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“Do you know of any minions who could catch the dogs?” Nolan asked. Earlier in the day, he’d watched as Sky had Frank bring him this thick leather tome that listed all the minions of the underworld. But Nolan had first made a quick grocery run for Sky, so he could keep his minions in sandwiches.
Sky braced his elbow on the car door and rested his head on his hand. “I have a couple of options, but they aren’t great. I’ve never worked with them, and that always makes me nervous.”
“Why? You don’t think they’d turn on you?”
Nolan brought the car to a stop for a red light and glanced over to see Sky give a halfhearted shrug. “It’s possible. Not all minions are the best behaved. They don’t all listen to instructions, or they don’t listen well. I’ve got a reputation in the underworld among the minions, and I’m sure it’s spread that I’m now friends with their king. That would keep any new minions in line, but I’m always hesitant.”
And if Sky needed to summon a minion to handle something as dangerous as a dandy dog, that meant the creature brought a different kind of danger to the table. One Sky had to be able to handle.
“Don’t worry.” Nolan pressed the gas as the light turned green. “I’m sure we can handle this.”
Sky slouched in his chair, filling the car with wave after wave of laughter. “I can’t…I can’t believe…”
“What?”
“You!”
Nolan blinked and looked over at Sky for a second before jerking his gaze to the road. “What?”
“It hasn’t even been three weeks!” Sky sat up a little higher in his chair and leaned forward so Nolan could see his wide grin. “Less than three weeks ago, you were in my kitchen freaking out about vampires.”
Nolan nodded. “And Frank. You surprised me with Frank and that you’re a witch.”
“Exactly. Less than three weeks ago, fate tossed you into the deep end of the magical world. You’ve been hit with witches, vampires, demons, minions, and shifters. And now you’re all, ‘Let’s summon up some minions and hunt some dandy dogs!’ I think most people would be curled up under their beds. At the very least, I’m surprised you didn’t immediately put your house up for sale and start packing.”
Nolan could only shrug. “I like my house.”
“Nolan!”
“What? I adapt to things fast. Owen was always throwing my life into chaos, so I learned to adapt and think on my feet. I was also working on my own. No one was out there to help me.” He flashed Sky a warm smile while tightening his hands on the wheel. “But with this stuff, you’ve been at my side every step of the way. How could I not learn to go with the flow?”
“You’re amazing.” Sky sighed, and heat seared the tips of Nolan’s ears. He didn’t feel amazing. Sky was the amazing one with his magic and interesting friends.
Thankfully, they arrived at the meeting spot a couple of minutes later, and they moved away from talking about who was amazing and how.
Maddox parked his truck behind Nolan’s car a few seconds later, and they all climbed out. Old trees filled the block, their dark-green leaves nearly blotting out the streetlamps. The houses were a mix of small cottages and ranches that appeared to be at least seventy years old. Lights glowed warmly from the windows as people were settling behind the TV and children were being sent to bed ahead of another school day.
“Sky, can you tell if the dogs are here?” Red inquired as they all gathered near the edge of the woods.
“Yes, definitely here,” Sky replied, each word sharp and tight.
“What’s wrong?” This time Sky hadn’t done any of his normal feeling the air for magic. He answered immediately.
“Nothing. Only, now that I’m near them for the first time, they feel…intimidating. Hungry.”
That did not sound good.
But it wasn’t enough to stop Nolan from following the other witches as they tromped through the brush at the end of the block and disappeared into the dark woods. Silence dropped over them. There were no bird calls, and it was too early in the year for crickets and frogs to send up their evening songs. Even the distant sounds of cars on the road and life outside the woods were muffled as though someone had stuffed cotton between the trunks.
“So…Sky,” Mad began, huffing as he stepped over a fallen log, snapping old twigs as his foot came down. “We probably should have asked this earlier, but will we be able to see the dogs like we can see your minions? Or are these more like ghosts—invisible to everyone thatisn’ta necromancer?”
Red stopped walking and Nolan almost tripped over the man. “Wait! There’s a chance these assholes are invisible? Fuck that shit!” Red swung around as if he were going to march back to the car.
A disgruntled noise escaped Sky, and he snagged Red’s hoodie, pulling him forward. “They won’t be invisible. They’re dogs. Just enormous dogs.”
“I’m assuming you don’t mean an oversized chihuahua either,” Moon chimed in.
Mad snorted. “What would that be? Like a hairless border collie with a complex?”
