The Darkest Kiss

“No, the remains belong to Maria Ke

Kade looked at Cole. “Why would she waste a perfectly good soul like that?”

“Maybe it was a last-minute killing. Maybe she needed to get out before she was discovered.” Cole shrugged, then looked at me. “Yell if you have any further questions.”

He spun and walked away, picking up a set of fresh gloves before moving back to the body under the car. I looked away. I didn’t want to see him retrieve what was left of Maria. Not when her anguish and pain were still fresh in my mind.

“What can I do for you, wolf girl?” a familiar voice said into my ear.

“Kade said a trace was being put on Je

“Hang on and I’ll check.” She paused. “Okay, she owns a white Porsche, and it’s currently parked in Lygon Street.”

Which was a long street with lots of clubs and restaurants. It could take forever to find the bakeneko there. “Is there anything in Je

“One of her exes owns the Lygon Towers, and lives on the top floor. We’ve tried contacting him, but there’s no answer.”

If he also happened to be one of Cherry’s exes, then there was probably very good reason for him not answering. Like, death at the hands of a bloodthirsty, sex-crazed cat. “Send me the address.”

“Will do. Oh, and Jack just said to make sure tracking and sound are on.”

“Jack’s a nag.” I hung up and flicked the small button in my ear, turning on the tracker and the sound. They’d hear me if I yelled for help, but I couldn’t actually hear them unless I flicked the button again.

Kade was frowning. “Why would the bakeneko go straight from one kill to another? From what I’ve seen of cats, they tend to sleep off a kill.”

“Maybe that’s what she’s doing. Maybe she figures it’ll be safe to hide out in the apartment of one of Je

He gri

“You know I’ll follow you anywhere,” he said, amusement enriching his warm tone. “I’ll also do you anywhere, but you won’t let me.”

“Once you’ve seen Jack really angry, you’ll understand why,” I said wryly. “In the meantime, you have to drive. At least that’ll keep your hands busy.”

“I drive an automatic. There’s plenty of scope for my hands to play.”

I snorted softly and stepped out from under his arm. “You’re incorrigible.”

“I’m a horse-shifter. We have sex on the brain.”

“Let’s try to concentrate on catching our killer, huh?”

He shook his head sorrowfully. “You’re just no fun anymore.”

“Oh, I’m still party central, it’s just that you’re not on the invite list anymore.” I pushed him lightly toward the ramp. “Lead the way, horse man. We have a killer to stop.”

The apartment building belonging to Je

I hadn’t been back to the Rocker since they’d switched to more modern music to attract the younger crowd on the weekends, but it was nice to know they hadn’t totally abandoned the old-style music that had made them one of the more popular wolf clubs. Maybe I could start visiting them again, now that my version of celibacy was basically over.

But even as that thought crossed my mind, doubt stirred. Was I really ready to dive headfirst into being a free and easy wolf again? Part of me whispered yes, but another part—the part that still ached—said no. I had Qui

Especially considering Qui

I turned and studied the building in front of me. It was modern in style—all glass, metal, and sharp angles—and, to my eye at least, there was nothing appealing about it. Not even its closeness to the wolf clubs would have enticed me to live here. Even from the outside, it just didn’t feel “open” enough.

Kade led the way into the building, and an elevator swept us up to the top floor. There was only one door on this floor, but ringing the doorbell got no response.

“You want me to break in?” Kade asked, a “dare me” smile teasing his lips.

I raised an eyebrow. “I thought your wild youth was spent breaking in to old cars, not homes and apartments.”

“No, I said I’d done some things that would make your hair curl.” The teasing smile stretched, becoming sexy enough to curl my toes. “Why do you think I ended up in the military? It was either that or jail.”

“So those wild ways caught up with you?”

“Actually, my dad caught up with me. He was a cop. Bad move, having a cop for a dad, I can tell you.”

“I can imagine.” I waved a hand at the door. “You sure you can get this open? Electronic locks have gotten a whole lot tougher since your wild days.”

“Yeah, but I’ve always kept my hand in. Just in case.” He got what looked like a small black box out of his pocket and pressed it against the key-reader. A second later, there was a beep and the door clicked open.

I gave him a deadpan look. “You carry an electronic lock picker in your pocket?”

“Saves breaking down doors and getting a sore shoulder.”

“You do know they’re illegal, don’t you?”

He gri

I shook my head and pulled my laser from its holster. “You ready?”

He raised his eyebrows as he pulled free his own weapon. “Sweetheart, I’m always ready.”

“Heard that about you stallions.” I pushed the door open and stepped quickly into the room. The living room was large, white, and pristine, with modern furniture that matched the modern feel of the building.

And it wasn’t empty, I realized, as the smell of cat and death hit.

The bakeneko was here.

Chapter 12

I didn’t have time to warn Kade.

I barely even had time to spin around in the direction of the scent when a huge black paw hit me, knocking me across the living room and sending me smashing into a wall. The plaster dented under the force of the impact and the laser went flying from my hand.

I hit the floor just as hard as the wall, and pain flared across my back. I ignored it, and swiped irritably at the warm liquid spilling from the slashes on my cheek.

But the scent of blood that filled the air wasn’t only mine. Kade had managed to move away from the doorway, but he’d been backed into a corner by the bakeneko and his right arm was shredded so badly I could see strips of bone in places. He’d had time enough to grab a metal chair from the dining area, and that was the only thing standing between him and the bakeneko’s bloody fury. But the metal was having trouble standing up to the force of the creature’s blows, with huge dents marring the various struts.

I had no idea where his laser was. Like mine, it had obviously been sent flying when the bakeneko attacked.

She was massive—a big black monster who stood at shoulder height with the horse-shifter. Her paws were the size of damn plates, and her claws were thick and brutally sharp.