JInxed

Includes the prequel, Hands of Fate.

Fitting in has never been in the cards. Not part of the hand Fate dealt me.

My superpower is animals, magical and otherwise. They adore me. Birds and insects too. Back when the Celts still roamed the Highlands, I begged them to shed light on how I came to be since my power is unique.

You can guess how well that went. They're a taciturn, entitled lot. I didn't shed a single tear when they packed up and left Earth.

Other mages don't care for me. They don't trust my one-of-a-kind magic. On my more generous days I don't blame them. For now, I run a tiny private investigator shop in the Scottish Highlands. Mortals are quick to hire me because I always solve their problems. Using magic is cheating, but they'll never find out.

Most days, it's a delicate dance. If I get lucky, no other mage has it in for me. But I'm still stuck hanging onto enough of a glamour to fool mortals. Occasionally, I want to pack it all in and vanish to...well, to somewhere else.

No one to blame but myself when my life skids off the rails.