Werehunter (anthology)

Werehunter

Mercedes Lackey

This is a work of fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional, and any resemblance to real people or incidents is purely coincidental.

Copyright © 1999 by Mercedes Lackey

“Werehunter” copyright © 1989 (Tales of the Witch World); “SKitty” copyright © 1991 (Catfantastic, Andre Norton, ed.); “A Tail of Two SKitties copyright © 1994 (Catfantastic 3, Andre Norton and Martin Greenberg, eds.); “SCat” copyright © 1996 (Catfantastic 4, Andre Norton and Martin Greenberg, eds.); “A Better Mousetrap” copyright © 1999 (Werehunter, Baen Books); “The Last of the Season” copyright © American Fantasy Magazine; “Satanic, Versus …” copyright © 1990 (Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Fantasy Magazine, Fall 1990); “Nightside” copyright © 1990 (Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Fantasy Magazine, Spring 1990); “Wet Wings” copyright © 1995 (Sisters of Fantasy 2, Susan Shwartz and Martin Greenberg, ed.); “Stolen Silver” copyright © 1991 (Horse Fantastic); “Roadkill” copyright © 1990 (Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Fantasy Magazine, Summer 1990); “Operation Desert Fox” copyright © 1993 (Honor of the Regiment: Bolos, Book I, eds. Keith Laumer and Bill Fawcett); “Grey” copyright © 1997 (Sally Blanchard’s Pet Bird Report October 1997); “Grey’s Ghost” copyright © 1999 (Werehunter, Baen Books)

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form.

A Baen Books Original

Baen Publishing Enterprises

P.O. Box 1403

Riverdale, NY 10471

ISBN: 0-671-57805-7

Cover art by Bob Eggleton

First printing, April 1999

Distributed by Simon and Schuster

1230 Avenue of the Americas

New York, NY 10020

Typeset by Windhaven Press, Auburn, NH

Printed in the United States of America

TWO OUT OF THREE AIN’T BAD . . .

Something very large occluded the light for a moment in the next room, then the lights went out, and Diana Tregarde distinctly heard the sound of the chandelier ­being torn from the ceiling and thrown against the wall. She winced.

There go my Romance Writers of the World dues up again, she thought.

“I got a glimpse,” Andre said. “It was very large, perhaps ten feet tall, and—cherie, looked like nothing so much as a rubber creature from a very bad movie. Except that I do not think it was rubber.”

What shambled in through the door was nothing that Diana had ever heard of. It was, indeed, about ten feet tall. It was covered with luxuriant brown hair—all over. It was built along the lines of a powerful body-builder, taken to exaggerated lengths, and it drooled. It also stank, a combination of sulfur and musk so strong it would have brought tears to the eyes of a skunk.

Di groaned, putting two and two together and coming up with—Valentine Vervain cast a spell for a tall, dark and handsome soul-mate, but she forgot to specify “human.” “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

The other writer nodded. “Tall, check. Dark, check. Long hair, check. Handsome—well, I suppose in some circles.” Harrison stared at the thing in fascination.

The thing saw Valentine and lunged for her. Reflexively, Di and Harrison both shot. He emptied his cylinder and one speed loader. Di gave up after four shots. No effect. The thing backhanded Andre into a wall hard enough to put him through plasterboard. Andre was out for the count. There are some things even a vampire has a little trouble recovering from.