been telling everyone he’s got a way to control more than just Henry. He says he can call down all the shapeshifters that’re sneaking around and will use them to sniff out anyone he wants, including all you Skinners, and make you pay for what you did.”
“Chicago’s been one of the quieter cities as far as things go between us and the Nymar,” Paige said. “What’s got Misonyk so upset?”
“I don’t know! I’m just telling you what he said. Personally, I think he’s blowin’ smoke, but a lot of other Nymar out there think he’s on to something. Mostly, they’ll sign up with anyone who’s got a chance at cleaning out Skinners for good. No offense or nothin’.”
“None taken,” Paige said cheerfully.
“Anyways,” Racquel continued after drinking the rest of her soda, “Misonyk’s been talking a lot of shit about killing Skinners, but he’s been killing more of us than anything else. Some folks said he was feeding Nymar to some fucked up pet or somethin’, but nobody really believed it. I believe the hell out of it now, though.”
“That’d be Henry?” Cole asked.
“Yeah,” Racquel told him. “Wendy said they went to pick up Henry that time they drove out of town. They picked up a few other Nymar along the way, some freshly seeded locals, I think, and he fed them to Henry. Wendy was on drugs even before she got seeded herself, so I didn’t know how much to believe about that either. Seems like it was all true. And if Henry’s really real, maybe that stuff about the shapeshifters is too.”
“Is there anything else you can tell us?” Paige asked. “Anything to help us catch Henry or Misonyk? If he’s encouraging murder, he’s breaking the truce and you know we’ll go after him.”
“I wish you would go after him. Some friends of mine woulda done it, but Misonyk’s old,” Racquel said. “I don’t know how old, but he can do things like get into your mind and stuff. It ain’t a new trick, but he’s real good at it. Better than anyone I ever seen. And Henry…he follows Misonyk like a puppy. I may just get the hell out of Chicago, like your friend Daniels.”
“Is Henry a…is he…?” Cole started to ask before he ran out of words.
Paige picked up his slack and asked, “Is Henry a Nymar?”
“You really are new,” Racquel snipped. She shook her head and then looked at Paige as if she was the only other one in the room. “Have you ever seen a Nymar like that?” she asked.
Paige shook her head.
“He could be one of them other weird shapeshifters, but I never seen one of them either.” Furrowing her brow, Racquel asked, “They don’t even come into the cities, do they?”
“No,” Paige said thoughtfully. “They don’t.”
Racquel suddenly became even more anxious, and started sliding out of the booth. “That’s all I know, and I ain’t staying here anymore. If what they say about Henry is true, he can smell Nymar from miles away and track us down like dogs. I already knew Misonyk is loco, and it sure as hell ain’t safe to be around no Skinners with him around.”
“We appreciate the help, Racquel,” Paige said. “Do you need a ride somewhere?”
“Not with you,” she replied with that familiar disgusted look on her face as she began moving away. Tossing a wave to Greasy Apron on her way out, she pushed open the front door and was already taking a cell phone from her skirt before the door closed behind her.
“Jesus, Cole,” Paige muttered.
Cole laughed and poured himself a drink. “I know. I didn’t even realize she had pockets in that skirt.”
Paige smacked him with the back of her hand and said, “This isn’t funny. In fact, this could be really bad.”
Savoring the genuine bliss that came along with ignorance, Cole shrugged. “Since I don’t know much of anything that you two were talking about, it doesn’t seem so bad to me. And since we’re here and nothing’s trying to kill us at the moment, would you mind giving me some of those answers you promised?”
Turning in her seat so she could face him, Paige grabbed the pitcher with one hand and filled a cup. She was small enough to maneuver between the back of the booth and the table, so she managed to get one foot propped up and tucked in close to her hip. “I was honestly hoping to have Daniels explain some of this to you,” she replied with a tired but friendly grin. “What’s on your mind?”
“First of all, what’s a Nymar?”
“That’s just the fancy name the vampires call themselves. Kind of a technical term.”
Cole laughed uneasily. “Everyone’s got to have a fancy name for themselves.”
“I know, right?”
“So they drink blood and all that?”
Paige nodded and shifted again. “A Nymar is actually a growth on someone’s heart. Kind of like a tumor, but a whole lot worse. As far as we’ve been able to figure out, this tumor—they call it a spore—attaches to a heart and uses blood to keep it going as it pumps something else to take the blood’s place. The spore grows and spreads until you can see it under a Nymar’s skin where you’d normally see someone’s veins.”
“Those black marks?” Cole asked.
Paige nodded and pointed toward him. “Very good. Gold star for you.”
Cole smiled as the air was flooded with a wonderful smell. Greasy Apron walked up to the table and set down a large pizza that looked like a heavily loaded cardboard disk slathered in cheese, thick slices of pepperoni, nuggets of sausage, and black olives. Scattered about the top of the pizza were small pools of grease. Ignoring the steam and heat rising from the pizza, Cole pulled off a large square piece for himself. Fortunately, the big guy who’d brought the ambrosia was quick enough to set a plate down before Cole dropped anything on the table.
“Here’s yer bill,” Greasy Apron said. “You don’t got no escort anymore, so get out as soon as you can. In fact, pay up now.”
Cole handed over some money. Instead of change, he got a grunt and a curt, upward nod from the other man. Even though the pizza was about to melt his fingers together, Cole paused and asked, “Should I…uh…eat this?”
“Are you a vegetarian?” Paige asked.
“No, but considering who or…what the cook is…”
“It’s fine,” she said as she picked up a piece for herself. “Gerald actually recommended this place to me when I first got to Chicago. He said it was the best pizza in town.”
Cole smiled gratefully and took a bite. The greasy pizza burnt his tongue something terrible, but he kept smiling all the same. “Good Lordy, that’s fantastic.”
“This,” Paige said as she carefully took a bite for herself, “is real Chicago style pizza. That thick pan crust you see everywhere else is for the tourists. Anyway, as I was saying, the Nymar feed on humans to replace the blood needed to keep the spore alive, but they can get what they need without killing. If they do get overly zealous, we come in to show them why that’s not such a good idea.”
“You hunt them?” Cole asked.
She responded with a shrug. “It’s not as bad as it sounds. Mostly, they keep themselves in line and we make a pretty good example of the ones who cross that line.”
“So you’re like cops?” Before he got an answer, Cole tensed and added, “Speaking of cops, weren’t there cops chasing us before?”
“Yep, but I’d say they’re pretty busy examining those bodies and taking statements about Henry jumping down the street.”
“You’re not worried about them finding you?”
“Not really. If there were witnesses, they’d be distracted by all the blood, the shooting, and that freak. Considering everything else we’re hiding from, the cops are the least of our worries. If the police are able to figure out where we are, something a lot worse would have already wiped us out. Just to be safe, though, remind me to swap the plates on my car before we leave.”
“Okay, but who’s ‘us’? Did Racquel call you Skinner?”
“We’re called Skinners, Cole,” Paige replied calmly. “Gerald was one. Brad was training to be one. I’m one.”
“What’s a Skinner?”
“We track down things that most people won’t even believe are out there. Shapeshifters are the worst. They always have been. They’re good at sneaking or blending in, so most of the world doesn’t know they exist. They’re also good at running and fighting, so the people who do stumble on them don’t live long enough to tell about it. I
