Written in Red

People who entered the Courtyard without an invitation were just plain crazy! Wolves were big and scary and so fluffy, how could anyone resist hugging one just to feel all that fur? “Ignore the fluffy,” she muttered. “Remember the part about big and scary.

Whether you’re beaten or pampered, fed the best foods or starved, kept in filth or kept clean, a cage is still a cage.

You weren't afraid of me when I was Wolf," he said. "Why are you afraid of Nathan?" "He's got big feet!" "What?" An insulted-sounding arrroooo came from the other side of the door, a reminder that Wolves also had big ears.

Vlad hated doing the paperwork as much as he did when a human employee quit, which was why they'd both made a promise not to eat quitters just to avoid the paperwork. As Tess had pointed out, eating the staff was bad for marale and made it so much harder to find new employees.

The other package has pieces of dried stag stick. The pups like chewing on those." "What's a stag stick?" Meg asked, taking the packages. He stared at her for a moment. Then he put a fist below his belt and popped out a thumb. "Oh," Meg said. "Oh.

It was easier when all we wanted to do was eat them and take their stuff,” he grumbled. And it had been easier when he hadn’t cared if he made any of them cry.

But what would they have said to their Liaison? It’s like this, Meg. We didn’t like that Asia Crane, so we ate her. When dealing with humans, honesty isn’t always the best policy, Vlad thought

He watched her, listened to her, and knew she was truly asleep. He kissed her forehead and found the act pleasing for its own sake. And, he admitted as he licked his lips, it was enjoyable for other reasons. Meg wasn't bitable, but he really did like the taste of her.

Is there some kind of rule for when Sam should be a boy and when he's a Wolf?" "A Wolf lifts his leg and yellows up the snow. A boy has to use the toilet." "And that will work?" "Only if he needs to pee.

Simon didn’t think Meg really wanted to know how to eviscerate a rabbit. He could be wrong about that, but he just couldn’t picture Meg pouncing on a bunny and ripping it open with her teeth. Maybe if he tried harder to picture it?

The sweatshirt was big on her and she looked ridiculous. He liked it. And he liked that she was wearing something that carried his scent.

Enjoy your Evening." "That will depend on the menu. If it's beef, it will be a tolerable meal. If it's chicken..." Elliot shuddered. "What is the point of chicken?" "Eggs?

There would be a spike in the number of girls who went out for a walk in the woods and were never heard from again. There always were when stories came out portraying the terra indigene as furry humans who just wanted to be loved. Most of the terra indigene didn't want to love humans; they wanted to eat them. Why did humans have such a hard time understanding that?

[...][I]f you adapted too much in order to deal with them, you ran the risk of forgetting who you were and you could end up being neither and nothing.

You’re in the Courtyard. Whatever rules humans have for employers aren’t my rules unless I say they’re my rules. So I can hire you even though you don’t have any idea what you’re doing, and I can fire you for having stinky hair!

Vlad looked around. “Are we providing shelter, or are the humans actually buying books?

It felt uncomfortable to lie to someone who was being kind. She hadn't known a lie could have a physical weight.

Henry studied Merri Lee, then Meg. “Humans don’t like mice?” “Not in the building!” Meg said. “And not around food,” Merri Lee added. The three terra indigene looked baffled. “But it’s fresh meat,” the brown-haired woman finally said.

She would always be short, but she wasn't helpless and she wasn't small. Not anymore.

Is it that time of the month?” Vlad asked. Some feeling blew through her. It might have been embarrassment, but she suspected it was closer to rage. “What?” He studied her. “Is that not an appropriate question to ask?” “No!” “Odd. In many novels I’ve read, human males often ask that question when a female is acting…” Puzzlement as he continued to study her face. “Although, now that I consider it, they usually don’t make that observation to the female herself.

And thought about the female who, despite being human, he was beginning to see as a friend

Whether it was true or not, it eased his heart to think there was something beyond the physical plane, something that felt benevolent toward humans, because the gods knew there wasn’t much on the physical plane that felt benevolent toward them.

What’s a stag stick?” Meg asked, taking the packages. He stared at her for a moment. Then he put a fist below his belt and popped out a thumb. “Oh,” Meg said. “Oh.” He spun around and ran back to the Market Square. She closed the door, looked at the packages in her hands, and said, “Eeewwww.

You stirred things up here." he finally said. "Why?" "I'm not the one who-" "You've angered the Sanguinati, and that's not going to help us right now." "You don't know what's been going on here,' Elliot snapped. "what that monkey-fuck female has done." "She's not a monkey-fuck, and she is not prey," Simon said, his voice a low, threatening rumble. "She is Meg." "You don't know what she's done!" "She gets mail and deliveries to the complexes on a regular basis. She has a routine with the deliverymen, so we get the merchandise we bought. And she got Sam out of the damn cage!" "She put a him on a leash, Simon. On a leash!" "It's not a leash," a young, scratchy voice shouted. Of tried to shout. "It's a safety line. Adventure buddies use a safety line so they can help each other." Elliot stared, frozen. Simon turned, barely breathing.

For a moment, Meg couldn’t think, could barely breathe as a drawing of a cow with arrows pointing to the various cuts of meat popped into her head. Then she imagined a drawing of a human with the same kinds of arrows. Could there be a sign like that in the butcher shop?