Blood and Kisses - By Karin Shah Page 0,41

blue gaze.

Thalia, clearly too sapped to open his chains, drew the key from her pocket and handed it to him. The chains fell to the floor with a thunk.

He steeled himself to face her, but when he turned to her, he found her kneeling on the floor, leaning back against the side of the bed, unconscious. Gideon swept her up into his arms.

Spirit was waiting in the hall. His ears went back, lips curled and for a moment, Gideon thought the familiar would take a chunk out of his leg. “She’s all right,” he said.

“She’d better be.”

Gideon didn’t bother to answer. He felt the same. He would never forgive himself if something happened to her.

She stirred when he crossed the threshold to her bedroom, but never opened her eyes. He laid her gently on the bed. Her hair formed an ebony halo against the vivid red and green of the quilt. She looked so small and helpless on the bed and yet she had saved his life. His hand brushed her hair back from her damp forehead. He didn’t want to leave her, but he had just enough strength left to feed safely. If he waited much longer, her sacrifice might be for nothing.

He went to the window and hit a button to raise the shutter. It whirred softly as it rose section by section and came to rest in its recess.

“I’ll be back soon,” he said over his shoulder. “Watch over her.” Without waiting for a response, he threw open the window and launched into the darkening sky, wondering as he shape-shifted into a massive osprey, whether she would be there when he returned.

Chapter 13

“Hey, Cole!” Poole’s deep voice was husky as he called up the gloomy stairs. The acrid bite of bile still stung his raw throat. The overpowering stench from above seemed to roll in undulating waves down the stairs. He grimaced and swallowed hard. He couldn’t believe he’d actually puked. He’d never live it down. Maybe he could bribe Cole to keep it to herself. She liked those little gem donut things from the vending machine back at the station. The crumb covered ones.

The fading light cast a gray pall throughout the run-down house. He shot back the cuff of his white dress shirt and checked his watch, then looked back out the door. It was getting dark and there was no reason for them to hang around any longer.

He stood on the front landing. Above him were the worn stairs that led to the second floor. Below him, rickety wooden steps led down into what was no doubt a cellar. He glanced uneasily down into the black depths and shivered. He couldn’t remember ever being as disturbed at a crime scene. Even now he felt as if something lurked in the heavy shadows just beyond his view, watching him. Something evil. He shifted his weight. “Cole!”

A sharp creak sent an electric shock through him, raising the tiny hairs on his arms and the back of his neck. It hadn’t been his imagination. Someone was down there.

He drew his gun. “Cole!” he barked, his face pulled tight with fear, and started down the stairs.

“What?” Cole’s voice was brusque and impatient as she spoke from above. Poole whirled to face her. A rush of air escaped from his lungs. He gestured down the stairs with his head and turned back to the black pit.

“There’s someone down there.” He could hear the soft rasp of metal against leather as Cole produced her weapon. He pulled out a small flashlight, shining it above his gun, into the deep hole before him and felt with his foot for the lower step.

Cole joined him. She put a hand on his shoulder. He looked back. The whites of her eyes shone in the feeble light from the half-open front door as she indicated that she would take the left. He was abruptly aware as he nodded that night had fallen. Heavy shadows had yielded the right of way to complete darkness.

He’d discarded his suit jacket after he’d been sick. Bricks pricked his skin through the thin fabric of his dress shirt and chilled his flesh as he pressed his back against the wall to the right.

Cole slid down and pasted herself against the opposite wall. She took a deep breath and raised her weapon. “Ready?” she mouthed. He nodded again.

“This is the police! Come out with your hands where we can see them.” Poole’s words rang through the stairwell and into the