Cold Reign (Jane Yellowrock #11)(98)

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. 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.