The heartbeat inside the room sounds familiar, but I’ve not been around Delaney often enough to know for sure if it’s him. Only one way to find out.
I tighten my fingers around my knives. It’s time to face my demons.
The person behinds the desk doesn’t move when I barge into the room. She smiles, seemingly relaxed, as she takes me in.
“I was wondering if it will be you.”
Delaney’s wife is dressed in a pale blue costume with a high collar. Her perfectly styled hair falls onto her shoulders in even, dark-brown curls. Her eyes, too far apart to count as beautiful, are cold and calculating. She smells of rose perfume and siren. Most of that scent probably comes from her husband, but I could imagine that she’s got some siren blood herself. She’s not pretty enough to be a full siren, but I somehow doubt that someone like Lord Delaney would take a mere human as his wife.
“Where’s your husband?” I bark.
“Not here, obviously. You’ll have to deal with me. But you better hurry, we’ve got guards on the way.”
I roll my eyes. “As if they could stop me. Are you ready to die, Gill?”
I found out her first name during the research we did on the Delaney family in the past few weeks. It was easy to find out general information on them, especially on Gill’s husband and his political work, but I don’t know much about their personal life besides dates when they got married and such like.
“I’m not the one who’s going to die today.” Her face stays impassive, but the flicker of fear in her eyes is hard to miss.
“If you tell me where your husband is, I might make it quick. Or we could draw it out. After what you did to me, I’m in the mood for retribution. Do you want to know what it feels like to lie on a scorching-hot floor? Would you like to be starved? I’m sure I could create a little cell for you in my own basement. Give you some of your own medicine, so to speak.”
“You’re crazy. You have no idea what’s going to happen. If you want to stay alive, run now, far away. We know where you live. We know who your little friends are. It’s only because we’ve been too busy with more important things that you’re still alive. In a week, this country is going to change for the better. We’re going to get rid of your kind, once and for all. A few of you will stay in our labs, but we won’t tolerate feral animals running around, pretending to be humans.”
All fear has been extinguished and is now replaced by hate. I wonder where that hate for shifters has come from. She raised a cat shifter as her daughter – does she hate Sophie as well? I’d hoped there may have been at least a flicker of love or affection towards my little sister.
I grin at her, swirling my knives in my hands. “Thanks for telling me your plans. Now you just have to point me to wherever your husband is hiding and I’ll be on my way.”
With her as a corpse on the floor, obviously. I won’t let her live.
“Anything else you want to tell me?” I ask her. “Last chance.”
Shouts come from below me, followed by a loud crash.
“Time’s up,” I say, almost regretful that I haven’t been able to torture the woman. I won’t regret her death, though. It was on my to-do list ever since she visited me in that cell.
“You don’t want to do this,” she says, a tiny waver in her voice. Her hands move to a drawer beneath her desk, probably for a weapon.
You look pathetic, she told me back when I first met her.
Before she can use whatever’s in the drawer, I fling my knife at her, hitting her straight in her right eye.
“You’re pathetic,” I say out loud while she slowly slides to one side, her body shutting down.
By the time she falls off her chair and hits the floor, she’s dead.
I check the drawer. A tiny crossbow with a single arrow. I give it a sniff. It’s not even poisoned.
“Pathetic,” I repeat and run out of the room, ready to help Ryker and do some proper killing.
He's surrounded by bodies, grinning like a maniac and covered in blood. Just the way I like him. He turns to greet me just when one of the grunts behind him gets back to his feet. One of those immortal ones. Without taking his eyes off me, Ryker flings the long blade he’s holding and throws it at the man. It embeds itself between the mutant’s eyes and he falls backwards, a comically surprised expression on his brutish face.
“Nice one,” I praise Ryker. “You really have learned a lot while I was gone.”
He grins proudly. “I realised I need to rely more on my feline instincts, even when human. It helps me see things with more than just my eyes.”
I do a quick count of the bodies. Seven. Respect for Ryker fills me. Even I would have struggled to take on that many grunts. He’s cut off the heads of most of them, but there’s one he forgot. Or maybe he was a gentleman and saved that one for me.
He hands me his blade, longer than my knives and more suited for the job, then I get to work. I do love a good beheading, although it’s more fun to do it while the target is still alive. This is more like woodcutting.
“There are still two people on the floor above us,” he says once I’m done. “They’ve not moved at all.”
“No sign of the others yet?”
“Nope, but it’s not like we needed them. Lennox will be pissed that he missed all the action; he’s been craving a good fight.”
“It wasn’t Lord Delaney up there, just his wife. This isn’t the end of it, there will be many more fights, if I’m not mistaken.” I sigh. “As much as I want to take revenge, I can’t wait until it’s all over and we get to spend some family time together.”
He raises an eyebrow, pretending to be shocked. “Who are you and what did you do to Kat? Family time? Did I just hear that correctly?”
I punch his shoulder. “Don’t tell anyone I said that.”
“Not a word. But I get you. The last few months have been exhausting for all of us. Well, every single day since I met you. Not that I regret it.” He pulls me close and presses my lips against mine. He smells of blood, sweat and catnip; the best smell in the world.
I kiss him back, soaking in the comfort he’s giving me. We’re surrounded by carnage, yet I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. Ryker’s kiss is home; a place I never want to leave.
His arousal is hardening against my belly, but as much as I would like to give in to the urge to rip off our clothes and take him here and now, this isn’t the time nor place.
With more regret than I thought I could feel, I swipe my tongue against his front teeth one last time before stepping back.
“Later?” he asks breathlessly.
“Later. Let’s check out those two people above.”
He nods, all softness leaving his expression. I also don my assassin mantle, ignoring the remnants of desire pulsing through my veins. We can continue that kiss – and more – once we’re back home.
We walk upstairs without making a sound. The thick carpet lining the stairs helps with that. The blood will be awful to get out of it though. We’re leaving bloody footprints, but I don’t care, both our friends and our enemies would be able to find us without them.
The closer we get to the two people, the more I feel like something’s off. Their heartbeats are too slow, as if they’re sleeping. There’s no way though that anyone slept through the racket Ryker made when he took on seven grunts.
He shoots me a look when we reach the door behind which I can sense the mysterious people.
I nod to show that I’m ready. Ryker reaches for the doorknob just when a strange scent hits my nostrils. I act out of instinct, pushing against him with all my might, causing us to tumble to the ground. I land on top of him, my knee between his legs. Oops.
“What the fuck was that for?” he groans, clutching his crotch.
“Poison,” I huff and jump to my feet, holding out a hand. He grips it and I pull him up.
He sniffs the air, then steps back from the door as he smells the same scent I did.
“It’s a trap,” he mutte
rs and I nod.
“Levver’s Leaf, also known as Candy Floss Leaf. Poisonous when it comes into contact with the acid on our skin. If you’d touched that doorknob, you’d be dead in half an hour.”
He clenches his fists. “Those fuckers. I hate traps.”
“Don’t we all. They must have known that we’d be able to detect the people in there. Do you have any gloves? I don’t want to get this stuff on my clothes.”
“No, didn’t think of that when we rushed off. I’ll get something from the kitchen.”
While he runs downstairs, I extend my senses again, homing in on the two heartbeats on the other side of the door. I think they’re getting even slower. Maybe they were given poison too, that would explain why they’re not getting out of there. Accidental poisonings while putting Candy Floss Leaf on the doorknob, or innocent victims? We’ll find out soon, I hope.
Ryker returns with a stack of tea towels, each more hideous than the next. Gill Delaney has terrible taste. I take one of them and carefully wrap it around my hand, making sure none of my skin is exposed. I don’t have the antidote to Levver’s Leaf with me and I doubt Ryker could make it home and back here in half an hour.
I exchange a look with him, then turn the doorknob. As soon as the door springs open, I let the dishcloth fall to the floor.
It’s a small room, more of a cell than an actual room. A metal bed on either side, no windows, a flickering light bulb dangling from the ceiling.
I sway as images assault me, memories of my own cell that looked so very much like this one. The pain of their torture, the endless lonely nights, the hopelessness…
Ryker wraps an arm around my waist. He starts rubbing gentle circles on my lower back, anchoring me in the present. I don’t meet his eyes. I don’t want to see the pity in them.
I push away the memories and concentrate on what’s happening right here, right now. To our right is a woman, unconscious, starved, shaved bald. She smells human. On the bed on the left is a man with sunken cheeks and a stubby beard. He must have been broad and muscular once, but just like the female prisoner, he’s lost a lot of weight. How long have those two been here?
His heartbeat is stronger than the woman’s. I shake his shoulders to see how deeply unconscious he is. He groans, but it’s a guttural, uncontrolled sound. I gently lift his eyelids, checking his pupils. They’re pinpricks, far smaller than they should be if this state is due to natural causes. I pull down his jaw, forcing his mouth to open slightly.
“Do you smell that?” Ryker asks. “Is that…apples?”
I nod. “Just what I thought. They’ve been poisoned too. Heltaskelter Juice, if I’m not mistaken. It sucks you dry like a vampire, increases your metabolism until your body starts devouring itself. These guys may look like they've been starved for weeks but it may have only been a few days."
The door downstairs opens just loud enough for me to hear. Either reinforcements or one of us.
"I'll go down and check," Ryker volunteers. "Unless you need me to help?"
I shake my head. "There's nothing we can do for them here. Bethany will be able to sort out an antidote, but nothing I have on me is any use. I'll come with you, it's not like they're going to walk away while we're gone."
Together, we race along the corridor and down the carpeted stairs. The blood from our footsteps has dried by now but I can still smell it. Maybe I'll get to fight this time. I breathe in deep and disappointment makes me groan.
It's Gryphon, not grunts to kill. The siren is standing next to the pile of bodies, looking at them appreciatively.
"I see you had fun."
"He had fun," I huff and nod towards Ryker. "I only got to kill one and that wasn't even as slow as I'd wanted."
Gryphon rolls his eyes, ignoring my complaints. "If you're done killing people, we have a bit of a situation at home. It might be best if you return with me immediately."
Chapter Six
Two corpses await us in the hallway. They’re propped up on chairs and my sisters are busy dressing them in garments that look like they’ve been taken from a grandmother’s closet. Large hats, a pink dressing gown, fluffy slippers, a flowery dress with buttons on the front.
"What do you think?" Sophie asks brightly, wielding a pink umbrella that I've never seen before. She puts it in the hand of one of the corpses and grins. "Aren't they pretty?"
A girl her age shouldn't play with dead bodies. She should run away screaming or whatever else normal people do when confronted with death. I wonder if I should tell her that I killed her adoptive mother. I decide against it. She’ll find out at some point, but I don’t want to destroy this moment of fun for her.
"Sophie helped me decorate them," Caitlin says, stepping behind her little sister. "We're doing sisterly bonding."
I groan. That's been their excuse for every bit of mischief they've come up with. Apparently, sisterly bonding involves playing tricks on their other sister - me.
"Who are they and why did you dress them up?" I ask, suddenly feeling very old and grown-up. And tired.
"They tried to break in while you were gone," Gryphon explains from behind me. He's clearly trying hard not to laugh. "There were more than just these two. Girls, what did you do to them?"
"Nothing," Caitlin says, all innocence. "Bethany took them down into the morgue. She only left us these two so we could use them to give you a nice welcome."
I frown. "Is that what she said?"
"In as many words."
Was I this cheeky when I was her age? Probably. No, definitely. It's just weird to see it from the other side. I never dressed up a corpse in a pink gown and a sun hat though.
Lily appears at the end of the corridor, making the entrance hall feeling very crowded. "Hey, Kat. These guys were looking for you."
"Now they're no longer looking," Caitlin muttered under her breath.
Very clever. I don't deign her with a reaction and turn to Lily instead. "How many?"
"Six. They never got further than here. Some of Ryker's cats got involved; I owe them some extra catnip. They may be small, but they're excellent at distracting opponents in a fight."
"Catnip?" I ask before I can stop myself.
"Not for you. Remember what happened last week?"
I immediately grow sober. I had the worst flashbacks ever after taking a small dose of catnip. It was like I was back in my cell, being tortured by the floor heating up so much that my skin started to blister. Nowhere to run. All alone.
I shudder. I need to accept that I won't be able to take any catnip for a while, not until my mind has settled and I've built barriers around those memories. At the moment, they're still too close to the surface. I've not had the time to lock them up along with all the crappy moments of my past.
"They came in as soon as you were gone," Lily continues. "They must have been watching the house."
"So they weren't looking for me?"
"I assume they were a message without even knowing it. Delaney sent them to their death, fully aware that they'd not survive breaking into the M.E.O.W. headquarters. Even if fewer of us had been home, we've got enough traps and defences to deal with only six intruders. He would have had to send a lot more to stand even the slightest chance."
She's right. "I guess he wants us to know that he's watching us. Well, so what. That's nothing new. And I left a message for him too. His dead wife."
“He won’t be happy about that,” Lily muses. “I guess we better strengthen our defences some more.”
“I’m not so sure about that. He knew we were coming to the house. They’d set a trap, poison on door handles. Unless that was meant for someone else, Delaney may have left his wife there on purpose. Maybe he’d grown tired of her. Still, it’s strange.”
“Very strange,” Gryphon confirms. “I’m going to call the mayor to help with the cleanup and to get those poisoned people either here or to a hospital.”
“More poison?” Lily asks eagerly. “Looks like you had a whole lot of fun withou
t me.”
“We found two humans with Heltaskelter Juice in their system. Ryker stayed with them, just in case reinforcements arrive. He’s got a couple of cats for backup, but we should probably get him some backup soon.”
Gryphon pushes past the two corpses and disappears into the living room where we’ve got one of our two phones. The other’s in the office; a room I’ve been avoiding because I can’t be bothered with the paperwork waiting for me on my desk.
“How are the babies?” I ask Lily.
“Sleeping, last time I checked, but Tailie tried to strangle Furrie with his tail. It may have been an accident, but they’re your kids so anything is possible.”
“Is it bad if that makes me proud?”
Lily snorts. “Probably. I guess we should be glad Biter and Vamp haven’t started suckling on their siblings.”
“Is the naming ceremony still happening tonight?” Caitlin interrupts. “If not, I vote that you finally tell us the names you chose. The suspense is killing me.”
Killing reminds me of the two corpses at my feet. “First you two need to clean up the mess you made. Bring those two in the morgue, then put the clothes in the washing. I have no idea whose bathrobe that is, but I doubt they want it smelling of grunt.”
“It’s mine,” Lily gasps as if she’s only realising now that one of the corpses is wearing her robe. “Did you break into my wardrobe?”
“It wasn’t locked, so it’s not breaking in,” Sophie pipes up. I think we’re being a bad influence on her.
Lily sighs. “Note to self, lock my wardrobe from now on. Heck, lock my room. I should have known leaving it unlocked was a bad idea with you little terrors around.”
Both Sophie and Caitlin smile proudly at the compliment. Caitlin doesn’t even complain at being called ‘little’. At sixteen, she’s at a stage where she refuses to be seen as a child, but also can’t help join Sophie in her games. Despite her upbringing, she’s more childlike than I ever was.
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