Deaths Excellent Vacation

loaded her down with everything she could want or need to keep her safe at home. Still, standing by her old rusted- out Jeep Wrangler, the last thing he wanted to do was tell her good-bye.
    “I’ma call you, all right?” he said, giving her a hug and opening the door.
    “You’d better.” She beamed up at him and melted his soul.
    “I will.” He touched the edge of her jaw with the pad of his thumb. “Did you have a good time in New Orleans?”
    She nodded, her smile fading a bit as her eyes took on that open gaze that was always his undoing. “This is the best vacation I’ve ever had.”
    “Good, then I did my job,” he said, trying to make jokes to cover his nervousness.
    “Oh, so now I’m work, huh?”
    He laughed. “Yeah, you are. Silver bullets, half a storeroom of supplies, and a crazy mission . . . Yeah, girl, you’re work.”
    She touched his chest and became serious. “You be careful.”
    He couldn’t stand it. Maybe it was the heat, the way she looked at him, or the sound of her voice, but one moment he was thinking of what to say and the next he’d lowered his face to hers to brush her lips. She deepened the kiss, much to his surprise and completely to his pleasure. The next thing he knew, he’d backed her up against the car.
    “You sure you don’t want me to drive behind you to Port Arthur?” he said, breaking the kiss on a quiet gasp. “Like . . . I could come over and help you put down all the protective barriers, make sure the place was tight—then I could come back.”
    She didn’t answer fast enough, seemed semidazed, and before she could change her mind, he was out.
    “Get in, I’ll follow you.”
    “But—”
    “No . . . it’s cool. I’ll be right behind you.”
     
     
    “IT ain’t much, but it’s mine,” Jessica announced, wishing she’d thoroughly cleaned her trailer before special company came by.
    “That’s all that matters,” Justin said in good nature, looking around.
    She studied him; the hair was literally bristling on his neck and he seemed nervous. It was odd, but he kept turning his head, tilting it like a hunting dog might.
    “I need to get these barriers down fast,” he finally said, reaching for her bag. “My gut is never wrong, and something doesn’t feel right.”
    “But it’s not a true full moon . . . I thought you said we had a few days.”
    He looked up at the night sky. “Some say it doesn’t have to be exactly full . . . just waxing near, if the entity is strong—and I’m assuming by now, after all these years, she is.”
    “Then what about Grand!” Jessica said, rushing to help Justin put a brick-dust circle around her small trailer.
    “Grand got the shop and her apartment ridiculously barriered. My grandmother never, ever, ever goes out when it’s near a full moon, during the full moon, or a few days after.”
    Jessica allowed her shoulders to slump with relief. “Okay, but you should check on her before the night’s up.”
    “I will,” Justin said, focused on the task. “Hand me your dad’s revolver. This needs to be loaded and you need to know how to shoot it.”
    She watched him manage the task, then accepted the weapon back from him. For the sake of his male pride, now didn’t seem like the time to inform him that she already knew how to use it.
    “We’ll seal up your windows, your threshold . . . This trailer is like an aluminum can to those things without it. Easy access.”
    His comment didn’t make her feel better, but his confident presence did.
    “How come you didn’t go after her before?” Jessica stood on her steps holding the gun, watching Justin work.
    “Long story.”
    “Last I checked, we got time.” She smiled, but it was a tense smile like his.
    “You know,” he said, after a moment. “When a witch casts a spell on you, sometimes only she can break it. I guess I was holding out stupid hope that one day I could reason with her. But now I don’t care anymore.”
    “I care,” Jessica murmured. “You’re going to all this trouble for me and throwing away your chance to get whatever evil she put on you lifted.”
    He shrugged. “It’s worth it.” Then he looked at her without blinking. “You’re worth it . . . and I never felt like this before.”
    Jessica opened her front door, but the second she did a low growl paralyzed her.
    “Get inside!” Justin shouted.
    Jessica couldn’t move for a second, and what met her eyes didn’t sync up with her brain. A huge wolf with massive