Sons of Angels (31 page)

“It’s celestial fire.” Jasfoup’s knuckles whitened as he gripped the back of a chair. “It’s almost sentient.”

“Look at its wings, though.” Julie’s voice lowered in tone. “There are thousands of black feathers burning with orange and blue flames that change into different shades when the wings move.” She shook her head. “I’m going to have nightmares about this.”

“What? The angel?”

“No. I can see the skin. It’s been taken off in one complete piece. It looks like a deflated dolly, like that one in Dad’s catalogue.”

Felicia nodded. “I remember.”

“It’s perfect. This thing is good at what it does. There’s not a mark on the skin at all. I can’t even tell where the first cut was. There’s something else...another skin, though this one has long hair. It must be the woman who came to see him. The thing has killed her too. She has cuts all over her though. He didn’t want her skin, by the look of it.”

“No.” Jasfoup shook his head. “That was the skin he came with. He doesn’t need it anymore.”

“The thing is getting up off the bed. I’m hiding behind a picture frame... He’s left the room. I’m going for a closer look.” Julie was breathing heavily. “Please let this be over soon. I can’t stop the images coming”

“Just a bit more,” urged Jasfoup. “He’s dead already, so you’ve saved putting the rest of us in danger.”

“Just me, you mean?” Julie opened her blank eyes and stared at him. “You try doing this next time.”

Jasfoup shrugged. “I can’t. I can’t make the spell. Only a nephilim.”

“You mean I could too?” Harold asked.

“No. Only if you could access the land of the dead.”

“I’m on the bed.” Julie’s head bounced with the imp’s motion. “It’s sick. The skin is right in front of me. Oh God!”

“What?” asked Felicia and Harold in unison.

“Damndamndamn.” Julie began to hyperventilate.

“What?”

“The skin moved. It looked right at me. I swear.”

“It was probably your weight on the bed.”

“I wish it was.” Julie tasted the bile in her throat. “The damn thing is alive.”

“Grab it then.” Jasfoup clutched at her arm. “It’s nephilim skin.”

“I can’t tell the damned imp what to do. Just seeing is bad enough. I’m looking toward the door. It’s coming back. I’m opening one of the little doors. I’m running through a pipe again. There’s the light place. Another tunnel.” Julie began panting, as if she was doing the running herself.

She slumped back in her chair as Devious reappeared. “We were too late, sir.” The imp lowered his head with a deep sigh. “The geezer was already dead. The angel’s using nephilim skin to get around. Probably alters his appearance every time.”

“No wonder we can’t find any trace of him.” Harold patted the imp on the head. “He could be anyone.”

Felicia hurried to Julie’s side, sending her chair to the floor with a crash. “Help me with Julie. I think she’s fainted.”

“I’m not surprised.” Harold hurried to the sink for a glass of water. “I think I’d faint if a piece of skin turned and looked at me,”

Jasfoup cleared his throat with a small cough. “You’d scream like a little girl.”

Harold tipped half the glass of water over Julie. She woke and was promptly sick over the kitchen floor.

“I should have passed her the bowl.” Jasfoup looked over. “No carrots?”

“Yes, it would have saved me a cleaning job.” Harold looked away. “Is she all right?”

“I think so.” Felicia held her sister’s hand. “Are you?”

“Oh God.” Julie retched again. “Don’t I look a sight?”

Felicia turned to see Devious standing on the table. His hooves were stained red.

Julie opened her eyes again. “Will you turn off the damned connection?”

Devious crushed the marble underhoof.

“Thank Dog for that.” Julie managed a slight smile before she fainted again.

Chapter 35

Felicia stroked her sister’s hair. Her breathing seemed normal, she had no increased temperature and the pulse in her neck beat steadily. It was just a faint. Hardly surprising in the circumstances.

Her gaze shifted to her hand. How long was it since she’d thought to clean off her nail polish? Her fingernails still showed ragged remnants of the midnight blue she'd worn to confront Jenna in the nightclub. She really should take better care of herself.

Harold knocked softly on the doorframe. “Will she be all right?”

Felicia leaned down to plant a kiss on Julie’s forehead. “I hope so.” She stood, leaving an indentation in the mattress. “I’ve never seen her black out.”

“It’s hardly surprising.” Harold came in, his voice hushed to avoid waking the sleeping woman. “Watching what that little bugger does in private is something you couldn’t pay me to do.”

“I think watching the murder was worse.” Felicia moved a lock of hair from her sister’s face, ignoring the glare from Wrack on the bedpost. “I’ve just never known her so sick.”

“She’s never been a magician before. Come on, leave her be. You need to sleep as well.”

“I am tired. It’s been a long day.” She stood and smoothed out the quilt on Julie’s bed. “Goodnight, Wrack.”

“Evil dreams.” The imp curled his tail around the bedpost and settled for the night.

Felicia led Harold into the corridor and closed the door. “You will tell Jasfoup to let her rest, won’t you?”

Harold smiled. “Don’t worry. He wouldn’t take advantage of an unconscious woman. Look, I came up to tell you your friend’s just turned up.”

“My friend?”

“Jennifer Keller?”

“Jenna? What’s she doing here?”

“Looking for you, she said. She’s downstairs.”

“Thanks.” Felicia touched his arm “Thanks for everything. We’d have been dead by now if not for you.”

“Think nothing of it. We’re all in this together.”

* * * *

 
“Jenna!” Felicia was surprised to see the butch woman already seated at the kitchen table, her hands curled around a cup of tea. “What are you doing here?”

“I saw that thing.” She shuddered. “It got the bloke I recruited last night. Poor sod. He didn’t even know what hit him. It looks like an ordinary person and then bursts out of its skin.” She stared at the surface of the tea. “I didn’t know what to do. I came here. I hope that was okay.” She nodded toward Jasfoup, who was pretending to wash dishes. “Your friend said it was.”

“It’s fine.” Felicia glanced at Jasfoup for confirmation. “How did you find me?”

“I picked up your scent. It was pretty easy. You should cover your trail better.”

“How would I know how to do that?”

“I could teach you.”

“So could I.”

Felicia jumped at the voice. She hadn’t even noticed Gillian coming in.

“Gillian, you remember Jenna? Gillian is the lady of the house.”

“Not often I’m called a lady.” Gillian gave a half smile. “It’s nice to meet you again. I’ve heard nothing about you, other than you’re Felicia’s progenitor. I’m assuming you’ll be staying with us for the duration? Safety in numbers, and so on.”

“Nice to see you again too.” Jenna held out her hand for several seconds before dropping it.

“Yes.” Gillian nodded and turned to Felicia. “Harold told me what happened. How is your sister?”

“Sleeping. We’ll see in the morning.” Felicia twisted on the chair to face the vampire. “Was that what you came to ask?”

“Amongst other things. Jasfoup? Will you show Jenna to her kennel?” She smiled. “Sorry, room.”

The demon put down his tea and gave her a mock bow. “I live to serve, modom.”

“Oh.” Jenna stood, looking from Gillian to Felicia. “I see. I’ll see you in the morning then.”

“Only if you’re an early riser.” Gillian’s smile was acidic. “Good night.”

“Right. Er...good night. She followed the demon out the door.

* * * *

Felicia began to gather the dirty crockery but Gillian caught her wrist and pulled her to the floor. She ran her hand over Felicia’s hair and down her back, making her shiver.

“Do you still regret your transformation?”

Felicia glanced up at her. “What? No. Not anymore.”

“Good.” Gillian reached into her jacket pocket and took out a small canvas roll. “I need you to change into your wolf form.” She set out several surgical tools on the duvet.

“Now?” Felicia eyed the bright steel implements. “What are you going to do?”

“I want to be able to find you easily, in case you’re attacked or hurt. Now change.”

Felicia concentrated, trying to imagine her body changing, twisting, growing fur. She huffed her breath out. “I can’t. I have no reason to.”

“I asked you to.” Gillian’s soft smile danced around the corners of her lips. “Isn’t that enough?”

Felicia shook her head. “Sorry. I’m not that good yet.”

“You did it for me before.” Gillian thought for a moment. “What makes it easiest to change? Threat?”

Felicia grinned. “Arousal.”

Gillian raised an eyebrow. “I’m sure that I can do something to help you there.” She looked Felicia directly in the eyes. “Down on your knees, bitch.”

Felicia hesitated for a moment, but Gillian backhanded her across the cheek. She dropped, and Gillian directed her head. “Unfasten my pants, puppy-girl, and worship your mistress.” Long fingers stroked Felicia’s hair, and she could smell the heightened tension in the muscles as she shifted into wolf form.

“Excellent.” Gillian pulled her away. “That was quite quick, though I shall have to train you to shift. I don’t want to have to drop my pants every time I need you in wolf form.” She positioned Felicia in the center of the tiled floor. “This will hurt a bit.”

Felicia whined, the taste of oxygen-rich blood still on her tongue.

“Consider me your alpha.” Gillian dug through the fur on Felicia’s neck with a scalpel, heedless of the pain she caused. Felicia swayed from side to side, whining.

“They all do in the end.” Gillian opened up the wound with a clamp, making Felicia yelp. “Sorry.”

Felicia tucked her tail between her legs and bared her teeth. Her neck was blazing with agony.

“This isn’t easy, you know. Trying to keep a wound open in a werewolf without using silver is like trying to keep a ripple on the surface of a pond.” She pushed a black cylinder inside and removed the clamp, allowing the wound to close and knit. “There, all done. Change back now, and we’ll see if it’s visible.”

Felicia relaxed and shifted back, her fur absorbed into her skin as her bones snapped and popped, her wolf form elongating into her human figure.

Gillian patted her head. “Good girl. Want a biscuit?”

Chapter 36

Gillian waited until Felicia’s breathing slowed to the easy pace of deep sleep before rising, leaving the werewolf sated and content on damp sheets. She studied the sleeping woman, wondering what dreams made her eyelids flutter.

Gillian never dreamed. She hadn’t since she became a vampire in the late sixties. It was something she envied in her partners. She missed the gifts of Morpheus.

Felicia whimpered and Gillian leaned over her to stroke her hair. “Hush. You’re safe. I’m here to protect you.” The woman calmed, smiling in her sleep. She took a final look and left, walking through the manor to the opposite wing where Harold slept in the master bedroom.

He was fast asleep as well, flat on his back with his legs spread to form a diamond. She climbed into bed next to him and pulled the duvet over them both. Despite sharing her blood, Harold was not a true vampire and complained of the cold.

Her fingers across his cool skin made him moan in his sleep. A nip on the shoulder, one that didn’t break the skin, roused him from his slumbers and he opened dark eyes to stare at her.