Chapter 30
"Are you really going to get help from that little felycan tramp?" Elyssa asked as we hopped into the black van she'd driven.
I'd told her where my Jetta was so I could recover it. It also happened to be very near Stacey's hideout. "She's actually a decent person once you get to know her."
"Never trust felycans. They're finicky and dangerous. One of them almost killed my oldest brother, Michael."
"Wow, they're that strong?"
"This one was. He broke into several animal shelters and let all the animals go."
"What's wrong with that?"
"He also severely injured security guards and staff, not to mention clued some of them in to his supernatural abilities."
"Is there a law against that?"
"Spreading knowledge of the supernatural to mortals is forbidden. It's one of the first laws the Overworld Conclave enacted."
"I haven't exactly had time for Supernatural 101."
"The Overworld Conclave is the worldwide supernatural government. Every year they hold a caucus where delegates meet to decide on rules."
"Delegates from different supernatural groups?"
"The major groups. Loners like your kitty cat friend don't normally participate. Doesn't mean they don't answer to the law, though."
"And that's where you come in."
"We're considered the only impartial party to the Conclave. Every nation has its own police force. I guess we're kind of like the supernatural version of Interpol."
"With swords. And ninja outfits."
She grinned. "Kinda cool, huh?"
I laughed. "Man, I feel like a baby. Supernatural nations, the Conclave, Templars. It's enough to give me a supernatural headache." I squeezed my eyes shut for a moment. "Do the spawn take part in the Conclave?"
"Yeah, they're major players, but their internal politics are even more complex than vampires if you can believe it."
"I can believe anything at this point. At least I have super cop to protect me."
She chuckled and stared at the road. After a moment, she spoke again. "I meant to thank you earlier."
"For what?"
"For what you said about me to Shelton."
"Oh." I pondered it a minute, trying to remember exactly what I'd said. Then I saw the Jetta sitting in the dark to the side of the road. "There it is."
She pulled off and I hopped out with a red gas tank in hand.
"I can't go any closer to her lair," Elyssa said. "She'll sense me and freak out."
"I don't blame her," I said with a grin. "I'll bet you're not even a cat person."
"I prefer dogs." She got out of the van and held out her hand, palm up. "I'll take your Jetta back."
"Why?"
"Because if she delivers some moggies to you, you'll need the van."
"Will moggies freak out if you're around?" I asked in all seriousness.
She shrugged. "I'm not a felycan expert but I don't think so. Whatever the cat woman tells them to do, they should do."
"I hope so." The last thing I needed was giant alley cats savaging someone's toy poodle.
"I have no idea how to fit those creatures into the plan," she said with a protracted sigh.
"Backup."
"If we need backup, it'll probably be too late."
"Stop being so optimistic," I said and hopped in the van. "I'll see you back at the house?"
She nodded. I drove the short distance to the old warehouses and sensed Stacey nearby, although there was something alien about her presence. I clambered to the top of one of the buildings and scanned the rooftops. Goosebumps crept up my spine. The hair on the back of my neck stiffened. I spun. Something huge crashed into my chest and hammered me into the ground. Feline fangs glistened inches from my face. Did everyone have fangs except for me? A pair of amber eyes bore into mine. A rather large black panther with incongruously blonde-tipped fur frosting its ears sat atop my chest.
A tongue eclipsed my view and licked my nose. I sputtered. The huge cat licked my cheeks while a rumbling purr thundered in its chest. I wiggled. Managed to dislodge the big cat and scrambled to my feet. The panther yawned wide and gave me something approximating an amused grin.
"Stacey?" I said.
The big cat stretched. Bones popped. The huge paws shrunk and the black fur retracted. The panther yowled and roared over the sound of cracking bones and the mushy sounds of muscle and sinew rearranging itself.
The horrible noises were enough to make me want to faint.
"Are you having an episode?" a very naked Stacey said, walking towards me without the least hint of embarrassment. I couldn't stop looking at her soft curvy bits as they jiggled and swayed with her catlike stride.
"I think I might have one now," I said in hoarse reply. I tried to remember why I'd come here in the first place. Oh yes, the moggies. "Did any of your companions decide to help me?"
"Indeed, my dear. Two tommys have risen to the occasion."
Stacey's nakedness had made something else rise to the occasion. I shook my head and tore my eyes from her chest. "Two tommys?" I was a little disappointed there were only two, but then again, I'd probably need a cattle truck to haul any more of them. Two shadowy figures appeared, leaping though a hole in the roof. They stood as high as panthers. Bony ridges ran along their spines, their paws wide and disproportionate. Although they looked clumsy, they flowed along the roof with deceptive grace and speed. One was black with white spots, the other orange with dark stripes. Otherwise, they looked the same size as the original moggy I'd encountered, with the same bony spine protrusions, scruffy fur, and long thick whiskers.
"So the dhampyr girl is helping you," Stacey said in a low growl.
I didn't bother asking how she knew. "She is."
"I find that very surprising. Her kind does not usually mix with ours."
"She's a good person."
An amused smile lit Stacey's face. At least I think it did. I was trying hard not to stare at her boobs. "Are you a good person, my lamb?"
"I think so, my little kitty cat."
She laughed. "You are simply too much." She scratched the orange moggy behind the ears. His golden eyes narrowed in pleasure and a deep purr rumbled in his throat. "This is Marmalade, and that is Dots."
I wrinkled my forehead. "You've gotta be kidding me. Did you give them those names?"
"That is what they were called before they fled their uncaring masters."
"Lovely."
"They are quite lovely. Give them the respect they deserve and they will honor you with their loyalty and service."
"How do I tell them what to do? Do I need to learn cat language?"
"Oh no, my precious," she said, giggling. "Simply tell them what to do."
I decided to test that out immediately. "Come here, Marmalade."
He looked up at Stacey. She took his great head in her hands and kissed him on the nose. "Who's my good boy?" she said in a cooing voice and then made some mewling noises at him.
He licked her cheek and trotted over to me where he sat at my feet and stared curiously into my eyes. I reached out cautiously and scratched his huge ears. The resulting purr sounded like a Harley motorcycle. His fur was rough and spiky and his jaw stretched wider than a normal feline's. Otherwise he was just one big warm fluffy ball of love.
"They don't mind the daylight, do they?"
"Bright sunlight will hurt their eyes, and stealth will be very difficult," Stacey replied. She pursed her lips. "You mean to attack during the day? The vampires will be at their weakest then, true. But they are not foolish enough to leave themselves open to attack during the day. I would suggest a night attack. Many of them will be out and on the prowl instead of at home asleep."
I hadn't thought of it that way. "But Elyssa says a daylight attack is best."
She growled. "I am sure the girl has some trifling background with such matters, but I am speaking from true experience."
"You attacked a group of vampires before?"
"They were using cats for extremely distasteful experiments."
"What?" I said, shocked. "Were they making vampire cats?"
"Indeed. These were very scientific-minded vampires. I taught them the error of their ways."
"Good lord, I can't imagine having to deal with vampiric cats."
"They were so distraught." She sniffled and wiped away a tear. "Those that did not die, I had to lull into the eternal sleep. Every moment of life was a danger to other felines. I could not let such a plague spread."
I wrenched the discussion back to the topic at hand before curiosity derailed my train of thought. "Are you absolutely sure about a nighttime assault? If we mess this up, we're dead."
"I do not think you stand much of a chance in either case. Explain your current plan to me."
I gave her the quick version of Elyssa's plan, noting with pride that I'd gone at least one minute without looking down at her chest.
"The girl has a very logical mind," Stacey said after a moment. "I do believe, however, that a nighttime foray will be more successful, especially if you advance your plans to this evening."
"Tonight?"
"It is a new moon. It's when the lycans are at their lowest strength and the vampires at their greatest. They will, as you say these days, be partying it up." The idiom sounded funny coming from Stacey's proper British lips.
"There's something to all that full moon myth stuff then?"
"I suppose there must be, for as long as I have walked this earth, the full moon and new moon celebrations have always been just so."
"When were you born?" I asked.
"I was born under the greatest queen the world has ever known. In fact, I served her quite faithfully until our kind had to go underground again."