Page 52 of Hot Ghoul Summer

“Let me drive,” Sera murmurs.

It makes sense. She’s playing me after all—at least partially.

“You guys can’t die, right?” I whisper nervously.

Sera reassures, “Not in my morrigan form.”

“Already done it, sugar.” Gloria grins.

Wesley groans and sits in the very back with me.

“You mortals stay down. I mean it,” Toby snarls, drawn up to his towering height and full flame-y hotness.

“Yes, we promise.” I blow him a kiss.

Yeah. I’m fucked up now. Part of me wonders what it would be like to ride him in full Reaper form, and I know he’d let me try.

But would I get singed?

Musketeer wiggles his stubby legs, trying to make it onto the seat until I pick him up and give him a boost. “Good boys. You stay little until you get out of the car,” I whisper.

“Okay. Here we go.” Sera puts the car in drive.

THIS IS EITHER A WONDERFUL idea or a very bad one.

Sera stops the car on the edge of the trail and steps out. She pulls the hood of her windbreaker up and adjusts it to conceal the sides of her face. When she walks, she bows her head so that her hair is hanging low, covering her face even further. She currently looks human. As soon as Garmin appears, she’d better swap forms.

As for me, I’m in my harmless little human suit. I put my arm through Sera’s and listen to the sound of Musketeer waddling in the bushes alongside the trail.

“Are we early?” Sera breathes.

“No.”

“Where are they?”

“Ambushing us,” I whisper, and I’m right.

“There she is. Hi, Molly!” Gary Garmin’s voice has a note of hysteria in it as he waves his swollen, discolored hand.

“Stop where you are,” I say, switchblade shining in my hand. My eyes move to the dark recesses of the trail. Theo Cross’ car and one of his telltale black SUVs are pulled off in the rutted ditch. He steps from the vehicle, gun trained on me.

Ha. Let him try.

But if he were pulling that on the real Molly?

It’s all I can do not to explode in a ball of flames just thinking about it.

“She’s there! Here she is.” Garmin is already edging back toward his car.

“He’s the scum that killed your brother,” I hiss, pointing at Garmin. “She’s the pawn. I was there that night. I saw the whole thing.”

“What? No, Theo, it was him! He’s the one! I tried to tell you first, remember? The guy in the sweatshirt?” Garmin pleads, scrambling into his car as fast as his injuries allow.

Gunshots fire, hitting Garmin’s car.

Sera doesn’t wait for me to nudge her. “Help!” she screams, turns, and runs.

And like any good thug, Cross chases, gun firing.

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