by Nova Archer
"We got Darryl with enough evidence to try him for all three murders," Hector continued.
"That's good to hear."
"We found the rope, and hook he used to cut the first victim's throat." Hector went on. "His book tread also matched the print you found at the house."
Jace nodded. "What about the second victim?"
"We located a rusty razor blade in the trunk of his car. It has the victim's blood on it."
"Did he say what he used the blood for?"
Hector shook his head. "That we don't know. But at least the families can have their justice."
Justice. That was something Jace definitely wanted. Memories of the beast he fought in the alley came flooding back to him. "Any word on what exactly I came up against? It seemed like it was part vamp, part lycan, part something else entirely alien." He took in a ragged breath. "I can still smell the sulfur."
"Gwen's working over time to analyze his blood and the skin scrapings we collected from your fight," Caine said. "We'll find the answer."
"Rick's been helping her," Hector added. "He says it's his new mission in life."
Jace smiled remembering the spunky young human technician.
Caine squeezed Jace's leg through the blanket. Jace knew it was his friend's way of offering comfort. Words would never pass between the two. That was not how their dynamic worked.
After patting Jace once more, Caine put his arm around Eve and smiled. "Okay, my friend. We'll leave so you can get some rest before the doc springs you. I'll call you later. Take a few days off at least."
"Do I get paid?"
Caine chuckled. "I'll take it under consideration." With a final tip of his head, Caine and Eve turned to exit the room.
Lyra grabbed Jace's hand, squeezed it, then let go and followed the others out the door.
Hector came around the side of the bed. He slid an envelope out of his jacket pocket and handed it to Jace. "She wanted me to give this to you."
Jace took the manila colored envelope and stared at Tala's handwriting. Jace it read simply. Turning it in his fingers, he could feel his chest tightening.
"I wanted you to know that I'll keep her secret. It's up to her what she plans on doing with it."
Jace met the man's gaze and nodded. "You're a good man, Hector. I'd work with you anytime."
"You as well."
They shook hands, and then Hector left him with his letter from Tala.
His hands shook when he opened it and unfolded the light blue paper and glanced at her elegant handwriting. He held it to his nose and breathed in her spicy scent. His body twitched in response. For as long as he lived, he'd never forget her smell.
Dear Jace,
I have a lot of things I want to say to you, but not the right words to say them. You deserve so much more than this letter.
So much more than me.
You nearly died because of my inability to accept my true self. I'll never forgive myself for that.
Please don't contact me. Move on with your life, Jace. Find your one true mate and be happy. Always, Tala
He read her words twice before folding the paper and sliding it back into the envelope.
Jace wanted to yell, he wanted to rant and rage. And he wanted to shake Tala and tell her that there was no one else for him. That she, despite everything she felt about herself, was the only woman for him. Forever.
Ripping the monitors off his chest and yanking the IV from his hand, Jace swung his legs off the bed and stood. Enough lying around. Enough feeling sorry for himself. If he wanted something, damn it, he'd go out and get it.
Jace stomped out of his room and into the sterile white hallway. As he stalked toward the nurse's station, he had a passing thought that his bare butt was most likely peeking out between the barely tied parts of his blue hospital gown. He didn't care. If people want to look, they could have a nice long gaze for all that mattered to him.
He just wanted a damn phone.
That luxury had been conveniently left out of his room. It didn't really surprise him, as his usual hospital stays had been less than 24 hours due to extraordinary healing powers.
When he approached the triage desk, the two nurses on duty regarded him with a mixture of caution and curiosity. The cautious one was a vampire and the other a lycan like himself. He could smell her growing attraction as he drew near.
"I need a phone."
Arching a brow, the vampire lifted her finally boned hand to point down the hall. "There's a pay phone down there."
He growled. "Does it look like I'm carrying any change?"
The lycan nurse chuckled and pushed the phone on the counter toward him. "Knock yourself out, Mr. Jericho."
Snatching up the receiver, Jace punched in Tala's home phone number. Fear of losing her and anger from her rejection warred in his mind as the phone rang. After three rings, the answering machine picked up. With Tala's melodic voice announcing her failure to be available singing in his ears, he lost all his ability to talk. What the hell was he going to say?
The beep sounded and his tongue went numb, sticking to the roof of this mouth. It didn't help that the nurses and other patients passing the triage desk were staring at him.
Turning from their gazes, he cupped his hand around the receiver. "Tala, it's Jace. Hector gave me your letter. I ah, just wanted to say that you are so much more than you think. And I'd be dead if you hadn't showed up." He shook his head and swore under his breath. This is not what he wanted to say. His emotions were brimming at the surface, ready to spill over.
"Damn it, woman. Listen to me. I'd be dead without you." Not sure what else he could say, Jace placed the receiver back into the cradle and slowly walked back to his room. His chest ached and he knew it had nothing to do with his physical wounds.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
Tala stared at her answering machine with tears brimming in her eyes as she listened to Jace's message. She could hear the anguish and anger in his voice and she desperately wanted to reach through the lines and touch him. If only one last time.
She hadn't been expecting it. She hadn't thought he'd call her after reading her note. That he had sliced at her heart and soul. A razor blade carving into her pain.
When the message ended, she stared at the phone, willing it to ring again. Maybe if Jace called again, she'd change her mind. Maybe hearing his deep sexy voice warming her ear would alter her plans. Maybe he would give her a reason to follow her heart instead of her head.
She nearly jumped out of her skin when the phone trilled. She reached for it, then hesitated like a coward, letting the machine pick up.
"I delivered the note."
Hector's voice rumbled through the speaker. She snatched up the receiver and put it to her ear. "I'm here."
"I gave Jace the letter."
"I know." Tala squeezed the phone tight as she stared out her bedroom window and traced the outline of the moon with her finger on the glass. "Thank you, Hector, for giving it to him." She paused then continued, "How is he?"
"He's healed and already barking to get out of bed."
She smiled. "That's good."
"Are you sure you're making the right decision, Tala? Leaving the force and moving away just doesn't make sense. You have other choices."
"Thanks again, Hector. For that and for keeping my secret. I appreciate it. I'll call you when I relocate."
"He loves you, you know?"
Sighing, she rubbed a hand over her face. "I know. I'll talk to you soon." Pressing the button, she set the phone on her dresser.
The moon winked at Tala as she stared out into the night. She'd been silver free for going on three days now and the moon called her to her like a siren's sweet song.
She wanted to run.
Even after having more silver nitrate made, she had yet to use any. Something stayed her hand. The thing that sparked and flared under her breastbone. The bond between her and Jace. She wondered how far she'd have to travel before it would finally break.
It had been over five years since she went through this stuff. Some of it might have even been her mother's. She had stored some of her mother's stuff when her mother had moved from her house to her new apartment.
After taping together some new boxes, Tala busied herself with tossing shoes, jackets and other clothing into them. Anything to keep her mind off Jace.
She wondered what he was doing. Did he get out of the hospital yet? Was he running through his favorite park soaking up the glorious rays of moonlight? Did he think of her?
Those were the exact thoughts she was trying to avoid but they were solidly lodged in her head. That, and the image of a bloodied and bruised Jace lying in her arms.
She didn't think that image would ever go away. It would haunt her for the rest of her life no matter how far she ran to try and erase it.
Shaking her head to dislodge the thought, Tala taped up one box, then sat down on the rug and went about going through the tedious task of sorting through the various junk boxes. She opened one and started to take out the stuff inside—her mother's things.
She ran her hand over the wooden music jewelry box. She remembered all the times she'd play dress up with her mother's necklaces and rings, while the pretty music played in the background. Smiling, Tala continued to poke through the contents of the box and picked up a stack of what looked like letters bound together with a red ribbon.
Flipping through them, it appeared that they were all from the same person. Maybe her mother had a secret love.
Curious, Tala slipped one letter out at random, opened it and began to read.
My Dearest Claudia,
It's with a sad heart that I received your letter.
Love always,
J.D.
After Tala read the letter, she scrambled for another. Opening it, she read it over quickly, every word making her ill. She felt like she was in quick sand, being sucked into oblivion.
Tossing the second one aside, she opened another, then another. The words and their meaning swirled around in her head making her dizzy and gasping for breath.
I'll always love you...my condition. A child...don't leave me. Forever.
JD.
Her mother had lied to her. Lies so treacherous she thought she was going to get sick.
Unable move even when she heard her front door open and close, Tala sat on the rug, her knees up to her chest, and held the last letter in her hand.
A letter from her father.
"There you are, dear," Claudia said as she walked into Tala's bedroom. "I phoned earlier, but you didn't—."
Tala raised her head and glared at her mother. "Why?"
Claudia's face paled as she saw what Tala was reading. Walking to the bed, she sat on the edge but said nothing.
"You lied to me, Mother."
"I did what was best for you, Tala. You have to understand that."
Crumpling the letter in her fist, Tala jumped to her feet. "I don't understand. How could you make me believe that my father was a rapist? How is that better for me?"
"I didn't want you to grow up in that environment, Tala. For you to have to deal with the prejudice and hatred of being one of them."
Tala swirled around and screamed, "I am one of them!"
Standing, Claudia reached out to Tala. But Tala shrugged from her touch. She couldn't stand to be touched by her, not after all the lies she had fed Tala over the years. All the guilt and shame she had heaped onto Tala rather than deal with who she was.
"I'm a lycan, whether you wanted me to be or not. Keeping me away from my father didn't change that."
"I didn't keep you from him," Claudia said as she wrapped her arms around herself. "He could've come to see you. He could've sent me money to help raise you."
Tala shook her head, anger swelling over her. "I read the letters, Mother. You told him not to contact you, not to ever come near you. You even threatened him with exposure if he tried."
"I couldn't have you growing up like that, Tala. I just couldn't. It wouldn't have been fair."
"Fair to whom?" Tala bit out. "Fair to you? You didn't want the burden of raising a child that was different. You didn't want to face the stares and whispers from the other mothers on the playground, is that it? Well, I am different, Mother. And there is nothing you can do about it. Not then, not now."
Claudia turned around and walked to the window. She leaned against the wall, and stared outside. "He never told me what he was, Tala. Not the entire three months we dated. Not until I was pregnant."
Tala didn't want to feel any sympathy for her mother. She had lied to her. Lies that caused Tala to hate herself, to hate what she genetically couldn't fight. But still a pang of sadness filled her heart with what her mother might've gone through.
"He was such a beautiful man," Claudia uttered. "I was so in love with him."
"Then why did you push him away?"
Claudia whirled around and the look on her face told Tala everything she needed to know.
"Because he was a.an animal. How can you love a beast like that?" she sneered.
Angry tears rolled down Tala's cheeks. "Then how can you love me?"
"I tried my best with you. I really did."
"Well, your best isn't good enough. Not anymore. Not for me." Turning on her heel, Tala marched out of her bedroom.
Claudia followed her into the living room. "Where are you going?"
Tala grabbed her jacket and car keys. "To get what I deserve."
Without another word, she opened her front door and went through it. The moment she stepped outside, Tala felt a great weight lift from her shoulders. As if she had finally sloughed off the one thing that had been keeping her from true happiness.
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
Sweat ran down his body as Jace stepped out of the trees near his house. He had gone for a long strenuous run hoping to mask the pain in his chest with another type of agony. It hadn't helped.
He had gone into the lab earlier to help wrap up the loose ends on the murders in San Antonio, but Caine had promptly told him to go home, as they had it all taken care of. The evidence on Darryl Rockland had stuck like glue, and the prosecutors were satisfied with what they had to go to court. There been no more murders or sightings of any strange creatures running around town.
Everything had been taking care of. Everything except the pain in his heart.
Thoughts and images of Tala still raced around in his mind.
As he crossed the street, he sensed he was being watched. Glancing both ways along the road, he couldn't see anyone. Many of his neighbors, lycans mostly, were out for their own runs. The few vampires that lived down the block worked nights, so they wouldn't likely be home, either.
He turned and stared into the trees. No glowing eyes shone back at him. There was nothing but raccoons, rodents and other animals who lived in the surrounding park.
He scented the air, but no odd smell came to him, just the usual pleasant night odors. If he was being watched, whoever it was stood downwind from him.
He was still wary from his battle with whatever it was. The sensation of being watched wasn't necessarily menacing. If it was the creature from the alley, Jace would certainly feel it. A person didn't stare into those strange glowing eyes and not know the face of death. He'd know it if he was looking into it again.
Jace continued across the street, up his steps and through his front door. He never locked it. He didn't think there was anyone stupid enough to break into his house. He had nothing of value anyway. Once inside, he shut the door behind him and froze.
Tala's scent floated around him, instantly intoxicating him.
"Ah, I'm sorry. The door was unlocked." From her stance at the window, she averted her gaze, but he saw her cheeks redden before she could fully turn away. Now he knew who'd been watching him in the street.
She
was making a conscious effort not to look at his nakedness. His ego inflated when he spied her sneaking peeks at him as he walked across the room.
Snatching his sweatpants from the floor where he had tossed them earlier, Jace slid them on. "Do you always break in to people's houses?"
"No, but technically, since your door was unlocked I didn't break in." She moved to the sofa and sat.
"Okay, so you got me there." He wondered into the kitchen and opened his refrigerator door. Anything to occupy his hands and his brain. He was unprepared to see her, especially in his house.
Grabbing two bottles of beer, he popped their caps, and carried them back into the living room. He handed her one then sat on the chair opposite the sofa. Jace took a long pull then looked at her.
She stared at the bottle in her hand. Sadness and regret wafted off her. It broke his heart all over again to feel those sensations from her.
"My father's name is J.D. Black." She tipped the beer to her mouth and took a long drink.
"What? I thought—,"
"For my entire life, my mother has lied to me." Tala glanced up at him. He could see the hurt in her eyes. The betrayal.
Setting his beer down on the table, Jace moved over to the sofa and sat beside her. Not too close to invade her space, but close enough for her to know that she could reach out to him if she wished.
She shook her head. "She told me that he had raped her. That she never truly knew who he was. And the whole time she knew exactly who and what he was. She had even loved him once. Before she found out that he was a lycan." She took another pull on the beer. "But then it was too late. She was already pregnant with his beastly child."
"How did you find out?"
"I found his letters to her. Letters full of love and anguish. He wanted me, Jace. He wanted to know me so much." Tears rolled down her cheeks.
He couldn't stand to see them on her beautiful face. Moving closer to her, he wiped her tears away with his thumb. "Of course he wanted you, darling. Look at you. You're a work of perfection."