This World Bites (Cera Chronicles Book 1)

by Loni Townsend

  I touched my face and found a thin scab where the demon had hit me. Not good. Anything capable of leaving a lasting wound could potentially kill me. I swallowed back a feeling of terror. “That’s different.”

  Mortality isn’t something I had to face every day. I don’t age. Usually only elemental means can kill an elemental. Human weapons hurt, but the wounds never last. I didn’t like being reminded I wasn’t invincible.

  His eyes softened. With gentle fingers, he smoothed a stray red curl away from my face. The back of his hand touched my unmarred cheek. “You are the most beautiful and powerful creature I have ever met.”

  I smiled. I liked flattery. I could listen to compliments all day. Regardless, pretty words wouldn’t get the glass out of my back. “Stop stalling.”

  The knife sliced skin. Duke grunted and I could feel him fumbling with the blade. “This speed healing makes it difficult to get into the wound.”

  “Do your best.” I focused on shielding myself with Miasho power, morphing the pain into a distant sensation. It would hurt like the Realm when he finished, but getting the glass out would be better than leaving it in.

  He tried to hold the skin apart and let out a sound of disgust as his index finger got stuck in my back, the wound closing around it. He pulled it out and tried again, growling and muttering beneath his breath. After much twisting and cutting, he finally wrestled the first piece free from the flesh. He opted to use two knives and tweezers for the other four shards.

  The last broken bit dropped into the sink. Duke stared at his shaking, blood-covered fingers.

  “Thank you.” I rolled my shoulders and arched my back. “We should visit your contact before it’s too late to help Michael.” Hopefully last night hadn’t changed his mind about helping me.

  He met my gaze, recognizing that I made a sound, but not hearing what I said. For a moment, it wasn’t Duke looking at me, but a feral beast eyeing its prey. He lifted his fingers to his mouth and licked. Blood. He had said he needed blood. He closed his mouth over each appendage, cleaning it before moving to the next until no blood remained. His gaze moved to my back.

  Something changed in him. He moved too gracefully, like bourbon pouring from a flask. He pinned me against the counter and ran his tongue along the length of my spine. A shiver raced with it. His fingers slid my hair aside to bare my throat. Glistening fangs flashed on the edge of my vision as he hissed.

  I realized why people must be afraid of him. I grabbed the frying pan from the stove and slammed it into the side of his head.

  Duke dropped like a stone.

  I bent and pressed my fingers to his throat. Dammit! I couldn’t find a pulse. I’d only wanted to knock him out. I guess I’d overestimated the amount of force I needed.

  I sighed and tossed the pan in the sink. Flirting rule number three: don’t kill your potential love interest.

  It had been going so well, too.

  Chapter 6

  SETH WASN’T THE TYPE TO PANIC. In fact, it was near impossible to get him worked up about any situation. Right now, panic broadcasted across all channels of the guardian bond, and I knew something had to be wrong.

  I’d used my bond to compel Seth to bring me a new set of clothing and help me figure out what to do with Duke’s body. I was waiting for him to arrive at the apartment when the panic came across. I left my mess for later and transported to his location in the community park outside.

  Damn.

  “Michael,” I coaxed. “Spit out the nice man’s hand, please.”

  Michael looked at me with unfocused eyes, fingers dangling from bloodied lips. Bone crunched between his teeth and I shuddered. If the man had actually been a nice man, it was too late to find out. Michael had already eaten half of him.

  Seth explained that they’d been traveling together when Michael started growling and chasing small animals. After watching him bite the head off a squirrel, Seth thought it would be best to part ways before he became Michael’s next meal. Well, he had tried. But Michael continued to follow him.

  Duke lived in the upper class half of town, the half that didn’t allow zombies to ruin the lawn. A shotgun-bearing man, claiming to be an enforcer of some sort of organization called the Homeowners Association, approached Seth and demanded Michael be removed from the premises or charges would be pressed. Michael didn’t concur. The man hadn’t been a good shot, and Seth now owned a shiny new shotgun.

  I willed Michael to stop chewing and, much to my relief, he did. I hadn’t lost complete control over him. I had never explored the extent of my guardian bonds, but I knew if worst came to worst, I could shut him down. “We’re going to go back to Teymir Rin—to see if we can cure you.”

  Michael’s gaze lacked any recognition of my words.

  A shrill scream echoed off the surrounding buildings, pulling my attention from him. I turned my head in its direction and grimaced at the amassing zombies beating a transportation vehicle. It rocked and swayed on four wheels. I wondered how the man Michael had eaten ever intended to keep that many out of the area. I used Miasho power to focus my sight. Through the sea of decaying heads, I saw the frightened face of a woman inside the car. She looked familiar.

  “Katherine?”

  The vehicle tipped and she let out another scream. I supposed saving her now was the least I could do, considering I’d left her for the demons the night before. I dropped to one knee and pressed my palms to the rocky pavement. Bits of gravel dug into my skin. Duke’s shirt didn’t provide much coverage.

  I locked onto her life force, closed my eyes, and dedicated my focus to a summoning seal. White light flared from my fingertips as the seal fired and the screaming woman materialized in front of me. Her scream stopped with the sudden shocking realization that she was no longer going to be mauled by zombies. Green eyes blinked at me as she tried to process what happened.

  I rocked back on my heels and landed in a sitting position on the ground, muscles heavy and lethargic. My energy reserve after transporting to Seth and Michael had been limited and now was almost nonexistent.

  The silver haze of elemental exhaustion encroached on my vision. If I used any more of my elemental power, I’d probably pass out. I squinted at the woman. “Are you injured?”

  She shook her head with numb detachment. “Thank you for saving me. I owe you my life.” She flung her arms around my neck and squeezed. For a second, I thought my head might pop off.

  I patted her back, lacking the strength to do much else. It was as much an act of comfort as a message for her to let go. “I’m glad to see you escaped the demon slavers.”

  The woman froze. “You know what happened to Katherine?”

  I frowned. “Aren’t you Katherine?”

  “No.” She pulled back to study my face. “I’m Stella, Katherine’s sister.”

  “Mistress Cera.” Seth cupped a hand over his eyes and stared into the distance. “I hate to break this up, however…”

  I followed his gaze and groaned. I was in no condition for this. A girl could only handle so much drama in one day. “Run!”

  Seth, Stella, and I bolted for the surrounding apartment complex, Michael clambering on all fours behind us. Zombies chased us with oozing wounds and dripping body parts. Their decaying bodies did not change the fact they still possessed a genetically altered disease granting superior strength and speed. My exhausted body struggled to keep pace. Seth grabbed my hand to pull me along.

  After trying three locked doors, I used brute force, and what felt like the last of my energy, to rip the door handle off the next. I needed to put something between us and the zombies. We rushed into the dark, musty room and threw the door shut. Seth braced it with his weight. I caught the faint scent of fur and old bones. A low, menacing growl rose from the far corner. I created the dim glow of fire in my palm using minimal power and lifted it for a better view. Glittering animal eyes regarded us with more hunger than I would’ve liked.

  Stella gasped and pressed her back to the wall. Not
a second later, she hurried away from the wall as it shuddered beneath pounding zombies on the other side.

  “Good doggy.” I offered a hand to be sniffed. From what I could see, the animal was canine. I knew guard dogs were popular on some worlds. I didn’t know how protective this one was. Animals and I tend not to get along.

  Between the dog, the zombies, and my exhaustion, I’d forgotten to maintain control over Michael. He pounced. Canine and human grappled for dominance, each biting and clawing at the other.

  I caught a whiff of Michael’s blood. If I called him off now, the beast would tear him apart. I gritted my teeth and jumped into the fray, vanquishing my fire light and plunging us back into darkness. It took the remainder of my elemental strength to grab hold of Michael, banding his torso with my grip and pinning his arms to his sides. I willed him to stop fighting, but he no longer responded, so I kicked the attacking animal. It whimpered as it hit the wall. “Stay there,” I ordered.

  Stella fumbled along the wall until she found a light switch. She looked from Michael, kicking and thrashing, to the dog—licking its wounds in the corner—and let out a squeak. Dog was the wrong word. A wolf, twice Michael’s weight and just as tall, bared its teeth in a snarl.

  My grip on my guardian slipped. “Stella, find something to restrain Michael.”

  She nodded and disappeared down the hallway in an eager rush.

  The door had several deadbolts intact, and we engaged all of them. Seth used a desk and a single-size bed—all the furniture in the room—to help barricade the door. He scowled as he surveyed the small apartment. “This is not going to hold long.”

  The wolf screamed in agony, claws digging into the floor and ears flattened to its skull. Black fur rippled as the bones beneath molded to a different form. A sickening crack sounded as they snapped and broke, healing again in new positions.

  The wolf threw back its head and let loose a howl that shook dust from the walls. Snout and teeth shortened. The pelt melted away to smooth, sun-kissed skin. A woman sat on the floor, naked and panting from the transformation, pale blue eyes glaring murder. Sweat trickled down the side of her face and matted hair to the curve of her neck. “How dare you bring a zombie into my home!”

  One might think I’d be more amazed by seeing a wolf turn into a woman. I wasn’t. We have a race of form-changing beast kin on my world. They don’t make all that wretched noise when they shift either.

  Michael bucked in my grip, saliva dripping from his mouth and landing with small plops on the carpet. Blood from bite marks added to the puddle, dripping from his torn pant leg.

  The woman stood, her midnight black hair long enough to cover her breasts. Like her wolf form, she was built from pure muscle. She had striking features—not quite what I’d call beautiful—but her confidence made her attractive. “You are not keeping him in here.”

  “I found a chain.” Stella raced back into the room. She stopped when she saw the woman in the corner, her eyebrows arching in surprise. A sweet smile spread across her lips. “Oh, hello. You must be the wolf.”

  The woman and Michael turned their gazes to look at her. A hungry moan wheezed from my guardian. The woman stepped close, drawing a long, deep breath through her nose. “You’re the one they’re after. Nothing’s tastier than a harnesser treat.”

  Stella took a step backward, panic crossing her face. Seeing as I had expended an exorbitant amount of energy saving her, I thought it best not to let her get ripped apart by the naked wolf woman.

  Seth responded to my will and stepped between the two. “The door will only hold for a while longer.” He eyed the wolf woman. “Is there another way out?”

  She lifted her upper lip in a half snarl. “I should kill you all for intruding.”

  A cold, mocking laugh fled his lungs. “I would like to see you try.” He stood taller than her by two hands and was twice as wide. His steel eyes challenged her to take him up on his offer for a fight. We’ve survived far worse than this. Wolf or not, he’d win and he knew it.

  The wolf woman broke eye contact first, looking at the floor as she pushed past Seth and purposely striking Stella with her shoulder as she moved. “This way.”

  Stella staggered and gripped the chain tighter in an effort not to drop it. She looked at the woman’s back and then at me. Seth took the chain and together we wound it around Michael from mid-torso to knees. With Michael bound, we dragged him behind us and followed the woman.

  ***

  “Thank you so much for helping us, Danielle.” Stella gave the wolf woman a cheerful smile.

  Danielle glared in return. “I didn’t have much choice.” She was clothed now, wearing a plain yellow dress and a pair of sandals. She nodded her head to the motionless form between Seth and me. “Are you sure he hasn’t turned yet? He looks pretty far gone.”

  We sat on the roof of a neighboring building, having crossed over using wooden construction planks. I stretched my fatigued muscles. “He will be fine as soon as we find the cure.”

  Stella fiddled with a thread in her sweater. “There is no cure.”

  Michael bolted to a sitting position with a startled gasp. His wide owlish eyes blinked as his groggy gaze surveyed the rooftop. They focused when they landed on me.

  “Mistress Cera!” He was talking—an improvement. His nose twitched and he swiveled his head to peer at the two women. He locked onto Stella. “Classification W17-CH, a.k.a. harnesser. Abilities include the utilization of forces external to the corporeal being to manipulate environmental and physical components as well as enhanced mental capacity granting insightful divination of circumstances. Common side effects include over-absorption of information resulting in insanity and potential death. Created to control M813 disease carriers, the government declared project CH unstable, and reproduction of the blood work was suspended.”

  Danielle frowned. “What is he? A walking encyclopedia?”

  “It’s amazing!” Stella squeezed Seth’s thigh with one hand and looked earnestly up into his face. “I’ve never seen anyone come back from being a zombie. Don’t you think it’s amazing?”

  Danielle narrowed her gaze on the harnesser and growled.

  I loosened the chain around Michael. “How are you?”

  “My mouth is dry.” His tongue worked behind his teeth. He made a gagging noise and spat a ball of reddish-brown fur onto the rooftop. His lip lifted in disgust. “What did I eat?”

  Seth leaned over and peered at the fur ball. “I believe that is squirrel.”

  “You let me eat a squirrel!”

  “It was them or me.” Seth gave a single shoulder shrug. “I chose them.”

  We didn’t mention the man he’d eaten.

  Free from the chains, Michael rose and paced restlessly as we told him about his near transformation. His fingers prodded at the open wound on his leg. “The disease is mutating. The rate of change is faster than I anticipated. The wolf bite threw the result off trajectory. We need to speak with Teymir Rin about modifying the blood sample to work in the new variables introduced with my…altercation.”

  A smile blazed across Stella’s face. “You certainly are a smart boy.”

  Michael glared at her, examined the soft curve of her breasts, and changed his expression to soulful, puppy-dog eyes. “This whole thing is scary. Will you hold me?”

  “Oh how cute. Of course. Come over here.” She waved him into her embrace and squeezed. “There, there. It’ll be alright.”

  Seth rolled his eyes. Michael was a horrific letch. I think the fact he would never grow up attributed to his fascination with the female body. Women tended not to think anything of it, dismissing him as a little boy. We knew better.

  Danielle stared across to the other roof. “They broke past the barrier.”

  Zombies stood at the edge, staring at us. I groaned. “Don’t they give up?”

  “This is strange behavior for them.” The wolf woman dug around in a supply bag she’d brought until she found a small cylindrical cani
ster. She shook it with quick, vigorous movements. “They normally lack the mental capacity to pursue victims beyond their immediate surroundings.”

  Seth leaned over the side to peer down at the streets below. “They are climbing the walls.”

  I moved to his side and caught a flash of white apron disappear around the corner. I frowned. Who would be running around in an apron outside a kitchen?

  Stella wrung her hands. “Can you do that light thingy to move us to a new place?”

  I leaned back. Me plus four? “I should have enough energy to transport us.”

  A loud clatter drew my attention to a zombie who’d jumped the divide and landed on our roof. Clouded eyes locked on me and its decaying lips parted, sending out a puff of putrid air in a single word—brains. It staggered toward me with arms extended and fingers reaching. Other zombies followed, leaping across or scaling the walls.

  “I think you have the wrong person,” I told the zombie. “I’m not considered the intelligent one of the group.”

  “I do not think he cares.” Seth wound the chain around his hand and whipped it at the zombie. Metal caught the decaying wrist and he pulled. The arm ripped free. The zombie barely paused.

  Willing Seth out of my way, I lifted my hand and focused. Flames sprouted from my fingertips, swirling and gathering into a ball of white-hot intensity. A blazing inferno burst in the center of the zombie mass, spreading to engulf the wave of moaning corpses. The one-armed zombie continued forward, his skin unscathed.

  “You have to be frigging kidding me! Who in the Realm made these things fireproof?”

  Seth dropped the chain to pick up a solid wooden beam. With one swing, he hit the moving target square in the skull. The head bounced and rolled. The zombie stopped moving, lifting its remaining arm to prod the space where the head had been, and finding it missing, fumbled around searching for it.

  Stella screamed and clung to Michael, who smiled and buried his face in her chest. I scowled at the utter helplessness Stella represented and wished I had left the woman for the zombies. My compassion only goes so far. Despite their physical similarities, she and the bartender were complete opposites when it came to a fight.