Page 5 (1/2)

CHAPTER 1

The Story No One Ever Heard

Ss, but they’re known for sos, too Like stories that start out as srow tales any taller than we do here in Gatlin Maybe it’s because we’re so close to Charleston, home to more haunted houses than unhaunted ones—each with a story more unbelievable than the next Why should Gatlin be any different? And why did it take ure that out?

Sos that happened toand so iirlfriend was a Supernatural, a Caster with a curse Lena split her Seventeenth Moon and Claiht and Dark I found myself locked in a battle with supernatural creatures that could rival the ones in any co on the cake that Macon Ravenwood, who had once been an Incubus himself, found his way back from the dead

That was all before July When we got back to Gatlin after our terrifying trip to the Great Barrier, the stories—the truths that should have been lies—got even bigger

One thing did, anyway My best friend, Link

Probably the biggest thing that happened this su and the creepy crawlers that wouldn’t stop creeping or crawling—was the introduction of a Linkubus to the unsuspecting world of Gatlin It orthy of the whole front page of The Stars and Stripes, the biggest story no one ever heard Which is a good thing, I guess Because if anyone had heard it, Mrs Lincoln would have found herself with a lot of explaining to do It wasn’t like the Baptists had an official religious stance on Immortals—aside from the heavenly kind—but the word Incubus had some less-than-stellar connotations Let’s just say it wasn’t exactly so Link’s mom would’ve been anxious to share with the reverend when it was tiive her testimony in church

Linkubus wouldn’t have gone over much better

The way Link told it, the whole thing had dropped on his head out of nowhere, like the anvil that always fell on the coyote in those old Road Runner cartoons When I tried to point out that getting bitten by a hybrid Incubus like John Breed should’ve been Link’s first clue about as happening, he shrugged it off and said, “You weren’t there, dude One ravy, lookin’ at half a pig for my second breakfast and thinkin’ about ed…”

Okay, I wasn’t there But the way he told it, it al ahead of myself

This is the story of Gatlin’s first, and only, Linkubus You won’t read about it in The Stars and Stripes, and you won’t hear it frooes Soht to know, someday

It’s the truest tall tale in town

“Wesley Lincoln! You get that fork ave its life in vain!”

Link was sitting in front of a plate loaded doith bacon and hisdifferent about this breakfast, not fro, anyway Or Mrs Lincoln The table was covered with the saravy And if Link was lucky, there was probably still a little so left in the bottom of the jar of Amma’s apricot freezer jam