Free The Reluctant Goddess (The Montgomery Chronicles Book 2) by Karen Ranney Page B

I’d become a vampire, if not exactly how.  
    I didn’t get the chance because the world ended.

C HAPTER T EN

    Did the earth move for you, too?  

    The blast upended my world, narrowing it to inches around my head. I was on the floor, the ceiling falling around me. A wet nose was at my chin and the weight of a retriever on top of me.  
    Charlie whined, then licked my face. I winced, moving away from his fish smelling tongue. What were they feeding him at the castle? I tried to roll to the side but Charlie buried his nose against my neck, just as an ancient light fixture fell, missing me by inches.  
    Holy crap!
    Charlie jumped off me as I struggled to sit up, brushing the plaster off both of us. I wrapped my arms around his neck, pressing my cheek against the top of his head. I knew he probably wanted a Milk Bone biscuit, but all I had right now was a gratitude hug.
    I couldn’t hear anything. Instead, I was cushioned in a white fog of sound that perfectly matched my view of things. I coughed and waved my free hand in front of me to dissipate some of the cloud, probably the plaster ceiling dissolving as well as thousands and thousands of pages reduced to airborne pulp.  
    Charlie hacked beside me and I bent over him, wishing I was able to protect him from the dust.  
    What the hell had happened?  
    I’d like Stupid Questions for two thousand, Alex. An explosion had happened, one either timed for my arrival or the most coincidental gas explosion in history.  
    Lucky me, I got the Daily Double.  
    I got to my knees slowly until I knelt on the wooden floor. Pages from exploded books drifted around me. I couldn't see Mr. Brown. I heard Angelica’s plaintive mewing and hoped the ancient cat was all right.  
    The spines of destroyed books were hard on the knees, even wearing jeans.  
    "Stay," I said to Charlie when he began to belly crawl alongside me.  
    He remained in place, but he whined his displeasure when I moved toward where the counter had once been.  
    I heard the sound of sirens, but they seemed to come from far away, but that could just be the distortion of my hearing.  
    “Mr. Brown?"  
    If the explosion had been caused by gas, we needed to get out of the building, or what was left of it, as soon as possible. A fire could start any second.
    I staggered to my feet.  
    "Mr. Brown? Mr. Brown? Are you all right?"
    Angelica startled me by jumping on the ruin of the counter. I shrieked in a ladylike manner, frowned at her, and pushed aside a few books. I heard a noise and peered over the ruins of the counter to see Mr. Brown flat on his back on the floor, covered by blown up books.
    I couldn't see a way around the counter and I didn't think I was up to vaulting over it.
    "Mr. Brown?"
    Please let him be alive. Please.  
    He was covered in the same white dust as I was. Finally, he moved. With his eyes closed, he pushed the books off his chest and began to blink.  
    “Are you all right, Mr. Brown?”  
    He turned his head, his rheumy blue eyes staring at me before finally focusing. He pointed to the ancient cash register.  
    “Hit No Sale, then the double zero key,” he said, his voice scratchy.  
    I had to pull myself half up on the ruined counter, but I finally reached the keys, surprised when the drawer, filled with cash, slid out without hesitation.  
    “Underneath,” he said.  
    “Do you want the cash drawer?” I asked.  
    He shook his head. “Underneath,” he repeated.  
    I found only one thing underneath, a business card that I grabbed and showed to him.  
    “This?”  
    “I was told that, if anyone came looking for what you asked for, to give them the card. Take it.”  
    I stuffed the card into my jeans along with my phone. It was a tight fit, making me wonder if I shouldn’t give up the idea of white chocolate cheesecake for a while.
    He raised a shaking arm and pointed in the direction of the front door, or where the front door had once been. Now there was just a yawning