Page 28 of Glow

Where on earth did you move to? Boone typed. Bounty hunters, monster hunters, and dragons?

Fox Hollow has a fairly magical reputation. Dan didn’t want to blow the town’s cover but still hoped to find answers. I’d appreciate anything you can find out about loose dragons.

I do not know, but I will ask around, Boone answered. I also heard you got in a spot of trouble. That podcast has been making the rounds.

Dan’s heart sank. Yeah, I know. Had to leave in the middle of the night. Hoping they don’t follow me. They put a bounty on my head.

I saw that. Absolutely horrendous outcome. Believe it or not, that sort of thing has happened to all of us, sooner or later, Boone said. Most of the time, it works out okay.

Dan tried not to focus on “most of the time” and accept the encouragement. Thanks. If you find out anything, please let me know.

Will do. And keep your head down until this all blows over, Boone replied.

Dan logged out and sat back in his chair, cradling his cup of coffee. How did I manage to go from the frying pan into the fire? Quinn’s going to insist on talking to the sheriff, and I know that’s the right thing to do, but it’s not how I wanted to settle into my new home. At least I’m not alone. I’ve got Wally and Quinn. Maybe the Fox Institute people can help. The dragon and the bounty hunter are threats to the whole community, not just me. I guess nothing is ever simple.

Wally was unusually quiet, telling Dan that his other side was still spooked from the encounter and probably worried about the threat from the hunters. He sent warm vibes but didn’t quite have the spoons to cajole Wally from his funk since he hadn’t entirely shrugged it off himself.

Taking action always helped his mood, so Dan called Dr. Jeffries. He wasn’t sure if the Fox Institute leader would answer his phone late in the afternoon, but to his surprise, Jeffries answered after just two rings.

Psychic, remember? Dan thought.

“Dan, what a pleasant surprise. How can I help you?” Jeffries asked.

“I saw a dragon in the woods today. And I have a bounty hunter after me.”

For a moment, Jeffries was quiet.

I bet he didn’t “see” that coming, Wally snarked.

“Are you somewhere safe right now? Can you get to safety?” Jeffries sounded concerned, which meant he was taking Dan’s outrageous claims seriously.

“I’m as safe as possible, considering,” Dan said. “I’m at the Fox Hollow Hotel, still waiting to hear when the rental is ready. Quinn is coming over tonight. But I went out into the woods this afternoon in my other form and had a standoff with something that really looked like a dragon.”

He gave Jeffries details, reassured when the other man asked for specifics instead of trying to suggest things it could have been.

“You’re not the only one to have seen something like that, but you’ve provided the best description so far,” Jeffries told him. “Liam and my team are looking into it. So far, we don’t have specifics, but once we can identify it, we can come up with a plan to contain it. Now…about this bounty hunter⁠—”

Dan told him about the hunters who chased him back in Dover and the podcast with its video and offer of a reward.

“That’s definitely something to take seriously,” Jeffries said. “Have you told the sheriff?”

“Quinn suggested that, and we are probably going to do that tonight or tomorrow,” Dan replied. “But I was wondering if you had a witch who could put a protection spell on me or had some charms or amulets that might help.”

“I can reach out to Amy, one of our Institute witches. She’ll need to see you in person to do the spell and attune the amulets to your energy. It won’t make you bulletproof, but it might help,” Jeffries said.

“Anything is an advantage,” Dan said. “I don’t want to bring trouble to Fox Hollow, but I can’t keep running.”

“Understandable,” Jeffries replied. “Trust me when I say that Fox Hollow takes care of its own.”

Dan thanked him profusely and ended the call. He finished his coffee, processing what Jeffries had said. A knock at the door jolted him out of his thoughts, and his heart thudded until he realized it was Quinn.

“I think we should go—” Quinn started when Dan opened the door.

“We need to talk to the sheriff,” Dan said over him.

Quinn raised an eyebrow. “That went better than I thought it was going to. What changed your mind?”

“I’ll tell you on the way,” Dan promised. “Let’s go soon. I’m hungry.” He returned to the desk and grabbed his stuff before locking the door behind them.