Total pages in book: 36
Estimated words: 33643 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 168(@200wpm)___ 135(@250wpm)___ 112(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 33643 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 168(@200wpm)___ 135(@250wpm)___ 112(@300wpm)
Nolan’s ego didn’t even try to poke its head up and argue that he could take care of himself.
“Got it,” Moon confirmed.
From the corner of his eye, Nolan caught sight of the blood witch stepping closer to Nolan’s frozen form while the others moved to the edge of the tree line.
So far, the trio of dogs wasn’t acting anxious, just watching them as if not sure what to make of the witches who were insane enough to approach.
At the edge of the tree line, Sky stopped and bent, setting his bag of tricks on the ground. For whatever reason, the dogs didn’t like that. The one that had been standing on its hind legs dropped to all fours, its ears snapping back. All three growled, low, deep rumbles that echoed through Nolan’s chest, threatening to dislodge his soul. His heart ramped up to frantic pounding, trying to break free of his chest.
“Um…Sky…they don’t like that,” Red whispered.
The necromancer didn’t stop digging for spell ingredients. He clicked his tongue and used a sweet voice as he said, “What’s wrong, babies? Do you need a treat?”
The growling stopped. The one in the lead raised its ears and even cocked its head to the side. Why was he surprised? Of course the dandy dogs recognized the word “treat.” All dogs knew that word.
“You’re some sweet, lost babies. You need some treats and cuddles before we send you home, don’t you?” Sky continued in relentless baby talk that devolved into complete gibberish.
It didn’t matter. The dogs loved the tone and the constant repetition of the “t” word. The posture of all three dogs was relaxed now. Two were sitting, their long, skinny tails wagging behind them like deadly whips. The dog in the lead had its tongue hanging out the side of its mouth, which would have been adorable if not for the lethal rows of sharp teeth.
“Now that you’ve got them all worked up, do you even know what they eat?” Mad demanded in a quiet voice between clenched teeth.
Moon snorted. “What all scary predators eat—raw meat.”
“Oh, God. Please don’t tell me you’ve got deli slices stuffed in that bag,” Red moaned. “You know that won’t cut it.”
“No, chicken thighs. Barely a mouthful for them, but this is a snack. Not a meal,” Sky grumbled as he pulled out a gallon plastic bag of raw chicken.
That had the dogs’ attention. The two sitting rose, and all three approached Sky.
“Shit! Hurry! Get into position!” Sky commanded.
Nolan frowned. How the hell was he supposed to cast the portal spell to send the dogs back if he was busy with the chicken? He couldn’t.
Lunging forward, he snagged the bag of chicken out of Sky’s hands, ripping a gasp from his lover. “Get ready with the spell. I’ll toss them the chicken.”
“Nolan!”
“Just do it!” he shouted, stopping any further arguments. “I’ll try to keep them between Mad and Red. Moon’s protecting me.” He didn’t even glance over his shoulder to make sure the blood witch was still with him. His eyes were on the dogs that were watching him. Nolan thought to shake the bag to keep their attention, but there was no need. His hands were trembling and the dandy dogs were laser-focused on him.
He stepped free of the brush and moved on to the shorter, neater grass. It took his fingers two tries to catch the plastic zipper on the bag and open it. The scent of raw meat must have hit the air, because all three of the dogs chuffed and barked. Their tails were wagging so intensely, their entire bodies were rocking while adding a whiplike crack to the air.
“Sky? Tell me you’re ready!” Nolan shouted.
“Almost! Couple of seconds more!”
Yeah, he was pretty sure he didn’t have a couple of seconds. The dogs were inching closer and were now nearly on top of him.
Reaching inside the bag, Nolan grabbed a chicken thigh. He forced his brain to ignore the lukewarm squish of flesh as he chucked it as far and high as he could.
And of course, the dogs could jump.
Really fucking high.
All three went up, but the lead snapped the thigh between its massive jaws. It crunched through meat and bone in two chomps. Nolan picked another and tried to throw it even higher and farther, but the dogs were too big and too quick. They were amazing to see, but Nolan’s brain was also screaming, What happens when I run out of chicken?
It was not something he wanted to face.
He reached in for another, his fingers scraping the bottom of the bag this time. Fuck! Almost out. Only a few more left.
“Sky,” he prodded as he pulled out the thigh.
“Ready!”
Nolan chucked the piece of chicken. They all went up for it, but when one of them came down, it kept falling into a portal that went straight to the underworld.