The place was called DiGuido’s, and it was a little family-style restaurant on a quiet street amid several drugstores and a few funeral parlors. Cole didn’t pay complete attention to where they were going, since he’d been more concerned with being chased by the twisted abomination that they left plastered against a post. When Paige pulled to a stop in front of the pizza place, he was hesitant to leave the car. Once scents from the nearby kitchen drifted into his nose, however, he couldn’t get into DiGuido’s fast enough.
Although DiGuido’s didn’t appear to be open for business, the front door offered no resistance, and the unusual party of three made their way to a booth against a wall of fake wine bottles. The lighting was dim. The tables were just a bit dirty, and the music sounded as if it never strayed from the Rat Pack’s greatest hits. Paige and Cole slid into one side of the booth, while Racquel slid into the other.
A perturbed man with a greasy shirt and an even greasier apron around his waist walked up to the booth. The moment he got a look at the black markings on Racquel’s neck and wrists, he lightened up a bit and asked, “What do youse guys want?”
Since Racquel waved her hand to pass, and Paige seemed slow on the draw, Cole jumped in and replied, “How about a large sausage and mushroom?”
“No fungus,” Paige said.
“Fine,” Cole said. “Sausage and pepperoni. And black olives! How about black olives, too?”
The guy in the greasy apron nodded and turned his back to the booth. Cole was about to shout a request for garlic bread but was distracted by the sight of the black markings crawling up the back of the guy’s neck. But feeling better just knowing food was on the way, he asked, “All right, so who’s going to start?”
“I can’t stay long,” Racquel said. “Henry is supposed to be able to sniff out a Nymar from miles away.”
“What’s a—” Cole started to ask, but was cut short when Paige’s raised a hand.
“Who’s Misonyk and what’s he been telling you?” she asked.
Racquel sighed like a teenage girl cornered into a sex talk with her mother. Rolling her eyes, she muttered, “Misonyk’s been in town for a few months. He laid low for a while, but then word spread about how he’s been preaching to everyone how they could gain power from drinking souls.”
“Drinking souls?” Paige asked.
“Yeah. Draining people dry instead of doing things the normal way. I don’t mean just killing them, either. I mean drinking them dry. He’s all about controlling minds, and says we can all hear each other’s thoughts if we juice up by killing as many humans as we can. And before you ask, he knows about Skinners, too. He just don’t give a rat’s ass about your rules. Some Nymar think he’s loco and just trying to get big in Chicago. Others think he’s God or some shit.”
“What do you think?” Paige asked. She had to wait to get her answer, because Greasy Apron came back to set a pitcher of cola on the table along with three red plastic cups. He’d never asked about a drink order and didn’t seem to care about one, since he turned and walked away.
Racquel took one of the cups and poured some cola from the pitcher. “I know he’s loco, but I also know he’s not just all about ruling Chicago. He ain’t even from here.”
“How do you know that?”
“Wendy told me. She’s been hangin’ with Misonyk for a while and told me he comes and goes from somewhere up in Wisconsin. What the hell a guy like that would want in Wisconsin, I do not know.”
“You’re sure about that?”
“Yeah,” Racquel said with an offended snap of her head. “She told me he dragged her ass all the way up to some old house up there so he could infeed offa her along the way. I told her she wouldn’t come back from there, but she went along anyway. She always liked that kind of stuff.”
“So how can someone like that just walk in and start doing whatever he wants?” Cole asked. When he’d started to ask that question, he could feel Paige bristle beside him. Once she heard it, however, she seemed more interested in the answer.
Cocking her head, Racquel looked at Cole with a sneer that bordered on disgust. “Is this guy one of yours? He sure don’t act like one.”
“Just answer the question,” Paige said sternly.
For the first time since they’d lost sight of Henry, Racquel seemed truly afraid. “All right, whatever. Misonyk’s been telling everyone he’s got a way to control more than just Henry. He says he can call down all the shapeshifters that’re sneaking around and will use them to sniff out anyone he wants, including all you Skinners, and make you pay for what you did.”
“Chicago’s been one of the quieter cities as far as things go between us and the Nymar,” Paige said. “What’s got Misonyk so upset?”
“I don’t know! I’m just telling you what he said. Personally, I think he’s blowin’ smoke, but a lot of other Nymar out there think he’s on to something. Mostly, they’ll sign up with anyone who’s got a chance at cleaning out Skinners for good. No offense or nothin’.”
“None taken,” Paige said cheerfully.
“Anyways,” Racquel continued after drinking the rest of her soda, “Misonyk’s been talking a lot of shit about killing Skinners, but he’s been killing more of us than anything else. Some folks said he was feeding Nymar to some fucked up pet or somethin’, but nobody really believed it. I believe the hell out of it now, though.”
“That’d be Henry?” Cole asked.
“Yeah,” Racquel told him. “Wendy said they went to pick up Henry that time they drove out of town. They picked up a few other Nymar along the way, some freshly seeded locals, I think, and he fed them to Henry. Wendy was on drugs even before she got seeded herself, so I didn’t know how much to believe about that either. Seems like it was all true. And if Henry’s really real, maybe that stuff about the shapeshifters is too.”
“Is there anything else you can tell us?” Paige asked. “Anything to help us catch Henry or Misonyk? If he’s encouraging murder, he’s breaking the truce and you know we’ll go after him.”
“I wish you would go after him. Some friends of mine woulda done it, but Misonyk’s old,” Racquel said. “I don’t know how old, but he can do things like get into your mind and stuff. It ain’t a new trick, but he’s real good at it. Better than anyone I ever seen. And Henry…he follows Misonyk like a puppy. I may just get the hell out of Chicago, like your friend Daniels.”
“Is Henry a…is he…?” Cole started to ask before he ran out of words.
Paige picked up his slack and asked, “Is Henry a Nymar?”
“You really are new,” Racquel snipped. She shook her head and then looked at Paige as if she was the only other one in the room. “Have you ever seen a Nymar like that?” she asked.
Paige shook her head.
“He could be one of them other weird shapeshifters, but I never seen one of them either.” Furrowing her brow, Racquel asked, “They don’t even come into the cities, do they?”
“No,” Paige said thoughtfully. “They don’t.”
Racquel suddenly became even more anxious, and started sliding out of the booth. “That’s all I know, and I ain’t staying here anymore. If what they say about Henry is true, he can smell Nymar from miles away and track us down like dogs. I already knew Misonyk is loco, and it sure as hell ain’t safe to be around no Skinners with him around.”
“We appreciate the help, Racquel,” Paige said. “Do you need a ride somewhere?”
“Not with you,” she replied with that familiar disgusted look on her face as she began moving away. Tossing a wave to Greasy Apron on her way out, she pushed open the front door and was already taking a cell phone from her skirt before the door closed behind her.
“Jesus, Cole,” Paige muttered.
Cole laughed and poured himself a drink. “I know. I didn’t even realize she had pockets in that skirt.”
Paige smacked him with the back of her hand and said, “This isn’t funny. In fact, this could be really bad.”
Savoring the genuine bliss that came along with ignorance, Cole shrugged. “Since I don’t know much of anything that you two were talking about, it doesn’t seem so bad to me. And since we’re here and nothing’s trying to kill us at the moment, would you mind giving me some of those answers you promised?”
Turning in her seat so she could face him, Paige grabbed the pitcher with one hand and filled a cup. She was small enough to maneuver between the back of the booth and the table, so she managed to get one foot propped up and tucked in close to her hip. “I was honestly hoping to have Daniels explain some of this to you,” she replied with a tired but friendly grin. “What’s on your mind?”
“First of all, what’s a Nymar?”
“That’s just the fancy name the vampires call themselves. Kind of a technical term.”
Cole laughed uneasily. “Everyone’s got to have a fancy name for themselves.”
“I know, right?”
“So they drink blood and all that?”
Paige nodded and shifted again. “A Nymar is actually a growth on someone’s heart. Kind of like a tumor, but a whole lot worse. As far as we’ve been able to figure out, this tumor—they call it a spore—attaches to a heart and uses blood to keep it going as it pumps something else to take the blood’s place. The spore grows and spreads until you can see it under a Nymar’s skin where you’d normally see someone’s veins.”
“Those black marks?” Cole asked.
Paige nodded and pointed toward him. “Very good. Gold star for you.”
Cole smiled as the air was flooded with a wonderful smell. Greasy Apron walked up to the table and set down a large pizza that looked like a heavily loaded cardboard disk slathered in cheese, thick slices of pepperoni, nuggets of sausage, and black olives. Scattered about the top of the pizza were small pools of grease. Ignoring the steam and heat rising from the pizza, Cole pulled off a large square piece for himself. Fortunately, the big guy who’d brought the ambrosia was quick enough to set a plate down before Cole dropped anything on the table.
“Here’s yer bill,” Greasy Apron said. “You don’t got no escort anymore, so get out as soon as you can. In fact, pay up now.”
Cole handed over some money. Instead of change, he got a grunt and a curt, upward nod from the other man. Even though the pizza was about to melt his fingers together, Cole paused and asked, “Should I…uh…eat this?”
“Are you a vegetarian?” Paige asked.
“No, but considering who or…what the cook is…”
“It’s fine,” she said as she picked up a piece for herself. “Gerald actually recommended this place to me when I first got to Chicago. He said it was the best pizza in town.”
Cole smiled gratefully and took a bite. The greasy pizza burnt his tongue something terrible, but he kept smiling all the same. “Good Lordy, that’s fantastic.”
“This,” Paige said as she carefully took a bite for herself, “is real Chicago style pizza. That thick pan crust you see everywhere else is for the tourists. Anyway, as I was saying, the Nymar feed on humans to replace the blood needed to keep the spore alive, but they can get what they need without killing. If they do get overly zealous, we come in to show them why that’s not such a good idea.”
“You hunt them?” Cole asked.
She responded with a shrug. “It’s not as bad as it sounds. Mostly, they keep themselves in line and we make a pretty good example of the ones who cross that line.”
“So you’re like cops?” Before he got an answer, Cole tensed and added, “Speaking of cops, weren’t there cops chasing us before?”
“Yep, but I’d say they’re pretty busy examining those bodies and taking statements about Henry jumping down the street.”
“You’re not worried about them finding you?”
“Not really. If there were witnesses, they’d be distracted by all the blood, the shooting, and that freak. Considering everything else we’re hiding from, the cops are the least of our worries. If the police are able to figure out where we are, something a lot worse would have already wiped us out. Just to be safe, though, remind me to swap the plates on my car before we leave.”
“Okay, but who’s ‘us’? Did Racquel call you Skinner?”
“We’re called Skinners, Cole,” Paige replied calmly. “Gerald was one. Brad was training to be one. I’m one.”
“What’s a Skinner?”
“We track down things that most people won’t even believe are out there. Shapeshifters are the worst. They always have been. They’re good at sneaking or blending in, so most of the world doesn’t know they exist. They’re also good at running and fighting, so the people who do stumble on them don’t live long enough to tell about it. I don’t know all the history and I doubt anyone does, but Skinners teach each other how to kill these things so we can try to take back our spot at the top of the food chain.”
Cole laughed under his breath and asked, “You mean we’re not in the top slot now?”
“You saw that thing that killed Gerald. You’ve met Henry. You tell me.” Paige leaned forward so she could stare intently at Cole. The passion in her voice made him feel as if they were the only two people in the world. “Gerald saw something in you, Cole. I’ve only known you for a few hours or so and I can already see it.”
“See what? In case you haven’t noticed, I’ve been one jolt away from pissing myself.”
She shook her head and took another bite of pizza. “You’ve got good instincts and common sense,” she said in a way that was as heartfelt as possible, considering all the food in her mouth. “That’s not something anyone can learn. You’re either born with it or you’re not.”
Cole chuckled and kept eating. Now that his pizza had cooled a bit, the square slice melted into cheesy perfection on his tongue. “Common sense, huh? That’s why I’m using words like ‘monster’ and ‘vampire’ in a real conversation?”
“You gotta trust your eyes and ears. Believe me, most people would much rather believe what they’re told to believe instead of face the insanity that’s really around them. You looked into that Full Blood’s eyes and stood your ground when the other survivors had already run away or gotten themselves killed.”
Hearing her say that brought the memory of the creature’s eyes into sharp focus. For a moment the coppery scent of blood drifted through his nose to mix with the inviting smells of sausage and perfectly burnt crust.
“Why did you come along with me this far?” Paige asked.
“Because I thought you were crazy and would try to kill me if I left?”
“You’re curious,” she said with a knowing grin. “And, deep down inside, there’s a part of you that wants to know what the hell is happening and what the hell else is out there.”
“How do you know all this?” he asked.
“Because that’s the sort of thing every Skinner thinks. It’s what we all feel. Gerald sent you to me because that’s how we pass on what we know. We have to look for that spark in other people and hope we live long enough to make sure there’s always a few more Skinners out there to keep fighting. That Full Blood wasn’t just a wild monster. It’s smart and it’s powerful. Some say it can live forever. There’s not a lot of ways it can be killed, but Skinners have found a few tricks that actually work. Without us, things like shapeshifters and all the others out there could do whatever they like to humans as if we didn’t even matter. We may not be the top of the food chain, but that doesn’t mean we should just have to line up for the slaughter.”
As much as Cole wanted to dismiss her words, the picture she painted actually made sense to him. In a way, that bothered him more than the rest.
“So what’s a Full Blood?” he asked.
“They’re shapeshifters. Compared to Nymar, shapeshifters are pretty rare. Full Bloods are the rarest of them all. They’re the only ones that are born what they are. They’re not bitten by another shapeshifter, under any sort of curse, or affected by any number of things that can cause someone to change. They just…are.”
“Is Henry a Full Blood?”
Paige winced as if the question simply didn’t taste very good. She fixed that problem by inhaling a square of pizza and washing it down with some pop. “Honestly? I don’t know what Henry is. I’ve seen a Full Blood, plenty of Half Breeds, even a few Mongrels, but nothing like Henry. I’ve never even heard of anything that tore up and ate a Nymar like what we saw tonight.” Still contemplating that gruesome sight, Paige shook her head and picked up a prime piece of sausage that had fallen onto the dented metal serving dish that held the rest of the pizza. Suddenly, the dim lights in the place flicked on and off. “I think we’re being kicked out of here,” she said.
“You got that right,” the owner said as he stepped up to the booth with a cardboard box in his hands. “Unless you want to start working for me, I don’t want you in my place. Bad for business.”
Cole slid out of the booth, but Paige took her time before moving. Although she did inch her way to the edge of the seat, she stopped with her legs dangling over the edge. Looking up at him, she showed Greasy Apron one of her tired yet cute smirks. “We won’t be working for you,” she said, “but we could arrange to do some favors now and then if you wouldn’t mind helping us out. What’s your name?”
After a heavy pause, Greasy Apron muttered, “Just call me Manny. What kind of favors you talkin’ about?”
“You know a Nymar called Daniels?”
“Short guy with long hair and glasses?”
“That’s the one.”
Manny nodded. “Yeah. He’s the only one who orders the vegetarian special.”
“Daniels has a real good palette, and I was hoping to get his opinion on something tonight. When Gerald told me about this place, he mentioned the cook might have an even better palette.”
“That’d be me. What’s it matter to ya?” Manny asked with a sigh that reflected almost as much impatience as the recent flickering of the lights.
She dug out the bundle from the inner pocket of her jacket and unwrapped it. Handing it forward, she asked, “Think you can tell me what kind of blood that is?”
Manny took the knife from her, swiped his finger along the mostly dried, partially sticky streaks of blood along the blade, then placed his finger on his tongue as if sampling a new tomato sauce. “Shapeshifter,” he said. “Ain’t Half Breed. Too pure for Mongrel. Could be Full Blood.”
“You’re sure?”
“You asked me and I told ya,” Manny replied. “Now get out.”
Paige shrugged and took the knife back from him. “Good enough for me,” she said to Cole. “Let’s go.”
Once he and Paige were outside, Cole asked, “That’s why that knife needed to be hauled all the way back here?”
She shook her head without even trying to hide her excitement. “Nope. That just tells me what it is and what it can do. Since that knife actually cut a Full Blood, it can kill a Full Blood. Only Blood Blades can kill Full Bloods. And since these little babies only get stronger as they soak up more shapeshifter blood, this one’s ready to do some real damage. Plus, I’ve got a project of my own that’s been at a standstill until right about now.”
Cole sighed and decided to let go of the next batch of questions that filled his mind. Instead, he asked, “Weren’t you supposed to swap a license plate before we left?”
“Already on it,” Paige replied as she unlocked the trunk and searched inside. When she walked back around the car, she was holding a screwdriver and two dented Illinois license plates that were different from the ones already on the Cavalier. “This should keep any overeager cops from getting lucky and stumbling on us. Feel better now?”
“Oh yeah,” Cole droned. “This makes everything just wonderful.”