“Ricky-Bo, you slimy piece of pond scum,” I said, laughter in my tone, “you’re on.” I started tearing off clothes. Edmund’s eyes went wide and he politely turned his head, giving me privacy. Not that he hadn’t seen me naked, but I’d been nearly dead at the time. I shoved out of the boots just as Beast tore through the Gray Between and we shifted.
• • •
Beast growled, shaking pelt. Like new bigness of Jane muscles. Like being big. But hunger. Need food. Jane did not answer.
Stared at bag of food on floor. Taco. Beast never hunted taco. Did not know if taco was bird or alligator or pig. Was too stinky to be fish. Edmund opened bag and Beast sniffed. Was stinky. But Beast ate, swallowing fast. Taco was meat and bean-stuff and corn-stuff. Had man-spices in it. Taco meat would be better raw. But did not want to hunt taco. Stinky animal. Swallowed last of taco. Lifted head and sniffed air. Smelled stinky head of vampires. Could eat them. Would not be hungry if ate Adrianna head or other vampire head. But Jane would be mad.
“Janie,” Eli said. “You okay? That was the fastest shift I’ve ever seen.”
Looked at littermate, letting glow of skinwalker energies into eyes. Growled again. Not Jane. Am Beast. Batted gobag at Edmund. Snarled. Stupid humans. Batted bag again.
“I don’t think that’s Jane,” Eli said. “I think that’s a ‘Timmy fell down the well’ move.”
“What happened?” Rick asked.
Sound came from dark snake-thing on floor. Thing Jane called coms and earbud. Snarled. Rick-mate left with black wereleopard Paka. Hate Paka. But Beast and Jane found other mate. Better mate. Batted gobag. Snarled, showing killing teeth.
“I think she wants her gobag on,” Eli said.
Beast lay on seat and chuffed. Eli reached around and found small gobag. Strapped it on neck near gold from sacred place of first Jane-shift. Neck lace. Neck was good. Beast had strong neck. Lace was spiderweb humans wore, but not on neck. Was confusing.
“Is that okay, Janie?” Eli tugged on gobag.
Butted Eli hand. Not Jane. Am Beast.
“Okay,” he said. “I think I’m talking to Beast.”
Chuffed again. Am Beast.
“Do you wish to have an earbud?” Edmund asked. “It is possible to—”
Chuffed with sound that meant was stupid question. Shook head side to side in Jane-talk. No. Vampire might hear. Vampire have best ears like Beast. Are predators. But littermates did not understand.
“You ready?” Eli asked, patting Jane’s gobag. “You have a nine, loaded with silver-lead rounds and three full mags. The gray one is standard ammo if you need to switch out. You have the new armor and a thigh rig. Your boots are not in here.” Eli patted gobag. “Understand? No boots. You’ll be in flops.”
Eli was good littermate. Beast chuffed with sound that meant okay.
“We’ll wait exactly five minutes from the time the SUV door closes. Then we’re after you, through the doors.”
“Ten minutes,” Rick said. Was growl to his voice. His cat-growl. Liked cat-growl. Did not like Rick.
“Fine. Ten. Take your time, Janie,” Eli said. “You’ll hear us enter the bedroom where Rick ended up. As soon as you hear us breaking down the wall into the sealed room, you drop into the room.”
Chuffed. Lifted head, dropped head, lifted head, in Jane-nod. Tapped door handle with paw.
Before Edmund reached around, earbud made noise. Like limb breaking.
“Wrassler to Jane Yellowrock. Wrassler to Jane Yellowrock. Do you copy?”
Eli said, “Eli Younger here. Yellowrock is with me. Over.”
“The Council Chambers building is under attack again. The lower entry level has been breached. Repeat, lower entry level has been breached. Stairwells are still secure. Enemy combatants are humans and European suckheads as well as local gangs. And you need to know, Amy Lynn Brown went missing four hours past.”
Eli made snarl face. “Leo?”
“Leo is secure at this time. Requesting backup.”
Eli said, “We are not, repeat not, able to respond at this time.”
Wrassler said word for sex and earbud made sound again.
Eli looked into Beast eyes. “Amy Lynn Brown is missing. The EVs are attacking HQ. So what do they want this time that they didn’t manage to get in the last attack? Has to be the Son of Darkness. And we have to assume they took Amy. It’s gonna be a long night, Babe.” He opened door.
Beast stepped into cold and rain and falling ice. Sleet. Hate sleet. Raced along sidewalk to corner where building roof was low. Gathered self. Pushed off ground. Leaped high. Stretched hard, claws out. Gobag banged on neck and chest. Landed on roof. Slid on ice-slick metal. Scratched and pulled self to top of roof. Like top of tree. Top of mountain. Could see steel pole called lightning rod in middle of roof. Looked other way. Could see far. Could see magic in other ess-u-vee. Ricky-Bo was shifting into cat. Liked big-cat, but not Ricky-Bo. Ricky-Bo was slow to shift. Was new to his cat-self. Beast was better. Faster.
Looked up in clouds. Much lightning and rainbow dragons, flying. Much magic. Much danger. Anzu was flying there too. Watching dragons. Calling bird calls. Saw Anzu dive at dragon. Bit dragon! Was fighting dragons! Did not understand. Wanted to fight dragons but could not fly. Wanted to watch, but sleet was hitting eyes. Snarled. Wanted many things but could not have.
Crept on belly to edge of roof and looked down. Hole in top part of pointy wall Jane called gable was like small window. Big enough for Beast. Placed paw and claws into holes left by Anzu. Tightened into metal like into tree bark. Swung down and around and caught lip of window with back claw. Hung. Wind hit, shoving Beast. Might fall.
Looked at ground. Not far. Could try again. But Ricky-Bo could be ready by then. Did not want to hunt with Ricky-Bo. Pushed with other back leg and swiveled large tail to twist body. Pulled with claw on roof. Head ducked inside. Then body. Darkness surrounded like good den in mountainside. Sleet and wind went away. Inside was cold and musky with snake smell and rat smell. And human blood smell. Vampire den was close. Shook rain and ice from pelt, hearing it patter into dark. Shook again. Pelt was good predator pelt. Nearly dry except where sleet penetrated deep to melt on skin. Hate sleet.
Found wood limb, shaped flat. Easy to walk. White man liked limbs made flat. Remembered sound of machine. Sawmill. In hunger times. And white man killing trees. Hated white man. But liked Edmund. And Bruiser. Was strange to like white man. But was time to hunt. Hunger cramped into Beast-belly like Anzu claws. Tacos had been small crunch and gone.
Walked along limb into building. Sleet on metal roof was loud. Covering all other sounds. Hunting was easy in dark place with flat limbs and sleet on roof. Caught spiderwebs with face. Like neck lace but with crawly things that raced across ears. Neck lace of web. White man words were confusing.
Smell of human blood was stronger. So was smell of Onorio. And witch. And death.
Pawpawpaw. Shaking crawly things off of body. Pawpawpaw. Silent. Beast was best ambush hunter. Reached place on flat limb above room that Ricky-Bo had not seen. Looked for light and found place where light came through ceiling below. Gathered self and leaped to flat limb, then to flat limb. Flat was easy to leap.
Settled to limb over hole in ceiling and watched through into sealed room. Could see . . . magic. Much magic. Sparking green, black, and many, many silvers. Gold like Beast eyes. Pulled on Jane eyes and saw also red—color of blood as seen with human eyes. Color of Damours magics. Color of evil magics. Color of magic in Jane that had not been there when we hunted in mountains. Wanted to go home.
Pawpawpaw to better place. Through new hole saw Brandon and Brian. Brother-littermate-Onorios were tied to posts in floor by leather straps with metal barbs. Metal pierced flesh and blood ran down. Brothers had been bitten many times. Vampires had not closed wounds. Left prey to bleed, like cat playing with mouse. Vampires were playing with meat. Was toy, not food. Wanted to keep toys alive. Did not know how vampires had trapped Onorios. Magic? Or bait. Grégoire was bait. Beast wanted to growl. Wanted to kill vampires.
Breathed in air. Quiet scree of sound, no louder than sleet on roof. Pulling air over tongue and roof of mouth and scent sacs there. Smelled vampires Jane knew, Amitee and Fernand vampires. Would put their heads in box with stinky head of Adrianna. Smelled Sabina and Sabina blood. Smelled witch-vampire did not know. Smelled Amy Lynn Brown. Smelled more-than-five sick vampires. Smelled more-than-five dead humans.