I had my own problems. My parents had been understanding about my spur of the moment decision to essentially declare war on the Covenant. That didn’t mean they knew what was going to happen next. Dominic and I were in New York to make introductions between the two groups of dragons, and so we could check in with my contacts, warning them that trouble might be coming, and setting up a network for notifications in case the Covenant came looking.
My Valerie ID was well and truly blown. I hadn’t even been able to go to Lyra’s funeral, since she’d never officially met “Verity Price,” and my showing my face in public could have brought the Covenant down on my head. I’d had to leave her to be buried without me, and could only hope she was at peace. Aunt Mary hadn’t been able to find any ghosts in the theater, so there was that. Maybe Lyra had been able to move on.
Maybe.
As for Dominic . . . a hand touched my shoulder. I opened my eyes and offered him a weary smile. “Sorry,” I said. “I didn’t know it would take this long.”
“It will take as long as it takes,” he said. “Kitty sends her regards, and has agreed to host a meeting tonight at her club. I told her we’d be there.”
“Of course we will.” I pushed myself away from the wall, only wincing a little. “This is our job.”
I’d warned the Covenant to stay out of North America, and I’d meant every word. I glanced at the sea of dragons around us, intelligent cryptids who only wanted to be allowed to live their lives in peace. Humans were a much greater danger. Humans summoned snake gods and killed their own kind. Cryptids just wanted to go a little longer without becoming extinct.
If the Covenant came here, if they pushed the issue, we’d fight. And we’d win. That was the only acceptable outcome for this particular competition.
Dominic smiled at me wryly as he slipped an arm around my waist.
“Yes,” he said. “I suppose it is.”
Price Family Field Guide to the Cryptids of North America
Updated and Expanded Edition
Aeslin mice (Apodemus sapiens). Sapient, rodentlike cryptids which present as near-identical to noncryptid field mice. Aeslin mice crave religion, and will attach themselves to “divine figures” selected virtually at random when a new colony is created. They possess perfect recall; each colony maintains a detailed oral history going back to its inception. Origins unknown.
Basilisk (Procompsognathus basilisk). Venomous, feathered saurians approximately the size of a large chicken. This would be bad enough, but thanks to a quirk of evolution, the gaze of a basilisk causes petrification, turning living flesh to stone. Basilisks are not native to North America, but were imported as game animals. By idiots.
Bogeyman (Vestiarium sapiens). The thing in your closet is probably a very pleasant individual who simply has issues with direct sunlight. Probably. Bogeymen are close relatives of the human race; they just happen to be almost purely nocturnal, with excellent night vision, and a fondness for enclosed spaces. They rarely grab the ankles of small children, unless it’s funny.
Chupacabra (Chupacabra sapiens). True to folklore, chupacabra are bloodsuckers, with stomachs that do not handle solids well. They are also therianthrope shapeshifters, capable of transforming themselves into human form, which explains why they have never been captured. When cornered, most chupacabra will assume their bipedal shape in self-defense. A surprising number of chupacabra are involved in ballroom dance.
Dragon (Draconem sapiens). Dragons are essentially winged, fire-breathing dinosaurs the size of Greyhound buses. At least, the males are. The females are attractive humanoids who can blend seamlessly in a crowd of supermodels, and outnumber the males twenty to one. Females are capable of parthenogenic reproduction and can sustain their population for centuries without outside help. All dragons, male and female, require gold to live, and collect it constantly.
Ghoul (Herophilus sapiens). The ghoul is an obligate carnivore, incapable of digesting any but the simplest vegetable solids, and prefers humans because of their wide selection of dietary nutrients. Most ghouls are carrion eaters. Ghouls can be easily identified by their teeth, which will be shed and replaced repeatedly over the course of a lifetime.
Hidebehind (Aphanes apokryphos). We don’t really know much about the hidebehinds: no one’s ever seen them. They’re excellent illusionists, and we think they’re bipeds, which means they’re probably mammals. Probably.