Dog Days of Summer: A Black Dog Short Story Read online

  Heck. For all I knew, they were filled with twenty-four karat yolks.

  From the safety of his truck, Shaw hammered the wheel with his palm while a grin split his face. But I wasn’t laughing. I smelled like the devil’s armpit thanks to my cuddle with the cockatrice, and I was ready to go home.

  I settled the limp body on the ground and got in my car before something worse happened.

  My phone was blaring rock music before I shut the door. I grimaced as I answered it. “Yes?”

  Shaw chuckled in my ear. “Why did the—?”

  “—incubus call me with a chicken joke if he expected to get lucky tonight? Good question.”

  The incubus cleared his throat and ended the call. I stomped on the gas and got the hell off Brum’s property. It wasn’t until after I pulled up to my apartment that I remembered the reward.

  I had been so shocked by Ringo’s ignoble end, it hadn’t crossed my mind to ask Brum about the bounty on the cockatrice.

  Killing it had probably voided the offer. Then again, he wouldn’t have a clutch of cockatrice eggs if Ringo hadn’t gone wandering in the first place, and they might have been stolen or eaten if not for me.

  Still. Maybe I was better off not reminding Brum of my role in the discovery of the eggs or the demise of the father—mother?—considering how ecstatic he had been kneeling in the dirt. I had all but seen the dollar signs flashing in his eyes, and I had nothing but lint to offer him if he decided to spin the reward into a bill for damages. Not even the pack would reimburse him once they found out the bird’s death was my fault.

  Oh well. I might not have a check burning a hole in my pocket, but there was a smokin’-hot incubus upstairs waiting for me, and that was kind of the same thing.

  Read Heir of the Dog Next!

  Black Dog, Book 2

  * * *

  Thierry Thackeray is having the worst week ever. Her ex is back in town, death omens are camping out on her mother’s lawn and her estranged father has gone missing. Then there’s the small matter of the High Court requesting her presence in Faerie.

  * * *

  Now the wrong fae has answered her summons, and she’s stuck with a not-so-charming prince who offers to fix all her problems…for a price. She can’t afford to tell him no, but with her luck, she might not survive saying yes.

  * * *

  Click here to continue the Black Dog series!

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  About the Author

  A cupcake enthusiast and funky sock lover possessed of an overactive imagination, Hailey lives in Alabama with her handcuff-carrying hubby, her fluty-tooting daughter and their herd of dachshunds.

  Find Hailey Here:

  @HaileyEdwards

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  Also by Hailey Edwards

  Black Dog Series

  Dog with a Bone #1

  Dog Days of Summer #1.5

  Heir of the Dog #2

  Lie Down with Dogs #3

  Old Dog, New Tricks #4

  * * *

  Black Dog Series Novellas

  * * *

  Stone-Cold Fox

  * * *

  Gemini

  * * *

  Dead in the Water #1

  Head Above Water #2

  Hell or High Water #3

  * * *

  Gemini Series Novellas

  * * *

  Fish Out of Water

  * * *

  Lorimar Pack Series

  * * *

  Promise the Moon #1

  * * *

  Araneae Nation

  A Heart of Ice #.5

  A Hint of Frost #1

  A Feast of Souls #2

  A Cast of Shadows #2.5

  A Time of Dying #3

  A Kiss of Venom #3.5

  A Breath of Winter #4

  A Veil of Secrets #5

  Daughters of Askara

  Everlong #1

  Evermine #2

  Eversworn #3

  Wicked Kin

  * * *

  Soul Weaver #1