Page 1 of Soaring into the Midlife

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"Kendra,if your aim was any worse, we could start a 'how not to throw a net' tutorial." I ducked as a wrench flew past my head.

"How about less sass and more ass-kicking?" Kendra had that look on her face she got when she was two seconds from turning someone into a toad. Or worse.

In one corner, "Bulldog" Benny, a mountain of a man with fists like hams, was attempting to barrel his way through stacks of crates, probably thinking they'd magically part like the Red Sea. Izora moved in, graceful as a cat on hot asphalt. She grabbed his arm and twisted, eliciting a yowl that would have made an actual bulldog proud.

"Hey, Benny." I couldn't resist goading him a bit. "Ever thought of obedience school? You'd be the star pupil."

Kendra snickered, busy trying to tie up "Slippery" Pete, whose slick-backed hair was as greasy as his escape attempts.

"Twinkle Toes" Tony lunged past me, probably fancying himself a boxer with those flailing arms. I sidestepped and clipped him with a shoulder, sending him sprawling across the concrete."That's for every dog you've ever hurt," I growled. What a scumbag.

"Look at Izora go." Kendra secured Pete with zip ties. "She's like Mary Poppins if Mary carried a sword instead of an umbrella."

I admired Izora, ancient vampire queen or not, as she handled "Tiny" Tim with finesse. He was anything but tiny, a veritable giant with a beard so scruffy and long you could lose a badger in it. Izora danced around his lumbering form, disarming and disabling without so much as breaking a sweat or a nail.

"Way to go, Izora. Not a single jugular ripped out," I said, genuinely impressed. It was hard enough keeping my fangs in check with these creeps.

"Shall I take a bow, or would that be too dramatic?" Izora asked dryly, pushing Tiny Tim down beside his cohorts.

"Save it for the encore," Kendra said with a grin.

"Yeah, let's just get these guys tied up.” And before they realized we weren’t just three girls who wandered in off the street. I made sure my strength appeared human-normal as I tugged the restraints tight.

"Wouldn't want them to suspect anything supernatural." Izora winked one ice-blue eye at me. "After all, they might think we're the monsters."

Once they were tied up, we stepped away and whispered. "Speak for yourself." I flashed a faux-scary grin. "I'm as monstrous as a cupcake with extra sprinkles."

"Sure." Kendra chuckled. "Just a cute little vampire dragon who plays with metal for fun."

"Let's just get these lowlifes to the cops." I tried to sound tough but probably just managed peppy. "And then maybe we can grab some ice cream. I feel like I've earned some mint chocolate chip after all this."

I’ve recently discovered I could eat regular foods, so I’m rediscovering all my favorite junk foods.

"Only if it's got double sprinkles," Kendra said.

"Deal." We maneuvered our catch toward the exit. "But no more net-throwing for you, Kendra. Seriously, we'll work on your aim next time."

“Har-har,” she said as she yanked the smallest of the guys by his arm. “Come on.” She dragged the scruffy-looking man with a nose that had clearly been broken more than once toward Jax's biggest SUV.

Izora and I hauled up the other three. “Walk,” I said. “Or you’llneedto be carried.

They grumbled, but they did it, clambering into the back of the SUV. It was a tight squeeze with two of the guys being so freaking huge, but they managed it, with the biggest guy in the middle row.

The moment the door slammed shut, a soft whining sound made me pause. My head snapped up, looking back toward the dimly lit warehouse. "Did you guys hear that?"

"Yep." Kendra was already on high alert, her witch instincts kicking in despite her need to keep them under wraps.

"Sounds like... not our problem?" Izora said, though I caught the flicker of concern cross her face.

"Come on, let's check it out." I ignored Izora's eye roll. “Those guys aren’t going anywhere.”

We went back inside and tiptoed around crates and debris, following the pitiful noise until we stumbled upon its source, a tiny chihuahua, all big eyes and quivering ears, cowering behind a stack of wooden pallets. Poor guy was shaking like a leaf in a tropical storm.

"Aw, look at you," Kendra cooed, squatting down to the dog's level. "What are you doing here, little guy?"

"Probably looking for someone's ankle to latch onto," I joked, but even I couldn't resist the little creature's shaky tail wag. Ugh, he’d probably been a bait dog. Poor little guy.