Page 72 of Dragon in Boots

While she’d been collecting snakes last night, bawling out her eyes over Dash, something Cimil and Damien had discussed popped in her head. They’d mention a new body for that ghost, Sky. A body she no longer wanted.

That was when the idea hit her!We’ll give the body to Dash. He can have it!No, she wasn’t into women, but this wasn’t about sex, romance, or anything like that. She couldn’t stand the idea of Dash being stuck between worlds forever. Freeing him was all that mattered. And who knew? Maybe over time, a male body might come up for grabs. Not that she knew if any of this would work.

Could a disembodied vanity demon’s soul be summoned and then inserted into a new human shell? How were the bodies made?

Either way, going to Cimil and asking for help was a bad idea, but Damien seemed to know his way around her tricks and traps. Unfortunately, when Jac called him last night, he’d completely brushed her off.Never even called me back!Then he stopped answering his cell. This was too important to sit around waiting for action. Especially because that new body could go to someone else.

“Yes. I have to get to LA. Can you take care of the sanctuary?” she asked.

Bernard nodded.

“Good. I’ll call you later.” She grabbed her suitcase.

“What about that?” He pointed at the dead dragon.

“I don’t know. Just pretend it’s not there. Not like he can hurt you.”

Suddenly, steam rose from the surface of its flesh, and the dragon corpse began melting.

The two watched in fascination and horror as the body broke down into a desiccated husk and then into dust. After a moment, a gentle breeze carried it all away.

And that explains why no one has ever found evidence of dragons. She wondered if the same thing happened to dead aliens. What would happen to her when she died?

“Okay, well, dragon-body problem solved,” she said. “I’ll call you from LA.” She rushed to her truck, dragging her suitcase. “Oh, and could you take care of the last four snakes? They’re still hiding somewhere,” she called out. “Maybe in the storage building! They’re the types that like to pop out and attack instead of roaming.”

“Which snakes?” Bernard asked.

“Two tiger snakes, the king cobra, and the saw-scaled viper. But don’t worry! I wrangled the others already!” She could hear Bernard swearing up a panic-storm as she slid into the truck. She rolled down her window. “I have plenty of antivenin in the infirmary!” At least she hoped she did. Funds were low, and she hadn’t been able to restock lately. “Better you don’t get bit, though!”

She drove off.

Damien shut off his phone, took a long hot shower, and sat on his balcony to watch the sun come up.

To say he felt betrayed was a colossal understatement. Sky had cut him out of her life to get what she wanted: a new body, her family back, and a fresh start. There’d been no discussion with him, no considering other options, and no trust given.

I can’t believe she dumped me again. At least, that was how it felt. He couldn’t blame her for wanting those things, but somehow she’d absolved herself of all guilt by accusing him of hiding his feelings. She claimed that he hadn’t fought for her.

Ridiculous!It boggled the mind. He’d told her how much she meant, but more importantly, he’d shown her. He had not pulled the guilt card or gotten angry when she expressed her desire to return to investigative journalism. He’d put her needs first.Let’s not forget the hell Cimil put me through to score a new body for Sky that first time.

He’d never worked so hard to do right by a woman.Excluding the killing-her thing with my SUV.

Damien scratched his head.I just don’t get it.Did women want men to devolve into angry cavemen when relationships encountered bumps, or did they want men to be supportive?

“I’m cancelling my subscription toWomen’s Self-Love Weekly.” He’d read that estrogen-infested trash for months, all because he believed it was a man’s job to be strong for his woman. Not so easy for a two-hundred-year-old deadly weapon.The exercise tips were good, though. My ass has never looked better.

If there was one takeaway from this mess, it was that his gut had been right. Deep down, he knew they weren’t meant to be. Too many obstacles. Too many cosmic forces keeping them apart.

“Hey,” squeaked a tiny voice.

Pet sat on the balcony’s railing, her lavender wings deflated at her sides.

“What’s the matter? Did you run out of amphibians to molest in my garden?”

Pet shook her glum little head. “The garden orgy is still on, but I’m just not in the mood.”

A sex fairy not in the mood. “Why? And before you reply, I do not want to know if it’s because you’ve contracted fairpees again.”

“No,” she said glumly. “You can only get that once. Never goes away.”

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