Free Wyvern and Company by Connie Suttle Page B

used
to be Marilee Short. I almost gagged when that thing bit out his throat and
gobbled up the flesh before devouring his arms and part of his chest. Others
died in the attack, too, but that was the one shown in detail on the news.
    "Dude, that's just sick," Mack huffed beside me.
Yeah, he'd already seen it before, just not from Marilee.
    "That thing isn't her," Dad said, as if he'd read my
mind. "She died the moment one of those creatures bit her. It takes thirty
seconds for the saliva to infect and destroy a human after the bite."
    "Are you going to talk about your claws, Dad?" I
turned toward him and ignored the carnage being shown on the eleven o'clock
news.
    "Tomorrow. You'll hear it from me—and your
mother—tomorrow."
    I turned back to the television then, in time to see the
screen go fuzzy and hear the journalist announce that all cameras, including
cell phone cameras and video cameras, stopped working at the same time.
    Eyewitness accounts were also spotty after that. It made me
wonder about the blue man and how he managed to do all that.
    * * *
    Adam's Journal
    Pheligar appeared in our bedroom as Kiarra and I were
preparing for bed. He was exhausted, although his eyes held a bit of anger. "I
had a lengthy meeting with Thorsten," he explained, holding up a large,
blue hand. "Thorsten claims you went looking for those spawn tonight,
instead of reacting as he asked. We must all tread carefully from now on. He
made threats." Pheligar shook his head, as if he were confused.
    "What the hell is going on?" Kiarra demanded.
    "I fear that if you react to further attacks by spawn,
there may be consequences. I fail to understand this, as that is why your race
was created in the beginning. I know not what has precipitated this reaction."
    "What are we supposed to do, then? Let them take over?"
I snapped.
    "Let me think on this," Pheligar sighed. "Perhaps
there is a solution. We will discuss this again very soon."
    He disappeared, leaving us in confusion.
    * * *
    Justin's Journal
    "Did you sleep last night?" Mack asked as he
shuffled into the kitchen the following morning. Neither he nor I usually got
up before seven-thirty on any Saturday morning. Today, we were both up at six.
    "Nah. Too much to think about." He scooted onto the
barstool beside mine and stared at the refrigerator opposite the island.
    "Want cereal?" I asked.
    "Yeah. Dad says that now the wolf has made his presence
known, I'll be hungry because I'll be growing."
    "Seriously?" I turned to blink at him.
    "That's what he says. We talked for a long time last
night after you went to bed. I saw his wolf. Man, he's huge."
    "You were no slouch," I pointed out and stood to
walk toward the pantry. I pulled out a box of cereal, then got milk from the
fridge and set it on the island before grabbing spoons and two large bowls from
the cabinet.
    Mack and I were crunching away on crispy rice squares when Mom
and Dad walked into the kitchen.
    "How are my boys?" Mom asked, giving us both a hug.
    "Better now," Mack offered her a grin.
    "Good." She ruffled his hair affectionately before
heading toward the fridge and the coffeemaker.
    "Dad, are you British? Is that why you always drink tea
instead of coffee?" I asked.
    "I am. I was born in the mid-eighteenth century," he
said. "This house was built from the same plans used to build my family
home back then—on a smaller scale."
    "What?" Mack stared at Dad.
    "I'll tell you soon enough. Your father said you could
come with us to the beach house for the weekend. He has Pack business to attend
to this weekend anyway. He wants his wolves to go hunting for spawn, since our
hands are tied on that, at the moment. The Sacramento Pack may join the Fresno
Pack, to help track these things."
    "Seriously? They can do that?" I said.
    "Werewolves are the best trackers," Mom said. "A
friend of ours, Daniel Carey, is coming from Corpus Christi to help out. He has
plenty of experience tracking spawn, so he'll work with Martin and Thomas
Williams