Page 63 of New Nebraska Home

He gave an eager nod. “Aren’t I, just.” The creepy evil ass mother fucker took that as a compliment. “Glad you see it. Well, I must be going. I just wanted to come down here and let you know what will be happening during tonight’s festivities. I would hate to think that you were down here lying comfortably and waiting for a trial that will never come. It would be far more entertaining for me if I knew you were pacing around, deathly upset and powerless to change your fate. It’s going to be so much easier to control you if you are all riled up with grief, pain, and crippling guilt.”

“I am going to kill you.” It wasn’t a threat, it was a promise. My fists tightened at my sides and my dragon bellowed, begging to be let out. He wanted to rip this fucker apart. “I am going to force you to shift. Then I will kill you and make my girl a new pair of snakeskin boots and a matching bag.”

“You know,” he said thoughtfully. “I bet you would if you could. Too bad you’ll be in this dank little cell—nice piss aroma isn’t it—and in here until your witch is dead. Then you’re going to be all mine. Well, I am off to collect a witch and her abomination. Bye, for now.”

I watched him skulk off, gritting my teeth and biting my tongue until he was gone.

“You ready to go save our girl?” I asked.

“You have no idea. How am I supposed to get you out of here?” Cal asked, re-materializing or whatever weird vampy shit he did.

I bit my tongue for a moment, wishing he had left earlier.

“I got it.” I took off my shirt and shifted to my dragon, shrinking to the size of a gecko, and crawled between the bars. Then I shifted back to my usual human-sized self.

“I will never get used to that,” Cal said. “But it didn’t occur to you to do that earlier?”

“How was I to know he would go after Liz and the kid tonight? I thought that by leaving, it would be causing more problems for her.” I shrugged. “Why are you still here? I hoped you were smart enough to stay with her.”

“Brock is with her. He can keep her safe.” Cal rolled his eyes at me.

“Zmei is probably already on his way to the house.”

“I think I can outrun a car, but I don’t know how much of a head start I have—”

“We can fly,” I said like it was no big deal. I mean, I’d only found out I could fly earlier that day. I had no idea how far I could fly or if I could carry someone, but I wasn’t about to let Liz down again.

I shifted into a larger dragon form and let Cal climb onto my back. I closed my eyes and said a silent prayer, before stretching my wings and barreling forward fast as I could.

This was not going to end well.

Liz

SHOULD HAVE LEFT

Iwas too late. It was late when I woke up, still on Cal’s bed, Brock next to me. My heart was beating out of my chest, and a sheen of sweat covered my back as I gasped for air. It was time to leave.

I didn’t know how I knew, but I knew.

“Liz, you okay?” Brock asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

“No, we need to leave!” I ran from the room, sliding as I turned the corners, almost crashing into the wall before I made it up the stairs to the main floor then across the house and up the stairs to Leif’s room. He looked so peaceful asleep on his bed, I almost felt bad for waking him.

Almost.

“Get up, kiddo,” I said, shaking him awake. “Pack an overnight bag. As quickly as you can, take only what you need.”

“What’s going on?” he said groggily.

“Just get up and do as I say. Now.”

He nodded and got out of bed. I ran down to my room, fished a duffle bag out of the closet, and started grabbing essentials. First, I grabbed important documents from the fire safe: social security cards, shot records, and birth certificates. Then I started shoving in whatever clothes I could find. Clean, dirty, winter, summer, it didn’t matter.

“What’s happening?” Brock asked, coming into the room, trying to help but instead getting in my way.

“They’re coming,” I answered.

“Who?”

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