Book Five: Chapter 192

The sasquatch deflated, his eyes brimming with tears. “You speak for the forest,” he muttered beneath his breath. “You’re just full of surprises.” He wandered off with Leeds, his shoulders drooping. It was clear that the sasquatch had mixed feelings, but even clearer to Mike that this was the correct choice. Allowing Leeds to wander off again would just create a problem in the future that he might not have a solution for.

Even worse, someone else could die because of it. He winced, feeling the pain of Velvet’s death anew. Though his anger was gone, his sorrow had been planted deep.

“Abella.” He walked over to the gargoyle and put his hands on her shoulders. “Are you okay?”

She looked at him for several moments, then shrugged. “I’ve had better days,” she told him.

With a sigh, he touched the dog tags around her neck. The soft jingle reminded him of Velvet, her head tilted to one side with a smile on her face.

“Here.” Abella started to lift the tags off h