Cole rolled his eyes with an exasperated sigh. “That thing is not a pet, it’s a menace.”

Zach laughed again. “I want one,” he said, just as the swamp beneath Selene’s feet turned to wood.

She looked up, and there was a dark wooden ramp that led to a log cabin. There were no lights on, and it seemed kind of abandoned but it wasn’t. A plump, dark-skinned woman stood out front, watching with a smirk on her face. She held a cane, wore a knitted shawl, and full skirts that were a ...