“You don’t have a gun. You’re playing it safe because of me.”
Alec didn’t deny the accusation, because it was true. Eve was going through a trial by fire and he saw no benefit in making it worse. She didn’t need any more death today. What she needed was a victory, however small.
“One thing at a time,” he said instead. “Let’s deal with the masonry first. Once we’re certain the yard is cleared, we can hop the fence and take a look around.”
“Breaking and entering?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Great.” Her tone was dry and resigned.
Alec reached over and patted her thigh. “This is just a reconnaissance mission, angel. We get in, look around, and get out. No problem.”
“Things haven’t worked out that well for me so far.”
“The only constant is change,” he said, tossing her a reassuring smile. “The tide will turn eventually.”
A frown marred the space between her brows and her head cocked to the side as if she was considering something. “The tide, huh?”
She bent over and dug into the bag between her feet. “I wish I’d picked up bottled water instead of some of this other crap I snagged.”
“You must be hungry, too.”
“Ravenous.” Eve straightened with a bag of beef jerky in one hand and something else that she stuck in the pocket of her pants.
“After this, I’ll take you to Denny’s.”
She winked at him. “You big spender, you.”
Alec laughed and exited the car. The masonry was dark and quiet. Rounding the front end of the Focus, he opened the passenger door for Eve and stole a kiss the moment she straightened.
“What was that for?” she asked, eyes bright in the moonlight.
“For being so good about all of this.” He didn’t explain that he felt the weight of guilt heavily. If he hadn’t intervened and requested to mentor her, she might have been assigned a nonfield position. In fact, she most likely would have been, considering she wasn’t prone to violent acts. It was his determination to protect her that had put her in danger to begin with.
“Hold that thought.” Her nose wrinkled. “I might royally screw things up in a minute.”
He shut the door and caught her elbow. “Come on. Let’s prove you wrong.”
They walked up the road some distance, then crossed the street to the side the masonry was on. The area was industrial and therefore quiet as a cemetery at night. They passed a tow yard guarded by two Dobermans. The canines whimpered softly from a seated position, but made no other noise.
“Some guard dogs,” Eve scoffed.
We’re very good.
She stumbled. Alec helped her regain her footing. Wide-eyed, she stared at the animals.
“Yes,” Alec confirmed. “You heard right.”
“They talked.”
I talked. The bigger dog’s head tilted. My mate is offended by your insult.
Eve blinked, apparently too stunned to say anything. Then she found her voice, “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
You should train her, Cain.
“I’m trying,” Alec replied. “Have you seen anything suspicious going on at the masonry up the road?”
No. They don’t come down this way, and we can’t see past the auto body shop from here.
“Okay. Thanks.”
Alec urged Eve to keep walking.
“Be careful,” she said to the dogs, thinking of the motel clerk’s gossip.
You, too.
She faced forward, looking more than a little bit stunned. “Okay . . . I’m Dr. Doolittle.”
“You’re more animal than human now,” he explained.
They reached the far edge of the masonry property. Looking through the bars, Alec studied the building and the surrounding displays and empty driveways. “I’ll hop over first.”
“Go for it.”
“See you on the flip side,” he said. Then he climbed over.
Eve tried not to be creeped out by the masonry yard, but it was difficult. She had warned Alec that she was a big chicken, but he didn’t seem to believe her. Or perhaps he forgot she told him that. Either way, he was progressing through the outside displays with ease and she was jumping out of her skin at every turn.
So many of the marble statues were classical reproductions with their eyes turned heavenward and torment on their alabaster features. Gargoyles with leering maws played hide-and-seek among benches and bubbling fountains. The sound of water chilled her blood and exacerbated her feeling of dread. She was a Pisces and she was now afraid of water. Her hand went into her jeans pocket.
Her eyes never left Alec. Using hand signals, he directed her movements, telling her when to proceed and when to halt, when to crouch and when to stand still. There were cameras stationed at each fence corner and on the corners of the buildings, too. Alec knew just how to avoid them, and Eve found his expertise both impressive and reassuring.
They reached a door to the main building, which housed a showroom. He paused a moment, looking at the security system keypad. Then he signaled for her to keep going. They moved to a larger building in the back, one whose walls were made up of cement blocks. She wanted to ask why they’d skipped the other, but didn’t dare make a sound.
Constrained to the shadows, Alec took several long minutes to maneuver the distance from the main showroom building to the workspace in the rear. When they finally reached their destination, Eve noted that there was no security pad on the back building and the doorknob had no slot for a key. Alec opened the door and sniffed the air inside, then he pulled her in.
“Why did we come here?” she asked.
“Gut feeling.”
“Is that like a cramp? I’ve got one of those. I think it’s fear.”
He squeezed her hand.
Eve took in the gigantic room in a sweeping glance. Even with her super sight, the ceiling vaulted so high above them that it was nestled in shadow. Dominating the space was a massive kiln with rollered tracks leading into and out of it. It was presently cold. A pallet truck waited like a silent sentinel. Alec headed toward it. He moved fluidly, skirting around protruding pipes and hoses from the kiln. Eve attempted to follow suit and hit the floor in a face plant instead.
“You okay?” Alec asked dryly, standing over her with hand extended.
“Bruised my ego, that’s all.”
She accepted his help to gain her footing, then dusted herself off while looking for whatever had tripped her up. “Who the hell leaves bags of cement on the floor?” she groused.
Alec’s head tilted to line up his sight with the lettering on the bag exterior. “The manufacturer’s label says it’s crushed limestone.”
“Whatever. Shouldn’t this be somewhere besides underfoot?”
Crouching, Alec scooped up some of the contents that had escaped from the hole she’d created with her boot tip. She sank back down and he held his hand out to her. The limestone hit her nose wrong. It was sickly sweet, but with underlying musky notes.
“It stinks,” she said.
“It’s bone meal.”
“Smells weird.”
“That’s because it’s part canine and part Mark.”
Eve froze. “What?”
Alec punched through the thick brown paper exterior of a second bag lying nearby and she gagged from the resulting odor. He looked at her.
“Sorry,” she muttered. Her body may not be able to vomit anymore, but that didn’t stop her mind from sending the signal to wretch.
His hand came out covered in dark powder. “Blood meal.”
“My mom uses that stuff for gardening. I didn’t know they had any other uses.”
“I don’t think they do.” He lifted his fingers closer to his nose. “Again, part animal and part Mark.”
“How are they getting the blood and bone of Marks?”
“You don’t want to know.”
She swallowed hard. “Is that how they’re masking the Infernals?”
“That’s my guess.”
“Why is this just lying around? Shouldn’t they be guarding this stuff? It’s just dumped here like—”
“Like they bailed in a hurry?” He stood and surveyed their surroundings. “If we scared them off, they know we’re here.”
Frantic scratching broke the silence. Eve leaped a good foot into the air. “Jesus! Oww—” Her hand covered the burning mark on her arm.
They both looked down the length of the massive space. In the far right corner two protruding walls met to create a separate room. From behind the door, the scraping grew more frenzied.
“The animal mutilations,” Eve whispered.
“Right.”
“We have to get them out of there.”
“Yes.” Alec dusted off his hands.
They hurried to the door. Grabbing the levered handle, Alec pulled, but the portal didn’t budge. Whining could now be heard clearly from inside.
Eve set her hands over his and tugged with him. The door gave way with explosive violence, sending them to their backs on the floor. Nothing ran out in eagerness for freedom.
Alec leaped to his feet, then pulled her to hers, pushing her behind him.
“I’ve suddenly got a bad feeling about why there’s no lock on the door,” Eve muttered.
“You should.”
Before she fully registered the source of the voice behind her, Eve was lifted and tossed like a rag doll against the kiln. She fell to the floor in an agonized pile. The lights inside the small room blazed to life, revealing a space crawling with tengu.
“Fuck!” Alec said, just before they yanked him inside and slammed the door shut.
Eve gained her hands and knees, lurching forward to help him. She was grabbed by the scruff of her neck and hauled upward. She blinked, finding herself staring into the face of the young wolf.
He didn’t smell. He bore no designs. That was all Eve could register before he drew his fist back and knocked her out.
CHAPTER 19
Alec was on the wrong side of an ass kicking.
Backed into a corner, he was barely managing to keep the horde of tengu from overtaking him. There were at least two dozen of them, built of stone and giggling maniacally. Some swung from the shelves, others danced on the fringes, still others hopped from foot to foot and punched with their fists like miniboxers.
With sharp kicks, Alec kept most of them at bay, but the sheer number of them and their crushing weight were beginning to take their toll. It didn’t help that he was scared shitless about Eve. He’d heard the force with which she struck the kiln. Even with her ability to heal rapidly, a full-body blow like that was devastating. She was untrained and completely on her own.
A tengu swinging from the ceiling kicked at the space between Alec’s shoulders.
“Oomph!” He fell to his knees, groaning.
The tengu laughed and danced with greater frenzy.
“Cain! Cain!” they sang.
Alec glared and pushed to his feet, grabbing the closest tengu and bashing it into one of its brethren. They both shattered. The others recoiled to the walls with a collective gasp.
“Who’s next?” he growled.
They hesitated, wavering. Tengu were more mischievous than malicious. They weren’t combatants by nature and an implied threat to their lives was enough to send them scurrying for safety. Alec took the opportunity presented to him and lunged toward the door. As if he’d shattered the fear that held them still, they leaped toward him as a single mass, a ton of writhing stone bearing down on him.
They’re going to crush me.
Steeling himself for the inevitable, Alec was startled by the sudden burst of power that flowed into him. It originated in his diaphragm, then exploded outward like a supernova, burning through his veins.
He recognized the cause immediately: there was a group of Marks in the area.
Alec hit the door with his shoulder and broke it completely from its hinges. Riding atop the slab, he skid along the cement floor like a body boarder skimming across water. The tengu raced out of the room after him . . .
Then the lights came on.
Alec kept sliding parallel to the lengthy kiln. The marauding tengu paused. The momentum of those bringing up the rear was halted abruptly by those in the front who’d frozen in their tracks. They crashed into each other like a freeway pileup.
A cowboy-booted foot halted Alec’s ride with jarring force. He looked up.
“Mariel.”
The pretty redhead smiled. “Hello, Cain. Having fun?”
He sat up. Mariel held out a hand to help him to his feet. Behind her stood a team of several black-clad Marks, male and female. They were fully armed with 9 mm pistols strapped to their thighs—the personal guards of an archangel. They took a unified step forward. The tengu tripped over themselves scrambling back into their little room.
“Eve?” he asked, looking around the space.
“She’s not with you?”
“No. She was attacked.” Dear God. “I was delayed in there.” Alec jerked his chin toward the corner where a few of the Marks were restoring the door to its space and securing it by moving the pallet truck in front of it. He breathed deeply, hoping against hope that some trace scent of the Infernal had been left behind for him to follow. But there was nothing.
As the rhythmic beeping of the truck warned any bystanders that it was moving in reverse, Mariel’s head turned to watch. “We went to disable the alarms and cameras,” she said, “but someone was there before us.”
“There’s also no way to see which direction they might have taken Eve.” He glanced around. “Why are you here and not Abel?”
“Raguel detained him.”
“Raguel sent his own guards, but not her handler?”
“They’re not Raguel’s,” she said softly. “They’re Sara’s.”
Alec stilled. His brother had gone behind Raguel’s back . . . for Eve. Abel never did anything that didn’t directly benefit himself in some way and he never broke the rules. Perhaps he expected Eve to be appreciative, or maybe he just wanted to show that Alec wasn’t capable of his new and unfamiliar position.