I knew her. She had helped me dress the first time I put on the proper fighting clothes for blood duels. I couldn’t remember her name.
“I’ll take it from here,” Eli said. The woman didn’t move and his voice took on a tone I wasn’t accustomed to hearing from him. Command voice. “Get out.”
The woman rose and left the room.
“Jane. Shift. I’ll bring Beast a plate of steaks.”
“Oatmeal for after. With sugar and milk.”
I could hear the amusement in his voice when he said, “I remember how you like it.”
“Today has sucked,” I said.
I fell forward and let the Gray Between take me.
• • •
Beast kicked out of bloody cloth. Stretched through hips, front legs out, chest and belly. Shook pelt. Stretched again. Looked over parts of body. Looked in mirror. Liked mirror. Was better than water in lake. But lake had beaver dam. Remembered beaver dam. And beavers. Hard to catch but fun to chase in water.
Looked for Eli. Looked for cow meat. No cow. Chuffed. Eli did not appear. Went to door and chuffed again. Was hungry. Made kit-sound, peep and mewling.
Door opened. Eli looked down at Beast, laughing. “Poor hungry kitty cat.”
Beast snarled, showing killing teeth.
“Be nice. I have a roast fresh from butchering.”
Beast backed away from door, sniffing, nostrils opening and closing. Sat and waited. Eli entered and placed big metal bowl on floor, full of blood and meat. Not watery blood. Real cow blood. Beast licked and slurped and tore into meat. Was good.
“Don’t laze over your food too long,” Eli said. “Leo has plans.”
Beast looked up from blood and licked jaw, raspy tongue cleaning lips and muzzle.Like Leo. Have seen Leo fight in drops of water. Leo is like kit. Must be protected. Will give drop of time water to Jane and see what Leo does.
Finished dead cow. Was good dead cow. Belly full, Beast lay down on cool floor and woke Jane. Gave body over to Jane.
• • •
I came to lying on the floor. “Dang cat,” I grumbled. I stood and went to my locker. I hadn’t checked it in a while and I had no idea if it still had clean clothes in it or not. I found a dark gold sweater and black slacks. A pair of dancing shoes. Undies, thankfully. I wasn’t in the mood for commando. I dressed and braided my hair in a sloppy single braid, hearing a knock at the door. “I’m decent.”
When I turned around, Eli stood in the doorway holding a bowl of oatmeal. He came in, placed the bowl on a small shelving unit, and pulled a long bench up to it. I sat and scarfed down the oatmeal. Heaven in a bowl. I used a lot of calories shifting into any form, so no matter how well I ate in one form, I needed to eat again when I shifted back.
“Update,” I said around a mouthful of oats and sugar and milk.
“Dominique tossed Callan a sword. You sliced Callan to pieces and beheaded him. He got in one good stab and nearly killed you. Edmund attacked Dominique bare-handed and took a dozen stakes to the belly and heart. Dominique got away, up through a ceiling tile and a tunnel we didn’t know was there. Leo healed Sabina. Dacy Mooney healed Ed. You shifted.”
I grunted. Ate some more.
“Alex saw an anomaly on the screens during the fight. There was a witch in the Council Chambers.”
My head came up.
“Alex says he’s talked with Molly and she can’t think of a way—other than the lasers—to get tech to recognize magic.”
I grunted and shoveled in another bite. “Where’s the witch now?” It came out likeEre ee wit now?but Eli understood.
“The anomaly fled Council Chambers. We caught sight of it near Leo’s office. We have the MOC and Sabina under Derek’s personal protection.”
I grunted again. Ate some more of the sugary delight.
