Page 21 of Dead Heat

Except I wasn’t human, not really. I was a goddess with incredible power, and I had a responsibility to maintain mycool. One moment of anger and I could destroy lives. Pops used to warn me all the time with his version of Uncle Ben’sSpider-Manspeech.

“I appreciate the support, Ray.” My gaze snagged on the police car rolling to a stop behind my truck.

“Were you speeding?” Ray asked.

“Not this time.”

Officer Leo Kilkenny emerged from the car, dressed in uniform. Moonlight illuminated his reddish-blond hair and pale skin. His Labrador-like exuberance had endeared him to me from the moment I met him, and his athletic build and charming personality had endeared him to the rest of the Fairhaven population. Chief Garcia had chosen well when she’d replaced Officer Lindley, whose death was the unfortunate byproduct of life in a supernatural town.

I hadn’t known Officer Lindley, but I was friendly with Leo and the chief. A lump formed in my throat. What if The Corporation decided not to wait for Otto’s answer and chose another path, one that involved human casualties? Any harm that came to the residents of Fairhaven would be my fault.

I struggled to find my voice as I walked toward the gate to meet him. “Hey, Officer Leo. I guess this isn’t a social call.”

Leo rubbed the back of his head. “So, um, this might sound a little crazy, but we’ve had reports of flying dogs. Chief Garcia assumed the calls were coming from the drug den…”

“Fairhaven has a drug den?”

“This is America, Lorelei. Every town has a drug den. Anyway, they didn’t call it in. It was actually Jessie Talbot’s neighbor, Gloria. She said that she was driving Jessie home from a doctor’s appointment and that Jessie started ranting and raving about flying dogs. Gloria thought they might be aliens, so she called the police.”

Jessie Talbot was one of the oldest residents in town; shealso happened to have the Sight. If she claimed to see flying dogs, then there were flying dogs.

“Where?” I asked.

Leo peered at the blue-black sky. “She said they were circling the area above the hilltop.”

“That’s my house.”

He grinned. “Yeah, that’s why I’m here, or did you think I came to spread gossip about sweet Ms. Talbot?”

An inky void greeted my gaze. “I don’t see anything.”

Until I did. A flash of movement where no movement should be.

My stomach tensed as the silhouette of a dark wing stretched across the sky.

I spoke slowly and quietly. “Leo, do yourself a favor and get in your car.”

“You see something?”

I maintained my composure. “Yes.”

“Are they aliens? Because, honestly, that seems more plausible than flying dogs.”

“They’re not aliens. Go now. Lock the door, and whatever you do, don’t open it until I say so.”

His brow rippled with confusion. “But I’m the one with a gun.”

“Guns aren’t helpful.”

I glimpsed another wing. And another. Six total. There were three of them. A trio of big ass flying devil dogs circling my house. That couldn’t be a coincidence.

“Leo, I’m serious. I need you to go.”

“Lorelei, I’m…”

“Now!”

He sprinted to his car. I kept my focus on the three creatures soaring above the Castle. Once I heard the slamming of a car door, I relaxed, but only slightly—because there were still three winged monsters to contend with.

---