don’t know all the history and I doubt anyone does, but Skinners teach each other how to kill these things so we can try to take back our spot at the top of the food chain.”
Cole laughed under his breath and asked, “You mean we’re not in the top slot now?”
“You saw that thing that killed Gerald. You’ve met Henry. You tell me.” Paige leaned forward so she could stare intently at Cole. The passion in her voice made him feel as if they were the only two people in the world. “Gerald saw something in you, Cole. I’ve only known you for a few hours or so and I can already see it.”
“See what? In case you haven’t noticed, I’ve been one jolt away from pissing myself.”
She shook her head and took another bite of pizza. “You’ve got good instincts and common sense,” she said in a way that was as heartfelt as possible, considering all the food in her mouth. “That’s not something anyone can learn. You’re either born with it or you’re not.”
Cole chuckled and kept eating. Now that his pizza had cooled a bit, the square slice melted into cheesy perfection on his tongue. “Common sense, huh? That’s why I’m using words like ‘monster’ and ‘vampire’ in a real conversation?”
“You gotta trust your eyes and ears. Believe me, most people would much rather believe what they’re told to believe instead of face the insanity that’s really around them. You looked into that Full Blood’s eyes and stood your ground when the other survivors had already run away or gotten themselves killed.”
Hearing her say that brought the memory of the creature’s eyes into sharp focus. For a moment the coppery scent of blood drifted through his nose to mix with the inviting smells of sausage and perfectly burnt crust.
“Why did you come along with me this far?” Paige asked.
“Because I thought you were crazy and would try to kill me if I left?”
“You’re curious,” she said with a knowing grin. “And, deep down inside, there’s a part of you that wants to know what the hell is happening and what the hell else is out there.”
“How do you know all this?” he asked.
“Because that’s the sort of thing every Skinner thinks. It’s what we all feel. Gerald sent you to me because that’s how we pass on what we know. We have to look for that spark in other people and hope we live long enough to make sure there’s always a few more Skinners out there to keep fighting. That Full Blood wasn’t just a wild monster. It’s smart and it’s powerful. Some say it can live forever. There’s not a lot of ways it can be killed, but Skinners have found a few tricks that actually work. Without us, things like shapeshifters and all the others out there could do whatever they like to humans as if we didn’t even matter. We may not be the top of the food chain, but that doesn’t mean we should just have to line up for the slaughter.”
As much as Cole wanted to dismiss her words, the picture she painted actually made sense to him. In a way, that bothered him more than the rest.
“So what’s a Full Blood?” he asked.
“They’re shapeshifters. Compared to Nymar, shapeshifters are pretty rare. Full Bloods are the rarest of them all. They’re the only ones that are born what they are. They’re not bitten by another shapeshifter, under any sort of curse, or affected by any number of things that can cause someone to change. They just…are.”
“Is Henry a Full Blood?”
Paige winced as if the question simply didn’t taste very good. She fixed that problem by inhaling a square of pizza and washing it down with some pop. “Honestly? I don’t know what Henry is. I’ve seen a Full Blood, plenty of Half Breeds, even a few Mongrels, but nothing like Henry. I’ve never even heard of anything that tore up and ate a Nymar like what we saw tonight.” Still contemplating that gruesome sight, Paige shook her head and picked up a prime piece of sausage that had fallen onto the dented metal serving dish that held the rest of the pizza. Suddenly, the dim lights in the place flicked on and off. “I think we’re being kicked out of here,” she said.
“You got that right,” the owner said as he stepped up to the booth with a cardboard box in his hands. “Unless you want to start working for me, I don’t want you in my place. Bad for business.”
Cole slid out of the booth, but Paige took her time before moving. Although she did inch her way to the edge of the seat, she stopped with her legs dangling over the edge. Looking up at him, she showed Greasy Apron one of her tired yet cute smirks. “We won’t be working for you,” she said, “but we could arrange to do some favors now and then if you wouldn’t mind helping us out. What’s your name?”
After a heavy pause, Greasy Apron muttered, “Just call me Manny. What kind of favors you talkin’ about?”
“You know a Nymar called Daniels?”
“Short guy with long hair and glasses?”
“That’s the one.”
Manny nodded. “Yeah. He’s the only one who orders the vegetarian special.”
“Daniels has a real good palette, and I was hoping to get his opinion on something tonight. When Gerald told me about this place, he mentioned the cook might have an even better palette.”
“That’d be me. What’s it matter to ya?” Manny asked with a sigh that reflected almost as much impatience as the recent flickering of the lights.
She dug out the bundle from the inner pocket of her jacket and unwrapped it. Handing it forward, she asked, “Think you can tell me what kind of blood that is?”
Manny took the knife from her, swiped his finger along the mostly dried, partially sticky streaks of blood along the blade, then placed his finger on his tongue as if sampling a new tomato sauce. “Shapeshifter,” he said. “Ain’t Half Breed. Too pure for Mongrel. Could be Full Blood.”
“You’re sure?”
“You asked me and I told ya,” Manny replied. “Now get out.”
Paige shrugged and took the knife back from him. “Good enough for me,” she said to Cole. “Let’s go.”
Once he and Paige were outside, Cole asked, “
She shook her head without even trying to hide her excitement. “Nope. That just tells me what it is and what it can do. Since that knife actually cut a Full Blood, it can kill a Full Blood. Only Blood Blades can kill Full Bloods. And since these little babies only get stronger as they soak up more shapeshifter blood, this one’s ready to do some real damage. Plus, I’ve got a project of my own that’s been at a standstill until right about now.”
Cole sighed and decided to let go of the next batch of questions that filled his mind. Instead, he asked, “Weren’t you supposed to swap a license plate before we left?”
“Already on it,” Paige replied as she unlocked the trunk and searched inside. When she walked back around the car, she was holding a screwdriver and two dented Illinois license plates that were different from the ones already on the Cavalier. “This should keep any overeager cops from getting lucky and stumbling on us. Feel better now?”
“Oh yeah,” Cole droned. “This makes everything just wonderful.”
Chapter 10
The drive back to Rasa Hill went by fairly quickly. As Paige talked on her cell phone, Cole looked out the window at the scenery and thought about what the hell had happened to him since he’d left Seattle.
He’d seen men die. He’d seen monsters of several shapes and sizes. Some of them had sharp teeth. Some had big breasts. Some had both. His head spun and his stomach clenched as he realized there was still a job waiting for him back home. There were still reports to be filed and levels to test.
Paige strode toward the building’s back door in a quick, bouncy stride. She paused before going inside and turned to glance back at him. “You coming, Cole?”
“Yeah. I just need to check my messages.”
Although he had expected some sort of warning about keeping what he’d seen and heard a secret, all he got was a shrug from her. “Just let me know if you still want to go home. I can scrounge up some money for a plane ticket.” She then held her own phone up to her ear and entered the restaurant.
Cole removed his phone from his pocket and was grateful to see the lights on the scratched plastic surface
