Slade by Bianca D'Arc

he instructed softly.
    “No problem. I’m not too proud to admit, I need a few seconds to regroup mentally, if not physically. That clo ud was really disgusting. Slimy.” She shivered.
    “Evil,” he agreed. “Sometimes it manifests like that.” Slade shrugged.
    “You’ve seen this before?”
    He found it oddly satisfying to have surprised her for a change.
    “A few times, but not exactly in this configuration. This whole house is a new one on me.”
    “Me too,” she agreed, moving closer to him as they prepared to enter the great room.

Chapter Six

    As Kate entered the great room, the awful sight that met her eyes took breath away.
    “Sweet merciful Mother of All,” she whispered as her attention was drawn by the pulsing power of the dark circle that had been permanently inscribed in the hard wood floor. That barrier would not be easy to cross.
    Beyond it—in fact, all around the perimeter of the large room—were cages. Cages that held occupants of varying sizes and shapes. Many of them were cats. Several started mewling pitifully as she walked in, just behind Slade.
    “None of these animals are shifters, thank the Goddess,” Slade said quickly, his nose pointedly sniffing the air.
    “But they are magical. I think they’re familiars,” Kate said, walking to the closest cage and peering inside at the weak, fluffy, black and white cat that lay so forlornly within. “Valerie can help with this. She’s got a special affinity for these kinds of creatures.”
    “Kate,” Slade’s tone caught her attention. “Something’s moving inside the circle. Behind the altar.”
    Kate looked at the circle once more, realizing the small, low table, which was about the size of a small ottoman or large footstool, was what Slade accurately described as an altar. She remembered when they looked in the window, that the mage had been sitting on the floor inside the circle, facing the altar, doing something. She dreaded what she might see. For all they knew, he could have been calling demons when they interrupted him.
    “The good news is, I think the perimeter of the room is clear. The simple magic of these familiars apparently foiled wh atever attempts our guy made to work his evil outside the circle,” she said quickly. “I think we can move around the room freely. Whatever’s inside the circle won’t be able to get out until we break it, and the familiars’ energies have kept the rest of the room clear.”
    “Good .” Slade looked around as if confirming her ideas for himself. “Stay here. I’m going to go around and see what’s lurking on the other side of the altar.”
    She nodded, but he was already off, stalking silently around the room. As he went, the familiars who had the strength , rose in their cages to watch him. Many sets of feline eyes followed his progress with clear curiosity.
    He cursed under his breath as he saw whatever it was that crouched behind the small altar.
    “It’s a bear cub, and it’s bleeding,” he announced quietly. “I think the bastard was trying to fill the chalice with this little one’s blood. There’s a very ornate goblet lying on its side next to the poor thing and blood all over the floor back here.”
    “We have to help it,” Kate said without hesitation.
    “Yeah,” Slade answered, a pained expression on his face. “But first we have to get to the cub and then we have to subdue it. The little one may be weak, but it is also scared witless. And I can’t smell it or hear it. The circle must be containing everything from within. I can’t scent whether it’s a shifter or just a baby bear. We also can’t hear it and it can’t hear us. It can see me though, and it’s getting angry.”
    “Then we’d better figure out how to get to it and get the chalice.”
    “And get the hells out of here,” Slade agreed. “Any ideas?”
    “Yeah, one.”
    Kate reached into her pocket and took out the small bag of herbs and stones she usually kept with her. They were part