Free The Brotherhood of the Snake (Return of the Ancients Book 2) by Carmen Caine, Madison Adler Page A

"Never heard of coyotes with spikes. Jack said just one look in their red eyes can make you nauseated. That don’t sound like a dog to me."
    I didn’t have the spirit to remind him to say “doesn’t” this time. I was too scared that I was going to panic again. Already, I could feel the first rumblings of terror surging back to life.
    "And how long have these chupacabras roamed the Earth?" Rafael asked softly, his jaw hardening even more.
    "Oh, twenty years or so," Al replied offhandedly, tapping the monitor with his thumb. He was clearly lost in his own conspiracy theory, oblivious to the reactions around him.
    I shivered, wishing in vain for the days when I'd believed fairies and other such creatures existed only in books. "Maybe it’s really the mange. It could’ve mutated and spread from coyotes to bobcats or something," I said, my voice wavering a little.
    I sounded as scared as I felt.
    Immediately, Rafael's comforting arm slipped around my shoulders.
    Al stood up and gave me an affectionate cuff on the arm. "Don't worry, Sydney. Those chupacabras are pretty rare. We probably saw the only one that made it this far north. And you're safe here. Tigger’s not going to let anything near you!"
    I swallowed and nodded, not feeling the slightest bit relieved.
    "Well, I'd better be getting back to work. You kids stay out of trouble now!" Al warned jovially, threading his way through the maze of boxes back to the kitchen. Collecting his bags and pipes, he began to whistle as he disappeared into the garage, carefully locking the door behind him.
    "We must find out how they appeared and where they’re coming from," Rafael remarked quietly once Al had gone. “They've clearly been here at least twenty years .”
    "I've been unable to find a reference to them from before then, or at least that particular form." Jareth nodded in curt agreement. "The chupacabra legend originated in Mexico. It would be valuable to—"
    Abruptly, he fell silent, but before I could ask why, he charged to the front door and violently flung it open.
    Rafael was behind him in an instant, peering over his shoulder. "What’s the problem?"
    "Don't you hear it?" Jareth hissed, holding his hand up and leaning forward as if straining to hear something. "There it is again!"
    I held my breath, but the only sound I heard was that of faint laughter coming from the TV in the other room.
    After several long moments, Rafael shook his head. "I fail to—"
    "Silence!" Jareth made an angry, slashing movement.
    Rafael gave him a long, measured look and said, "Perhaps you've heard the arrival of the Protectors. I summoned them, just moments ago."
    I wondered how he’d done that, and then recalled him fingering his bracelet. Apparently, that bracelet could do a lot. I glanced down at the one still circling my own wrist before Jareth’s angry voice recaptured my attention.
    "You think I'd not recognize our own Protectors?" He practically snarled.
    "What's a Protector?" I asked, moving closer to Rafael. I felt safer near him.
    Jareth whirled on me, obviously more than a little irritated. "Sydney, can you really not hear them?"
    I didn’t like the sound of that. Suddenly, I felt like I was caught in the middle of some horror movie. "Them?" I swallowed. My fingers gripped Rafael's arm of their own accord.
    Jareth's dark eyes bore through mine, and through the open front door, I saw several tall, dark shadows detach themselves from the pine trees in the front yard. They moved so quickly that I didn’t even have time to scream before three Fae stepped into the circle of light surrounding the porch.
    The first one was Melody, swathed in a dark cloak from head-to-toe and with her blonde curls woven tightly around a silver circlet.
    Behind her stood two male guards, one fair and one dark, both dressed in glossy black body armor and both with a creature at their heels resembling a white spotted leopard with sharp, pointed horns.
    Melody's chilling gaze swept over me,