Tempting Evil

"Which is why I thought I'd leave it to you to tell him."

His brown eyes glimmered with amusement. "Coward."

"Yep." I looked up and noted that we were drawing closer to the guards' quarters. I needed to ask my questions before we ran out of time. "Did you see or feel anything unusual when you were scouting around the outside of the kitchen?"

He smiled. "I've a feeling you already know the answer." He reached into his pocket and withdrew a piece of cloth. "I saw a shifter pretending to nose through the rubbish. The minute I approached she ran, but I found this in amongst the rubbish. I think it must have dropped from a pocket during her original shapeshift."

"You didn't give chase?"

"I had no chance."

He handed me the cloth, which turned out to be a gray and white handkerchief. Just like the one that had been tucked into Nerida's breast pocket.

"It had a musky, feminine scent, but there was little in the way of perfume," he continued. "Given what it's been through recently, it now probably smells of nothing more than me and smoke."

I sniffed it. He was right. "One of my roommates is a werefox, and happened to be wearing a hanky like this earlier. I might go check she still is."

"Be careful with her. Foxes are as slippery as snakes."

"Or as cu

"I have no idea, but she's certainly worth questioning. Just don't get caught doing so by the wrong people."

"I won't." I stopped as we neared the gate leading into the guards' quarters. There was a guard watching us, but the mere fact I couldn't read him said he was human. He wouldn't hear what we were saying as long as we went no closer. "One thing you do need to know—there's three underground floors that aren't on the plans. I have no idea what's on the first level, but there's a small research lab on sub-two, and Merle, Moss, and Starr have quarters on sub-three."

He nodded. "They told us that during briefing. Warned us that no one but the head of security and assigned guards went down there."

"Did they mention the fact there's an escape tu

"So how come you know about it?"

"I saw Merle key it open. When I asked Dia about it, she said it was a type of air lock provided for Starr's protection."

"But you don't believe she's telling the truth?"

"Oh, I believe she believes that's what it is. I just don't believe it is that."

"So the levels could go lower?"

"Why else would they have a secret elevator? If it went back up to the other levels, surely others would know about it?"

"It's a lead worth following. Though unless I can attract Starr's attention, I won't be the one following it."

A shiver ran down my spine. "Be careful with him. He doesn't walk in the same sane world as you and me."

"That's a given." He squeezed my shoulder then stepped away from my hold. "Keep in touch."

"I will. Just promise to be careful around your target. I have a bad feeling about him."

"That's because he's a bad man." He gave me a lopsided grin. "It's part of my job to associate with, and then destroy, bad men."

"But this bad man seems to think he knows me, disguise or no. He's in our lire somehow, and the slightest slip could tip him off as to who we really arc."

"Warning heeded." He glanced briefly at the watching guard, then leaned forward to kiss my cheek. "Don't play with our friendly neighborhood stallion too much. You have got a job to do here, you know."

I gave him a light whack on the arm before he could jump away. He chuckled softly, gave me a wink, then walked off. I watched him until he was inside, then turned and headed for my own quarters.

The fighters' quarters were full, and most of the women were asleep. One or two were staring out the windows or chatting amongst themselves, but for the most part, silence reigned.

Berna was in bed and, as she'd warned earlier, snoring heavily enough to wake the dead. Or undead, as the case around here might be. Nerida wasn't in the room, and her toiletries bag was missing from the bedside table where she'd placed it earlier. But the sound of ru

Perfect. Just perfect.

I collected my still damp towel and soap, and headed to the bathroom. The water flicked off as I entered.

"Hey," Nerida said, "throw me the spare towel that's sitting near the basin, will you?"

I quietly shut the door, dumped my towel and soap in a nearby stall, then moved over to grab Nerida's towel. "Catch," I said, and tossed it high, not over the door but at the camera in the corner above it. I might never have been tall enough to be a basketball player, but I was a pretty handy shot at goal. The towel landed precisely where I wanted it—catching the body of the camera and draping down over the edge of the lens. With the camera now covered and sound not an issue—thanks to the fact there were no microphones in the bathroom—I stepped forward, raised a foot, and kicked open the door.

"You stupid bit—" The rest of Nerida's curse was lost as the door slammed back against the stall wall.

She spun around, a look of shock and perhaps a little fear etching her features. I gave her no time to react any more than that, simply wrapped a hand around her throat and slammed her back against the wall.

She grunted—a sound that was strained and angry all at once. The fear, if it had been fear I'd seen, was gone. And that in itself suggested this woman was more than what she was pretending. Anyone with any sense feared a werewolf when they were angry. That she didn't meant she could defend herself when she wanted—or she had other sources of protection I wasn't aware of.

Even as the thought crossed my mind, awareness tingled across my senses. I ducked instantly, and a fist the size of a shovel skimmed across the top of my head. I squeezed Nerida's neck harder, making her gasp, even as I lashed out backward with a bare foot. I co

"I'll break her fucking neck if you don't stop, Berna. I swear to God I will."

"Release her, then." Berna's words were as quiet as mine, but filled with the restrained promise of violence.

"Release someone who's just killed at least ten people? I hardly think so."

I twisted around to check on Berna, but didn't ease the force of my grip around Nerida's neck. The werefox was huffing, her face darkening with her battle to breathe, but I didn't damn well care. Everything I'd smelled, everything I'd felt, when I first walked up to the blast area had come back with a rush, and the dead and dying who'd filled me with their pain wanted revenge. And my fingers—my whole arm—was shaking with the effort not to squeeze that little bit tighter. To kill her, and let the dead have her.

Berna's brown eyes narrowed a little. Bear-shifters might have the rep for honesty, but I had a feeling I'd be getting anything but that from this bear-shifter. At least for the immediate future.

"Don't speak rubbish, wolf. She was with one of the people from the arena for hours, then she came here. She didn't have anything to do with that explosion."

"Hard to believe when she was actually spotted not once, but twice. And if you don't step back this instant, she's one dead werefox." I squeezed a little harder, just to emphasize my seriousness, and Nerida made an odd gargling sound. I eased up immediately. I didn't actually want to kill her, no matter what the remnants of the dead might be urging.