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and wrinkled his nose at the damp heat. “Damn it stinks down here.”

      He approached another open door and stepped through. Nick was standing in front of the boiler with its door wide open and poking around at something in the fire with an iron rod.

      â€œFind something?” Steven asked.

      In answer, Nick removed the iron from the fire with the burnt remains of a skull dangling from the end by its eye socket. “I think it’s safe to say that some of the humans on the missing person’s roster won't be found any time soon.”

      â€œI think this church is a normal place for some of the local mafia to do their business.” Steven elaborated.

      â€œIn a Catholic church?” Nick demanded. “Isn’t anything sacred anymore?”

      Steven shrugged, “Kind of like the saying goes, nothing is certain except death and taxes.”

      Nick dropped the skull back into the boiler and shut the door. “Or in our case, fur and kittens.”

      The two men snorted in amusement before Steven sobered a bit. “Okay, we really need to get serious.”

      They separated, each one searching a different side of the large room until Steven saw something behind one of the huge garbage cans full of wooden planks. “Hey Nick, give me a hand with this.”

      Nick approached and helped Steven move the can aside just enough to get a good look, which wasn’t very far. A small, cramped tunnel had been carved out of the stone and straight out into the earth. The darkness was absolute and the two felines had difficulty seeing inside.

      â€œMight as well check it out,” Nick stated and moved forward to squeeze his thin frame into the opening.

      Steven reached out and grabbed hold of Nick’s arm and shook his head. “No, we go back and let Warren and Quinn in on what we found. One cougar is missing and, in my opinion, that’s one cougar too many. I don’t want to add a jaguar to the list, too.”

      â€œAw gee,” Nick smiled and wrapped his arms tightly around a shocked Steven. “You...” he gave an exaggerated sniffle and continued in a wavering voice. “You really do care.”

      Steven frantically pushed Nick off of him, sending the jaguar against the wall. “Moron,” he muttered while Nick was laughing. “Let’s get out of here.”

      By the time they reached the top of the stairs, Steven was convinced Nick had lost his mind somewhere along the road. The church was deathly quiet and Steven looked toward the hall that led to the upstairs office where the priest was waiting.

      â€œHang here for a minute,” Steven said. “I need to go talk to the priest.”

      Nick shrugged and leaned against one of the pews to wait.

      â€œHello, Steven.” A voice came out of nowhere.

      Nick jumped and Steven cried out in surprise before tripping over his own feet and falling down. Nick blinked when a man with dark hair stepped out of the shadows grinning madly down at Steven.

      â€œDamn it, Dean!” Steven yelled as he pushed himself off the floor. “Stop trying to scare the shit out of me.”

      Dean smirked and leaned against one of the pillars next to the pews and crossed his arms over his chest. “Unfortunately I don’t have to try.”

      â€œScrew you!” Steven growled. “I’m going to talk to the priest, I’ll be back.”

      â€œMake sure you return the choir robe you borrowed.” Dean teased him. “I’d hate to see some poor boy not able to dress for church.”

      Steven froze when Dean said those words and spun around to glare at the fallen.

      â€œChoir robe?” Nick asked and lifted his eyebrows almost to his hairline. “You wore a choir robe?”

      â€œI shifted, it was an emergency. I had to save this girl from being drained by a fucking vampire,” Steven defended.

      â€œYeah,” Dean chirped. “The very same girl you got your ass beat in front of.”

      â€œLike you’ve never gotten your ass beat,” Steven shot back.

      Dean stopped and thought for a moment. “No, I haven’t gotten my ass beat but it has been pounded.”

      â€œArgh!” Steven roared, throwing his arms in the air and stalking down another hall.

      Nick looked over at Dean, “Any idea where he’s hidden the robe?”

      â€œUnder his bed,” Dean answered.

      Nick smirked, “Perfect blackmail material, thank you.”

      â€œSure thing, I like watching him squirm… that and he seems to think I’m constantly going to kick his ass or something.”

      â€œSadist,” Nick said with a chuckle.

      â€œI’m a fallen,” Dean said. “We don’t have much to keep us entertained.”

      Steven approached the priest’s office door and raised his hand to knock when he heard voices on the other side. One he recognized as the priest, the other was female. Lowering his hand, he pressed his ear closer to the door so he could listen.

      Jewel paced back and forth trying to stay focused but it was hard. The first thing that came to her mind when she walked into the office was when she’d been attacked by vampires and seen a naked man or shifter… whatever he was. She just spent the last five minutes answering the priest’s questions about the other night but right now she had bigger problems than that.

      â€œYou shouldn’t be sneaking around in the middle of the night,” the priest said. “It’s dangerous. What if your father or your betrothed catches you?”

      Jewel marched straight up to his desk and practically slammed her palm down on it. “No, they are the ones making it dangerous… climbing out my own window and sneaking past the armed guards that are keeping me prisoner and trying to sneak back in without getting caught.”

      â€œYour father is just trying to protect you.” He tried to calm her down but knew what she was saying was true. Her father was in here every week confessing… washing the blood from his hands and conscience.

      â€œNo, he’s trying to force me to marry his business partner to pay back a debt! A debt I had nothing to do with. Isn’t there a law against slavery in this country?”

      â€œBut when you and Anthony came in here for the meeting, you said you loved him with all your heart.” The priest pointed out. “That is not the type of thing you should lie about. It’s a disgrace in the eyes of God.”

      â€œYes well, the two body guards standing behind our chairs… do you remember them? The one behind me was digging the barrel of his gun into my back. I could never love an egotistical heavy-handed barbarian like Anthony. He promised to kill me and my father if I don’t go through with the wedding. And earlier tonight, when I tried to tell father that I didn’t want anything to do with Anthony, he smacked me so hard that I know where the stars are located now, because I could count them.”

      Both Jewel and the priest were startled when the office door flew open so hard it banged the wall making several pictures and a gold-plated cross fall.

      Steven stood in the doorway glaring at the two of them. However, the darkening bruise on Jewel’s cheek made Steven see red. “You both need to come with me.”

      Jewel’s knees felt weak seeing the mystery man still alive.

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