SOUND'S FAMILIAR (TERRA NOCTEM, #1)

Carol Voss yawned widely, startling the gecko that had been sitting on the arm of the sofa and sunning itself in the light from the nearby

window. Stacey hiss-screamed, the noise geckos made when they were threatened.

Carol snorted at the tiny lizard. It was just instinct on her friend’s part. Stacey understood she was safe around Carol, even when they were both shifted, as they were now. Carol didn’t eat sentient beings.

Carol huffed an apology and nuzzled Stacey. Stacey promptly climbed onto Carol’s snout, making Carol cross-eyed as she tried to keep her gaze on the gecko. Stacey wouldn’t fall off, but Carol didn’t want to accidentally hurt her friend.

Carol glanced slowly around the room, making Stacey stumble a bit before the lizard lay down, sprawled over Carol’s nose, her little limbs dangling on either side and her head over the tip of Carol’s nose. She’d

have to be careful to warn Stacey before she sneezed. The last time that happened, Stacey wound up with a broken arm when she hit the wall.

She hadn’t spoken to Carol for a week. Carol wound up making chocolate-covered strawberries to appease her. She’d thought about making chocolate covered crickets but…

Ewewewewew. She shuddered, almost dislodging Stacey. Just the thought of touching bugs made her want to hurl. She loved Stacey like a sister, but dear God it would take something more than not talking to get Carol to ruin perfectly good chocolate that way.

Chasing off thoughts of chirping chocolate, Carol glanced around again. The room was filled with a mix of human and animals, all of them

familiars. The San Fernando Valley Familiar House was about to hold its monthly Saturday meet and greet, and she was eager to catch a glimpse of those who showed up. Sometimes they got some pretty famous people roaming through, looking for a partner their magic could work with.

Carol had never matched with a sorcerer before. They all passed her by with a cursory glance at best. She was twenty-three and still hadn’t broken her magical cherry.

Some of the other familiars teased her about that, but Carol did her best to let it slide. Matching with a sorcerer could be difficult as a large predator. Most wanted something small and portable, like Stacey, whom they could carry in their pocket or on their shoulder. Ravens, owls, cats, and even rats were far more popular than wolves and the larger familiars. She had a theory about that, having to do with the shifter community.

Sometimes larger shifters turned feral, running amok and causing a lot of damage to people and property. But Carol wasn’t a shifter.

She was a familiar, and that made all the difference in the world to

anyone who understood exactly what that meant. No matter what happened, going feral wasn’t possible when you were as closely bonded with your animal as familiars were.

One of her friends, Brent, was a freakin’ polar bear. He’d only matched once, to a sorcerer on an arctic expedition. After the year and a day contract was up, the sorcerer had returned with Brent in tow, saying he didn’t need the polar bear any longer as he was done with his expedition.

Carol had wanted to claw the man’s eyes out. Brent had been heartbroken, but while the familiar picked the sorcerer, the sorcerer didn’t

have to keep the familiar, no matter how well their magic might mesh. Both had to be on the same page before a long-term bond could form.

“Okay, everyone, listen up!”

Carol turned her head toward the doorway, her thoughts interrupted by the overly happy female voice. She needed to pay attention to the woman who was in charge of today’s meet and greet. Carol couldn’t remember her name. She was new, and so chipper she made Carol wince.

The woman smiled and practically bounced in place. It was way too early in the morning for that level of perkiness. “We have some pretty important people lined up to visit today, so be on your best behavior.” The woman frowned at Carol—who’d chosen to spend the day in her wolf form

—the tiger, and Brent, who’d also shifted into his bear. “No peeing on or eating the sorcerers.”

Carol rolled her eyes. She’d only done that once, and that was

because the guy was bullying Stacey, trying to force her into his pocket. But no, pee on someone’s shoes once, and you never got to live it down.

Only for Stacey and her other friends would she be willing to put herself out there like that. She needed to be careful though. She’d finally graduated from the police academy and was preparing to work for the LAPD. She prayed she’d eventually go to the MCU—the Magical Crimes Unit, a special police unit that dealt with magical crimes of all types—

maybe even as the partner of one of their officers.

It would be a dream come true, but right now she needed to listen, or Perky Patty was going to rap her nose with those rolled-up papers she was holding.

“Some of the attending sorcerers you may recognize from the

newspapers so, please, don’t fawn all over them. You’ll know if they’re meant to be your sorcerer, so don’t be shy.”

Carol tilted her head. Don’t get close, but don’t be shy? The woman really needed a better speechwriter. Dear gods, where had they found her? A children’s camp? Barney & Friends? Carol was seriously beginning to

rethink that no peeing rule. A little piddle on the carpet might de-chipper Skipper.

The woman clapped her hands loudly enough to startle the sleeping polar bear, which was never a wise move. “All right, people. Let’s get those doors open, and good luck!” She bounced off, jumping at the growl coming from Brent. He was cozied up to the small air conditioner set up just for him. It might be forty degrees out, but when Brent was in his polar form, it was practically tropical weather.

Carol suppressed another yawn. A nap sounded rather nice, but the chatter of voices rising as the doors to the House were opened kept her from nodding off. She stared at the now-opened double doors to find a mix of old and young, male and female, and every race coming into the room.

Some of the faces made her gasp as quietly as she could, not wanting to bring attention to herself. There was a freaking movie star in the room, one she’d thought was paired up. They must have broken their contract if he was on the hunt again. Next to him was a model who used

magic to keep her appearance young and wrinkle-free. She’d probably try to match up with one of the smaller familiars. From the pictures Carol had observed, she preferred pocketbook-sized dogs.

Unfortunately, not one of them made her anima tingle like she’d heard it was supposed to when a sorcerer who might be a match came near her.

Anima had to match to animus and vice versa. Both familiars and mages could sense their opposite in each other, something that drew them together, an indescribable attraction that bound them together. Only time would determine if there was a true match or not. Most were temporary matches, some aspect of personality forcing the pairing apart. And she’d never heard of animus being bound to animus, not even in fantasy stories.

She even thought that an animus mage would be turned off by an animus familiar, at least magically.

She sighed and closed her eyes, laying her head on her paws. There was no one here for her, not one who would make her theirs.

Oh well. The thought of following some movie star around sounded boring as hell. They had to stay close for a bit for their magic to mesh, and Carol had dreams she wanted to pursue. Her perfect match would be—

Stacey hopped off Carol’s snout, startling her. Carol opened her eyes to find someone holding Stacey with a glowing smile. “You must be mine.”

Carol doggie grinned, aware she gave the impression of being a silly pup, but she couldn’t help it. The man holding Stacey was cute, a tall, thin man with blond hair and shining blue eyes. He radiated kindness. From the way Stacey was practically dancing in his hand she bet Stacey had found a sorcerer she could potentially bond with long-term.

Across the room, a woman squealed, picking up one of the cat familiars. She was a plump, plain woman with nice eyes and a wide, beautiful smile. Trevor was a sweet guy who hadn’t managed to find a long- term bond. Maybe this woman would be the one for him. Carol could only hope so.

The woman petted Trevor, causing the cat familiar to begin purring. “I think we could bond!”

The cat squirmed free, causing the woman to slump. Carol watched, already aware of what the tabby cat would do. Trevor wasn’t the type to

judge people based on looks alone. Besides, she could hear his purrs. He was definitely into the female.

Trevor’s kitty form shivered, changing into a tall, stunning blond man who took hold of the woman’s hand. “Your aura is good. I think we can work together.”

Thank goodness clothing reappeared when a familiar changed shape or the whole room would be getting an eyeful of Trevor’s Willie Wonka and his Everlasting Gobstoppers.

Carol chuffed a laugh before putting her head back down. All around the room, she observed both matches and refusals as familiars found sorcerers and vice versa. Not one sorcerer approached either her, the tiger, or Brent, who was back to snoring lightly in front of his air conditioner. She closed her eyes, prepared to nap once more through the matching process.

“Hmm.”

Carol shivered at the deep, masculine voice. There was a slight rasp to it, as if he’d recently gotten over a cold.

“Oh, Mr. Sound, welcome to Familiar House!” Perky Patty was practically gushing all over the…guy who…

Mmm, what was that scent?

Carol opened her eyes. Holy.

Fuck.

Jonah Sound, younger son of one of the richest men in L.A., had walked into her Familiar House, and he was even more attractive in person than he was on the Internet.

She kept her gaze on the dark-haired sorcerer as he wandered the room. His eyes drifted from one familiar to another, but he never stopped

his slow stroll, not even when Perky Patty tried to take his arm and lead him toward the smaller feline familiars.

When he stopped in front of Brent and smiled, Carol thought that maybe her friend had found a sorcerer, but Mr. Sound moved on, shaking his head when Skipper tried to steer him to where the three current owl

residents were perched in the rafters.

He stopped in front of the tiger, who stared at him with bored golden eyes. The tiger stood, stretched, and turned his back on Mr. Sound.

Ouch. That had to hurt the man’s pride.

If it did, Mr. Sound didn’t show it. He merely chuckled again, sending another shiver down Carol’s spine. What the hell was going on?

And why was her anima beginning to hum the closer Jonah Sound got to her?

Jonah Sound’s gorgeous hazel eyes landed on her. They widened slightly before he smiled. “Well. Hello there, Ms. Wolf.”

Carol lifted her head and studied him. Now that he was standing in front of her, she realized he had an absolutely decadent scent. It reminded her of the time she’d walked past a Starbucks that had been placed next to a chocolate shop. She’d practically puddled into a ball of furry goo right then and there, but Stacey had dragged her away before she could make a fool of herself. Well, any more than she already had.

This man smelled just like that, and Carol was having a hard time not licking him to find out if he tasted as good as he smelled.

“What’s your name?” Mr. Sound was staring at her, his smile widening when Carol opened her mouth to answer. For a second, she’d forgotten she was still in wolf form and therefore couldn’t speak.

“Her name is Carol Voss,” Skipper replied, appearing a little confused. Apparently, she’d expected someone as rich and powerful as Mr. Sound to pick a more socially suitable familiar. Predators didn’t stroll down Rodeo Drive or ride in limos, at least in Perky Patty’s mind.

Carol stood and stretched, making sure her nose was as close to Jonah Sound as she could get without getting smacked for crotch-sniffing.

Hmph. You do something once…

Mr. Sound laughed. “I think she might be the one.”

Carol gave him her best toothy grin. She agreed wholeheartedly. She’d never experienced such…longing for another person. Her wolf and her anima were both purring in anticipation of leaving with this man.

Carol was surprised when he sighed happily. “Oh, yes. I think she might do nicely.”

“Sir, are you sure?” Skipper glanced between them, apparently dumbfounded.

“If she is, then yes.” Mr. Sound turned his gaze back to Skipper.

Carol wasn’t sure she liked that, his gaze on another woman, but she had no ground to stand on. At best, it was shaky. They hadn’t even spoken yet, let alone begun a true familiar-sorcerer bond. But if what she was sensing was any indication, she and Jonah Sound were about to start one hell of a partnership. She nodded fiercely, giving the go-ahead.

Mr. Sound placed his hand on her head, scratching just behind her ear. It felt so good her eyes crossed. “Start the paperwork.”

Carol nearly did a happy dance right there on the ugly floral couch. She had a sorcerer! And not just any sorcerer, but a fucking hot, powerful one. Best of all, Jonah wasn’t a man who lived off his family’s money. He was a member of the MCU, which made him a badass hottie working in the same field Carol had gotten her degree in. He was absolutely perfect for her. She couldn’t have dreamt of a better partner. She did a mental fist-pump and hopped off the sofa, her tail wagging a mile a minute. She couldn’t

wipe the goofy, toothy grin off her face if she tried.

Score one for the wolf!