Now that the creature was subdued, he pinned it with one of his rear paws so both hands were free to dig at the gaping wounds in his side. He let out a strained grunt while pulling out a pair of long curved shards that had been driven in deeper than a bullet could ever reach. Holding the broken tusks up to examine them, he said, “They’re not very sturdy.”
“A perfect defense,” Kawosa said as he approached the Half Breed in front of him. The creature trembled anxiously but was unable to break whatever spell had befallen him. Slinking forward, Kawosa mused, “You’ve adapted to Lancroft’s pestilence, haven’t you? And you’re just the first generation to do so.”
“The Mud Flu wasn’t cleared up that long ago,” Liam said.
Randolph was studying his Half Breed, sniffing so intently that its fur bristled against his breath. “Their strength has always been in adapting to the changing world, and it never takes them long to do so. Still, this is extraordinary.”
When the Half Breed pulled in a breath of its own, it was almost too light to make a sound. Its nose twitched, sending a ripple through its entire snout, which caused its eyes to snap open. If there were any lingering effects from being knocked out, they disappeared when it saw Randolph staring down at it. Before the wretch could make a move against him, the Full Blood cleaved its throat with a quick snap of his teeth. As the Half Breed’s life came to an end, a shuddering, vaguely relieved sigh emerged from the pit of its stomach.
“Their sense of smell has improved,” Kawosa said.
Curling his lips at the taste of the creature, Randolph added, “Or they’re just not as easily put down as the previous breed.”
Kawosa shifted into another form, one with an expanded torso, strong, wiry arms, and clawed hands. The fact that his head remained narrow and pointed at the snout threw off the entire picture of him. It seemed the rest of his body wanted to blend in with humanity but the part that did his thinking and speaking refused to comply. “Their noses are enhanced,” he said with complete certainty. “Most likely, they can smell whether Lancroft’s pestilence has touched any prey they might hunt down.”
“Makes sense,” Liam said. “Longer claws allow them to attack without getting as close as before. Even just a little more length there can make a difference in gutting someone without getting a mess on their fur. And those tusks must snap off so they can get away if the going gets too tough.”
“Can they be made to suit our purposes?”
“I’ve gotten real good at mingling bloodlines,” Liam said. “It may take a few tries, but I should be able to get a mix of us and them that’d be just strange enough to throw the Skinners for a loop. What do you think, old man?”
“You will need more than deception to deal with the Skinners,” Kawosa replied. “Lancroft used flesh stripped from my bones to develop a way to keep Full Bloods from healing. Poor Henry’s neck remained broken for hundreds of years as a testament to that. Full Bloods may be sturdy, but they do not change. The Half Breeds thrive by evolving to fit within their world. That is what you need to acquire. Whatever may have been found in Lancroft’s dungeon, evolution is your answer to it.”
“We found
“I doubt you’ll ever let me forget it.”
“Since you’ve told us what Lancroft took from you, tell us how to counteract it.”
Kawosa shrugged in a way meant to seem sheepish but wasn’t nearly enough to fool either of the other two. “I provided only the meat. I couldn’t tell you how it was cooked. Not yet anyway. As for the Half Breeds, I can train them for the tasks you have in mind.”
Annoyed with the dark-skinned shapeshifter, Randolph looked over to Liam and asked, “Will these wretches look like us when you alter them?”
Liam examined the pinned Half Breed for a second and casually shrugged. “Hard to say. You saw those Mongrels of mine. These Half Breeds already look odd enough, and they’ll look even odder when I’m through with ‘em. Will they look like Full Bloods? Even I’m curious about that.”
When Randolph’s eyes shifted toward him, Kawosa said, “As long as I am close enough to exert my influence, the Skinners may be swayed. The humans will be much easier. They will believe what we want them to believe. What do you plan on doing with the others when they arrive?”
Shifting into his human form as easily as someone might get up from a seated position, Randolph asked, “What others?”
“Your brethren from the Old World. Their scent grows stronger with every breath.”
Both Full Bloods lifted their noses to the wind. Randolph’s eyes wavered slightly as he sifted through the myriad scents of life, death, pollution, steel, and dirt that he found. “I don’t smell them,” he said.
“That doesn’t mean they aren’t there.”
“Liam, see what you can do with these wretches.”
The ebon Full Blood didn’t need another bit of prompting before pressing his teeth against the Half Breed’s side and easing his jaws shut until the tips of his fangs broke the creature’s skin. While the Half Breed had been a vicious predator a few minutes ago, it now squirmed and writhed like any other animal being put through an excruciating amount of pain.
The creation of Half Breeds was mostly an accident that occurred when the marrow in a human’s bones mingled with saliva from a shapeshifter’s mouth. Attacks as brutal as that were most often fatal. To commit them with such express purpose required equal amounts of viciousness and precision. Randolph watched the process for as long as he could stomach it, fighting the impulse to put the poor wretch out of its misery. Liam, on the other hand, savored every moment.
“I know who you are,” Randolph said in a barely audible growl, addressing Kawosa, and leaving Liam to his task on the wooded mountainside.
“Is that supposed to be a surprise?” Kawosa asked as he nodded in Liam’s direction. That simple gesture was enough to convince the Half Breed in front of him to lower its head and trot over to the Full Blood’s side where it laid down to patiently wait for its own portion of agony to be doled out. “I thought that’s why you came to get me.”
“You’re more than a curiosity. More than the source of Lancroft’s attempt to undo us. Some of the human tribes call you Ktseena. Among us you’re known as the First Deceiver.”
“All shapeshifters are deceivers, Birkyus.”
Hearing his birth name spoken in such an offhanded manner by the being in front of him was enough to rattle the Full Blood. No matter how quickly he recovered, Randolph knew his slip hadn’t gone unnoticed. “But you are the first.”
“I am.”
“Legends say you brought many things to the human world.”
Nodding slowly, Kawosa cocked his head as if looking for the perfect angle to view the creature before him. “They do.”
“I want another of the secrets you are said to possess.”
Kawosa’s grin barely touched the corners of his mouth. “I was wondering how long it would take for you to come out and ask for it.”
Chapter Eighteen
Rico drove down I-94 toward Chicago behind the wheel of a light blue Dodge Neon borrowed from one of the dancers at Shimmy’s. That was strange enough, but the fact that Paige insisted on sharing the backseat with him instead of being up front where she could watch the road made Cole even more suspicious.
“Did you tell Rico what I asked?”
“After what just happened, you’re still worried about Shampoo Banana?” Cole asked.
“He did, Paige,” Rico said from the front of the car. “And I handed over the notebooks.”
“Did you read them?” When she didn’t get an answer right away, Paige grabbed Cole’s shoulders and forced
