❝beware the beast❞
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Reese had the perfect family - until her older sister, Misha, began to dabble in magic. Now Misha's gone, but the scars aren't. And Reese can't ignore the monstrous power that runs through her body.
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Deputy Margaret Keller swallowed the last bite of her cheeseburger.
The night was uncomfortably warm, and Marge was annoyed as hell at her dreary post. Crickets chipped all around her, whispering secrets of the forest that only they were privy to. A lone moth hovered around the headlights, enchanted by the glow. But Marge was too upset to notice.
Just my luck, she thought. No speeders tonight. Not even a tipsy driver.
All was quiet on Forest Highway 89.
Then she got the call.
"Any units in the area, please respond. We've got a disturbance at the tower in DJ. Caution is advised."
Marge recognized the voice on the radio. Shantel. She'd always liked Shantel. Marge thrust her hand through the open window and grabbed the receiver. Her response was illegible, words garbled as she used her tongue to dislodge a piece of beef stuck in her teeth.
"What was that, Deputy?"
"Sorry," Marge said, reaching for the mega cup of soda on the bonnet of her cruiser. "I'm in the area. I'll take care of it." She took a long sip. "Oh — tell my dad that I said this job sucks."
A chuckle on the other end. "He said he loves you too."
Marge emptied the soda cup on the grass and tossed the trash onto the passenger seat of her cruiser. Then she slid in, put the car into gear, and pulled out onto the highway. Beads of salty sweat began to dot her forehead, and her brown jacket seemed tighter than normal. The radio crackled as she drove, her blue eyes catching the markers leading to her destination. Deer Junction. Bingo. But she didn't get out.
Instead, Marge turned off the lights and coasted for a little while more, hoping to surprise whoever it was that had tripped the silent alarm.
Another crackle from the radio.
She found herself growing impatient as the dry air seemed to suck out her very soul. Stuck in a car with the windows rolled up wasn't helping either. She shrugged off her jacket, grabbed her gun, and got out.
