Free Catalyst (A Grace Murphy Novella) by Nicole Hamlett

do about making your dreams come true."  She withdrew the pearl from her pocket and slid it between Hope's lips.
    "I don't like it. It makes me feel ill," Hope whined.
     Neysa twisted her fingers, closing off the other woman's airflow and waited until she swallowed.  Within seconds the pearl had been transferred.  
    "If it's easy then it's not worth it." She ground out.
    Neysa could feel when the magic took hold and she sighed with profound relief.  One more block fell neatly into place and she wouldn't have to risk breaking Hope out again.  The pearl would do the work of creating suspicion, fear and chaos for her.
    She'd promised Hope a day of fun but now that the magic was active, she didn't want to waste more time. Neysa walked over to the desk and hastily scrawled Grace's name onto the envelope and tucked it into her pocket. It wasn't time to deliver this little bomb yet. Discoveries needed to be made in their own painful fashion.  Perhaps if she routed the letter through the author's publisher, it would give the plan time to come to fruition.
    She smiled as the pieces of the puzzle clicked into place. Now all she  had to do was deposit Hope back into her prison and wait for the fallout. Despite her protestations for this mission, there was a small spark of satisfaction for a plan well executed.  It was her nature after-all.  She was the goddess of vengeful fate, the seeker of retribution.  
    "Where are you taking me today?" Hope asked.
    "Oh dear, I forgot that I have an urgent task that needs my attention. I'll have to put you back."
    "No!" Hope tried to scramble away but Neysa held her fast. "You promised. You promised me a day."
    Neysa sighed.  "Fucking amateurs, always leaving me to clean up their failures." She pulled Hope's face close to hers and started chanting.  In a few moments, Hope wouldn't remember anything until prompted. 
    Soon her mother would rise from the depths and Neysa would finally be free of her. 

Authors Note
     
    Catalyst is actually a big chunk of work that I cut from Illusions, but I realized as I got halfway through Illusions that it explained a bit about the reasons Grace is having such a difficult time with her relationships right now. So I dug it out of the depths of my trash pile hell and cleaned it up and made a few changes to allow it to be a stand-alone story.
    This story has been written, re-written and poured out through what can best be described as one of the toughest periods of my life. I couldn't have written this without the support and love of my friends and family.
    Troy and Ray (Whom you may have noticed this book is dedicated to) have lifted me up and made me realize that just because you fail at one thing doesn't mean you're a failure. They're the reason I'm still here writing. I love them more than words could even begin to describe.
    As for sj, I owe her big for making this better even while going through her own personal crap. Thank you sweets.
    My alpha readers, Jenn Upton, Dia Massey, Laura Pa, Isabella Dollar and Delanna Shipp Minter – you ladies make this worthwhile. I always appreciate your feedback and excitement for what comes next. Thank you for being there for me.