are, honey. We are. Everything's been settled. It's the misunderstandings in human relationships that cause all the trouble in the world, and I just eliminated those pesky misunderstandings. See? All figured out and settled.”
When Jack turned his focus from the metal-tipped gloves and baton back to Natalie, she was looking at him — then she glanced at the finger bones on the table near him, within easy reach.
“It's gonna be so much fun learning to be friends, doin' you up and down, topside and back, whichever way I can make you bend.” To Jack he confided, “Your young lady is very calm, considering, but maybe she's feeling a little hint—” (He pushed into her.) “—of what a big surprise she's got coming.” He licked her hair over her ear. “As for you, I don't think you're going to have any fond memories.” He yukked at that. “Of anything.”
When the big person moved toward Jack, he dodged sideways, snatched up the finger bones and slung them in an arc at the three intruders.
The three of them froze in position, as though they had been netted, except for their eyes, which went huge and wide and darted between Jack and Natalie.
Natalie picked the knife from the man's hand with her thumb and forefinger. Then she stepped away, turned, and examined him, a specimen.
“What happened?” Jack said. “What did I do?”
“You saved our lives, I'd say. As I knew you would.” Natalie carefully gathered up her bones.
As the three captives struggled, their arms and legs were pulled more tightly to their bodies. They squirmed and mewled on the floor, ending up in fetal positions.
“I thought they'd only work for you.”
Jack had gone over to her and opened her blouse to see her wound.
“It's nothing. Maybe what I do is rubbing off on you. Probably ruined the blouse.” She rebuttoned it.
“What do we do with them now? If we turn them loose, they could come back.”
“Even if they don't come back, we can be sure the next people they meet, or the next, they'll do to them what they were going to do to us.” Natalie squatted down in front of the man and spoke into his face. “We fed you, we didn't poke you with sticks or step on you, and in return you were going to use us for your fun until we died. For your fun.”
The man tried to shake his head; he made desperate noises but couldn't open his mouth.
“Animals kill for food. You were going to kill us on a full stomach.” Natalie gazed impassively at him. Then in an almost serpentine movement, she craned her head down till her face was inches from his. “You lose,” she whispered.
The man shivered with exertion, trying to force his way out of what held him. All three of them whimpered in long high-pitched squeaks.
Natalie picked up the baton and dropped it into her pocket.
“I don't want to hear you anymore. You ate with your hands, none of you said 'Thank you' for what you ate, and then you promised to rape your hostess.”
Jack heard something different in her voice.
“Natalie....”
Icily, she said to Jack, “Don't ever ask me to do something that might cause you harm. I'm not going to risk your safety or let these... humans... give the highway near me such a bad reputation that I'll end up going hungry. To think, these people came into my house—”
Faster than Jack could think, Natalie had the baton out, extended, and brought it down in a slashing blow on the man's jaw. The man's lips had been sealed by whatever the bones had done, but blood squirted then sprayed out his nose. His jaw had a different shape.
“How many people have you three killed already?” Natalie demanded, even though they couldn't speak. Jack had never seen her angry. “How many? Four? Fourteen? Forty?”
She reached behind her for the finger bones and then quickly dropped them on the leather disk.
“Nine. They've only killed nine people, Jack. Should we cut them loose with their promise to be not to kill a tenth?” Natalie looked at him a moment, all
When Jack turned his focus from the metal-tipped gloves and baton back to Natalie, she was looking at him — then she glanced at the finger bones on the table near him, within easy reach.
“It's gonna be so much fun learning to be friends, doin' you up and down, topside and back, whichever way I can make you bend.” To Jack he confided, “Your young lady is very calm, considering, but maybe she's feeling a little hint—” (He pushed into her.) “—of what a big surprise she's got coming.” He licked her hair over her ear. “As for you, I don't think you're going to have any fond memories.” He yukked at that. “Of anything.”
When the big person moved toward Jack, he dodged sideways, snatched up the finger bones and slung them in an arc at the three intruders.
The three of them froze in position, as though they had been netted, except for their eyes, which went huge and wide and darted between Jack and Natalie.
Natalie picked the knife from the man's hand with her thumb and forefinger. Then she stepped away, turned, and examined him, a specimen.
“What happened?” Jack said. “What did I do?”
“You saved our lives, I'd say. As I knew you would.” Natalie carefully gathered up her bones.
As the three captives struggled, their arms and legs were pulled more tightly to their bodies. They squirmed and mewled on the floor, ending up in fetal positions.
“I thought they'd only work for you.”
Jack had gone over to her and opened her blouse to see her wound.
“It's nothing. Maybe what I do is rubbing off on you. Probably ruined the blouse.” She rebuttoned it.
“What do we do with them now? If we turn them loose, they could come back.”
“Even if they don't come back, we can be sure the next people they meet, or the next, they'll do to them what they were going to do to us.” Natalie squatted down in front of the man and spoke into his face. “We fed you, we didn't poke you with sticks or step on you, and in return you were going to use us for your fun until we died. For your fun.”
The man tried to shake his head; he made desperate noises but couldn't open his mouth.
“Animals kill for food. You were going to kill us on a full stomach.” Natalie gazed impassively at him. Then in an almost serpentine movement, she craned her head down till her face was inches from his. “You lose,” she whispered.
The man shivered with exertion, trying to force his way out of what held him. All three of them whimpered in long high-pitched squeaks.
Natalie picked up the baton and dropped it into her pocket.
“I don't want to hear you anymore. You ate with your hands, none of you said 'Thank you' for what you ate, and then you promised to rape your hostess.”
Jack heard something different in her voice.
“Natalie....”
Icily, she said to Jack, “Don't ever ask me to do something that might cause you harm. I'm not going to risk your safety or let these... humans... give the highway near me such a bad reputation that I'll end up going hungry. To think, these people came into my house—”
Faster than Jack could think, Natalie had the baton out, extended, and brought it down in a slashing blow on the man's jaw. The man's lips had been sealed by whatever the bones had done, but blood squirted then sprayed out his nose. His jaw had a different shape.
“How many people have you three killed already?” Natalie demanded, even though they couldn't speak. Jack had never seen her angry. “How many? Four? Fourteen? Forty?”
She reached behind her for the finger bones and then quickly dropped them on the leather disk.
“Nine. They've only killed nine people, Jack. Should we cut them loose with their promise to be not to kill a tenth?” Natalie looked at him a moment, all
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