Kissing Sin (Riley Jenson Guardian 2)

Why, I have no idea. It was pretty much obvious by the rainbow beams of light invading the office that this building was the only one who'd lost light. "Yeah, it's been cut. There's no hum coming from the fridge, Misha."

He shrugged, and turned around to face me. "Whoever or whatever it is still has to get through the Fravardin."

I glanced toward the metal door. "What kills them?"

"White ash."

And I was betting the mastermind behind this operation knew that. "Warn them, then contact the guards downstairs, see if they've been taken out."

He stared at me for a moment, his body a mass of pulsing red against the bright backdrop of city lights. Then he nodded, and moved across to the desk. "T¨¹mu, be prepared for an attack. They may have white ash, so tell everyone to be wary." He flicked another button, then added, "Security?"

No answer came. His gaze met mine. "They've been taken."

"Obviously." I slid the pack from my shoulder and took out the gun. "You have anything resembling a weapon in this office?"

"Besides teeth?" he said, baring them.

I shoved the extra rounds of bullets into my pockets, then ditched the pack. "I've got a feeling whatever is coming at us isn't going to be particularly fazed by a sharp pair of canines."

He grinned, and even from this distance I could smell his excitement. But then, he was a wolf, and when the male of our species was threatened, common sense usually flew out the window.

He pressed a button on the small console, then moved the bookcase behind him and pushed. It retracted into the wall, revealing a veritable arsenal. "I would suggest you take a laser - runt rifles are not good for close-in fighting. They take too long to reload."

I caught the one he tossed me. "Have long have you had the armory?"

"It's another of my refurbishment details."

"Don't suppose they also included a quick escape route should things go bad?"

He merely grinned. Meaning he probably did, but he wasn't going to show me unless it was absolutely necessary. "Have you got monitors on all the floors?"

"Yeah, but with the power out, they won't work."

Well, duh. I shook my head at my own stupidity. "So we just sit here and wait for whatever's coming at us to come."

"Basically, yes." He fired up the laser, and the gentle hum rode across the night, itching at my nerves.

I retreated to the pillar opposite the door, pressing my back against the cool concrete. My palms were sweaty, my heart was raising nine to the dozen. I welcomed the reaction, welcomed the fear that sat like a weight at the bottom of my stomach. Because it meant that, despite my fears, I was not yet like my brother.

The mechanical drone of a lift edged into the silence. Tension slithered through me, and my grip tightened on the laser. I glanced at Misha. "Why are the lifts working if all the power is out?"

"One lift is a fire lift - it has a separate power supply for situations like this."

"Great. Easy access for the bad guys."

"Unfortunately, yes. But it was a regulation I couldn't fight." He stood close to his arsenal, his back to the wall and a laser in either hand.

I licked my lips and turned my gaze back to the door. How strong was it? Given Misha's other refurbishments, it was probably reinforced, but would it be strong enough to keep out whatever was coming up in those lifts? Something deep inside said no, and fear rose another notch.

The mechanical drone of the lift stopped, and in the corridor beyond the door, chimes sounded, warning of the lift's arrival.

Sweat broke out across my brow, and the tension in my fingers started becoming cramps. I took a deep breath, trying to calm the nerves as I waited for something to happen.

But for the longest of moments, nothing did.

Then an unearthly roar shattered the silence, and raised the hairs on the back of my neck. With it came the sound of fighting. Heavy thumps, flesh against flesh, the grunt of pain, more roars. The very walls seem to shudder under the force of the hits they were taking. Whether those hits were from weapons or from bodies being crashed against them, I couldn't say.

A red spot appeared in the middle of the door, white in the center flaring to red at the ever-growing edges. I stepped to one side, so that if - when - that laser broke through, it wouldn't skewer me in the middle.