[Kitty Norville 05] - Kitty and the Dead Man's Hand by Carrie Vaughn

Author:Carrie Vaughn [Vaughn, Carrie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2011-11-14T13:24:28+00:00

“Interesting. That’s all?”

“Okay. . . it was kind of hot. Totally hot.” I blushed. It was just the heat. The torches—gas-lit—were just now being turned off.

“Good. It’s supposed to be.”

“Sex sells, I guess,” I said.

“The question is, are you buying?”

Oh, I didn’t want to have to handle this. Did he ever turn it off? Because I didn’t want to let him know he was getting to me—not that I could possibly hide it. I met his gaze, determined not to show any sign of canine submission.

We were equals here.

“You mind if I ask a question?” I said. Time for some of my hard-hitting journalism.

“I’d be disappointed if you didn’t.”

“You’re the alpha of this little pack, I take it?”

He spread his arms, a gesture of assent. “Inasmuch as we ever work like that, yes.” I couldn’t hide my astonishment at this whole setup. “How do you do it? How do you keep them all together, listening, and under control?”

“You assume that I control them. They’re professionals. They’re performers who know their job.”

“Then they want to be here. They’re here voluntarily.”

“Of course. Why wouldn’t they be?”

“I don’t trust the whole pack mentality. I’ve seen some pretty coercive packs in my time.” I used to be in one, in fact, and it hadn’t been pretty. “I’m a lycanthrope; I know what it’s like. I can’t imagine someone wanting to shift every day like that.” Once a month was bad enough, in my opinion.

He looked contemptuous. “You think it’s dangerous. You’ve heard stories, that a lycanthrope who shifts too often will forget how to be human. You believe that? Have you ever seen it happen?”

“Not personally.”

He arched a brow as if his point had been proven. “Nobody changes two days in a row. My actors work in shifts, trading out the human roles, and the show is dark two days a week. We know what we’re doing. We’ve been at it for a while.”

In other words, trust him, he’s a professional. I couldn’t get past the feeling that this was all. . . weird. Exploitative, maybe. Like a freakshow. Which begged the question, “What gave you the idea to get your were-tiger buddies together and stage a show in Vegas?”

His smile turned sly, back to his romance-cover-model look. “We had inspiration. You don’t think we’re the first to do this, do you? This sort of thing’s been going on for thousands of years.”

“Some of those dancing bears at the carnival might not have been bears, is that what you’re saying?”

“I’m saying some of those bears absolutely weren’t bears. Ah, here’s someone who wants to meet you.” He turned back to look.

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