Lecorondia found focusing on the hilarious scene of Arnold explaining aliens to Kulthurack more difficult than she expected.

　　They sat crammed into the living room, Lucy beside her on the couch, while Julep loomed near the shelves where she`d discovered the hidden camera. Kulthurack had taken over an armchair as Arnold stood next to the small, in her opinion, TV with a laptop in hand.

　　As he droned on about his theories, she couldn`t help but smile as she remembered the way Kulthurack had paused upon stepping foot inside the front gate. His blank expression hadn`t slipped, but his three eyes scanned the alien memorabilia in the yard as he focused on each with clear disgust.

　　When he`d stepped to the front door, the hesitant way he paused before knocking showed his nervousness about what he was getting into. She didn`t fully understand why, but she appreciated it none the less. When she reached a hand too proud at the empty seat beside her, she wondered what Jerry was doing.

　　Her secondary babysitter had declined their invitation to join them, instead claiming he had a special assignment to complete back at the town. He`d refused to elaborate on what, but as they`d left, she`d spotted him talking with Peter. That worried her. The last thing she needed was for Jerry to poke his nose into her plans. Especially this one.

　　She`d given Peter the key to her room, explained where her recently worn clothes and the bag of treats were, and asked if he understood. He had saluted stiffly before moving off to find his friends. That taken care of, she`d gone back inside to deal with the rest of the overseers` meeting.

　　Kulthurack, rising from his seat, arms crossed over his chest, cut off her idle reminiscence. Lecorondia leaned forward, curious about what he was going to say, as she struggled to remember what Arnold had been talking about.

　　"Is there anything concrete you can tell me? Lecorondia here claimed you were an expert." His voice remained its typical monotone, but Arnold flinched away as though he`d screamed at him.

　　Lecorondia resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the display. Beside her, Lucy rose as though to offer words of comfort, but the feel of Lecorondia`s tail on her leg stopped her. They didn`t need to get involved. Kulthurack was unlikely to kill the man or harm him, really. A scare or two was the least the idiot deserved.

　　"I. Well. You see," Arnold mumbled as he gestured to the screen. "My theories show—"

　　"Enough about theories. I want concrete facts." Kulthurack stated this as he turned his attention to Lecorondia.

　　In response, she shrugged. "If I knew, you wouldn`t be here."

　　"You. Um. You said he attacked the town, right?" Arnold asked, his voice wavering at the idea.

　　Kulthurack nodded, and Lecorondia leaned further forward. Her tongue flicked out to taste the air. Fear. This man was terrified at the thought of being around her baby when he was angry. Good. She could use that. How his fear would come into play, she wasn`t sure, but she would figure it out.

　　"I did."

　　Arnold swallowed and gestured towards Lecorondia. "Well. If we assume he attacked the town to find Lecorondia, then the solution is simple, right? She goes out and waits for him to come to her, either by camping or traveling around."

　　The room fell silent. Lecorondia`s tail flicked as she watched Arnold sweat and shake on his feet. She would have cursed him. It was a workable plan. However, it was also the plan that would leave both her and Erodicilee in the most danger. After all, it required a quiet spot where any sort of accident might happen.

　　Her gaze flicked to Kulthurack. He held no weapon she could see, but she knew without a doubt that he wouldn`t go down without a fight if she tried to kill him first. That wasn`t even considering the Blitzworms he`d bring with him. She resisted the urge to bite her lip.

　　Not to mention she already had a plan she`d concocted and put into motion. One that Peter was unwittingly aiding already. Though her unwitting conspirator might prefer that if he knew what her proper end goal was in that case.

　　Not that she cared. If what the nerd had described of Erodicilee`s time in the town was accurate, then the idiots deserved every bit of agony coming their way.

　　How dare they attack her baby!

　　"I`m not sure that`s wise," Lucy said before Lecorondia could come up with a reason. "There are plenty of dangers in the open without counting Erodicilee. I`d hate to see the ambassador hurt."

　　Lecorondia nodded, even as she gave Lucy a sideways glance. Did the woman know what Kulthurack was planning, or was this something else? Either way, she appreciated the support.

　　Arnold nodded. "Yeah, yeah, she`s right. Sorry, it was a terrible suggestion."

　　"No, it wasn`t. She would be adequate bait." Kulthurack said as his eyes winked in a strange sequence.

　　Lecorondia shivered as she rose to her own feet. "I don`t think I would feel comfortable with that. Surely, any group we bring would be too big?"

　　"I don`t see why it would need to be." Kulthurack gestured towards Lucy. "Your entourage wouldn`t be required. Between my guards and your bodyguards, you would be perfectly safe. Besides, I believe you told the council you could control him. What is there to be frightened of?"

　　She loathed the smug feeling he gave off as he spoke. Her tail lashed, and she gestured towards Lucy. "I disagree. Lucy and Jerry have both been here from the beginning. It would be a travesty to not allow them to see the end."Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

　　Kulthurack stared at her, and she could see him thinking. There wasn`t a logical reason to deny them the chance to see it happen. If he tried, she could mention how useful another pair of eyes on the ground could be. He didn`t, however. Instead, he nodded slowly as he turned his attention to Lucy.

　　Lecorondia let her tail shift, resting it against the woman`s leg. She felt Lucy shiver, and she didn`t blame her. It was clear what was going on behind those passionless eyes. Could he get away with bumping her off as well?

　　Things needed to change, and so Lecorondia did what she did best: she smiled and changed the topic.

　　"While I think it`s a plan, I`m not sure if it`s our best. Arnold, you mentioned you thought he might return to places he`s visited before?"

　　"I, um, yes." He nodded quickly, though he didn`t elaborate further.

　　She internally sighed. "Such as?"

　　"Oh, I don`t know." He swallowed. "Maybe where you all started?"

　　"Like where we met?" Lecorondia asked quickly.

　　"Yes?"

　　She clapped her hands as she turned to Lucy. "An excellent idea. I`m sure I know the spot. Can you drive?"

　　"Sure, we can check it out."

　　"I don`t think that`s worth the time," Kulthurack said. "We`ve already wasted enough here. It`s obvious your so-called expert knows nothing of use."

　　"Then what would you suggest we do?" Lecorondia made a show of her irritation, though she was more than happy to keep stalling.

　　By now, at least some hunters would have gotten their presents from Peter and gone on their way. She simply needed Kulthurack to remain ignorant of what they were doing and what was likely to happen to them.

　　"I suggest what I did before. We speak to the locals and—"

　　Lecorondia rolled her eyes as she cut him off. "And they`ll tell us what. It`ll be a miracle if—"

　　This time, it was her turn to be interrupted as Lucy`s phone started ringing.

　　***

　　As per Jerry`s insistence, they`d driven directly to the Steward`s Animal Rescue, where Vera had stood waiting for them.

　　Her granddaughter apparently locked herself in her room and refused to come out. Lecorondia didn`t blame her. From the way the air tasted on her tongue, she knew the inside of the nearby barn, at least, wouldn`t be a pretty sight. Her attention flicked to Lucy, who was already approaching Vera, with Kulthurack following close behind. Good. Neither would pay her any mind for a while.

　　With slow steps, she walked around the perimeter of the fence, Julep following her like her own shadow. Whatever the humans had housed here had left quickly, as indicated by the trampled grass. She paused, bending as a flash of color caught her eye. Fur. It had stuck on the metal wife, and Lecorondia bent to pick it up.

　　"What do you think?" She whispered to Julep as she handed him the piece of fluff.

　　He studied it closely, turning it over as he rubbed it between his fingers as he murmured to himself. "Tougher, and the silver sheen is new. No signs of any other damage."

　　"I don`t see his blood anywhere," Lecorondia remarked as she glanced around.

　　"Agreed. I`m surprised, though. I figured if he ate this much, we`d have found him sleeping somewhere."

　　"My thoughts exactly," she murmured back. "Come on."

　　A quick glance told her no one was paying them any mind, and she strode off towards the barn. The scent of blood was almost overwhelming as she moved closer to the half-open doors. She peeked inside and shook her head. It was a massacre. Blood pooled on the ground, having clearly dripped from the cages hanging from the crossbeams. Feathers, fur, and spines littered the ground, and she felt something squishy under her boots as she stepped inside.

　　Julep followed her in, and together they stood and stared in silence at the scene before them. It almost made her feel guilty about what she`d done to the hunters. Almost. They still deserved worse. Though, depending on what her darling had picked up, perhaps they didn`t. It would be hard to tell.

　　"We`ll need a list of what was inside," Julep said.

　　Lecorondia nodded. "It would be better if we knew what types of powers he has. Then again, it may not matter. Not everything he picks will be useful in combat. Still, it`s better to be safe than sorry. The last thing I need is him drooling acidic spit in my handbags."

　　"What are you doing in our barn?" asked a young red-haired girl who stood in the doorway, her arms folded across her chest.

　　Lecorondia turned, a grin already plastered on her face. She took in the mistrustful glint in the girl`s eyes, along with the way her knees shook. This girl was frightened and ready to run and get an adult at the first sign of trouble. The old woman, perhaps? It wouldn`t be the worst thing in the world, but if she worked here, she might have information.

　　"I heard this was an animal rescue shelter. My dog fled, and I thought you might have seen him." She kept her voice light, trying to make a good impression despite her surroundings.

　　The girl`s eyes flicked to Julep and back to her.

　　"You`re here about the monster."

　　There was defiance in the girl`s voice, combined with a deep hurt. Her use of the world monster was deliberate, Lecorondia knew, a distancing tactic. From the way her eyes moved to a particular cage, it was clear she`d had dealings with her baby.

　　"Erodicilee is not a monster," Lecorondia said, doing her best not to sound irritated. "He`s scared and confused and wants to go home."

　　The girl didn`t appear to be fully listening. "I thought he was a fairy mount. Then he ate Reginald the cockatoo and let Peony the Kookaburra escape. Plus, I think he ate Ol`Betsy. I don`t think she went home."

　　Lecorondia listened, filing the names away to ask about later.

　　"He ran away. He asked for his mommy, and then he ran away. I thought he wasn`t coming back. That he`d gone back to the fae realm or something. Then Granny saw the interview and called the pretty blonde lady."

　　"Lucy," Lecorondia said without thinking.

　　"Sure. I didn`t think I`d see him again. But he came back, didn`t he? He did all this, and that`s why you`re here." She appeared as if she were about to cry.

　　With a flick of her tail, she gave the signal for Julep to back off. That done, she moved over and crouched before the shaking girl, doing her best not to let any of her more threatening features show.

　　"He`s hungry and scared. This is his way of protecting himself," Lecorondia said quietly. "But I want to thank you. You were kind to him, weren`t you? He would have appreciated that. All he wants to find is me. Can you help?"

　　The girl reached up and wiped her eyes. "I don`t think so. He ran really fast."

　　"Did you see him do anything else? If we know what he can do, it`ll be easier to track."

　　Lecorondia watched as the girl nodded and turned away. "I can write it down, but I think Granny wants to see you. She wasn`t happy about what happened to the barn or the animals. I`m not happy about the animals."

　　"And you have my deepest apologies," Lecorondia said as she followed the girl outside, Julep walking close behind. "But I can promise you, unless someone does something silly, we`re doing our best to make sure he doesn`t hurt anyone else who doesn`t deserve it."

　　The girl, who`d turned away, never saw exactly how wide Lecorondia`s smile stretched.