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Otis lifted his eyebrows and stuck his hands on his hips. “Huh.” He stared down at the carrier for a moment. “Well, okay. Thanks for letting me know, and good luck.”

“Thank you! Hope to see you soon.”

They parted ways, and Paige strode down the hall. Her pulse quickened as she approached the door leading to the back alley. The last time she’d been in the alley, the beast had stalked her. Was it still out there?

She paused as she reached the door, fiddling with her cell phone.

“Well…are we going or not?”

“Yes, I just want to see if the rideshare is here or not. I’m not going out there before it’s here. That beast was out there when I came back from the SmartMart, and I’m not taking any chances.”

“Good idea. We’ll wait in here. Sorry, I’m just anxious to breathe some fresh air.”

Paige’s heart sank for the poor little dragon in the carrier. It had been the first time in over a decade that he’d left the library. She glanced down through the mesh, smiling at the green costume with its felt spikes poking upward.

With a flick of her wrist, Paige pushed the door open a crack. The cool night air rushed inside, smelling of fall leaves and sea salt off the harbor.

Dewey shifted inside the carrier, sniffing. “Ohhhhh, wow. It smells so good. Smell that sea air!”

Paige took a deep inhale. “Do dragons have better smell than humans?”

“Dragons have better scent receptors than dogs.”

“Wow,” Paige exclaimed as her cell phone chimed. “I bet you can smell all kinds of things. Car’s here. You don’t happen to smell any day-walking vampires, do you?”

“I don’t, but I wouldn’t know one by scent anyway. Proceed with caution. I do not want to be left for dead in a carrier while you’re spirited away by a vampire.”

Paige eased the door open, peering up and down the alley before she slipped out and hurried down the dark passage toward the front of the library.

“Spirited away? This stupid thing scratched the heck out of me and is stalking me like a cheetah stalks a gazelle. I’d hardly say spirited away, Dewey.”

“Maybe the vampire just wants to talk and will kidnap you and take you to its palace in Transylvania where you’ll be locked in a tower with spectacular views of the landscape and forced to wear a flowing gown from a bygone era.”

Paige slowed and glanced down at the carrier. “Did you take some of that slime before we left?”

“I may have read one too many paranormal romances.”

“Uh-huh,” Paige said.

“There isn’t a lot to do locked up in that library for years. And they have a big romance collection.”

Paige stepped out onto the front sidewalk, finding a crossover SUV waiting in front of the library. The yellow light of its still-blinking turn signal blinded her in intermittent bursts as she hurried toward it.

“Yeah, yeah, fine. Just be quiet. The driver can’t know you talk.”

“Mum’s the word.”

Paige tugged open the back door and slid into the seat, then she set the carrier on her lap.

She gave the driver their destination, and the car eased away from the curb. Paige twisted her neck to stare at the library as it disappeared from view.

“So, where are you headed?” the driver asked.

“Oh, ummm, ahhh,” Paige stammered, attempting to think up a lie.

“Don’t say Moscow,” Dewey whispered.

The driver shot a glance in the rearview mirror. “What was that?”