Shifters, Beasts, and Monsters (15 page)

Chapter Twelve

In the morning, Kate rose, dressed and went straight
to Ross Malloch’s bedroom, pounding on the door with her fist. She could hardly
believe she had fallen back asleep after all the disturbance last night, but
she seemed to rest remarkably well here at Mallochbirn. She wondered if that,
too, was magic.

As soon as she heard a human voice within groggily ask
who was banging on his door, she burst into the room. Ross was sitting up,
looking bleary-eyed in his huge bedstead. He was naked. She ordered herself not
to admire the sculpted muscles on his chest, and was thankful that he was
mostly covered below the waist.

“I want an explanation,” she snarled. “Assuming you’re
going to stay human long enough to give me one. And don’t you dare try to tell
me I dreamed the whole thing.”

He held up a hand. “Please don’t come any closer. I’m
no longer in control of the shape-shifting.”

Her anger felt like a fist clenching inside her. “He—you—told
me I couldn’t leave the island. That I wouldn’t want to leave. Did you put some
sort of magical spell on me? Am I a prisoner here?”

“It was more of a suggestion,” he said, sounding
chastened. “Like a post-hypnotic thing.”

“Every time I’ve thought about leaving, the idea has
gone right out of my head.”

“You’ve thought about leaving?”

“Of course. I’m here on vacation. I was going to drive
all around the Highlands. I rented a car. Soon the car will be due back at the
rental place in Edinburgh or they’ll charge me for another week, which I really
can’t afford.”

“I should have thought of that. I can have someone
return it for you.”

“What if I want to return it myself? What if I want to
leave? Are you going to prevent me?”

“No. No, listen. Now that you’ve remembered everything,
I’m sure the compulsion to remain here has been nullified, too. It’s just that—”

She stared at him stonily. “What?”

“He is not going to be happy if you try to leave. He—I
honestly don’t know what he might do.”

“You talk about ‘he’ as though you were two separate
beings. Is that what you are? Do you have Multiple Body Disorder?”

“It’s difficult to explain. I don’t understand it
myself. He isn’t me, not really. I mean, I never even felt him until I was nineteen.
And he’s existed for centuries, if the stories are true. Unless he’s some
strange genetic disorder. As I said, there haven’t been any scientific studies
done on the phenomenon. I guess, since this shape-shifting ability runs in my
family, there must be some bizarre coding in my DNA, but—”

“I don’t need a technical explanation. I just need to
know if you’re going to keep turning into a beast and trying to rape me.”

“I’m really sorry about that. I mean, rough sex can be
fun at times, but I can understand why you might object to a gigantic snout and
tentacles.”

She blushed at the reminder about the tentacles, which
she didn’t find
entirely
objectionable.

“I would rather make love to your human self, but that
seems to be impossible, with that aura that lights up around you every time I
get too close.”

He looked more cheerful. “You would? You’d make love
to me?”

She rolled her eyes. Had he forgotten what she’d done
with him in the maze? “That was before I found out that you’d lied to me and
put a spell on me. Now I just want to leave.”

“Kate. Don’t leave. Please. We’ll figure this thing
out. There must be a solution, since the Malloch line has not died out in
something like 900 years.”

“The male Mallochs haven’t died out. How about the
women? What happens to them once they are raped by a giant reptile?”

“He’s actually a mammal.”

Kate was unprepared for the snort of laughter that
took hold of her. The sea dragon was a mammal, not a reptile. “He has wings, or
vestiges of them. Maybe he’s a fucking bird.”

Ross began to laugh, too. “I’m a veterinarian. Trust
me, he’s a mammal.” He paused. “I love your laugh. Even when it comes out as a
snort.”

It was such an unexpected compliment that she grinned
at him. “I wish I could say I love your beast’s gigantic spiky penis, but the
truth is, it terrifies me. You should be a plastic surgeon, not a vet, because
I will need a new vagina after the Zrakon is through with me.”

“The Malloch women have lived to a fine old age and
given birth to other children, so it’ll probably be okay.”

“Easy for you to say. Let me remind you that there’s a
requirement that I be willing. That means that you and your monster have to
earn my—” she paused, wanting to say “my love,” but love seemed like such
a sentimental word to use in this situation. They had only known each other for
four days. Maybe things had been different in ancient times, but no 21st
century couple spoke of love after only four days. “—my cooperation. And
at the moment, after discovering that you tricked me, I’m not inclined to give
it.”

“I’m sorry for that. I—he—we didn’t want
to scare you. I just wanted some time to get to know you, and for you to get to
know me without the bloody Zrakon stomping and roaring and beating his chest.”

She pictured the Zrakon doing just that on the night
they’d met and couldn’t stop herself from smiling. She also remembered, because
now she knew what had happened on Midsummer’s Eve, that his chest was strong
and oddly comfy as he had cradled her against it during their swim. “He is
rather melodramatic, isn’t he?”

“He likes to show off. If he doesn’t start behaving, I
swear I’m going to send him on tour in a bloody circus like the freak he is.”
As he said this, he began to shimmer, and she backed up a couple of steps. His
body started to enlarge and heat came pouring off him, driving her farther
away.

“Stop that, Zrak,” she ordered. “Go back. You’ll have
your chance, but this is not the time.”

The shimmer died away, leaving Ross looking normal.
His grin was sheepish. “He’s getting more insistent.”

“No kidding. What if you lose control entirely? Will
you stay a sea dragon forever?”

“I’d better not, dammit. I have a fucking life to live.
There are a lot of people dependent on me. Not to mention animals.”

“Did any of your ancestors ever lose their human form
completely?”

“No. All this drama is over getting the next heir. And
having sea dragon sex, which seems to be all the Zrakon is interested in. He
might be hundreds of years old, but he acts like a horny teenager.”

“So I not only have to fuck a sea dragon, I have to
have his kid, too?”

“The child is human. It’s not like, you know, giving
birth to a monster.”

“I am not sure I would classify you strictly as human.”

“Maybe not, but if it’s true that one of your distant
ancestors married one of mine, then you’ve got a few drops of Zrakon blood in
you, too.”

That was certainly something to ponder. “When is the
full moon?” she asked.

He grimaced. “I looked it up. The moon is full
tonight.”

Great. Just terrific.

Chapter
Thirteen

Kate had prowled the castle like a ghost all day,
spending even more time than usual in the library, looking for something,
anything, about the Mallochbirn dragon. Hadn’t any of the women in the family
kept a journal or written letters or recorded their experiences with the male
shape-shifters who had lived in the keep for centuries? Damn them. Maybe they’d
been illiterate. Why was it only males who’d received a decent education? At
least modern society was correcting
that
error.

She was going to have to leave. Or try to leave. She had
been compelled to remain on the island, and that, dammit, she couldn’t forgive.
She was no uneducated maiden from the Dark Ages; she was a contemporary
kick-ass chick who was damned if she would allow her freedom to be snatched
from her.

Late in the afternoon, Kate packed her things in her
backpack and marched down the stairs to the great hall. There was nobody about.
Ross was in his office, holding his veterinary clinic, Mrs. Dumfries was in the
kitchen, cooking something that smelled delicious, and she had no idea where
Hamish and Jamie were. She hoped Ross had the sea dragon under control. She
hated to think what kind of panic would ensue if he burst out during one of
Ross’ examinations of the local dogs and cats.

She felt a little guilty for leaving when there was no
one to say farewell to, but she told herself that it was better this way. She
like everyone at Mallochbirn. She even liked the Zrakon when he was behaving
himself. As for Ross, she didn’t even want to admit to herself how much she
liked him.

She managed to escape the keep without anybody
interfering. The tide was on the way out, so the causeway was high and dry. She
felt a little anxious as she set foot on the gravelly path that led to the
mainland, but nothing came roaring out of the water to stop her. Half-expecting
to be intercepted any moment, she hurried toward the village. She reached the
other side uneventfully. Relieved and perhaps a little disappointed, she
trudged up the hill toward the village. The first thing she intended to do was
check on her rental car. It had been sitting unused in the inn parking lot for
several days.

Before she got that far, though, she met the Rev.
Lambeth coming in the opposite direction.

He was holding an animal carrier in his hand. From it
was issuing loud, anguished cries.

“Good afternoon, Miss Beaton,” he said when he
recognized her. “Is the laird at the keep?”

“Yes, I believe so. Is that your cat yowling? What’s
wrong with him?”

“It’s Scrounge, yes. He’s been restless all day. He
won’t eat or drink. The desperate cries started a little while ago. I think he’s
sick.”

“And you’re taking him to Ross?”

“To the laird, yes. He’s a vet.”

Kate tried to reach the mind of the kitty, but the animal
was too fretful. He was in pain—that much she could tell from the sound
of his cries.

“I’ll come with you,” she heard herself say. She could
attend to her rental car later. Besides, now that she knew she could leave the
island without a huge sea dragon rising up in her path to prevent her, she wasn’t
sure she actually wanted to leave.

There’s a full moon tonight,
she yelled
at herself.
If you have any sense, you’ll get the fuck away from here.

But Prince yowled again, sounding truly anguished, and
she knew she couldn’t go.

Ross was at the door to his office when she and Rev.
Lambeth reached the old estate stable area. He smiled warmly at Kate, making
her feel guilty. He obviously didn’t know she had tried to leave. “Hullo. I was
just closing for the day.”

“It’s an emergency,” she told him. “The vicar’s cat is
sick and in pain.”

“Aye, he doesn’t sound happy, does he? Come on in
then.”

Now that he was here, Scrounge...er...Prince objected
to being removed from his cat carrier. His hair stood on end and his back
arched as Ross tried to coax him onto the examining table. Kate opened the top
of the carrier and tried to soothe him while the Reverend stood there looking
helpless. “It’s okay, he can stay in there if he’s more comfortable. Let me
listen to his heart.”

With his stethoscope in his ears, Ross approached the
seething, spitting cat. Prince appeared to be much larger than usual because of
the way his hair was standing on end. Kate recalled that Ross had said he wasn’t
as good with cats, so she did her best to help. “Prince,” she crooned softly. “Try
to relax. He’s not going to hurt you.” The cat was dubious about this, but as
she continued to talk to him, he grew calmer. Kate assured Prince that he was
safe and that the doctor was trying to help him.

“Did he have any sort of accident?” Ross asked the
vicar. Between them, he and Kate had managed to get Prince out of his carrier
and onto the table.

“No.”

“Did he eat anything unusual?” Ross was now able to
run gentle hands over the cat’s body, searching for injuries or tender spots.

“No. He was acting strange all day. Restless, grooming
himself in an odd, jerky manner, refusing his food. A little while ago, while he
was sitting in his usual spot on the front windowsill, he began yowling. I tried
to pet him, but he just cried all the harder. I decided I’d better bring him to
you before you closed for the day.”

Ross asked a few more questions, and then said, “I’m
not finding any wounds, and his belly is not swollen. Kate, there’s a
thermometer on the counter—can you hand it to me? I’m going to take his
temperature.”

Prince was not pleased to have a thermometer in his
butt, but he endured it. He seemed a good deal more relaxed now and was
tolerating both Ross’s handling and her own gentle touch.

Kate thought: I could do this every day. Handle pets
with him.

Yes, you could.

She started, unsure where the thought had come from.
She narrowed her eyes at Ross, but he seemed absorbed in listening to Prince’s
heartbeat.

You not go.
The cat was
looking up at her now, his yellow eyes shining.
You stay.

“Prince?” she said sharply.

“His name is Scrounge,” the clueless reverend said.

“He prefers to be called Prince.” To the cat she
thought: “You’re faking, aren’t you?”

The sea creature likes you. So does the man.
The cat began licking his paw, as if nothing was wrong
.

“He has no fever,” Ross said. “His heartbeat was
elevated when you first brought him in here, but it’s fine now. I’m not sure
what the problem is. I’ll draw some blood and order some other tests.”

Prince lay down on the examination table and
stretched. He began to purr loudly.

“I think he’s feeling better,” Kate said, amused. She rubbed
Prince behind his ears and sent him another thought: “You’re one helluva manipulator,
aren’t you, boy?”

“Perhaps he had a cramp?” the vicar suggested.

Perhaps he saw me leave the keep with my backpack,
Kate thought. “How did you get to be friendly with the sea dragon?” she asked
the cat in their silent way.

He does nice pats. With his snake-things. Good
rubbing.

Good grief—Prince liked the Zrakon’s tentacles,
too?

 Will you stay?

“We’ll see. But fake an illness again, my friend, and
I’m calling you Scrounge.”

A loud purr was the only reply.

After Rev. Lambeth and Prince had left, minus a little
of the cat’s blood for testing, Kate said, “I don’t think you’ll find anything
wrong with that cat.”

“I don’t expect to. The wretch did the same thing last
fall when the old vicar retired and left the parish. The cat was upset that the
people he trusted were abandoning him. Lambeth adopted him. I’m not sure that the
good reverend is the best person to care for him, but they seem to have grown
accustomed to one another. I suspect Lambeth wasn’t devoting as much time to
him as the cat expected, so he had a tantrum.”

“So you have to be the local animal psychologist as
well as the vet?”

Instead of answering, Ross said, “You were
communicating with that cat, weren’t you? I couldn’t overhear it, but I could
sense it.”

“Well, you did say you weren’t very good with cats.”

“That’s right. And there’s a mess of them in the
village.” He paused. “I could sure use your help around here.”

Stay
.

“I’ll think about it.”

There wasn’t a lot of time left for thinking, though.
The monster had been very clear: she must surrender to him on the night of the
full moon.

Ross knew this as well as she did. He was the monster,
after all. But he wasn’t pressuring her. Much.  

Now that she knew she could leave the island, she didn’t
feel any particular desire to do so. She was no longer under a compulsion. She
could forge her own destiny. She could stay or she could go. What she could not
do was have Ross the man without also taking Ross the Zrakon. She thought of
the way his gentle hands had soothed the screeching cat. And the tiny mouse he’d
coaxed from its hiding place in the hedgerow. She had never met a man with that
kind of gift for animals. A gift that exceeded her own. Yet he had a monster inside
him.

Maybe that’s true of us all, she thought.

The truth was, she was not appalled and disgusted by
the Zrakon. He was a fierce and passionate fellow, but he had never hurt her.
If all he had wanted was to caress her in various intimate places with his
tentacles, she might have happily allowed it. Although she doubted she would
have ever confessed it to her friends. No, the problem was anatomical. Despite
the myths and legends of this place, human women and male sea dragons were never
intended to mate. And yet, it had supposedly happened. 

“Ross?”

“Aye, lassie?”

“The Midsummer’s Eve festival that happens every year?
The one that didn’t follow its usual pattern this time? What actually happens
between the Zrakon and the chosen woman? I didn’t realize this before last
night, but you must know. You were there.”

“Um, yeah. I’ve been there ever since my father got
himself killed in a skiing accident when I was nineteen.”

“So? Does the Zrakon actually stick that Mt. Everest
of a penis into a woman’s vagina every year?”

He grinned. “You’re asking me to kiss and tell?”

“I’m asking for reassurance.”

“Okay, well, the truth is, it’s always a little vague
exactly what happens on Midsummer’s Eve. It’s a sort of Dionysian orgy. But
here’s what I think happens—the Zrakon’s not stupid. He knows he has an
ancient legend to maintain, and he rather enjoys playing his part. Tearing up
some unfortunate villager with his hooked dick would not look good on his
record. Fortunately, he can achieve a great deal of gratification from the use
of his tentacles, which are almost as erogenous as his dick. And the girls seem
to like them, too.”

“But how does he, you know—”

“How does he come? Well, it seems that if he rubs
himself with his own tentacles, it feels pretty damn great. Imagine you had
more than one dick and they all were sexually active, and you sorta rubbed them
together...”

She began to laugh. “I get it.”

He was actually blushing, which made her laugh even
harder.

“I told you he’s like a big horny teenager. Trust me,
he’s quite creative about getting himself off.”

“So I’m supposed to have sex with a big horny
teenager?”

“Don’t worry about robbing the cradle. He’s centuries
older than you.”

“That’s the least of my worries!” She had a random
thought about how much bigger Prince had looked with his fur all fluffed up and
standing on end. And that reminded her of something. “Ross? On Midsummer’s Eve
when you were striding around on the beach, posturing to the crowd, were you
shape-shifting yourself to look bigger and scarier?”

“Aye, I suppose I was. I didn’t expect quite so many
onlookers. When I saw them, I figured I’d give them a tale to pass down to
their grandchildren.”

“If you can shape-shift the Zrakon body to be bigger
than it is, can you also make it smaller than it is?”

He considered for a moment, and then started to grin. “You’re
asking me to downsize the Zrakon’s dick?”

“Can you?”

“Admittedly, I’ve never tried.”

She rolled her eyes. “Like any male would ever try to
make his penis smaller.”

He laughed. “It makes sense that if I can make him
bigger, I ought to be able to shrink him. I suppose that if I shift his entire
body to about human male size.... Hmm. What do I get in return?”

“How about my eternal gratitude?”

He laughed. “It’s a deal.”

“In that case, I’ll do it. I’ll be your sacrificial
victim. Just try not to kill me, okay?”