Page 26 of Fanged Temptation

Her laughter bubbled up, hollow and unsettling, as she twisted on the ground. Her limbs were bent at odd angles, like a puppet with its strings snipped.

"Gregor is looking for you." She spoke through malformed lips, her voice a distorted echo of human speech. "He wants his bride back."

Before I could register her words, her body began to change. The wax that made her up began to melt, pooling around her in a silvery-grey puddle that shimmered under the dim light of the street lamps.

Slowly, inexorably, she dissolved completely, her body seeping into the drain in the alleyway, leaving behind nothing but her soiled clothing and two empty glass eyes. I stood there, stunned, watching the last of her disappear as cold dread tunneled through my veins.

Heading back to the boat, I took extra care to weave an unpredictable path, doubling back and taking longer routes – anything to ensure I wasn’t followed. By the time I reached Myrtle, my nerves were frayed to breaking point. I knocked urgently, and when Leah opened the door I rushed into her arms.

She stiffened at first, tensing up like she wanted to push me away. But then her arms wrapped around me, tentative and gentle. "Maxine, what’s wrong?"

“I don’t… I can’t–” I buried my face in her shoulder, the words spilling out in a rush. “I don’t know what to do. I can’t stay in your lifeandkeep you safe.”

I was terrified, for me and for her. They were too close for comfort.Hewas too close. And if I stuck around here, Leah’s life would be on the line.

“I might–” I sucked in a breath, trying and failing to steady my breathing. “I might have to leave–"

“No.” Leah’s grip tightened, her words fierce in my ear. “Not again.”

Her hands curled to fists at my back, and my cricket heart threatened to jump from my chest when she repeated, “Never again."

12

Leah

"Leah, are you absolutely certain that thing is seaworthy?" Maxine hovered on the jetty, eyeing the dinghy I stood in like it might sink on the spot.

I yanked at the motor cord, stifling a chuckle when the engine sputtered to life and startled her. She wobbled on her heels, grimacing as the jetty rocked gently beneath her feet.

“It’s floated for this long.” I reached out a hand to help her down, holding the boat steady as she hobbled her way onboard. “I don’t see why today should be any different.”

Maxine was dressed entirely inappropriately for marine fieldwork, dolled up in a pastel pink sundress and wedge heels, but that couldn’t be helped. The sunhat was a good call at least, but it was way too big, with a wide floppy brim that she had to push out of the way just to see where she was going.

Once settled in the boat she sat stiffly, gripping the edge of the bench with whitening knuckles. I eyed her quietly, internally rethinking my decision to bring her along.

Last night she had thrown herself into my arms, babbling something about keeping me safe and something else about having to leave immediately.

She wasn’t making any sense and she refused to elaborate – I half expected to wake up and find her gone all over again. But come morning she was still there, though she had been tense and sullen ever since. So much so that I had offered to let her accompany me on a field job – anything to banish that haunted look from her eyes.

But maybe this hadn’t been the right call. Maxine was poised like a cat about to take a bath. Which was to say, she was stiff as a board and ready to claw my eyes out if so much as a drop of water were to reach her.

But that too, could not be helped. I cranked the motor and the boat jolted forward, taking off in a spray of seawater. Maxine yelped at the sudden movement and raised a hand to mash her hat down on her head; the brim flapped wildly in the wind and she met my grin with a grimace.

I steered us across the water into a narrow canal, a prime spot for aquatic plant life away from the main harbor, and cut the engine, relying on the natural current to carry us along.

The urban sprawl on either side of us eventually gave way to tree-lined paths snaking along the water's edge, bright green foliage against a cloudless blue sky. Colorful kayaks sliced past, and up ahead a massive paddle boat churned out frothy water, chugging lazily along the canal.

Under her ridiculous sunhat, Maxine looked around, her apprehension giving way to a cautious intrigue as she took in our surroundings. “Oh… This is lovely.”

I leaned an elbow on the motor, keeping us on course. “What exactly were you expecting?”

“I don’t know.” Maxine shrugged. “Waves. Water in my shoes. The general stench of fish.”

I gestured over my shoulder. “Well, there’s a fish market down that way if you’ve got your heart set on it.”

“No– No that’s quite all right!”

Her horrified expression had me snickering to myself.

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