Kissing Sin (Riley Jenson Guardian 2)

By air? We were ten stories up, for fuck's sake...

I hung up, and swung around.

Just in time to see several blue things blast through the plate glass windows. I barely had time to scream a warning before they were flowing through the cut glass and racing toward me. I backpedalled fast, blocking blows with my forearms. My skin crawled every time I touched the slick, cold flesh of the creatures. They smelled of rotting flesh even though none of them looked to be in decay, and my stomach rolled, threatening to rebel. I swallowed, and tried to breathe through my mouth as I punched one of the blue things in the face and sent him flying back across the room.

My neck prickled a warning. I spun. A fine line of silver arced toward me. This time, it wasn't an arrowhead laced with enough elephant juice to knock me out, but a goddamn laser. I dove out of the way, hitting the floor with a grunt that sent air whooshing from my lungs. The smell of burnt leather touched the air as the beam punched through the back of the sofa.

"Here," Rhoan said sharply.

Something silver spun through the semidarkness. Not another laser beam, but a laser. I caught it left-handed and twisted around as something grabbed my ankles. A stinking blue thing had my toes in his clammy little grip and was attempting to hold me still as he raised the laser. Stupid, that's what he was. Even I knew you didn't give an opponent an even chance to fire.

I pressed the laser's trigger and fired without bothering to sight. Right now, any hit was a good hit. Light that was red and somehow angry leapt across the distance between us, slicing into flesh and bone. The creature's arm plopped to the floor beside me, the stump black and smoldering rather than bloody. The smell of burnt flesh rent the air, and I almost lost my coffee right there and then.

Fighting the tide, trying not to breathe too deeply, I kicked with my free foot, sending him flying backward. Another beam of red bit across the darkness, finishing what I'd started.

I scrambled to my feet. Another of the creatures came at me, all arms and ugly flesh. I ducked several blows, then threw one of my own. My punch landed mid-gut, but it was like hitting Jell-O. Wet, slimy Jell-O that just wobbled under the impact, absorbing without consequence.

Well, shit... The thought got no further as his fist hit my chin and the force of the blow sent me flying backward. I hit a wall with a grunt, and slid down the paintwork, briefly seeing a double of everything.

Including a flying blue thing, its teeth bared and gleaming wickedly in the darkness.

I closed my eyes, tasting the air, judging his whereabouts and closeness by scent alone, then raised the laser and fired.

There was a thud, and the smell of burned flesh rent the air, making my stomach curl. I opened my eyes. Two headless blue things wavered in and out of focus near my feet.

"Riley," Rhoan said, suddenly coming into vision. A second later his hand grabbed mine. "You all right?"

He helped me rise, and I gave a shaky nod. "Just a little dazed by a punch to the chin."

He touched the right side of my face gently. "You're going to have a bit of a bruise there."

"So kissing is out for a day or so?"

"I'd say so."

"Bugger."

He grinned. "You don't need to kiss to have a good time."

"That's so true."

"You want some ice?"

"Please." It actually hurt to talk, but I'd be damned if I'd give that up.

He squeezed my arm, then turned around and headed for the kitchen area. "The question we need answered right now," he said, over his shoulder, "is how the hell did they find us?"

It didn't seem to be aimed at anyone in particular, so I shrugged and said, "Misha?"

"I wouldn't think so. He's playing a game that's wholly his own. Which is not saying that he wouldn't betray us if it did suit him."

"And right now, it doesn't." Because of me, because of the plans he had for me.

Jack came out of a bedroom, a cut above his eye and his shirt torn. His normally merry features were cold and hard, and a good percentage of the anger gleaming in his eyes was aimed my way. "That was a fool thing to do, Riley."

I stared at him, confused. "What?"

"Arranging that meeting with Misha in the Blue Moon."