But it was the door infront of us that held my attention, or should I say the giant holewhere I presumed the handle would have been. I glanced over therailing into the corner past the security door—the splintered chunkof wood had been discarded, the brass doorknob crushed.
Unfortunately, I’d hadto leave my sword in the Rover as there was no way I could get awaywith walking around central London with it on my back. And I wasstarting to get a sneaking suspicion that it would have been theweapon of choice for this evening.
I slid my dagger frommy holster and glanced back at Nathan who had stopped behind me,his nostrils flaring.
“Keep quiet,” Iwhispered.
He nodded, uncertaintyflashing across his face.
“We got this?”
Shoulders back, heballed his fists and gave a curt nod.
I moved to the wall.Back pressed against the brick, I splayed my left hand on the blackwood and slowly pushed it open.
ChapterNine
~ Nathan ~
I was pretty sure thatif my heart was still working, it would have punched a hole rightthrough my rib cage. I had never been so freaked out in, well, mylife even though it had technically ended.
There was somethingoff with this building. Sure, it was a ‘house’ on the outside, butso far from homely. Not that I could actually imagine a Vampire’sNest being homely. I couldn’t put my finger on it, and in allhonesty, I didn’t want to, but we were here to find Heather.Finding Heather meant that I would get a better understanding of mypredicament, or at least I hoped I would.
So regardless of theicy chill sweeping over my already cold skin, I had to suck it upand go into this strange foreboding building.
I could smell blood,and boy did I hate how easy it was for me to pick up regardless ofthe fact that the air around me was tainted with a number ofscents, from remnants of exhaust fumes to rubber on asphalt, anumber of dishes that had been made and consumed in the homessurrounding us, the trees and damp grass of the nearby park. All ofthat, and yet, my new super nose had zoned in on blood—some human,but the rest … There was a familiar tinge to it that I had smelledbefore but couldn’t remember where.
All I could do waswatch as Elle pushed open the secret little door at the bottom ofthe outdoor stairs. Once upon a time, it was probably the servant’sentrance, where deliveries and such would have been received. Iwould have thought that someone would have sealed it nowadays, butas my focus dropped to the gaping hole in the wood, I realized thatit probably could have been.
“Shouldn’t we beconcerned that someone else had the same idea and broke in?” Iwhispered.
She didn’t look at me,but the ripple of concern that crossed her face was answer enough.Someone had broken into a Vampire Nest. Why the hell would you,unless you were a Hunter like Elle and her family? Unless theythought this was a normal home? God, they were in for a shock.Perhaps that’s why I could smell blood? Had a thief broken in andended up being supper?
Poor thieving bastard.I would say it served them right, but that would be way too harsh.Although, karma was a bitch.
“Well, they shouldscout their properties better, like the burglars from HomeAlone.” A shimmer of a silhouette rippled behind real Elle.
Yeah, that didn’twork out well for them either. I looked at the space where theteen was starting to form. I can’t have you here right now. Thisis serious. I need t’have my wits about me.
“Don’t tell methat. Tell yourself. Just relax.”
Relax? I had tocontain a snort. I’m about t’walk into a building full ofVampires … And this time willingly.
“Elle won’t letanything happen t’you.”
Yeah, and that didn’tmake me feel any better. What if something happened to her?
Oh, shit, what ifsomething does happen to her?
Would I be able todefend her? Escape with her?
“You’reoverthinking, Ninny.”
Shut up.
Elle slipped inside. Ifollowed her in, mimicking as she kept her back pressed against thewall to the right of the door. I slowly closed the useless stretchof wood, revealing a stone archway to our left. Through theopening, I could see that the room was lined with what I couldpresume were fridges and freezers.
A nudge to my ribcagebrought my attention to Elle who nodded in that direction.
“I think that meansshe wants you t’check no one’s in there.”
Ignoring the growingform of Teen Elle who stood in the archway, I moved across andpeered into the room. It wasn’t huge, but the industrial appliancessure as hell made the room a heck of a lot smaller.
I turned back to Elleand gave her a thumbs up to say the room was clear. With a nod, sheslipped into the next open archway only to return a second laterwith a nod.
The lights in thehallway were a warm yellow, which suited the fact that the wallswere bare brick. It was kinda rustic and didn’t really suit theexterior of the building, but who was I to judge?
I followed Elle downthe hallway, past the stairs that led to the ground floor, watchingas she moved through the next archway. I paused at the sight oftipped over tables and broken chairs. She slowly made her way roundthe space, her gaze tripping over the wreck of a room.
“Well, clearlysomeone is a sore loser,” the teen said pointing at thescattered playing cards.
Elle stopped at theleft, where the French glass doors lay open. I stopped beside her,glancing out onto the wide courtyard mainly made up of flag stonesand potted plants. Across the way was a three-story building, a setof black iron stairs leading up to a door, similar to the set justto the side of the doors we currently stood at.
“Jesus, this place ishuge,” I whispered.
Her focus moved backto the room, gaze falling to the wooden floor, which I now noticedhad the same black marks that rested at the bottom of the door wehad come through.
“Is that what I thinkit is?”
She met my gaze. “Thatdepends. What d’you think it is?”
“I saw similarmarkings at the facility after it had apparently been attacked.” Iglanced back down
