Page 72 of Cursed By Fate

“I’m here to assist you, Maya. It’s right there in the job title.”

“I know.” And maybe one day, after years of therapy, I might let her.

I sped home with the box of weapons, hoping to avoid detection. One nosy Neighbor and the whole island would be talking about Maya’s Cart of Contraband. I didn’t need the scrutiny.

I locked up the weapons with the rest of my secret stash, fed Jinx, and left the cottage to fulfill my own weapons collection obligation.

As I passed Terrapin Square, a Neighbor flagged me down. She moved like a snail with legs. I was tempted to meet her halfway across the green.

“You’re that security gal, ain’t you?” she asked, once she finally reached the sidewalk.

“Maya August. How can I help you?”

“There’s some odd behavior happening over at the cornhole tournament. You might want to take a look-see.”

I closed my eyes and counted to three. “Is Keith Irwin there, by any chance?”

“The new werewolf with the big mouth? He sure is.” She tilted her head. “You think he’s got something to do with it?”

“Depends on what the odd behavior is.”

“Neighbors seem very invested in this tournament. I bailed after the first round. Got too intense for my blood.”

“Intense?” Cornhole was more of a game for children and drunk people.

“Dexter Smythe smashed one of the boards when his beanbag missed.”

“With what?”

“His foot. Got himself a skin full of splinters, I bet you.”

Ouch. “Is Penny there, by any chance?”

“I don’t know who that is. I only called you.”

“You called me?” I pulled my phone from my pocket and saw several missed calls. Shit. “I’m sorry. Where’s the tournament? I’ll head over there now.”

“Ramshackles. It’s right out front. You can’t miss it.”

“Thanks.”

I’d have to come back for my golf cart. It sounded like the event was already out of hand. I popped open my wings and took flight. It was easy to spot the tournament below. Clusters of people dotted the landscape. I landed about twenty feet away to give myself a moment to assess the situation.

I broke through the crowd to find Jared trying to force Nathan’s head through the hole of the board.

“Hey! What do you think you’re doing?”

“What does it look like?” Jared snapped. “I ran out of beanbags and this guy’s noggin was the next best thing.”

At the far corner of the lawn, Keith stifled a laugh. This wasn’t a strategic move by the werewolf; he wasn’t testing his abilities again. This was for his own entertainment. Like the gods, he was using his power to settle petty scores and keep himself amused.

My blood boiled.

“I suggest you let go,” I told Jared.

“Oh yeah? Or what?”

I didn’t want to hurt him, not if Keith was the driving force behind his awful behavior. I placed my hand on his arm and asked again. To any spectators, it simply appeared as though I’d gently encouraged him to stop. They had no idea I was capable of siphoning Jared’s energy. I only took enough to weaken him. He released Nathan’s head and stumbled backward.