What she was was a spy snooping around my town looking for monsters. I didn’t like it. I didn’t like her. And I didn’t like her suddenly showing up when we had a ghoul on the loose, and stolen god weapons popping up on doorsteps.
I sniffed, trying to sense if there was anything ghoulish about her, but she smelled the same, the kitchen smelled the same, and all I wanted was for her to get a hotel room and leave my house.
“Just a teensy little ride along?” she asked. “Please, Delaney? Half a day? A few hours is all I’m asking. It would just mean everything to me.”
Fact: I do not like being manipulated.
Fact: I do not like being manipulated by a stranger.
Fact: I do not like being manipulated by a stranger who was also hunting supernaturals in a town full of supernaturals who were my friends.
“Not going to happen. Even in a small town, police business can be dangerous. We don’t let anyone ride along.”
“Boo,” she said, sticking out her lower lip before taking another sip of coffee. “Maybe Ryder will show me around instead.”
I opened my mouth to tell her good luck with that, but the back room door smacked open and a set of paws and hooves hit the hallway running.
Spud was barking hisdanger protectbark, and I hurried into the hallway to head him off at the pass.
“Spud,” I called. “Hey, Spuddo, it’s okay.”
I’d never heard him snarl like that as he tried to push his way into the kitchen. I caught his collar right before he skidded around the corner and pulled him back before he could reach Vivian.
He did not like her.
Good. Neither did I.
“That’s enough,” I said. “Settle down.” I put one hand on his back haunches to get him to sit, but he resisted, sidestepping. He was big enough and strong enough, I had to tug on his collar to keep him from barreling forward.
I was so busy with the dog, I didn’t even notice the dragon pig.
“Oh my god!” Vivian squealed. “Is that a pig? Delaney, do you own a pig? Of course you do—just look at you. Come here little fella. Hey, there cutie patootie. Here piggy piggy piggy.”
Fortunately, I managed to get Spud to lay off his “attack” mode. Unfortunately, I had another terrifying situation on my hands.
This woman had just said: “here piggy piggy piggy” to a dragon. A dragon who could be a real grump sometimes. A dragon who could devour cars, houses, maybe even cities if it really got a good angry binge going.
A dragon who could swallow this woman down in one lazy chomp.
I was half-bent over Spud, hand still on his collar. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ryder moving this way fast. But my real attention was lasered in on the dragon pig.
It had been trotting along, maybe heading into the living room, maybe heading to the fire where it liked to bask at night, maybe heading toward its hoard of toys.
But as soon as it heard that “piggy piggy” it stopped in its tracks, one front leg still raised. Its little pink head swiveled. Its eyes narrowed and one ear flopped back as it glowered up at her.
“Oh, aren’t you a darling?” Vivian bent over and stretched her fingers out toward the dragon pig.
The dragon pig rolled its eyes toward me. I shook my head and mouthed “don’t,” but right then, her fingers stretched out just that bit more and she booped it on the nose.
Booped the dragon pig.
The dragon pig unhinged its jaw. I faked a sideways stumble to get between it and her.
It growled, but I raised my voice to cover the noise. “Ryder! Can you take over Spud here, maybe put him outside, and I’ll…um…handle the pig?”
He was there instantly, switching off to hold Spud’s collar, and gently talking to the dog. I turned my back on Vivian keeping the dragon pig out of her line of sight. I bent and scooped up the dragon and pulled it against my chest.
Its eyes were burning red with blue centers. I’d never seen that much fire in them before. I mouthed,monster hunter. Then out loud, “Cool it, okay?”
