Kiss Me Deadly

Chapter Eighteen

Leather pants.

White t-shirt.

Black jacket.

Combat boots.

Slipping on the clothes is like slipping on an old self. One I can't say I don't miss, if only just a little bit. I go to grab the knife I use to keep tucked in my boot and smile ruefully when I don't find it. How easy it is to slip back into old habits.

I catch a glimpse of my reflection in the mirror out of the corner of my eye and stop.

My hair cascades down my face in wild curls, like a lion's mane, framing my face just so. My green eyes appear more vivid and alive then they have been in a long time. The eagerness and excitement in them frightens me just a little but I push the feeling away.

I have a job to do.

I step away from the girl in the mirror and go to meet Leilani by the entrance like we'd planned.

"Did you get it?" I ask her as I approach.

The little blonde girl nods eagerly and holds up a dagger she'd stolen from the training rooms. The metal reflects the fluorescent light shining down from above, making the blade look that much more sinister. I smile and take it, tucking it safely into the side of my boot.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Leilani asks nervously, eyes darting to the door to the outside.

"Yep." I grunt.

"You know, any normal person would think you're just going to join up with Octavian's men and leave us," Lani says timidly, wringing her hands.

I look up and smile at her. "Well, then. I guess it's a good thing you aren't a normal person. Now, come on. We don't have all night."

I start up the stairs, not wanting to waste any more time. The faster I get this done and over with, the better. When I reach the top of the stairs, I don't hesitate. I throw open the door and step out into the chilly night air, leaving Lani behind me. My ears register her call out a quiet "good luck" but I don't bother turn around to respond.

I sneak through the house, wincing every time the old floorboards creak under my feet. Once I've made sure the house is clear, I dart across the clearing outside, not slowing until I reach the woods for fear of being spotted.

I stop and look around, fighting a wave of deja vu. The last time I'd been running through these woods had been the very first night. The night I found Archer.

Shaking off the feeling, I summon up the sense of smell of a werewolf. The predator's keen sense of smell helps me single out the fresh scent of Octavian's men. There are two, maybe three of them. One of them smells of cigarettes and the other reeks immensely of - sniff - ew. Garlic. My nose wrinkles in disgust as I follow the scent trail.

As I follow the men, one thing becomes certain' they're definitely not just passing through. If that had been the case, they'd have been long gone by now. They must be here for Archer, I muse. Why else would they be here if not for him?

A rustling in the trees to my right draws my attention. The smell of cigarettes and garlic grows stronger, almost unbearably strong, as I creep towards the disturbance. I crouch down in a group of dense brush and peer out, exchanging werewolf smell for hearing.

Three men stand in a small clearing among the trees. One, the tallest one of the group, stands with his back to me so I can't see his face but the other two are in plain sight. I don't recognize either of them but that doesn't mean anything. Octavian had plenty of men and women working for him while I was there. It was impossible for me to remember all of them but it's quite possible that they could have remembered me.

"Maybe we should just go back. There's nothing here, " the youngest one complains. He flops down on a fallen tree and kicks one of his boots off. He lets out a hiss of pain as he begins to massage the heel. He must be new. You learn early on to wear comfortable footwear when on missions. Bandaging your blistered feet is a luxury you most often can't afford.

"Are you daft? Of course we can't stop looking," the tall one chastises sharply, "do you know how pissed Ryder would be if we showed up empty handed?"

My eyebrows shoot up. Ryder? He sent them? I frown. What are they looking for that he wants so badly?

The younger one throws up his hands in exasperation.

"Then what do you suggest we do?" he nearly yells. His dark eyes flash with anger. "She's not here. It doesn't matter how many times we comb the area. She's not going to magically appear!"

The third man, a dirty looking man, chooses to speak up. "Danny's right, Vic. We should go back to where Ryder last saw her. That incubi's place, right? Antonio's?"

My blood freezes, just refuses to keep pumping through my veins. My clammy hands try to grasp at something, anything that will keep me upright.

How could I be so stupid?

How could I forget that Ryder saw me that day?

I should have known he'd come looking for me.

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

They probably followed my scent all the way here.

"Damnit," I curse softly.

"You've got quite the mouth for such a pretty little girl," a voice, deep and cocky, gloats from behind me.

Slowly, with my heart hammering in my chest all the while, I turn around, coming face to face with the youngest of the group: Danny.

He smirks down at me.

"Gotcha."