“No guns, Detective,” I say gently. “That’s my daughter.”
Sherbet swallows. “Right. Okay. I get it. You Moon ladies are weird as hell. Just... maybe call her off before I have a heart attack?”
“You heard the man, Tammy. Back to being your cute self.”
In an instant, faster than any werewolf and with no dramatic bone-crunching required, Tammy shrinks back into her human form, forest dress fluttering into place. She tilts her head at me. “You really think I’m cute?”
“The cutest.”
Sherbet finally finds his feet, wiping sweat off his forehead. “That was the most terrifying thing I’ve ever seen up close. And I’ve seen some shit with you two.”
“Well, as you can see, the raptor was no match for Tammy.”
Tammy nods like she’s discussing quilting and not prehistoric combat. “Bear fur is super thick. My claws matched his size, my bite could rival his, though he could open his jaw wider.”
Sherbet winces. “Yeah, I didn’t need that mental picture. Sammy, what do we do? We can’t arrest a dinosaur man. Jail won’t hold something like that.”
I inhale... not that I need to. “It’s complicated. Shifters usually stay hidden. They don’t want attention.”
Tammy adds, “Vampire hunters don’t just hunt vampires. They keep every supernatural in line, shifters included.”
Sherbet blinks, processing. “Uh-huh. Okay. That… tracks?”
“If a supernatural starts racking up bodies, hunters show up,” I explain. “They’ll kill the threat fast.”
“And we just wait for another attack and hope the hunters notice?” Sherbet asks.
“That’s one option,” I say. “But Mark isn’t going to stop. He needs to create a new shifter race to fulfill his family legacy and unlock his inheritance. Hewantschaos. We can’t rely on hunters to appear. I’ve already noticed. That means it’s my problem.”
Sherbet narrows his eyes. “So what are you going to do, Sammy?”
I meet his stare. “Remove the problem as best I can.”
***
Allison must have sensed something was off with her favorite vampire pal, because she called not five minutes after Sherbet left. I filled her in on the dinosaur situation, and she immediately asked if I wanted backup.
“We’re talking a potential T-Rex here, Allie. Unless you’ve got a helicopter and a rocket launcher, backup’s going to be decorative at best.”
“I could swing a drone and a very stern text message.”
“Tempting; I’ll keep you posted.”
I hang up and turn to Tammy. “I’m going over there.”
“Now?”
“Now. I need to know how close he is to finishing the spell. If he completes the rite and triggers the shift…”
Tammy frowns. “You think he’s that far along? He left like... five minutes ago.”
“An hour,” I correct her. I fold my arms. “And according to Max, the veil is thinnest right now. Winter equinox. If Mark wasn’t motivated before, he sure is after today’s little Jurassic throwdown.”
Tammy nods, grimacing. “Yeah. He kinda got his ass handed to him. Did I really bite his arm off?”
“You did. I’ve never been prouder.”
“And if he finishes the spell,” Tammy continues, “we won’t just be dealing with a raptor. We’re talking the king dinosaur. Like… thekingking.”
