“And the flat cap?” I jerked my chin towards my swinekick’s new tweed accessory.
“Oh, that?” Jack glanced Bacon’s way, as if he completely forgot about that particular impulse buy. “That one just makes him look jaunty.”
Jabbing my hands on my hips, I pursed my lips in Bacon’s direction. “Put another person under your spell, didn’t you? I swear, I can’t leave you alone with anyone.”
“He did!” Gathering Bacon onto his lap, Jack’s voice rose to a high-pitched coo. “Because he’s a good little porker. Yes he is! Yes he is!” As if he could feel the judgement from our cringes, Jack glanced up from his piggy lovefest. “Oh, Octavia! I almost forgot; a package came for you. I put it on the desk in my office. If it’s okay with you, can I take Bacon for one more walk before you two settle in for the night?”
Only half-listening, I walked to the office, praying whatever it was had been sent by the coven. “Yeah, go ahead. Just don’t let him convince you to buy anything from a street vendor. He gets one whiff of a falafel, and he’s relentless.”
With Bacon cradled to his chest, Jack sauntered outside.
Yawning, Reid followed me into the office and flopped down on the cot. “Pretty sure your boy is coming back with a falafel. Just saying.”
The second I saw the return address scratched on the manila envelope, my blood ran cold. There was no street number, just a city.
Tallahassee.
Where Elba died.
Icy dread snaked through my veins as I tore open the paper.
Inside was a ring box that opened with a pop. One look at what was resting on its pillowed packaging, and the world whipped around me in a dizzying blur.
Swallowing down the bile scorching up the back of my throat, I closed the box and pushed it aside. “Stop Jack. I need Bacon. We’re leaving now.”
“Octavia? What is it?”
Unable to form a response, I moved around the room on autopilot, shoving my belongings back in my satchel.
Rolling off the cot, Reid grabbed the box and snapped it open. “What the fuck? Is that a finger?”
“That’s not a finger. It’s Elba’s finger. It’s still wearing the journeyman’s ring his dad handed down to him. Whoever has his body wants me back in Tallahassee.” Cross-bodying the strap of my bag, I craned my neck and shouted into the gym, “Jack, I need my pig! We’re leaving!”
Dropping the box onto Jack’s desk, Reid’s features sharpened with steely determination. “I’m going with you.”
“No, you’re not. Whoever this sicko is, he has Elba’s body, and my entire coven. I’m not letting anyone else get mixed up in this.”
“How do you know he’s the one who has your coven?”
“The logo on the top of the ring box. It’s the flowered wreath symbol Sister Tralynn uses on all the packaging of the beaded jewelry she makes.”
Planting himself between me and the door, Reid caught me by the shoulders and forced me to look at him. “This guy mailed you body parts. You’re not facing him alone. And it just so happens, my boxing days are over and my schedule is wide open. You saved my ass, Octavia. Let me do the same for you.”
Wandering into the room with Bacon in tow, Jack’s brow creased with confusion. “Everything okay?”
Striding over, I gathered my spoiled little porkbelly under my arm. “Far from it.”
For so long, I relied only on myself. But now—as I prepared to face off with a madman—I wanted nothing more than a badass wolf in my corner.
Flicking my bangs from my eyes, I locked stares with Reid. “The pink helmet is yours. You slow me down, you get left behind.”
The Journals of Octavia Hollows continue with Dead as a Doornail, coming soon!
About the Author
Stacey Rourke is the author of award-winning books that span various genres, yet maintain her trademark blend of action and humor. She lives in Michigan with her husband, two beautiful daughters, and one giant, floofy dogs. She loves to travel, has an unhealthy shoe addiction, and considers herself blessed to make a career out of talking to the imaginary people that live in her head.
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Find the full catalog of her books here: https://readerlinks.com/mybooks/1328
The Gryphon Series
The Conduit
Embrace
Sacrifice
Ascension
Descent
Inferno
Revelation
and The Official Gryphon Series Coloring Book
The Legends Saga
Crane
Raven
Steam
Reel Romance
Adapted for Film
Turn Tables
The Unfortunate Soul Chronicles
Rise of the Sea Witch
Entombed in Glass
Coming Soon: Pursuing Madness
TS901 Chronicles (co-written with Tish Thawer)
TS901: Anomaly
TS901: Dominion
The Veiled Series
Veiled
Vlad
Coming Soon: Vendetta
Archive of the Fives
Apocalypse Five
Coming Soon: Rogue Five
The Journals of Octavia Hollows
Prequel-How the Dead Lie (A Havenwood Falls Novella)
Wake the Dead
Caught Dead
Drop Dead Gorgeous
Dead Ringer
Dead as a Doornail
Dead Ringer (The Journals of Octavia Hollows #5) Page 7