Page 77 of The Satyr's Guilt
“Galena will escort you. I’m glad you cancome.” Ram turned, slinging his daughter onto his shoulders.
When they disappeared into the market, afamiliar warmth coursed through Denim’s veins.
Damn. He’s a father.
****
Inside the grocery store, Ramquestioned Jonquil with an arched brow. “What’s up?”
“What do you mean, Daddy?”
“You know what I mean. Your little nymphmind is working on a plan.”
“I don’t have a plan, Daddy.” Dimplespuckered her cheeks when she shot him an innocent look.
“Yes, you do. You’re cute and smart, but aschemer.”
“The female’s pretty. Isn’t she, Daddy?”
“She is.”
Denim’s knit shirt hugged her breasts justright. Her pants hung low on curvy hips and showed off her long,luscious legs. Ram shook his head. Wrong time for thesevisions.
Damn satyr nature.
“It will be nice to have a guest for dinner.Another female.”
“You’re the only female I need, pest. Youknow that. It’s just us. It’s always been just us. And it alwayswill be.”
“Daddy. You need to get real. Someday I’llbe out of the house, mated, or on my own. Who will take care ofyou?”
“It’s my job to worry about you. Not theother way around. Besides, you won’t be leaving me for a long time.You’re stuck with me.” Ram lifted a hand, lightly thumping the backof Jonquil’s head.
“Ouch.”
“Just a love pat, pest. Stop trying to runmy life. Now, where’s the asparagus?”
Chapter Seventeen
The next day Ram lumbered into themorgue.
“News, sexy Doc?” The Firebrand winked atLocasta, the blood smell tickling his nose. Not the fresh stuff.Plus, it was hidden under a sterile antiseptic odor.
Good thing I’m no vamp.
“I’m not a…”
“Doc. So you say. But you’re smart, and Ilove a clever female.”
“You’re a flirt.”
She led him to some machine which wasspitting out paper.Lab test results.As if he knew what theprintout meant. He glanced at several pages, shrugging.
Locasta returned to the body, flipped downher visor, bent, and almost buried her head in the open cavity. Shestraightened. “It’s interesting. The human’s chock full of weirdchemicals, like steroids and amphetamines but unlike them, too.I’ve never seen these before. I trained at Johns Hopkins. So I knowEarther cadavers.” She sniffed. “He smells funny, too. What do youthink?”
Ram leaned over, drawing the odor into hisnostrils. “Hmm.”
“Here’s another fun fact. He’s got morestretch marks than a pregnant hippo. Like he’s gone through agrowth spurt. Unknowledgeable about the effects of the chemicals inhis system, I’m going to take an unscientific stab and say they’rethe cause. Sure, he might have been born with an athletic body andworked it his whole life, but I’m betting most humans aren’t ableto bench press a grizzly bear. I think this male was capable. Youtold me he jumped from the ground onto a roof. I’d expect to seeevidence of the ability in his musculature. Bingo. It’s there. It’sabnormal for his species.”
