A Girl's Guide to Guns and Monsters - Martin Harry Greenberg [104]
Ned looks away but his voice lashes out. “You expect me to believe you weren’t just waiting for the best time?” He sneers.
The daughters circle again, closing on Ned. All but Catherine shift back to full wolf, growls rumbling. I gape when Dean pushes into the circle, standing in front of Ned. “Whoa, you’re just going to kill him?” Dean says.
Catherine’s cold eyes settle on Dean and he quails. Without hesitation I wade in and position myself in front of him. Still, protection doesn’t mean agreement. “He tried to kill their dad, Dean.”
Without warning, one of the wolves darts forward, catching Ned’s pant leg, sinking teeth through denim into the boot and leg beneath. Ned’s howl of pain and Bernie’s shout of “Jennifer!” doesn’t cover the sound of denim and leather rending. A second wolf flings herself bodily at Ned, knocking him flat.
“Heather, don’t!”
Despite agreeing, I don’t want to be this close. Short women still make for big wolves. Grabbing Dean’s arm I haul him out of the circle, stumbling when he digs in.
“No! Think! What happens when he disappears after these attacks, after yeti were mentioned?”
The wolves hesitate.
“He’s right,” Ned snarls, holding his torn boot together over his bleeding leg. “If I disappear, you just bring it on.” He shoots Bernie a dark look, but I can see it’s nervous bravado.
The wolves look at each other. “Have him arrested for dealing dragons?” one snarls. I recognize Karen in the cool logic.
“No arresting, no killing,” Bernie limps forward, grips Ned’s arm, yanks him to his feet. “Me and the yeti are going to chat with Ned.” The yeti drifts forward at Bernie’s words, reaches out, catches the back of Ned’s neck in one large hand, and drags him across the yard to the barn.
“Dad,” Karen starts, but Bernie shakes his head.
“No. I promised your mother.”
“She didn’t mean—”
“It doesn’t matter. I promised. No more.” He follows the yeti, leaving his daughters simmering with suppressed violence. Dean keeps me between him and them.
I stare at the dragon, wondering what the hell to do with it. Wondering if I’m the only one who noticed, through Ned’s torn and sagging boot, the flash of cloven hoof.
Grinning at the armload of yeti- hair, I offer an unconvincing protest. “They don’t have to—”
“They want to. You got rid of a dragon.” Bernie’s eyes twinkle. “Let them. It’s important to them.”
“They realize as soon as I start spinning this, there’ll be an explosion of interest.”
“They trust you to guard your business secrets.”
I don’t need to be told what that means from a species as paranoid as the yeti. I can’t wait to start spinning, the silky feel against my hands intoxicating. Weaving the net was sublime. “I didn’t do—” I begin.
“You did good.” His proud smile is even better than the yeti-hair. “Knew you were special.”
Embarrassed, I change subjects. “So. Ned.” Bernie hasn’t brought it up but I have to ask.
He digs out his pipe, staring at it. “Satyr,” he finally says. “Half, anyway. Boy’s all kinds of screwed up.” He squints past my left shoulder. “You know . . . not many human/satyr pregnancies go to term,” he says carefully. “Usually the woman’s . . . too traumatized. Understandable. Ned’s mother—” He stops, unable to continue, tears collecting at the corners of his eyes.
I suck in a breath as the last pieces fall into place. The product of an Uncanny sexual assault would certainly have some identity issues. He must hate that side of himself. I can’t imagine how it happened that Ned’s mother chose to carry to term. My heart aches for the unknown woman. “You’re the only one who knows?”
“Was. Now there’s two of us.”
“Great.” Not a comforting thought. “Think he intended to kill you?”
“Yep.” Bernie shrugs. “Odd man. Not bad, really.”
“Bernie. He tried to kill you. That’s bad. Really.”
“Desperate people. He wanted his monster war. Probably thought he could push secession through, too, if it looked like dragons were invading. The yeti was just a happy