Feathers and Fire Series Box Set 1

by Shayne Silvers

  I settled my boots into the asphalt, as if ready to fight, but Amira finally stepped out of the shadows, in human form. “That’s quite enough, Yuri,” she warned, glaring at him.

  I gasped as I realized she wasn’t alone. “Beckett!” He groaned in reply, the chains around his ankles and wrists clinking as Amira shoved him forward. His face was roughed up, as if used as a punching bag, and he could barely stand. “You bitch!” I shouted.

  Amira nodded, looking positively pleased. I studied her, recognizing her from the one time I had seen her at the grocery store. A young, pretty girl with dark hair and slightly narrowed eyes. “I told you I would bring him here,” she said, shoving Beckett again, causing his chains to rattle as he slouched. “But I brought a backup just in case.” She pointed at Yuri.

  I turned back to Yuri. “So, to get back at the big bad wizard, you decided to attack a Regular, and then go into hiding. So brave…” I said with a sigh. “No wonder you’re alpha material.”

  “Would you like to meet my second friend? The one who gave me this toy?” Amira asked, indicating Beckett. His chains quivered as he struggled to remain standing, swaying slightly. “Come on out!” Amira said, raising her voice, but not breaking our eye contact.

  Nothing happened. And I burst out laughing. Her look turned wary. “Clever,” she said.

  I shrugged, arrogantly rubbing my fingernails on my coat. “I really don’t need a roll call. Can we just get to the fighting already?” I asked, smiling at her. I had no idea who she had meant to surprise me with, but she didn’t need to know my ignorance. My plan was kind of chaotic like that. Even I didn’t know exactly what was going to happen.

  All that mattered was that something had happened not according to her plan.

  Amira snapped her fingers angrily, and another person was suddenly strolling into the ring from where Amira had entered. A woman in a hoodie. She stepped up a few paces away from Amira and tugged back the hood, revealing a familiar face. But not the one I had expected.

  Brigitte.

  Chapter 46

  Now, I had expected someone from the church to show, but definitely not her. I had even harbored the thought that it might have somehow been Benjamin all along. It was why I had asked Father David to make a call – to check if Benjamin was still at the church or if he had left for some reason. But he had been up, working away in the office, despite the hour.

  “I definitely didn’t see you coming. Good job,” I said, clapping softly.

  Brigitte just stared back at me, eyes full of hatred. But… not just with me. With everyone but Amira. “When God calls, we all must answer,” she said in a furious voice.

  I blinked. What craziness was she on? “Um, God?”

  “You’re all monsters,” she spat, ignoring my question. “Disgusting, vile beasts. Benjamin is right. The world is better off without you. Thanks to Benjamin, we have been heard. Angels now own this city, and they won’t tolerate your theft and abuse of Heavenly gifts.” She was staring at Amira with a wistful look of adoration, as if seeking approval from a mentor.

  “That’s a whole lot of crazy you’re spewing.” I said. “You think Amira’s an Angel?” Amira, for her part, was doing a splendid job of looking pious and offended by my presence, which only fueled Brigitte’s passion.

  “Oh, I know all your tricks, Callie,” Brigitte snapped. “Working for the church, but not being part of the church. Amira showed me the truth. You’re a stain on the house of God, and Amira will help me destroy you once and for all, clearing this city of a plague.”

  I shook my head, not believing this. Had Amira brainwashed her, or was this just her? “What would Benjamin say?” I asked her softly. “You teaming up with a stranger to help murder people in his city.”

  She scoffed. “I haven’t murdered anyone. I’ve only grown Benjamin’s church. You read his flyers. He’s a true believer. It’s not his fault he stands alone against the forces of Hell. But my actions have shown him the true depths of my faith. My devotion. My love. Not just to God, but to him,” she enunciated, a wistful smile on her face. “After one of our own was tortured on the steps of our church by a monster, everything became so clear. I prayed that night…” her eyes drifted adoringly to Amira, then back to me. “And Heaven heard me,” she said wonderingly. “Showed me how to profess my love to a true Man of God.”

  I stared at her. “You’re telling me… that you love Benjamin?” It was ridiculous. Brigitte wasn’t that young, but she wasn’t that old, either. I would have thought she would go for Desmond. But to do all this as some misguided quest for romance?

  “Don’t you dare speak his name. You struck him!” Brigitte screamed, eyes wild.

  I turned to Amira. “You’re one sick puppy, you know that? Filling this stupid woman’s head with delusions of grandeur that you’re somehow holy?” I pointed at Beckett’s chains. “Your Angel has a shackled man in front of her, in case you missed it,” I said, glancing at Brigitte.

  “A corrupt policeman who was removed from the case for his incompetence. Holding his fellow officers back from catching the monster that killed a child of God,” she sniffed.

  I shook my head, wondering if I was supposed to take any of this seriously. I guessed it was better than an angry mob, but at the same time, it was worse. Because this woman had been manipulated. Sure, she had some horrible conclusions and ideologies, but ultimately, she had been duped. And Amira had used that fear, and her love for Benjamin, to strike like a snake, turning a sorrowful follower of God into a sociopathic zealot. Part of me wanted to reach out and save her, but another part of me knew I couldn’t. She was a Regular, and no matter who won here, I knew Amira wouldn’t let her live. But she wasn’t going to believe anything I said.

  But I wondered why she was here. If Amira had used her to rile up anger at the church, sowing chaos, that had already been done. What was Brigitte expecting to do here?

  Beckett’s chains clinked again as his leg almost gave out. If he was that groggy, my plan would die in a puff of smoke. I needed him to pull it together.

  I glanced back at Amira to see her staring back at me, a mock look of sadness on her face. Then she turned to Brigitte. “Go forth, child. I will protect thee from the forces of Hell.”

  I glanced over at Yuri. “You seeing this?” He flinched, not looking at me, but at Brigitte. I turned back, and saw that her eyes were entirely yellow, and that black, bone claws were extending from her fingertips, inches long each. I stepped back instinctively, eyes darting from Amira to Brigitte. Amira was grinning madly, but Brigitte had only one thing on her mind.

  My expulsion from this world. My boots no longer pinched when facing Amira. I swiveled them to point at Brigitte, and groaned as everything clicked into place. Now I knew why Brigitte was here. As a meat sack to be possessed by Amira. A punching bag for me to waste some energy on before the real fight. That was Amira’s sole reason for breaking this woman. Just to buy her loyalty for this exact moment. As cannon fodder.

  “Kill them both,” Amira commanded, “as a sacrifice to the One True God!”

  “Wait a minute,” I heard Yuri growl uncertainly. “That wasn’t the plan.”

  “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Repent!” Amira shouted icily, ignoring Yuri’s sudden growl. Her eyes danced with glee.

  “Well, if I’m on the menu, I’m taking you out first,” he snarled, rounding on me. Then he exploded into his bear form, followed by a roar that made my skin tingle, skipping back a few paces to keep them both in my line of sight.

  His bear eyes turned to me, merciless. His thick, brown fur rippled as he shook his shoulders, snarling hungrily as his eyes narrowed.

  Then he began loping my way, much faster than Brigitte, but the two kept their eyes on each other, since we were apparently all enemies at this party. I realized that my plan was running wildly off skew. I had hoped that whoever came from the church would keep Yuri busy for a few minutes, leaving me to focus on Amira. But it looked lik
e Amira had a similar plan.

  Yuri pounded closer, and I instantly Shadow Walked a dozen paces behind him, ready to unleash a barrage of fire at him, turning him into a hairless, roasted piglet so I could square off with Brigitte, or find a way to attack Amira, forcing her to abandon her possession of Brigitte.

  Which left me staring at Yuri’s back, preparing to unleash an unreasonable amount of pain at that fat, hairy ass. But I paused as I saw a trio of bears pounding into the parking lot on all fours.

  And Claire was riding Starlight. Seeing Yuri, she leapt from his back, screaming in mid-air. Her eyes were fire, and the tiny blonde exploded, fabric raining down like confetti.

  “Claire! NO!” I shouted, knowing I was already too late. Armor had told me that emotional trauma could bring on the first shift, and that the monster would be in full control. But… maybe that was what we needed tonight.

  For the ladies to be less… ladylike.

  My instinctive fear was squashed as I finally saw my best friend’s form, and a dark, anticipatory smile crept over my cheeks.

  A ten-foot-tall polar bear landed on the ground, black claws tearing at the concrete from the shaggy white fur of her massive paws. She roared with a maw easily big enough to bite my torso in half without any effort. Yuri climbed up on hind legs, walking laterally in an awkward shuffle.

  Clairebear did the same, much taller than Yuri, and roared again, thick strands of saliva stretching from canine to canine, as if she was salivating in anticipation of the blood to come. Then they hammered down to the ground and sprinted at each other like two dump trucks.

  Armor, Kona, and Starlight had remained at the edge of the parking lot, and I turned to see Amira glaring at them with hatred. Too late, I remembered Brigitte.

  She hit me with her demonic claws, slamming into my side, and sending me cartwheeling into a parked car. I struck hard, and fell to the ground. I glanced down at my coat, thankful I had worn it. My ribs were definitely bruised, if not cracked, but without the coat, I might have glanced down to find my lower torso missing. I stared at my shirt. “Wu-Tang Style, bitch,” I muttered, gathering my anger into a sharp blade.

  I climbed to my feet, abandoning my rational mind, and embracing the monster within.

  It was time for a girl fight.

  Amira laughed joyfully. “How delightful! She either kills you, or if you win, I kill the policeman,” she shouted.

  She had a point, unfortunately.

  Chapter 47

  I locked eyes with Beckett, and saw a faint smile cross his cheeks. He had been… faking? With a subtle flick of his wrists, the chains fell free. Since he had been constantly jingling them, Amira didn’t even seem to notice the sound of them hitting the ground. She was too busy glaring at the two fighting bears and the three spectator bears, eyes calculating, as if wondering how she could use them to her advantage.

  I blinked, happy for this unexpected development. We hadn’t been able to specifically plan for this, but he knew what his goal was and that he had to get it done. Somehow. But without chains? No real injury? That would be easy.

  Beckett flicked his heel up, and struck Amira directly in the kneecap with a solid blow, then swung his head back, catching her jaw as she instinctively leaned forward at the blow to the knee. She screamed in pain, hands darting to her face, and he made a break for it. She cursed, shaking her head once, and her eyes flashed yellow before she bolted after him, sharing her attention between Brigitte and Beckett.

  I turned to see a very confused Brigitte staring at me. One second full of hatred, and ready to kill me with her demonic powers, and the next, her claws suddenly gone, leaving a scared, middle-aged woman. This happened back-and-forth a few times in rapid succession as Amira finally kicked Beckett’s legs out from under him, sending him face-first into the brick wall.

  I sprinted at Brigitte, not giving one flying fuck how I took her out. Either as a Regular, misguided woman, or as a demon-possessed idiot. I flung three crosses – blazing bars of crackling blue light – at her face ahead of me. She held up her claws, batting two away, but the third struck her in the hip, knocking her on her ass, the flesh sizzling.

  I glanced over to see Amira forcefully yank Beckett to his feet, pressing a dark blade to his throat. I shot a panicked look at him, but only saw him smiling back at me through a bloody nose from his impact with the wall. His eyes flicked up, his head unmoving, and I held my breath.

  A faint creaking sound echoed off the brick walls from up above.

  Beckett closed his eyes, clenching his fists, still smiling.

  Amira glanced up just as a wall of water crashed down over her, exploding into a cloud of steam and the most glorious screams of anguish I had ever heard. I saw Beckett roll away, but it wasn’t a smooth motion, almost like a drunken cartwheel. I saw a few bricks fall down into the steam, and understood. A brick must have broken free from the aged building as the massive tub of Holy Water cascaded down from the roof above – just like we had planned – courtesy of Cain.

  I scowled up at the roof, and saw a hazy blur shrug apologetically.

  Fucking Cain.

  But his participation in the actual fighting was now complete. Not because I didn’t need him, but because he was technically doing two jobs, and with the sudden awareness that someone was up above, playing Holy Water tricks, his other job was going to be more difficult. I saw his form blur to a new location on an adjoining section of the Bread Factory for a better view of everything. Also, in case Amira wasn’t entirely down, which she wasn’t.

  As the Holy Steam bath cleared, rising up into the sky, I marveled at the damage. Her scalded form rose from the asphalt with a yellow glow, and at the same time, Brigitte climbed to her feet, looking dazed in her Regular form again. I kicked her in her pious boobs, just to be sure.

  Then I slapped a bar of power over her neck like a band of light. A giant cross flickered, slightly darker than the rest of the magic collar, standing out prominently. Then I gripped her shirt to pull her up, and punched her as hard as I could in the nose, knocking her unconscious.

  Part of this was pleasure, but the other part was that I couldn’t risk Amira using her as a stunt double again, breaking my focus. So, I knocked her out. And I tied off the magic around her throat so that possession wasn’t an option. She was out of the fight. I let her go, not feeling an ounce of pity as her head thumped onto the concrete.

  Then I turned to check on the bears, who were in the middle of a slap fight, their claws biting deep into the flesh of the other, blood flowing freely. Claire struck a particularly good blow, and Yuri bellowed in pain. Claire grabbed him by the crotch and chest like a professional wrestler, and then threw him into a car to my left, knocking it off the blocks. It crashed to the ground, windows shattering. Yuri climbed to his feet almost instantly, then roared as he bounded back to Claire who was still standing on two feet, paws spread wide as if taunting the little bitch bear.

  I turned to Amira to see her glowing demonic form in full view now, just like I had seen her at Johnathan’s mansion, in that other place. Half goat, half beautiful yellow-flamed woman. Her nether region was a black patch of wild hair that rivaled the bears’ downstairs mix-up.

  She flung her hands out, her glowing breasts heaving as her hair rippled out behind her, still looking like it was frozen underwater, hovering in position until she suddenly moved.

  She stared at me as she kicked Beckett in the ribs while he tried to escape. I heard ribs crack as he flew into a car, and then fell to the pavement. He groaned as he struggled weakly.

  I Shadow Walked directly before her, between her and Beckett.

  “Now that you’ve had your bath, let’s throw down,” I shouted, staring at her horribly burned body, which was much more obvious up close. “You thought you could pit everyone against each other, blame it on me, and get away with it?”

  “Bingo,” she said, grinning. “It was worth a shot,” she added. But something about her eyes troubled me. As if maybe her p
lan was still running smoothly. I was missing something…

  The bears roared behind me, both those fighting, and the three royal bears who were remaining apart from the mayhem. They didn’t sit in the bleachers out of fear, but out of respect. This wasn’t their fight. They were honoring Claire and I by letting us handle our problems alone.

  Still, I could have used a little less honor and a little more tag team.

  But their decision played directly into my plan, thankfully. Enough had gone wrong so far to make me seriously consider that all was lost, but Beckett’s successful escape to lead Amira to Cain’s Holy Steam bath had kept me in the poker game.

  I just had to make it to the last card in the stack, hoping my luck was with me.

  “I’m going to enjoy this, Callie. More than you could possibly know…” Amira snarled, droplets of fire dripping from her reptilian fangs.

  “Bring it, bitch.”

  She did.

  Chapter 48

  We circled each other, me having to look up at her as the two bears roared in the background, the sound of crashing metal, shattering glass, and heavy thumps marking their dance.

  Fiery wings of yellow flame flecked with chips of black stone formed over her shoulders, but they looked mottled and diseased. Despite the decay, the feathers looked like razor-sharp swords hanging from the arachnid-like appendages poking out from her shoulder blades.

  “Dance for me, little Nephilim. Scream for me, like a good little warrior priestess,” she purred, her metallic feathers rasping and rattling together, raining sparks down around her.

  “I’m not a Nephilim, hell-twat. I’m something much darker than that…” I grinned, extending my fingers as I embraced that new side of me, knowing I would need every advantage. Her face changed, then, looking startled as she stared down at my hands. I casually did the same, masking my face so that it appeared I was very familiar with whatever the hell she was staring at.