I held up my hands. “We don’t want to hurt them.”
“They might be lovely now, but they will grow into killers,” Rennie said.
“I do not kill.” The lamia’s upper lip curled in a snarl, showing sharp teeth.
“You killed Mrs Francis.” Rennie’s gun made an appearance. “We never found her body because you destroyed it.”
The lamia’s body shivered, his features blurring before returning sharp. “She died because of a seizure. She wanted to be alone with her Scottish lover. I feed on people’s dreams and fears, not on their flesh. But the lovemaking was too much for her, and she died. I merely destroyed her body.”
I put a hand on Rennie’s arm before he cocked the hammer. “And why do you follow me?” I asked the lamia.
Its body morphed into Rennie’s when I stared at its eyes. Now that I noticed them, they were a darker shade of green than my Rennie’s. “You’ve been bitten by an earth eel and survived. Not many humans can say that.”
Even the voice was identical to Rennie’s.
“What does that mean?” I asked, intrigued.
“Your dreams are the best food for my babies because your emotions are strong.” Its gaze flickered towards the white bunnies. “Don’t hurt them.” There was a desperate note now in its voice, and the fact it looked and sounded like Rennie made my chest constrict with sorrow.
“The bureau has evidence lamiae have killed humans,” Rennie insisted.
Lamia-Rennie shook its head. “Natural deaths. I told you I don’t eat flesh. I feed on dreams, bad and good, the more vivid, the better. The human must be alive for me to feed.”
“I believe it,” I said.
“Monia,” Rennie started, and I didn’t like how he said my name, as if I were being unreasonable. “Unnaturals can’t be trusted, especially when they have babies to protect.”
“Babies? My word, now, that’s something interesting.” Oliver stepped into our suddenly busy little space.
The lamia hissed and changed into a beautiful woman with long, wavy red hair. Oliver’s past lover, perhaps? His mother? Whoever she was, he paled, his jaw twitching.
“You’re an agent, Rennie,” he said. “Your duty is to catch this Unnatural and its babies.”
Rennie pointed his gun at Oliver. “Trafficking Unnaturals is against the law.”
“You’re right.” Oliver took another step closer. “Then shoot the lamia and kill those babies. Be brave and do it.”
A gasp remained trapped in my mouth. I gave Rennie a pleading glance. If the lamia had told the truth, it was innocent, and its babies shouldn’t be killed. Non-threatening Unnaturals should be protected rather than killed. The tendons in Rennie’s neck throbbed as he kept his gun trained on Oliver.
“I’m arresting and reporting you to the bureau for document forgery and trafficking Unnaturals.” He shifted to shield the babies from Oliver’s angry sight. “And no one is going to hurt those furry babies.”
At his words, something warm burst within my chest and spread through my body. I already knew he was a kind, honourable man, but at that moment, watching him ready to protect those little creatures, all my affection for him flared. I wanted to hug him and kiss him until we were both breathless. I wanted to tell him how much I cared about him. I wanted to be with him forever.
“Don’t worry, Rennie, Monia,” Oliver said. “I will tell your families how tragically the lamia attacked and killed both of you.”
As I was lost in my sweet thoughts about Rennie being a caring and loving man, Oliver lunged. Rennie fell backwards. The noise of a shot ricocheted off the walls. I jolted back. The kittens-bunnies gave a terrified squeal, and the lamia rushed towards them. It dispensed with the human form and turned into a white ball of fur, beautiful and fluffy just like the babies, only bigger. It was a pitiful sight, the terrified Unnatural curled around its babies, shivering with its pupils dilated and hissing in fear.
I wouldn’t stay here and do nothing. So I jumped on Oliver’s back and grabbed his neck and... if I was being honest, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do next. Instinct was guiding me, which, admittedly, might not be a clever thing. But I’d never been trained to fight. I was a champion at needlework, though. No one could embroider a quilt faster than I could. I’d actually won a cross-stitching competition. And I wasn’t bad on a horse either as long as the horse was good-natured, the weather fine, and the path easy.
Oliver grunted in annoyance when I squeezed my arms hard around his neck. Beneath him, Rennie was struggling to free himself from Oliver’s grip. I squeezed harder, feeling the roped muscles in Oliver’s neck tensing. Another bullet swished past me, startling me and causing me to release my grip.
Pain hit my chest. Something warm, sticky, and red trickled down my body. Sheer fear chilled me to the bones. I’d been shot. With a push, Rennie shoved Oliver, who fell to the floor, and rushed towards me. His green eyes were wide with worry as he crouched next to me.
“Re-Rennie,” I croaked out, pressing my hand against my chest. “I’m dying.”
“But—”
“I don’t think I have much time.” My voice sounded rasping, but I had to talk. “I love you.”
