I rolled my eyes. "Will you just get over the fucking gate?"
He grinned and leapt up, grabbing the top of the gate and hauling himself over. I was right on his tail, landing beside him in a half crouch as I scanned the building again. Still no sense of anything untoward.
I rose and padded forward. There were pigeons strutting about on the roof, but little else moved.
The main entrance was on the side of the building, near the large loading bay. The door was locked, as were the bay doors.
"Now what?" Jak said.
I studied the side of the building, then said, "Maybe we should check the windows around the back."
He frowned. "The windows are barred, and not even you're skinny enough to squeeze through them."
"The top ones aren't. Maybe we'll get lucky and find one open."
He snorted. "Since when has luck been on our side?"
There was that. We checked anyway and, as it turned out, lady luck had obviously decided to throw us a small morsel. One of the rear top windows was open an inch or so.
Jak eyed it dubiously. "I'm gathering you're going to use your magic trick to get up there?"
"Yeah." I hauled off my dress and handed it to him. I'd already destroyed one set of clothes today – I wasn't about to destroy another. "I'll get you in if I can."
His gaze skimmed me; then he sighed. "As lovely as ever. I really am an idiot, aren't I?"
I grinned, but didn't answer. I simply called to the Aedh, then whisked upward, slipping in through the small gap and cautiously looking around. The room appeared to be some sort of storeroom – metal shelving lined the walls, but there was little else here other than dust. I scooted under the small gap between the door and the concrete floor, then checked out the various rooms – all of which were empty – before making my way downstairs. Other than the offices that lined the road side of the building, it was a vast, empty space. Once I'd checked there were no hidden security cams, I shifted back to human form.
The madmen in my head went a little crazy with their knives, making my eyes water and my stomach twist alarmingly. But that was to be expected. Not only had I changed shape a fair bit so far today, but I'd yet to eat anything other than a few mouthfuls of bread. I waited until the ache eased and my stomach seemed less inclined to jump up my throat, then slowly rose. The chill air caressed my body, hardening my nipples and sending goose bumps skittering across my skin. But there was no sense of magic in its touch, nothing that suggested anything or anyone had been in here for some time.