Page 17 of Night Owl Books

A moment later, his body disappeared altogether.

Shaking, I backed away from the bloody knife and hatchet until I was leaning against the side of the truck. I’d never killed a person before. I didn’t like it. In books, people felt triumphant or relieved or righteous. All I felt was cold and hollow.

I needed to strip off these stupid clothes and fly away, never see this clearing, that truck, or that duffle bag ever again, but that wasn’t the way. I’d agreed to do my part in this group—the first group that had ever wanted me. I’d even volunteered for this job. I couldn’t fly away and leave a serial killer’s kit sitting out here for a hiker to find.

My phone still had no signal. The keys were no longer in the ignition. I looked all around the truck but couldn’t find them. I tried the grass where I’d beheaded him, but only the knife and hatchet remained. The keys must have been in his pocket and disappeared with him.

I’d read about hot wiring a car but had no idea how to do it. It looked like I’d be walking out of here. Shaking out my arms, trying to lose the tremors, I fished the sheath out of my left boot. The hatchet and knife went in the duffle and then I checked the truck box for any other dangerous items. Everything went in the bag. Hefting it over my shoulder, I started the long trip away from my almost-death, heading toward the city and a cell phone signal.

EIGHT

Never a Dull Moment

Iwas sure I’d killed him. His damn head had rolled away from his body, but the fae were scary powerful. The fact that he disappeared had me on edge.

I had finally made it back to the section of road by the ocean’s edge when an SUV pulled up beside me. It had an official police seal on the door. The passenger window slid down, and a concerned-looking Nick was there, waving me into his vehicle.

I dropped the huge duffle onto the floor of his SUV and then slid in, bone weary and shaky.

Nick didn’t pull back into traffic. He laid a warm hand on my frozen arm. “We were following you. The tracker stayed in the same spot so long, we chanced getting close enough to see you and instead found an empty road. Arthur recovered the tracker but you were gone.” The hand not touching me rubbed his forehead. “We’ve been frantic, trying to find you. Arthur went to Arwyn to see if she could get a vision of your whereabouts and I’ve been driving up and down these streets, searching everywhere.”

He closed his eyes a moment, squeezing my arm, and then continued. “Arthur broke into the back of your bookstore andArwyn touched a few things. She said her visions seemed to be blocked. She saw you beside a truck, but then the vision went dark. She knew right away, from your perspective, though, that he was fae.”

He blew out a breath. “Collectively, we had a heart attack. You were taken by a fae serial killer? How were we supposed to stop him—hell, find him?”

His hand slid down to mine and he held it. “But then she touched your book—the one you left downstairs on the table—and she saw you walking on this road, a heavy duffle bag on your shoulder. And here you are.”

He paused, probably waiting for me to tell him what happened, but I wasn’t ready. I knew he could feel me trembling, so I asked, “Can you turn on the heat?”

“Of course.” He turned a knob and directed the vents at me. “I can drive you home.”

I shook my head, pointing down the road. “I need to get my Jeep. Thanks, though.”

“Okay.” He sounded unsure, but he put the SUV in gear and started driving.

We rode in silence, but I couldn’t shake the sound of the fae man’s gleeful whistling in my head. I wasn’t sure I ever would.

Nick pulled up beside my Jeep, which had a ticket under the windshield wiper. He got out when I did. “Here. I’ll take care of that.” He snapped the ticket out before folding it and sliding it into his pocket.

I nodded my thanks.

He gestured to the SUV. “Is that bag yours?”

Shaking my head, I climbed in my Jeep and turned the ignition. With a cough and a rattle, the engine fired. “Not mine,” I said. “That’s his. It’s filled with the tools he was going to use to torture and kill me. I didn’t want to leave it lying around.” Ihad to swallow the tightness in my throat. “I don’t want to think about him now, please. I’ll tell you later.”

“But—yeah, of course. You can tell us later.” He looked up and down the busy road. “I’ll follow you and then hang out, keep guard until we get this guy.”

I shook my head. “He’s gone now.” I put the Jeep into gear and started driving. I probably should have thanked him for the ride, but I was barely holding it together. I needed out of this skin. I needed to ride the air, high above it all, far from that clearing and that bag. Free from the fate he’d chosen for me.

I wasn’t sure how I made it home. I was shaking with the need to shift, to not be this person who could be overpowered and violated. Once I’d parked and closed the garage door behind me, the tremors lessened. I was in my safe place, surrounded by my books.

Trudging up the stairs, exhaustion swept over me. I stripped out of the clothes he’d stared at and touched, and felt the fire roll through me as I shifted. I hopped onto the window ledge and then soared out the window and over my forest. Gliding through the trees, I found my favorite pine, perched on a nice steady branch, and settled in for a long sleep.

A crow cawing nearby woke me at dusk.Jerk. Still, I needed to head back and get cleaned up so I could open on time. I was dragging from the lack of a full day’s rest, but a brisk shower ought to fix some of that.

Once I was cleaned and dressed, my hair back in its usual bun, I went to the main kitchen on the top floor. I hadn’t eaten yet, but my stomach was still a little wobbly. After staring in the refrigerator for far too long, I decided to just heat up a can of soup and call it good. It’d take care of the hunger pains—shifters needed to eat regularly—without overtaxing my currently sensitive stomach.

I headed downstairs a few minutes before eight and found a familiar silhouette on the porch. Not bothering with the outdoor light, I unlocked the door and stepped out into the cool night air. The wind must have been gusting straight off the ocean. The air smelled of salt and rain. I looked up at the thick clouds and wondered how long until it began.

---