I nodded woodenly, not having thought about it like that before. “Right.”
“What will you do next?” Starlight asked, leaning forward with a curious grin.
“I think I’m late for my AA meeting,” I said absently. He frowned, looking suddenly concerned. I shook my head, smiling. “Abundant Angel Catholic Church,” I elaborated. “A.A.”
He blinked twice, and then burst out laughing. “Wow! I can’t even begin to fix that level of broken,” he finally said, wiping at his eyes.
I shrugged, smiling crookedly, because my mind was already elsewhere. And, because I had nothing else to say, I simply walked out the way I had come.
What the fuck was I going to do now? Give Claire to the bears?
I had the presence of mind to remember to remove the restraints from the bears in the outer room, but I didn’t look at them or acknowledge their snarls as I walked past them. I heard them growling as they entered the cavern, likely wondering what the hell had just happened, and if they were about to be killed for letting me in.
The bear I had pushed down the stairs was sitting on the ground, leaning against the wall at the base of the steps, rubbing his head. Seeing me, he froze, blinked, and followed me with his eyes as I walked past him. Not afraid, but very, very alert. I nodded at him as I would a stranger on the street, and walked up the steps. He didn’t follow me.
I needed to get to the church and talk to Roland and Claire.
Right fucking now. Because I needed to find Yuri, and also come up with a plan for this fundraiser. Because the Vatican really didn’t want me to ruin any more of those.
But I never said I was a churchy kind of gal. And I’d never learned to turn the other cheek…
Chapter 9
I grabbed a water bottle from the fridge, and guzzled it. Father David blessed all the water bottles at Abundant Angel, but Roland took that water, and blessed it again before taking it down to our secret subbasement training area. Twice-blessed water bottles, for crying out loud.
Where others had to worry about lime, BPA, or fluoride in their water, I had trillions of angelically enhanced water molecules in mine.
It washed the sin out, and restored the soul.
All joking aside, it did seem to taste better than the water upstairs, and definitely better than the water from home. I’d asked Roland to bless the water filter in my fridge, and he had simply refused to talk to me for a day, thinking I had been making fun of him.
I passed through the training room, which appeared to be all concrete tiles and grates at the moment, but when activated would turn into a death trap to make a certain tomb raider weak in the knees. I had spoken to Othello, one of Nate’s friends, about hacking into it to sync it to my music playlist, and she thought she had a way to do it, but I hadn’t moved on the idea yet.
The next area was a bamboo-walled room full of punching bags, targets for projectile weapons, and various martial arts contraptions designed to improve hand eye coordination and speed, like the dreaded Wing Chun dummy in the corner where I hid it from Roland. One wall held wooden practice weapons, but the other side was the real deal – all the blades sharpened and blessed by Roland himself. Because, come to find out, Vatman was freaking ordained!
It made sense, really, but seeing him and Father David in the same room sometimes made me grin as I imagined what courses of study they had chosen in school. Latin or Exsanguination of Vampires 101.
The various blades gleamed in the dim lighting, but the cudgels seemed to absorb the light, a contrast of lethality. I knew how to use them all. Of course, with my stature, certain weapons weren’t ideal for me, but I still knew enough to not be embarrassed if I had to use them. They were all very deadly, and carefully placed in positions of prominence like family heirlooms.
Because they were.
Long story short, each weapon had a history. It wasn’t just an ornate set of nunchakus, but had been used by a famous master, or had been wielded in a historic battle and reengineered to make sure it was ready for modern day combat.
It was a very non-modern arsenal. Roland had told me that Shepherds didn’t just rely on magic, because not all Shepherds were wizards. One or two were entirely Regular, as a matter of fact. A few others were different flavors of monster, because Catholicism was open-minded these days.
Or so I’d been told.
But my favorite weapons were the acrobatic ones. Roland had bought me a Dragon Chain – a chain with spear points attached to the ends – for Christmas. The links were made with titanium, so it was super light, but the blades were made of something he called Damascus Steel, that he swore was nearly indestructible.
It hung on a wall of its own, because I had pointed at the wall and shouted at Roland in a booming, Biblical voice, Let that be mine! And now it was so.
I walked through the training room, and deeper into our secret bunker under the old church.
I entered the utility room, glanced about to make sure I was alone, even though I had not seen a soul while walking through the rooms, and placed my hand on a loose brick that looked like a hundred others. It slid inwards with a scraping noise to reveal a keypad. I placed my thumb on it and the entire wall shifted back, and then to the side, revealing a rickety service elevator.
I stepped inside, and pressed the lowest button. Which was five levels below me.
As the elevator began to descend, I watched the stone wall change, showing old doors as I passed each level. I furrowed my eyebrows, glaring at the doors as they passed, even taking a second to share that anger with the buttons that marked the levels I passed.
Because I hadn’t been allowed to enter them before. And I had been training with Roland for ten years. These levels were only for Shepherds. Judging by the levels I had seen – the training room and the dungeons on the floor I was currently heading towards – I had no idea what could be so secret that I wasn’t allowed to see.
I was allowed to see and use a floor full of hundreds of weapons, and a floor where we could house almost any kind of monster – even a demon.
So, what was on those middle floors? Before I could begin to imagine them for the hundredth time, the elevator came to a jerky halt, and the door opened before me, revealing a medieval style passageway of large stone blocks and iron bars as thick as my wrist on either side of me – with twelve feet of solid stone, metal, wood, and whatever else between each cell.
Each iron bar was etched with runes, and had veins of silver and gold in the metal.
I wasn’t a blacksmith, and didn’t pretend to understand their sorcerous abilities, so simply assumed they had thrown gold and silver into their melting pot when making the bars. But I knew it had something to do with strengthening the bars from supernatural beings. Like a circle drawn on the floor.
Speaking of…
Each cell had a trio of metallic rings stretching from wall-to-wall, sitting underneath a sheet of perfectly-fitted bulletproof glass, so the prisoners couldn’t tamper with them. Small openings in the hallway floor – out of prisoner reach – would allow the jailer to activate the metallic rings in a magical binding with their blood. For any high-risk inmates that we invited to a sleepover.
I’d seen occasional beasties stored here for short periods, but nothing to warrant the level of protection built into each cell.
Claire was in one of the back cells, designed for the strongest of the prisoners. Not magical strength, but physical strength. I wondered if there was any shifter stronger than a bear. As I approached, I noticed the two rape victims were also here, but they both seemed to be sleeping in their own cells, since they didn’t stir as I walked by. I wondered what we were going to do about them, or which girls they were on the list of missing persons. The state we had found them in hadn’t made positive identification possible.
Claire stared at me through the bars, tears streaming down her cheeks.
“Oh, sweetie,” I said. “Why are you all alone? I’m going to kill him,” I said, wondering why the hell Ro
land had left her alone.
She shook her head with a weak grin. “He just left. He’s been here the entire time, but needed to speak with Father David about a trip, or something. I’m not crying because I’m alone, Callie. I’m crying because I’m scared, and I was worried about you.” She placed her hands on the bars, trying to shake them with all ninety-eight pounds of her body. She laughed futilely – at the ridiculousness of it all.
I placed my palm on the pad outside the gate, and her cell whisked open. I rushed inside to give her a hug, leaving the door open. She squeezed back, and then pulled away, waving a hand at her room. It wasn’t the typical cell, but had a luxurious bed, a private, closed-off toilet, and a sink replete with hygiene supplies. At least Roland hadn’t let her feel like a criminal.
“He shouldn’t have left you alone. Not even for a minute,” I argued.
Claire sat down on the bed, motioning for me to join her. “It really has been only a few minutes. You must have just missed him on your way down here. He was sharing what he knew about bears, performing tests, checking my eyes…” she trailed off, smirking at me. “Honestly, I think he was getting payback for when I was taking care of him a few weeks ago,” she said with a laugh. “I guess I deserve it.”
“Yeah, he probably enjoyed that. Not the cell thing, but the vengeance,” I said. I took a breath, not happy about this next part, doubly so since Roland wasn’t here. “We need to talk.”
She inhaled deeply, as if gathering her courage, too. “Okay.”
“Was Roland able to confirm you’re a bear? Or that you even caught the gene? Maybe we’re overreacting,” I said, having absolutely no doubt inside me, merely saying it for her benefit.
She met my eyes, brows arched in disapproval. “Callie, stop treating me like a child.” I let my shoulders relax, and nodded back guiltily. “He confirmed I’ve been infected by a bear, but there is no way to tell if I will turn or not until it actually happens. But judging by my subtle changes already, I’m thinking it’s pretty much a guarantee,” she said calmly, accepting the situation.
I squeezed her hand in mine. “Claire, you’re going to be the coolest, hottest, meanest, smartest bear in the world.” I lifted her chin with my fingers. Her skin was fever hot, but she wasn’t sweating. I caught a faint, wild spark in the depths of her eyes, and managed not to flinch.
She smiled back at me. “Thanks, Callie.”
I managed to keep my anger in check, although I had imagined ripping each limb from Yuri’s torso numerous times on the way here. Claire was a veterinarian at the zoo. The head-honcho, in fact. But what would happen now? Was that still an option? Not for a while. Not until she got control of her new… interests. Maybe not ever.
“This isn’t the end. Just a very interesting plot twist,” I encouraged. “You can now officially become a sidekick. You’ll heal fast, be able to beat up every punk at the bar who hits on you…” I said, smiling at the thought. “It’s actually kind of cool, as far as drastic life changes go.”
She sighed. “Unless I can’t control it.”
“We won’t let that happen,” I promised. “Your brain is always in charge, and you’ve always placed intelligence and rationality ahead of feelings. I really don’t think that part will be an issue. It will be the little things that frustrate you. You’ve always lived in this carefully controlled bubble, in charge of every detail. But that bubble just got bigger…”
She let out a long sigh, nodding slowly. “In a way, it’s kind of an interesting situation. I sometimes feel like I understand animals better than humans, and now I’m going to partly become one. As a doctor, it’s actually… well, scientifically amazing. I’ll get to live what I’ve spent my life studying,” she said, sounding more excited by the moment.
I lifted a hand. “But first, like with any experiment, we need to figure out the ground rules.”
She nodded firmly. “Right.” Then she met my eyes. “What are those, exactly?”
I leaned back on the mattress, thinking to myself. “Well, we need to control the change, at least the first one. The shock of it often makes the victim act feral, more wild and instinctual. We’ll need to keep an eye on you at all times, to make sure you don’t hurt yourself…”
“Or others,” she added sadly.
I shrugged. “Not much different than I had to go through. I’ve spent a decade with Roland, learning how to control myself.”
“I think it’s fair to say that becoming a bloodthirsty beast is a little different than flinging fireballs around,” she said with a teasing smile.
I kept my face very, very serious. “Be thankful you aren’t going through this and experiencing puberty for the first time,” I said in mock solemnity.
She burst out laughing. “Oh! I hadn’t even thought of that!”
I nodded seriously. “I was already transitioning into a bloodthirsty beast – a woman – and I had to learn how to use magic at the same time.”
“That means I need to be supervised. Will you stay with me, Callie?”
I grimaced, unable to lie to her. “I… can’t. I have to find the guy responsible for this and make him pay. His name is Yuri, by the way.” Her eyes flared momentarily, latching onto the name. “The demon is still out there, too. And the third werewolf,” I added, pointing back at the other cells with the two girls. God is dead, I thought to myself, wondering at the possible connection between Yuri and the wolf, and if it was related to the increased violence in town, or the new faces the bears had mentioned.
Rather than worry Claire with that, I continued on.
“Roland has to travel to Italy to clean up some of the mess from a few weeks ago. And I have a few obligations for the Vatican myself. But don’t worry,” I pressed, seeing the look of anxiety on her face. “I have an idea other than the cell. You really do need to be supervised, just in case anything goes wrong during your first shift. So, the bears kind of offered—”
“Wait!” she snapped incredulously. “The same bears you just confronted and likely pissed off? Those bears?”
I nodded meekly. “But I made them swear to keep you safe, and they literally can’t back up on their oath. If one of them breaks that promise, he dies. Even their alpha. Basically, if you are harmed, every single bear is duty-sworn to avenge and defend you, or they all forfeit their lives.”
She considered this in silence for a few moments. “Which won’t matter to me, because I would already be dead…” she whispered.
I sighed. This was exactly my first thought, as well. Sure, they had sworn a big old punishment on the guilty, but that wouldn’t bring Claire back if one of them decided to become a martyr. I opened my mouth to agree, but she held out a hand, stalling me.
“What about Nate Temple? Can’t you send me to him?”
I had actually considered that, but had quickly discarded it. He had a Beast Master friend, one who could very literally control shifters – all shifters. But I really didn’t know Nate, or his friends, and didn’t like the idea of handing her over to him. He also had quite a bit on his plate already, although I didn’t have all the details on what exactly that was. And he was friends with some pretty dangerous people.
There were simply too many variables I didn’t know. Who to trust, being predominant. I didn’t know Nate all that well, but I did trust him. But his friends? I’d met a couple very briefly, but he had a lot of friends, and I couldn’t vouch for them all.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Claire.” I told her why, and she nodded after a few moments.
“You just don’t want me swooping in for the kill,” she teased me, using her hands to draw a male specimen in the air, focusing on her formation of his rear, and then giving it a figurative squeeze.
I rolled my eyes at her. “You got me.” I wasn’t really sure what to make of Nate in that regard. There was definitely something between us. There was no denying that. It was a raw feeling, as if we couldn’t help it. But when rationality kicked in, I always got the immediate f
eeling that I needed to…
Back. The fuck. Up.
As if the universe was warning me, for some reason. And one should listen to the universe.
Claire was studying me curiously, likely realizing – or knowing ahead of time – that she had struck a chord. “If I can’t be with you or Roland, I want to go to the bears. For multiple reasons. I want to understand this about myself. And if they wanted to kill me, they very easily could have that first night. I think they’re telling the truth. A conspiracy just doesn’t make sense. Plus, I think it will be fascinating to see a group of animal humans.”
“I don’t think they like to be called animal humans,” I offered with a weak grin.
She laughed lightly. “I’ll remember that. But in all seriousness, if I’m going to do it, I may as well go all in. If anyone can help me, they can. Sitting here alone in this cell will make me go nuts. I already feel violent,” she said dryly, holding up mock claws with her fingers.
I let out a conflicted sigh. She had a good point. But I still didn’t like her out of my sight. “Okay. Let’s go tell Roland. You don’t feel particularly feral right now, right?” I asked teasingly.
“The faster you get me out of here, the better I’ll feel,” she said, standing and brushing her hands together.
“Let’s go see the old man, then,” I said. “He’s really not going to like this idea,” I added with a smile as I led Claire out of the cell.
Chapter 10
Roland studied us, face serious. “I really like this idea,” he said the moment I finished laying out our plan.
I blinked at him, and Claire burst out laughing. Roland frowned at us, not understanding. I sighed, then shot him a scowl. “At least pretend to be angry. I had my arguments ready.”
“Oh, well, why would I be upset about this?”
I threw my hands up. “I don’t know. Because you’re always angry about everything! If it’s not your idea, it must suck,” I said, letting out an angry breath.
Feathers and Fire Series Box Set 1 Page 31
