by Sasha White
I managed not to gag. “I am stubborn, but I’m not your little girl. Get out of here, before we destroy you.” Hey, I was good with the false bravado.
He laughed. “You and all your personnel are trapped. Easily, I might add.” The Adversary leaned closer to me, and I managed to hold my ground. “Did you really think we’d make it this easy for you?”
“Well, you’re all none-too-bright, so, yeah, I did.” Right now, none-too-bright was running in the family but I figured any stalling I could do would be a help.
I jumped down from the podium and went to human form, during which process I took a quick look around. We had a lot of Enforcement personnel in here, but not all. The injured members of my team weren’t around, as far as I could tell. Whether that meant they’d been held at the hospital or if it meant we had more than one mole, I couldn’t guess.
Our angels were down from the ceiling and behind me, creating a barrier between the minions and the rest of our troops. Angels were also into the self-sacrifice thing, if it was the only option. I didn’t like that it appeared to be the only option.
“So, just what are you hoping to accomplish here?” I figured questions might get answers and any extra time was going to benefit our side more than theirs.
“Extermination of most of Necropolis Enforcement,” the Adversary replied like it was obvious. Well, it was, but it never hurt to see if there was more going on.
“That’s it? All the pretty pre-Armageddon displays were just to lure us? You’re not really bringing about the Apocalypse?”
“Oh, we are.” The Adversary let go of my mother’s hand and stepped closer to me. “But there are certain…things we…need first.” He put his hand out toward me. “Certain beings we wish to…protect.”
In human form Big and Little Harp had murdered every sibling I’d had, so I was quite clear that they didn’t have a truly paternal bone in their horribly creepy shared body. Ergo, they wanted me for another reason. But I had no clue what that reason might be.
“I’m good here, thanks.” I backed up a step, keeping the distance between us so the Adversary couldn’t just reach out and grab me. “I chose my side a couple of hundred years ago, remember?”
He shook his head. “It was chosen for you. By that creature.” He spat the last word.
“Black Wolf wasn’t a creature. He was a hero.”
“You gave him your fealty, your love. A werewolf! The lowest of all the undead creatures. You became one of them, for no reason other than childish pique.”
I heard someone snort behind me. “Werewolves aren’t the lowest,” I heard Merc say, presumably to Sexy Cindy and Freddie. “Far from it. Wonder what his game is.”
Merc had spoken loudly enough to carry, so I knew he’d wanted me to hear it. And he had a good point. Werewolves weren’t up to angelic standards, but then, neither were vampires. But we were by far the most adaptable and versatile of all the undeads.
Black Wolf’s pack had slowed the Adversary down long enough for me to become a werewolf. There were several of them, yes, but I tried to think – had any other undeads actually engaged the Adversary in hand-to-hand battle? And even if they had, did it matter? The Adversary could be killed, and had been killed, over and over again. Each Adversary was different, based on the being who took over the position. So, each one had different weaknesses.
Hoping he was listening, I spoke low and without moving my mouth. “Sic him, boy.”
Ralph leaped, fangs bared, as I did the same, changing in midair back to werewolf form – might as well test whether wolf or werewolf did the most damage, after all. We hit at the same time. There was a boiling of evil undead ick and werewolf fur and fangs. But I could tell – we were hurting the Adversary.
I heard someone who sounded like Jack shouting orders to attack. There was a lot of activity around us, but Ralph and I were pretty busy. I felt someone slamming something against my back.
“Bad girl! Get off your father!” Great, my darling mother was adding in.
“Yo, bitch, get off our girl.” I heard a thwack and no one was hitting me anymore. As we rolled around I caught a glimpse of Sexy Cindy and my mother in a total girl fight. Happily, Sexy Cindy still had enough street in her to really have the upper hand.
I got the Adversary’s neck and chomped down hard. He did the shake and bake thing, but if Slimy hadn’t been able to shake me off, Daddy Dearest wasn’t going to manage it.
However, Apollyon and Abaddon decided to get involved. One grabbed me and one grabbed Ralph – both pulled hard. This was almost helpful, in that we both had our jaws locked and they were essentially helping us take chunks out of the Adversary. However, it wasn’t good for either one of us to be held by a major minion – I could feel my skin and insides starting to get hot. Soon they’d be boiling, and it was hard to make that stop once started.
Ralph and I let go at the same time, which sent the Adversary flying backwards. I changed to full wolf, bit and clawed, and managed to get Apollyon to loosen his hold enough that I could scrabble away. I slammed into Abaddon which gave Ralph the opportunity to escape as well.
We fell back, side-by-side, both in full snarling mode. There was plenty of other activity, including what I was pretty sure were some of our witches and warlocks casting counter-spells that seemed to be working, if some of the darkness falling away from the glass ceiling was any indication. So our side wasn’t down and out yet. Good.
Hitler wasn’t around. Neither were any other minions, other than the Three A’s. This was unsettling. I had no idea where they’d gone or what they were doing, but before I could ask anyone for a fast debrief, Abaddon pointed his Hellfired crossbow at me.
“If you will not join us as decreed,” Abaddon intoned in that reverberating way the major minions loved to do for any group of beings larger than two, “then you will perish.”
I readied myself to jump. I had to time it right, because I didn’t want to leap into Apollyon’s sword, the Adversary’s arms, or into the path of the arrow, and Abaddon had top minion reflexes, meaning he could follow me if I leaped too soon. I also didn’t want Ralph or anyone else to get the arrow instead of me.
Of course, what I wanted wasn’t always on the menu. As Abaddon twitched, indicating to my canine senses that he was about to fire, and as I readied myself to leap, I heard the last thing I wanted to.
“Vic, look out!” Jack flung himself in front of me, as Abaddon pulled the trigger and Ralph leaped for Abaddon’s throat.
Ralph hit and the crossbow went flying. I shifted to human and caught Jack as he went down. The arrow was in his chest.
“Jack, no. You weren’t supposed to get in the way.” I tried not to cry, but didn’t manage it too well.
He gave me a half-smile. “Sorry. Had to protect…my girl,” he gasped out. “Guess forever wasn’t very long, huh?”
He was dying, I didn’t need werewolf senses to tell me that. But for some reason, all my senses were hyper-aware. I could tell the minions had left for whatever reason. The building wasn’t a cage any more – light was coming in and I could hear beings going in and out, carrying wounded, doing cleansing spell, shouting orders here and there. Ralph, Sexy Cindy and the others were gathering around us, but no one was speaking.
“I can make it longer,” I whispered. Then I shifted to werewolf form and bit his throat.
Chapter 55
As I watched Jack’s face go from pain to shock to the pasty-white I knew meant he was dying and being reborn undead, I heard Ken’s voice, shouting something.
“It’s okay,” I murmured to Jack as I pulled the arrow out of his chest. “Just tell me when you’re hungry.”
Someone’s hand landed on my shoulder. “Vic, what did you do?” Ken sounded freaked out beyond belief.
“He was dying. I bit him.” That sounded lame, but it was the truth.
“You shouldn’t have done that,” Ken said. “No one was here to check, to make sure –”
“To make sure the man
who sacrificed himself to save me isn’t evil?” I snarled. As I looked up at Ken’s face I remembered that we had a mole, and there was no guarantee Ken wasn’t said turncoat. Maybe he didn’t want me turning Jack into a werewolf because that wasn’t in the bad guy’s plans.
Ken shook his head. “No, Vic. You know better than that.”
“Do I?” I clutched Jack to me. “How do I know you’re really on the side of good?”
Ken stared at me. “What are you talking about?”
“We have a mole. Someone knew what we were doing and alerted our enemies, kept them several steps ahead of us. How do I know that wasn’t you?”
“Don’t talk to Ken like that,” Ralph said quietly.
I spun on him. “Could be you, too, Ralph.”
His lips pulled up over his teeth and he bared his fangs. I’d seen Ralph growl this way before, but it had never been directed towards me. Now, twice in one day, meaning Ralph was seriously angry. “You get one for being upset. But that’s it. Before you accuse anyone else who’s spent decades working with you, caring about you, and being friends with you of being a spy, you’d better consider all the options, including what it’ll be like if we all kick you out of the pack.”
Before I was able to come back with any kind of retort, suitable, stupid, soothing or not, Jack jerked in my arms. “I need food,” he gasped. “What’s happening to me?”
Merc tossed a ham over and Jack grabbed it – with paws. His transformation was fully complete. I almost asked Merc if the Tour Bus was stocked with unlimited hams, but then decided I had more pressing concerns.
I looked Jack over as he ate. He showed no signs of injury, but then that was common when a being was turned undead. Frankly, it was part of the point – the eternal cure for what was about to ail you on a permanent basis.
Jack was a pretty good-looking wolf. I noted that he was about Ralph’s size, so bigger than me, but that was to be expected. Ralph had a better coat, but that might have more to do with transition than anything else. In wolf form, just as in human, Jack radiated masculinity. I was still definitely willing to be his puppy-mamma, heroic save or not, though the save was a definite turn-on.
“Let’s regroup,” Freddy suggested. “Everyone’s tired, hurt, on edge, and frightened. Let’s go back to Headquarters and try to figure out what’s going on. Without any more recriminations or accusations.”
That sounded like a sane idea, and I had just enough self-control left to recognize it as such. “Good plan.” I nudged Jack, who was toying with the hambone. “You able to move on?”
“Yeah, I think so.” He got to his paws and fell on his face. “I think.”
“You’re trying to walk like a human, not like a wolf. Four feet. Just think canine thoughts.”
“How do I do that?”
“Most of us manage it without a lesson,” Ralph muttered.
This was true, but I wasn’t in the mood to hear it. “You could help, instead of offering criticisms.”
“I wouldn’t want to presume,” Ralph snapped. “Since I might be trying to lead him straight to Hell.”
Sexy Cindy cleared her throat. “Ah, I thought we were going to go with not yelling at each other.”
Ralph ruffled his fur, nodded, turned around, and trotted off. Ken was still with us, though he didn’t look any more appeased. However, his dominant emotion was written on his face – worry.
I decided I’d better get myself and the situation under a semblance of control. “Ken, I’m sorry. Let’s do what Freddy suggested and get back to Headquarters. You can run any tests there, okay?”
He nodded, but the worry didn’t go away. “They aren’t definitive, once the change has happened,” he said, but under his breath. I chose to pretend I didn’t hear it.
“I think it might be a good idea to take as many as possible back in the Tour Bus,” L.K. suggested. “We have the wounded loaded in already, but there’s plenty of room for more.”
“Is all our equipment out of the S-Class?”
“Yes,” Merc said. “And loaded into the bus.”
“Any sign of Nero or the other minions?”
“None,” one of the nearby angels confirmed. “Whatever they wanted, they either got it or we messed them up enough that they’re going to have to try again another time.”
We headed out of the Little Church. It looked much the worse for wear. I heard the angels discussing what they were going to do with the humans who, as I’d guessed, were all in their homes, acting like they couldn’t see or hear anything that was going on outside. Maybe they couldn’t.
Our team climbed into the Bus, L.K. shielding Ken from the sun with what looked like a huge rain poncho. Ralph was already in there, curled up between the driver’s seat and the passenger’s. I decided now wasn’t the time to try to sniff and make up. I wasn’t sure that I wanted to, anyway.
The Tour Bus was alter-dimensional, meaning it could hold a lot more than it looked like it should. Common enough, but I never got over it. Today, however, I didn’t really want to look. Jack collapsed in a heap and I cuddled next to him. He fell asleep before the rest of those hitching a ride were loaded in. I wanted to sleep, but couldn’t. I had too many things flying around in my mind, not the least of which was that I’d turned the guy I was in love with into a werewolf.
This was a good news/bad news scenario. Most of it was on the good news side – extended longevity, ability to actually mate with the intent to create progeny, able to share everything, truly mated for unlife. The bad side has its possibilities, though. Some couldn’t successfully make the transition and survive it mentally. Maybe he’d get antsy or curious, now that he was an undead. Maybe he’d want to continue with interspecies dating, meaning that I’d be boring and tossed aside.
I shoved my mind away from these worries and any others that wanted a word. The base of my tail was bugging me, but I ignored it, too. It had been too long since I’d slept and the motion of the Bus and the chummy nearness of all the other beings lulled me to sleep.
As I slipped into slumber, the base of my tail got one question in. Why did the minions leave when victory was likely to be theirs?
I jerked awake, head fuzzy and mouth dry. We were at Headquarters, and the Bus was unloading. From what I gathered, we’d already made the hospital stop. I started to get to my feet when Freddy pushed me back down, gently.
“They’re taking you and some others to your homes. So you can sleep in your own beds. We’ll attack it all when we’re fresh, tonight.”
I put my head back down on my paws. “Sounds like a plan.”
Chapter 56
Of course, from my perspective, the plan shouldn’t have included anyone other than me and Jack being at my place. Freddy, Sexy Cindy, Merc and L.K. tagging along wasn’t how I felt the plan should go down.
I’d been too tired to protest too much, though. Jack and I were in my bedroom on the Prosaic City side of the building. I’d been too exhausted to slide over, and I didn’t feel up to making sure Jack could handle it right now. The others were on the Necropolis side, so we could see and hear them if we wanted to, and ignore them if we so chose. I so chose.
Jack had managed the transition back to human form without too much trouble, so after some fine “we survived” lovemaking, we were sleeping wrapped around each other.
Along about sunset I woke up. I could have slept longer, but a couple of centuries of training mean an internal alarm clock doesn’t shut off just because you’ve had a rough time the night and half the day before.
My moving roused Jack. He gave me a sleepy smile. “Hey, you.”
“Hey yourself. How’re you feeling?”
“Different.” He kissed my nose. “But good. Better. Stronger.”
“You are. You’re one of the stronger undeads now.” I took a deep breath. “I’m sorry I didn’t ask you what you wanted…before I made the decision for you.”
Jack shook his head. “This is what I would have picked. What I wanted to
be, as soon as I knew you loved me back.”
My throat felt tight. “I hope we make it through everything to make it all worthwhile.”
“It’s already worthwhile, to me.” He sighed, stretched and sat up. “So, brief me. What’re my strengths and weaknesses now?”
This was a little sudden, at least in my experience. Most newly formed undeads were confused, like Freddy and Sexy Cindy had been. Then again, Jack had been clear on everything prior to the change, so maybe that was it. “I think we need to figure out the Prince’s next steps.”
“Sure, but I’d like to know how to defend myself when the time comes, which I’m sure will be sooner, not later. Like, what can kill me now?”
“Not much.”
“What’s my best form of attack?”
“Uh, depends on what you’re fighting.”
“Do we really run in a pack? I mean, I haven’t seen any werewolves other than you and Ralph. Are there more?”
“Yeah, plenty.”
“Where are they? Why aren’t they fighting with us?”
Jack’s curiosity was unsettling me for some reason. The base of my tail, in particular, was upset. “We’re sort of…instinctive. Show up when needed, sort of thing.” I hadn’t asked this many questions of Black Wolf, but maybe that was just me. Though the base of my tail said it wasn’t just me, since I’d seen plenty of werewolves form over the course of time. You woke up with a lot of this knowledge in you – at least, you were supposed to.
I figured I’d screwed up Jack’s transition somehow, which wasn’t too much of a surprise. I’d never made another werewolf before. There had never been a need or an older, more experienced werewolf or undead was with me and made the determination. Since he’d joined up and made it through basic training, Ken had made all the transition decisions for our unit. I could understand why he was upset with me – precedent alone said I’d overstepped my bounds, let alone the situation.
“We need to figure out who the mole is.” I realized the base of my tail was what had shoved that statement out, not my conscious mind.