The wind roared in, brutal and sadistic. Rapacious. Sucking out blankets, clothing, a doll with its arms flailing. Please, God, let it only be a doll. Not Angie Baby. A dark blue-black mist swirled in, filling the front room with power. Uncontrolled.
Over the sound of the wind, I heard Molly and Big Evan chanting what sounded like a prayer. Angie screamed.
Kit! Beast screamed in return.
I dove into the mist.
Magic poured over me. Fangs of power bit into me like angry snakes. Magical energy shot into my bloodstream like venom. And my body began to shift.
I fought the pull of the change, holding on to my own shape. Screaming with frustration. “No! Not now!” My own magic thrummed through me, feeding on the witch magic. Black motes of darkness. Gray mist against the blue.
Pain, pain, pain. Knives of power sliced into me, separating muscle from bone. Flaying skin away. Setting fire to nerves. Choosing the only shape I could take without planning, tools, and trappings to guide me.
My Beast screamed.
I screamed.
Pelt erupted through skin. Joints slid and twisted. Claws pierced my fingertips. Killing teeth filled my mouth.
I was Beast. I screamed anger against the storm. Clawed off Jane-clothes. Leaped across room. Wind plucked at me. Tore at me. I raced down hall. Into girl-kit’s room. Witch man was sitting with eyes closed, back to wall, singing to wind. Air-witch chant. Witch woman was standing against other wall. Smell of fear and desperation leaked from pores. Panic. Storm was awake. Angry. Not theirs to control.
Wind snaked into room. Grew in strength, like fist with claws. Bashed out windows. Picked up human things and carried them away. Fear smell grew. Woman’s, man’s, kit’s.
Kit was on bed. Afraid. Screaming. Fear like human knives cut inside her. Power was coming from her fear—feeding storm. I—Beast—understood fear.
I leaped to bed, standing over kit. Screamed to wind. Kit safe. Safe with me. I am Beast!
Woman opened eyes. Her fear smell swirled thick into room. Fear of Beast. Woman’s mouth moved in soundless cry. Woman was working magic with her hands. Rain poured in, heavy and hard.
I sat on bed. Curled around kit. Holding her with paw so wind with claws would not steal her. I licked her face. Human tears salty. Human skin milky. Smooth. Soft. She made funny sound. Hiccup. Swallowed hard. Crying stopped. Witch kit reached up and took my ears in her hands. Pulled Beast face to her. Stared for long moment, eye to eye. And closed eyes. Not afraid. Not anymore.
I curled legs and body around her. Protected her from rain and wind. Looked at woman. Not human. Powerful witch, like man. Like kit. I purred. Licked kit face.
Witch woman walked to witch man. Took hands. Chanting steadied like calm heartbeat. Power in storm shifted and eased. Rain softened. Warmed. I purred. Panted.
Man and woman worked magic like net, binding power in girl-kit. Felt it curl under belly and paws, around small kit-body. Time passed. Kit fell asleep.
Storm fell apart. Thunderhead darkening the sky thinned and wisped. Clear sky showed through. Magic disappeared like mist. Floating away.
Man fell over. Dead? No, breathing. Asleep. Empty of magic.
I purred and rested head on kit-head. Keeping kit safe.
Storm was gone. Sunlight fell through where roof had been. Woman witch studied me. Fear tainted air, but confused fear. Not run-from-predator fear. I purred. Licked kit face. Moved kit off my leg with paw. Licked face again. Slowly stood. Slowly, slowly, not to frighten woman.
I looked at woman. She looked at me. At necklace on my neck. Jane’s necklace.
“Jane?” she whispered. “Oh my god. Jane.”
I hacked. Not God. Not Jane. Beast.
I leaped from bed to land on wet, squishy cloth floor. Padded from room, rain puddles splashing. And out door. Kit safe.
I woke beside my bike, naked and cold, my bones aching. A half-moon and several million stars dusted light to the earth, enough for me to see with my night vision intact. I knew better than to change in daylight, but I’d had no choice. Now it hurt. It hurt badly.
I’d learned that I could—in an emergency—shift into Beast in daylight, but I couldn’t change back to me in daylight. Or at least I’d never figured out the mechanism. And it wasn’t as if I had anyone to teach me. I was the only skinwalker I had ever heard of.