Page 67 of New Nebraska Home

“It didn’t mention needing a specific weapon, but dead is dead. As far as the people, it will be a brutal hangover, but without the magic, the venom won’t control the town.”

“So, we make him turn into a snake, then cut off his head?” I clarified. It couldn’t be that simple.

“Again, I have never tested the theory, but that was what the book said.”

My gaze went to Brock and Cal, silently asking if they had any better ideas. They didn’t.

“Let’s go,” I said, shuffling forward a few steps, testing the strength of my legs underneath me, intending to head out to my car.

“Liz, maybe you should let—” Cal zoomed in front of me, blocking the front door.

“No, if you want me the way you say you do, if you care about me at all, you will not stop me from at least trying to save my brother. Even if I’m not one hundred percent. I can’t just sit and wait for you to figure it out. I won’t. That isn’t who I am.”

Cal frowned, but stepped aside.

“He’s just worried, we all are.” Brock joined us by the door.

“Then let’s go together.” I swung my bat in a circle and headed outside.

Malik

SHOWING OFF IS FUN

There was nothing like the calm determination of preparing for war. I had been in my share of moments like this, moments where you knew a fight was coming, and if you weren’t properly armed, you wouldn’t make it out alive—hell, even then, your chances were slim. I’d seen bar fights, brawls, and even a military coup or two in my time. This felt different.

For the first time in my life, there were real consequences beyond my life. I used to think my own survival was the most important thing, but I never really felt the need to protect it. I’d never wanted to die, but I also hadn’t really had anything to live for.

Things were different now. Liz was mine—mine to love, mine to protect, and mine to share with our new family, Cal and Brock.

Leif was mine, too, in a very different way. He was my clan, mine to protect and teach, mine to raise into the man he needed to become.

That snake had taken what was mine. He wasn’t going to live to see the sunrise. One look at Brock and Cal’s eyes and I could tell they felt the same.

Cal asked Liz to give him a minute and went to his room. He returned with a collection of what I was pretty sure were supposed to be ceremonial knives. They were pretty and sharp, but awkward to hold. I grabbed a bowie knife from my pack for myself and a hunting knife for Liz. The soft leather of the knife fit her hand perfectly, her long slender fingers wrapping around the hilt as I showed her how to swing and stab with all the power her body had.

She took to it instantly. Cal tried to offer her another blade, but I wouldn’t hear of it. She would use the practical blade. It was strong and tested. If Cal and Brock wanted jeweled hilts that made the thing harder to hold onto, then that was on them.

I offered to shift and fly to the town center with them on my back, using clouds as cover, but Cal’s already fair skin seemed to shift to a slightly green color as he refused. He used the excuse of needing to approach with as much stealth as possible, but I was pretty sure I had just scared him on our last little flight.

The car ride over was tense. No one said a word until we were almost there.

“How do we get him to shift?” Liz asked.

“Most shifters can heal when they shift from human to their animal form,” I answered. “It’s a perk of changing shape, something with our DNA. If we hurt him bad enough, he will shift.”

“I didn’t know that,” Brock said.

“You’re not supposed to,” I answered.

“The people with him, are they all drugged? None of them are like this by choice?” Liz asked, ignoring us.

“They’re probably all drugged, but for Zmei to get to them, they had to have gone to one his meetings willingly at some point,” Cal replied, giving her the answer I didn’t want to. She was a good woman at heart. She would do what had to be done to protect her own, but hurting innocent people was never going to sit right with her.

“So, they were attracted to the Zmei’s propaganda on human-hatred and species staying separate, but there is a good chance that none of them chose to attack my brother or the other halflings?”

“A chance,” I confirmed.

“Then we don’t hurt anyone but Zmei, not unless we have to. Nothing permanent.”

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