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 otheress-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. Quietscreeof 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.
Heard Onorio brothers make sounds like hurt kits.
Did not have way to tell littermate about Onorios in danger.
Beast?
I/we are in building. Ricky-Bo is coming through other door in... in pointy roof. But Ricky-Bo is slow to find his cat.
What’s the go word?
Beast thought. Remembered.When noise comes from bedroom that Ricky-Bo was in. Before he was cat.
Got it. Anything else that needs my attention?
Leo’s den is attacked by predators.
Okay.Ordinarily I’d say,Not good, but that means fewer Big Bad Uglies in the room below.
Amy Lynn Brown vampire is prey, below in room.
Okay. So we have more problems to resolve. Ducky.
Want to eat Adrianna vampire head.
Ewww.
Snorted softly. Crouched onto paws. Wrapped big tail around paws. Twisted ear tabs, listening. Yawned, tongue curling. Waited. Outside, sleet got harder. Pounded onto metal roof like many, many rat claws. Saw in darkness of head many rats pouring from sky instead of sleet.
Again, ewww.
Beast snorted softly. Heard noise far off. Heard woman in room below flat limb say, “They’re here. How did they find us so soon?”
“Ce n’est pas possible,” a man said. “They can’t find us.”
“Je les entends!What do we do?”
