Faline

Sure enough, when walking back into the main room where I'd left them, the subs are off to one side, sitting down and looking scared. Apex is still by the door while Lady stands over two dead bodies. Eddie, the leader of this place, and his guard buddy Bruce didn't have a chance.

"So, you know that they knew who you were right from the start, right? Tabby was just full of information."

The Vampire is in the process of cleaning the blood off her claws by way of tongue swipes. Glancing up as I walk in with my possibly already known tidbit, her eyebrow raises and head cocks.

"They lured you here. The call that had gone out was specific, meant to draw your attention. There's one more downstairs. Werewolf. Up for a tag-team?"

She looks at me in amusement and nods. As I point towards where we need to go, she hands her suit coat to Apex. Not a speck of blood on it. Show off.

"The other guard, Tad, will be set free. He was blackmailed into working here. There was no abuse done by him. He will be bringing out two more males, one of them has open wounds on his back. I interrupted bible study. There are another four being held below."

My voice is low but there isn't much other noise going on, just soft music playing from somewhere. If he doesn't know we're here and coming, then he's a really bad animal. But with being a Were-animal, especially wolf blood, he's going to be tough to take down.

When I start stripping, I get assorted looks. Shrugging, I keep going.

"I'll be more effective as an animal. Damn drug is already in my body so it's not like I have to try and avoid it anymore. By the way, did you know it has no effect on humans?"

Lady became annoyed once I'd stated the stuff is in my system, but it isn't affecting me to the degree that it is on the animals. If I were to be locked in a room with a thick cloud of it I'd be in trouble, but right now it's just acting as a downer. For about the hundredth time, I wish I had the telepathy they all have, would make coordinating this much easier.

Shrinking down rapidly into my cat, I stretch my back. At the beginning of each shift it feels like it needs to pop, but it's just the spine elongating into the tail. Shaking out and settling into my new shape, I look up at the Vamp before padding to the basement door. She may be able to fight better as a human, but I do the most damage when on four feet. Considering she's a couple of centuries old, knowledge of fighting styles will have been built up.

I can hear muffled weeping, grunts, and rattling chains from below as Lady opens the door silently. My ears go back, looking up to the Vampire for direction. Head bob has me going down first into the softly lit stairwell, going down several steps then turning to the right. The wooden slats provide excellent peepholes and what greets my eyes when peering through them has my heart thumping.

Two young males are chained against the far wall, a woman dangles from the ceiling in chains, and another is on a bed, a rutting male between her legs. All are naked, gagged, and covered in assorted wounds. My lips pull back in a silent snarl, we need to hurry before he catches our scents over the heavy ones in the air currently.

I creep down and around, not a whisper betrays me. Probably wouldn't matter if I did happen to make any, between the sounds he's making and her weeping and struggling, nothing can be heard anyway. The males on the walls follow me with their eyes, having been drawn by my movement.

Doesn't take much to maneuver behind him, and I wait for Lady's signal before I make a move. Muscles coil tight and ready to spring into action at a moment's notice. She ignores the other bodies around the place, focusing on the one who's thrusting hard and fast.

Dual-colored eyes dart to me, sneer on her face as she gives the go. Vampire speed has me on his back almost instantly, teeth sinking into the back of his neck as my feet get to work on shredding the flesh underneath me. He roars and rears up, large hands reaching back just to get sliced up by Lady as she appears at my side.

I keep going, kicking viciously as I work my teeth deep. It's his strength against mine, and he has more. His head and shoulders bunch and prevent me from getting a better hold, then start thickening as he goes further into shifting mode. He'd already been in a halfway state to increase his overall size.

Whirling around and standing, he gets a hold of my tail and yanks hard. It's either let go or have my spine torn out of the ass end of my body. Letting go with a few last vigorous kicks to his lower back, I move with the motion. Instead of releasing, he uses it to swing my body into Lady, letting go at the end of the toss. She ducks down low while I go sailing over her and into the wall.

Guess what? It isn't soft.

The woman on the bed is screaming around the ball gag in her mouth, pulling at her restraints. My shoulder is screaming at me but I right myself and move to come in again, head a little fuzzy. Shaking it off, I leap in at him while his clawed hands are busy fending off the other Vampire.

I go for his face as it starts to shape into something new, straight for the soft tissues of the eyes and nasal cavity. With the skull bones moving, my bottom teeth hook into a squishy opening. His near-constant growling turns into howls of pain. Heh. Go figure a sadist who doesn't enjoy the turnabout being fair-play.

Blood is flying everywhere, the forming Werewolf is covered in it. Lady had grabbed his arms so he can't grab for me, which is good since my damn teeth are caught on something. The bony eye socket shifting shape holds my bottom jaw in place till it finishes moving. When it does, I rip my mouth away and jump back. The forming wolf head is a thing of nightmares as my tearing away takes a strip of flesh from the side of his face with me.

He tries to pull back, to step away, but so much blood has been flowing that the tile-like flooring is covered in enough to make it slippery. As the Werewolf regains balance, the upright Vampire goes for his throat, sinking fangs deep before yanking back. I move away and watch as Lady works.

An artist at work. She hadn't torn out his throat, just a large chunk of flesh that covers the large vein, leaving it exposed to the open air. His howls turn to gurgles as she rips into his voice-box.

This fight is over, she's just prolonging it. I leave her to her fun with the righteous - if you ask me - punishment, and go over to the hanging males. They cringe and flatten themselves to the wall. Whoops.

I shift back into my blood-covered human body and take a step back from them.

"I won't harm you, I'm here to take you from this place."

All three hanging bodies shake their heads hard, but I can't understand what they're trying to say. The female gets her gag ball removed first, face chaffed and raw where the leather was constricting too tight. I don't understand what she's saying at first, voice raw as well and mouth seeming limp now that it isn't restricted.

"You...you can't. He will find us, p-punish us worse."

Giving what I hope is a soothing smile, which is all sorts of wrong coming from a blood-covered nude woman, I shake my head back at them. Eyes resting on each one before breaking the news.

"He's dead. Eddie, Bruce, and Tabitha are all dead."

Looking back to the Werewolf, Lady is just punching through his chest, over his heart. The sound of breaking bones and the wet snap of innards seems loud. His groin is a mass of ripped up flesh, chunks below heralding tender bits. Violent castration.

The Weres body shutters before falling back, it getting helped along as she pushes it to get her arm free. The woman’s upper nude body is covered in blood and gore, but she doesn't seem to mind. Looking more peaceful now than I've ever seen her before. Yikes.

"And as you can see, Geoffry is also no longer going to be a problem either."

They're all shaking as they stare at his body, my hands at work undoing bonds. They could have broken through them but they wouldn't have gotten very far, so no attempt would have been made, at least not more than once. My jaw clenches as I think what they've had to go through, wanting to kill those responsible all over again.

The four of them can't be any older than nineteen. Hanging for who knows how long, I help the girl down as her chains are undone, sitting her down as I go to the males on the walls.

Most I can tell right now through all the thick, heavy smells, is that the three of them are all animals. I leave questions for later and just work at getting them free. Once they're down, I go around the Vamp to the girl on the bed.

I wince when I see the blood. This blood isn't from the fight, but from the extreme roughness of a too large body shoving into a much smaller one. Her frame is covered in bruises, sporting a black eye, raw burn on her shoulder, and bleeding where she was fighting her bonds.

I walk up to her slowly, clearing my throat softly since her eyes are closed. I hold my hands out, but the gesture is lost with the way I look. Smiling doesn't seem like a good idea either. Looking to the other Vamp is no help, as she's too busy basking. The whole cat who got the cream look going on there. Glancing around, there are some towels next to a make-shift shower.

I hand them out, but the girl on the bed especially. She's human. Softening my features, I cover her body while untying her. Her skin is very dark, being black, but it shows wounds just like any other color skin.

She whimpers in pain as I jostle her, I apologize once, but that's all. There's no point in saying it any more than that. It's redundant. My lips purse as I see the track marks on her inner arm. All of them have similar marks.

Once the cuffs are off, she moves too fast and screams in pain. Wincing, I move her back into the position she'd been previously.

"For it to hurt that much you must have been here for quite a while, take it easy and slow. Trust me, I know the feeling."

Her one open light brown eye flies to mine, so I nod while working at the buckle for the strap on her face.

"Was once in a spot much like you are now, we may even share similar scars as well. Drugs weren't forced on me but we'll get you through it."

I don't even look at Lady as I get the strap undone and toss it. Already know she'll be making each go through detox before they're free to mingle with the others within the castle. When able, I want to get information from each one on if they have a family they can return to.

I refuse to force them to stay at the brothel if they have somewhere safe to go. Since abduction was one of the ways some were retrieved... They may just end up like Trisha, the healer; too ashamed to return home. I can't force them, but I can at least try.

A few minutes later, she's able to move a little easier. Since it's there and I'm here, I use the shower stall. Water is cold, but that's fine. Just need to get most of the blood off before I put my clothes back on. Probably no point, but forgive me for my human idiosyncrasies.

The others look shell shocked and tired as we get them upstairs. I go straight for my clothes while Lady talks to Apex. Tad settles each of them before coming to me. Oh yeah, almost forgot. I give him the combination, as promised, but scowl while doing so. He gives me a wary, questioning look.

"In Tabitha's mind, there was an image of another. This is everyone, isn't it?"

His eyes darken in anger as he nods, looking out over the others sitting in the living room watching us. Most look scared, a few resigned and that first male I'd saved is following me like a hawk. When I catch his gaze, his eyes lower, but he keeps me in his sights.

"There was another boy, but he died a few days ago from internal injuries. A nine-year-old human boy."

I blink at him several times before he leaves to get the safe and his blackmailing whatevers. My breathing stops for a moment. Lady had also heard this and scowls before going blank face again.

Before they’re herded out into a large van, each is given a towel and a very brief explanation on what's going to be happening. Not much is said, other than they’re going to her home, will be fed, bathed, and wounds tended to. More to be explained when they get there.

I swallow a snort and watch Tad as he walks back to me, a stack of files and a small box in his hands. Just how much crap did they have on him? Christ. Grabbing Lady's attention as she puts her coat back on, still covered in blood, I seek an answer.

"Um, what're we going to do about the bodies? They deserve to be hung out in the yard and displayed, but I think that will be highly frowned upon."

An arched brow goes up, but she does answer. Hoorah.

"There is a clean-up crew on its way. Works very well that there aren't many people around here."

A tilt of my head is my reply. Tad clears his throat, looking between me and Lady, not sure who to talk to. I point my thumb at the relaxed Vamp and walk over to the fireplace. Apparently, that whole stack isn't his, he already got his out. The rest is about other people, Lady included.

"I wouldn't be giving them to you, but many are about your type of people...creatures an such. I thank you for your help, but I really don't want to see any of you again."

I laugh but I know he's dead serious, he said as much earlier. Can't say I blame him, he just wants things to be normal in his world again. Biting my lip and debating, I write down my sister’s number and hand it to him.

He looks at it then to me as if I'm crazy. My eyes roll as I wag it at him.

"It's my sister’s number, she's not like me. She's something...different. If you ever find yourself mixed up with the supernatural again and need help, call her and tell her I gave you her number."

I put her name down as Silver since that seems to be what she uses before knowing people. My real name gets put down as well, so he knows what name to give. He doesn't look too happy, but he takes it.

He leaves shortly after, leaving Lady to look at me as if I'm a dunce. Probably am, but I shrug and head out as well. I need fresh air.