whiskey witches 02 - blood moon magick (30 page)

Jack set upon the two shifters, gripping the mostly human one by the neck. He shoved the half-bird man to the side.

We have to move
, Paige’s spirit animal said.

I need to give you a name.

Names can wait.

Paige walked into the melee.

The shifters turned away from her, some flinching as if stung.

Now’s a great time for this,
Paige thought. How could she tell if they had the chip or not? She didn’t have Jack’s list. All she had was Hailey who was about to be attacked by demons. Paige switched on her witch vision.

All she saw were souls. Lots of souls in differing shades and colors.

“The bridge,” Jack shouted.

She didn’t glance at him. Paige switched her witch vision off, not tempting the fate of blurring it with her normal vision, and jogged through the press of fighting shifters.

Karl looked up at Paige as she ran past. The sheriff’s face was laced with fright and fear that she was barely keeping at bay. She held a knife in one hand, the head of one of her shifters in the other.

Paige gave the sheriff a curt nod and kept going.
Do you have a name?

Why are we discussing this now?
Her spirit animal demanded.

Because I need the distraction.
Paige wasn’t on the verge of freaking out. She’d survived worse. A warehouse full of demons with a gift that left her wide open for possession. She recalled that instance, compared it to this one. Yeah. This one was much, much better.

I go by many names.

Really unhelpful.
Paige slipped past a group of hyenas. They attacked a horse shifter who was mostly formed. Her human head and torso protruded from her brown speckled equine body like a centaur, but she was losing the battle. Eight hyena shifters to one horse.

Paige grabbed one of the hyenas by the scruff of her neck. All the hyenas were mostly human. Their skin had changed and they had the snouts of their animal, but the rest of them remained human. Paige searched for the implant.

The hyena bucked.

Paige’s animal spirit sent power coursing down their shared arm.
You may call me Cawli.

Great.
Paige gritted her teeth.
Does this thing have a chip or not?

She is chipped.
Cawli pressed his power deeper into her hands, guiding them.
Do you feel it? Just there?

There had to be an easier way. Paige felt what Cawli pointed out. She brought her knife up, the hyena woman tossing herself about, trying to get free. She kicked wildly.

Another of the hyenas screeched as the horse shifter kicked his face.

Paige kicked the hyena’s knee forward and brought the woman to the ground. With the shifter on more stable ground, she cut a slit at the base of the hyena woman’s skull and rooted around until she found the small chip. The woman nearly bucked her off several times before she found the damned thing.

It was tiny.

The hyena stilled, her spots receding, her black hair shortening.

Paige got off of her, crouched.

The woman pushed herself to her feet, reaching for the back of her neck. Her fingers came away with blood.

The woman’s pack turned on her, crouched, their human fingers clawed, their eyes glowing a bright red. They bared their fangs.

The woman looked at Paige and narrowed her eyes. “Thank you.”

Paige nodded and turned her attention to the rest of the pack.
What others? They can’t all be chipped, right?

They are not, but they are not in control.

The woman pulled back her head, her mouth wide open, and breathed.

Only this breath made Paige’s chest rumble. Her animal spirit ears picked up a roar.

The woman lowered her face, her eyes shining a bright, fierce blue. She turned to the rest of her pack.

The horse shifter completed her shift, fully horse, and ran in the direction Paige needed to go. On the other side of town. To the bridge.

“You got this?”

The hyena woman nodded once.

Paige shook herself and ran. Within a few steps, she was breathing heavy, but her body was in fight or flight mode. She knew if she’d been running for sport, she’d have died already. But in this case? She didn’t have time to flail. She didn’t have time to
fail.

So, Cawli,
Paige said to keep her mind off the fire burning in her lungs.
Is there a better way to tell if a shifter is chipped?

Yes.

You want to share because that could be, you know, kinda helpful about right now.

You have something else to concentrate on.

And this isn’t important?

Trust me, Paige. It’s not important right now. Get to the bridge.

Paige ran faster, pumping her arms harder, running only on her toes. She felt like she was flying, her hair streaming behind her.
Actually
streaming behind her.

Having the power of the animal spirit was amazing!

She dashed past several groups of packs attacking packs. Big cats attacking wolves. Wolves attacking a bull. A convocation of eagles attacking a bear.

Paige skidded to a halt as soon as the bridge came into view. It was a pedestrian bridge that crossed the small creek bed and was covered. There weren’t too many covered bridges in Colorado. She’d seen more of them in the southeast.

But what had captured her attention was the mass of demons there to greet her.

One man stepped out from the rest, his hands wide at his waist. “Ah, summoner. We almost thought you’d miss the party.”

“Why would you think that?” Paige asked. “I only just barely received the invitation. I wasn’t dressed. I didn’t have a chance to do my hair.”

Cawli growled low.
The device that controls the shifters is somewhere in there.

Somewhere. Could you be a little more vague?
“What are you doing here, guys? Shouldn’t you be somewhere else? You know. A little more desolate, slightly hotter?”

One of the women, her blaringly red hair pulled into a high, tight ponytail, stepped forward, her black, spiked heeled boots clanking heavily on the asphalt. “Desolate. That’s an odd choice of words.”

“Not really. I’ve seen the other side.”

“Really.”

Paige nodded.

“Where?”

Paige smiled and tapped her chest. “Right here. I can peer into your world any time I please. I pull you out of it any time I wish, and I can send you back when you piss me off.” And it was about damned time, too.

The woman sneered, looking back at the rest of the group. “The summoner’s good. We all know that, but
that
good?”

Paige dipped into her gift, letting the dark coolness rush over her. Cawli’s powers laced her shadow gift with a steely silver finish. Paige’s witch hands raced out, snatched the female demon’s spirit and pulled her from her human host.

The demon shrieked, raising her arm to shield her eyes.

Why did they all do that? Was there something Paige wasn’t seeing? Some light, maybe?

“Send my regards,” Paige snarled and shoved the demon into her chest, through the door to Hell.

Cawli’s spirit flared with warning.

Paige turned her attention to the crowd of demons, her focus high. Warning of what?

The crowd parted.

A man in black jeans and a blue shirt dragged a young woman along behind him. She kicked wildly, trying to break his hold. She beat at him with bat wings and her human hands, but he seemed unaffected. He stopped. “So you’re the summoner.” He said “summoner” as though there was an “a” at the end instead of an “r.”

“That’s the rumor.”

“What’s the big to-do about you, then? You look like nothin’ more’n a whelp.”

Paige raised her eyebrows. “We’ll see about that, won’t we?” She extended her witch arms, grabbed hold of his soul, and yanked.

Nothing happened.

She stumbled forward a few feet.

He tossed a bark of a laugh at the rest of the group. “Lady fancies herself strong and she can’t even get me to budge a centimeter.” He leaned toward her. “Ya didn’ even give me a tickle.”

That had never happened before. Paige’s heart raced. “Let the girl go.”

“No.” The demon gestured with his free hand. “You can’ make me, now can you?”

Cawli?

I deal with animal spirits. I do not deal with demons.

There was more information that laced his words. The fact that he could deal with things of this realm, this planet. And these demons didn’t belong. They were something else, other, and he had no ability whatsoever to assist her.

Great.

“Who are you?” Paige asked.

“Would it help if I gave you m’ name?” the demon asked smugly. “You are the summoner who summons and doesn’t know demon marks and doesn’t know demon names. So, even if I told you, you still wouldn’t know who I was.”

This was all very true. “You’re in luck. I’ve just decided to start keeping journals. So, if you tell me who you are, I’ll write it down in my little black book for next time.”

“There will be no next time.”

“And why’s that?” Though she already knew his answer.

“You won’t live to use it.”

Oh, hell no. She’d just gotten back control of her gifts. She wasn’t giving up now. No. She still had to get her daughter back. A daughter she hadn’t seen in five long years. No.

She realized she
should
have been thinking about the human race.

Frell the human race. There were people worth saving, sure. But as far as she was concerned, the lot needed to be culled.

She was selfish. A horrible, selfish person who was going to survive this for her daughter, and for the sake of her family; her sister, her niece, her nephew, the new baby, her brother-in-law, her grandmother, her brother. For Dexx.

He chuckled and ducked his head. “As if all that’s going to matter.”

“It does.” She didn’t know if he read minds or if he had some other latent ability. Demons had power, especially the old ones.

Well, most did. Sven didn’t.

The demon raised his head as if he’d caught a scent.

Paige smiled. So. Mind-reader. “Oh, you didn’t know?”

He narrowed his eyes.

A few of the demons behind him stirred. “What’s she talkin’ about, boss?” one man asked.

The lead demon dropped the girl.

She scrambled to her feet, her large, batlike wings catching the air.

He lashed out with his serpentine tail and latched onto her ankle.

The woman kicked, trying to break free.

Paige reached for the air element, fed it with her anger, and released it on the demon’s hand.

He took a step forward, regaining each inch the wind won. “Tell me more about Sven.”

“Give me your name first,” she said, careful to keep her thoughts as blank as possible.

His cheeks sunk in. “Usnazahl.”

He was right. She didn’t know his name. “I’m going to call you Nazal for short. Is that okay with you?”

Usnazahl looked away, a slight smile gracing his lips.

“Nazal, let go of the girl.”

“So many demands.”

“What were you intending on doing with her anyway?”

“Feast upon her.”

“Oh, well. I guess I can’t stop you there, now, can I?”

Cawli reached out with his mind similarly to the way Paige had, sending a lightning bolt of power toward Hailey.

The bat shifter kicked one last time, breaking free.

Usnazahl tipped his head, his expression filled with incredulity. He turned his attention back to Paige as Hailey flew away. “Summoner, you just keep gettin’ more and more interestin’ by the minute.”

“I bet I do. Hand over the device controlling the shifters.”

He smacked his lips. “I really can’t do tha’.”

“That’s really too bad.” She hoped like hell that the rest of his demons weren’t as strong as he was. She reached out with her witch hands, grabbed two demon souls and shoved them into her chest, sending them back to Hell.

Their human hosts stumbled and blinked as if just waking up.

Usnazahl regarded her for a moment. “Now, tha’ wasn’ very nice.”

“I’m kinda having a bad day. So, why don’t you give me the device, and I’ll let you leave.”

He snorted. “Let me leave. Ah, kitten, you know you’re no match for me.”

“I only know I failed in my first attempt. Be assured, I won’t fail again.”

He ran his tongue along his back molars. “Here’s wha’ I’ll do. I’ll give ya the device if you tell me wha’ you know about Sven Seven Tails.”

“Why do you want to know?”

“Well, maybe like, he’s been the pampered prince for far too long, an’ if there’s troubles he’s facin’, I’d like to know so’s I can add to ‘em, like. Yeah?”

As long as they could take it away from her family, her friends, and humans in general.

“I can’ make any promises, kitten.”

If he called her kitten one more time, she’d show him just what she
could
do with her gift.

He threw back his head and laughed, twisting to share his humor with his group.

They didn’t join in. Probably because they couldn’t read her mind with his ease.

“Wha’s it gonna be, love? You give me the information. I give you the device.”

“Don’t trust you. So, you give me the device, and I’ll give you the information.”

“Here’s the deal.” He advanced, all signs of mirth erased from his face.

Paige took a step back involuntarily, but stopped herself as she attempted to take another.

He continued his advance. “I could take that information from you.” A strong force pushed on her mind.

She gripped her anger, Cawli adding his own power to hers, and pushed back.

Usnazahl stumbled backward.

Paige swallowed, shaking out her hands, her fear and anger coursing through her. “How about you just give me the device, I tell you what you want to know, and you leave?”

“Hmm.” He studied her for a long moment. Then, he snapped his fingers, holding his hand out behind him.