Cold Blooded

Stay away from it. Once we get out of here, we’ll find you outside.

Jess, it’s in the house.

In the house?

Tyler, don’t worry about me. I’m concealed right now. If the Queen has fueled the new ward and it’s protecting us from the demons, our priority is still finding Dad. I’ll get out of the house as soon as I can. Start searching the grounds—

“It comes too soon,” the ghost cried. “Climb!”

Before I could react, a hand shot through the wall and grabbed me by the neck like a homing pigeon.

“Jessica!” Rourke bellowed as my skull crashed into the wall.

At the thing’s touch, a current of pure electricity shot through me, so strong I couldn’t breathe.

In the next instant I was in my Lycan form.

I thrashed, but it wouldn’t let go. Its hand was generating more electricity and it held on like a clamp. I lost my footing and dangled in the air as the Screamer continued to bash me into the wall.

A fierce screech hit my eardrums.

I took hold of its forearm, painful currents washing over me, and tried bracing my legs against the shaft so I could rear back, but its hold was unyielding. It bellowed at me and gave one more huge thrust. My body crashed through the rest of the wall, splinters and broken wood raking my body.

Once it had me on the other side, it tossed me onto the rug.

We were in some kind of parlor.

Then it turned and picked up an armoire like it was nothing and smashed it into the opening, dropping it right over my howling mate.

“Well, hello, Conan,” I said from the floor. “It’s so nice to see you again.”

24

This wasn’t the adorable Conan I knew and loved. This was Conan meets Hellboy. “I will drink you dry,” it moaned as it advanced on me. I scuttled backward on my arms and legs. “And feast on your entrails.”

“It cannot be stopped,” came a panicked whisper in my ear. “It has manifested itself.”

“I can see that,” I muttered. “It’s kind of hard to miss.”

“You must leave here,” the ghost urged.

“I’m working on it.” My back hit a wall and I immediately shimmied to the right. There were windows directly on the other side of the room. It was the only viable option. Conan had shoved furniture in front of the only door. It would take too long to dismantle it.

The Screamer had gobbled up so much of Conan there was only a shell left. Its eyelids drooped, its fangs bit into its lower lip, blood leaked down its chin, and its hair was falling out. It resembled a zombie vampire as it shuffled at me.

It was dead, but in a whole different way.

It was double dead.

“It seeks more power.” The ghost pushed against my body, trying to move me.

“I know that. Listen, if you don’t have any helpful advice to give,” I told the ghost, “then do me a favor and keep your breathy comments to yourself.”

Before the Screamer could reach me, I snatched up an end table and hurled it.

It batted it away like a mild irritant.

“What makes them so strong?” I asked. “It’s like the Hercules of the Undead.”

“They are fueled by raw energy,” it whispered in my ear. “It cannot be defeated.”

“Bullshit,” I retorted. “If that were true, Screamers would be running around all over the world eating people’s souls. This thing is going down. We just have to figure how.”

It kept hobbling at me with single-minded intention as I inched my way along the wall. It was a good thing it was slow. Let’s try and knock its head off and see if that works, I told my growling wolf.

“That won’t work.”

“Hey,” I accused. “Stay out of my brain. How do you do that anyway?”

“I can hear your thoughts,” the ghost said. “They are the same as speaking them.”

The Screamer lunged and I dove out of the way.

Its arms went through the wall where my head had just been and a horrible keening erupted. Unfortunately I’d had to dive away from freedom.

The Screamer still stood between me and the windows.

“If you want my blood, you have to be faster than that, big guy.” It spun around. “And you’re not moving too quickly with your two … broken kneecaps.” For the first time I noticed its legs weren’t working properly. Conan must have broken bones when Danny tossed him out the window and they hadn’t had time to heal before the Screamer had possessed him.

Ick.

It came at me again, faster this time.

I rolled twice and brought my legs up in a scissor kick behind its head. But instead of sending it flying, a jolt of high-voltage electricity tossed me backward. “Dammit,” I yelled as I smashed into an antique desk, shattering it. My leg gave out beneath me. “What just happened?” I panted.

“I told you it is made up of pure energy,” said a whisper. “It cannot feel pain.”

“What, is it made up of lightning bolts? That was a gigantic electrical charge. That amount of energy shouldn’t be possible.”

The ghost gave a hollow chuckle.

“Did you just laugh?”

“Jessica!” Rourke yelled. My head whipped to the hole in the wall. His fury was palpable. He had begun to tear through the rest of the armoire trying to get me.

“Rourke,” I called. “We can’t beat this thing in here. I’m going out the window. Meet me outside.”

The Screamer understood my words and roared its displeasure. “You cannot escape,” its garbled voice cawed at me. It sounded nothing like Conan.

“The only way you can devour me is if you can catch me, asshole. And I’m much faster than you are.” I was close enough to the back windows to act. I sprang, the glass shattered easily. I soared out the window in a semi-graceful dive. But it was dark and I couldn’t fly. Get ready for a hard landing, I yelled to my wolf. I was already in my Lycan form, but more power coursed through me courtesy of my wolf.

“You will not die,” the voice sounded in my ear right as I hit the ground feetfirst.

I tucked and rolled and rolled and rolled, finally smashing up against the bushes at the edge of the stone gate that ran around the property.

“I told you,” the ghost whispered.

I groaned. Several bones were broken, including a couple ribs, which made it painful to breathe. They were healing, but I hurt a ridiculous amount while each of them knit back together. They had to heal fast, because I knew the Screamer would be right behind me. I inhaled sharply as my body gave a few jumps as bones shifted. “Who are you anyway?” I asked the ghost through gritted teeth.

“My name is Benjamin.”

“Why are you helping me?”

“I want my property back.”

“So you’re tied to this place? You’re its rightful owner?”

“No.”

“Well, you’re certainly good at answering all my burning questions, Ben.” I lay there for a second, trying not to breathe as my ribs mended. “Please don’t tell me you’re my ghost pal for life. My heart can’t take it—”

Jessica.

My head shot up, the pain forgotten.

I was on my feet in the next moment. “Dad? Dad! Where are you? Are you hurt?” His voice had been shallow. Dad! Tell me where you are!

“Here,” he said weakly.

I ran toward the next hedge and ripped through a screen of branches, breaking them off without thought. We were in a small patch of side yard, away from anything. This is why Alana sent me through the house. I had to exit these windows in order to find him. Now that I was outside, I could hear all the commotion on the other side of the wall, just as Tyler had said.

Once I saw him, my knees gave way and I dropped to the ground.

He was naked, lying on his side. He’d just shifted back from his wolf form, which meant he’d arrived right before Eudoxia set the ward. He must have jumped the wall.

His body was covered in festering angry welts.

Those weren’t normal welts.

“What are these? What’s going on?” My voice was rushed. When he didn’t answer, I panicked. “Dad, you have to tell me! I need to know what’s going on.”

He tried to lift his head, but succeeded only in raising it a few inches. “The rest of my wolves are behind me. I had to pull ahead. But the fracture pack is right behind them, Redman in the lead. He crossed over to their side at the last moment. There were too many wolves to fight. I should’ve brought an army with me. It was a bad decision, and now I’m paying the price.”

“You weren’t going down to fight,” I cried. “You were going down to cement alliances. How would you have known? But I need to help you now. What are these welts?”

His breath was shallow. “I was cursed.”

“Cursed?” I repeated, stunned.

“Not by a witch.” He reached out and grabbed my wrist. A trickle of power tingled up my arm. Whatever was harming him was sucking away his magic.

“Then by what?”

“Jessica,” he said quietly. “It’s already ravaged me from the inside out. What you’re seeing is the latent damage. The only thing that’s kept me alive was shifting into my wolf and knowing I had to get here to you. Now that I’m human, I have very little time left, so you need to listen—”

“No!” I said, balling my fists. “We can fix this. You’re not going to die! Maggie said you’d be fine if—” I needed Ray. “I need to find Tyler.” Tyler! Where are you? I yelled in my mind.

We’re in the front yard. Where are you? In good news, the witches are outside the gate with Nick. It seems he’s been coordinating the Pack and the witches. There’s a solid defense going on, but we can’t get in or out because of the ward.

Never mind all that; I found Dad and I need you right now! Bring Ray. I’m on the north side of the house in the bushes. Dad’s been cursed. I can’t figure it out. But, Tyler, he’s dying.