Vision in Silver(49)

            “Can you, like, get furry and stuff?”

            Before he could decide if he wanted to answer that—and what did a young human mean by “stuff”?—there was a thump and a yelp at the back of the store. Then Ruthie hurried toward him, looking mussed and agitated, which was odd because she was usually a well-groomed female.

            “Mr. Wolfgard?” she said.

            First things first. Get the stinky children outside without upsetting the parents since he wanted them to look at the buildings that were for sale across the street. Then he’d deal with the thump and yelp.

            “This is Ruthie Stuart, Officer Kowalski’s mate. She will show your pups around the Market Square,” Simon said.

            Sarah giggled. Robert said, “We’re not pups; we’re kids.”

            Simon looked at Robert and Sarah, then at Ruthie.

            Kids. He’d heard Merri Lee say something about when she was a kid. But the word didn’t apply to her now because she was an adult, so it had never occurred to him that, maybe, humans had a little shifter ability that they outgrew as they matured. When she had said kid, maybe she had meant kid?

            He eyed Robert and Sarah with more interest. “Little humans can shift into young goats?” Kids were tasty. Would human-turned-goat taste different from goat-goat?

            “No,” Ruthie said firmly. “Humans can’t shift into any other form, and while human children are sometimes called kids, they are never goats.” She took a breath and looked at Robert and Sarah. “It would be better not to use the word ‘kid’ in the Courtyard because goats are edible and children are not.”

            Simon watched all the color drain out of Eve Denby’s face.

            “What time are you supposed to look at the buildings?” he asked.

            Pete hesitated, then looked at his wristwatch. “We should go now.” He pulled a five-dollar bill from his pocket and held it up as he looked at his boy. “Share that with your sister and get a treat.”

            Robert took the money.

            Another thump from the back room followed by a loud snarled curse. Then Skippy Wolfgard bolted into the front of the store and spotted the money in Robert’s hand.

            <Cookie!>

            Before Simon could grab him, the juvenile Wolf with the skippy brain snatched the money out of Robert’s fingers, took a couple of quick chews, and swallowed.

            Shit, fuck, damn, Simon thought. Grabbing Skippy’s tail, he hauled the Wolf toward him before glancing at the boy. No blood, no screaming, no missing fingers.

            As Simon changed his grip to hold Skippy by the scruff, the juvenile’s eyes widened in surprise just before he barfed up the money and half a mouse.

            Sarah squealed and jumped away from the mess. Robert leaned forward to get a better look.

            <Blech cookie,> Skippy said.

            “Sorry, sorry.” John Wolfgard rushed to the front of the store. “He got away from me.”

            “He ate a mouse,” Robert said, sounding intrigued.

            “You ate a worm once and barfed up the worm and a penny you must have swallowed along with it.” Eve sighed and looked at Simon. “Do you have any rags or something to clean that up?”

            “I’ll take care of it,” Tess said, coming through the archway from A Little Bite.

            Simon didn’t bother to swear. Tess’s hair was solid green and curling, a sign she was agitated about something.