Page 112 of Terror at the Gates

I smiled at him. “Just going for a little stroll.”

“Not around here,” he said. “You can just stroll back the way you came.”

“Someone’s grumpy,” I said.

The man frowned at me. He wasn’t going to make this easy.

“You wanna pet my pussycat? It might make you feel better.”

The man’s eyes widened and then narrowed as I parted my jacket to reveal Cherub sitting stoically in her sling.

“I’m allergic.” He scowled and then pointed down the darkened road from where I’d come. “Go.”

I scratched behind Cherub’s ear, never taking my eyes off him.

“Maybe you aren’t allergic to pussycats,” I said. “Maybe pussycats are allergic to you.”

The guard reached for something at his belt. I assumed it was a gun, but I wasn’t actually going to stick around and find out, even though I was armed. I didn’t want to die any more than I wanted to kill someone over a drug I didn’t even take.

“Okay, okay,” I said, turning on my heels.

I’d find another way in.

I retraced my steps, returning to Gomorrah and taking a different road to the port. This entrance was a little bigger, made specifically for large vehicles. A guard was alreadystanding in front of the barrier, his arms crossed, like he was waiting for my approach. It had not occurred to me that perhaps the thing the other guy was reaching for was a radio, but now I suspected he had warned the other officers of my loitering.

Despite this, the man smiled as I neared and dropped his arms to his sides. Clearly, he didn’t see me as much of a threat. That was lucky considering the warning could have had the opposite effect.

I took a quick inventory of his person. Unlike the other guard, he wore a bulletproof vest and a belt heavy with his gun, extra ammunition, a stun gun, and a flashlight.

“I hear you have a pussycat,” he said.

I let a smile curve across my lips. I kept Cherub within sight in her sling and scratched behind her ears.

“Word gets around,” I said.

“It ain’t everyday we get visitors, and never one with a pussycat,” he said, his eyes dropping to Cherub—or maybe he was looking at my breasts, judging by the spike in his desire. It wasn’t the darkest or most violent I’d ever felt, but it still made my stomach roil.

“What a shame,” I said, keeping my voice low and breathy, stoking his hunger. I had yet to reach for it with my own magic. I needed it to be a little more intense to get exactly what I wanted, which was entry to the port and the location of Zahariev’s zone. “This must be your lucky day.”

“That all depends on you, princess,” he said.

He was so close, I could feel his breath on my face. It was uncomfortably warm and smelled faintly of onions. Still, I managed to smile, my gaze darting to his name, which was embroidered on a patch affixed to his bulletproof vest.

“Well, Nathaniel,” I said, lifting Cherub from her sling,pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “Would you like to hold my pussycat?”

The guard’s eyes flitted to Cherub. He offered a quiet chuckle, almost like he couldn’t believe he was having this conversation. I couldn’t believe I was, either.

He answered all the same.

“Nathaniel’s my last name,” he said. “But sure. I’ll hold your pussycat. I’ll hold whatever you want.”

Cherub meowed as I handed her to the guard. He tucked her into the crook of his arm. She looked at me, the pupils of her copper eyes narrowing. I scratched her head, hoping it would ease her frustration a bit. I needed her to play along for two seconds.

“You got any plans now that your hands are free?” he asked, his eyes trailing down my body. I tried not to shiver. It wasn’t a good shiver either. His lust turned my stomach—he’d started fantasizing.

It had taken a lot of time, observation, and direct questioning to assign meaning to each feeling—what gave me a headache or made me feel dizzy versus what made me want to vomit. Age was also a factor. Younger men usually thought about sex more frequently, and their lust had more power, but that also meant they were far easier to control.

The man in front of me was older, but his lust was strong. I suspected it had been a while since he’d seen any action.