“They can smell it and it would be considered a weakness.”#p#分页标题#e#
“Right.” She was still a little groggy but that helped snap her out of it. “I saw on Animal Planet that sometimes it will attract predators. Am I going to smell like dinner to them or something?”
He snorted. “The things you say. No. It’s just that weakness is perceived as a bad thing. I’d like for my clan to respect you. That means you need to be brave. I would never allow anyone to hurt you. Trust me, if no one else. Does that make you feel safer?”
“That guy was pretty big.”
“Red?”
“Yes. And he was scary. He didn’t like me.”
“He didn’t say that.”
“He didn’t have to. It was the way he looked at me.”
“You’re Decker’s granddaughter. That shocked him but he’ll get over it. Anything associated with your grandfather is met with distrust and dislike.”
“Great. You know how I feel about Decker Filmore. He’s an asshole.”
“They’ll realize that and understand you’re nothing like him.”
“I hope so.”
“Me too,” he muttered. “Don’t be alarmed when you spot them and remember you’re totally safe.”
“Don’t show fear.” It sounded easy. She locked her fingers together behind his neck. She did trust Drantos to keep her safe. He’d faced off against that hell beast to protect her. People in skin, no matter how big they were, had to be tame in comparison. She took a few deep breaths. “Got it.”
“Good.” He lowered his voice more. “They’re approaching us. I smell them.”
She scanned the thick woods until she spotted movement at the base of a tree. One of those large, terrifying beasty creatures stalked forward. Drantos halted and squeezed her, as if reminded her that he would keep her safe.
“It’s someone from my clan,” he whispered. “Not the enemy.”
Dusti tried not to stare but it was impossible. The creature was big, vicious-looking, and had sharp fangs. The claws on the toes could probably tear through flesh as easily as if skin were butter. She sucked in a deep breath and tried hard to manage her hammering heart. The creature growled, sounding unfriendly. Dusti tensed, praying it wouldn’t attack.
“They were raised in the human world and didn’t know about us,” Drantos announced, speaking to the creature. “Their mother was VampLycan but their father was a human.”
The creature sat on its haunches, staring directly at her. It didn’t snarl or lunge forward to attack. The dark eyes freaked her out though. They did look evil. It also had a long black mane. The one she’d seen the day before hadn’t had one that nearly touched the ground.
It growled again, paused, and made some whining noises. Drantos shook his head. “She was never told the truth since she doesn’t exhibit enough traits that would have betrayed what she was. She’s not afraid. It’s just that she’s seen only one other, and he tried to take her away from me. That’s why she’s leery.”
It sunk in that they were having a conversation. It stunned her. “You speak growl?”
“Not exactly but we use tones. I can guess what the questions would be according those, or guess moods by sounds, and also by imagining what I’d be thinking and feeling.”
Drantos gently bent and placed her on her feet. He clasped her hand though and held on tight. She wondered if he did it to assure her or keep her from bolting into the woods when she caught sight of more people. They were in skin, at least.
The beast growled again and Drantos shook his head. “Don’t change. She’ll adjust to how you look.”#p#分页标题#e#
The thing ignored him by lifting up to all fours and tucking its head down—then it started to shift.
The hair receded as Dusti stared in horrified fascination. It made disgusting noises that she guessed were bones popping as the shape started to shrink in a little. The skin tone lightened slightly as it became more humanoid. Finally a woman stood before them, stretching as she rose to her feet, seeming to work out kinks in her shoulders and arms.
The woman was tall and lanky, and when she threw back her hair to get it out of her face, it flowed to her ass. Her nakedness didn’t seem to bother her, but it did Dusti. The woman’s perky breasts were displayed and she seemed chilly in the early dawn morning.
“Who is her mother?” She had a husky voice.
Drantos paused. “Do you remember Decker’s daughter who disappeared? Her name was Antina.”
The woman stepped closer and her dark brown eyes widened. “I thought he killed her or she committed suicide to avoid her fate.”