"Hey, Sam," Alex said, looking at the woman. Her headphones were hanging around her neck, and her arms were crossed. "Marion has been saying I should bind more demons before it's dark. Are you coming with me?"

  She shrugged. "Yeah, why not? I think I actually should keep an eye on you."

  "Or what? Are you busy?"

  "To be honest, I'd rather be out there with you," she replied, looking down. "In case I need to save your ass, you know."

  "Don't feel any pressure. I caught a break; you didn't."

  "I'm alright," she said. "Monster Energy can do magic, though."

  Alex chuckled. "We have that in common, then. Alright then, least I can do is pass you a cold one from my fridge."

  "A toast it is, then," she added. "But seriously. Marion is right. I know it's dreary and stuff, but you're basically multiplying our force."

  A voice suddenly echoed behind them—accented, haughty, and recognizable to both.

  "Are you planning on going out on a hunt without me?"

  Tyger Tyger walked across the table like a fat kitty with exotic fur, tail flapping. Alex couldn't get used to that.

  "Or," he added, "do you two want some time alone? Because if so, I won't bother."

  "No, we could actually do with some more support. If shit hits the fan, you know."

  "Yeah, I don't mind," Alex said. "And it may keep you from eating all my steak."

  Tyger snickered, his tail flapping as if in annoyance. "If your behavior is consistently good, I... will let you have some."

  Tyger leapt onto Alex's shoulders.

  Alex felt Fenrir come from him. But in the meantime, Alex rushed back to his apartment and pulled two cans from the fridge—the last two left.

  Fenrir padded out of the room toward him, and Alex instinctively got down on his haunches and began petting the wolf's jaw. He didn't seem as wild and frightening as before, at least to him.

  "You're seriously petting that thing?" Samantha said, stepping into the living room.

  "He actually likes it. He's been through a lot, you know. Got hurt last night, and... I can feel whatever he's feeling."

  "If you say so," Samantha mumbled, crossing her arms.

  "And no one thinks of petting me," Tyger added. "I am getting jealous."

  "You're a grown man," Samantha said. "That's gross."

  "Weren't you the one who called me cute the other day?"

  She cleared her throat. "That doesn't take away from the fact that you're a grown man."

  "You must admit. I am... beautiful. And... I am physically a tiger, anyway; I have no interest in... female humans, beyond a merely platonic interest."

  Alex raised an eyebrow.

  "That means you're into... female tigers?"

  "I'd rather not speak on the subject. All I can say is that my body is fully Tyger, although of the demonic persuasion."

  "Okay, then," Alex said, then cleared his throat. "Alright, people. It's gonna get dark soon. We better get going."

  They walked down the stairs, exited the city block, and climbed the barricade. Outside, the street was quieter than before.

  "So," Alex said, looking at Samantha. "The streets are almost empty. I think I can still feel the monsters somewhere. Or smell them. But... it was teeming with demons just days ago."

  "Like Marion says, it seems suspicious."

  "Have you seen anything in visions?"

  "Certain things. We do have a big battle ahead. Maybe tonight, maybe tomorrow."

  Fenrir ranged ahead, sniffing the air for threats. Jason felt tension through their connection.

  "Any idea what you want to bind?" Samantha asked.

  "I... don't want a shoggoth, that's for sure. I may have aesthetic preferences."

  "Completely understandable," she replied.

  "So morphs it is," Tyger added. "Excellent choice. Much more reliable than trying to control shoggoths. Those things are pure evil given flesh; nothing animal left in them."

  Alex followed his instincts, guiding him across the empty streets. Noises in the alley proved that he was on the right track.

  They turned at the scrape of claws on bricks, next to a pizzeria with broken windows, a bulky furry figure scavenging a trash bin. It faced them, as tall as a pit bull at the shoulder, its frame compact and heavy. It lifted its head and fixed its gaze on them, raccoon features stretched across a massive skull, oversized fangs jutting out of its snout, tail with ringed gray and black patterns behind.

  Dark residue clung to its fur in thick streaks, seeping between the hairs and dripping onto the concrete. It hissed and opened its mouth, jaw spreading far past anything natural, rows of thin fangs packed tight.

  MORPH (RACCOON-BASE)HP: 85/85

  "Alright, buddy," Alex said, bracing himself. "This is only gonna hurt a little."

  The creature hissed, a sound like steam escaping from a cracked pipe, and lunged as fast as a bullet, oversized claws and open fangs.

  Fenrir intercepted it, his jaws clamping around the creature's belly. The morph shrieked and thrashed, claws raking across Fenrir's face, drawing black blood. But Fenrir held firm, pinning it to the ground.

  If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  [MORPH HP: 35/85]

  Alexander moved in, dropping to one knee beside the struggling creature. It snapped at him, those rings of teeth trying to bite his arm. He dodged a bite and pressed his hand against its skull.

  "Gohia od graa nazpsad," he shouted, picturing the sigil in his mind. "Pidiai coraxo. Zodakara eka."

  Chains of green light snapped around the creature. Its struggles intensified, instinct screaming against the binding, against the loss of autonomy. Alexander could feel its resistance, a wild animal's panic magnified by demonic influence.

  "Submit!" he commanded, pushing more mana into the binding. His reserves dropped immediately.

  [MP: 210/300]

  The creature's movements slowed. Its eyes fixed on him, red light dimming to orange, then yellow.

  ENTITY BOUND: RACCOON MORPH

  SLOTS USED: 2/5

  Fenrir's jaws loosened, letting go. The creature shook itself, then sat back on its haunches, regarding Alexander with those mismatched eyes. It tilted its head, almost curious now that the panic had faded.

  "Bandit," Alexander said, naming it. "You're mine."

  "Seriously?" Samantha asked, raising an eyebrow. "Bandit?"

  "Yeah, cool, isn't it?"

  Samantha cocked her head. "It's corny as hell."

  The raccoon morph chittered. Suddenly, it made a creaky noise that almost sounded like the word bandit.

  Alex blinked in surprise.

  "He can talk?"

  Alex's eyes swung toward Samantha.

  "Morphs can talk?" he asked.

  "I... have never seen such a thing."

  "I do..." Tyger added. "I think it's likely. This one doesn't seem to be intelligent enough to articulate. I am a morph, but I am a human soul in a demon morph body. There are many variations, as far as I know. Not that I am an erudite on the subject."

  Alex scratched his chin.

  "Okay, interesting."

  Bandit's consciousness touched his own through the binding. Not as unruly as Fenrir's at first, but present. He could feel its hunger, its confusion, but also its acceptance.

  He pulled a bag of beef jerky from his pocket and tossed one at Bandit. The creature snatched it quickly with its paws and ate it in an instant.

  Alex smiled, then he threw one at Fenrir too. The wolf morph caught it and swallowed quickly, then settled, sitting still, as if expecting another treat.

  "I guess I need to get more food for you. Alright guys, let's go. We have an hour or so before we've got to get back."

  They walked carefully through the ruined streets, searching. They passed two shoggoths lurking in the shadows of a collapsed storefront. The things barely looked like anything, just masses of writhing flesh with too many mouths and limbs that bent in impossible directions. Pure corruption given form.

  Alexander gave the shoggoths a wide berth. He wanted morphs. Animals that had been corrupted but still retained some of their original nature. Those he could work with. Those he could trust, at least as much as you could trust any demon.

  They found another morph three blocks south, prowling through the skeletal remains of a parking garage. This one had been a fox originally. You could still see the basic shape, the pointed ears, the bushy tail. But corruption had enlarged it to the size of a cheetah. Its fur was patchy, revealing scales underneath that gleamed like oil slicks. Six eyes instead of two, arranged in two rows. Its muzzle was elongated, filled with teeth that looked more like broken—

  FOX-MORPHHP: 90/90

  "That one," Alexander said. "Fox base. Should be fast, good for scouting."

  The fox-morph noticed them and lowered into a crouch, all six eyes fixed on Alexander's group, calculating odds.

  It seemed to be more intelligent than Bandit.

  "Careful," Samantha warned. "It's thinking."

  The morph feinted left, testing their reactions. Fenrir shifted to cut it off. The fox changed direction instantly, trying to break past Bandit instead.

  But Bandit was faster than he looked. The raccoon-morph intercepted it, the two creatures colliding in a tangle of claws and snapping jaws. They rolled across the concrete, shrieking.

  Fenrir moved in while they were locked together, his larger form overwhelming the fox. His jaws closed around its neck, just behind the skull, and squeezed. Alex sent a signal for the wolf to be gentle, not hard enough to kill, but enough to paralyze it with pain and fear.

  The fox-morph went limp, submitting to the stronger predator.

  "Good," Alexander said, moving in quickly. "Hold it just like that."

  He grabbed the creature's head, feeling its rapid heartbeat against his palms. It whined, making a dog-like sound, almost familiar enough to trigger sympathy.

  He pushed that aside. This thing would kill him given the chance.

  "Gohia od graa nazpsad!" Alexander shouted. "Pidiai coraxo! Zodakara eka! Zamaran!"

  The fox fought him harder than Bandit had. More demon corruption meant more resistance, more will to break. It thrashed in Fenrir's grip, those six eyes rolling wildly, jaws snapping at empty air.

  His mana plummeted.

  [MP: 75/300]

  "Submit to me!" Alexander commanded, pouring more power into the binding. "You are mine! Your will is mine! Obey!"

  The fox's struggles reached a crescendo, jaw snapping, muscles twisting.

  Until they suddenly ceased. All six eyes fixed on him, glowing with a dim amber light. He felt the binding snap into place, still tense and unruly. This one had more demon in it, which meant more careful control would be needed.

  ENTITY BOUND

  TYPE: MORPH (FOX-BASE)SLOTS USED: 3/5

  Fenrir released the creature. The fox stood shakily, then shook itself like a dog after a bath. It looked up at Alexander and made a soft yipping sound, almost like a normal fox.

  Then it sat, tail curling around its paws, waiting for commands.

  "Not bad," Tyger said. "That one will be useful. Just watch it around food. Foxes are notorious thieves, and that instinct survives corruption."

  "Shit, and that's coming from you." Alexander swayed, exhaustion and mana depletion catching up to him. His head throbbed with each heartbeat. "Name... any idea, Samantha?"

  "No corny names, please," she said.

  "Robin Hood?"

  She sighed in exasperation.

  "Zorro," Alex decided. "Fox in Spanish and kind of badass."

  "If you call it that."

  Samantha was at his elbow instantly, steadying him. "That's enough. We're done. You're at a quarter mana and you look like death warmed over."

  "I feel like it too."

  "Then let's get you back before something big notices us." She guided him toward the street, keeping one hand under his arm. "Can you walk?"

  "I can walk."

  He could, barely. His three hunters followed in formation: Fenrir taking point, Bandit ranging to the sides with quick movements, and Zorro bringing up the rear with that fox-like gait. He was a bit more freaky-looking with those eyes, but still kind of endearing.

  They made it two blocks before Alexander had to stop and lean against a wall. His mana was regenerating, slowly climbing to 77, but his body felt like it had been beaten with hammers.

  "Binding takes it out of you," Tyger Tyger said, sitting beside him in his smallest form. "You're breaking a will and making it yours. Exhausting work, that."

  "I can feel that, thank you."

  "Would it have stopped you?"

  "No."

  "Then why warn you?" The tiger's tail flicked. "You have three hunters now. A proper pack. Your wolf for strength and leadership, Bandit for speed and adaptability, and Zorro for cunning and reconnaissance. That's a solid foundation."

  They reached the gym as Alexander's mana climbed to 85. Sandra met them at the door, took one look at Alexander's pale face, and immediately pushed a protein bar and water into his hands.

  "You need this. You look terrible."

  "I feel even worse. Thanks."

  "Because it's true." She cocked her head, looking at the creatures. "So two more, huh?"

  "Raccoon morph and fox morph." Alexander bit into the protein bar. It tasted like cardboard, but his body craved the calories.

  "They retain their personalities when you bind them like this. More will to control." Sandra watched Zorro, who was now sniffing around the gym's perimeter. "That fox especially. Look at how it's checking everything. Still has its original intelligence."

  Bandit, meanwhile, had found Sofia. The little girl was initially terrified of the creature, but when it made a chirping sound, she slowly extended her hand. Bandit sniffed her fingers, then allowed her to pet its matted fur.

  "Brave kid," Samantha said.

  "Foolish kid," Sandra mumbled, but she didn't pull Sofia away. "But I suppose if Alexander trusts these things..."

  "I bound them," Alexander said. "They literally cannot disobey me."

  He hoped that was true. The binding felt solid, but he'd need to test its limits carefully. Learn what commands worked best, what loopholes might exist.

  Thomas appeared from upstairs, saw the new hunters, and nodded approvingly. "Good choices. Marion wants to see you. She's getting worse. Faster than we expected."

  Alexander set his jaw. He handed the remainder of the protein bar to Bandit, who devoured it in two bites, and headed for the stairs.

  Suddenly, he heard a gasp. Samantha's face had gone pale, her jaw locked. She swayed and then braced a hand against the wall.

  "What is it?" he asked.

  She looked at him, eyes wide, breath short. "They're coming," she said. "Tonight. He is coming."

  "Who?"

  "A demon... a powerful demon... a Duke of the East."