r". But Sue took
a different view. "What does the _koodi_ look like?" she persisted.

Joe looked puzzled. He raised a long, four-segmented finger and pointed
to a corner of the room where Toots was curled up like a fur neck-piece.
"He looks like that. There is a _koodi_."

My first impulse was to reject the statement as ridiculous. Toots was as
harmless as an over-sized kitten. Besides, the manual made no mention
of--

Sue made a small sound in her throat. Her face was colorless. "Sam! Get
him out of here!"

"But the manual--"

"The manual didn't mention Joe's people, either," she said
half-hysterically. "_Get Toots out of here._"

Still unbelieving I walked over and hauled the little fuzzy animal up
into my arms. Instantly, he cuddled close and rammed his pointed snout
under my open collar and began nibbling at my neck. I took him outside,
and out of perverse curiosity I let him have his way with my neck. At
first it tickled, as always, but instead of batting his head away I let
him nibble with his soft, pointed lips.

Sue called out, "Sam what are you doing? Kill him, Sam!"

His lips spread into a little circle on my flesh and began sucking
gently. There was no pain, just the throb of my jugular under his mouth.
Now his long, soft, hairy arms became firmer around my neck. I jerked
back and they gripped hard. A chill of panic stabbed me, and I could
feel the taut flesh of my neck drawn more deeply into his puckered lips.

I tugged at him silently, not wishing to frighten Sue. He wouldn't come
loose. In broad, noon-daylight I had a Sirian vampire in my arms,
threatening to rupture my jugular vein and kill me within speaking
distance of half a hundred people. I tried to level my voice. "Joe,
would you come out here, please?"

He came at once, stared with a blank expression and said, "You have been
drinking much tala?"

"Help me, dammit!" I said, holding my voice down. "I can't shake him
loose. He's trying to--" The long, tight arm squeezed off my breath. In
turn I tried to strangle him, but under the thick fur was a bony
protection where there should have been soft neck.

"It does no good to kill the _koodi_," Joe said. "There is always
another. Once they hold you tightly it is too late."

Sue thought differently. She came through the door like a hell-cat.
Catching up her garden hoe she swung a blow that, had it missed Toots,
would have crushed my skull. But Sue didn't miss. I fell on my back, and
Toots