Total pages in book: 127
Estimated words: 119764 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 599(@200wpm)___ 479(@250wpm)___ 399(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 119764 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 599(@200wpm)___ 479(@250wpm)___ 399(@300wpm)
“He’s a bit of a nudist,” I lie.
“Bad nudist or good nudist?” Aggie wants to know, then gestures at the door. “I don’t mind judging for myself—”
“Aggie!” the other woman chides. She eyes me. “Anyone else we need to know about? And you’re sure you’re not in danger?” Her voice drops very low for the last part, so low that only I can hear it.
The door behind me rattles again, and Murr makes a frustrated sound. I decide to amend my statement, because it’s clear they’re not going anywhere anytime soon. “He’s, uh, a dragon. A dragon-man, that is. A dragon in man-form, but still a dragon.”
They exchange a look.
Aggie speaks up first. “Is he trying to eat you? Are you safe?”
“Very safe! He’s quite friendly, I assure you, despite all the noise he’s making.” I continue to hold the door handle. “He’s probably just nervous thinking that you’re both a threat.”
“And…he’s naked?”
“Quite naked.”
Aggie’s brows go up. “Can…I see his pecker?”
“Aggie!” The other woman is scandalized. “What do you want with a dragon pecker?”
“I don’t want anything with it! I just want to see if it’s normal. That’s all. Can’t a lady be curious?” Aggie pushes her heavy glasses up her nose. “I mean, he’s already naked.”
“He’s a dragon. We’ll be lucky if he doesn’t eat us,” the other woman chides.
She’s got a point. Not that I think Murr would be dangerous to them, but dragons in the past have been…volatile. “Just don’t touch any of the cats around here and I think you’ll be all right. He thinks of them as his.”
The older women nod. Aggie nudges her gun at the door. “We can do that. Bring him out.”
I close my eyes, questioning my sanity for a hot moment. At least Rabbit knows enough to stay hidden for now, just in case all of this goes south. Taking a deep breath, I turn the doorknob I’ve been holding in place and open the door. Murr slinks out the moment it’s open a crack, still in his human form. Smoke floats out of his nostrils and he looks peeved as he sees the two old ladies.
Then, he moves to my side, puts a possessive arm around my shoulders, and draws me back against him with a growl.
Aggie titters, looking him up and down. The other woman just gives me a knowing look. “Seems like the cats aren’t the only things he thinks are his.”
She might not be wrong.
CHAPTER 24
MURR
It seems we are collecting more human strays.
These two have arrived upon my doorstep, with strange scents and loud voices. They have the drying scent of old age despite their strange trappings, and wave two sticks around as Dakotah talks to them. Ribbit still hides away, and I can smell her unease. I remain alert and wary, ready to attack. Dakotah has a calm demeanor, but a mother protecting her nest can be deadly. If she needs my assistance, I will give it readily.
But then Dakotah calls out and Ribbit emerges, all timid smiles. The older females put their sticks away and coo over her, and all the scents change from anxious to happy. It reminds me of when there is a new cat that arrives and begins to lurk around the others. The existing colony is uncertain until the newcomer settles in and allows the others to sniff under its tail.
So far there is no tail sniffing but perhaps that will come later.
They all babble and flash their teeth, making the mouth noises so quick I cannot follow. I watch Dakotah’s mouth, looking for familiar movements. She turns to me, as if realizing, and then moves to my side and puts her hand on my arm. “Murr,” she tells the group, “S’murr—” and then launches into another bout of words, so fast I cannot follow. She gestures at her daughter. “S’Rabbit.”
The newcomers peer up at me. One pushes something on her nose, strange circles over her eyes that make them seem bigger. The other one with the short white mane and dark skin touches her chest. “Doh-dee.”
The big-eyes one points at herself and bellows very loudly. “AH-GEE. AH-GEE.”
The other females make faces at her, exclaiming and babbling. “Snotdeff,” Doh-dee says, and Ah-gee mutters something in a reply.
Ribbit steps in front of me as if she’s protecting me. “Friend,” she tells them. It’s a word that I have learned recently. Friend means a companion, like my cats. Someone you enjoy.
It makes me feel warm inside. We are skipping the tail sniffing, it seems. “Fren,” I agree, though my mouth does not form around the sound as well as theirs. “Ah-gee, Doh-dee, Dakotah, Ribbit, fren.”
Ah-gee titters, her hand going to her mouth. “BIG fren.”
All the females make scolding sounds at Ah-gee, who just cackles even more. She points at me with delight, making more sounds, but I miss all of her words. She speaks differently than Dakotah and Ribbit, who say their noises slowly and deliberately so I can follow. Ah-gee wiggles a finger and says something else and Ribbit buries her face in her hands. Dakotah will not look me in the eye.