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. Quiet scree of 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?”
“Je . . . Je . . .”
Beast heard sound in bedroom where Ricky-Bo had last been human. Beast placed paw on ceiling with hole in it and shifted weight onto paw. Roof piece gave way. Fell. Beast leaped through hole, screaming with rage. Hunt. Kill vampires. I/we hunger!
Ceiling piece landed. Beast hit floor with one paw. Shoved off and up. Snarling. Mouth open with killing fangs. Ripped into face of man vampire. Fangs sank into forehead and eye. Into mouth and jaw. Bit down with crunch of bones and flesh. Blood shot into mouth. Good vampire blood. Flesh tore with strange noise as front paws hit vampire chest. Bit. Twisted. Ripped off face of man vampire. Was still in air, still taking vampire to floor. Back paws hit hips. Man fell. Screaming. Landed. Body bumped. Head bumped. Heard screaming. Beast ate face whole. Whirled.
Saw woman vampire. Pushed off prey. Leaped at woman. Amitee. Was in midair when wall knocked in. Beast landed on woman vampire. Hit hard with all paws. Knocked her to floor. Heard gunshots loud. Felt pain in hip. Was shot. Did not like to be shot. Snapped fangs into woman neck. Dragged her into corner of room. Prey moved. Shook her. Pain in hip grew bigger. Curled in corner with prey in front. More gunshots.
Looked around room. Saw humans crawling through crack in large door. Not door Jane’s littermates should come through. This door opened from ground.
Garage door, Jane thought. Don’t eat Amitee.
Will eat prey. Woman vampire smells like Brian and Brandon. Woman vampire has been drinking of them.
Oh . . . Jane stopped thinking. Started smelling.
More humans entered. Firing guns.
Amitee raised hands to Beast face. Vampire claws tore into Beast. Trying to find Beast eyes. Beast shook her. Hard. Heard neck break. Vampire hands fell. Vampire woman has been using claws on Onorios. Playing with Onorios like mice.
Take out her throat. Leave her head attached. How bad are you hit? Jane asked.
Beast is shot. Need to shift. Blood is leaving Beast body. Could die.
Crap. Drink her blood to heal. Look at the room. I need to see. Jane shoved Beast aside and took over eyesight.
? ? ?
Fifteen humans had come under the door, into the room. Where had they been? The taco truck with the dead humans. The bodies had released bowels. The smell of spices and the stench of the dead probably covered up the living humans.
Beast has better nose than Ricky-Bo. Beast has nose from ugly dog.
She was right. Rick should not have done the recon. Beast and I should have. This was a trap for real.
Need food. Beast ripped out Amitee’s throat and ate it. Lapped at the blood that spouted from the severed carotids at her chest.
I tried not to gag and watched the fight. The battle was fast and furious. The humans were all wearing unfamiliar black-and-gray patterned camo, dull black boots. They each carried a sword and a nine-millimeter handgun, make and model also unfamiliar. They were using both weapons.
Edmund dispatched five of the humans, leaving them bleeding or in dead heaps on the floor. One had been disemboweled. The smells were awful. Beast licked her jaws. I tasted Amitee’s and Fernand’s blood; it was delicious. Powerful. And ick.
Eli was behind a massive metal trunk in the corner across from me/us. He glanced at us and took in the room, acquired a target. Fired. Aimed and fired. Fired. Fired. Each round found its target. But no one fell. These humans were hyped up on vamp blood.
Good vampire blood, Beast thought, still drinking. And sounding maybe a little drunk.
Three humans were firing at Edmund, but if they hit him I couldn’t see it. Several rounds hit Amitee, her humans less concerned about friendly fire. Her body jumped lightly with each shot, not that the round would do her harm. I didn’t smell silver in contact with vamp blood.
Good vampire blood, Beast thought again.