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Dewey raised his eyebrows as he handed it off.

Paige chugged it in one long sip, slammed the glass down on the counter, and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “Let’s do this.”

“Whoa,” Dewey said. “Sure. Maybe give it ten or fifteen minutes to take effect.”

“Did you give me enough to make me high?” Paige asked as she wandered back to the air mattress and plopped onto it.

“Tipsy, maybe. You won’t be as high as you were the first time,” Dewey answered.

Paige surveyed the tools spread on the plate, her nose wrinkling again. She picked up a scalpel and studied the light glinting off it. “Maybe you should have made me high.”

“It’ll be okay,” Dewey said, landing on the floor and stalking toward her.

She sucked in a deep breath and returned the scalpel to the plate.

After swinging her legs onto the mattress, she settled in on her belly. “Okay, let’s go for it. Get one of those bad boys out of me, and we’ll pick it apart.”

“Here goes,” Dewey said, retrieving a pair of tweezers. “Try to hold still, and let me know if you feel anything.”

“Wait,” Paige shouted.

“What is it?” Dewey asked, leaping back a step with his hands held in the air.

She pushed herself up to sit and leaned toward her tote. “I want to get my mirror. I’d like to see what’s happening.”

Dewey wrinkled his nose, his horns wiggling. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

“It’ll be fine. I can always look away.” She retrieved the compact and tossed the tote away before setting back in.

With one mirror clutched in her hand and the other aimed at her back, she blew out a long breath, then pressed her lips together.

Her forehead pinched as an uncomfortable sensation passed through her upper back.

Dewey raised a magnifying glass and peered at the black tentacles, poking at one with his tweezers. It appeared to flinch from the contact.

“Is it moving?”

“Looks like it, doesn’t it? Which is what makes me wonder if this is some form of parasite. Okay, let’s see if I can cut off a piece.”

Dewey set the magnifying glass down and palmed the scalpel. With his teal lips pressed firmly together, he leaned forward. He adjusted his grip, his ears wiggling as he appeared to firm his resolve.

With the tweezers at the ready, he pressed the scalpel against one of the black worms. As soon as he placed pressure against it, the object snapped back, burying itself inside the wound and turning into a black dot.

“Whoa!” Paige and Dewey both shouted simultaneously.

Dewey’s arms flew back as he stared wide-eyed at her wound. “Did not expect that.”

“It reacted like you were attacking it.”

“Yeah. Which again makes me think parasite. This thing has a self-preservation mechanism. It’s not just some kind of growth resulting from the wound.”

“There are still a few left. See if you can get one.”

“I’ll keep a firm hold on it this time with the tweezers,” Dewey said with a nod as he leaned closer.

Paige blew out a long breath as Dewey settled in over her.

He carefully placed the tweezers around one of the black bodies. “Okay, here goes. I’m going to try to cut him on either side.”