Unbearable by Tracy Cooper-Posey Read Free Book Online Page B

said gently.
    “That’s not it,” Tally said. Her voice wobbled.
    “It will be a year in just under a week,” I said as gently as I could. I wanted to draw the thorn that was hurting.
    At last, she began to cry. “She looked wr…r…retched! Is that what I look like? Is that all that is left for me?”
    “You’re a hunter, born and bred,” Nick said firmly. “No one can take that away from you.”
    Tally began to cry harder and for the first time I realized that it wasn’t just the anniversary of Carson’s death that was prodding her. “What do I do once Lirgon is dead?” she asked, through her tears. “Keep hunting?”
    “If you want,” I said as calmly as I could, although my heart was already hurting from beating too hard.
    “I don’t want Riley growing up in this world!” she cried. “Yet if I don’t hunt, I must face becoming human, normal , again. I can’t do it! I just can’t! That’s why I don’t want Riley to grow up like me!”
    It was a nasty dilemma. I didn’t know what to say. So I drew her against me and let her cry on my shoulder. I think that was the first time and also the last time that Tally truly cried in that entire horrible year.
    Nick’s gaze met mine. He was deeply troubled, too.
    Movement caught my eye and I looked behind him. Riley was on her feet, wobbling, clutching the corner of the armchair. Her play blanket was three feet behind her.
    As I watched, as Nick spun to see what I was looking at, as I pushed Tally up and pointed, Riley took two more hesitant, tottering steps, then sat down suddenly on her rear and giggled.
    Tally surged out of her chair and swept Riley up in her arms and covered her in kisses. “Oh, you sweet, darling girl! You’re walking!”
    It was the only light, happy moment in a month, a year, that had grown to be almost unendurable.

January 1, 1984
    Nyanther was the one who saw the late night look-how-strange news report on a bear eating people in Florida and coupled it up with Lirgon’s return.
    Even if I had seen the original smarmy, tongue-in-cheek report, I might still not have made any connection because one didn’t generally think of caves, ancient creatures and the supernatural as anything related to swampy, flat and above all, hot Florida.
    Only, for Nyanther, everything was still odd and strange. So connecting the two was natural. “There are caves in Florida,” he insisted as we sat around the table, Tally eating breakfast I had cooked for her while Nick fed Riley. “The center of the state is riddled with them. I looked it up. They’re limestone and most of them are underwater, except where the ridges emerge, the caves are dry. It might not be a gargoyle nest the way you and I think of them, but it still fits their criteria.” He lifted his hand and touched the tip of his fingers as he counted off the criteria—a modern habit he had picked up from somewhere. “Caves. Forests—well, swampland. Which means wild animals to tide them over when they can’t find humans. Humans who are missing and remains that have been eaten, especially the legs.” He lowered his hand and shrugged. “It’s Lirgon.”
    “Or a bear, or a crocodile.” Nick wiped Riley’s chin.
    “Who do you know in Florida?” Nyanther insisted.
    Tally picked up her coffee cup. “There’s Miguel,” she said.
    Nick frowned. “Do you have contacts for him?” he asked.
    “A phone number for a bar that he uses as a message drop.”
    “It’s New Year’s Day,” I pointed out. “You’re not going to raise anyone until late afternoon.”
    Nick sighed. “Why don’t you leave a message for him tonight?” he told Tally. “It won’t hurt for him to look into it. We could drive down while he checks it out. It would take three or four days but if we drive, we can take all our gear. We could leave on Tuesday and be there by the weekend.”
    I wondered if Nick was agreeing to this as a way of getting Tally out of the house and out of New York at this time of