by Faith Hunter
Beast does not know. But rabid predator would have killed. Leo knows we are here. Calls us my Jane.
Yeah. He would, if he was sane. Or sane-ish. Okay.
Leo breathed. Breath sounds were strange for vampires to make. Leo spoke. “Of them all, I could not bind you, yet you served me. In your own way.” Leo made strange sound of laughter again.
Shock went through Jane like arrow. Jane understood why laugh was wrong. And now Beast understood. Leo was vamped out with fangs and wide night-eyes and claws on fingers. Was fully predator. Yet Leo laughed. Vampires could not laugh and be vampire at same time. Laughter brought them back to human selves. Should. But this time did not.
Leo breathed again. “You served. According to that blasted bedamned honor that seeps into the world from your heart and changes everything you touch. Unbound. Unbound you stayed with me. Me, the Monster of New Orleans. Did you know that they called me that, for a time? The Monster of New Orleans.” He laughed, that odd, not-Leo laugh.
Beast did not like laugh sounds. Jane did not like sound. Human at Leo feet snored louder. Leo toed human again and snore stopped.
“That Monster of New Orleans told you of the worse monsters to come and shared the threat that you could protect your witch friends and, by extension, all of us. And you believed me. You believed when I told you. You stayed, and the monsters began to come, as I knew they would. Many of my enemies I couldn’t have destroyed alone. You were the wild card in this deadly game. Because of you, many lived who would have died. Including me.”
Strange not-laugh sound came from Leo. He raised his hand and looked at claws. Leo put hand on knee and tilted head to Beast. Was not-human motion. Was vampire motion, like snake. Leo looked at Beast. Beast tensed to leap, but Leo kept talking.
“You believed when even the witches themselves did not believe. My own people did not believe that I could die true dead, that I could fail to keep them safe. None of the others who drank saw the futures. No one believed that if I lost, the monsters would destroy everything and everyone. Did you see the barren, destroyed world they would bring?”
Crap, Jane thought. Yeah, I saw all that. But how the heck did Leo know that? Unless . . . Unless a timewalker showed him. Had Sabina showed him the possible futures with an amulet of power? Had an arcenciel? Or . . . Holy crap on a cracker. Did he see the possible futures in the blood he drank from the Son of Darkness, who once had an arcenciel trapped in crystal and was bitten by one . . .
If that’s the case, then Leo was . . . Leo was expecting me here in his city. He was waiting for me, Jane thought.
Beast thought, Leo attacked Jane when he saw-smelled Jane for first time. Jane burned Leo hand with silver cross. Leo did not recognize Jane.
Jane thought, Yeah. Right. So maybe his visions showed me only in puma-form, like a were-puma, or in half-form. Maybe his visions of the future never included my human face, only my half-form snout.
“And once again,” Leo said, “worse monsters are upon our doorsteps, worse monsters than I could ever hope to be.”
Leo turned head again. Beast could see Leo hair, Leo eyes, Leo skin. Could see burned skin places. Leo wore human clothes, with black shirt, shoes, and pants Jane liked, called jeans. Leo was vamped out. Liked Leo fangs, good killer predator fangs.
“I thought I had everything under control when you finally came to my city part human, part Puma concolor. I thought I could use you, bind you, keep you near until the time I needed you to kill my enemies. But they were far closer than I had known. I did not know they had replaced the son of my body with one of their own. I did not know that you would kill the Mithran who was not my son.”
Leo voice broke. Strange tears rolled down Leo face, blood tears. Leo smell was changing, anger-sick smell.
Leo looked at sky. “I do not have long. The dawn is near, and my healing is not complete. I must sleep, and there is still much to say. The thing that is my greatest enemy is coming to this country. My master. He is being drawn here because you set his plans awry, beginning the moment you killed Immanuel and revealed what he was. When you killed de Allyon and Grégoire killed le Batard, a thing my dearest friend would never have done had you not shown him a different way to live, a different life from running and hiding from the horrors of his past. All future possibilities began to change.
“When you became Dark Queen, my master could no longer wait. He set his plans in motion and sent Shaun MacLaughlinn to test you, to weaken you. If you survive Shaun’s treachery, my master will attack. He is the last great power behind all that was put in place between the Sons of Darkness, and the power that you freed when you killed the makers of my kind. The Heir comes.” The way he said heir sounded like a title.
Heir? Jane thought. Melker’s heir? Shaun’s heir? Or some unknown heir to someone else I had killed? It is a long freaking list.
Leo continued, “With the makers of my kind gone, there is no one to drink from who is stronger than he. With them gone, there is nothing to keep him at bay.”
Except that there was a lump of flesh still hanging around to give someone power. The heart of one of the vamp creators’ immortal bodies was still in NOLA in the hands of the witches. So far as I knew, Leo didn’t know that the heart of one of the Sons of Darkness was being kept by witches in a safe place.
Beast’s ears perked at the thought. Good strong vampire flesh.
Leo’s eyes rested on Beast, painful. Heavy. “Except you, my Jane, my wild card.”
I thought back through the silence and Leo’s last words. Something about no one to keep the Big Bad Ugly at bay. Right.
“You are the Dark Queen, a thing I did not see in any of the visions. You hold the crown and a weapon of power. You will need the last of the artifacts to fight my master, to defeat him, for his blood is stronger than mine, and he is not blinded by hubris and a belief in immortality as the Sons of Darkness were.”
His eyes returned to the sky. Leo said, “You must behead the Onorio you hold prisoner. End her. You must find all the artifacts, especially the last one. It is hidden in my rooms. Find it. Find it, my Jane. You will know what to do with it.” Leo stood faster than Beast could follow. Air popped, hurting Beast ears. Leo was gone.
We will go to Council Chambers, Beast thought. Beast looked out over levee and saw trucks that smelled of much food. Raw meat. Raw fish. Beast had not eaten after shift. Was hungry. Beast looked back at homeless man. Wondered if he would be stringy to eat.
Council chambers. Make it snappy, Jane thought. And no eating the humans.
Trucks smell of food. Can get inside belly of truck?
The farm-to-restaurant delivery trucks? No. Move it, you dang cat.
Will not run. Will ride truck. Jane was angry at wait, but Beast had done this before. Would be faster. Was like riding bison or cow to kill and eat. Beast sauntered through shadows at top of levee to wall looking down at street. When truck smelling of blood and much meat rolled past, Beast leaped from wall to top of truck. Claws out, skidded across metal, ribbed like chest of big cow. Claws caught on metal and Beast lay down, tail out, tip tapping on metal truck. Truck smelled of much meat. Beast hungered.
Two streets over, Beast leaped from top of truck to another. Soon wall and gate of HQ came into view. Beast gathered self, watching tall wall made of brick. Leaped high, over wall. Landed in front area, in grass near flat concrete. Caught self and sat on haunches, front legs straight and close together, ears high. Bright light came on. Looked away from light. When human spoke, ear tabs swiveled and folded, finding voices in night.
“Is that the queen?” a voice asked.
“You think there’s another of those cats in town?” a second voice asked.
Beast chuffed. Stood and walked slowly to steps to front door. Light followed Beast.
Beast is beautiful Puma concolor. Has golden pelt and sharp claws. Beast is best hunter. Beast is not pr
ey.
Show-off, Jane thought.
At top of stairs, Beast stood, waiting. Derek appeared and entered airlock, but Derek did not open door. Derek stared at Beast. Was challenge look, eyes narrow, shoulders tight. If Derek had killing claws, would be showing them to Beast. Beast chuffed with amusement. Opened lips and showed killing teeth in snarl. Derek still did not open door. Beast turned around and prepared to show human that this was Beast space.
Door opened. “Don’t you dare spray on the windows.”
Beast chuffed. Turned and went through open door into airlock. Outer door closed. Inner door was still closed. Beast whirled and raised up on hind legs, front paws over Derek shoulder, claws out, holding Derek in place. Derek hand went for gun. Derek stopped breathing. Smelled of shock, uncertainty, some fear. Licked Derek neck and face with rough tongue.
Derek jerked away, Beast claws tearing Derek shirt.
Beast dropped and chuffed. Derek started to breathe again. Inner door opened. Beast strolled into big room to stairs. Vampires were everywhere. Security teams. One team was watching Beast. Silent. Hands on guns. Beast walked slowly upstairs. Paused halfway up and looked back at Derek. Derek was glaring. Beast chuffed, twitched long tail in amusement, and trotted up long stairs.
Far below, Derek cursed.
You really are a dang cat. Jane was not laughing.
At top of stairs, Wrassler stood, waiting. “Were you kissing Derek or tasting him?”
Beast did not answer and led way to Leo old bedroom. Could smell Bruiser inside. Put paw on door and looked at Wrassler. Big human with one skin leg and one not-skin leg sighed and knocked on door. Bruiser called, “Come.”
Was way Leo answered knocks sometimes. Wrassler opened door and Beast walked in. Bruiser was sitting at desk with computer and tapping with fingers. Was dressed in black. Looked like what Jane called “sex on a stick.”
“Jane?” Bruiser was surprised.
Beast stalked close and sniffed Bruiser, flehmen response, strong sucking sound, pulling air over tongue and over scent sacs in top of mouth. Bruiser smelled like Bruiser, not like stick. “Do you want a keyboard to talk to me?”
Beast shook head no. Padded around Leo’s old bedroom. Leo’s closet. Leo’s bathroom. Smelling for magic Leo left behind. Smelled nothing magic. Searched walls and floor with nose and paws. Beast found no hidden spaces for magic thing. Went to door. Waited.
“Do you want me to follow you?” Bruiser asked. Beast shook head no again and put paw on Wrassler leg.
“You want me to come?”
Beast nodded and left room, Wrassler following. Big blood-servant smelled of confusion. Was good. Cats must always confuse humans. Confusion was why humans loved cats.
Beast went to small cage called ele-va-tor. Raised up on hind legs and pushed button for down. When elevator came, Beast padded inside and turned puma eyes to big man. Waited. Wrassler got in elevator and put card in special slot to make elevator go. Beast pushed button for subbasement four. Beast knows numbers one, two, three, four, five, and more than five. Is enough numbers. Elevator dropped to sub-four. Beast walked out of small cage and to partially hidden scion room, place where vampires who were not old enough to be sane were kept hidden away. Jane did not keep scions here. Kept prisoners here.
Wrassler opened door. Beast walked in. Walked to cage for Onorio Monique Giovanni. Jane was silent in brain. Watching. Beast pressed nose to cage. Breathed. Listened. Onorio did not smell alive. Did not smell dead either. Onorio heart beat once, pulse in neck moving. Onorio took one very slow, shallow breath. Did not breathe again. Onorio was not dead.
I remember another creature who just freaking would not die, Jane thought. I finally beheaded her. Leo was right. I’ll need to take this one’s head too. But . . . maybe I’ll try to read her first.
Beast ate vampires. Good strong vampire blood. Beast hungers. Could eat Onorio.
Let’s hold off on eating people and go visit Deon in the kitchen. I’ll bet he’ll give you some steak or salmon.
Beast likes Deon.
You like anyone who feeds you, gives you rides in cars, or gives you catnip.
Yes.
* * *
* * *
After Beast and I ate, Beast told me about Leo. I was still getting used to the idea that he was alive and relatively sane for a thrice-born, twice-risen, and trying to process what it all meant.
When Beast found Leo on levee, vampire did not smell same, Beast thought. Always smelled dead. Now smells different. Smells much like Monique, but with blood and burned paper and burned flowers. Is not same dead smell but is close to same dead smell. Beast gave a mental equivalent of a cat shrug. But still is dead.
Does anyone else know?
Beast cannot talk human talk. Humans are too stupid to speak / hear cat talk.
Beast scratched on a door, and I paid attention to our surroundings. Wrassler opened the door, and Beast walked in, stopped, and barred the way from Wrassler. The big man stopped and backed out, closing the door. And we’re in Leo’s old office, why?
We hunt for magic thing Leo hid here.
We walked down the small hallway into Leo’s office. The office was different. There were no more rugs, no draperies, no tapestries hanging on the walls. The drinking/dinner/sex couches were gone. The low table that Leo had used for tea and drinks was gone, as were all the chairs. It was even more barren than Leo’s near-empty bedroom. His desk was still there, the pretty, carved, elegant table desk. The armoire behind the desk was still there, doors shut.
So what are we looking for? I asked
Magic thing. Leo hid it here.
I thought about making suggestions, but Beast was intent—in hunting mode. I had been present when she hunted prey, but this felt different. This felt almost logical, rational. Fascinated, I sat back in our shared mind and watched.
Beast started back at the door, sniffing the walls, beginning at the floor and stretching as high as she could reach, standing up on her hind legs. Wrassler’s scent moved faintly beneath the door. Guarding. Watching.
Beast moved on. She stopped at the once-hidden opening to the next office and the once-secret elevator there. No one had passed to or from the empty room. There were no fresh scents at that entrance. She moved on to the far wall. There was nothing except various weak scents from fast-moving blood-servants who removed the tapestries and the rugs. Then the scent of blood-servants having sex against the wall.
Ick, I thought.
Mating. Not ick. Mating is good. Mating was between strong blood-servants.
Ick, I repeated.
Beast didn’t reply, just kept working the room. Have scent, Beast thought.
Beast had been through the entire room, all the nooks and crannies and hidden openings, including two I hadn’t known about. Beast tightened her muscles and leaped, landing on top of Leo’s desk, her nose against the desktop.
Ugly dog. Good nose, she thought. It sounded unenthusiastic, half-hearted.
Your dog-nose genes found something?
Beast kept ugly dog nose. Magic is hiding in desk. Space small as pocket.
She dropped off the table desk to the floor and padded to the door. She bumped it with her nose three times and stepped back. The door opened. Beast stared at Wrassler. Predator eyes.
Stop that, I demanded.
Wrassler likes to play, Beast thought back.
No, I thought at her.
Beast sniffed, turned, padded back to the table desk, and leaped on top. Wrassler followed, standing in the end of the short hallway. Beast tapped three times on the spot on the desk where she had smelled magic. Tapped again three times. When Wrassler said nothing, Beast chuffed, stared at the spot, and tapped again. It was cat talk for There’s something here.
“Something’s there? Hidden in the desk? Or do you just want me to get down on my knee
so you can pounce on me?”
Beast dropped elegantly to the floor and stuck her nose on the table lip, right where she had been tapping, and sniffed. Wrassler walked over and pressed his thigh against Beast to move her. He bent and stared at the damp nose print, running his hand over the desk, feeling for cracks, tapping on the top, the lip, the apron, and the underside for hollow sounds. When he stood, he was frowning and pulled his cell phone. Bruiser answered. “Consort, please come to the queen’s office. Her cat has found something.”
Queen’s office? Oh. Right. Leo’s office would now be mine. Except . . . maybe not.
“On the way.”
Wrassler retreated to the doorway, and Beast continued sniffing on the floorboards, where she found two more hidden spaces. There was no magic scent there, but she was curious. She was always curious. She was a cat. Bruiser arrived. His butt looked amazing, and the black clothes made his dark beard and hair look even darker. He looks scrumptious.
Bruiser is best mate, Beast thought back.
“Jane?” Bruiser asked me.
Beast nodded.
“You found something?”
I/we tapped the desk in the correct spot again.
“Hidden inside?” he asked, his hands mimicking Wrassler’s hands as he searched it.
I/we nodded.
“It sounds hollow, Consort,” Wrassler said, “but I don’t feel any buttons, springs, levers, or anything else that might allow it to open.”
“Me neither. Jane. Does it smell like magic?”
Nod.
“Like Leo?”
Beast thought. And gave a small nod.
“So Leo hid something magical in here. How did you know to come look?”
Beast and I stared at Bruiser, our shoulders high, head lowered. A predator stare.
“Something happened.”
Nod.
“Someone told you something.”
This time our nod was slow, our gaze penetrating.
“Sabina?”
We did nothing, holding the position and the stare.
Whispering, Bruiser said, “Was . . .” His voice went rough and silent. He took a slow breath, as if to calm any reaction he might have. “Was it Leo?”