A Teaser

This is a short snippet from the Muddy River I’m working on now:  BOUNTY HUNTED.  (That’s the working title.  It may change):

Derek loaded his arms with boxes of potion to carry to his SUV. I hurried to open its rear door for him, but before we reached the corner of the house, Claws sprang to his feet and raced to stand in front of me, a low growl starting deep in his throat.

“Hold on a minute,” I warned Derek. “Something’s wrong.” As soon as I paused, I felt a shift in the magic in the air. What it could be, I had no idea. No enemy could cross the wards my witches and I had placed around the entire town.

Derek lowered the boxes to the ground and turned in a slow circle, sniffing deep breaths. “I smell a shapeshifter, someone new. I don’t recognize the scent.”

Suddenly, a silver chain snapped in the air and circled him, pinning his arms to his sides. A large, burly man stepped from behind the garage and tugged on the chain, tightening it around Derek. He aimed a glare at me. “Stay out of this, Missy, and I won’t harm you.”

Missy? This idiot came to Muddy River, a community made up entirely of supernaturals, and he was going to spare me? Did he even know what my magic was? I called for power, and it flowed from my feet to my fingertips. Then I zapped him, maybe a little more forcefully than I needed to. He flew backward several yards, losing his grip on the chain. He landed hard with a grunt. I grabbed the chain and yanked it off Derek.

Fangs slid past Derek’s lips and his eyes turned bloodred. He stalked toward the man.

“Don’t drain him!” I called. “I want to know how he got here.”