Page 72 of Scout’s Honor

I love you, he said in her mind.

You love me?

He showed his teeth. I’ve told you that before.

You haven’t.

I’ve thought it. I feel it.

She crossed the room and put her hands on either side of his beautiful furry face. I love you, too.

I know.

Dallas purred at his switch and licked her along her jawbone, then kicked the wall again, scraping his claws across it. He could feel his toes! They felt muted, like this leg was maybe only 85% flesh and bone, and 15% something else. Magic maybe.

He shifted to a man, grabbed his switch, and bent her over backwards for a kiss, then he put her back on her feet. “Thank you.”

She shook her head. “This wasn’t all me. I’m sure Warrior Woman and Mama Soline had something to do with it.”

“Sure, and Goldilocks, too,” Dallas said, “But it was mostly you. That’s hot.”

Something slammed into the cabin wall. Dallas looked up, then gave his switch one more kiss. He crossed the room and ripped the door open, stepping out onto the stoop. A vampire lay crumpled in the flowerbeds. Dakota leapt in for the finishing blow and red light flashed.

Dallas surveyed the fight, seeing the two Count Chocula motherfuckers on one hilltop and Jameson and Cora on another. Dakota, Aven, Flint, and Goldilocks were actively fighting, and the ground was littered with vampire corpses. Still, more vampires came, appearing out of nowhere in a constant flow. Dallas realized only two of the vampires had red eyes, and the rest had silver, meaning his two Count Chocula motherfuckers were also red-eyed motherfuckers. They were special and creating or controlling these other vampires somehow.

Dallas put his foot on the porch rail and climbed up to the roof. He clambered to the apex and shifted into his newly-massive jaguar, aware he was glowing blue from head to toe for the first time. He faced Jameson on the hillside, still holding Cora. Dallas was as big as Jameson in their shifted forms now, and they could fight on fair footing, but they wouldn’t. Now they would combine forces.

Aven dive-bombed and pulled up at the last second, landing near him. He shifted into a man and Dallas shifted into a man, too. They clasped hands.

“Cool glow, Rowr. You’re heartbound.”

Dallas grinned. “Did you see how fucking big I am?”

Aven yanked Dallas’ hand back and forth, a huge grin on his face. “Big enough to lead Belief Coven. I fucking told you so.”

Dakota screeched from twenty feet away, dodging vampires. Aven released Dallas and jumped off the roof, shifting into his eagle, then dive-bombing the vampire’s faces.

Dallas faced the vampires with red eyes, strong purpose pulsing within him. “I AM THE SCOUT,” he shouted. “AND NOW YOU DIE!”

Dallas shifted into his jaguar and jumped down to find Bonhi magically throwing rocks, with her knife gripped in her right hand.

On my back, Bonbon.

She ran right to him, and he dropped to the ground. She threw a leg over and grabbed the fur on his back in a tight handhold. He steered toward the two vampires with red eyes.

“I hate them so much,” Bonhi snarled, spraying blue light around them like a forcefield from one upraised hand.

The vampires stood facing them haughtily, and one of them spoke, his whiny voice amplified to the entire meadow.

“Goodbye, Sssscout. We’ll be back when you least expect it with a matching blood wound for your other leg.”

Dallas roared and leapt for them, but they both disappeared in a flash of red light. Dallas whirled around angrily, looking for something to kill. He ran at the few vampires left, tearing up the ground with his claws. The green-glowing bear and Goldilocks, plus Aven and Dakota rushed in, and within seconds, the last remaining vampires were pulverized to nothing.

Dallas backed up, panting. He looked up at the hillside where he’d seen Jameson and Cora.

They were gone.

36—Olly Olly Oxen Free