Blind Destiny: Grimm's Circle, Book 7 [retail mobi] (12 page)

“You’re tired. There are dozens of people just yards away and—”

Turning around, he tore his sunglasses away. He was tempted to throw them down, snap them into pieces. Anything to keep from doing what he really wanted. Which involved things like hauling Sina close and kissing that soft mouth of hers, tasting her, listening to her moan as he made her climax. But then he’d have to listen to her caustic remarks again, and he just didn’t have the patience.

“I’m fully aware of this,” he said coolly, locking in where she stood and glaring at her. Her aura wasn’t as abrasive to him as Will’s. When she wasn’t pissing him off, she wasn’t abrasive at all, he realized. He actually rather liked the feel of her, liked the vibe she gave off—the very essence of her was—unique. It felt right, he decided.

Which was a bitch, because there was nothing
right
about this.

“Are you under the impression you have me back in training, Sina?” he asked, taking a step toward her. They were close now, close enough that he could feel her body heat and he could so easily reach out and pull her against him. Taste her again, the way he wanted to, the way he needed to…

No. Just no.
Get your head out of your pants
.

But even as he tried to make himself focus, Luc found himself remembering what Will had said.
Screw her already
—

What in the fuck did Will know?

“I haven’t been your pupil in a very long while and I’m not here to be
instructed
,” he bit off. “I’m here as a partner and since you’re dead set on sitting in your room and sulking, I’ll do the assignment as I see fit.”

Without saying anything else, he turned away and stalked toward the Christou house. The very evil of it reached out, wrapped around him. And once more, he found himself caught in that cold, cold chill.

But it didn’t seem so oppressive this time. Maybe because he had the heat of his anger to hold it at bay. Anger. Lust. Need. Take your pick. He slowed as he drew closer to the house—the ground was uneven under his feet and even with Krell’s eyes, he had to be cautious. Sometimes he hated the damaged condition he’d come into this life with, but he’d adapted. Krell gave another warning yip as they neared a crumbling stoop. Everything was deteriorating with age. The icy chill faded even more, that weighty prickle on the back of his neck fading and fading until it was just a bare memory by the time Luc stood at the door.

Sina was at his back and he felt something.

“Hurry up,” she groused. “I can’t hold this forever.”

This
—

He wasn’t sure what
this
was until he looked back at her through Krell’s eyes. Krell could barely see her. He could scent her fine, but her image was wavery and incomplete, like he watched her through a mist.

Turning his attention back to the door, he studied the door through Krell’s eyes. There was a padlock. Pity, that. Grasping it in his hand, he wrenched it off, tucking the destroyed metal in his pocket. If he left it lying around, it was more of a sign of an intrusion than just taking it with him, he figured.

“That was nice and subtle,” Sina muttered.

“Lock-picking isn’t one of my skills.” Luc pushed the door open. “If you wanted subtle, you could have done it.”

“You sure as hell are in a bitchy mood,” she said as she brushed around him.

Bitchy
. He ran his tongue around his teeth and breathed in the scent of her. His palms itched. His blood pulsed in his veins, so hot and heavy. Hunger was an ache in his veins and he wanted to touch, wanted it so much he could hardly stand it.

Bitchy? She didn’t know the half of it.

“What are we looking for?” she asked.

He tried not to notice how her voice hitched a little halfway through, tried not to think about the way her breath caught and how he could sense the pain riding her.

“Something is tainting this town. It’s not demonic, but it’s enough that it hurts people.” He crouched down and snapped his fingers, waiting for Krell. He smelled rot in the air—rotting wood, the carcasses of dead animals, dust, mold. “Look around, boy.”

Krell made a rumble in his throat, not quite a growl, not quite a bark, and then padded off. Luc could hear him snuffling and moving around. Keeping himself locked in his own mind for now, he listened only. He could hear Sina.

“What is he doing?”

Luc closed his eyes.

She was standing too damn close, and moving closer. Staying where he was, he pulled a knife from his pocket and placed it on the ground, twirling it by the tip. He’d have to sharpen it again, but it was better if he stayed focused on something. On anything.

“He’s checking to make sure everything is stable,” Luc said, visualizing the blade in his mind. If he tried hard enough, he could almost imagine how the blade would look if he held it, could imagine holding it as he fought—

“Stable.” Sina snorted. “This place is a veritable death trap.”

“Yes. Which is why I’d rather he look around and have an idea where I shouldn’t step before I go blundering around on rotted boards and falling through to land on my arse,” Luc said.

“Why don’t you just look through his eyes all the time?”

Sighing, Luc closed his hand around the blade and lifted his hand to his head. Resting his brow on his fist, he said, “For one, even the dog might like his privacy every now and then. He’s my friend, not just a tool. Also, it’s not as easy to judge that when I’m looking through his eyes. It’s better for me to have an idea of the lay of the land before I go plowing in.”

“You’re angry.”

“Oh, fuck this,” he swore, unfolding his legs and rising to his feet. He shoved the blade back into his sheath and then crossed his arms over his chest. “No. I’m
not
angry. I’m tired and I want this assignment done. You obviously aren’t pleased to be working with me so I’d just as soon relieve you of the burden of my presence as soon as earthly possible.”

“I…” Sina sighed. “Luc, I don’t have a problem working with you. You’re more tolerable than most people, at least. I’m just not much of a team player.”

“I never would have noticed.”

Krell barked, a single sharp sound. Luc nodded. “It’s safe enough.” He turned away and started toward the dog, throwing out a link and merging his mind with Krell’s as he did so. It gave him the disconcerting view of watching himself approach and over his shoulder, he saw Sina, eyeing him with a peculiar expression on her face.

She looked sad, he thought.

Sad. Maybe even lonely.

It was almost enough to make him think that Will hadn’t been entirely off base. Maybe Will hadn’t been jerking his chain.

But Luc knew better than think that.

Life hadn’t exactly been kind to him over the centuries. He didn’t expect that to change any time soon.

We were inside there a lot longer than I liked.

The very feel of the house clung to me when we left, like cobwebs on my skin.

“That was a waste of time,” Luc muttered.

I glanced over at him. “What did you expect to find?”

One shoulder rose in a shrug. “I don’t know. One of the books, maybe?”

“We’d feel those.”

“We don’t always.” He continued to walk, taking a circuitous route, even though most of the people who had gathered outside earlier had finally faded away.

A few were still gathered in knots, though, talking quietly. One older lady was leaning against the man next to her and sobbing. I could barely make out her broken, hoarse cries.

“Georgios…where is little Georgios? Where is my baby?
”

Georgios…her baby.

I stiffened and turned my head toward her. Stared. Georgios—

“The woman who died…was she the only one in the house, Luc?”

He kept on walking. Over his shoulder, he said, “Yes.”

Torn, I looked back at the woman.
My baby.

Who was she crying about?

“We need to figure out what…”

But Luc hadn’t even slowed down.

Glaring at his back, I went after him.

Arrogant son-of-a-bitch.

I caught up with him on the second level of the hotel, just a few feet from our door. I could have caught him quicker, but that might have gotten me noticed and that wasn’t exactly something we strived to do. It was actually supposed to be the opposite.

“I think we need to figure out who the old woman is crying about,” I said to his back.

Luc unlocked the door.

“It’s not necessary,” he said as he went inside. Once there, he took Krell off the leash.

Shit. I knew what that meant, although… “Damn it, Luc, if it’s a kid, we need to get back out there and find out what’s going on. He could be hurt or in danger, and we need to know.”

Luc ignored me, dropping down on the floor to play with his dog.

Krell was an amazing animal, but he was still an animal, one who worked rather hard. One thing I’d already noticed—once that leash came off, the dog was no longer
working
and he took advantage of it. Butting his head up against Luc’s chest, he growled low in his throat, odd little noises that made him sound like he was trying to talk.

I glared at the two of them. “Do I have go back out there by myself?”

“No.” Luc reached into his pocket and pulled something out—it look like a piece of jerky or something. He tossed it to Krell and the dog snatched it out of the air and trotted over to lie by the window, flopping down with a pleased little doggie sigh. Luc remained where he was, sprawled on the ground, long, denim-clad legs stretched in front of him, the faded cotton of his black T-shirt riding up just a little and baring the plane of his flat belly.

I had the appalling image of me pouncing on him like Krell had.

Damn it. I needed to pull myself together.

“Why shouldn’t we be out there?” I demanded.

“Because I already know where the boy is.” Luc lay back on the floor and flung an arm over his eyes. “Will has him.”

Then he blew out a sigh and lapsed into silence.

“Will?”

He didn’t answer me.

I swear, the man had a penchant for ignoring me that really, really pissed me off at times. Stalking over to him, I kicked him in the leg. “Sleeping Beauty, I just asked you a question.”

He didn’t bother moving his arm. “Wrong fairy tale, Snow White. I’m the stupid prince who tried to climb up a stone tower and fell down, ended up having my eyes pierced by thorns or some such nonsense. Yes. Will. You know, the stoic, white-haired bastard who likes to boss all of us around and talk in cryptic little bits of speech that make no sense to us mere underlings? I found the boy on the beach, came to the conclusion that he was in danger and called Will. After about fifteen minutes of having him blast me mentally, I told him he could either get the boy and keep him safe, or I’d keep my ass on the beach until he did. He decided he’d rather get the job done so he came for the boy.”

Now he lowered his arm and when I saw the inhuman beauty of those blue eyes, it was like a punch to the heart. As he came to his feet, I backed away then I could have kicked myself. Damn it, what I was doing?

Of course, he couldn’t
see
it, and Krell was off gnawing away on his treat, and I hadn’t made any noise, but it was the point of the matter.

“Now, was there anything else, Snow White?” he asked, his voice silky and cool, but under it, there was a threat of something. Something I couldn’t quite understand. This wasn’t like Luc. Luc was ever the gentleman. Always so kind and polite, even when he was pissed. Hell, I’d see him apologize to some of the possessed we’d taken down before. It wasn’t the
demon
he apologized to, but the mortal who still lurked inside. Luc never seemed to lapse on the manners front.

Except he was lapsing now.

He was being something of an ass as he took a step in my direction, then another, and another until he stood just a few inches away.

“Don’t call me that,” I snapped.

When he eased even closer, I jerked my hands up. That was a mistake, because I was touching him now. Through the thin cloth of his shirt, I could feel his heartbeat slamming against my hands—fast and hard. Too fast, too hard. Our hearts didn’t move at the same rhythm of a human’s. Not unless something had us worked up, at least. His skin felt hot, incredibly hot.

Long-fingered hands closed around my wrists. “I’m tired. I want a shower. A meal. A nap,” Luc murmured, tugging my hands down.

As he leaned in, I could feel the rhythm of my own heart ratcheting up a bit. Okay. A lot. Too much, until I was almost lightheaded from it. When he pressed his lips to my ear, I had to swallow a moan. “If you’re done trying to educate me, Snow White, I’m going to go shower.”

As he moved away, I swallowed and closed my eyes. Dragging my hands through my hair, I managed to stumble over to the bed. As the door shut behind him, I thought about yelling at him, “Don’t call me that.”

But what was the point?

As he was stripping out of his clothes, Luc wondered if maybe Will was right.