Dane's a Decrypter down on his luck -- after accidentally dispatching the wrong creature, he's sent to a small town where the cryptids he hunts are sparse. Crypt Coffee becomes his business front, but instead of a thrilling new mission on the side, he's stuck sending ghosts back to where they came from. Dane can annoy customers, at least, and tries to scare off Professor Sean Sanderson when he starts poking around too much.<br><br>But Sean isn’t about to stay away. Not when he hears about the murder of a former student, and definitely not if young, exciting Dane has information about it. But the more he allows himself to get dragged into this supernatural world of monsters and ghosts, the more the danger escalates. And if Sean and Dane aren’t careful, tracking down a murderer who can use magic might just get them killed.

Bad Seed

He was at the top of a set of stairs, and below was well-lit. He tried to descend quietly but every step he took opened up just a little more of a view of what was down here, and it wasn’t bags of coffee beans.


It was weaponry. Probably a full metric fuckton of it, too. Silver-tipped spears, shining blades, and coiled chains all hung on the walls. The hair on Sean’s arms and neck stood on end. Torture? Kink? He licked dry lips with a dry tongue, and then footsteps approached behind him at the top of the stairs. Sean turned and saw Dane, and he did not look happy.


“Sorry,” he said as Dane glowered. Sean immediately turned and went back up the steps. “I thought I saw…”


“What?” asked Dane. Sean had to stop on the top step since Dane hadn’t moved. The man was taking up the entire doorway. If Sean leaned any closer they’d practically be embracing.


“Nothing. You’re right. I’m up past my bedtime.”


Chapter 3