Page 1 of Sweaty Nights & Gator Bites

CHAPTER 1

DAHLIA

The morning light filtered through the lace curtains of Willowberry. I sat there lost in the delicate patterns it made on the worn wooden floors. Dani and I sat in our usual spots at table with the comforting aroma of freshly baked cinnamon rolls. They weren’t homemade like they would have been if Kota were there, or if Cami had done it. The frozen kind were a good substitute.

I looked up and over when I heard the gentle hum of morning chatter. Dre and Kota were coming in the back door. A smile creased my face when I heard them talking about the smell of something delicious cooking. The insistent buzz of my phone interrupted me enjoying the calm before the storm of our day. I glanced down to see Britney's name flashing on the caller ID. She was a witch in the coven and had never called us before. What could she want? A party? Or was something wrong with Kaitlyn?

Accepting the call, I put it on speaker. “Hey, Britney. Iseverything alright? Or did you need the party planning services of the Six Twisted Sisters?”

“Hello, Lia,” Britney's voice crackled through the line. “I’m sorry to call you so early. I honestly didn’t know who to call. The protocol says to call the supernaturals’ leaders when we have an emergency. But there isn’t one for this, and you guys are the expert private investigators of our world. You guys are the only ones we could think of to handle this.”

I took a deep breath and interrupted her blabbering, “It’s okay. Just get to the point.” I hadn’t had enough of my energy drink yet.

She squeaked and said, “Sorry. I’m nervous. We've got a situation. A Fae discovered a body near the swamps. They said it looks suspicious.”

My heart lurched in my chest. “Suspicious how? And where did they find it exactly?”

“The caller indicated the wounds looked as if something supernatural was involved. When I questioned them more, they said it could have been a wild animal, but it seemed too controlled for that. They were near the old Oakwood trail. I'll send you the coordinates.”

Adele came into the kitchen and rubbed her side against Kota’s leg. “That area isn’t easily accessible for mundies. The call was warranted,” she said into our heads.

Kota and Dre had walked in the door and had concerned looks on their faces that only increased my concern. There was no way we could ignore this. It made me think of the time my childhood friend was killed by one of Marie’s minions.

“Is the dead a supernatural or mundie?” Dani interjected.

“That wasn’t clear, and I didn’t think to ask. I should have. That would be important to know. Should I have called Lucas in case this is a shifter?” I could hear the doubt in Britney’s voice about calling us to deal with this matter.

“You could have called Lucas but you did nothing wrong by calling us. This situation isn’t clear-cut,” Dre reassured Britney. “We will create more guidelines to add to the manual for those answering the hotline. With a situation like this, always call us. We can do a cursory investigation and reach out to the appropriate leader if needed.”

“Is the Fae still there?” I asked. It would be good to ask more questions.

“I have no idea. They sounded eager to get the hell out of there, but I can try and call them back,” Britney offered.

Dre nodded her head and grabbed a to-go tumbler for her coffee. “Please do. We might have more questions for them after we go out to the scene.”

“I’ll do that right away,” she replied. “Let me know if I can do anything else. I’m on shift for another three hours.”

“Will do,” I agreed. We thanked her and then hung up the phone.

“I suppose we should leave right away to check this out,” Dani said, her voice tinged with a sense of frustration.

Kota took the rolls out of the oven and grabbed a plate. “The last thing we need is a mundie coming across a body. Let's go.”

“Be sure to gather as much evidence as you can while there. You never know what you can use to track the killer,” Adele told us.

I lifted an eyebrow and looked down at the kitten. “You assume this was a murder.”

Adele’s green eyes focused on me. “Better to assume that and be prepared for anything than lose evidence and clues that might lead to solving the case.”

“If this is a case of a mundie who found themselves on the wrong side of a wild animal, we aren’t going to do anything,” Kota told her.

Adele inclined her head. “Fair enough. I will be here if you need anything.”

Nodding, we gathered our belongings and hurried out into the warm morning. We left Willowberry’s cheerful ambiance behind. Kota grabbed some cinnamon rolls, and Dre snagged napkins.

I ate on the drive to the Oakwood trail. The atmosphere in the car was silent and tense. I was not looking forward to investigating a death. Dead bodies made me sick to my stomach. It got so bad I had to set my roll aside. Rather than churn up more bile, I focused on the drive. The cityscape gradually faded into a winding road flanked by ancient cypress trees, their gnarled roots clawing at the mist that hung like a spectral veil over the landscape. Along with the Spanish moss dripping from the limbs, it created a mystical ambiance.

I drove as close to the location as possible and parked the car on the side of the road. The heat and humidity pressed in on us as did a sense of foreboding. “Ready for this?” Dre asked.

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