The Beast Within (23 page)

“He’s coming. He’s coming. He’s coming, he’s coming, he’s coming,” Ellison babbled as he scuttled under a desk.

Aaron caught Ellison’s ankle and pulled him back out. “Why isn’t the disruptor holding him?”

“It’s a temporary fix,” Ellison cried as he worked to free his ankle and return to his hiding spot. “This is a big league demon, you can’t just stop him from getting through his own portals with weak spells. They won’t work. Big demons need big magic.”

“Like what?”

“No.” Ellison clawed at the floor frantically. “No, I’m done. No more magic.”

Aaron released Ellison’s foot and let him slither under the desk. He blocked the opening to the snake’s hole with his feet and pushed the muzzle of his gun into the space until it rested against Ellison’s forehead.

“Rethink that decision.”

Ellison began crying in earnest. Sobs racked his chest. “I can’t. Don’t you see? I screwed up. I wasn’t letting Cerberus in here earlier. Why would I? They all want me dead. Here I was safe. All these agents and weapons around me. I wasn’t going to leave here, not until you guys got rid of Six Rivers and I got rid of him.”

“What did you do?”

When Ellison didn’t respond, Aaron banged the muzzle above Ellison’s nose.

“Ow, stop,” Ellison cried. “He was banished, which meant the only door he could come through was one he was called through. So, I did a spell to get rid of the portals I’d opened here and in California. Or, I thought. I’d had a drink or two…” Ellison shrugged at Aaron’s disbelieving snort. “Or ten. Yeah. I had too much, man. I’m sorry.”

“You did the wrong spell? Instead of shutting two doors you conveniently mistakenly opened another portal right here on Kapre grounds at the very time Six Rivers was mobilizing to take us out?”

“Yes. I was trying to stop it all. I thought if I could get rid of Cerberus, Six Rivers would lose their motivation and go away.” A dribble of snot leaked out of his nose and he scrubbed it away with his sleeve. “You think I wanted him that close to me? I screwed the pooch. I’m sorry.”

“I don’t believe you.”

The room shook, this time with enough force to knock lamps off the few upright desks remaining.

“Does it matter?” Ellison asked. He turned his bloodshot eyes up at Aaron. “Whatever I did, we’re here and Cerberus is coming and we’re both dead.”

“We’re not.” Aaron lowered his gun and reached under the desk. This time Ellison did not resist when he grabbed his arm and pulled him out. He hauled Ellison to his feet. “You’re going to tell me what spell we need and then we’re going to do it.”

“You won’t like it.” Ellison jerked his head in Tony’s direction.

Aaron’s stomach dropped.

“We can do the spell to seal the gateways I made, but that won’t stop him from coming back if say Six Rivers decides to find another idiot to invite him into our dimension.” Ellison sniffed. His self-deprecation only flamed Aaron’s anger. Aaron shook him hard.

“So we kill Cerberus, then? Tell me how.”

“The only way to do that is to weaken him enough so you can take him. You’re pretty much the only one who can, seeing as you’re his direct descendant.”

“How do we weaken him?”

“Sever the line of blood. Freshest is best. More power in ones he just made than the ones he did a hundred years ago, if there are any. And it’s more convenient.” Ellison gestured to the bodies strewn around the room.

“How many are alive?” Aaron asked. He avoided looking at Tony, the deep slash marks on his torso.

“I don’t know. I didn’t check.” Ellison looked at the floor. “Didn’t want to know.”

“You’re a piece of shit.”

Aaron roughly released Ellison and canvassed the room. A quick vitals check showed four agents aside from Tony still had pulses. They were the ones whose bodies were fighting the invading shifter disease, the ones who would either turn, or die. It was an unusually high number of potential weres. They all remained like Tony, deeply unconscious. All had bite marks and rent flesh. There was no way of telling if the wounds were werewolf or from Cerberus.

Aaron rocked back on his haunches and studied the young agent before him. With werewolves the transfer of the disease was salivary. Was that the case with Cerberus, as well? Or could he change people with any of his lethal body parts? This kid was twenty-three at best. A new agent. Flushed skin, full lips, thick brown hair. His face was one of those sneakily good looking ones, not the kind to stop people in their tracks, but the kind whose virtues grew more apparent with each glance. And now Aaron was supposed to put a bullet in it.

Aaron passed a shaking hand over his mouth. He couldn’t do it. He couldn’t play executioner to the four people lying helpless around him. Terrified grief threatened to curl him into a useless ball beside Ellison at the thought of Tony possibly being the fifth. The few intact ceiling lights began to flicker.

“Uh,” a voice came over the intercom. “Hey, Agent Marvell, it’s Robert. I’ve got control of the electrical system again. Six Rivers is down. Your Trinity guys and our agents have secured their surrender. The cavalry is coming to you. Just hang tight.”

Aaron stood and looked at the speaker over his head.

“I can see you, so nod or something if you acknowledge.”

Aaron looked at the corpses scattered through the room, then down at Tony. Soon, the agents would flood the bullpen and Braven would initiate a lockdown. Cerberus would break through the portal, tear through them all, then continue out into the world to find the company he so craved. Aaron shook his head.

“What’s that mean?” Robert asked. “You clearly hear me, so you don’t acknowledge?”

Aaron looked around for the security camera. He found it in the far corner. He looked directly into the lens and shook his head slowly, deliberately.

“I don’t understand. Is there a situation that requires containment?”

Aaron nodded then turned to Ellison, “Help me. Get one of the others. Don’t touch Tony. And if you try to run so help me I will shift and be on you in two seconds.” He made sure his canines showed when he added, “And I will not let go of you until your little chicken neck snaps under my jaws.”

Ellison bobbed his head in compliance and scuttled out of the way as Aaron picked up the young agent and carried him to the doors. He pushed them open with his hip and placed the man gently on the floor. He held open the door for Ellison, who reeked of terror and sped his awkward lurching gait to faster pass him. Once more they each carried a survivor outside to safety. When only Tony remained, Aaron commanded Ellison to sit down. Like a kicked dog, Ellison rushed to obey. Aaron knelt in front of Tony.

“Hey,” he whispered. Tony’s eyelids flickered at the sound of his voice. “Listen to me. I know it’s only been a couple of days, but I just wanted to say I’ve had a really good time. There’s been some messed up stuff, but it’s okay. I know you’re on my side. And if I had a choice, I’d do it all over again.” He touched near Tony’s wound. “Except this. I wish I could have spared you this.” He bent over and pressed his lips to Tony’s. “This’ll make that cocky grin of yours return. I think I love you.”

In the movies it would have been the part where Tony’s fluttering lids creaked open and Tony would look at him and profess his love in return. It wasn’t the movies. Aaron scooped up Tony’s limp form and carried him through the door. He placed him gently on the floor beside the others. Down the hall, the elevator dinged. With no time left for farewells, Aaron hurried back into the room and shoved the doors shut behind him. He waved frantically at the camera.

“What’s up?” Robert’s voice filled the room.

Aaron pointed at the doors at both ends of the room and clenched his fists together.

“You want me to lock you in?”

Aaron nodded. He pointed at the portal, which was vibrating with frantic insistency. Cerberus was done ringing the doorbell. He was just going to break in. Aaron pointed again at the portal for emphasis and made a blowing up motion with his hands.

“What about Agent Ellison?” Robert clearly caught his drift. “You gonna let him out?”

Aaron looked back at Ellison, who was looking at him like a puppy hoping for a treat. He shook his head.

“Okay, then.” A moment later a reinforcing screen slid through the glass windows, and the bolts inside the door clunked into place. Lockdown. “I can only keep these sealed until Braven gives me an order to unlock them, which is in about three minutes.”

Aaron pointed at his wrist.

“Time. Everyone needs time.” Robert sighed. “Uh, okay. I can initiate a level ten lockdown. It’ll make me lose my job, but I think that’s better than getting mauled by Mr Hot and Drippy. Once it’s sealed, though, it’s sealed. You’ll need explosives to get out.”

Aaron looked up at the camera and lifted his shoulders.

“Oh.” Robert’s voice softened. “Oh, man. Well, good luck to you.”

Aaron made his way back to the portal. Ellison watched him fearfully.

“I don’t deserve to beg for my life.” Ellison’s voice echoed through the speaker system. Robert had turned it on so everyone could hear. Maybe the tech wanted concrete proof to exonerate Aaron so that when he died he would be given a full agent burial instead of being stuck in a pauper’s grave at the county’s expense. Robert was a good guy.

“No, you don’t,” he answered Ellison.

“You think there’s anything left to drink around here?” Ellison laughed nervously. He began to open and shuffle through random drawers in upended desks. “I guess this won’t be too bad. You’re just going to seal the doorway, right? You know, since you put all of those shifters outside?”

“I’m going to face him.”

Ellison froze, hands in mid-rifle. He paled. “You don’t have the blood to weaken him. You have to have his familial line.”

“I do.”

“Yeah, but you just shoved them all out the door and locked it behind you.”

Aaron ignored Ellison and went to his own desk. It had been knocked several feet sideways and a trail of blood spatter decorated the side. Sitting in the bottom drawer was one of the two personal items he had brought with him into his new workplace, a ceremonial knife with a wickedly curved black blade and horn handle. The horn was from no animal on the earth. It had been a promotion gift from one of his now dead co-worker friends in California.

“What are you doing?” Ellison squeaked in anxiety.

Aaron focused on the gateway. It thrummed from an incredible internal force. If Cerberus wanted to come in, he would let him. He held the blade tightly in his hand.

More pounding, this time from behind.

“Agent Marvell,” Braven called through the door. “Let us in. We are here to provide support.”

“Sorry, Director, can’t,” he shouted back.

“What do you mean?” The director grew shrill with irritation. “Open this door at once.”

“He only wants me. And I him. Tony and the rest, they’re not Cerberus’ bloodline. They might not even survive the night. Even if they do, they haven’t shifted yet. It’s me. I’m Cerberus’ bloodline. I’m the end of this.”

“He means to use his connection with Cerberus to destroy him,” a placid voice carried to his ears through the thick doors.

“Matthew?” There was no need for Aaron to shout, not one wolf to another. “Did you find Carlos? Are you okay?”

“We are both fine, Aaron.” Matthew’s face appeared in the second door’s window. His grieved expression told Aaron he would not try to stop him from what he was about to do.

“Good. Can you do me a favor?”

“Of course.”

“Take care of Tony for me. If he changes…take care of him the way you took care of me.”

“You have my word.”

Carlos appeared between Matthew and the glass. “You need to get out of there,
mi hombre
…”

Carlos was cut off by Matthew, who simply requested, “Don’t.”

Aaron spared Carlos a long look, then turned his scrutiny to the Director. A range of emotions played across her face, but at least now condemnation was not one of them. He could die an innocent man. He turned away from Braven and mouthed to the camera, “Thank you.”

“What about me?” Ellison asked.

“What about you?” Aaron spit as he again faced the portal. “You don’t deserve to beg for forgiveness.”

Cerberus moved just behind the curtain of distorted air. Aaron felt his presence, the heat flowing off his puzzle piece hide. Aaron watched the flames, imagined they grew larger. In his mind they filled the space in front of him, then began to part like curtains drawn by an invisible hand. As he willed the image in his mind to become the truth he positioned the blade at the hollow point in his wrist. The portal’s fire leaped into the air, obeying his internal command. From somewhere that seemed a far distance behind, Ellison whimpered.

In the moment he dragged the blade up his arm and dissected the vein, Aaron’s heart desired nothing more than to wander through his life’s joys and regrets, to form in his head the perfect picture of Tony’s face and hold it tight as his life slipped away from him. But he would not be permitted a quiet death. It would be raw, loud and painful. A flash of intense heat from the portal confirmed this. Instead of fading into the nothing the fire burst out, licking the space around Aaron with blue-white fingers.

Even as the conflagration seared his eyebrows and singed his skin, Aaron stood his ground. When Cerberus stepped through the portal on four massive paws with all heads targeting his direction, Aaron gave the hellhound his best smile, dropped the blade on the floor and let the rest of his body flow into wolf form.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Desperate Times

He was halfway through shifting when Cerberus slammed into him. Aaron toppled backwards. His front foot, weakened from the cut, slid in the blood pooling beneath and careened out from under him. He slammed onto his side. Cerberus’ three heads snapped at him, their jaws spewing frothy magma. Cerberus’ massive weight pinned him down, the heat from the demon’s body curled his fur into black-tipped tufts. Aaron slashed with his claws, catching the demon across one of its many eyes. The black flesh rent and peeled away. The yellow eye split like a tomato. The wounded head howled. The others joined a moment later. A flood of liquid fire splashed from the source. Aaron quickly wrenched to the side to avoid the spill. The movement brought him too close to Cerberus’ other, angered heads. One of them clamped over his bleeding leg. The other dove for his scruff and held fast.