Like Bitsa, she thought,but not like Bitsa. Does not have Harley growl like Bitsa.
Okay, I thought.I loved the bike too, though not so much in a downpour. But why are we stopping here?
Beast trotted out from the protection of the car and down a narrow alley between two houses. The ground and walls stank of feral male cats, territory spray, strong musky stinks.
Stupid cats, think they are lions. But smell Edmund. He was here. With cats.
Where? Inside the house?I looked around, through Beast’s eyes, seeing the world in silvers and greens and blacks and grays of Beast’s night vision. I/we sniffed the air. Edmund’s scent was everywhere and nowhere.
Smell of Edmund on top of house. Smell of vampires and blood-servants inside house.
He was spying on the house. They came out and found Edmund. They fought here? What is this place?
Smell of Edmund blood and silver. Smell of vampire blood and strange blood-servant blood. Smell of white-man guns and steel. Edmund fought.
They fought here, I thought.Then Edmund got away. They chased him.
Human died here. Vampires drank female inside.
That made sense. The vamps—what vamps?—had found a victim and charmed and mesmerized her. She had brought them back to her house. She was dead inside, the smell of death coming through the cracks in the walls. Beast pushed me down, out of the forefront of her brain, taking control again.
Beast is alpha. Beast has hunted. Nose to ground. Want cow.
You did what I asked, Jane thought.Thank you.
Jane is po-lite. Po-lite does not feed Beast.Sat down in dark place beneath plant with big leaves.Feed Beast.
I have nothing to feed you.
Smell dog. Big dog on chain. Could eat dog, Beast suggested hopefully.Is on chain. Would not fight long. Could not get away.
I bet dogs taste bad. How about this. We shift back to human, call a cab, grab a bucket of chicken, and go home, where it’s nice and warm and dry. Then we can hunt alligator in the swamp on a full moon night.
Jane has been Beast two times this night. Chased vampire who killed revenant. Tracked Edmund. Am hungry. Want cow. Want to hunt cow in Edmund car on full moon night.
Yeah, I don’t think that’s gonna happen.
Want cow. Want to hunt cow in Edmund car.
That’s between you and Edmund.Jane sent image of Beast talking to vampire, making funny puma sounds. Was not funny but Jane laughed.
Jane bound Edmund like dog on chain. Edmund will let Beast hunt in Edmund car if Jane makes him.
Jane went silent. Beast groomed paws. Paws were wet with rain and tasted of gasoline and exhaust and rats. Was bad for Beast but would heal when Beast shifted again.
Alligator on full moon hunt, Jane thought. Jane was mad. She pulled up Gray Between and reached into snake that was Jane. Jane-snake was not quite right but was good enough. Like Beast with dog nose was good enough. Was maybe better. Bones began to twist.
CHAPTER 4
Put Down Your Pin Sticker
I woke lying in the dark beneath the dripping leaves of a banana plant, my too-long black hair wrapped all around me, but at least that was better than some places Beast had left me. I tied my hair in a knotted tail, opened the waterproof gobag, and dressed in thin layers and flops. My stomach was cramping like I had swallowed a nest of water moccasins. Shivering, I pulled my unofficial cell—one Leo couldn’t trace—and called Rinaldo.
“Who dis is?” he answered, instead of hello. I could hear kids screaming in the background, the TV on a sitcom. The cabbie was off duty with the nearly defunct Blue Bird Cab Company but he sounded mostly sober, and he offered to pick me up when I gave him an address two blocks away from the house where Ed had fought and bled. “Twenty minute,” he said, and disconnected.
I jogged through the rain, holding a dripping hand over the flip phone, while calling in a DB to vamp HQ, with the words, “Dead body. Looks like vamp attack.” I gave the address and disconnected. A good citizen would have called 911. I wasn’t a good citizen. Leo’s team would make surethe body was found and the death looked like an accident. One of his private labs would do a full forensic workup, an arrangement I had suggested to keep track of paranormal crimes that we didn’t want reported to the police, for some reason. Leo would also do what he could for the victim’s family, children, parents.
And then Leo would send me to find and kill the vamps who’d killed the girl in the small house. They were also the vamps who attacked Edmund. A life for a life. Yeah. He’d demand the vamps die.
