Dangerous Games

Is it any wonder I'm feeling a little horny myself?

Well, the bitch did offer a little relief.

Not when we're working.

I sighed dramatically. You are such an old man.

I prefer to call it cautious. And you and I can sometimes get loud.

Yeah, but isn't it fun?

Not when we're breaking into a suspect's house, it's not.

I smiled, and took several steps into the hall. A clock ticked silently in the room to my right, and still the air was cold. Almost abnormally so. Amusement fled, and I licked my lips. I suppose the kitchen is the most likely place for a cellar door?

Generally.

I hadn't noticed one when I'd been here earlier, but then, I'd been more worried about getting some sustenance into my body before I passed out with fatigue. I padded down the hallway, my footsteps echoing lightly across the silence, every sense alert for the slightest twitch or abnormality. Nothing had changed, nothing had moved, since I was last there. Dust still layered the phone table, bills still covered the corkboard near the kitchen door, and plates bearing the remains of chocolate cake still littered the sink.

The only thing that was different was the atmosphere. The odd feeling that I was not alone in the house, despite the fact I couldn't scent or see anyone.

I stopped near the kitchen table and had a look around. There was a half-glass door to my left, through which I could see the backyard. Beyond that, the only other doorway was the pantry.

Open it.

The pantry?

Yes.

I've seen it open. It's a real pantry.

His frustration swirled through me. Can you just do something I ask without arguing about it?

Don't think it's possible. I grinned as I walked across the kitchen. The pantry door squeaked as I opened it, and the sound crawled across my nerves. I see shelves covered with tins and stuff.

All of them?

My gaze slid down. There's three spare shelves on the right.

Squat down.

I obeyed. And?

Is there a button or lever on or under any of the shelves?

I shifted slightly, moving closer to the shelves. Dust stirred, catching my nose and making me sneeze. The force of the sneeze stirred several sheets of loose paper sitting on one of the half-empty back shelves, revealing a small dark handle.

Found something.

No odd symbols on or around it?

A couple of dead bugs and some sheets of paper containing recipes is about as odd as we get.

Use the lever, then. But be careful.

Tension crawled through my limbs. I rolled my shoulders, then placed the bottles of holy water in front of me and grabbed the handle. It didn't take much strength to move the lever down, and as I did, there was a harsh grating sound. The three shelves slid aside to reveal the darkness of a tunnel.

I peered inside. The tunnel was big enough to crawl into on all fours and shored up with wood, but the smell of dirt and mustiness hung heavily in the air. It was also long, dark, and scary looking. I switched to infrared, but it didn't help any. The tunnel curled to the left as it headed downward, and while infrared could see past walls, it couldn't pierce earth.

What do you smell?

The sudden question made me jump a little.

Dampness. I hesitated, sorting through the more tenuous scents coming up from the tunnel. Blood. Sulfur.

Sulfur is demon scent. How strong is it?

Not very.

If it's an old scent, it's probably from past summonings. He hesitated. Still, proceed with caution, and keep the salt and water handy.

just what the hell am I supposed to do with them?

Holy water burns when it hits them. The salt can act as a barrier they can't cross if you use it to create a circle around yourself.

If I have time.

If you have the time.

I blew out a breath, grabbed the bottles of holy water, doing up the loose top so it didn't spill before climbing into the tunnel.

Though there was plenty of room, progress was slow. Between tasting the air, sliding the water ahead of me, and trying to see where the tunnel was actually going, speed wasn't going to happen.

The gentle slope curved around to the left, then right, and the smell of dampness, blood, and sulfur increased. And with it came something else. Muskiness.

Animal muskiness.

Something else was down here. I stopped, drawing in a deep breath, trying to place the aroma. It was sharp and distinct, and felt old in a way I couldn't even begin to explain. And it wasn't anything I'd ever come across.

There's something here.

What?

I don't know. It smells animal, but different, if that makes sense.

Could be any manner of demon.

Well, gee, that's comforting.

Amusement drifted down the telepathic line. There's only one way you're going to know what it is.

Says the man who's safe on the other side of the door.

The amusement died. If I could swap places, I would.

I know. I shuffled on. The slope continued its gentle downward arc, and the odd assortment of smells neither increased nor decreased. After a minute or so, the tunnel began to widen, and I was able to stand.

I dusted the dirt from my hands and knees, then looked around. The room was small and on the square side of round, and, like the tunnel, shored up by wood. There didn't appear to be anything hiding in corner shadows, despite the animallike odors haunting the air.

Talk to me, Riley.

I've reached the cellar. I took a step, and the sound echoed on the wooden floor. A chill scampered across my skin, though I wasn't entirely sure why. My gaze caught a white candle sitting in an alcove to my left, and beside it sat a box of matches. I mentioned them to Quinn, and added, Is it safe to light?

Riley, you're a dhampire with infrared sight. You don't need candlelight.

It's a psychological thing. I thinly this place would feel better with a little regular light.

Do it, then.

I placed one of the bottles near the wall, out of the way, then tucked the other under my arm and grabbed the handily placed box of matches to light the wick. Yellow light flared softly across the darkness, lending weight to the corner shadows but somehow offsetting the odd chill.

There doesn't appear to be anything here.