Bloodstone

his head; others perched on his shoulders, his arms. Beneath it all, Norden’s spirit struggled—shaking, flinching, trying to pull free. His aura radiated pure agony. “Norden,” I said gently. “This isn’t you. You’re a cop, one of the good guys, remember?” Blue—hope—flared in Norden’s aura. It was pale, but there. I kept talking. “Those birds. They’re not part of you. They’re the Morfran. Remember the night of the concert? Remember the crows that attacked Tina?”

The crows plaguing Norden stepped up their attack. Their shrieking tore at my ears. The thin plume of blue faded from Norden’s aura. I pulled back to the human plane. Norden was bathed with sweat, his eye twitching, but he held both guns steady. “Now the knife strapped to your right leg,” he said.

“You tried to help Tina. You held the kid when she was hurt. Remember? I made the crows go away then.”

“I . . . I don’t remember none of that. Other knife.”

I had to make him remember, give him hope that the Morfran could be defeated. “That night, at the concert, the Morfran got inside you somehow. You were cut up pretty badly. Okay, maybe you don’t remember that, but you’ve got the scars to prove it. Some of the Morfran entered your wounds, got inside you.”

“Right boot, then the left.” In the demon plane, crows pecked at Norden’s aura, gouging out big chunks. Other crows opened their beaks and poured blackness into the spaces.

“It’s not you, Norden. We can get the birds out. My aunt—”

“Shut up! Now the sword. Don’t touch the weapon. Just unbuckle the sheath and let it fall.”

I fumbled with the buckles one-handed.

“Faster!” His voice was frantic, high-pitched. “The damn birds are pecking inside my head!”

“Fight them! You can do it. I can help—”

“No, you can’t!” he screamed. His aura was completely black. “Nothing makes it stop. Nothing but killing. And I’ll kill this goddamn werewolf right now if you don’t shut up and do what I say!”

The last buckle let go. The Sword of Saint Michael clattered to the ground.

The Morfran shrieked in triumph. In the demon plane, I could see nothing at all of Norden—just a flock of crows swarming the place where he stood. I closed to that plane. Norden was right. I couldn’t help him.

“Both hands on your head now. Kick the sword away.” I did, not as far as I might have. But the distance was too great to dive for the sword and charge Norden. Kane would be dead before I was halfway there.

“Face that way.” He gestured with his chin, indicating he wanted me to turn my back to him. “And drop to your knees.” The gun he pointed at Kane didn’t waver as he holstered the other gun and pulled out a knife with a long, curved blade.

I didn’t move. I stood and stared Norden in the eye. I would not die on my knees.

“Look, Vaughn, it’s nothing personal, okay? I have to.”

“You don’t.”

“Yes, I do!” he screamed. His breathing was labored again. “It’s . . . nothing . . . personal. Yeah, I’ve called you a freak . . . but I always thought you’d make . . . an okay partner, ever since . . .”

“Ever since what, Norden? Ever since the concert? You do remember. Those crows. I got them away from Tina. Remember?”

“They tore up that kid.” He cocked his head. “That’s what’s inside me?”

“Let me help—”

“No, they’re tearing me up. I have to. I have to!”

The curved blade flashed as it fell from his hand. Norden brought up the gun, jammed it under his own chin, and pulled the trigger.

31

BEFORE NORDEN’S BODY HIT THE GROUND, THE GLASS doors of the T station shattered. Myrddin came out, carrying the jar he’d had at the last murder site. Two vampires stood behind him.

“Kill her,” Myrddin said.

I lunged for my sword, but I’m no match for a vampire in overdrive. One of the vampires slammed into me, knocking me off my feet. I twisted out of his grasp, rolled, and came up with the silver chain in my hand.

It was the only weapon Norden had left me.

I lashed out with the chain like a whip, striking the vampire’s face before he knew what hit him. A ghastly scream rang out as he staggered back, clawing at his cheek. The other vampire stopped and stared. I lashed out again. The chain nicked a chunk of flesh from his neck, and he knew what his friend was screaming about.

I stood with my back against the subway building, whipping the chain to hold the vampires back. They dodged it, and fear of the silver prevented them from trying to snatch it away from me. But I couldn’t rest for a second, or else one of them would dash in and snap my neck. And I couldn’t get any closer to Myrddin.

In my peripheral vision, I could see the wizard pick up the curved blade and bend over Norden’s corpse. He slashed at Norden’s chest and then opened the jar. Loud cawing erupted as the Morfran left Norden’s body. Immediately the sound grew muffled; Myrddin was capturing the Morfran, along with whatever remained of Norden’s life force.

A vampire grabbed for my arm, clawing me. I knocked him back.

“I can’t wait for you buffoons,” Myrddin called. He stood, holding the jar in both hands. “I must complete the transfer before the life force loses potency. After you’ve killed her, meet me below. I require your assistance.”

“We could use a little assistance here, wizard. Hit her with a magic bolt; we’ll take care of the rest.”

“It’s taking all the magic I can summon to keep these spirits contained. The ritual won’t wait. Do as I told you, then come.” He stepped through the shattered door and disappeared down the stairs, into the subway.

The vampires spread out. The distance between them made it harder for me to use the chain. I had to turn between them, and as I lashed at one there was an extra fraction of a second for the other to move in. A fraction of a second is plenty of time to a fast vampire. One of them got his claws into my throat.

I grabbed at his hands and struggled for air as he lifted me from the ground. The silver burned him, but he laughed and squeezed tighter.

There was a pop, like a car backfiring. The vampire’s fingers spasmed, then let go. We both fell to the ground.

His friend stared, eyes bugged. But only for a moment. A second pop dropped him, too.

I looked toward the Common. Leaning on the wall he’d fallen behind, holding one of my pistols, was Kane.

Except it wasn’t Kane, not fully. He was half-changed. Pointed wolf ears sat above a face that looked like Kane’s except for the silver fur that covered it. Coarser fur, matted with dark blood on the left side, covered his human chest and shoulders. He slumped, the gun dangling from his clawed hand.

I ran over. “The wound,” he said. His voice sounded rough and gravelly. “Where Norden shot me. It’s forcing a change. But the silver—” He winced in pain.

The silver bullet lodged in his shoulder was interfering with the shift. If the silver didn’t come out, Kane would die, stuck between his two forms.

I ran past Norden’s body, looking for the weapons I’d thrown. A bronze blade gleamed in the streetlight. I snatched it up and went back to Kane.

“Let me dig it out.” I touched his shoulder. Beneath the fur, his skin was burning up.

He closed the fingers of his right hand around mine. “I’ll do it. You stop Myrddin.” Gray eyes gazed steadily at me. They were clouded with pain, but they were Kane’s eyes. I’d always seen him there.

I nodded, not trusting my voice. I kissed his lips—human lips, despite his half-changed form—and gathered up the rest of my weapons.

I strode back to the fallen vampires. The first was dead, the body already crumbling. Kane had sent a silver bullet straight through his heart. Better make sure he stayed dead—you never knew with vampires. I unsheathed the Sword of Saint Michael and struck off his head with a blow.

The other vampire moaned. His prone body cringed away by an inch or two. Kane’s bullet hadn’t hit this one as squarely.

I wrapped the silver chain around the vampire’s neck, pulling it tight, and hauled the creature to his feet. “Let’s go,” I said. “You’re taking me to Myrddin.”