Chapter Twenty-Four
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
With shaking hands, Jac finished setting her trap in the small building where they stored dry foods, hay, and other supplies for the animals. It was sometimes used as a quarantine area, too, when animals first arrived, thus the cage in the corner. Not that she intended to use it on Heebie, but the cranky tiger temporarily placed inside would make for a great distraction.
With everything ready, and one thirty a.m. approaching, Heebie and Dash would arrive at any moment.
Feeling anxious, she went outside and gazed up at the moonlit sky. “Where the hell are you?”
“Hey,” said a deep, familiar voice from behind.
She jumped in place. “Gack!”
A silhouette emerged from the shadows.
“Dash?” She squinted.
“Yeah.”
“Oh my god. Are you okay? Where’s Heebie?” she asked.
“On his way.”
“He let you come alone?” Seemed a little odd given that Dash was on the chopping block and might run.
“He knows I won’t break my word.”
Her eyes narrowed. “How do I know it’s really you?”
“Heebie has an accent, and he can’t do pelvic thrusts like I can. No one can match my moves. Should I demonstrate?”
“No. That’s okay.” She didn’t need the sexy distraction right now.
“So,” Dash said, “Heebie says you want to put me in a cage and study me as some sort of mating gift?”
“Not exactly. Come here. I want to show you something.” She waved for him to follow her inside. “By the way, how was the show?”
“Tasty,” he replied, walking behind her.
“I meant to ask how it works. How do you get nourishment from attention?”
“Everything in its most basic form is energy. Attention is no different,” he said.
Interesting. “So when women scream your name and drool over you, they’re giving you—”
“Their energy, which I absorb. All demons do, actually. It’s the ones who feed off anger, fear, and violence you have to watch out for.”
“Not so different from some toxic people I know.”
Once inside, they walked to the end of the building near the large cage where her tiger paced back and forth.
“But you can eat and drink normal food, too, right?” she asked.
“Yes, but it doesn’t do much for me. Even if it tastes good, I can’t live off it.”
She turned to face him, gazing into those beautiful blue eyes. For a moment, she forgot why they were there.
“What did you want to show me?” Dash asked.
Suddenly, the animals all around the sanctuary began making noises outside. Screams, howls, and growls.
“He’s here,” she said.
“I don’t think so. He said he’d be a while because he had something to get for you. Another gift, I suppose.”
The animals’ chirps, roars, and squawks grew stronger.
“If it’s not him, then I’m not sure what it would be,” she said.
Dash shrugged dismissively. “So what are we doing here?”
She was about to tell him her plan—using the tiger as a distraction. Then she would run outside, bolt the door, and pull a cord she’d installed to unleash her army of poisonous snakes hidden inside the building. She’d already laid down electric wire on the outside of the tiger cage so the snakes wouldn’t harm him. As for Heebie, it would only take one bite to kill him. Just one. It didn’t matter if he was the size of an elephant. Her inland taipan could kill a man with one drop of venom. And entire bite could take anything down. Once Heebie was dead, she and Dash would be free.
“Okay, so here’s the plan. When…” Her eyes darted to the tiger poised behind Dash, ready to pounce despite being stuck in a cage.
She looked at Dash again, then at Kip the angry tiger. Outside, the animals were still going bananas.
Wait… “The plan is—” She got up on her tiptoes and kissed him hard. Cold lips met hers, confirming her suspicion. This was Heebie!
She continued, “The plan is for us to say goodbye. Yep, goodbye kiss. I really didn’t want to study you. It was only an excuse so I could let you down easy and tell you that while I’ve enjoyed getting to know you, Heebie is my destiny.”
His eyes narrowed. “What gave me away?”
“What do you mean, Dash ?” She had no choice but to continue the ruse. She just hoped Dash was all right.
“Whatever you’re up to, stop right now, or I’ll burn down this sanctuary.”
Her heart raced. “I’m not up to anything. I swear.”
“You think I’d stop with this place, Jacquelin? I know where your sisters live. I know everything about you and your family. I made it a point to learn before choosing you.” He walked forward. “It would take less than twenty minutes to reach them all and burn their homes to the ground with them inside.”
Heartless, cruel scalehole. “Why are you being like this? I thought you liked me.”
“This is me being kind. Otherwise, they’d be dead already along with your precious animals. If you doubt me, ask Dashiel. Oh. Wait. You can’t. Because I ate him.”
Her jaw dropped, and her stomach filled with ice-cold cement. “He’s dead?”
“Tradition.” Heebie shrugged like he couldn’t care less. “Why do you look so sad, Jacquelin? I thought you did not care for oiled demon?” He flashed a reptilian smile, showing all his front teeth, which were clenched together.
“I don’t care about him romantically,” she lied, “but you broke your promise to let me study him. I seriously can’t believe you.” She huffed. “I need a minute.” She turned, leaving him inside the building. Once outside, she leaned over to catch her breath. She couldn’t believe he was gone. Not just gone, but sent to purgatory. Forever.
That nasty, overgrown iguana! She couldn’t let him get away with this!
She stood up straight, slammed the door shut, and then pulled the cord she’d left dangling there.
A moment passed and then…
“Gah! A snake! You think this is funny? I will kill you!” Heebie yelled from inside the building.
She stood with her eyes wide, staring at the door as Heebie smashed into it. In his human form, he wouldn’t be able to break through, but in his dragon form?
No, no, no. Please don’t come out. Please… She had no doubt he’d kill her and every creature at the sanctuary. Then he’d go after her family.
Everything inside went silent. Her stomach locked down, and her heart raced with fear. Die, dragon, die.
A loud crash exploded in the air. What was happening? She crouched, shielding her head with her arms.
She looked up to witness the roof crumbling away, falling to the sides of the building. Slowly, the head of an enormous dark dragon emerged. It had large soulless eyes, leathery spikes on top of its head, and the biggest teeth she’d ever seen. A ball of orange glowed in its mouth as he opened up, preparing to unleash a fireball at her.
Jac’s heart filled with remorse for acting out in anger just now. She had not kept her cool like that time with the black mamba. She should’ve regrouped and come up with a new plan, but no. And now everything she loved would pay the price.
“Heebie?” she yelled. “I’m sorry, okay? I’ll do whatever you want. Please don’t hurt my family. Don’t hurt my animals. They’ve done nothing to you.” She watched in horror as two enormous wings stretched up and over the walls of the building. Heebie was huge, with a hundred-foot wingspan. She’d never seen anything so terrifying. And this, coming from a woman who once nursed a bird-eating tarantula back to health.
Her eyes attempted to take in the ancient, smelly monster, but it was just too surreal. This thing didn’t belong in her world. Where’s Henry Cavill in leather pants when you need him?
Heebie growled, his mouth growing brighter. In the background, she heard her animals panicking, trying to escape their enclosures and flee. They knew what was about to happen. They knew they were all doomed.
“Fine,” she said. “Then kill me. The funny part is that I’m a woman who loves the unlovable—from the meanest, deadliest, and stinkiest.” She threw her arms to the side. “I love all of Gods’ creatures. Except one!” She laughed. “Isn’t that hilarious, Heebie? Not even I could ever love you! You’re destined to live alone forever, unwanted, with no purpose.”
The dragon’s eyes narrowed into tight slits. Apparently, he couldn’t speak with his mouth, but he didn’t need to. He’d heard her words, and the fury on his face said it all.
“Dash was right! You should’ve gone extinct with the dinosaurs!”
Deadly hate filled his wicked eyes as flames filled his mouth. She closed her eyes, knowing she couldn’t outrun him, hide, or avoid what would happen next.
Suddenly a loud crash erupted, and Heebie came falling toward her.
“Oh shit!” She dove to the side, barely escaping the crushing weight of his enormous head.
Her mind twirled with confusion. Had Heebie fallen? Was this a trick?
Preparing to run, she looked over her shoulder. Heebie’s eyes were glossed over, his mouth hung open, and his chest wasn’t moving.
Ohmygod. I did it! I did it! “Ha! Take that, scale head! My snakes don’t fuck around!” She jumped up and down and then kicked his chin. “That’s for Dash!” She kicked him again. “That’s for his sister and for everyone you’ve hurt! Suck it, dragon!”
A sense of pride filled her chest. She’d stopped a real monster! And not just any old one. It was her monster!
Something slithered across her foot, and she jumped. Her eyes darted to the spot where Heebie had fallen and breached the building’s wall. The snakes were getting out.
“Worth it.”