Blind Destiny: Grimm's Circle, Book 7 [retail mobi] by Shiloh Walker Page A

turned away and stalked toward the Christou house. The very evil of it reached out, wrapped around him. And once more, he found himself caught in that cold, cold chill.
    But it didn’t seem so oppressive this time. Maybe because he had the heat of his anger to hold it at bay. Anger. Lust. Need. Take your pick. He slowed as he drew closer to the house—the ground was uneven under his feet and even with Krell’s eyes, he had to be cautious. Sometimes he hated the damaged condition he’d come into this life with, but he’d adapted. Krell gave another warning yip as they neared a crumbling stoop. Everything was deteriorating with age. The icy chill faded even more, that weighty prickle on the back of his neck fading and fading until it was just a bare memory by the time Luc stood at the door.
    Sina was at his back and he felt something.
    “Hurry up,” she groused. “I can’t hold this forever.”
    This —
    He wasn’t sure what this was until he looked back at her through Krell’s eyes. Krell could barely see her. He could scent her fine, but her image was wavery and incomplete, like he watched her through a mist.
    Turning his attention back to the door, he studied the door through Krell’s eyes. There was a padlock. Pity, that. Grasping it in his hand, he wrenched it off, tucking the destroyed metal in his pocket. If he left it lying around, it was more of a sign of an intrusion than just taking it with him, he figured.
    “That was nice and subtle,” Sina muttered.
    “Lock-picking isn’t one of my skills.” Luc pushed the door open. “If you wanted subtle, you could have done it.”
    “You sure as hell are in a bitchy mood,” she said as she brushed around him.
    Bitchy . He ran his tongue around his teeth and breathed in the scent of her. His palms itched. His blood pulsed in his veins, so hot and heavy. Hunger was an ache in his veins and he wanted to touch, wanted it so much he could hardly stand it.
    Bitchy? She didn’t know the half of it.
    “What are we looking for?” she asked.
    He tried not to notice how her voice hitched a little halfway through, tried not to think about the way her breath caught and how he could sense the pain riding her.
    “Something is tainting this town. It’s not demonic, but it’s enough that it hurts people.” He crouched down and snapped his fingers, waiting for Krell. He smelled rot in the air—rotting wood, the carcasses of dead animals, dust, mold. “Look around, boy.”
    Krell made a rumble in his throat, not quite a growl, not quite a bark, and then padded off. Luc could hear him snuffling and moving around. Keeping himself locked in his own mind for now, he listened only. He could hear Sina.
    “What is he doing?”
    Luc closed his eyes.
    She was standing too damn close, and moving closer. Staying where he was, he pulled a knife from his pocket and placed it on the ground, twirling it by the tip. He’d have to sharpen it again, but it was better if he stayed focused on something. On anything.
    “He’s checking to make sure everything is stable,” Luc said, visualizing the blade in his mind. If he tried hard enough, he could almost imagine how the blade would look if he held it, could imagine holding it as he fought—
    “Stable.” Sina snorted. “This place is a veritable death trap.”
    “Yes. Which is why I’d rather he look around and have an idea where I shouldn’t step before I go blundering around on rotted boards and falling through to land on my arse,” Luc said.
    “Why don’t you just look through his eyes all the time?”
    Sighing, Luc closed his hand around the blade and lifted his hand to his head. Resting his brow on his fist, he said, “For one, even the dog might like his privacy every now and then. He’s my friend, not just a tool. Also, it’s not as easy to judge that when I’m looking through his eyes. It’s better for me to have an idea of the lay of the land before I go plowing in.”
    “You’re angry.”
    “Oh, fuck