I understood why Joses had worn an arcenciel. I understood why vamps wanted them. Riding one let them do, in a limited way, what the arcenciels and Beast could do naturally—enter the Gray Between and move outside of time. But without the pain of the price placed on me/us by an angel.
For now, Joses was a prisoner, and the arcenciel was free. It might not be perfect, but it was good enough.
Now no one had access to folded time, to time bubbles, but me—if I was willing to nearly die—and my Beast. And the arcenciels.
And maybe the Anzû.
Crap. I sheathed my blade. Oh well. Nothing was perfect. Nothing.
I vomited blood one last time, falling forward onto the clay floor beside the scale left behind by the arcenciel and the shattered crystal prison. I bounced, my head turned to see into the battleground. My hand landed beside me, still holding the Judge. My skin was white-white-white, bluish, nearly purple, empty of blood and low on oxygen. And still my guts pulled and tore and the sick taste of blood and stomach acid coated my mouth.
Change, Beast thought at me. Now.
Reaching into the Gray Between, I sought her form. Time began to slide forward in blocks of action, quaking, trembling motions still too slow for reality. The explosion of the Judge still echoed. The screams of battle ripped across my eardrums, faster now. And again, faster still, as time began to unfold.
A light as bright as a phosphorescent torch lit the elevator shaft. Peregrinus danced back, and back, into the light, his feet moving around me where I lay. The fight followed him, his men firing, the sounds like a dozen bass drums beating all at once.
In the same instant, the Devil fell and Grégoire whirled and leaped to cut across Peregrinus’ torso. Brother fighting brother, the oldest tale of them all. Peregrinus’ knees buckled, but he wasn’t finished. The vamp was too strong, too old, too powerful for most weapons. He had, after all, brought the Devil back to life. Moving as if my hand weighed fifty pounds, I released the Judge and pulled the bag holding the sliver of the Blood Cross. Ripped the bag free from my neck. Slid the pointed end from the drawstring opening.
I gripped the sliver through the bag, careful not to touch it, my hand shaking as if I were dying. I thrust the splinter of wood forward, through the seam of his fighting leathers, into Peregrinus’ calf.
Still caught in the remnants of the time warp of the Gray Between, I saw a tiny explosion of fire at the point of impact. The progression of burn as the vampire began to burst into flame. A heated glow I could feel on the skin of my fingertips and my face. The power thrust through his body into his veins, into his arteries. Instantly, he blazed. His whole core lighting with power. With the heat of the sun. For a long while, I could see his bones, his ribs, the shape of his pelvis and shoulders.
Peregrinus slowly dropped to his knees. He wrenched back his head and screamed.
And he burned. And burned. Bright against my retinas. Lighting the darkness of the dungeon.
He fell. Landing beside me, too close, the heat like a phosphorous flare, scorching my skin. I closed my eyes as he burned into dust.
Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, I thought.
I lifted my head and met the eyes of the Son of Darkness. Within the energies of the Gray Between, I said, “I don’t need or want anything you have to offer. Not now. Not ever.” I didn’t know whether he heard me, in the bubble of folded time, and I didn’t care; I simply needed to say the words. I tucked the sliver of the Blood Cross into my gorget and let Beast pull me into the change. Pain like flaming silk flowed along my bones and through my veins. I shifted. I changed.
• • •
Screams and sounds of guns hit Beast ears. Fire burned tips of Beast pelt. Beast rolled. Lay twisted in Jane clothes. Gorget too tight on Beast neck. Choking. But sliver of cross weapon was in gorget. In Beast’s care.
Beast clawed out of Jane clothes and leaped away from burning body. Rushing through dark room, close to thing on wall, to open doorway and up narrow stairs, racing like climbing cliff. Human met Beast in hallway and opened door. I crouched and snarled, showing killing teeth, smelling Jane-kin. Not blood kin, but kin in human ways. Ways of choice. Jane trusted human Eli like littermate. Eli stepped away from door, hands out to sides, empty of weapons—human sign of not fighting. Beast crawled on belly to open door. Was sleeping den of Del.
Opened mouth and pulled in air with scree of sound. Smelling, tasting, knowing room was empty. Beast gathered paws close and leaped inside, to land in middle of bed. Fresh cloths covered bed, smelling of sweetness instead of Jane sickness. Beast lay still, staring at door, at Eli. “You want me to loosen the gorget?” he asked. “It looks tight.”
I hissed at him, showing killing teeth. Jane’s weapon. Stay away or Beast will hurt you.
Eli touched his head in way that meant nothing to Beast. “I’ll bring you a steak in just a bit,” he said. He closed door.
Beast is hungry. Steak is good. Bison is better.
• • •
Beast woke, knowing. Smelled mate. Smelled Bruiser. Memories of Bruiser and Jane and mating scents filled mind. Had marked mate. Had been marked by mate. Ear tabs flicked. Beast stared at door. Waiting. Patient predator. Gathered paws close. Heard Bruiser voice on other side of door.
Door opened. Bruiser came in. Beast showed killing teeth. Did not ask you into den. Beast narrowed eyes at mate, hissing, remembering. Bruiser went away with priestess. Bethany. Vampire was good hunter. Trying to take mate? Bruiser was Beast mate. Snarled. My mate!
Bruiser scent changed. Foot kicked plate on floor, plate smelling of blood and cow. Had been good blood and cow. Heated. Eli had put salt on cow meat. Liked salt. Bruiser looked from Beast to plate and back.
Bruiser moved slow. Closed door behind him. “Jane?”
Growled, snarled. Am Beast. Jane sleeps in den of mind. Am Beast!
“I don’t know if you can hear me but . . .” Bruiser scent changed again. Grew warm. Possessive. “You are utterly beautiful.”
Beast chuffed. Lifted tail tip into air. Covered killing teeth with lips. Stared at mate. Good mate. Beast opened mouth and drew in scent with scree of sound. Bruiser flinched. Beast chuffed. Was good for mate to know Beast was powerful. Bruiser had good scent. Good mate scent. Bruiser came into den, across soft floor to den bed of Del.
“May I touch you? Without getting bloody mauled?”
Beast showed killing teeth again, thinking. Wanted Bruiser to touch. Jane wanted Bruiser for mate. For more than kits. Did not understand mate for more than kits. But Jane . . . was confusing. Lay head to paws, like sleeping. Stared at Bruiser. Bruiser walked closer, moving slow. Was smart to approach Beast slow. Beast had killing teeth and claws.