by Elle James
“Apartment 546.” I led the way to the correct door. Thankfully it was on the opposite side of the building from mine. Hopefully, whoever was ganging up on us would have their sights trained on my apartment. I stopped in front of Randi Saltmarsh’s door and knocked lightly, my body jittering, the amulet warm against my chest.
Fifteen seconds passed and no response. I raised my hand to knock again.
Blaise brushed my hand aside. “We don’t have time for this.” He twisted the handle. The door remained firmly closed. “We’ll have to break it down.” The demon backed away and leaned his shoulder forward, bracing to hit the solid wood barrier.
“Wait.” I held up my hand. “Let me try.” With one hand on the amulet and the other on the doorknob, I closed my eyes, concentrating on the locking mechanism.
The lock snicked and the knob twisted easily in my hand. “I don’t know what kind of mojo this necklace has, but it’s pretty handy. We’d better hurry. I smell dog.” I entered first, going straight for Randi’s fire escape where he’d invited me to sit and drink a glass of wine with him one night. Had he had ulterior motives, I’d have turned him down. Thankfully, Randi was gay, which made him a great bro-friend for me to hang out with. He gave me advice on girlie clothes and I enjoyed not being mauled.
Blaise’s hand on my shoulder stopped me before I pulled the curtain aside and peered at the landing. He held a finger to his lips.
The sound of feet on the metal grates of the fire escape echoed off the brick buildings lining the alley.
I nodded and edged the curtain open enough to look down.
Darkness had settled on the Manhattan alley. I couldn’t make out much through the shadows and fire escape landings until the climbing werewolf turned and started up the next flight.
My pulse hammered against my eardrums.
The werewolf was only two flights down from where we were and two columns over.
“Why the hell is he on this side of the complex?” I whispered.
“They too have super-sensitive sniffers, like you. He might have picked up your scent.” Blaise inhaled, his eyes closing briefly. “And it’s intoxicating.”
I backhanded him on his chest, my pussy clenching at his murmured words. Now was not the time to make love. Not if they wanted to live.
The werewolf made quick work of the climb, easily taking the steps two at a time.
“He stopped on the third floor.”
“Should we wait or make a run?” I tensed, ready for anything. “Or risk it since there’s only one of him and two of us?” I patted my shoulder holster. “I have my gun.”
“Make a break for it. The others will have made it to your apartment by now and could be following our trail.” Blaise stepped in front of me and unlatched the window, easing it upward.
I sucked in a deep breath and braced myself.
“Ready?” Blaise glanced at me.
My gaze met his and I nodded. “Let’s do it.”
“You go first. When you hit the ground, run as fast as you can.” Blaise lifted my hands. “If they shift into wolves, you won’t stay ahead of them long.”
Again I nodded. “I have my gun.”
“They have the numbers.” Blaise’s lips claimed mine in an intense, brief kiss, then he was lifting me out the window. “Go.”
I dropped onto the grate, the ensuing boots-on-metal sound making me cringe. If the werewolf hadn’t already pinpointed my location, he soon would.
Halfway down to the fourth floor landing, I froze.
The werewolf on the fire escape two columns over raised his face to the sky and let out a long, loud howl.
Blaise pounded down the stairs, shouting, “Go! Go! Go!”
Chapter Five
Startled out of my stupor, I continued down the stairs.
On the fire escape two over from where we were, the werewolf leaped down the steps, much more surefooted than me. With one flight head start and his speed and agility, he’d hit the ground well before we would.
Blaise pushed past me and leaped over the railing of the last landing, dropping to the pavement below. He barely had time to straighten when the werewolf plowed into his chest, knocking him flat on his back.
Leaning over the top of the landing, I pulled my gun and aimed at the demon with a huge mottled gray-black wolf bearing down on him. If I took the shot from where I was standing, the bullet could easily miss the wolf and hit the demon. I wasn’t sure demons could die from bullet wounds, but I wasn’t willing to find out. Holstering my gun, I ripped the amulet from around my neck and hung it on the railing. Then I grabbed the retractable ladder and jumped, riding the ladder to the ground, landing with a thunk that knocked me on my ass.
“Run!” Blaise grunted, shoving the wolf’s snarling snout upward. “Run, damn it!”
One thing I’d learned as a cop, you never left your partner behind. Even though he was a demon and probably perfectly capable of taking care of himself, I couldn’t run away from my responsibility to him. And I didn’t want to. He’d saved my butt on more than one occasion. And despite all my noise to the contrary, I had a thing for the demon, a fact I refused to acknowledge on a good day.
Casting a glance over my shoulder, the alley was clear. I jumped to my feet, pulled my gun and aimed.
The two on the ground, rolled and a twisted.
I couldn’t get a clear shot. Frustration mounted. Another howl filled the night air, rising above the honking taxi cabs. If we hoped to escape, I had to do something quickly. My gaze panned the immediate area, searching for anything I could use to hit the wolf. Of all the alleys I had to choose, this one was the cleanest I’d ever run across.
The wolf growled, ripping at Blaise’s leather jacket, tearing into flesh.
My heart pumped so hard, I could barely hear over the blood pounding in my ears. I had to do something...but what? I flung my hand out. “Get away from him!” I shouted.
The wolf flew to the side, hit a brick wall and bounced back onto his feet, charging straight for me. He leaped into the air.
With barely any time to react, I dropped and rolled away from my attacker. I sprang to my feet and pulled my weapon from my shoulder holster.
The wolf reared and spun toward me.
I pulled the trigger and plugged him with a silver bullet to the heart.
The werewolf jerked backward and fell to the ground. Dead.
My relief was short-lived as half a dozen wolves and men rounded the corner, bearing down on me and Blaise. I aimed my gun at the closest one.
“Who wants to be next?” I challenged, bracing my feet wide, ready to take down as many as I had silver bullets for.
Blaise lurched to his feet and stood at my side. “You don’t want to end up like your buddy.”
One of the werewolves that hadn’t shifted, stepped forward. “Give us the amulet and we’ll leave.”
I shook my head. “I don’t have it.”
“You lie.”
I pulled the linings of my pockets out of my jeans. “I don’t have it. And we called for backup.” I bluffed. “If you don’t want to stand before the Tribunal and explain yourself, I suggest you get the hell out of here.”
Their leader’s eyes narrowed. “We don’t give a damn about the Tribunal. Give us the amulet.”
Sirens wailed in the distance and I almost laughed. Talk about timing.
I stepped forward, faking a cockiness I wasn’t exactly feeling. “They’r
e coming and they’re bringing the wagon to collect your asses.”
As the sirens neared, the leader straightened. “Nicolae doesn’t give up. We’ll be back.” Then he turned and ran from the alley, his associates close behind.
Blaise and I didn’t wait around. When the sirens didn’t stop at my apartment building, the werewolves would discover they’d been tricked and be back.
“Come on.” Blaise hooked my elbow and dragged me toward the street. “Your apartment isn’t safe.”
“I can’t leave until I get the amulet.”
“I thought you were bluffing?” He turned her toward him, staring at her neck. “Where is it?”
I smiled. “Not far.”
The ladder I’d ridden to the ground had sprung back up to the landing above. “Give me a boost.”
Blaise glanced up. “It’s up there?”
“I knew that’s what they wanted. I couldn’t let them see it on me.”
The demon shook his head, a smile curling his lips. “Smart as well as beautiful.” His hands spanned my waist and he raised me high enough to snag the ladder and pull it down.
He climbed up, retrieved the amulet and tossed it down to me. “Now, let’s get the hell out of here before anything else happens.” Blaise moved out at a smart pace, heading for street.
“Where are we going?” I panted, jogging to keep up with his long strides.
“My place.”
I ground to a halt. “No way. We have to find Nicolae before anyone else gets hurt.”
“In case you haven’t noticed, I’m bleeding. I could use a fresh change of clothes and a rather large bandage.” Blaise held up the forearm he’d used to fend off the wolf. Large gashes oozed blood, dripping onto the ground.
“I thought demons were invincible.” I ripped the hem of my shirt all the way up to my midriff and wrapped the strip of material around his wound.
“We can’t stay here.”
“Okay. We’ll go to your place. But no hanky-panky.”
Blaise grinned. “I make no promises.”
I crossed my arms over my chest, more to cover the tight peaks my braless breasts made against the soft jersey fabric of the T-shirt. “Then go on without me. I have work to do.”
The sound of footsteps in the alley behind us made me jump and left my pulse pounding.
His lips firming into a thin line, Blaise grabbed my elbow and herded me down the street toward the subway entrance. We caught train heading away from the Fifth Precinct and toward Manhattan.
When we emerged at Grand Central Station, I still wasn’t convinced leaving with Blaise was a good idea. Though the sun had set, Grand Central teemed with commuters, eager to get to and from the city.
My nose twitched at anything even slightly resembling the scent of dog. Some of the people I passed carried the strong odor, but most of them hurried by, just like any other human, anxious to get home to loved ones after a long day’s work, or entering the city to attend one of the many cultural events available every day of the week.
I kept my head down and hurried though the station, feeling decidedly exposed in a sea of humanity and inhumanity. The lights and openness of the main lobby of Grand Central didn’t prepare me for stepping out on the darker streets, where people pushed along the sidewalks.
Blaise’s hand clamped on my elbow and he barreled through the masses, his gaze swinging right and left, eyes narrowed, his mouth set in a grim line.
As the crowd near the station thinned, Blaise ducked down one street after another, checking to our rear for any indication we were being followed.
I alternated between walking, jogging and skipping to keep up with the long-legged demon, wishing I had equally long legs so that matching his pace wasn’t an issue. I took care of my body and prided myself on keeping physically fit. But by the time Blaise turned down yet another deserted alleyway, I breathed like a marathon runner in the last yards of a race.
“Are we there yet?” I gasped.
“Soon.” Another glance over his shoulder and he leaned his hand on a brick wall.
She was about to pass out and Blaise hadn’t even broken a sweat, yet he leaned against the wall, apparently unconcerned by the delay.
I sucked in huge gulps of air and then spoke. “We need to keep moving. If I stop, I’ll—”
Before I could finish my demand, the wall shifted and moved inward, brick scraping against brick as a gaping door appeared in the brick’s solid face.
“Stay close.” He grabbed my hand in his and entered a dark hallway.
Like a lamb to slaughter, I followed, my mouth gaping. “I thought secret passageways were something legends were made of, not real.” As soon as I cleared the doorway, the brick wall slid into place behind me tapping my ass in the process. I jerked forward and teetered on the edge of a step, darkness gripping me like an iron fist.
“Blaise?”
“Hang on.” His hand tightened on mine and a light from an incandescent bulb dangling from the ceiling flickered, then shone, illuminating just enough of the stone steps we could navigate without falling.
The staircase spiraled down, down, down into what felt like was a bottomless pit. I sniffed. The stench of decay, oil, rot and sewer grew stronger as I descended into the bowels of the island.
Finally we stepped out into a tunnel that was as wide as a city bus. Dim yellow lights, spaced at long intervals, gave the passageway an eerie glow.
My eyes rounded, my pupils dilating in an attempt to see into the near-darkness. “Where are we?”
“In the catacombs below New York City.” His voice echoed softly, almost muffled by the closeness of the walls.
I’d read about the tunnels beneath the city of Chicago and how they’d tried to build a rail system to transport cargo, but the only tunnels I knew about New York City were those used for the subway. Interesting. A strange breeze, smelling of stagnant water and damp earth, wafted through the passageway, lifting the hair off the back of my neck, sending a trickle of apprehension across my spine.
“You live down here?” I wrapped my arms around my middle, too tired and now cold to care if my dubiousness showed through in my tone. “What? You couldn’t afford an apartment in Manhattan?”
He shrugged. “You could say I enjoy my privacy down here.”
“I’m sure it discourages solicitors.” I was careful not to rub against the tunnel’s sides, afraid of whatever diseases I might catch touching the damp stone-lined walls.
“Come.” He left me standing at the base of the steps as he disappeared into the murky shadows between the less than adequate wall sconces.
A spike of fear sent me racing after him.
You don’t have to be afraid as long as you’re with me. His thoughts pushed into my head, without a word being spoken aloud.
I’m not afraid.
Liar.
Get out of my head, demon. I didn’t like it when Blaise pushed into my mind and spoke to me without moving his lips or vibrating his vocal chords. Then again, I’d responded to him without speaking aloud. That was a first. After we’d gone several hundred yards, I stopped, my fingers curling around the amulet, now cold and impersonal. “This is ridiculous. I need to get back topside and go after Nicolae before he gets away.”
Blaise halted a yard ahead and turned to face me, his expression dark, his brows dipping low over his incredibly black eyes. “You don’t get it.”
“That he wants the amulet and will kil
l me if he has to in order to attain it? I get that part.” She waved a hand at the tunnel. “I don’t get why we’re burying ourselves, hiding from Nicolae. If he wants the amulet, shouldn’t we offer it to him? Maybe he’ll come and collect it himself. That’s when we can nab the bastard and hand him over to the Tribunal to dispose of properly.”
Blaise shook his head. “He’s one of the most powerful demons of the underworld.” My demon partner sucked in a breath and let it out slowly. “He made the mistake of underestimating us last time. He won’t make the same mistake again.” Blaise turned away and continued following the tunnel.
“Okay, I get it. He’s dangerous.” I trudged after Blaise. “Look. I’m not a complete idiot. But we won’t catch him if we’re hiding in the sewer while he’s topside, collecting his next bevy of hoes for sale to the highest bidders.”
The demon ignored my outburst and stopped in front of a stone column that looked like the others spaced evenly along the tunnel’s walls as additional support beams. Blaise pressed his palms to the stones at chest level.
The way he caressed the stone reminded me of when he’d captured my breasts in his hands and squeezed gently. My nipples puckered. I discounted it as an effect of the cool air in the underground sanctuary, but that didn’t account for the rush of heat building inside, nor the sudden dampness between my legs. “Why are we stopping here?” I barked, my voice a little hoarse, lust choking my words. Damn the demon!
The stone wall pushed inward revealing an entranceway to a compartment carved out of the rock.
“After you.” Blaise waved me forward.
I ducked to enter, passing through a low, narrow entryway, straightening once the ceiling rose high enough. “Nice. You really should have that door enlarged...” My words faded as I took in the granite-tiled floors, the Victorian-era furniture that looked too good to be knock-offs. “Holy smokes! This room is ridiculous.” It made my squalid apartment look like a broom closet in a homeless shelter.
