"Can you monkey with them?"
"I don't know. My powers are iffy at best with modern electronics. The best I can do is blow them..." His voice trailed off as he saw something even more gut-wrenching than Zarek's face on the news.
Ash let out a disgusted sigh and looked up at the darkening sky. "Are you bored up there, Artie, or what?"
"Huh? What's up?"
Ash inclined his head down Chartres Street to the two figures who were headed straight for them. Almost equal to him in height, the brothers moved like two dangerous predators, slowly, rhythmically. They looked to the left and right, scoping out everyone they passed as if sizing them up as an opponent, a conquest, or a victim.
Dressed in black, both of them wore long leather coats that swirled around their biker boots. They each had one hand tucked into the folds of the coat as if concealing a weapon.
Oh yeah, these were two of the most dangerous creatures Ash had ever known. More so because they would kill anyone who threatened them without a moment's hesitation.
"Who let the dogs out?" Ash snarled.
Nick frowned. "What?"
"We have two members of the Katagaria moving in," he explained to Nick.
Katagaria were animals who could take human form and pass through society to procure victims or anything else they craved. Like any other wild animal, they were extremely lethal and unpredictable.
"Oh God," Nick breathed, "don't tell me they're Slayers."
"That depends on who you ask."
"What do you mean?"
"The Arcadians would call them Slayers. But to their Katagaria brethren, they're Strati."
Nick frowned. "Strati means what?"
"It's the correct term for Katagaria soldiers. Slayers kill indiscriminately anyone and anything that crosses their paths. Strati kill mostly to protect themselves, their pack, and their territory."
"So, they belong here?"
Ash shook his head as the two wolves drew closer. They slowed as they caught sight of him.
"Acheron Parthenopaeus," Vane said, stopping in front of him. "It's been a while."
Ash nodded. It'd been at least a couple of hundred years since he had last seen them. They had been on the run then from the human Arcadians who hunted their unique species through time. The two brothers had been trying to find someplace safe to hide their sister from their enemies.
Vane was the older of the two brothers; he had shoulder-length dark brown hair with reddish highlights. His feral green eyes never missed anything. Fang was about an inch taller than Vane and had short black hair and hazel eyes. Either one was dangerous when alone-together, they were damn near invincible.
"Vane. Fang," Ash said, inclining his head to each in turn. "What brings you two to New Orleans?"
Vane cast a suspicious look to Nick, then must have decided something about Nick wasn't too threatening. "We're denning."
Ash grimaced at the term, which meant the Katagaria wolves had a pack here, and were planning on settling in New Orleans for a while. "That's a real bad idea. It's Mardi Gras and we have a lot of Daimons who tend to party then. You need to take your pack-"
"We can't," Vane said, cutting him off. "We have six females in our group about to give birth."
"And another one who gave birth this morning," Fang added. "You know our laws. We're stuck here until the pups are old enough to travel."
This was getting better and better. Pregnant Katagaria were Daimon magnets due to the strength of their souls and the psychic powers their breed carried. Not to mention the fact that New Orleans was home to three groups of Arcadians who would love nothing more than to claim the skins of Vane and Fang.
"You do know there are three groups of Arcadian Sentinels here?" Ash asked.
Vane's eyes darkened threateningly. "Then you'd best tell them to back off. We have young, and if I catch them anywhere near our den, I will rip them to pieces."