"We have a code black on Seventh Avenue."

Lisa did not wait for the dispatcher to finish. She leapt out of the van, triggering the Change with just a thought. It was instantaneous, the transformation from woman to beast, without pain or pleasure. Her massive padded paws hit the asphalt in motion, skidding for only a second as she used the momentum to make a half-turn and set herself right. She was chasing after the van now, easily catching up with it in a few strides. The top of her ears could have easily skimmed the side mirrors as she ran beside it. She looked up at the driver within as they approached a junction, and he stabbed a thumb to the right.

Lisa growled and veered right, pounding down the middle of the street at full speed. At this time of the night with the human curfew in place on this side of Kespen, no cars were moving about. Only the supernatural were brave enough to roam the streets here, and only a few owned cars, so no one really gave a second look to the grey-furred werewolf running through the street. She slowed down just as she reached Seventh Avenue to sniff the air. Demons had a unique foul smell compared to the other supernaturals, and only one had been through here. Lisa continued at a slower pace, nose to the ground, as she followed a trail only she could see through alleys and snow-covered streets.

Until it disappeared without a trace.

She reversed the Change smoothly, caramel eyes still fixed on the spot where the scent trail ended. The van she had been in earlier pulled up onto the street a few minutes later, and she got changed back into her clothes in the back.

"Another bust?" The driver, Luiz asked.

"Yup," Lisa replied. " Just like before. It's like it was there one moment and the next it disappeared. If only I was faster..."

"You were plenty fast, Vasilisa," he encouraged.

"Your partner called while you were out," he told her as she shimmied back into the front seat.

"Roman? What'd he say?"

"There's been another attack," he replied darkly.

"Fuck."

It didn't take long to get to the location.

The red and blue lights from a police car flashed, casting unsettling shadows on the pale and frightened faces of onlookers and the nearby houses. Neighbours, wrapped in warm jackets and robes, stood silently in their windows, too afraid to venture outside.

Several streetlamps flickered along the street, positioned every two houses, emitting a sickly yellow glow that illuminated the pristine area. There was no litter, not even a single leaf in the gutters. This neighbourhood should have been a picture of contented suburbia, but lately, it was becoming apparent that it wasn't as perfect as it seemed.

The crime scene house was a large, grey, two-story building with large windows protruding from the black-tiled roof. Behind the house, Lisa could see dark stands of trees and shadowy bushes. The apartment was on a block big enough for two homes. It was a nice area, if you could afford it.

"Wow, Roman, what on earth happened here?" Lisa whispered softly as she approached the one person she knew who stood outside the yellow and black crime scene tape. She observed several other officers rushing out of the building and around the corner, which was followed by the sound of them retching. Soon after, gurneys carrying black rubber body bags were brought out. She averted her gaze from the dark disturbing shapes.

Roman, who took the role of her vampire police partner, stood beside Lisa, looking grim and motionless. His mouth was a tight line, and his blue eyes constantly scanned the surroundings, as if anticipating some horror to suddenly appear. Even his broad shoulders were hunched, not just against the cold night air. It took a lot to put that look on Roman's face; they had witnessed some terrible things during their time together.

"This is your area of expertise, Kirova," he said with a roughened softness, his eyes filled with anger as he looked down at Lisa. "I don't think we have the required firepower to handle this one."

He was angry. Another supernatural murder, the third this week. The High Order had set up Jupyter to handle situations like this, where some of their kind acted out of line. Humans in general had no idea about the existence of supernaturals, and Jupyter as a task force helped to enforce that ignorance. Lisa and Roman were only two of several agents spread all over the world.

"Can I go take a look?"

He nodded slowly. "Oh, yeah. Word only came in later that the killer was not human."

"Okay," Lisa whispered to herself, wiping her sweaty palms on her jeans. She mustered the courage to continue and started climbing the stairs, her heart pounding, as the scent of blood flooded her nose.

"I didn't think your kind was squeamish," one of the human officers said. Lisa remembered him as Viktor. "But here you are being skittish; I thought your kind revelled in this kind of stuff." Viktor nudged her through the front door, which got him a sharp look from Roman and he backed off, hands raised. He was one of the select few human agents Jupyter let in on the secret so they could work with the supernatural agents. He was tough, but Roman was tougher.

When they entered the first children's bedroom, they were greeted by a disturbing scene. The room was splattered with blood, and the brightly-coloured furniture was shattered and strewn about. The mattresses were marked with large, dark stains where the bedclothes had been taken away. Lisa guessed that the police had confiscated the sheets and other items they considered important.

Next to the small bed, there were five deep gashes on the wall. These marks were made by long, curved claws that had gouged the plaster. Lisa ran her fingers along each gash, realizing that the claws responsible for this were bigger than even hers in wolf form. A chill ran down her spine, and she felt her breath leave her lungs. Her hands trembled as she tried to suppress the overwhelming fear in her throat. The brutality and intense anger displayed here shocked her to the core, terrifying her to the depths of her being. It was one of the few times Lisa wished she could turn off the uncanny affinity werewolves had for dark emotions.

A demon had come somewhere close to this location, but this was too much damage to have been done by one. This being, whatever it might be, was immense, savage, and powerful—potentially even more powerful than Lisa herself. There weren't many creatures that fit into that tier.

"Well?" Roman asked as they stepped outside into the cold night.

"What?" Renne asked without looking at him.

"Got an idea of what kind of monster we're dealing with?"

"No," Lisa replied and started walking back towards the parked van. Roman followed.

"What do you mean 'no'?"

"No, as in I don't have a clue." Lisa stopped walking. "Okay, not true. It's something with claws, probably a rare kind of shifter, but I don't think you needed me to know that."

"It takes one monster to recognize another," Viktor interrupted, causing Lisa to startle. She didn't bother turning around; she knew he was in a malicious and cruel mood, seeking the reaction he desired. She couldn't blame him, especially when innocent children were the victims.

"Not all monsters are easily recognizable, Viktor. Some hide behind the facade of ordinary humans," Lisa told him, and then she then climbed into the open door of the van before he could reply, and left.