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“Occasionally, very, very occasionally, they make babies.”
“Oh.”
Andrea sighed. “Sometimes babies survive.”
“You’re a child of a hyenawere?” I just blurted it right out.
Everybody winced.
“Yes,” Andrea said. “I’m beastkin. My father was born hyena.”
Now it made sense. She didn’t catch Lyc-V from the attack, because she was born into it. “Does Ted know?”
“He might suspect,” Andrea said. “But he has no proof.”
I shrugged. “I won’t tell him if you don’t. What happened to Julie?”
“Just like that?” the female bouda interrupted. “It doesn’t bother you that she is a child of an animal?”
“No. Why should it? Anyway, what happened to Julie?”
The boudas looked at Aunt B. Aunt B looked at me. “The Code says we’re human first. We’re born human; we die human. That is the natural form, the dominant form. We must assert it and set it above the beast, because that is the natural way.”
“The beastkin are born beast,” Andrea said softly. “It follows that beast is our natural form, but as we grow, we lose the ability to become beast, because we’re hybrid. Therefore I’m an animal that’s crippled at birth. Unnatural.”
Oh for crying out loud. “Andrea, you’re my friend. I don’t have many of those. How you were born, what you look like, what anybody else thinks makes no difference to me. When I needed help, you helped me and that’s all that matters. Now, can you please, please tell me what happened to my kid?”
Andrea twitched her nose. A nervous cackle spilled from her and she choked it off. “A homeless boy came to the vault.”
“Red.”
“Yes. Julie told me he was her boyfriend. He was covered in blood and he collapsed by the door. Julie went hysterical. I opened the door and he threw something at me, a powder.” She frowned, exposing white teeth. “I carried a shaman charm in my skull to keep from turning during the flare. Usually I have no trouble, but the magic ran too high. Whatever he did…” She raised her hands. “It interfered with the charm. I started turning, but I couldn’t finish. He grabbed Julie and dragged her out.”
Red made me very, very angry.
“Your sword’s smoking,” the female bouda said.
“It does that occasionally.” My voice sounded flat. That little shit. What the hell was he doing? And