Page 1 of Casting Butterflies

Prologue

Somewhere very cold in Russia, regretting my life choices.

“Fuuu-ccccck. Meeeee,” I huffed as I raced through the snow, which for the uninformed lacked any kind of grace. Remember the Teletubbies? Now picture them running. For those who never had the misfortune of watching that show, picture a woman, about five-seven, long dark hair, slim but still curvy, fully suited in a puffy, oversized blue winter jacket and pants—giving me the sexy physique of the Michelin Man’s—wearing big-ass boots that rose to mid-calf and weighed a fuck-ton more than they should. Now, imagine this bulky figure attempting to run and of course failing because, with each step, my clunky boots sank deep into the soft snow and required me straining—and yes, grunting—to pull them free from the cold suction.

Step. Sink. Yank. Step. Sink. Yank. As to why I exerted myself?

Blame the abominable snowman chasing me. Yes, you heard me right. An abominable snowman, also known as a Yeti, pursued my clumsy and bulky butt. Luckily, its chase proved as lumbering as my escape. Its stumpy legs didn’t allow for a long stride. However, with inexorable single-mindedness, it plodded through the drifts, unrelenting, and determined to capture the trespasser, AKA me.

A glance over my shoulder to see if I’d put any distance between us—I hadn’t—led to me tripping and falling. My mittened hands broke my fall, but my arms sank to my elbows. I paused for a moment on my hands and knees, huffing steam into the frigid air.

“Get up and move,” hissed Cedric, who’d joined me on this trip to Russia. A place that had long been on my bucket list of places I wanted to visit. My mistake? Not sticking to the scenic areas.

“I’m trying to move,” I grumbled. “But in case you hadn’t noticed, it’s not exactly easy.” I shoved upright and yanked a foot from the thick snow and took a step. Then another, trying to ignore the daunting number of limb-sucking drifts still ahead. If only the snowmobile hadn’t gotten stuck… If only I’d stayed home…

We had no weapons to defend ourselves, merely our wits and muscle, both of which were currently in sad supply. In my defense, no one warned me about the monster with an appetite for cute Canadian girls guarding the place I had to visit.

“Stop, dallying, Florence! The beast is almost upon us!” Cedric hollered.

“Yelling the obvious is really not helpful,” I muttered, wondering how far the Abominable would chase.

Should I turn and face the ferocious Yeti in the hopes I could placate it somehow? I doubted it understood English, and while song might work for some beasts, my singing voice would likely enrage it even worse. Maybe it had a sore tooth like the one in that Christmas special? Not that I was equipped to fix it. If only I had a treat to offer yummier than me, a human bonbon with a squishy, juicy center. Would it kill me quick? Or savor my suffering?

“Faster,” Cedric hissed.

I tried. I really did, and it resulted in me falling face first in the snow. Cold. Annoying. Not helpful at all. Would this forsaken place in Russia be where I died? Likely, since I lacked the energy to extricate myself. And even if I could, I had no way to fight. My magic wasn’t currently obeying.

“Get up!” Cedric yelled.

“What’s the point?” I groaned.

“So you can live, you idiot. Move your ass. I’ll distract it while you escape,” Cedric stated, and I turned my head in time to see him bounding away from me, his lighter, feline frame better suited to navigating drifts. Oh, did I not mention Cedric was a talking cat?

I flopped to my back and then a seated position. As I pushed myself to my feet, I watched as the fleet-pawed Cedric ran between the monster’s legs, causing it to pause its slow plod and bend over to look. While it was hunched, Cedric leapt and landed atop the Yeti’s back, but before he could do anything, the beast straightened, the movement abrupt enough it sent Cedric flying.

Poor Cedric hit a snow drift and sank out of sight, leaving the Abominable staring at me and, even more terrifying, grinning with jagged, yellowed teeth.

Oh fuck.

Swearing wouldn’t help, but that didn’t stop the filthy litany that slipped past my lips. Better to curse than fully submit to my mental pity party where I wished I’d never agreed to come to this remote forsaken place. Wished I’d not lost the one guy who could have protected me. But most of all, I wished I’d never gone to the auction at the butterfly lady’s house, which started this entire mess.

“Argh! It has me!” Cedric yelled, startling me so much I again fell face first again in the snow. “Let me go!” he howled.

Oh no. Poor Cedric.

It took me a moment to flip over—think of a turtle’s struggle when on its back and you’ll understand—before I could see what happened.

I blinked. Tilted my head slightly. Blinked again. But the scene remained the same.

The Yeti cradled and rocked Cedric in its furry arms while crooning nonsensical vowels.

Incongruous and also kind of funny, hence why I laughed.

A less-than-impressed Cedric growled, “Do something.”

“You want me to take the Abominable’s lovable new friend away? I don’t think so, George.”

“I didn’t come here to reenact a Bugs Bunny scene,” Cedric hollered, showing he’d watched the same, classic episode.