Job hunting is a deadly sport.
Deandra "Dee" Hendricks is settling into her new life in Axia. She's got her trusty baby dragon, Havoc, by her side; is sharing an apartment with her best friend and roommate, Wendy; and even has her first pet-sitting client. Things are looking up!
Shortly after launching her new website, Dee receives an invitation to a pet-sitter happy hour where she meets Sarah, the owner of Axia's largest pet-sitting operation. Other attendees include sole proprietors, like Dee, and a few of Sarah's employees. Everyone is welcoming and willing to share advice?mainly to steer clear of their notorious fellow sitter, Lydia Monroe.
They accuse Lydia of everything?from magically manipulating her animal charges and poaching clients from Sarah to making false claims about possessing "zoolingual" abilities. The sticking point is Lydia's questionable acquisition of a lucrative gig offered by Oleander Basnet, a yeti whose son needs one-on-one care. Sarah's company fought hard for the opportunity, only to have yet another job snatched away by Lydia.
The peaceful get-together is interrupted when a late arrival informs the group that Lydia has been found murdered. Worse still, the time of death doesn't exonerate anyone at the event. Dee fears she's just shared discounted appetizers with a murderer.
Later that night, a job offer from Oleander hits Dee's inbox. Dee's wallet desperately wants her to take the job, but could there be someone in town so desperate to beat the competition that they murdered Lydia? And could Dee be next?
