Shinobi gathered his ninja werewolves together. “Men, we’re about to have company. Don’t shift to wolf form immediately. I want them to think they got here in time. We’ll shift to attack once the melee is underway.”
The werewolf ninja nodded. They folded into the lines of other warriors, and as they were all dressed the same, it was impossible to tell which were now capable of the change.
Shinobi smiled at me. “Are you with us now?”
“There has to be a better way to handle this,” I said.
“When Nori and his team enter, their number one priority is going to be to kill Ichiro. They don’t want us to have their ability to shift.”
“Bit late for that,” I said.
“Indeed, but they don’t know that, so they’re going to try to kill Ichiro. Nothing else will matter to them.”
“I have a better idea,” I said. “Come with me.”
I walked to the doors.
He didn’t come with me.
“Let’s see if we can handle this without any more bloodshed. Get the door.”
Reluctantly, he walked over, opened the door and started to follow me out. He glanced back at his men. “Be prepared for battle in case I don’t return.”
Shinobi and I stood in the hallway and waited. We didn’t have to wait long before Nori, Takeshi, Amanda and the others came around the corner. The samurai all had swords at the ready.
I gave them a nod. “Hello, everyone,” I said.
“Where’s Ichiro?” Nori asked.
“She betrayed us,” Takeshi said.
Amanda shot me a WTF look. Shintaro, Pat, and the rest looked to Nori for leadership, so when he stopped a few yards away, they stopped too.
“Where is he?” Nori asked.
“We’ll get to that,” I said. “What we’re going to do right now is talk this out because you neglected to mention that Shinobi here is your brother.”
“Not anymore,” Nori said.
“I hate domestics,” I said. “You’re both part of a dysfunctional family, and your lack of communication is getting people killed.”
“He kidnapped Wakumi,” Nori said.
“You hid Ichiro from him, so you’re even. Near as I can figure it, you guys developed a werewolf serum and you refused to share.”
“The partnership was severed last year,” Takeshi said. “They relinquished all rights when they parted.”
“Oh, that’s right, you’re the businessman,” I said. “What’s a life worth?”
“Depends on the life,” he said. The way he grinned made me want to slap him, but this was a negotiation, and I refused to let him bother me. There was a time when I’d have answered the way he did, right down to the grin. Oh, who am I kidding? I’d probably answer the same way now. Maybe that’s why it bothered me.
“Nori,” I said. “You and Shinobi may be estranged, but you’re still brothers. Wakumi and Ichiro didn’t ask for what happened to them, and as far as I’m concerned, they should both be allowed to live.”
“It’s all about Cho to you,” Nori said.
“This should be about family to you.”
“We’ve been more than patient,” Takeshi said.
“I wasn’t talking to you,” I said.
“We’re equals in the company, and Nori defers to me on the business front, just as I defer to him on matters of battle. This is a simple business decision. They’re trying to steal our property. But Nori and his father are too sentimental to make the clear and obvious choice.”
“Takeshi,” Nori said. “Let’s hear them out.” Nori turned his attention to Shinobi. “Will Mother agree to a merger?”
“Will Father?”
“For the sake of Ichiro and Wakumi, perhaps we should try to bring the companies back together. Will you work with me?”
“You can’t be serious,” Takeshi said.
“Look at the odds here, Takeshi. Shinobi has both Ichiro and Wakumi, and Kelly has made it clear she’s not willing to fight with us. And if she won’t fight, I don’t think Amanda will help us.”
“You got that right,” Amanda said.
“So we should try to work a deal.”
“I’m amenable to that,” Shinobi said.
Shinobi stepped forward and extended his hand.
Nori sheathed his sword and reached to accept the handshake, but Takeshi wolfed out and launched himself to the side, knocking Nori off balance. Nori hit the wall.
Takeshi drove his sword into Shinobi’s chest.
“We do not negotiate,” Takeshi said.
The samurai shifted to werewolf form and attacked all at once. I parried, and drove my blade into Shintaro. He drove forward, not caring about the pain, and tried to stab, slash and bite me.
Shinobi dropped to his knees. Takeshi swung his sword, slicing off Shinobi’s head.
“What the fuck?” Amanda said.
The samurai werewolves rushed past us. I killed Shintaro, but he slowed me down just enough to let the others pass. They burst through the doors into the cafeteria
Nori stared at Shinobi’s corpse. He met my gaze. “I don’t know what to do,” he said.
“We need to save Wakumi and Ichiro.”
“I’m with you,” Amanda said. She pulled out the pistol. “And I have six silver friends just itching to bite into werewolf hearts for dinner.”
“You’re waiting outside the door, Amanda. Shoot any werewolves who try to escape.”
She looked relieved because she wasn’t going to have enough magic to fight all those creatures.
I couldn’t wait for Nori. I raced back to the cafeteria with Amanda behind me. She cocked the hammer back on the gun, stood back and gave me a nod. I slipped inside.
The room was filled with utter madness. Ninja leapt through the air, swung swords, did acrobatic flips. Several were in werewolf form. The werewolf samurai engaged, slashing, cutting, biting.
Ichiro still hung in chains off to the side, and the doctor hid behind a small counter beside him.
When I entered the room, a ninja leapt at me. I kicked him aside. “I’m on your side, dipshit,” I said.
“Sorry,” he said as he rolled to his feet. “I’ll just attack samurai.” And he launched himself into the battle.
I worked my way over to the doctor. “I need to get Ichiro out of here.”
She nodded and handed me a key. I had to set down one of my swords to accept it.
I moved to Ichiro. He was still in werewolf form, but when I pushed on his snout, he didn’t growl. He was sleeping. The doctor hadn’t taken all that much blood. I started to put the key into the lock, but glanced over at her.
“Is he sedated?” I asked.
She nodded. “For now,” she said. “I gave him a shot of midazolam; he should be out for a few hours. My suggestion is to get him up to the mountains and get away from him before he wakes up. He’s not going to be happy.”
Like there was such a thing as a happy werewolf.
I pushed on Ichiro’s wolf face again. Not that I didn’t trust him, but I’d seen how ferocious he was. He’d damn near pulled the metal beam out of the ceiling. He still had no reaction. I touched his neck and felt a pulse, but he was completely relaxed. That also meant he’d be heavy.
“What are you waiting for?” the doctor asked. “Get him to safety.”
“Are you coming with me?”
“Where is Shinobi?”
I shook my head. “He didn’t make it.”
She glared at the fighters. “Hell no. I’m looking joining this fight.” She picked up a syringe. “Here goes nothing,” she said and jammed it into her heart.
“Doctor Werewolf, I presume,” I said.
I shook my head and unlocked the first manacle around Ichiro’s right wrist.
The heavy paw fell on my shoulder, and I saw how thick those claws were. I wouldn’t want to have those raked through my flesh. I’d heal, of course, but I’ve always wondered just how much damage I could realistically come back from. Magic has its limits.
The werewolf hung from the one manacle now. I stepped around him and reached up to unlock that one when a werewolf skidded toward me and shifted to human form. It was Takeshi. “Oh no you don’t,” he said. He shifted to werewolf form again, and I knew he only shifted so I’d know it was him.
He drove forward, growling, and I kicked him in the face. His head snapped back, and he shook it off.
I used the momentary distraction to unfasten Ichiro’s manacle. The werewolf slumped to the floor.
Takeshi tried to swing his sword at Ichiro the unconscious werewolf, but I tackled him to the ground. We rolled toward the serving line and hit the metal poles attached to the floor. Somewhere along the way, we each lost our swords. Takeshi pushed himself up, and took a swipe at me, but I flipped between the metal dividers, all the way around like an Olympic gymnast, and kicked him in the head.
I saw the swords on the floor, so I did a shoulder roll to the closest blade, grabbed it and whipped around ready to slice him in half, but three ninja jumped his ass.
I spun to watch as a hundred ninja battled five werewolves.
Swords clanged. Throwing stars whizzed through the air, sticking in werewolves and walls. Growls and grunts sounded above the punches and kicks.
A werewolf slashed through the navy blue garb of a ninja sending rivulets of red sailing into the air. The ninja fell to the floor and was trampled by more men.
The battle gave new meaning to the term hack and slash. Ninja hacked with their swords, werewolves slashed with their claws. Blood flew. People cried out in pain. Werewolves howled in a mixture of pleasure and pain.
Ichiro slumbered on the floor. I grabbed one of his wrists and started dragging him across the floor. I kept my sword in one hand, but when a werewolf moved to challenge me, two ninja grabbed him and hurled him back to the fight.
A werewolf vaulted onto the tables at the back of the room. They slid back against the wall and toppled as the beast jumped back into the fight. Tables smashed into the swarming ninja. A ninja flew through the air, crashing into the metal posts that marked the serving line. He hit the floor hard, grabbed a discarded sword and rejoined the fight.
The doctor shifted to werewolf mode and rushed into the middle of the fight, searching for another werewolf to attack. She found one in no time. The furious slashing turned the floor crimson and slick. Ninja and werewolf alike, slid through blood, making it difficult to maintain footing.
I dragged Ichiro’s wolf toward the door, and every time a samurai tried to reach me, the ninja swarmed to protect me. As I reached the doors, a werewolf vaulted toward me. He shifted to human form again. Takeshi. What a dumbass.
“You just had to show your face,” I said swinging my sword.
He had a sword, too, and blocked my attack. He smiled. “Just wanted you to know who was going to rip you apart.” He started to transform again, but the idiot couldn’t fight me and shift at the same time. His concentration was off.
I locked my katana with his sword guard. Our hands were at the same height, so I pushed my sword grip under his hand, forcing his blade up. Now he couldn’t cut me. I forced him down and moved my blade to cut his throat. It was a classic move, and had he not been shifting, it wouldn’t have been so easily accomplished.
He realized the trouble. He jumped back, releasing his sword. My blade still sliced through his flesh and fur, but it wasn’t a deadly cut as it missed the carotid artery. He put a hand to his throat.
“You shouldn’t have done that,” he said, his voice a growl.
I smiled. “Oh, I’ll do much more than that.”
He leaped at me.
I moved to the side, ready to slice right into him.
But he didn’t reach me.
Ichiro launched himself up from the floor, crashed into Takeshi, and the two werewolves hit the ground fighting. Ichiro’s wolf had been playing possum.
I waded into battle.
A werewolf samurai slashed at me, but I blocked the blow. The beast was strong and sent me sliding into a ninja. I turned away and gave a back spin kick to the werewolf’s face. I jumped into the air and slammed my boot into his mouth, kicking his fangs down his throat.
The werewolf fell backward. I stomped hard on its neck. It growled. I dropped on top of it and jammed the sides of my hands against its furry neck closing off the carotid arteries.
“Go to sleep, little werewolf,” I said. And seconds later, that’s exactly what it did.
I pushed a ninja out of the way and took on another werewolf. It rushed me, but I twisted around out of its way, and kicked it in the back of the head. It spun, growling, but I caught its right arm, turned around and snapped the arm over my shoulder at the elbow. The wolf howled in pain. I launched a side kick to its kneecap and the fight went out of it.
Vaulting over a fallen table, I kicked a werewolf in the face. I followed that up with a flurry of punches, then while it was stunned, I jammed my fingers into its eyes. It howled in pain and dropped to its knees. I kicked it in the back of the head and sent it sprawling onto the floor.
The battle raged around me. Swords bit into furry flesh. Claws raked through blue masks. Two werewolves bit and scratched each other.
A flash of energy slammed into the room, and I spun to look toward the entrance. The doors flew open and three werewolves burst into the hall.
Amanda!
I raced for the door, and slipped out into the hallway. Amanda sat with her back against the wall looking dazed.
“You okay?” I asked.
“You’re covered in blood,” she said.
“It’s not the first time.”
“True that.”
“What happened?”
“Three werewolves happened. I tried to blast them, but I didn’t have enough magic after breaking the seals to get down here. They ran that way.” She pointed down the hall.
“Seals?”
“The building has been sealed off with magic,” Amanda said. “You and Ichiro had already left before I got back from DGI so you don’t know. Four wizards are outside right now. One per side of the building. Nothing is getting in or out of here until morning. To get downstairs, I had to open and close a few of their wards.”
“We don’t have the money to pay for four wizards,” I said.
“They volunteered.”
My stomach sank. “Why?”
I was worried they knew I was here and wanted to destroy me. They’d tried before.
“They want the werewolves.”
“They have access to werewolves.”
“Not to werewolves who can control their transformations.”
“There’s more,” I said. “Isn’t there?” I knew she was going to tell me they wanted me as well.
“Yes,” she said. “They want me to work for them.”
That wasn’t what I expected to hear. “Excuse me?”
“They gave me a job. Great pay, excellent benefits.”
“I’m not sure how I feel about that.”
“Not your call.”
“We’ll talk about it later,” I said.
“Are we going after those werewolves?”
“I think it’s more important that we go rescue Wakumi.”
“Finally,” Amanda said.
“Hey, I was busy.”
“If you say so.”
“Besides, there are two ninja guarding her.”
“I’ll let you handle them,” Amanda said.
I grinned.