Free Shake Your Green Thing: Supernatural Witch Cozy Mystery (Harper “Foxxy” Beck Series Book 2) by Raven Snow Page A

city limits. I've got cattle, horses, and chickens now."
    "That sounds nice." It sounded horrible, and it must have shown on my face. To save the conversation, I said quickly, "How's your husband? George, isn't it?"
    Her expression frosted over like it'd been exposed to liquid nitrogen. "He's fine."
    Leaving me standing there without another word, I watched Penny with surprise. I didn't really know much about her— only that she lived in Melanie's shadow and wasn't a very powerful witch. That last bit came from my grandmother. I wondered if I'd said something to offend her, or if she was one of the people in this town who simply hated me for not fitting in.
    "Harper!" Melanie screeched, running up to me. Her blonde hair was sticking out at odd angles and sweat rolled down from her damp forehead. "You're on next! What in the world are you doing standing around shooting the breeze?"
    "Coming, coming," I said, rolling past her and deciding not to say anything clever. Frankly, Melanie looked like she'd skin me for it at the moment, and I didn't really have it in me.
    When the stage lights hit me, I felt sweat break out all over my body, drenching me instantly. The temperature on stage was easily twenty degrees higher than it'd been back in the offices, and it hadn't been cool there. Wiping my brow, I tried to shake off the feeling of being slow-roasted. The green wig didn't help the situation much.
    The stairs were a little difficult to operate in roller skates, especially when my bones felt like they were made out of some kind of gelatin. Cheering began as soon as I rolled to the center of the platform, and I tried to smile at the crowd. It came out like more of a grimace.
    Looking around, the stage seemed a lot smaller than when I'd been looking at it from the ground. I wasn't sure there'd be enough room for my tricks.
    Getting up a little momentum, I skated in a tight, continuous circle in front of the audience. Pulling my foot up from the ground, I held the leg straight up, while still rolling on the other leg. Owning a disco skate will teach you all kinds of flashing tricks, and I demonstrated one after the other for the appreciative crowd.
    About halfway through my routine, sweat seeping through my clothes, I started to feel funny. My head felt clogged like a million bees were buzzing away in there. Even though it was roasting on the stage, I kept shivering, feeling a chill that wasn't there.
    The next thing I knew, I was on the ground, and people were screaming. A shaking hand went up to wipe the sweat off my face, but it froze a few inches from my nose. My fingers, long and slender, were quickly turning a vivid green. My head collapsed against the wood beneath me. I returned my hand to the ground not wanting to look at my skin anymore.
    Sirens sounded in the distance, and Wyatt was touching my face, saying something to me in a hushed tone. The noise of people panicking drowned out his words, but I was pretty sure I couldn't have understood them at that point anyway.
    I closed my eyes for a moment.

Chapter Six
    When I opened my eyes, we were at the hospital, back in the same room I'd woken up in a couple of days ago. I wondered why they didn't take me to the emergency room first. Probably because they knew there was nothing they could do.
    The doctors came in and said that they were going to put me on fluids and a couple of medications in the hope that something would work. I didn't reply to any of that, letting Wyatt take care of everything. His hand clenched around mine when they started talking about DNR forms and all that jazz. Before I knew it, he was kicking them out.
    "It's their hospital, you know." My voice didn't sound like mine.
    "Shut up, Harper." His words were harsh, but his fingers were gentle and cool against my feverish skin.
    "Hey, is that any way to speak to a dying woman?" I'd meant it as a joke, but my smile vanished when I saw what my words did to him. Changing the subject, I said, "Any leads on my