Witch power is usually gray or blue. Why is Molly's newest magic red?
Placed paw on Jane like paw on kit.Silent. Predator is near. On the other side Leo howled like mad wolf, vamped out. Rogue. Screaming. Caged outsidehedge of thorns .
My stomach wrenched in hunger. Too many shifts. Not enough food. Worse than hunger times. Better too. I was Big Cat now. Very big.
What have you done?Jane whispered, prey-fear in her thoughts.
I opened mouth and long fangs parted. Sabertooth fangs.Good for killing. Big teeth . I roared. Lion roar, like African lion. Louder than Beast scream. Claiming territory.
Claiming self.I am Beast. I/we, together, are Beast.
Leo, chest heaving, stopped at challenge in roar. Big predator roar. I could see him. He could not see Beast. I huffed. Roared again.
Bethany walked around side of house. She was still in skirt and turban. But now she carried spear, bones and bits of stone hanging from it, tied with twine.Raffia , Jane thought.Used by a shaman . Silly Jane thoughts. Now thinking names, words her strength. Stupid words. Words unimportant. Jane nearly died. Words did not save Jane.
Only Beast saved Jane. I shoved her down, paw on her chest.Beast is alpha .
Bethany touched Leo. He stilled. Legs wobbled. Sat onto ground, hard. Bethany pulled hair-stick stakes out of his skin. Leo hissed. Moaned. Bethany dropped sticks. Neither was silver tipped, poison to vampires. Leo said silver would not kill him. Lie? Humans lie all the time. Big cats cannot lie, scent of lie is always known. Leo was lucky. I understood lucky. Sometimes Beast ate. Sometimes prey got free. Each was luck, good for one, bad for other.
Bethany looked athedge of thorns . "I heard the roar. It was much like the lions of Africa, but . . ." She shook her head. "Different." She put a hand out to touchhedge of thorns . And jerked away.
Huffed in laughter. Panted. Rose and padded two steps to fountain, kicking torn human clothing away. No water poured from fountain top, not withhedge of thorns glowing, but water in bowl was cool. Drank. Thirst gone, I sat. Watched. Predator eyes on shaman. She opened small bag and took out packets. Poured powder into leaves and put some onto Leo's wounds. She cut her skin. Gave Leo blood to eat. Smelled sweet. Belly rumbled. Hurting.
Leo panted like Beast, needing air. When he had breath, he stood. His eyes still vamped.
"She is a were. I felt the power of her change; the energies were familiar, exactly like the workings of the lupus clan." Tears leaked down his face, bloody with his pain.
Leo wiped his face, blood on his hand. But he stood straight. His eyes looked more human. "But by her roar, she is a werebeast like the one that killed my son and took his place."
The Dolore, Jane murmured to me.Grief .
"Not a were." Bethany scented air in short sniffs. "Taste her scent. Not a were, she. Her smell is different from them. Different from the cursed of Artemis, our enemy."
Bethany walked aroundhedge of thorns . Her feet balanced like cat, her skirt moving.
She shook spear with each step, shaman dance, small bones and stones and shells crackling, rattling, like tail of snake-enemy as Bethany circledhedge of thorns . "I do not know what she is, but she is not our adversary."
"She asked about the Sons, and about the curse. This outsider knows about the curse."
"I have read the runes." She stood beside Leo, arms wide, feet apart, toes pointing out.
Butt of spear was grounded, held at angle. "The runes warn us of change, change yet again in the world of man. Perhaps this is the change foretold."
"You would leave her alive?" Leo had human look on face. Shock.
Bruiser walked from house. I growled, though was safe behind hedge. Bruiser's feet made noises to alert his alpha. "What's that red light? What's behind it?"
Humans and vampires do not see beyond light. This is good.
Bethany sniffed air. "Jane is there. And with her may be a lion. It roared." She touched spear, face sad. "So like home."
"Or she may be an African lion were," Leo said, voice stubborn, like Jane.
"No." Bethany tone was firm. "Not a were."
Bruiser licked blood from his lips. A large bruise was purple, like flower, from temple to mouth, size of big-cat paw. Remembered Bruiser body on floor.Leo hit him?
Yes, Jane whispered. Yes . . .
"Boss, someone might call the police. The red light is