Cold Blooded jm-3

by Amanda Carlson

“I can hear your thoughts,” the ghost said. “They are the same as speaking them.”

  The Screamer lunged and I dove out of the way.

  Its arms went through the wall where my head had just been and a horrible keening erupted. Unfortunately I’d had to dive away from freedom.

  The Screamer still stood between me and the windows.

  “If you want my blood, you have to be faster than that, big guy.” It spun around. “And you’re not moving too quickly with your two … broken kneecaps.” For the first time I noticed its legs weren’t working properly. Conan must have broken bones when Danny tossed him out the window and they hadn’t had time to heal before the Screamer had possessed him.

  Ick.

  It came at me again, faster this time.

  I rolled twice and brought my legs up in a scissor kick behind its head. But instead of sending it flying, a jolt of high-voltage electricity tossed me backward. “Dammit,” I yelled as I smashed into an antique desk, shattering it. My leg gave out beneath me. “What just happened?” I panted.

  “I told you it is made up of pure energy,” said a whisper. “It cannot feel pain.”

  “What, is it made up of lightning bolts? That was a gigantic electrical charge. That amount of energy shouldn’t be possible.”

  The ghost gave a hollow chuckle.

  “Did you just laugh?”

  “Jessica!” Rourke yelled. My head whipped to the hole in the wall. His fury was palpable. He had begun to tear through the rest of the armoire trying to get me.

  “Rourke,” I called. “We can’t beat this thing in here. I’m going out the window. Meet me outside.”

  The Screamer understood my words and roared its displeasure. “You cannot escape,” its garbled voice cawed at me. It sounded nothing like Conan.

  “The only way you can devour me is if you can catch me, asshole. And I’m much faster than you are.” I was close enough to the back windows to act. I sprang, the glass shattered easily. I soared out the window in a semi-graceful dive. But it was dark and I couldn’t fly. Get ready for a hard landing, I yelled to my wolf. I was already in my Lycan form, but more power coursed through me courtesy of my wolf.

  “You will not die,” the voice sounded in my ear right as I hit the ground feetfirst.

  I tucked and rolled and rolled and rolled, finally smashing up against the bushes at the edge of the stone gate that ran around the property.

  “I told you,” the ghost whispered.

  I groaned. Several bones were broken, including a couple ribs, which made it painful to breathe. They were healing, but I hurt a ridiculous amount while each of them knit back together. They had to heal fast, because I knew the Screamer would be right behind me. I inhaled sharply as my body gave a few jumps as bones shifted. “Who are you anyway?” I asked the ghost through gritted teeth.

  “My name is Benjamin.”

  “Why are you helping me?”

  “I want my property back.”

  “So you’re tied to this place? You’re its rightful owner?”

  “No.”

  “Well, you’re certainly good at answering all my burning questions, Ben.” I lay there for a second, trying not to breathe as my ribs mended. “Please don’t tell me you’re my ghost pal for life. My heart can’t take it—”

  Jessica.

  My head shot up, the pain forgotten.

  I was on my feet in the next moment. “Dad? Dad! Where are you? Are you hurt?” His voice had been shallow. Dad! Tell me where you are!

  “Here,” he said weakly.

  I ran toward the next hedge and ripped through a screen of branches, breaking them off without thought. We were in a small patch of side yard, away from anything. This is why Alana sent me through the house. I had to exit these windows in order to find him. Now that I was outside, I could hear all the commotion on the other side of the wall, just as Tyler had said.

  Once I saw him, my knees gave way and I dropped to the ground.

  He was naked, lying on his side. He’d just shifted back from his wolf form, which meant he’d arrived right before Eudoxia set the ward. He must have jumped the wall.

  His body was covered in festering angry welts.

  Those weren’t normal welts.

  “What are these? What’s going on?” My voice was rushed. When he didn’t answer, I panicked. “Dad, you have to tell me! I need to know what’s going on.”

  He tried to lift his head, but succeeded only in raising it a few inches. “The rest of my wolves are behind me. I had to pull ahead. But the fracture pack is right behind them, Redman in the lead. He crossed over to their side at the last moment. There were too many wolves to fight. I should’ve brought an army with me. It was a bad decision, and now I’m paying the price.”

  “You weren’t going down to fight,” I cried. “You were going down to cement alliances. How would you have known? But I need to help you now. What are these welts?”

  His breath was shallow. “I was cursed.”

  “Cursed?” I repeated, stunned.

  “Not by a witch.” He reached out and grabbed my wrist. A trickle of power tingled up my arm. Whatever was harming him was sucking away his magic.

  “Then by what?”

  “Jessica,” he said quietly. “It’s already ravaged me from the inside out. What you’re seeing is the latent damage. The only thing that’s kept me alive was shifting into my wolf and knowing I had to get here to you. Now that I’m human, I have very little time left, so you need to listen—”

  “No!” I said, balling my fists. “We can fix this. You’re not going to die! Maggie said you’d be fine if—” I needed Ray. “I need to find Tyler.” Tyler! Where are you? I yelled in my mind.

  We’re in the front yard. Where are you? In good news, the witches are outside the gate with Nick. It seems he’s been coordinating the Pack and the witches. There’s a solid defense going on, but we can’t get in or out because of the ward.

  Never mind all that; I found Dad and I need you right now! Bring Ray. I’m on the north side of the house in the bushes. Dad’s been cursed. I can’t figure it out. But, Tyler, he’s dying.

  We are on our way. I heard him yell something to someone.

  “It comes again,” a whisper floated against my ear. “You must get away.”

  I waved my hand, trying to shoo away the ghost. I didn’t have time to deal with it.

  A crash, followed a second later by a big thud, sounded right behind us.

  My father snarled. He tried to get up. I put my hand on his shoulder. “I’ll take care of this.” I stood and turned to see the Screamer stumbling toward us, even more disfigured from its fall. Behind me, my father began to shift into his wolf form. I hoped he had enough strength to finish the change. He would be better protected in wolf form.

  “I don’t have time for this, Conan. Do you hear me?” I walked toward it, determined to keep it away from my injured father.

  The Screamer almost smiled.

  But instead of engaging me, its horrid nostrils flared. It scented death in the air.

  “Oh no, that’s so not going to happen,” I said, waving my arms to center its attention on me. “You want me, remember? I have all the kickass blood you need right here.”

  There was noise above us. I glanced up right as my mate burst out one of the windows, jumping through the air cleanly with his powerful arms splayed. He came down hard, landing and rolling twice, twisting at the last moment, his feline abilities at the forefront. Both of his feet crashed into the Screamer’s knees from behind.

  The Screamer flew to the side and struck the wall. I knew it wasn’t enough to keep it down for long, but Rourke had bought us some much-needed time.

  “Go to your father and I’ll keep this thing occupied,” he urged. “I can smell him from here. I will make sure this thing stays away from you.” Fur sprouted along his powerful forearms. He’d have his work cut out for him.

  I nodded once and ran back to my father, calling over my shoulder, “Ty
ler and Ray are on their way.”

  Rourke was right—the smell was awful. The scent of rotted flesh wound its way up my nose, making me gag. It was stronger now that he was in his wolf form. Without thinking, I dropped to my knees and dug my hands into his fur and grabbed tightly, pouring as much power as I could into his body. More, I urged my wolf. Can you see anything? Images of mustard-colored masses emerged in my senses. Ohmygods, they’re everywhere. We have to try and get rid of them. I aimed my power at the masses, trying to encapsulate them. Once my essence touched the putridity, it scorched me. The curse fought back, burning along my senses, trying to keep me out.

  The festering sores didn’t give at all.

  Instead, they seemed to feed off my power. But my father’s relief was palpable. I was insulating him from the pain by wrapping my power around the globs.

  I shoved more power into his body. Dad, I said. Is this better?

  Yes. His voice was hollow. It’s helping, but I don’t want to hurt you. Be careful.

  Don’t worry about me. Tell me what happened to you. Who’s behind this? I left out because I will kill them, as we both knew they would die for this, whether it was at my hand or his.

  We were tracking the fracture group in the Everglades, but it turned out they weren’t working alone. The magic they were using was strong, but I couldn’t place it. They attacked. When we fought, several of the humans shifted into wolves … but they were not … true wolves.

  I don’t understand. What do you mean?

  Jessica, these wolves were made with some kind of black magic. They were not born.

  Made? That’s impossible. How can anyone make a wolf? Our gift is genetic, passed on by birth. Saliva wasn’t enough to change anyone into a wolf. You had to be born or nothing.

  I witnessed it with my own eyes. They were wolves, but changed. They were rabid and feral. Someone must have taken our DNA and cursed it somehow. There is no other explanation.

  If that were true, it was incredible. And horrific.

  So we eradicate them, take out the culprit who is crafting the curses, and we win.

  My father chuckled and sucked in his breath. My power had begun to leak out of his body. I readjusted, trying to keep it better contained. It took everything I had not to show my emotion to him and start weeping like a child.

  It won’t be an easy task, he managed. They are making war machines. They don’t care if it goes against nature. They want to win at all costs.

  How many were there?

  There were at least three in the first group that followed us out. If they bite you, they spread their vile curse. Their bite will change a human to wolf, but for us it means death.

  There was a deafening boom behind us.

  I jumped, shielding my father’s body with my own.

  Rourke was down and the Screamer was ambling toward us. Anger and fury fueled me as I leapt forward. “You want me? Is that what you want?”

  “No.” Ben’s voice hit my eardrum a second before I sprang. “You must not engage it.”

  Too late. Better me than my father. I lunged, my arms wrapping around its chest. The force of the electricity blinded me, trying to buck me back, but I held on, digging my claws into its decaying flesh.

  It roared.

  “I will not let you kill us,” I groaned. The voltage was agonizing. My face contorted in pain. I tried to funnel the energy out of me as fast as I could, but I couldn’t do it quickly enough. Once it filled me up completely, I would either pass out or my heart would explode. “I don’t care if I die,” I yelled, “but I’m taking you with me.”

  “Your death won’t be necessary, Hannon.” A familiar and the most welcome voice I’d ever heard sounded next to me as the Screamer was efficiently ripped off me.

  I collapsed onto the ground, my body ringing with nasty aftershocks. I struggled to catch my breath. Tyler and Danny hovered over me with worried expressions. “I’m … fine.” I coughed, rolling over onto my knees. “Go … protect Dad. He needs … Ray.”

  “Sorry it took so long,” Tyler said, stepping back. “We ran into a group of mouthy vamps who tried to stop us.” A look of horror flashed over his face as he spotted our father in the bushes.

  “Ray is a wee bit occupied at the moment.” Danny crouched next to me. “But it looks like he may be freed up in a second or two.”

  Ray had the Screamer by the throat.

  But that wasn’t even the most unbelievable part. He appeared to be pulsing with the same kind of energy as the Screamer.

  “What is he doing?” I said, staggering to stand. “Why is he lit up like that?”

  “I have no idea,” Danny said. “But it’s a fairly incredible thing to witness if you ask me.”

  Rourke paced back and forth on the other side of the fight, ready to spring if Ray collapsed. I was glad to see him back on his feet. The look on his face was pure determination. No doubt he was pissed the Screamer had gotten the best of him.

  “You’re not gonna mess with me again,” Ray yelled. “This time I’m making it permanent.” He maneuvered the Screamer to a kneeling position. “You don’t get to eat me or any of my goddamn friends.”

  It was nice to hear we’d graduated to friends, but the entire ordeal between them was so strange I stood there unmoving, the aftereffects of the energy still ringing in my ears.

  “Jessica,” my brother yelled. “What do we do now?”

  My brother’s voice shook me out of my stupor. I ran over to where he sat with our father. “I don’t know.” I knelt again, plunging my hands back into my father’s fur. “We need Ray. But even if he can kill the Screamer, that isn’t going to save Dad’s life. I don’t understand what Ray needs to do.”

  Jessica … my father’s voice trickled weakly in my mind. Don’t worry about me. Defeat … that thing … before it kills you…

  Dad, we’re not leaving you. They have this handled. Please don’t give up on us. I talked to a seer and she said Ray would help us. You need to stay alive—

  “Jessica! Move!” Rourke yelled.

  “Argh!” I spasmed and fell forward as white-hot energy raced through my body once again.

  The Screamer had me in a choke hold.

  It had escaped Ray’s grasp. My back arched as my hands clawed at its forearm. Its mouth was right by my ear, its dirty fangs an inch from my neck. “I will have you.”

  I shot my elbow into its ribs and tried to force it backward. We have to try and absorb the energy. But my brain was too fuzzy and I couldn’t catch my breath.

  Ray yelled behind me, but I couldn’t make out what he was saying.

  In front of me, my father rose on unstable legs, Tyler springing up next to him. My father growled and bit the air, wanting to help me. I pushed back into the Screamer with everything I had, trying to put space between us and my family. If my father got his teeth onto the Screamer, it might be enough to finish him off.

  Dad, get back!

  “Jessica,” Rourke yelled from above me somewhere. “Hold on!” There was movement all around me. I was spinning out from the Screamer’s hold.

  Right into someone’s waiting arms.

  “It is okay, Ma Reine.” Something smoothed my hair. “We have everything under control now.”

  25

  “If this is under control”—my throat rattled as I brought a hand up to my head—“I don’t want to see out of control. My brain feels like two fried eggs in a hot pan.”

  “Oui,” Naomi said. “Screamers, as you call them, are hard to defeat and often ravage for weeks. But it looks as if we will be lucky with this one.”

  Ray had the Screamer again and they were struggling on the lawn. Rourke was rooted firmly in front of us, standing sentinel between us and it.

  Tyler yelled, “Jess, we’re going to shift. We can help better in our true forms.”

  I nodded. “Naomi, we have to help my father,” I said, anguish in my voice as I stood, stumbling to get my footing. “It may take Ray too long to finish the Scr
eamer off. We have to find a way to help him.”

  On cue Ray yelled, “This is it. I’m new to all this supernatural bullshit, but you must die now.”

  I turned to watch Ray radiate power into it. The Screamer was strong, but Ray held his own. “I don’t understand, how’s he able to do that? That’s not a normal vampire thing, is it?”

  “Non.” Naomi shook her head. “I do not know. It may be that his special gift is to handle the Strigoi? It is a unique gift, but he is … unique.”

  “No,” a thin breath whispered in my ear. “Reaper.”

  “What?” I asked absentmindedly, moving toward my father, who had lain down again after his brave attempt to help me. I sat, placing my hands into his fur one more time. My body was still recovering from the blast, but I forced as much power as I could into him. Upon feeling our connection, he whined.

  The welts had grown in the short time I’d been gone.

  “A reaper,” Ben persisted. “Those who claim souls.”

  “How can Ray possibly be a reaper?” I asked. I’d heard of reapers from legend only. My brain was still focused on my father. “Ben, can you do something useful and tell me how to help my father and reverse this curse?”

  “I know nothing of curses.”

  Barking erupted behind me. I brought my head around to investigate and something near the roof of the house caught my attention. Eudoxia stood high atop the house on a widow’s peak I hadn’t noticed before. Her hands were held up to the sky, her dress billowing in the air.

  “She’s keeping the ward going,” I commented.

  “Oui.” Naomi nodded. “She has stayed the Underworld. For now. But there is much sulfur in the air. I flew up to the sky before we found you. There are rings around the entire perimeter of the Coterie, except for the front. The witches have amassed with your wolves. It is unclear why they have come, but your partner is with them.”

  I could always count on Nick. He’d been busy. If Tally had shown, it likely meant Maggie had seen something else, or she’d decided to come find Marcy herself. Either way, it was a bonus. The fact that the wolves were here meant Nick had made contact and had enough time to get reinforcements here. That boy deserved a medal.