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<br/>
<span class="fixed-color" style="color:#bfbfbf"></span></span>​</div><span style="font-size: 18px"><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#bfbfbf">The last thing Kasabian Merrick remembered were staring lovingly into someone's eyes. Mihai Ardellan's amber depths were rimmed with thick, long, dark lashes that brushed his cheeks every time he closed his eyes. They seemed to bore into him as Kasabian gazed into them and he nearly lost himself. Longing, desire, loneliness, suffering; Mihai had eyes that held all those deep seated emotions and many more.<br/>
<br/>
As Kasabian made contact with his one, true witch, he had learned to read Mihai's emotions that danced like fire, licking at the walls of amber hued glass. When the conjuring spell started to dematerialize his human form as he lay beneath Mihai, the fire in his eyes dwindled down to smoldering ember and even Kasabian, who'd gotten to know the young witch in just those few moments, couldn't tell for certain what emotions were emerging just beyond his walls.<br/>
<br/>
<i>Was it shock? Fear of losing him forever? Or was it rage? Kasabian wondered.</i><br/>
<br/>
All he knew was that he finally met the soul that played like him, fought like him, and held on tightly with determination like him. Kasabian felt the sparks in his fingertips just from touching Mihai, and it was then he knew for certain that they were a match made. He knew when the bonding ritual was finally sealed, their love would be legendary every time, that just one kiss from Mihai would be more addictive than any drug known to man.<br/>
<br/>
Kasabian's skin burned like flame, but not from lust. It came from intense pain that made him feel like his body was shattered into a thousand pieces. Kasabian's skull pounded like he'd plummeted from a fifth floor balcony and hit concrete. Thinking it was all just a dream, things started to look a lot less fuzzy as his eyes opened and he realized he was in his apartment and everything in the room looked like a bomb exploded.<br/>
<br/>
Pots of herbs that once lined the windowsill in the living room, lay shattered and broken. The neatly lined books of magic spells on the bookshelves that once were fastened to the wall behind him were on the floor in splinters, and most of the old books lay on top of his aching body as his consciousness returned to normal.<br/>
<br/>
His sofa had been ripped to shreds as if a huge clawed beast destroyed the fabric all the way to the stuffing, which lay strewn everywhere like a sudden blizzard of white fluff.  Kasabian groaned, rubbing the huge knot that had formed on the back of his head, under his tangle of long hair. Seeing the chaos left behind, he was startled by the stench of dark magic within the small apartment. At first, the metallic stink of fresh blood made him think he was mortally wounded, but Kasabian knew better.<br/>
<br/>
Especially when the smell was mixed with a sulphuric rotten aroma, like deviled eggs someone left behind in a hot car. Trouble, there was going to be big trouble. Memories flooded into his consciousness. He bailed out on Devlin Blackmore, and followed the scent of the magic summoning spell Mihai conjured up that tempted his senses, until he found himself at Mihai Ardellan's home. Kasabian and Mihai, his true witch. Then a burst of blinding, white light and he was here at his apartment.<br/>
<br/>
Devlin's enraged and contorted features as he attacked him and tossed him into the wall with just magic. If Kasabian had any doubt that Devlin Blackmore was dabbling around with blood magic before, that thought had become factual. Not only had Devlin dabbled, but was actively using it and gaining power from a very dark, malicious source. He tottered to his feet, and as he did, one of his magic spell books fell open to the floor.<br/>
<br/>
The book opened up to a protection spell, one he knew by heart. His heart raced, as his mind caught up with it and he knew Devlin wasn't just angry, he was furious with him and Mihai Ardellan. He would stop at nothing to have him even if it meant he had to force him to be bound to him and his darkness. In a blur of activity, Kasabian grabbed a container of sea salt from the kitchen, and sprinkled salt around the the edges of the ritual circle on the wood floor in his bedroom.<br/>
<br/>
He gathered some colored candles from his nightstand drawer, his athame and a lighter. Kasabian set the candles down in the direction of north, south, east and west in order to pay homage to the gods and goddesses that ruled the four elements of wind, fire, earth and water.<br/>
<br/>
Kasabian lit the north candle and said, “Guardians of the North, Element of Earth, I call upon thee to be present during this ritual. Please join me now and bless this circle!”<br/>
<br/>
Kasabian's body turned in the direction of north, and he conjured up the scent of the earth after it rained. He felt the silence and darkness of a cave and the rooted feeling of standing barefoot on the earth. Feeling attuned, Kasabian replied, “Spirits of Earth, I call on you.”<br/>
<br/>
He lit the east candle and said, “Guardians of the East, Element of Air I call upon thee to be present during this ritual. Please join me now and bless this circle!”<br/>
<br/>
Kasabian relaxed and breathed until he felt calm, centered, and present. He now envisioned the wind whipping around him and was in tune with the element of air. He simply said, “Spirits of Air, I call on you.”<br/>
<br/>
The South candle was lit next and Kasabian consecrated the circle by saying, “Guardians of the South, Element of Fire, I call upon thee to be present during this ritual. Please join me now and bless this circle!”<br/>
<br/>
Kasabian envisioned crackling flames and the heat of the noonday sun. He could feel the warmth of the flames as he chanted, “Spirits of Fire, I call on you.”<br/>
<br/>
The West candle  was lit last and Kasabian said, “Guardians of the West, Element of Water, I call upon thee to be present during this ritual Please join me now and bless this circle!”<br/>
<br/>
He envisioned flowing water, ocean waves and waterfalls and streams, swirling and moving around his body. When he felt attuned with water, Kasabian uttered, “Spirits of Water, I call on you.”<br/>
<br/>
Despite his racing heart, Kasabian tried his best to relax and breathe deeply. In his mind's eye, he allowed the crown of his head to open up like a funnel to receive only divine, white light in order to amplify and channel positive energy to direct his magic. He knew that it would have been better to have Mihai there to merge their magic together, to make the spell even stronger. Kasabian's arms opened wide with his palms facing outward.<br/>
<br/>
As Kasabian inhaled deeply, he visualised himself pulling down pure, divine light through his crown, and as he released his breath he began to channel the light energy out through his palms in order to create a protective shield around himself. As Kas filled the space around his apartment with this high-vibration energy his skin began to tingle, and a buzzing sound filled his ears.<br/>
<br/>
Feeling light and uplifted, Kasabian began to wield his familiar magic. Holding his one arm outstretched he pointed to the edge of the circle with his athame, and spun his body around clockwise three times, mentally marking out his circle with the divine light. Then Kasabian lifted his arms above his  head as he invoked the spell.<br/>
<br/>
“God and Goddess, Guardian Angels, and Spiritual Guides please be present with me during this ritual. Bless this circle and keep me protected. No malicious entities are welcome here, only pure, divine beings are invited into this space. The circle is cast, so mote it be!"<br/>
<br/>
Kasabian's eyes rolled back into his head, and strong gale of wind caused his long tendrils to blow about his face and cause the candles to blow in the direction the evil magic was sent from. The ground beneath his feet seemed to shudder and vibrate as he chanted three times, "All acts of negativity will now return threefold to thee, Devlin Blackmore. All evil you try to send my way and the way of Mihai Ardellan shall fall upon your own self, and will hold sway! All actions, thoughts and dark conjurations shall become your own decided fate! By all up high, the worlds and wise , by oceans wide and deep blue skies , by day and night, and powers three , this is my will, so mote it be!"<br/>
<br/>
Kasabian then closed his ritual circle, by taking his athame as he began to slowly spin around in a counterclockwise direction three times. As Kasabian did so, he could feel the energy dispersing, but the protective light remaining.  He paused within the center of the circle to thank the Spirits and Elements for their presence and declare the circle closed.<br/>
<br/>
"I offer thanks to the Gods and Goddesses, Guardian Angels, the elements of earth, wind, fire and water and the four points for your presence here, and the use of your energy. I am grateful for you allowing your power to be channeled through me for my protection, and the protection of my true witch, Mihai Ardellan. Allow me to take my true form, to do your bidding. So mote it be."<br/>
<br/>
The four candles sparked like Fourth of July sparklers for a moment, and then suddenly blew out.<br/>
<br/>
The energy in his apartment was much lighter, and the smell of black magic had completely dissipated. There was a huge mess in the living room that he would have to tend to when he returned, but his priority was to find Mihai before Devlin did. Stepping out of the circle, Kasabian quickly wrapped up his <a class="link link--external" data-proxy-href="/proxy.php?link=https%3A%2F%2Fs-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com%2Foriginals%2F0a%2Ffa%2F04%2F0afa046b730cfa910648aafc2212b652.jpg&amp;hash=ca1c414f4c125ce49a8d789901615b87" href="https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/0a/fa/04/0afa046b730cfa910648aafc2212b652.jpg" rel="nofollow ugc noopener" target="_blank">ritual athame</a>, and a swirled <a class="link link--external" data-proxy-href="/proxy.php?link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.spiritofold.co.uk%2Fwands%2Fimages%2Fwand%2520-%2520W496%2520willow%25205.jpg&amp;hash=7aa10344f200de0d1b1e5cd98ffee7fe" href="http://www.spiritofold.co.uk/wands/images/wand%20-%20W496%20willow%205.jpg" rel="nofollow ugc noopener" target="_blank">ostara willow wand</a> he used during magic rituals. The sooner he found Mihai, the sooner they could complete the familiar bonding ritual. His blood had to be shed within a magic circle under the full moon, which was in two days. He grabbed a few other things, his mortar and pestle, and raided the cabinet in the kitchen for herbs not often found in a random cook's spice cabinet that the ritual required.<br/>
<br/>
He placed the athame, his wand, and bottles of bay leaves, rosemary,cinnamon, coriander, Althea root, and Balm of Gilead into his backpack, along with the container of sea salt. Kasabian placed the items into a magic cache, which would be accessible and within easy reach when he needed them. Finding Mihai in human form would take way longer than he wanted. He left the apartment, and rather than drive around in his car during dusk, he ventured into the nearby woods because there were people walking and jogging nearby.<br/>
<br/>
A long-haired domestic shorthair cat with a fluffy tail and bright green eyes emerged from the woods that Kasabian had entered moments before, and the feline immediately was on the alert for the scent of his soul mate and Master. The cat slinked past an empty playground and then the cardboard debris behind an all night cafe.<br/>
<br/>
The jet black cat lifted it nose ts the general stagnant and exhaust fume stench of the city and the perfume of bacon, eggs and toast faded, and in a more desolate place its form began to grow exponentially larger.  No longer a twelve pound house cat, he had morphed into a 150 pound, sleek, four-legged apex predator that was swift as it leapt over a stone and dirt wall separating two estates from each other.<br/>
<br/>
Seven and a half feet from head to tail, the black panther cleared the twelve foot high obstacle with little effort. Not a typical large cat, the familiar magic honed in on the energy expended with the use of sorcery, in addition to its normal cat senses. Naturally, the scent of Mihai dissipated as he approached the Ardellan's Renaissance Revival style mansion, the alluring charm glistening in the air like the silvery track a slug made across leaves at night.<br/>
<br/>
Outrage, shock, hurt and intense anger followed the fading aroma of an antique car's exhaust fumes. Mihai was gone, and the need to quickly track him down became apparent by the way the panther hightailed it away from his family's estate like the devil was in pursuit. The cell phone was ringing, but no one would be answering it since Kasabian had tucked that away in his backpack, which had apported itself in Mihai's room.<br/>
<br/>
His familiar form was moving at light speed through the meadows separating the properties, and his shadow was dark enough to be overlooked as part of the growing cover of night in Boulder, Colorado.<br/>
<br/>
Mihai. He was heading to the Blackmore's. <i>Have to. get there. now, it thought, as it ran faster through the woods.</i><br/>
<br/>
___________________________<br/>
<br/>
The one thing that Devlin Blackmore hadn't counted on was that Kasabian and Mihai had only just discovered they were matched for each other as familiar and witch. The match was true, but they were not yet formally bonded to one another through blood and ritual magic. The bond between them would be forever, and only death of one or both would break their magic bond. Kasabian was hopeful that the invocation of a magic circle and protection spell projected upon Mihai and himself would help cushion the blow of the wrath Devlin Blackmore was about to unleash.<br/>
<br/>
Within his familiar form, the violent assault from Devlin at his apartment became null and void. All of his bruises and cuts he'd received at his ex-boyfriend's hands were able to heal at a rapid cellular and metaphysical level. When the panther reached the Blackmore's luxury dwelling, he was wise to merge well with the shrubbery and remain undetected. His luminous green depths studied the vehicle his former lover had just vacated, able to pick up the sour stench of dark magic that had been used.<br/>
<br/>
Devlin was growing stronger, but what he didn't understand was that for every action there was an equal reaction and the demons Devlin conjured up didn't just arrive here to do his bidding. They would want more than just a thank you in a ritual circle, and would demand a sacrifice as they planned to take more in their quest to destroy. Slinking past the driveway, the panther leapt up on a retaining wall overlooking the backyard pool and the dimly lit window where it sensed the summoning of more bad magic. Acutely sensitive, the hairs on his body allowed him to pick up subtle vibrations in the air.<br/>
<br/>
Almost psychic, the cat seemed to know what Devlin was trying to do, and realized that he had to be stopped.<br/>
<br/>
Whether it was from sheer impulse or quick instinct, the restless panther paced anxiously atop the courtyard wall until the headlights from Mihai's Ford Pinto drowned out the darkness around him. Breaking into a running leap, the large cat propelled himself directly towards the window where Devlin was dispensing his magic.<br/>
</span><br/>
<span style="font-size: 26px"><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#bfbfbf">BLAM!</span></span></span><br/><span style="font-size: 18px"><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#bfbfbf"><br/>
The unmistakable sound of the loud crash could be heard as the cat charged through the window, and encountered Devlin, who was greedily absorbing energy from a magic amulet that he'd stolen from a murdered member of their coven. The 150 pound wild cat hit the glass with so much force that it was projected out of its frame in an explosion, sending vials and other decoctions crashing and breaking open upon the floor.<br/>
<br/>
The panther's face contorted into an angry snarl as it landed on its feet and began to corner the witch. Rearing back on its haunches, it violently launched itself at Devlin with every intention of disabling him and preventing him from further creating chaos. Four inch claws extended from his large paws, as he bowled Devlin off his feet with a swat of his limb that raked and tore at flesh. During the tussle, the cat's sharp maw bit down on Devlin's shoulder in an effort to stop the witch from trying to formulate a spell that would separate him from Mihai once and for all.</span></span>