Bitten in Two

As if he wanted her to witness the process up close, Bergman had dragged Kyphas right to the tank’s edge.

She was wailing now. Begging him not to throw her in.

Astral, perching on a pil ow-sized piece of rubble, seemed to be egging him on. The fire reflected eerily in her black eyes as she sang a tune by Bobby “Boris” Pickett, in such an authentic voice that I felt a smile stretch my lips. “They did the mash. They did the monster mash.” Somehow Astral’s song cleared the air just enough that I realized I could speak safely. “Bergman,” I said softly. “You can’t open the canal. Sterling’s net is there to keep Kyphas’s al ies from attacking us. No tel ing what you’l release if —”

He yel ed, “Yousef! Are we set?”

Behind us, my stalker cal ed back happily, “It is done, Mr. Miles! Come and see!” Bergman’s smile raised goose bumps on my arms. But nothing had happened to the net. It continued to cover the vat, sparkling like a spiderweb covered in dew. So what—

Miles told me, “I know better than to touch the canal. It’s not necessary anyway. I didn’t even know about it when I made this plan.”

My headache gained strength again, pounding against my temples as I said, “Oh?” Politely. Because he’d changed. When I wasn’t looking, he’d become fierce and unpredictable. I gave him my Southern bel e do-tell nod.

He explained, his tone real gentlemanly as he said, “I knew you’d show. You always do. And Raoul told me that where you are, a portal eventual y appears. He doesn’t know why, but… see? There it is.”

He nodded, glancing over my shoulder as he did, so I looked. He was right, a plane portal stood in the middle of the tannery, just in front of a tank twice as large as the canal. It contained the swamp of chemicals necessary to begin the whole leather-making process. Balancing on the edge of the vat, Yousef stood holding a smal , leather-bound book in one hand.

“I make a perfect place to put her!” Yousef said proudly, motioning to the door, the center of which wasn’t its usual motioning to the door, the center of which wasn’t its usual velvety black. I’d underestimated my stalker again. When he’d told me his workplace was considered the doorway to the land of the dead, I didn’t realize that he could open those doors.

“So what’s next?” I asked, careful to keep my eyes on Bergman despite the fact that they wanted to dart to Sterling, who’d just dropped off the roof of the building opposite mine. His move reminded me of Mary Poppins.

Only instead of holding an umbrel a he had a rope that lowered him so gently you’d swear his best friend was standing on the anchored side. Al he had to do was stick a sandaled foot through the loop he’d tied to the end and hang on. I glanced at my broken fingernails, my bruised toes, and thought, Wielders piss me off.

Which was probably why Bergman knew the warlock had joined us. He could read my expressions better than I could Vayl’s. Without turning his head he said, “Hey, Sterling, what’s up?”

“Not much. How they hanging, dude?”

“One’s a little lower than the other but my doctor says I can stil have kids. How about you?”

Sterling was struggling too hard against a sudden urge to laugh to be able to form a coherent reply.

“How about you, Vayl?” Bergman asked, so uberaware that he’d detected the vampire’s presence even before I had, and I was wearing his ring! I turned to find my sverhamin standing just behind me holding Cole in his arms.

“We battled wel , Miles. But I am afraid Cole is not himself.”

I brushed a hand through our translator’s hair. Even it had lost its usual wild spring. “Cole,” I whispered. “Your eyes…”

“The world’s gone red, Jaz,” he said, sounding like a little kid who’s gotten lost and knows his mom and dad should’ve found him by now. “It’s like I’m looking at everything through a curtain of blood.” His voice sounded like it had crawled over sharpened stones to get to me.

“And I like it.”

I glared at Kyphas. “You’re doing this to him! Changing him into something he was never supposed to be!”

“He was always meant to be mine!” she said, with more spirit than she had a right to, considering her blood had left a pool the size of a dinner plate on the ground beneath her.

“Not in this state!” I said. “Look at him! This isn’t the Cole you fel for! This is a crimson-eyed half-man who still won’t love you once you’ve completely demonized him!” She stared at him, her expression so needy I felt embarrassed to witness it. Then her eyes rol ed up to Bergman. “Let me go and I’l release your friend,” she said.

“You and your deals,” Miles said sarcastical y. “Where have they gotten us so far? You’re stil holding the Rocenz.

Jasmine’s stil possessed. We’re stil not convinced Cassandra’s a free bird. And now Cole’s soul is halfway to perdition. You want to know what I think?” She shook her head, slowly at first, and then when she caught the look in Bergman’s eyes, a whole lot faster. He told her anyway.

“I think you need to die.”

“ I can’t let go of the Rocenz!” she cried. “The blood between my fingers and the handle burns like acid, but it won’t let go of me until it finishes the job it started! That’s how it was crafted! And Cassandra is free! I told you the contract was complete!”

He leaned down. “You know what I know about demons?” She shook her head. “Demons lie.” He yanked her upright. Whether it was the move or his intentions, I didn’t know, but they both began to bleed heavily as he dragged her toward the door.

I turned to my sverhamin. “Vayl,” I whispered.