Zeev POV
The Arch Angel backed up in front of Sands.
"How many of you will betray Heaven? Why can't your Death Race stay True?" He screamed.
"Maybe because we see the results of your cruelty and lack of compassion daily." Sands replied sadly.
"Sacrilege!" The Angel yelled, brandishing the Sword. There was a sudden commotion behind us.
"Oh finally, they're here." Ash griped.
"They who?" Harlee whispered.
"Some of my hmm.. how shall I put this: These people belong to me? I guess that means they belong to you too." Ash replied offhandedly.
"I expect you to explain that later." Harlee hissed. Ash shrugged, but the expression on their face became wary. There was a noise behind us of many feet, and I sense the presence of about fifteen more Demons and Hybrids as they appeared. I cracked my neck. NOW we were getting to an even fight. Josh cringed and turned to look at me.
"I thought you said we could trust the Incubus." Josh hissed.
"Do you wanna die?" I shot back.
"No-"
"Then shut up." I growled. I heard the Angels across from us murmuring to themselves. They had been promised an easy kill. I shifted to my Demon Form with a wicked grin and Harlee's hand slipped from my grasp to bury itself in the feathers on my side. I shivered and shook my body to settle the thrill of her fingers and the call for blood running through me.
"This, this can't be." The Arch Angel in front of us snarled. I felt Ash shift as well. Flashy bastard still using his smoke puff transitions. Sands came to stand directly in front of Harlee, and turned slightly. He laid a hand on her shoulder. I saw her arch backward and her fingers slipped from my side. All I got from her through our link was suddenly -PAIN- I roared.
Harlee POV
Sands had been speaking to me in my mind since the small silver chain appeared. He didn't have time to cover the Contract's finer points, and we'd have to finalize it later, but when he walked over and laid a hand on my shoulder, he apologized in advance.
'I am a Messenger of Death, Harlee.' Sands' voice rang in my head. 'I am a Harbinger, a Servant, a Soldier, a Courier of Souls. But I am also a Soother, a Comfort to those in pain. I kill. I bring Death. I announce it. I ferry souls to Hell and Heaven, I comfort the living and dead. I am neither good nor evil, and work freely between the two. I cannot be swayed. Most fear me. I Decide Fates. I am now offering you my services. To protect you and aid you. To lend you power, knowledge and comfort when you need. To be your Sword when you're in danger. To tie myself to you for the rest of my existence. Do you accept?'
'Yes.' I replied, knowing he would hear me.
'Then I am truly sorry. This is going to be painful. You are already Corrupted though it's early for you yet, even though you bear only half a soul, but-there is also the Nephilim to think of. However, this little exchange of power is for your own safety. Unlike a Demon-you will not be needing to 'feed' me. Instead, I shall be the one supplying you.'
'What's the cost?' I asked skeptically.
'We'll discuss that later.' Sands replied and his hand fell heavily on my shoulder and then my mind was wiped clean of everything except the pain.
When I came to again I was on my hands and knees on the ground, panting. My body felt.. weird. I heard screaming and shouting around me and looked up to see Angels and Demons fighting. Sands was standing guard in front of me, still as a statue. No one dared touch him and there was a six foot area around him clear of battle.
"I told you Harlee, I am Death-they fear me." Sands said softly. He bent to help me up. "You should be able to shift Forms rather easily now. I fed you quite a bit of power. Do you need help with your first solo transition?" Sands asked. I suddenly realized he had basically given me the 'cheat codes' for that as well.
"No, I don't think so." I replied, extending my claws. Sands grinned.
"I knew I chose wisely." And he vanished into the battle while I reached forward and felt my body lose Form and reshape itself, limbs becoming longer, more slender and cat-like, my face too, but the rest just became a jumble of Ash and Zeev. My Corruption wasn't complete, so my Form borrowed from them. I felt the feathers sprout down my back at the same time the scales ran down my sides and stomach and I shivered. I was already running on all fours towards Zeev as swiftly as I could, before the plume of a tail burst out, followed by the feathers scattered throughout my hair. My torso elongated slightly like Ash's and running became weirder, but I still felt the hot pulse of the Nephilim and was relieved. I shook my body mid-leap to help me feel more settled in my new skin.
Josh was fighting fiercely on Zeev's back using the Sword to aim strong, damaging bolts at Angels around him. I stretched my body further and took down an Angel attacking Zeev from behind with a loud snarl.
"Harlee?!" Josh yelled and I grinned at him fiercely with my sharp teeth. The Angel beneath me was struggling to get up. I felt Zeev's presence in my mind. I nearly purred, but choked the sound back.
"You have to attack the brain so they cannot regenerate." He instructed me softly. "Harlee, I wish you would not fight." I snapped at the Angel's neck angrily with my new jaws and moaned. I had forgotten how good Angel blood tasted. I licked the blood from my muzzle, this time a purr did escape me.
"Abomination!" The Angel screamed beneath me, struggling again to break free. "I will not allow you to persevere!"
"Aw shut up." I mumbled and squeezed his head between my jaws. I felt the bones give with a sickening crunch and recoiled while the Angel screamed, but at the same time, the Angel's blood coated the inside of my mouth and out of instinct, my body clamped down harder. The Angel suddenly stopped screaming and squirming, and before I was aware of what I was doing, I was tearing off hunks of him and swallowing him down whole.
"Harlee!" Josh slid to a stop beside me. "Oh God-that's disgusting." I looked up and felt a mixture of shame, revulsion and fear on my own face before the defensiveness took over. Zeev nudged me with his big head and then swatted Josh with a wing. The purring noise escaped me again and I felt my back begin to arch. I fought my instincts, hard, as Zeev chuckled. Then he turned on Josh.
"The drive to consume them is an instinct, she can't help it." He growled at Josh, swatting him again with the wing. I looked away, embarrassed. That purr was instinctive too, seems I had lots new instincts to learn. Suddenly I felt fingers running down the feathers on my back and I automatically ducked and skittered away. Josh stood with a hand outstretched and a look of wonder on his face.
"Sorry-it's just.. Wow.." Josh said.
'So this is what you feel like when I do that?' I sent to Zeev quickly.
'Worse.' He laughed. The thing was, it was startling, and my body reacted in fear, but once I knew what it was, I wanted to turn back around and promptly offer my back to Josh and let him do it again. I was almost itching for it, and could feel the purr threatening to build in my throat again.
"Hey, you three! Stop dawdling! We could use some help over here!" Ash yelled. "Honestly.." I heard Ash muttering something else. Josh took Zeev's help in getting back atop him and we raced forward again.
Compared to Zeev and even Ash, my body was much smaller. Larger than a cheetah's, but definitely nowhere as imposing as Zeev's Demon Form when he used his size to his advantage. As a result, I was smaller and faster, and able to get into tighter spaces. I found myself zipping underneath Zeev a few times, much to his chagrin, while I cackled madly. With our link though, I could anticipate his movements like he was just another part of my body, so there was never any fear of him accidentally hurting me.
At one point, some of the Angels began using the abandoned playground equipment as defense against Zeev's and Ash's attacks. Unfortunately for them, cats are good at tight spaces. I darted under the broken playhouse and slide combo, snatching one Angel out by his leg. Ash promptly grabbed him and devoured him. I turned on a dime and dove back in again, this time pouncing one out that landed on her back. She managed to stab me and I yowled and heard Zeev's answering roar. He was there in a moment, snatching her away by the head. I shook my body and, running on instinct and the knowledge and power Sands had given me, directed the wound under my ribs to heal. I spun around and dashed back under to attack again.
Zeev POV
They were waiting for Harlee this time. I saw it through her eyes. The nest of swords and blades pointed outward. She was going too fast to stop. I screamed her name as the first two blades pierced her skin, but all she was worried about was the child. She turned her body in an effort to protect it, which only impaled her side on the blades more fiercely. I had to get to her-I had to-
I felt my own side dripping with blood.
"Zeev!" Josh yelled. "What's going on?!" I sent him a quick mental burst of Harlee's predicament and could feel him panicking. I slipped to the ground, panting and Josh was running before I made it there. I could feel his fear echoing my own. My left wrist suddenly started to burn. I closed my eyes and looked through Harlee's eyes. She was barely conscious. The Angels thought she was a goner-and honestly, she probably would have been if not for the fact that she was tied to me. I was keeping her alive-for now, taking as much of the injury on myself as I could, while trying to get her body to heal through our link. If I could just GET to her, I could do better. Josh came rushing in, but before he could do anything, the bracelet on her wrist let off a white-hot glow. Sands suddenly appeared and scooped Harlee's limp body up. He glared at the Angels.
"None of you will leave here today." He said quietly, and with that, there was a cracking sound and Ash split the playhouse in two. Harlee's eyes closed and I saw no more from her perspective.