our bloodline,” Lucian declared. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“What’s going on?” I asked while you traced my cheekbones, my jaw, and the slope of my nose. “Do I look hideous or what?”
“No, my darling,” you said with a smile. “But you do look very much like a cat.”
I glanced down to Spooky who seemed to have doubled in size.
“What kind of cat?”
“A lion?” you said cautiously.
“An Atlas lion,” Lucian said, “All but extinct today.”
“That’s cool.” Your hair appeared to float just like Mater’s snakes. I reached out and curled a lock of it around my finger. It felt the same—silky smooth—but seemed to have the ability to pull back. I glanced at Lucian, and his shorter hair was undulating in a similar way.
“I still haven’t found a product to tame it,” he quipped.
“So, this is a Shade Vale.” I studied my hands. My fingernails looked like claws and even my palms seemed fleshier, like the thick pads of a jungle cat. I experimentally dug my “claw” into my hand until I drew blood. “Is this only my appearance?”
“Mostly, but your Shade Vale aura may encourage you to act in the way you present. Skills might be magnified according to what you believe yourself capable.”
“It’s a real mind game,” Lucian added.
“As I recall, Henri was quite the athlete,” Seneser said, “leaping across distances that would be difficult to accomplish in the earthen realm. Throwing spears with unerring accuracy.”
“I don’t wish to relive that time,” you said shortly.
Seneser nodded and glanced around to get his bearings. “Do I appear any different?”
“No,” I told him. “Sorry.”
“Completely ordinary,” Lucian said.
He shrugged. “Makes me wish I’d been one of the original Fallen. How fortunate you are to have been blessed with bodies of your own.”
“We should get moving,” you said gruffly. I replaced my hardhat and picked up Spooky. Even though she appeared twice as large, I could still carry her easily around my neck.
Seneser led us down a tunnel that was so narrow, we had to remove our packs in places and shimmy sideways to get past the jagged rock. The air grew damper and the mineral smell intensified. I heard rushing water and quickened my pace in anticipation.
That’s probably why I didn’t see the fanged beast crouching in the shadows.
28
Henri
It happened so fast. In a blur of muted color, the animal attacked you. I spun around to find your cat leaping to the ground, and you, down on your hands and knees, facing off with a fearsome, four-legged beast. The animal, the size of a small bear, growled and swiped at you, making contact with your cheek. I withdrew my dagger, intent on striking the animal between its shoulder blades, but Lucian caught my arm.
“Let him defend himself,” he said calmly.
The beast’s claws had made a long scratch across your face, and the snarls and snapping on both sides was horrendous. Your cat, useless animal that she was, merely watched from the sidelines. The animal hissed and made another attempt at swatting your face. You dodged the attack, then advanced in a blur of motion until you were crouched over the animal. And then your jaw opened wide and clamped down on the beast’s neck in a savage display. The animal howled dreadfully and lay prone beneath you. With the furor of the fight over, you sat back on your haunches, mouth bloodied, stunned by the confrontation. I knelt next to you and inspected you all over.
“What the hell was that?” you asked. You’d lost your helmet in the struggle. I aimed my beam at the unmoving animal, and you studied it closer. “It looks like…” You poked at the beast. “A wolverine? Oh shit. I think I killed it.”
“Well, in your defense, it did attack you first,” Lucian said, eying the gash on your face while licking his lips.
“Crap. What if it has kits somewhere?” You glanced around, shielding your eyes from the beam of light I projected your way. “Lucian, you think you can stitch it up?”
Lucian was shocked silent by your request. “I… don’t know,” he said cautiously.
“What’s that smell?” Seneser asked.
I inhaled the animal’s pungent adrenal musk. And blood. “Probably a reaction to the fight,” I said.
“There’s a pool of water just ahead. Let’s take it there,” Seneser suggested. Like me, he didn’t care to linger in tight, winding passageways.
You lifted the animal into your arms, despite my warning that it might attack you again. “Wounded things can’t be trusted,” I said, but you assured me it was