“It’s not all sticky and mushy!” I point out helpfully. “There’s crunchy and doughy and chewy. Some of it tastes pretty amazing. And clothes are great, too—you’ve put on someautomatically, but there are all kinds of shapes and textures. Cashmere is so soft. So is silk!”
I think I’m babbling, but she hasn’t broken anything yet, so that seems like a sign I’m on the right track. For good measure, I summon memories of cozy blankets and supple dresses wrapping around me.
Maybe those images can plug up the streams of worry that are battering me.
Viscera shakes her head with a swish of her hair, but her expression is still thoughtful. I dare to push my calming vibe toward her with a little more oomph.
The more I can lull her into a sense of complacency, the slower I can hope she’ll react when my companions get here ready to fully subdue her.
She scoffs. “Clothes do nothing. They tangle and tear. Stupid stuff. And what about all these walls they throw up all over the place?” She waves at the buildings around us before motioning to the few cars parked on the road as well. “What about these hunks of metal that belch out toxic smoke?”
“There are some bad things about those,” I allow. “But cars can get you places much faster than we can even travel through the shadows. That’s pretty amazing. And the walls help keep in the warmth when it’s cold out and the cold when it’s too hot. They can hold all kinds of activities. You should watch a movie sometime! It’s an incredible experience.”
Viscera arches an eyebrow. “A movie?”
I nod eagerly and try to create a picture with sweeps of my hands. “There’s a huge screen, and pictures move on it like a story, but it’s made with real people and places so it feels almost like it actually happened. And they can make all kinds of amazing special effects like magic or explosions—I guess you’d like that part?—”
I don’t know if it’s the mention of explosions—which does bring a gleam into Viscera’s eyes—or if it’s just the distance closing between my men and me, but the rising anxiety smacks into me even harder than before.
My breath hitches, and my muscles tense with the urge to spring in four different directions at once, to race to everyone’s rescue.
They’re mine. I need to protect them.
They’re only upset because they think they need to protectme, I shout back silently, but my retort only amplifies the swell of emotions.
Sour sparks of anguish flare as my men sense my distress. My frustration sears hotter in turn.
Viscera frowns. “What are you doing, Periwinkle?”
I have to find my way back to tranquility—I have to balance out all this turmoil—I’m going to screw everything up?—
That last thought crackles through all my good intentions, rattling me from head to toe. My men’s answering concern floods me. My vision hazes.
And a spurt of the emotions churning inside me surges out and smacks into a nearby lamp post.
I’ve kept enough control that my lapse doesn’t do any real damage. It only leaves a few dark scratches on the concrete surface.
But a cackle bubbles from Viscera’s lips. “That’s right! You want to blast it all too. Those mortals messed with us too much. This place wanted us and then it doesn’t let us in, no matter how we shift. So we’ll shift it to match us!”
A twinge of confusion breaks through my panic. “What are you talking about? Who messed with you? Where are you trying to go in?”
“All of them! Everywhere!” She tosses her hands in the air. “Pull us in and push us away. Make us twist and twitch. Never enough. Screw them! Let’s smash and burn it down!”
“Wait!” I cry, but the anguish that wells up with my protest only eggs her on. She whirls around, her tail smashing through the nearest car window. With a spring of her sinewy legs, she hurtles on top of it and crushes the roof toward the ground.
In a matter of seconds, she’s flung herself into one storefront and then another. More glass shatters; bricks crumble. The foundations groan as the buildings start to collapse.
Viscera shrieks with apparent glee. “That’s enough for here! You can do the rest. So many streets, so much to wreck.”
“No!” I gasp out, grasping at her, but she’s already flitted away into the shadows.
I spring after her. If I can keep up with her, follow her, maybe…
But by the time I’ve made it two blocks down the street, I’ve lost all sense of Viscera. I pull myself back into physical form feeling as low as the dirt beneath the asphalt.
The vans and cars carrying the rest of my colleagues roar onto the street a minute later. My four teammates leap out and race straight to me, as ifI’mthe one who needs help.
“Peri?” Raze says in a fraught growl.
