Warehouse 6

     "Oh for the sake of…shut her up, will you please?"

     The massive, hulking creature oozing the stench of brimstone and old blood stalked over to where the curvaceous blonde thrashed about on the warehouse’s dusty floor, screaming into her gag. One heavy thump of the clawed fist, and Kitty Meriwether lay still, emerald eyes closing slowly. Valentine looked over her shoulder, noting the stillness of Kitty’s form, and frowned. It was an odd expression on the doll-like face, and her powder-blue eyes were so devoid of expression they would have frightened anyone. "You had better not have killed her," she snapped, pulling a heavy, cloth-bound tome from a crate. The demon shook its head and lurched back over to the child vampire, bleary yellow eyes trying to peer at the books stacked neatly in the crate. With surprising strength, Valentine pushed the demon away, lifting a small stack of books.

     "Go stand watch. I don’t want anyone to know we’re in here. If you see any canines at all, kill them," she snapped. The demon nodded and shambled out the back door. She could hear the click and scrape of the creature’s long, yellowed claws as it began to shuffle around the perimeter of the warehouse. This demon, a mere servitor, was irritating in the stupidity and lack of initiative, but Valentine didn’t need something smart at the moment. She just needed dumb muscle. Her powder-blue gaze slid over to Kitty and became subtly calculating. Setting the books down, the child vampire walked over to stare down at her former packmate. Her gaze traced the fine features of Kitty’s face, noting the curve of her lips, the long line of her slender throat. The curves of Kitty’s body were what made Valentine’s face close into an expressionless mask.

     "Eternity as a little girl," she murmured, leaning down to stroke a small finger along Kitty’s exposed cleavage. "Do you know what it’s like being less than four feet tall for over thirty years? I was supposed to look like you," Valentine said softly, the line of her jaw showing through her baby-soft cheeks. "I was supposed to grow up. I would have been so beautiful…" The lunatic knelt beside the prone woman, her small hands trailing over Kitty’s curvaceous body with a covetousness that was disturbing to see. "I could have had this…I…" She fell silent, her small hands resting on Kitty’s hips, and her powder-blue eyes showed expression at last. A satisfaction so profound it made her tiny body tremble glowed in the depths of her gaze. "You couldn’t help me. You couldn’t fix me, any of you. But they could. And they will…just as soon as I give them you." Valentine looked down at Kitty, and stroked a fingertip over the vampire’s closed eyes.

     "Mistress."

     Valentine turned at the demon’s low growl, her eyes narrow. "Yes, what is it?"

     The creature motioned towards the alley between the warehouses. Blood ran from one of its clawed hands, and tufts of golden fur were stuck to the bone-yellow claws. "Found dog, mistress. Killed it."

     The child vampire’s eyes narrowed as she sniffed the air lightly. The scent of Garou blood was heavy in the air, redolent with adrenaline and panic, but there was something else…"Did you see a woman?"

     The demon just blinked for a moment, yellow eyes uncomprehending. Valentine growled with impatience and rose abruptly, stalking into the alleyway. Looking around for a long moment, she hissed angrily. There…the scent of wild rose and grass…

     "Thrice-damned," Valentine murmured. Honoria had been here, and if the changeling knew where they were…tomorrow night, the Rough Riders would swarm. She spun on her heel and marched back inside the warehouse, gathering up books and shoving them into the crate. "Pick up the crates and her." Pulling a small dagger from beneath the frilly skirt of her lacy blue and white dress, the child sliced open her palm and flicked blood onto the floor. Murmuring in Latin, she scratched a circle and smeared her blood about, making strange characters. The demon, easily bearing the crates and Kitty’s limp body, stepped into the circle with the Infernalist. With a flare of hellish light, smoke and the scent of brimstone wafting from the warehouse, they vanished.