• • •
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, repeatnot, able to respond at this time.”
Wrassler said word for sex and earbud made sound again.
