Free Heir of the Dog Black Dog by Hailey Edwards Page A

the grass— eww —Sean often hunted in the sprinkling of trees bordering the walking track. I got that prowling the track made hunting easier. Most humans were easily duped by the supernatural, and prey ran past you like a conveyer belt of potential victims here.
    I even got why he preferred his bunny form to his horse or goat shapes. Bunnies were cute, cuddly and had no human kills on record. But Oak Trail Park was on the human side of town, and his shenanigans were going to get him caught, skinned and deep fried one day.
    Hunkered down, I crept forward. Pungent magic led me right to Sean in time to see him jump onto the track, rear up on his hind legs and twitch his pink nose at the next person who passed. The elderly woman paused in her power-walking to coo at him. Huh. Most folks had better sense than to approach wild animals. Sean must be using a charm. Or maybe Púcas came equipped with magical lures, like incubi, minus their sexual vibe.
    Wiggling his cotton tail, Sean turned and hopped toward me, attempting to lead the woman into the privacy of the trees.
    A mocking caw had me scanning the sliver of open sky visible to me while I crouched in position.
    The woman’s scream brought me to my feet as a massive black bird swooped toward Sean.
    “Unbelievable.” I burst onto the track beside her and demanded, “Where’s the bunny?”
    She pointed upward.
    The bird, an abnormally large raven, circled overhead with a limp rabbit clutched in its talons.
    “Was he yours?” She covered her mouth. “That poor little fellow.”
    “No, he was—” I bit the inside of my cheek. “Yes. I was walking him when he chewed through his harness and hopped away.” I gestured toward the trees. “I chased him into the open and—”
    “I’m sorry you had to witness that.” Her hand lowered to clutch the simple gold cross necklace she wore. “Would you like to sit for a moment?”
    “Thank you.” I eased back a step. “I think I need a minute alone.”
    Breathe in. Breathe out. Think calming thoughts.
    Fluffy clouds. Blue sky. Black birds. Automatic rifles...
    No. Bad idea. Deep breaths. Calming thoughts.
    Screw it. Raven owed me after this.
    Of all the bunnies in all the world, he swooped down on mine.
    Back at my sedan, a couple of surprises waited for me. “Do I even want to know?”
    Sean the bunny was hopping mad inside a plastic pet crate resting on the hood of the car. His captor held a head of iceberg lettuce and wore an amused smirk while peeling off leaves and poking them through the bars. Sean, for his part, shunned the greens, which amused Raven more.
    Raven stood there, still barefoot, but wearing a faded denim shirt tucked into his jeans. Even his hair was tamed. He had plaited it down his back and tied the ends with a blue velvet scrunchie some preteen girl in my apartment building was probably tossing her room to find.
    Given Raven’s tendency to take what he wanted, one of my neighbors must have also supplied Raven’s clothes, which tempted me to ask him for a name to go with the wardrobe. I restrained myself, but barely. Asking was the same as admitting I found his build attractive, which struck me as inviting trouble. The pet carrier intrigued me less, though someone must be searching for Sparky’s home away from home.
    Before Raven crossed realms, we had to talk about him returning his borrowed supplies.
    “I got bored.” The lettuce vanished from his hand. “This realm is...dull...compared to home.”
    My eyebrows climbed. “Dull?”
    He dusted his hands. “How do you entertain yourself?”
    “I read or stream movies on my computer.” I paused. “When was the last time you were here?”
    His gaze went distant. “During the Wars of Scottish Independence.”
    Damn .
    I mentally adjusted his age. “You don’t seem traumatized by modern technology.”
    Raven’s finger cut a trail through the pollen turning my white car sneeze-worthy yellow. He rubbed his thumb and finger together. “Is that