?A few hours earlier, the atmosphere in Kim’s living room was thick enough to choke a predator. The "Republican Werewolf Lesbian Club"—and Adam—were staring at the cold remains of a hard-fought pizza, the grease congealing like the dread in their stomachs.

  ?“The second cave is real,” Kim said, her voice changing as she returned to human form. While putting her sweats on that she had left on the back of the living room chair. Sarah stayed a wolf. “And it’s impossible to even get close to. There’s a barrier. It’s like hitting a wall made of static and old graveyard dirt.”

  ?“Really?” Macy said, a half-grin flickering on her face, though her eyes remained sharp. “So the hard part of our week isn't over. I was worried I’d have to go back to worrying about my GPA.”

  ?“We need a priest,” Kim stated flatly. “Or anyone who’s ordained. The barrier... Sarah said the barrier operates on a kind specific frequency. Only Something holy, or unholy, can get close.”

  ?Macy didn't miss a beat. “Don't we lure them with little boys? Then we can get a little of both?” Kim cracked a half smile.

  ?“It just has to be an ordained man,” Kim corrected, ignoring the jab at priests. “Someone who’s taken vows. Someone who has a claim on the job.”

  ?“It doesn’t have to be a man,” a weak, reedy voice rasped from the hallway.

  ?Kim and Sarah spun instantly. Their lips peeled back, low growls vibrating in their chests before they could even think to suppress them. Standing in the shadows was Jill. She looked less like a human and more like a sketch of one—hollow-cheeked, pale as bone, and trembling with a feverish intensity.

  ?“Yeah, so that happened,” Macy said, waving a hand toward the wounded woman. “We were gonna get to it, but here we are. Surprise.”

  ?Kim’s growl died out, followed slowly by Sarah’s. The air in the room shifted from heavy to hostile. “Why are you here, Jill?” Kim asked.

  ?“I tried to warn Thomas,” Jill said, clutching a chair for support. Shannon moved instinctively, guiding the still very recovering woman toward an armchair. Jill sank into it like she was made of lead. “I was too weak. When I was finally able to walk, I snuck out of the hospital. I can come with you. I can get the barrier down.”

  “I'm will that make you the holy or unholy person required?” Kim asked her tone dangerous..

  "It's about the office. Not the person. You have to imagine demon magic like it was written by a bunch of lawyers. They all have power assigned to them at their creation. And they can use it within certainly guidlines. For Inanna anyone with a spiritual office can pass through her barriers. No matter how flawed a representative of that office that person happens to be.” Saying those words clearly came at a cost to Jill.

  “Even if we could take you You don't understand the geography of this nightmare. The land scare getting their would be a lot for you at your best.”

  ?“And she can’t even get to the couch without a heart murmur,” Macy remarked. “If we’re going monster-hunting, I’d like us to explore our options to.”

  “Father Jeffery is an option.” Kim said. “He’s also like a million years old. I don't think that puts us in a better spot.”

  ?“Any ordained person will do,” Jill interrupted, her eyes locking onto Kim’s. “But they have to know what they are looking at. They have to understand the desecration. Again their are rules.”

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  ?“My Dad’s ordained,” Shannon offered quietly.

  ?Jill let out a dry, hacking laugh. “Is your father willing to escort two werewolves and a group of heavily armed teenagers into the woods to destroy a demon’s tomb? Does he have the stomach to see the world behind the veil?” She looked directly at Sarah. “Your mother and Thomas are off to fight the creature that made the thing you killed. They will fail. Even your father will fail, child. Inanna will drain them of their life force. She will use their ancient blood to anchor herself here forever. Unless we destroy that sarcophagus while we are able!”

  ?The room went cold. Sarah’s eyes flared a vivid, predatory amber.

  ?“What is the body?” Adam asked, his voice steadying.

  ?“Inanna’s original Avatar,” Jill explained, her voice straining. “The sarcophagus in that cave is the seat of her power. Her current form—the thing that looks like Annie—cannot die unless that original vessel is destroyed. It's why she keeps two. One tortured and mostly dead. The other young and welding the power the other stores. It keeps her safe. You children are the second front of a war you didn't even know was happening.”

  ?“Am I gonna need another grenade?” Macy asked, her tone a mix of humour and seriousness.

  ?“That’s scary!” Shannon told her, her eyes wide. “Maybe not as scary as a demon goddess thing, but on par.”

  ?“Children,” Jill barked, the authority of a Knight momentarily flashing through her exhaustion. “It’s not banter time. It’s save-the-world time. It’s save-your-parents time. It’s save-my-friend time.”

  ?Kim stood tall, the Alpha energy rolling off her in waves. “How do we destroy it?”

  ?“The magic holding you back doesn't work on rightly ordained ministers,” Jill said. “Or on consecrated ground. If I get close, I can desecrate the area enough to break the charm. Then... then you or Sarah can do what you were born to do. You break the body. You end the cycle.”

  ?“I’ll get the guns!” Macy blurted out, her face lighting up with a manic sort of joy. “There! I said it! I finally got to say it!” She stuck her tongue out at Kim, then turned back to Jill with a wink. “There’s always time for banter!”

  ?Macy did indeed get the guns, though she showed a rare bit of restraint this time, much to Shannon’s visible relief. As they drove toward the trailhead, the Colorado forest blurred past the windows in shades of bruised purple and deep green. The light rain hitting the windows sounded almost like frying bacon.

  ?“Jill isn't gonna make it to those caves,” Shannon whispered to Macy.

  ?“Couldn't we carry her?” Macy asked.

  ?Shannon gave her a look. “How do we carry her without her falling apart?”

  ?“Kim and Sarah have super strength, remember? Wolf-power,” Macy shrugged.

  ?Shannon sighed, looking out the window. “It’s just that... Tom called me last night and...”

  ?“Wait, Tom? The football Tom?” Macy’s eyebrows shot up. “I thought we were... Are we going to have to change our group name?”

  ?Shannon laughed, a genuine, light sound amidst the tension. “Let’s not change the name. It’ll just be something else to explain to Sarah. It wasn't that kind of call, anyway. He and the guys... they want in. That monster destroyed us, Macy. It killed our friend and made us into things we hated. They want to help.”

  ?After a brief, tense discussion at the trailhead, Kim agreed. Tom and a few of the football players would help Jill. Kim didn't trust them with the guns, but she trusted their need for penance.

  ?The trek through the thick Colorado forest was steady and silent. The weight of the task at hand was heavy on all of them. Kim stayed human to keep her head clear, and avoid anymore people the absolutely necessary knowing what she was. Sarah remained a large, silent grey wolf, she ran ahead scouting the perimeter. Only Macy and Adam carried heat this time—Adam with a Glock, and Macy with her beloved AR-15.

  They had to ver off the trail to reach the mouth of the cave, the air grew unnaturally cold. The smell of ozone and rot was overwhelming. Jill had to walk the final stretch alone. Tom and his friends stood guard at the entrance with Macy and Adam, their faces grim, while the rest waited with Shannon back at the car.

  ?Kim and Sarah went as far as the invisible wall would allow. When the static began to bite at their skin, Jill stepped forward. She began a low, rhythmic prayer, her voice gaining strength with every syllable.

  ?Kim shifted.

  ?In the oppressive blackness of the cave, she didn't become a girl; she became a great Arctic wolf, her white fur shimmering like a ghost. Sarah stood beside her, a dark shadow to her light. They watched helplessly as the frail woman they had once hated made her way toward the golden sarcophagus, her small, solitary light flickering against the ancient dark.

  ?Jill reached the edge of the dais, her hands trembling as she prepared to break the charm that had held for millennia.