“Shush, beast. My fight’s not with you.” Dren put his hand on his sickle’s holster and scanned around. Behind him the weres scented us—they began to turn away from the building and lope in our direction. A car pulled up and stopped in the lot beyond us, skidding in the snow.
“Are you with us or with them?” Meaty asked Dren.
“He’ll be with you, if he knows what’s good for him.” Anna stepped out of the car, then she looked to me. “I know about Sike.”
I swallowed hard. “I’m sorry.”
Grief washed over Anna’s face, then was quickly replaced by anger. “I should have made her a full vampire when I had the chance. Which wolf was it?”
The only reason she was asking, I knew, was so that she could kill it. And I didn’t care. “Helen—the matriarch. She’s yellow and gray.”
“And what has been the point of all this?” Anna threw her arm out at the carnage of the hospital behind us. Turning, I could see pinpricks of light growing bolder—the beginnings of fires.
“I believe I have someone who can answer that for you.” Dren kicked the bag he carried. “Anna, newly minted member of the Sanguine, meet an emissary from House Grey. He’s the one who gave blood to Winter the elder. His own blood, to be precise.”
I was glad to see that the drop of blood I’d given Dren had gone to good use.
“Took me a long time to find him without the use of a Hound.” Dren reached into the bag like he was producing a rabbit from a hat, and hauled out a suit-wearing man. Gray hair, gray glasses, gray suit, gray tie—he was the color of the sinking moon. “Luckily he was one of the ones who’s been running around controlling this were-mob.”
“Unhand me, you illegitimate beast,” the newcomer complained. Dren bent him over and kneed him in the chest, then shoved him to kneel on the ground.
“It’s rare to see one of you out at night. Or ever.” Anna wound her fingers in his short gray hair. “What was the point of this?”
“We play a larger game.”
“Fuck you. I lost a friend. Tell me truths now, or you’ll pay.”
“What can you do to me, little girl?”
“Unless you want to be nailed on my car’s hood when the sun next comes out—”
The gray vampire laughed. “When does the sun ever come out up here?”
“Dren, cut off his arm.”
“Whatever you say, lady Sanguine.” Without a second thought, Dren hauled out his sickle and snicked off the gray vampire’s arm at the shoulder. It turned to dust, and the fabric fell to the ground.
“I meant the other one,” Anna said. Dren moved and—over the side of the car, where there was a gap in the wall of bear-weres, a wolf leapt into our clearing, bowling Anna down.
It was a yellow-gray wolf, almost the size of the car.
“You—” Anna said in recognition. Helen had bloodstains on her side, meaning Sike hadn’t gone down without a fight, but—Anna screamed in anger. She rose and rushed at Helen, who jumped to one side. Helen followed Anna’s turn and lunged for her. At the same time Anna turned back, grabbing Helen’s front paw. She yanked and there was a crunch as bone crossed bone and broke, jutting out through skin. Helen whined and gnashed her teeth at Anna, who danced back. In a moment the leg was straightened, back in place. Steady on all four feet now, Helen made another lunge.
“You know them all?” Gina whispered to me. I nodded.
Anna ran forward again, so fast I could hardly see, another blur in this crazy night. She bowled into Helen’s side, tearing with raw angry force. As soon as she hurt Helen, though, Helen healed. Anna leapt for Helen’s neck, trying to get her arms around it to snap it. The wolf bucked like a bronco, flipping Anna around. Anna’s teeth were out as she held on, sinking her jaws into Helen. Blood poured out of Helen’s neck with each fresh bite, and Anna kept biting, as fast as Helen could heal. I knew how those teeth felt, I’d once been bitten by them—and now Anna kept gnawing, through fur, down to bone.
Anna stood up near Helen’s sinking form. The tear in her neck was wider now; Anna had worked her hands inside. The edges still tried to heal, but Anna kept the center from meeting. Helen howled her frustration, lashing her neck from side to side—and a nearby howl answered her.
Jorgen began shoving his way through the circle of bears, howling again.
“Is it a team match now? I can hardly guard Master Grey and also play,” Dren asked of no one.
“Enough!”
Anna, Helen, and Jorgen were all forced backward, like they’d been shoved by a wall.