Read Online Teeth of Beasts (Skinners) by Marcus Pelegrimas - Free Book Online

the skinny limbs had plenty of room to maneuver while their owner stayed in where it was safe.
    Cole lunged forward to bring his spear straight down in front of Abby. She let out a surprised scream and jumped back while the Chupe reeled its arms in. Unwilling to sit still any longer, it grabbed the edges of the stumps and launched itself out to grab Cole’s head and belt.
    “Hold still, Cole!” Abby said as she rushed around him. “I’ve got it!”
    Abruptly, the Chupe shifted its hands so it could rake Cole’s eyes. When he twisted away from the spiky, probing nails, the Chupe twisted its head to look straight down the nozzle of Abby’s spray can while squawking in a way that sounded awfully close to laughter. Before she could douse him with the pepper spray, Cole slapped the can from her hand and pushed her away. Now that she was clear, he reached over his shoulder to grab the Chupe by its hair.
    The wiry creature kicked and slashed at Cole as he swung it in a short arc that ended by heavily slamming its back against the ground. It tried to tear at Cole’s wrists, but wasn’t quick enough to make him let go before it was lifted up and slammed against the closest stump. For the first time since the tussle started, the creature seemed to be truly dazed. Cole pinned it to the ground with one boot and drove the business end of his weapon straight through its chest.
    The Chupe’s heels thrashed against the earth and its hands clawed at the spear. All the while, it snarled and spat at the Skinner holding the weapon in place.
    “There you go,” Cole said. “How’s that for a photo opportunity?”
    Abby didn’t take a picture. She was too stunned to do much of anything but watch as the Chupacabra weakened and finally let out its final cough. “You killed it,” she said. “Did you have to kill it?”
    “No, I could have let it tear us both to pieces. Would that have looked better on your website?”
    “No.”
    At her meek tone, he unclenched his fists, which allowed the blood to trickle from between his palm and the thorny handle of his spear.
    “You’re bleeding,” she said. Shifting her eyes up, she got a better look at the bloody scratches on his neck, scalp, and shoulders. “You’re really bleeding. I’ve got a medical kit in my car. Come on.”
    Wiping a hand on his shirt, Cole said, “Let’s see your camera.” She handed it to him and he took a few pictures of the Chupacabra, cropping the shots so a minimum of gore or anatomical details could be seen. That way, there was plenty of room for speculation when the pictures made it to the Internet. “Didn’t want you to leave empty-handed.”
    “I’m more worried about you. We’ve got to stop that bleeding.”
    The wounds on his palm were already closing, but the others were still leaking. “Why don’t you find that kit and I’ll be right there.”
    Abby was more than happy to get away from that spot, and once she was out of sight, Cole squatted down beside the grimy little stick figure. He felt for a pulse, but wasn’t certain he was feeling in the right spot, so he satisfied himself by poking at the body with his spear. When it didn’t move, he figured it was dead. He got his cell phone, hoping to check if Paige had any need for some slightly used Chupe parts. There was just enough of a signal for him to dial the number and listen to it ring once before the call was dropped. He had plenty of choice words to mutter as he hefted the Chupe over his shoulder and carried it all the way back to his car. It gave off the odor of old trees and overripe fruit, which was a lot better than he’d anticipated.
    Abby rooted through her backseat when Cole spread aplastic tarp on the inside of his trunk and then dropped the Chupe onto it.
    “Don’t even ask,” he warned her before closing the trunk and walking over to her.
    The rear seats of her car had been removed, making room for plenty of silver cases, satchels, equipment bags, and boxes of folders.