Splintercat: Splintered Magic, #0.5

By Jilleen Dolbeare

When the going gets rough, the tough send in their cat...

Brigid Donovan is going through a nasty divorce. The idea to buy and restore her family's old mansion won't leave her alone. A visit to the property shows more damage than she'd been braced for, yet despite all the cracks and decay ... the house calls to her.

On a crazy whim, she signs on the dotted line, following her destiny down a path which will change her broken life forever.
Only, the broken-down mansion comes with a 25-pound Ragdoll cat—a cat she's sure she's met before as a kid, but that's impossible, isn't it?

Brigid is going to find that there's more to the cat, and herself, then meets the eye. Which is good because when a magical foe with a grudge comes calling, Brigid is going to need all the help she can get...

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jilleen Dolbeare
• Release date: Jun 15, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223185611

Book preview

Splintercat: A Paranormal Women’s Fiction Urban Fantasy

Chapter 1

I bounced along the rutted drive, going as slow as possible, my nerves jangling. This was a bad idea. Of course, it was a bad idea! Who was I kidding? I tried to take a calming sip of coffee, but it splashed out of the little hole at top and splattered on my favorite blouse. The universe was trying to speak to me. To warn me away.

I clenched my teeth. The universe could go screw itself—where was the universe when I married Evan? There should have been a thunderstorm on our wedding day, or an earthquake, or some other suitable portent to warn me about the cataclysmic mistake I was about to make.

I put the coffee back in the cupholder. I didn’t want to drink the lukewarm crap, anyway. Maybe this was a bad idea. Did I really want to take this step? Move out of my comfort zone? Like, really far out of it? Evan had said he’d take me back if I dropped my demands. For the millionth time, my resolution wavered. Evan was all I knew; he was the easy choice. But every fiber of my stubborn being knew he wasn’t the right choice.

Thinking of Evan was a habit, a bad one I needed to break. I couldn’t go back to him, couldn’t trust him. Besides, I’d be the homewrecker now. He’d gotten the skank pregnant. She’d carried the baby I never could. Don’t be bitter, Brigid, don’t be bitter. She wasn’t even pretty. She had youth on her side while mine was fleeing me like a rat from a sinking ship.

The house loomed out of the misty rain, and my breath caught. Grey, decrepit, and depressing. But something in me sang. Oh, the potential! If I squinted, I could see what this place could be. For the first time in I-don’t-know-how-long, hope and excitement buzzed in my chest. This could be the start of something special, something amazing, just for me. Screw Evan. Don’t think about Evan, dammit!

Brush blocked the driveway as it curved around to the back of the house. I would need to hire someone to clear that out so the workers could get in to restore this beast. If it was even possible. The house looked ready to collapse, but even so, the old building spoke to me.

I parked next to the realtor’s jaunty red hybrid and stepped out. The misty rain decided at that moment to change into a downpour, and I had to run to the sagging porch. Luckily, the old cobbled walkway up to the front of the house was still solid, so I avoided the worst of the mud. I stepped up the old rock stairs and onto the wooden porch. It squeaked under me and had far too much bounce. I frowned at it. Would it hold my weight?

I pushed back my long, damp hair and scanned the porch and the roof above me. Nothing was in good shape. Was it even safe to enter? I blew out a breath. Maybe my optimism a moment ago was delusional. I frowned doubtfully at the building around me. Before I could second guess myself yet again, the front door swung open with a loud squeak. For a moment, I thought it had opened by itself, but then the realtor beamed at me in her dark red power suit and helmet hair. I couldn’t judge her. I was rumpled, crumpled, and covered in coffee stains. I summoned my best social smile and continued into my old home. 

Hi, I’m Karen Trask. I talked to you on the phone. She stuck a hand out.

Brigid Coleman, nice to finally meet you. I stumbled slightly over my last name. I was stuck with it until the divorce was final and I could go back to Donovan, my maiden name. I shook her hand and