Monstrous Races by K. Jewell

the texture is like silk. It is also all the rage in Kennysingtown, where I hear that her Royal Highness likes to eat it by the bucketload .' He paled slightly and sat down, reaching for his water. 'Now if this flavour is too... sophisticated for Sir, then perhaps he would like to choose another meal from our selection?' she said just as loudly, as Rufus appeared at the man's side holding a menu. 'Perhaps goaty sausages are more in keeping with Sir's palate?'
    'Can I try some. . .what do you call it Miss?' asked a tall and very handsome young man seated at the back of the restaurant who Elli recognised as the customer in Dion and Jones. She smiled at him and thought frantically.
    'Er, S ue...'
    'She,' interrupted Rufus, his head held high. 'It's Sue-she. And I'll order some goaty sausages for you, Sir ,' he said smiling down at the lawyer. 'Don't worry, I'll make sure they're very, very well done.'
     
    Rufus breezed into the kitchen with another four orders of sue-she and Elli frowned, delicately arranging the translucent slivers into individual works of art.
    'Another one?' asked Leo, concentrating on carving decorative vegetables and intricate cakes of cooked rice. 'I've got to hand it to you, this dish is selling like hot cakes. And I'd much rather eat hot cakes than this. Still, you can't argue with the upper classes throwing their money around. And name-dropping Her Royal Highness. Credit where credit's due, that's clever,' he admitted, drying some finely cut seaweed wraps on his horns and tusks.
    'Rufus, we're almost out of fish. They can place two more orders and then we're back to goat only,' Elli called out firmly, creating a delicate fish spiral with something of a flourish. 'Do you think the name will catch on?' she asked, looking up in time to see Rufus throw a piece of fish into the air and gulp it down. 'Make that one more order.'
    'Oh, and Billy says that you are taking liberties and have got to pay from now on,' said Leo, removing the seaweed and now using his tusks to sharpen his knife. 'I believe you owe three groats there. And I'm choosing to turn a blind eye to the two puddings and quiche you had earlier,' he said, watching Rufus' eyes widen. 'If I were you I'd cut down, wouldn't hurt for the old waistline either,' he added with a thin smile.
    'If you must know I have big bones,' replied Rufus, petulantly refusing to meet his gaze.
    'Oh don't tell me that,' said Leo, showing his chiselled teeth like old gravestones. 'I am an ogre after all. Crunching the bones is always my favourite part.' Rufus backed out slowly, slipping on some sauce he'd spilt earlier and making an ungainly recovery.
    'He'd have found that move a lot more graceful if he'd been a nuli,' said Gwen, appearing behind him holding a dish of sweet pastries.
      'I doubt it,' replied Elli, shaking her head.

Chapter T en
The attractive powers of m usk and fluffy slippers
     
    'You're very perky for someone who hasn't had much sleep,' said Rufus as they walked towards Max's house that evening, both waving at seemingly empty windows. 'Nothing to do with the tall young man you smiled at?' he asked, adding an evil laugh for emphasis.
    'What do you mean?' said Elli, smiling sweetly whilst seeing a thumbs- up appear beneath the curtain at number sixteen.
    'Oh, you know young lady. You don't have to be human to understand human behaviour.'
    'Really?' she asked incredulous, as Rufus fired a high five seemingly at an empty window.
    'My olfactory organs noted the pheromones bouncing off of you like a fat lady on a trampoline,' he said as they reached the front door. 'You're going nowhere without me Missy. Remember what Alpha Sawyre said?'
    'Well spoken,' said Alpha Sawyre opening the door silently, her greyhound head lean in the candlelight. 'I'm so glad to hear you're less...distracted nowadays Rufus. You'd better come in. And your Father says to tell you both to take your shoes off.'
    Elli beamed up at her. 'We've really missed you, is everyone