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I transform back into my human form by their garden gate, eyes narrowing as I catch the faintly rotten, fecund scent drifting from the large bush in the corner of the front yard. A quick glance below the heavy flowers still blooming despite the frost the past few nights, confirms the presence of a web, as well as a plump, suspiciously large spider.
But before I can determine if the Wonderfully yard is just spider friendly or infested by a jorogumo—a Japanese spider shifter that feeds on human bones—a scream sounds from the third floor, followed swiftly by Blaire’s voice screeching, “Let go! Let go of me! Right now!”
A beat later I’m back in bat form, soaring up toward the sound of her voice. Thankfully, Annie offered me an invitation to the home when Colin and I first visited the sisters several weeks ago to prepare for the engagement announcement, so I’m able to enter the window without asking permission.
I have enough time to realize I’m in a bathroom—one that’s seen better days and needs a new sink to replace the pink monstrosity currently clinging to the cracked wall—before Blaire tumbles out of the shower. She falls to the bathmat completely naked and begins fiercely kicking at the tentacle wrapped around her other foot.
Moving fast, I shift into human form and reach for the closest weapon I can find. Ripping the heavy old candelabra from the wall beside the sink, I fall to my knees beside Blaire and proceed to beat back the tentacle, being careful not to hit her leg or foot while I’m at it.
After a couple of direct hits, a musical hooting sound echoes from the drain and the creature retreats, leaving Blaire and I panting on the floor.
Grabbing the odd, whalebone drain cover, I slap it back over the hole and lean in to hold it in place. “Screws! Now,” I shout, but Blaire is already scrambling to her feet and rushing from the room.
She rushes back a moment later wearing a giant t-shirt and holding a big leather tool belt. She drops down beside me, her hands shaking as she searches for the right sized screw. “What was that thing?”
“A house kraken,” I say, my nose wrinkling as a mournful song echoes from somewhere in the pipes. “You’re lucky you and Annie haven’t both been eaten.”
“Is that what’s been singing in the drain?” She fits the screw to the hole, getting it started before reaching for a screwdriver.
“Yes,” I say, cursing their mother again for her failure to educate her children. “And for future reference, if you hear something singing in the shower, get out of it. Quickly. House kraken are smaller than the species that lives in the sea, but they’re vicious and once they’ve had a taste of human blood, they become quite insatiable for it.” The drain bucks beneath my hands, but I hold it firmly in place as I add through a clenched jaw, “And very difficult to exterminate without installing new pipes. Plastic ones. They’re allergic.”
“I can’t afford new pipes,” she says, sitting back on her heels with a frustrated huff. “And I can’t get the drain cover back on without more repairs. The screw holes are all stripped.”
Glancing around the room, I look for something heavy enough to cover the drain and keep the kraken in the pipes. I’m about to ask Blaire if she’s strong enough to hold the cover in place while I go hunt for a small boulder or a stack of old encyclopedias when she sits up straighter, “You said they hate plastic?”
“They’re allergic to it, yes,” I say, grunting as the kraken punches at the cover with its cold tentacle.
“One second.” She scoots around me, brushing against my back as she fishes underneath the sink. A moment later she’s kneeling beside me again, an ancient orange Tupperware container in hand. “I’ve been using it to catch water from the leak, but I can find something else for that.” She arches a brow. “You think it will work?”
“It’s worth a try.” I take the bowl, my fingers brushing hers as she hands in over. Ignoring the way my traitorous body electrifies in response to even that innocent touch, I move my hand and slap the bowl upside down on top of the busted drain cover.
The tentacle knocks the drain cover off almost immediately, but when it goes for the bottom of the transparent bowl, it hesitates, then cringes, recoiling back into the drain with a tragic warble.
Blaire exhales beside me. “Crisis averted. Thanks for the rescue.”
“You’re welcome, but I wouldn’t say averted. Only postponed. You need to get a plumber in here to remove the beast and install plastic pipes.”
She drags a hand through her hair. “I believe you, but I really can’t, Darcy. We can’t afford it. I could barely afford that dress for my makeover yesterday. Until I find more work or discover buried treasure in the basement, we’re on a tight budget.”
Feeling terrible for not considering her financial situation sooner—I should have offered to pay for the makeover up front, considering I’m the one who insisted she needed one—I say gruffly, “Don’t worry about the money. Call Rick at Nightfall Plumbing and Heat and get on his schedule. Whatever he quotes you for the job, I’ll cover it.”
She shakes her head. “No, Darcy. That’s very kind of you, but—”
“It’s not kind; it’s what’s best for the town.” I rise to my feet and reach a hand down to her. “House kraken can spread through the sewer system. Best to nip this infestation in the bud and keep it from affecting other houses that can’t afford to update their pipes.”
She slips her hand into mine. “That’s still kind. And appreciated. Thank you. And just FYI, I will pay you back as soon as I possibly can.”
“Don’t worry about it. And you’re welcome. It’s my pleasure.” I pull her to her feet, awareness thickening the air between us again as she tips her head back to hold my gaze.
“It is really?” she asks. “Your pleasure?” she clarifies in response to my no-doubt confused expression. “Because you don’t look very pleased. You look like you bit into a rotten persimmon.”
“I didn’t sleep well last night,” I admit.
“I didn’t either.” The tension between us skyrockets as she adds in a whisper, “My brain was too full of sex. I’m pretty sure it was oozing out of my ears.”
My lips twitch as I bend my head closer to hers. “Same. You were wicked in my dreams last night, little goblin.”
She loops her arms around my neck and leans in, making me moan low in my throat as her breasts press against my chest. “I’m even worse in real life. I promise.”
