Feral Heat

Feral Heat
Second Edition
Lacey Savage
All rights reserved.
Copyright ©2020 Lacey Savage
Excerpt from Chemistry to Burn

Angelina Moore’s beard itched.

Like the turtleneck of her least favorite fuzzy sweater, the furry bristles she’d picked up at the costume shop tickled every place they touched, especially the sensitive spot right beneath her chin. She swatted at the thick, bushy beard, and for a moment, sighed with relief when it no longer scraped against her skin. The respite was short lived, as the mere act of breathing made her bend her head and the maddening fake hair swept the hollow of her throat.

She growled her frustration between gritted teeth, well aware that her best friend could hear every murmur through the microphone she’d hidden beneath the lapel of her jacket.

“This is by far the dumbest thing you’ve ever done.” Eve Benning’s exasperated tone resonated clearly through the earpiece hidden in Angelina’s left ear. “What possessed you to think you could get away with it?”

“If I had another choice, do you really think I’d be here?”

“Couldn’t you just ask someone for a glamour spell? Your cousin, Trixie, or your Aunt Dora?”

Angelina toyed with the zipper dangling at the bottom of her leather jacket. “Look, it’s bad enough to be the only Fairy in the family with no real magical abilities. No wings, no glamour spells. Nothing. I’m not going to make a bigger fool of myself by asking for help, especially when I got myself into this in the first place.”

Eve was silent for a long moment. “I’m glad you trusted me enough to tell me you were going to do this,” she whispered at last.

“I don’t think I had much choice. You would have found out about it one way or another.”

From the moment the two girls met in fifth grade, they’d watched out for one another, no matter how hare-brained their schemes became. Together, they’d gotten proof of Eve’s ex-boyfriend’s cheating, managed to get a tenured professor fired for sexual harassment, and had even indulged in a threesome -- and a very memorable foursome -- one night on a cruise ship.

Over the years, they’d learned there was no one else they could count on. They’d been in some dire situations together, but even Angelina had to admit that this brilliant idea of hers could well be the last adventurous thing they ever did.

Eve snorted, a decidedly unladylike sound. “I still say you should have let me come with you. I’d be of more use to you out there than I am in here.”

“We’ve been over this a hundred times. I need you in the van in case I have to make a quick getaway. If Griffin has guards with him, and they spot me, I may need you to drive up to the gate on very short notice.”

“Hopefully not before you land a few solid kicks to the bastard’s balls. After you’re done with him, there’ll be no doubt in his mind that he shouldn’t have messed with Angelina Moore.”

Angelina grinned, her self-confidence boosted by her friend’s encouraging words. “Good to have you along.”

“Yeah, well, don’t get used to it. Are you sure you won’t reconsider and go after Griffin the old-fashioned way? With cops and a warrant?”

Angelina opened her mouth to protest, but Eve cut her off before she could begin to launch into the same explanation she’d given her friend every day for the past two weeks. “I know, I know. This is personal. How’s it look in there?”

From her hiding spot behind a tall pine tree, Angelina could see the entire sprawl of the Hard Delights amusement park. “Busy.”