contact, who sells familiars, lives in the forest. According to Reed, she is an old witch with the ability to open portals between worlds. That’s how she finds creatures that normally don’t exist in our world.

“Are you nervous?” Reed asks me as he makes a right turn. The road is surrounded by trees.

“A little…” I admit, and when he glances at me, I realize he expects a longer answer. A sigh leaves my lips. “Will the familiar even be happy to serve? I don’t want to buy a familiar and wind up having a familiar that sees itself as a slave.”

“Angora only sells creatures that exist to serve,” Reed assures me with his eyes on the road. “She finds those who have been thrown away by the family they used to serve, but sometimes, in rare cases, she takes in baby creatures that will make excellent pets.”

“Pets?”

“Magical cats or pigs,” he shoots me a smile. “But you want a mighty creature that can