Sassy Ever After: Kiss My Sass (Kindle Worlds Novella) by Serena Pettus Read Free Book Online Page A

a dirt path.
    She pulled up to the front porch, frowning when she noticed the front door was cracked open. “What the hell?” She was sure she’d shut it when she’d left earlier.
    The guys hadn’t come up the driveway yet, but Ashe wasn’t one to rely on anyone. She took her pepper spray and hopped out of the SUV, closing the door as quietly as possible, and locking Lilly inside.
    She crept up the porch steps, careful to stay close to the railing to avoid the creaky board halfway up. Sure enough, the doorframe was damaged, so her home had been broken into.
    Heart in her throat, she nudged the door with her foot and peered inside. Things seemed to be relatively untouched from what she was able to see.
    Maybe they got spooked and took off when I pulled in , she thought. After all, she had no way of knowing when exactly the break-in occurred.
    A tentative step inside confirmed nothing was out of place for as far as she could see. Going through the kitchen, she saw the back door was still closed and locked, and all the windows were intact too.
    “Looks like I’ll be giving the cops two statements today,” she groused.
    With a sigh, she headed back to the front door only to stop cold at the foot of the stairs when a low chattering hiss came from above. The air froze in her lungs as she stared up at the biggest badger she’d ever seen.
    How it got inside didn’t really matter at that point, because the only exit available to it was right behind her, wide open and waiting. Unfortunately, that meant she was in the way.
    Horrified, she watched as it prowled down the stairs, its beady eyes focused on her, rooting her to the spot. She’d seen badgers before, but the markings on this one were different. Instead of the black stripes, which were usually over the eyes and head, this one had a silvery-white mantle that extended down its back, while the rest of it was solid black.
    All badgers were known to be rather vicious, but not necessarily very large. The one stalking towards her was at least two feet wide and four feet long. A monster among its kind for sure!
    Making sure her finger was on the trigger, she raised the pepper spray and aimed for the dark eyes trained on her. The hiss she got in response raised the tiny hairs on her arms and had her heart racing.
    “Where the hell did you come from? There aren’t any nuclear plants around to mutate the wildlife, but you sure are one ugly bastard.” Ashe was mainly talking to herself, but her words seemed to enrage the furry demon. For such a stocky thing, it practically flew down the steps. All she could do was spray and hope she hit it.
    Stepping quickly to the side, Ashe tried to avoid being too close as it bolted for the outdoors, but at the last minute, it twisted and struck. Its paws had claws that were longer than its damn teeth, and it raked them down her calf before scrambling out the door, hissing and chattering the whole way.
    “Son of a bitch!” she screamed, dropping to the floor. Her leg felt like someone had lit it on fire. The scratches were deep, and already bleeding freely, the blood making her feel woozy.
    Refusing to pass out, she averted her eyes from the injury, her maternal instincts kicking in. Sure, her rational mind knew the badger couldn’t get to Lilly in the car, but rational thought wasn’t really in play at the moment.
    There was still no sign of the guys, but she didn’t have time to worry about them now. Her sock and shoe were already blood-soaked, and she needed to fetch Lilly and doctor her leg as quickly as possible.
    Gritting her teeth, she struggled to her feet, stumbling out onto the porch. She tried to block out the pain radiating down her leg as she scanned the area for any signs of movement.
    If the badger came back she’d be in serious trouble. A glance down had a wave of dizziness slamming into her. Blood was steadily oozing from her wounds, and while she was usually okay with the sight of blood, seeing her own was a