by C. T. Adams
“The meeting will be in Chicago next week.”
“Chicago?” came the startled reply from my mouth, except that it wasn’t mine. It was Lucas’s voice that flowed from me. “But it’s already scheduled for Paris. We can’t change the plans of that many people with so little notice. And Nikoli doesn’t have the facilities—or the security—to host a council meeting.”
The lined dark face took on an ominous visage. “Then it would be advisable to make sure that his facilities—and his security—are upgraded, and quickly, because Chicago is where the meeting will be. Charles will make sure that everyone attends. And please inform our counterpart in the city that it will be a complete council meeting, with all groups fully represented. Her presence will be required.”
“A complete meeting? What does that mean?” My brow furrowed, but terror struck my heart because I—or, more precisely, Lucas—knew what it meant and didn’t want to consider it.
The old woman smiled, “just what you think it does, my old friend. We will need four extra rooms in the hotel.”
The woman faded from view, but not before she gave me a look that chilled my blood. It was as though she looked through the eyes of the person I was in the image and saw me—Tony.
“Tony? Tony! You okay, man?” Bobby was trying to help me up from my knees. Lucas released my hand while giving me a strange look.
“What was that all about, Tony?” Lucas asked.
I shook my head, trying to fight my way out of the vision. “I don’t know. There was an office and an old woman…” Something made me stop there, not revealing anything that I heard. “I don’t know. I can’t…remember.”
Asri gave me a panicked look and gasped. She clutched a hand around something that was under her shirt near her throat. When everyone stared at her, she released her hand self-consciously and pulled up her hood. “I agree with Mr. Hamil—with Mr. Sant—with our esteemed guest. We should go.”
I felt the sky clear outside. The moon was shining. It sliced through the roof of the building and raised every hair on my body. The world turned pink, cut with shades of black and grey. I heard my voice deepen into a hungry growl. “I need to hunt. I can’t stand much more of the moon. It’s doing weird things to my head.”
Lucas grabbed my chin and turned my face to meet his eyes. A snarl curled my lip. I fought the man who held me and snapped at his hand. This time, there was no connection when we touched, no flash of magic. He gave an annoyed shake of his head.
“His eyes are starting to bleed. No wonder he’s blacking out. We need to get a move on. Bobby, you and Ms. Kho pull back your magic. I’ll control him.”
I felt the skin-ruffling scent of jungle and musty reptile disappear from my head, and warm fur, powerful and protective, take its place. Even with the effort he’d expended on Asri and Bobby, Lucas held the moon away without any visible sign.
It was only the second time I’d had the moon held at bay. Nikoli had tried to make sure that we arrived at the park before the moon was up. But now the bright orb that called to me, pulled at me, had been fully in the sky for more than an hour and I was paying the price for the delay. We hurried out of the Jet Center into the snowy night. But by the time we reached the Lexus, my leg had started to twitch so much that I almost ended up face down. I hissed through gritted teeth as I heard a sharp snap and felt a corresponding pain in my right thigh. The bone was trying to reform into a wolf leg, but the magic wouldn’t let it. A second later, my arm did the same thing. I was expecting it, but it was still painful.
“Damn that hurts!” I exclaimed as my other leg went out enough that I had to lean against the wheel well. The snow had mostly stopped, but it was still slick enough that I couldn’t afford to lose my balance. I felt Sue start in my mind, and wondered where she was while she was enduring the pain along with me. Some aspects of the mating are a pain in the ass—especially for her.
“What hurts?” asked Lucas with a furrowed brow.
“My bones are snapping like twigs. Can’t you hear them? The moon’s trying to change me, but your magic is holding it off, so the bones are breaking and reknitting in seconds. Gotta tell ya—it stings like blazes.”
My arm broke at that moment, and I saw the three of them wince. Asri fumbled with the push button combination lock on her door. She finally had to take off her gloves to enter the code.
“I didn’t realize that popping sound was your bones, Ton,” Bobby mumbled. “That’s got to smart.”
Lucas’s face looked odd. “Nobody’s ever mentioned before that it hurts for me to hold off the moon until we reach our hunting grounds.”
I winced again briefly as my hip popped. “You’re the boss. Nobody would.” An ankle went. I had to take a few deep breaths before I could speak again. It wasn’t quite as bad as when Asri sliced me up, but I didn’t know where the pain would be next, so it was more startling. “And you probably don’t let the night get this far along, either.”
“Still…it’s not acceptable.” I felt power flood over me. I lifted my hand. It glowed like a nova with blue-white light. The moon silenced completely and the resulting lack of pain surprised me. “That should take care of it. Bobby, you sit up front. I’ll keep watch on Tony in back.”
Both Asri and Bobby suddenly looked panicked. Bobby pulled down his muffler enough to yell, “NO!”
Lucas was taken aback. His voice lowered to a rumble. He was reminding me more and more of Carmine. “What did you say?”
Bobby’s scent was clearly fear now, but the panic was there too, which told me that they were for different reasons. Asri escaped the confrontation by slipping into the driver’s seat and starting the car. “I mean—I’ll ride in back with Tony. I don’t mind. You sit up front with Asri. The view’s better.”
Lucas’s eyebrows rose until they disappeared under his dampening hair. He gave Bobby a searching look while Bobby fidgeted nervously. “The view. Fine. I’m shotgun. Let me know if you start to hear any more snapping. I presume we’ll be on the road awhile.”
They both started to open doors when I had to interrupt. No one else seemed to notice that I was shining like a beacon.
“Wait, wait. You’re telling me that none of you—nobody else in this whole city—is going to see me sparkling like a Christmas tree in the back of the car?”
“Second sight is a very rare talent, Tony,” Lucas explained as he held open the front car door. “I can count the number of people in the world with it on one hand.”
“So seeing people glow isn’t something temporary? I thought it was just something that happened because Sue and I were finally together and it would fade.”
Bobby spoke up with one leg already in the car. “It’s only Sazi who glow with the sparkles. I’ll see if I can get a friend who used to be in Wolven to explain it all to you. He says it’s pretty useful. You’ll get used to it.”
“I’ll get used to it. Gee, that’s comforting.”
He shrugged his shoulders and ducked inside the car. I heard his voice before he closed it. “At least you can eat a candy bar without tasting and categorizing the preservatives. Don’t bitch.”
I got in the door opposite Bobby and sat down in the back seat. The silence stretched and lengthened as we drove onto the snow-packed streets. There were only smells in the car—fear’s hot and sour from Asri, and burned metal frustration plus hot coffee, not quite boiling, from Lucas. Bobby was so covered by winter wear that I had no clue of his emotions, but he was fidgety to the point of twitching.
Even through the glow that burned around me, I could feel the moon rip at my body. Thick fur itched just under my skin. I tried to think about something different. I found Sue at the back of my head, but she was hard to hear through Lucas’s magic. I wanted to touch her but I knew that she was still at the mall with Pamela. I told her that Lucas was who we’d come to pick up but she already knew. She was busily finding a suitable gift for him. I didn’t really think it was necessary, but she was adamant that a gift for a visitin
g dignitary was custom with the Sazi. The books had told her so. At least she had some money. I’d given her some of the gold coins from my pocket to trade in at a coin shop, but didn’t have time to show them all to her. The cash would keep us in kibble for a few weeks if she didn’t go nuts on a gift. The connection with Sue was strengthening as we talked, which was fine with me. It distracted me from the pounding power that was giving me a headache.
You need to read the books, Tony. I hope you didn’t leave them on the Island.
She growled when she learned that I did. She was startled when Pamela grabbed her arm and started to drag her to the food court. I guess she had growled out loud. Oops. Fortunately, her new friend was used to it and knew what she needed.
No sign of Scotty? I felt her negative response, but she was starting to feel the moon as well, and it was difficult for her to talk. Keep an eye out if there’s a pretzel stand. He lives on them.
Our connection flared for a moment and I was in the mall with her, smelling cooking beef from a steak sandwich stand, seeing bright lights and laughing humans. The scent of the raw meat as it began to sizzle on the grill froze me in place. I could feel a small trickle of saliva slide from between Sue’s lips, but it was too difficult to raise my hand to wipe it away. Movement from the corner of my eye returned me to the car. The air was finally oven-like enough for Bobby to start to remove his scarf. I spotted Lucas moving all of the vents so they blew on Asri. No wonder he’d wanted to sit in the back.
Bobby’s hand moved in rotation as he unwound the wrap from his neck. Cartoon colors flashed in the light from the street lamps. I ducked his arm once as he continued to unwind. The next movement was even larger and his fist threatened to smash me in the face. I put up a hand to grab his arm just as I felt Sue bite into her thick, rare steak sandwich. I caught his wrist and felt a jolt as the car disappeared into a black nothingness that was becoming annoyingly familiar. Sue was likewise gone as I soared and dropped until my stomach lurched.
“I thought we were going to a sparring room,” I heard Bobby’s voice say from the mouth that was now mine.
“We are,” said Asri, who was still hidden in darkness in front of me. Lights flared and a stylish, modern apartment stretched in front of us. The room was warmer than the hotel had been and it felt good on my face, which was tight and slow from the cold.
“Then why are we here?”
Asri took off her jacket and limped slowly across the floor. She entered another room and turned on the light in there, as well.
I heard her voice from inside. “Well? Are you going to follow me or just stand there all day?”
Bobby walked forward cautiously. I could feel his nervousness and a tingling fear flow through every muscle. He stopped at the doorway and could only stare at Asri. She had stripped down to a tight sports bra and delicate black lace panties. Her slender body looked stiff and achy as she crawled on the bed and picked up a remote control.
It took Bobby three tries before he could speak. I could feel the panic in him, but couldn’t figure out why. Asri was pretty cute under all those clothes. “Wha…um…what are you doing? We’re here to fight.”
Asri shot him a withering look. “Which we can hardly do if we both have the agility of desert tortoises.” She lifted the remote and pressed a button. A panel above the bed opened and five spotlights turned the thick comforter red. She raised her face to the warm light, closed her eyes, and then leaned back onto the bed with a sigh.
Bobby’s eyes lit up. “Heat lamps?”
“It’s the only way I can stand to live in this miserable, ice-ridden town. You smell like a snake, so I presume you’re also cold.” She pointed to a darkened doorway, her eyes still closed. “You may change in the bath. My weight room and arena are downstairs. We will battle there when we are sufficiently warm.”
“You have a private gym? Isn’t there one in the hotel?”
Her laugh was a short bark of sound. “Certainly. But it would be hardly useful to train with those I punish, would it? They would learn my tactics.”
Bobby entered the bath and shut the door. He removed his contacts and stripped to boxers, but hesitated in removing them. I knew that being nude wasn’t much of a problem for him, so it seemed odd. But when I concentrated on feeling what Bobby was feeling, I understood why. He was attracted to Asri—very attracted and didn’t want it to show.
He needn’t have worried. He turned off the bathroom light and opened the door. A blinding flash of pain erupted in his face and he went down on his tail. He looked up in shock to see Asri standing over him, smiling. She dropped her raised fist to her side once more.
Her voice was filled with dark laughter. “Surely you didn’t think I was going to play fair, did you, agent? I will wait for you in the arena. The stairs are in the living room.” She turned and started to walk away. She easily leapt over the foot that Bobby tried to kick out to trip her. She spoke over her shoulder as she left. “And don’t get blood on my towels.”
Bobby raised a hand up to his face, and it came away smeared with blood. He stood slowly. I felt the ache in stiff muscles. Did he feel like this every time it got cold? No wonder he was so grumpy.
A quick glance in the mirror showed that his split lip was already healed. He very deliberately wet one of the clean white towels and wiped off the blood. His face was smug in the mirror, but he was muttering. Apparently, I couldn’t tell what a person was exactly thinking while I was in their head. I only got sights, sounds and sensations, plus a general impression of what was on their mind, which was plenty.
Speaking of sensations—the warmth from the heat lamps as they seeped into his body felt great. It wasn’t long before small beads of sweat appeared on his skin. I could tell he was getting more and more irritated as he warmed. He knew that making her wait would get her mad, as well, which is exactly why he was doing it. Finally, he decided it was time to stop stalling, and he turned off the lights and went downstairs.
He could hear the drumbeats of Asri’s animal feet as he walked down the stairs. Yes, better to change now and be able to surprise her. He stripped off the boxers and magic flowed over his skin. His arms moved to his sides and blended into his body. He lowered closer and closer to the floor, until his eyes were at ground level. The door at the bottom of the stairs was open and bright light glowed in the rectangle. Bobby remained in the shadows half a flight up—waiting.
When Asri passed by the next time during her shadow fight, he struck. I felt the stairs flow under my belly, and thousands of muscles contract and loosen to pull me forward in a blur of speed. The attack was well placed—had Asri been any other sort of animal. Bobby’s mouth opened wide and his fangs tried to dig in to her armored scales. His head moved side to side quickly as he tried to grind his teeth into her hide.
But she was fast, as well. She was expecting a snake, even though she didn’t know the type. The strike was enough to knock her off balance, but she used the momentum to roll away. She came up on her feet on the other side of the room and turned to look at him. Now that he’d responded to her punch in the bedroom, he raised the front third of his body off the ground and brought his full thirty-three feet of length into the room.
While Asri’s face remained cold and reptilian, her voice betrayed her surprise. “You are a regal python? I did not…I was not sure your kind truly existed.” He continued to stare at her without blinking or speaking. She recovered and said haughtily, “I believe that my kind once ate the young of your kind for sustenance.”
Bobby’s tongue flicked out. The twin points gathered the scent of her sudden fear. It pleased him. “Seldom. Very seldom. But I can assure you that my young pythons once feasted on your kind’s adults.”
Nasty little slam there, and it was possible. Both the dragons and pythons are native to the far eastern islands. Bobby had always said he came from South Africa. Maybe he lied.
Asri’s eyes narrowed dangerously, but Bobby only continued to stare. His tail began to make small f
licking motions, as though he had a rattle. She wasted no time. In a blur of motion and sound that echoed off the high ceiling, she raced across the expanse of floor and rammed right into his body, where his chest would be if he was still human. At the last second, he moved aside smoothly and slapped his tail hard across her eyes.
“A little slow there, Kho. You’ll have to do better if you want your strip of hide.”
She hissed angrily and spun around. Then she stopped and regarded him for a moment. “Your attempt to get me angry enough to make mistakes won’t work, Mbutu. Better men than you have tried.”
“Ha! Wolves—hardly better. You’ve gotten soft fighting mammals. You need to learn how to fight a real opponent.”
She pulled back her lips to reveal sharp, jagged teeth. “Do you have anyone in mind? I didn’t know you’d brought a friend with you.”
His mouth opened and I knew that he was showing off his teeth. “These are all the friends I need, lady.”
I realized that the short gasps of hisses was her laughter in this form. “And your friends had little effect on my hide. But let’s see how you fare against my bite!”
She followed up the words with action. She came forward and he let her. I realized he was curious to find out whether she could bite through his skin. Personally, I wouldn’t ever be curious enough to sit there and watch her race forward with jaws dripping saliva, but he continued to wait. She struck just below his neck. Her jaws closed and started to grind and pull backwards. Bobby was pleased when it had no effect. But he used the opportunity to feign surprise. He slithered and whipped his body like Asri was hurting him. He bit down on the thinner skin near her neck and slid the tip of his tail under her belly. Before she realized what was happening, he had two full coils around her and her back legs were helpless.
She realized her mistake too late. She struggled furiously to escape his grip. He laughed lightly and continued to wrap himself around her.