Kiss The Night Goodbye (Nikki & Michael 4)

"So did you.” She carefully wiped away the smear of blood from his chin. “Are you hurt anywhere else?"

"My back.” He shrugged. “Nothing major."

She gave him a deadpan look. “I saw your version of nothing major with your shoulder. Turn around."

"I do not think this is the time or—"

"If you'd just stop arguing about everything and do as I ask, it would have been over with hours ago."

"As usual, you exaggerate.” Amusement gleamed in his dark eyes as he turned around. His shirt was crisscrossed with tears, revealing bloody skin underneath. Nothing deep, as he'd said, but some of the cuts did go through the runes on his back, slicing them apart. Was that why he'd been able to read her thoughts? Was one of the cut sections responsible for the shut down of the link between them?

"You're right. There's nothing here that won't wait until later."

"Maybe next time you'll believe me."

"Not when you have a history of understating wounds." She looked past him. The black rocks were no longer in an orderly circle. Of the eight that had been present, she could see only six. Hopefully, the explosion had blown up the other two. Hopefully, it meant Dunleavy wouldn't be reusing this sacrifice site anytime soon.

She glanced at the roof, this time following the dripping water until she found the source. A fissure had opened up near the southern end of the circle, and the water was pouring steadily from that, washing across the star etched into the rock, bathing away the barely congealed blood. Though she doubted it would ever erase the deeper, darker stains.

Little rivulets of moisture were beginning to work their way towards her. She pushed to her feet, glad of Michael's support as the cavern spun briefly around her.

"I don't think Dunleavy will be able to use this place again,” she commented. “The water will make it too difficult."

He nodded. “I dare say he has other places ready to go."

"Yeah.” She dusted off her palms on her skirt. “And if they're anything like this, we'd better try to find them."

He raised an eyebrow. “And what of the two sacrifices you were told to halt?"

"I'm beginning to think they were merely a means to keep me occupied and off the trail."

"Believe me, Dunleavy will kill those people if he said he will."

"I know. But I think we're better off trying to find the source of all his power—and destroying it—rather than running around trying to figure out who is next on his hit list.” After all, they were probably all on his hit list. She was certainly under no illusion that he'd let her and Michael go.

"We could spend days searching through these tunnels,” he said. “It's literally a maze down here." And they didn't have days. Only hours. Forty seven of them to be precise. They had to narrow the search area down. “Where is this cavern in relation to the town?" He hesitated. “Somewhere near the eastern edge."

Meaning that they'd ended up heading away from the Standard mine rather than towards it. “So, if the Standard mine is west, and we know for certain there's a sacrifice circle there—"

"We haven't actually seen it, so you can't say that for sure."

"Yes, we can.” Her gaze met his. “He's using compass points."

"If the magic being used is as large as you say, he'd probably have to. I doubt whether he'd be able to feed it all from one central point."

She raised an eyebrow. “You think there's a central point as well?" "We've already found it. The roof of the whorehouse." She closed her eyes and fought the rush of memories, although the man on the roof had died a cleaner death than the woman here. “Would they use it again? They surely must know we've discovered it.”

Hadn't that been the whole point in the first place?

"I think they'll have no choice. Dunleavy probably figures we have enough keeping us occupied to be keeping a close watch on that roof."

And in reality, he'd be right. “If this place is the maze you say it is, then it might be better if you search alone. Once you find something, you can come back for me."

"I don't fancy leaving you alone, after what I discovered in Kinnard's hole." She raised an eyebrow and mentally asked, Why?

Energy stirred the air, and his gaze narrowed in sudden concentration. Fighting the spell, Nikki thought. Fighting the commands being placed on him.

Because it seems Kinnard has taken quite a fancy to you. He answered her question through the link without even seeming to realize he'd done so. Nor did he seem to realize he'd basically recognized that she was the women in the photos and not the woman whose image she still wore. And though she felt like dancing at the breakthrough, she controlled the urge. There was still a ways to go yet before he was totally free of the effect of the runes. And until he was, she had to play it carefully. They couldn't afford to have Dunleavy realize she wasn't Seline.