The Darkest Kiss (Riley Jenson Guardian 6)

"We have no choice."

He handed me a laser, then pulled the other one free from the waist of his pants. A dangerous place to shove it, I would have thought. "And help is coming?"

I glanced skyward. Two brown dots were soaring high up. I couldn't help the sliver of envy at the ease of which they did that. "Our eyes are in the sky. Iktar will be coming in around the front."

He pressed the laser's trigger lightly and the weapon whined as it charged up. "Let's go, then."

I switched my laser on, then followed him across to the building, keeping as low and as close to cover as possible. Hopefully, the roar of traffic going up and down nearby Brunswick Road would mute the sound of our steps.

With the doorway reached, I pressed my back against the grimy brick wall, feeling the chill of it seep into my spine. Beyond the smashed door, the warehouse was dark and silent. No creaks, no wind moaning through broken glass, nothing that seemed spooky or out of place.

Yet I was spooked regardless. Probably because I knew what lay in wait.

I met Kade's gaze. He held up three fingers, then pointed to the left. I nodded and silently counted. At three, I slipped in the doorway, laser raised and held at the ready as my gaze swept the room.

Silence met me. The air was thick with the scent of oil and age, the walls grimy and slick looking. The room itself was filled with shadows, despite the light filtering in through dirty windows. Perfect conditions for a black cat who wanted to remain unseen.

There was a concrete ramp to my left and a walkway that went up and around the room. Several doorways led off into deeper darkness from this. To the right was a set of high double doors. They were solid looking and padlocked, so the bakeneko hadn't gone that way.

I glanced back at Kade and motioned him in. He moved to the right, nostrils flaring as he made a sweeping motion with the gun.

"She knows we're here."

Though he kept his voice to a whisper, his words seemed to slide off the walls as sharply as a bell being rung. Or maybe it just seemed that way because I was so damn tense.

"I can sense amusement coming from the general direction of door number two."

"I would have thought she'd be angry more than amused."

"Well, a human probably would be, but this thing isn't human."

Very true. I blew out a breath, then quickly moved up the ramp and across to the first doorway. The deeper darkness looked unwelcoming. Despite the fact that Kade had sensed amusement coming from the direction of the other doorway, the smell of cat was coming thick and sharp from this one. Maybe the two corridors were linked farther in.

Maybe it was all part of the bakeneko's plan. After all, cats delighted in toying with their prey.

Kade halted beside me. I motioned toward the door and gave the low signal. He nodded.

I blinked to switch my vision to infrared, then went in fast and low. Nothing moved in the corridor. Several doors led off it, but all of them were closed. A set of double doors waited at the far end. I centered my laser on it, then nodded a go-ahead.

Kade came in and moved quickly but quietly to the first doorway. With his back to the wall and laser at the ready, he wrapped his free hand around the handle then thrust the door open. Nothing jumped out at him. He checked the room visually, then glanced at me and shook his head.

I scampered to the next doorway and repeated his actions while he watched the double doors. There was nothing in the small room but rubbish and broken furniture. The other two remaining rooms were also empty.

Which left us with the double doors and whatever lay beyond them.

The cat smell was no sharper than before, and yet my skin tingled with awareness of her presence. Maybe it was fear, maybe it was my clairvoyance trying to send me a warning I really didn't need, but either way, we had no choice but to continue on through our chosen route.

I glanced at Kade and half-motioned that I'd go through first, but froze as footsteps whispered across the silence.

Human footsteps, moving gently away.

Then laughter, soft and mocking.

The bitch definitely knew we were here.

I stepped forward and kicked the door open. On the other side, nothing but the darkness of a large room was revealed. I waited until the door had whooshed back toward us, then dove through the opening, coming back up onto one knee and quickly scanning the room. No bakeneko. Just her scent riding the heavy, musty air.

"She's definitely playing," I said softly, as Kade came through the door.