Page 5 of Dead Heat

The last serpent was winding its way around the branch that Paulie and Xander had settled on.

I only had the longsword available to me now.

A cracking sound echoed in the clearing. The branch wasn’t going to hold. Trying to shift now would only make their situation worse.

Paulie looked down. “Should we jump?”

The branch split in half, plummeting all three occupants to the ground. The serpent landed between us and reared up to claim its prize. Bonus points for determination.

I rushed forward, thrust the longsword into its body, and was rewarded with globs of thick, purplish-black goop all over my face and clothing. My vision blurred.

“Is it dead?” I asked.

“Unless it can live without its internal organs, then yes,” Paulie said.

I blinked away the goop from my eyes. Yep, definitely dead. I removed a cloth from my pocket and wiped off the blade. “Thanks so much for your help.”

“What? Didn’t you hear us cheering for you?” Paulie asked.

“It was hard to hear anything over the sound of your teeth rattling.”

Xander took a few steps back from the oozing puddle. “I like the purple stripes it’s added to your hair. Very artsy.”

“Yes, artsy is exactly the look I was going for.” I waved a hand at the tree. “Can one of you get my knives?”

Xander scrambled up the trunk to retrieve them.

“What are we supposed to do with the carcasses?” Paulie asked.

“Well, I’m wearing half of them, so I’ll let you deal with the rest.”

“So generous,” Paulie remarked. “Do we need to worry if we accidentally touch the goo?”

“No, only their bite is venomous, although I wouldn’t recommend bathing in goo like I did. It could still have side effects.”

“What about Apep?” Xander asked, returning my knives.

“What about him?”

“Will he come back?”

“If he does, it won’t be to Fairhaven.” He’d be The Corporation’s problem now. You’re welcome, Mathis and friends.

I wrapped the throwing knives in the cloth and walked back to my truck. Despite the victory, I didn’t feel good about it. I just kept reminding myself that they would’ve killed Paulie and Xander if I hadn’t intervened. The werewolves weren’t put on this earth to be tasty treats for Apep’s followers.

I started the truck and cranked up the radio to drown my guilty thoughts. At nine in the morning, country music seemed better than beer.

CHAPTER TWO

Home sweet home.I dragged myself through the gate and paused on the bridge to admire a lily pad floating around the moat. Another sign of spring. I chose to take it as a good omen.

“What happened to you?” Ray asked, as I stepped onto the front porch.

“Duty called and I made the mistake of answering.”

“Maybe next time let it go to voicemail.”

Nana Pratt pointed. “You got goo all over the porch.”

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