Today, it grated a bit. Wait, today? No, it wasn’t day at all. She’d been working the night shift. Yes, she remembered how dark it had been. It had been deep in the night. “How long was I out?”
Lila moved the light over her eyes. “Not long, but long enough for me to worry.”
She’d been having the weirdest dream where Zep had taken her out in the woods and they’d found the sweetest dog and then . . .
She sat up and her head throbbed. “I was bitten by a snake. There was a freaking snake.”
“There was a snake. This one,” Zep said, holding up a bag. She blinked at him in surprise. Had he been there this whole time? “I went back for it. It was hell finding the damn thing again, but I got it. Copperhead. Very venomous. Lucky for you, those boots of yours are tough. Turns out he didn’t actually penetrate the leather. So no real snake bite.”
“You caught the snake?” The question came out of her mouth on a screech. “Why would you catch the snake?”
“It was nesting close to the barn. If it bites Archie or Caroline, they might not be able to handle it,” he replied. “Also, I wasn’t sure at the time that it hadn’t gotten you. I had to make certain what kind of snake we were dealing with. I already called some friends of mine from a reptile rescue. They’ll relocate it to a safer location.”
“It’s alive?” She stared at the bag, and sure enough, it shifted a bit. A chill went through her. She’d been in a lot of bad positions, places where people were shooting at her. She would take it all over that snake coming her way.
Zep frowned at her like he was deeply disappointed. “The snake was only doing what snakes do. You stepped on him. He bit you. It’s perfectly natural.” He held the bag out, an oddly prim look on his face. “Would you like to arrest the snake?”
He was so obnoxious.
Lila flicked off the light. “I’m with you, Rox. Don’t think too much of his righteous indignation. It’s not city versus country on the snake issue. I know lots of people around town who don’t like snakes.”
“Well, I don’t like them,” Zep argued. “Hell, if I killed everyone I didn’t like, there would be very few people left in this world.”
She was likely one of them. After all, it wasn’t like she was nice to the man. But it seemed as though he’d been helpful this evening. “Sorry. I’m not used to . . . critters. Especially ones with fangs. So I passed out and I didn’t actually get bitten?” It had been at her feet. She could remember the sight in the ghostly light.
Zep brought the bag back down. “Yeah. The boot leather was thick enough to stop this guy’s fangs. The problem was you hit your head when you reasonably freaked out over the snake attached to your boot. Hit it real hard.” There was a chiming sound and he pulled out his cell with his free hand. “So I had to carry you up to Archie’s, and Caroline called 911 and gave you some first aid before I went back out and found the snake. Now, you should know that Archie thinks it was actually the rougarou, and that will get around town.”
It was starting to come back to her. Zep had been with her in the woods. He’d held out his hand when she’d gotten all tangled up and fell to the ground in ungraceful glory. She’d looked up at him and he’d been so stunningly beautiful in the low light, like some damn prince from a fairy tale offering her a hand up.
She hadn’t taken it. She hadn’t been able to. Instead she’d stayed on the ground for a few seconds too long, and she hadn’t been alone down there.
“My friend’s outside.” He slipped the phone back in his pocket. “He’s a crazy snake dude. I hope this one doesn’t bite him. I’ll be back because I still have to figure out what to do with Daisy.”
He strode out and she tried not to watch him. His backside was as masculinely perfect as his front.
“I hit my head.” It was obvious, but she had to say the words to make them real. She couldn’t remember that part. She could remember the way Zep had looked at her when she wouldn’t even take his hand. She could remember the rush of fear when the snake had struck, but then it was all black. “And who’s Daisy?”
“Daisy is the Lab currently chewing on my dog’s favorite toys.” Lila stared at the equipment she’d hooked Roxie up to and made a few notes. “Zep says you two found her out in the woods behind Archie’s place.”