Dark Cotillion (First in the Brenna Strachan Series)

by Hadena James

  Chapter Seven

  No matter how many times I read books about Sherlock Holmes, they still intrigued me. As a child, I had wanted to be the detective. It was very possible that Holmes was actually my first crush. The perfect, unobtainable man, Holmes was distant, brilliant, and dysfunctional in ways that made the rest of us look normal.

  Page after page, the story unfolded. The rest of the world disappeared. Holmes tracking down a bad guy was absorbing. Whether he was in an opium den or a mansion, he always seemed to fit in, blend in, and work everything out.

  I finished three stories without ever looking up from the book. If they spoke to me, I ignored them. I wasn’t even sure what they were doing.

  “Brenna!” Someone jerked the book from my fingers.

  “What?” I asked bewildered.

  “Told you, she gets lost in the works of Doyle,” Gabriel said. He was standing to one side of Fenrir. Fenrir was holding my book, so I was guessing he was the one that had called my name.

  “What could you possibly want?” I asked again.

  “To see what you wanted for lunch,” Fenrir told me.

  “I don’t care, just food. If I don’t like it, I’ll get more donuts, or I’ll call the front desk and have a Subway Sandwich brought up to me.”

  “Really?” Anubis frowned at me. “You should be a bit more interested in the food that you toss down your gullet.”

  “I’m very interested in it. As long as I don’t have to cook it, I don’t care. I’ll eat just about anything. I won’t eat any kind of ground meat, but other than that, I’m good. There isn’t a fruit or vegetable on the planet that I don’t like. I like all the grains. I eat vegetarian because I don’t like ground meat, but as long as it isn’t ground, I’ll eat it without complaint. I’m really fond of pizza, pasta, donuts, Mexican, and…” I paused. “I lied, I won’t eat hummus either. So no ground meat, no hummus, those are my limits on food.”

  Anubis gave a deep long sigh. Fenrir laughed. Gabriel shook his head at me. I took my book back. I wasn’t even hungry yet, it hadn’t been but an hour since I had eaten three donuts.

  “And I’m not hungry yet,” I added as I opened the book and started searching where I had left off.

  “No kidding,” Gabriel took the book out of my hands before I could finish. “We were asking for later to know what kind of prep was going to be required. Now, we are going to do something, together, as a group.”

  “Oh, like a game?” I asked suspiciously.

  “We could probably turn it into a game, but…” Ba’al shrugged.

  “Oh hell,” it was my turn to sigh, “I’m going to get a lecture on Elder history.”

  “Yes and no,” Anubis put his feet up on my coffee table. “You are going to get a crash course in Elder history and zoology.”

  “Don’t I have a book for that?” I looked at him.

  “Yes, but the book doesn’t do it justice.” Anubis stared back at me. “There’s a lot to learn and very little time to learn it.”

  “Why? I have a month,” I told him.

  “Perhaps you do, but if attacks start happening, it will get pushed to the background and you won’t learn anything,” he responded.

  He had me there, “Okay, good point.”

  I surrendered and got comfortable on the couch. Anubis pulled his feet off the table. It was whisked from the room. So was the rest of the unused furniture. I stared in wonder as the men went about removing things from the living room and then putting down plastic over the carpet.

  “Uh…” I wasn’t sure whether to make a comment or ask a question. I was almost convinced that they were about to show me something horrific that would scar me for life.

  Fenrir stood in the middle of the plastic. His body began to move in strange ways. I was right, this was going to be horrific and scar me for life. I could hear the bones snapping, the skin tearing. Flesh gave way, fur moved into its place. It wasn’t pretty. It wasn’t what I had imagined. There was goo dripping onto the plastic. Fenrir’s jaw was locked tight to keep sound from escaping, but his eyes screamed.

  A bit of white bone suddenly poked out from between the flesh/fur divide. I covered my mouth, stifling the sound that was trying to escape. Instead, a mewing sound crept through my fingers.

  The change seemed to take forever. Fenrir’s body writhed, wriggled, and shifted. Flesh moved, bones moved, there was snapping and tearing sounds as his body rearranged. More of the opaque goo fell onto the plastic with thick wet thumping noises. It seemed impossible heavy.

  Finally, after what seemed to be hours, Fenrir stood on his back legs. His body was covered in a grey fur, but his eyes had remained the same. I could see the man behind them. He knew us, understood the words that would come from our lips. I gaped, unable to think.

  “And that is why Lycans rarely change if they can help it,” Anubis said to me, breaking the spell. I frowned at him.

  “Uh, yeah,” it was about the only thing I could think to say. “Doesn’t he now have to change back?”

  “He will,” Anubis stood in front of him. “However, there are a few things you should know. Note that he is taller in wolf form and very capable of walking on his back legs for short distances, however he is incredibly fast on all four. If he runs, he will run on all four limbs and you will not be able to outrun him. He is also stronger in wolf form, deceptively strong and brutal. While he knows, who we are and that we are not going to hurt him, should someone or something attack him in this form, he will not show mercy. Also, he can’t talk like a being. He can make wolf noises, but the vocal cords have changed along with the rest of him, so speech is pretty much out of the question. Although, it is possible that you will understand what he is vocalizing just because you know him well enough to read body language. It is only slightly changed.”

  As if to emphasize this, Fenrir dropped to all fours and padded over to me. His wolf form was impressively tall, coming well past my waist; he nuzzled his head into my collarbone. He licked me and made a small growling noise. It sounded affectionate.

  “And to answer the question you are not going to ask,” Anubis gave me a stern look or perhaps he was giving it to Fenrir. “He can have sex in wolf form. Some beings like it, some don’t.”

  “I wasn’t going to ask that,” I felt myself blush and pushed Fenrir away from me. I was now convinced the look was a warning to Fenrir.

  “I know, that’s why I told you. I didn’t want you to be surprised by it one day.” Anubis shook his head. “You would never ask such a thing.”

  “Yeah, we established that I was a prude last night. Moving right along.”

  “You’re not a prude, just inexperienced and a little lost in the world in which you belong,” Ba’al corrected me.

  “Call it what you want, I’m uncomfortable talking about…” I paused and looked at the wolf still standing next to me. “Can we just change the subject, please?”

  Fenrir stalked away from me, back onto the plastic sheeting. He stood perfectly still for several seconds. The fur began to move. The bones began to break again. This time, I looked away. I was suddenly very aware that he was going to be naked when he was done, and I had no desire to see either the change or his nudity when it was over.

  When the last of the strange noises had stopped, there was a shuffling of clothing. I removed my hands from my eyes. The group was smirking at me. I did the adult thing and stuck my tongue out at all of them.

  “Why are you all obsessed with sex?” I finally threw my hands into the air and glared at them.

  “Well, eternity is a long time,” Ba’al smiled.

  “I’m not,” Gabriel shrugged.

  “But you are not exactly not obsessed with it either,” Anubis changed his position to smirk at Gabriel.

  “Okay, change the subject.” I fell back onto the couch. “Now that you have shocked and awed me, what’s next?”


  “What beats that?” Fenrir asked.

  “Uh, tell me that wasn’t just done to…” I searched for the word and found myself again at a loss.

  “No, it was something you needed to see. Should something happen, something serious, it is always possible that the Lycans will change, they fight better in shifted form.” Anubis made a face. “Next is Jonathan. I can’t do it because the curse prohibits it. But Jonathan can ‘vamp’ out.”

  “I’ve seen Jonathan get angry,” I reminded him.

  “Not the same,” Jonathan came to stand in front of me. His change was dramatic, more immediate. There were no moments for me to contemplate the fact that he was changing. He just changed.

  I gasped and if I hadn’t already been sitting on the couch, I would have moved backwards. His teeth had grown. They were far longer than any fangs I had ever seen. They were more than an inch long, making it impossible to close his mouth entirely. His nails had grown. His nails were over six inches long and they looked like stiletto knives. Each tip seemed to be razor sharp. His eyes were red, filled with blood, almost no iris or pupil was visible. The worst part was his skin though. It had grown leathery, darker in color. I reached out and touched it. It was tougher than I had thought possible. I tried to pull on it gently, but it didn’t move.

  As I touched him, trying to grab his skin, he changed back. The skin suddenly gave and he smiled at me. The teeth were gone, normal short fangs like most Elders. I looked up at his eyes, they were normal again too. I let go.

  “Okay, that was impressive.” I shut my eyes and tried to erase the image from my mind.

  “Do you want to see the Angel change?” Ba’al asked me.

  “Angels shift forms?” I asked, realizing that I hadn’t even known that Vampires changed forms.

  “Yes and no,” Gabriel looked at me, “it’s complicated. You’ve seen it a time or two, but it can get really bad.”

  “Bad how?”

  “Oh,” Gabriel shrugged, “it’s a defense mechanism. Ba’al, would you please shield her body.”

  “Is it dangerous?” I didn’t want to see.

  “It can be,” Anubis picked up a knife. With one swift, deft movement, he removed one of Gabriel’s wings. The Angel threw his head back and screamed silently. As he did, light began to emit from his throat. It made an audible sound as it smashed into the ceiling. Anubis removed the second wing. Light shot out of Gabriel’s back, pouring out with his blood. The scream stopped, his mouth remained open though. Daggers of light began to shoot out of his body, the tips of his fingers, and his missing wings. He raised one. All the color was gone from him. He was just a giant being of light and it was flowing out of his body in a form that could cause serious danger.

  The light, coming from his fingertips, slammed into the wall. A hole formed almost instantly. It disintegrated the drywall. The smell of burning wood filled the air.

  “Stop him!” I yelled over Ba’al’s wing.

  “Okay,” Anubis stepped forward. He held a wing in each hand. With the same swift movements, he rammed the wings back into the bleeding holes. For a moment, nothing happened. Slowly, almost painfully slow, the light began to fade. As it faded, I found my eyes were burning. Tears flowed from them freely; tears that I hadn’t felt start to fall.

  “Sorry,” Ba’al turned and engulfed my entire body in his wings. This meant that something bad was about to happen. There was a loud pop, something crashed, someone yelped, someone else screamed. I struggled in the velvety wings.

  “Stop, stop fighting, Bren, just give it a minute. Your eyes need the darkness to heal.” Ba’al’s voice was soothing and comforting. “The noises were all from Gabriel. It hurts to have your wings cut off. I have had mine ripped from my body, it isn’t pretty. I don’t become dangerously explosive with light, but it sprays out an acidic substance that eats the flesh. Fey, who have their wings torn off have a substance that crystallizes on the skin. It hurts and has to be cut off. We all have defense mechanism. Demons have defense mechanisms for their horns as well.”

  “Can I heal him?”

  “It is strongly recommended that you not. These are not like limbs. They heal themselves very quickly when they are touched to the body. I imagine that by the time your eyes have healed, his wings will be healed.”

  “Really?” I almost didn’t believe him.

  “Really. Tomorrow, we will break off one of John’s horns and let you see that. It’s almost as scary.”

  “My father cuts his.”

  “Your father trims his, to keep them from being seven feet off the top of his head. Breaking them off at the base is another story.”

  “My eyes still burn a little,” I confessed.

  “A little or a lot?”

  “Uh, they sting like hell.”

  “Let me see.” He moved his wings enough to look at me. His eyes were filled with concern.

  “Well?” I asked.

  “They could do with a little more healing, but it will wait until dark.” Ba’al unfolded his wings. Gabriel’s eyes were still white, but the rest of him seemed normal. There was a pool of blood near him and on his clothing. Anubis was sitting on the floor. His head was in his hands.

  “Anubis?” I asked.

  “Yes?” He didn’t look up.

  “Are you hurt?”

  “Only a little. Ba’al, take her to the kitchen, and get her to order us some lunch. We all need food after these adventures. Fenrir, go with him.”

  “Of course,” Ba’al didn’t give me a choice. He pushed me forward, guarding me with his wings. Jonathan was standing back, not touching anyone. His eyes were steadfastly fixed on his Overlord.

  “What do you want?” Fenrir asked as he took a stack of take-out menus from one of the drawers.

  “What is wrong with Anubis?”

  “Contact burns,” Fenrir said bluntly and slightly evasively.

  “Uh, okay,” I grabbed the menus, “What do you guys want?”

  “I’m good with just about anything,” Fenrir answered. “I’m guessing the Vampires will want something a little rare and red. I could do with something a little rare myself. Ba’al?”

  “I’m always up for steak or some other red meat.” He gave me a toothy grin.

  “I want something vegetarian after watching Fenrir shift.”

  Fenrir gave a chuckle and plucked a menu from my hands. I read the top of it and shook my head. It was a steak restaurant.

  “You can order a salad,” Ba’al told me.

  “Great. So what am I ordering?”

  “The largest steaks you can, all rare with good sides, extra rolls, whatever vegetarian dish you want and maybe a few appetizers.” Fenrir walked out of the room.

  “Appetizers?” I frowned.

  “The shift leaves a hollow leg.” Ba’al cocked his head to one side.

  “Whatever,” I picked up my cell phone and placed the order. The total was just over one hundred and fifty dollars with the $2.95 delivery fee. Since it was someone else’s credit card, I added a tip large enough to bring it to an even two hundred. I hated odd numbers.

  I went to stand up and Ba’al touched my arm. He stopped me. When I tried to pull away, he grabbed my wrist and shook his head at me.

  “It’s more than a contact burn.” I sat back down.

  “Yes and you are not strong enough to heal him. I imagine a Demon has been called to speed the process.”

  “What happened?”

  “Burned out his eyes. Removed all the fur from his face. Cooked the skin. I imagine it busted out the eye sockets.”

  “I heard someone scream.”

  “That was Gabriel,” Ba’al said emphatically, “Anubis didn’t make a sound.”

  “How could someone withstand all that pain and physical damage without making a sound?”

  “With effort.”

  I felt the Demon enter the building. In theory,
the condos were individually soundproofed and enchanted to keep sound to a minimal, since most Elders have exceptional hearing. This did nothing to dampen the Witch powers and I was feeling very receptive at the moment. I had been trying to feel out Anubis’s injuries from the kitchen.

  My father always makes an entrance. His presence is commanding and demanding. He is tall, wide, and brimming with power.

  The moment Lucifer hit the door I remembered the spell. His body slammed into it. My body jerked with the force. Outside, I felt him rebound against the wall; he crumbled into a heap at the base. I rushed out of the kitchen, ignoring everyone and opened the door.

  Lucifer was shaking his head very slowly. He frowned at me as I looked down at him.

  “Well, the spell seems to work.” I gave him a sheepish grin. “I’m not sure whether you can come inside with me touching you or not. Do you want to try it?”

  “Good thinking,” he stood up. “I’m guessing it wasn’t your idea?”

  “I’m insulted that you think your daughter can’t have good ideas.”

  “I’m guessing it was Anubis’s?”

  “Damn,” I walked into the hall, “yes, it was.”

  “When you get a little older, you’ll think of things like this. And you do have good ideas.” He took hold of my hand. I took him through the door with only a minor bump and heave from the spell. Once inside, I let go.

  “See, that was a good idea,” he smiled at me as he knelt down to touch Anubis. “Fenrir.”

  Lucifer jerked his head to the side, pointing at me. Fenrir grabbed hold of my arm. I jerked away from him.

  “Stop babying me. Whatever damage he sustained, he did because he was trying to show me how dangerous it is to remove an Angel’s wings. And he didn’t make a sound so that he wouldn’t alarm me.”

  “Bren,” Gabriel’s voice was soothing, soft, “it wasn’t your fault and you don’t want to see.”

  “It’s not about want.” I responded defiantly. “I have seen the Lycan shift, the Vampire change, and the Angel use light as a weapon. I feel the need to see what sort of damage we can inflict on each other, first hand. I have seen the effects of half-breeds during the Maturing and a few rogues who just decided they hated society. But they have all been mild by comparison to what I have seen in this room today. I have to see what has happened fully to comprehend what we are truly capable of.”

  “Let her stay,” the voice was cracked, choked, and barely audible. Anubis lifted his head up. I didn’t gasp or scream and both took effort to stifle. Ba’al’s description didn’t do it justice. Black holes with tiny wisps of smoke had replaced the blue eyes I had grown up looking at. The face was completely devoid of black fur, replaced by blackened skin that looked painful but wasn’t bleeding. His gums were exposed, his lips gone. The sensitive, soft-fleshed nose was gone as well, just two nasal cavities set high up with a tiny amount of bone showing.

  Even his ears were shriveled nubs, the hair inside them gone. I was amazed he could still hear. I felt a tear fall down my face.

  “Let me,” I knelt by my father.

  “No, you are not strong enough to heal him,” my father told me.

  “I just want to feel them,” I told Lucifer.

  “Fine, no healing, absolutely no healing.” He took hold of my hand.

  Carefully, he placed my hand on Anubis’s neck. I felt the pulse, felt the blood surging into his head. The skin was too burnt to let it bleed out, but it wanted out. I let the Demon take over and felt the pain begin. It burned. It wasn’t a normal burn either. I felt like an ant trapped under a magnifying glass. The pain was intense. After a few seconds, it was unbearable. I pulled away, but not in time. I felt my eyes begin to sizzle in the sockets. I screamed and fainted.

  I awoke in my bed. My eyes were no longer burning, which seemed like a good thing. My head kind of hurt though. Of course, this seemed like a decent trade off. I had a moment when I remembered the pain I had felt. I shivered.