Keri Arthur - The Darkest Kiss

She roared and suddenly her broken teeth were in my flesh, gnawing at my arm. Sweat rolled down my face and white-hot pokers of pain began burning up my arm and into my brain. I drew my legs up, desperately trying to get my feet under her belly before she bit down into bone.

She ripped her head sideways, out of my grip, taking a chunk of flesh with her. A scream burned up my throat, but with it came anger and a desperate strength. My feet found purchase underneath her and I heaved with everything I had, sending her flying up and over my head.

I scrambled to my feet once again and backed away, blood dripping from my fingertips and splashing across the concrete.

The bakeneko hit the far wall and righted herself, her weight on three legs and the right side of her face bloodied and battered. There were strips of flesh—my flesh—hanging from her mouth, and her tongue came out, gathering them inward, before she swallowed.

A bizarre sort of smile stretched her broken features, then her form was shifting once again. Only this time she didn’t become a blonde.

This time, she became me.

And she was perfect.

Perfect.

Aside from the fact that she had a broken arm rather than shredded legs and a chunk out of her arm, I might have been staring at a perfectly clothed reflection. Obviously, whatever magic allowed her to change could hide bloodied clothes or a gouged eye, but it couldn’t heal a broken limb. It was nice to know that some shifting magic remained constant across species.

“I will walk out of here, guardian. I will walk away with no one being the wiser.”

I flexed bloodied fingers and shifted my feet. “Like hell you will.”

And with that, I leapt at her. If she remained in human form, I had a chance. But it wasn’t my only chance.

Iktar and Kade had to be close.

She sidestepped fast, but her speed seemed to be restricted by either her human shape or her wounds, and I hit her hard, my boot sinking deep into her side and sending her flying.

I swung round. The bakeneko had regained her balance, but rather than attack, she ran backward. I ran after her, wondering why the fuck she was suddenly retreating when the bitch was so confident of a win.

A second later, I had my answer.

The door behind her was torn off its hinges and two figures appeared, one little more than a shadow and the other blood covered and battered.

“Shoot her!” the bakeneko screamed, her voice my voice. “Blow her fucking brains out!”

Neither man hesitated.

They both raised their guns and fired.

O nly they didn’t fire at me.

They fired at the creature wearing my face.

One bright laser beam sliced through her legs, the other through her neck. There was a brief moment when shock registered, then her head parted company from her body and all three bits plopped to the floor.

I stared at her for a moment, unable to believe it was over so suddenly, then wiped a trembling hand across my face and met Kade’s gaze as he limped toward me. “How did you know?”

He gave me a smile that was all aching weariness. “She’s not missing her left little pinky. You are.”

“Then you’re both more observant than me, thank God.” I hadn’t even fucking noticed.

He wrapped a bloody arm around me and dragged me into a hug that was so damn fierce and comforting I felt like crying.

“You’re a mess,” he said, after a while.

“Now there’s a case of the pot calling the kettle black.”

“You both should go to the hospital,” Iktar commented.

I looked around Kade’s arm and saw him lightly toeing the bakeneko’s body. As he did, smoke began to rise, twisting and curling skyward. It swirled around its human remains, finding shape and solidarity. Briefly gaining the form of a cat.

She turned, and her ghostly gaze met mine. She didn’t say anything, simply bowed, then her form broke apart and began drifting skyward before disappearing completely.

“She’s gone,” I said, and wondered what sort of afterlife things like her went to.

Iktar glanced at me, his body fading into the shadows and featureless face unreadable. “It is always best to be sure.”

And with that, he aimed the laser at her heart and shot the hell out of it. Spirit lizards believed that the soul resided in the heart, and that by destroying the heart you destroyed the soul, preventing it from moving on. In this case, he was too late, but I doubted it would have made a difference anyway. Souls seemed to rise from the whole, not just from the heart.

“He’s right,” Kade commented. “We should take ourselves to hospital and get checked out.”

“ You can take yourself there. I’m going home to shower and eat.” Although I’d have to shift shape and stop the bleeding first. Not to mention help start healing the missing chunk out of my arm.

But after all that, I would head to the hospital—to hold my brother’s hand and wait for news on Liander.

“You are bleeding rather heavily, you know. I mean, I’m loving the hug, but between the two of us we’re creating quite a puddle.”

I laughed and stepped back. He was right—there was quite a bit of blood at our feet.

“Then get ye to the hospital. Sable will kick your butt if you haven’t got the strength to pamper her the way she deserves to be pampered.”

“Too damn right.” He touched my torn cheek lightly. “Do you want a lift?”

I shook my head. “I’ll take Iktar’s car. He can grab a lift back with the cleanup team.”

“The cleanup team do not like me,” Iktar commented.

I grinned. “Well, you will show off your party trick at inappropriate moments.”

And having seen that trick myself, I could totally understand their aversion. I mean, a penis he could retract into his body was bad enough, but being able to produce barbs along it as well was just…gross.

“Hey, they asked,” he said. “Not my fault.”

I smiled and shook my head. Iktar didn’t sound too depressed about not being liked, and I had to wonder if he’d done it deliberately. Our spirit lizard got a kick out of not only shocking people but alienating them. Their culture had this weird belief that the fewer friends you had, the more powerful you were. Of course, they also believed family was all that mattered, and that I could totally understand.

Kade leaned forward and kissed my uncut cheek. “Today was fun.”

“You have a very odd definition of fun,” I said, voice dry. “And kissing is against the rules.”

“Like you care about the rules.” He gave me a salute good-bye, then spun on his heel and walked out.

I walked over to Iktar and held out my hand. “Keys?”

“In the car.”

“Thanks.”

He nodded, then his all-blue gaze met mine. “This job will kill us all, won’t it?”

I hesitated, then nodded. “Probably. None of us is immortal, Iktar.”

His gaze went back to the bakeneko’s body, then he nodded slowly. “I guess it’s as good a way of going as any.”

“Oh, I think getting old and slipping away peacefully surrounded by friends and loved ones would be a hell of a lot better than this.”

His gaze came back to mine. “But you and I are not destined for that, are we?”

“Probably not.” I squeezed his shoulder lightly, his flesh cold and clammy under my fingertips, then walked away. I didn’t want to think about a future I might not have. I just wanted to get to the hospital and make sure my present was alive and well.

L iander’s surgeon walked in an hour after I arrived back at the hospital.

Yann and Raina stood up immediately, but Rhoan didn’t move, his expression carefully neutral but the tension in his body suddenly sharpening.