by Meg Anne
Lucy sat up, resting her large head against Skye’s leg. “Hey, girl,” she whispered to the dog, who thought she was more human than animal. Her kind lupine eyes stared up at Skye, one blue, one brown, and Skye smiled.
What a unique dog for a unique man.
“Morning.”
Skye jumped slightly at the voice and spun to see Lizzie peeking in from the balcony.
“Hey,” Skye greeted, her voice pitched low in deference to the sleeping man beside her. She gave him a final glance, savoring the picture he made, her fingers already itching to go a few rounds with her sketchbook. She forced herself to turn away and join her new friend.
“How’d last night go?” Lizzie asked.
“I’ll let Lucas fill you in,” she said simply. It wasn’t her secret to share. She had no intention of being the one to relay the fact that Lucas was a Druid. Not to Lizzie; not to anyone. She had enough on her plate, and it was up to Lucas how much he wanted to tell his sister.
“So how did things go last night with James?” Skye wiggled her eyebrows.
Lizzie smiled shyly. “I see you’ve discovered my secret.”
“That you have a thing for your brother’s partner? Yeah, it was pretty obvious.”
“I can’t help it. He’s just so... you know.” Lizzie trailed off, her cheeks flushing with color.
“Let’s pretend I don’t know,” Skye said, taking a sip of her coffee before smirking at Lizzie over the rim. It had been awhile since she’d indulged in girl talk, and the dreamy cast of the other girl’s face peaked her interest.
“Hot.” Lizzie grinned. “And sweet, and considerate, and literally everything I could ever want in a man.”
Skye thought back to Lucas’ partner, who she’d briefly met. He was tall like Lucas, with a muscular build and dark hair. His eyes were hazel, and his nose was a little crooked, as if it had been broken a time or two. He was definitely attractive, she’d give him that, although he didn’t set her body on fire the same way a certain other detective did.
“So why not tell him?” Skye asked, stealing another sip of her coffee.
“Yeah, okay, and piss off my brother? No thanks. I don’t need that drama in my life.”
“Your brother only wants you to be happy, Lizzie. He’d get over it.”
“Before or after he kills James?”
Skye laughed. “Somehow I doubt it would go that far.”
They stood in companionable silence and watched the sun continue its rise over the city. Lucas’ apartment looked over Millennium Park. As she watched, the early morning colors started to bring the street side artwork to life. Chicago truly was a beautiful city.
“I just think life is too short to not go after what you want,” Skye said.
“Like you and my brother?” It was Lizzie’s turn to wiggle her eyebrows.
Skye snorted. “Please, you couldn’t be further off on that mark.”
“Bullshit. I see the way you look at each other when you don’t think the other is watching. I’ve never seen my brother more protective of another person in his life. Other than me, I guess. He cares about you.”
“In a friendly way, I’m sure.”
“Oh, I think it’s a friendly way, but more of a ‘I want to get you naked and jump your bones’ friendly than a ‘I’ll send you a Christmas card this year’ kind of friendly,” Lizzie teased.
Skye gaped at her assessment, trying to play it off with a shake of her head and another sip of coffee. Even if what Lizzie said was true, a relationship between her and Lucas was never going to happen. She sighed inwardly, annoyed at life’s little ironies. This was the first time she’d been more than mildly attracted to a man, and before she could act on it, it turned out a relationship between them was more than impossible.
Is that the way life works for everyone, or just me? It dangled something in your face that you desperately wanted but could never have? How the hell was that fair?
“It’s impossible,” Skye whispered.
“What’s impossible?” Lucas asked from the doorway.
Skye could feel the heat radiating off his body. The warmth curled around her, bringing with it a sense of rightness she didn’t fully understand. It was as if his soul called to a part of hers that had been dormant until now.
“Nothing,” Lizzie said pointedly, looking at Skye. “I’m going to go grab a shower.” She smiled and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek. “Morning, brother of mine.”
“Morning, Lizzie.” Once she was gone, he leaned against the railing and faced Skye. “What was that about?”
“Girl talk.”
“You still mad at me?”
Skye sighed. “No.”
“Good.” Lucas closed the distance between them so fast, Skye barely had time to react. One minute he was standing next to her, the next his body was caging her against the balcony railing, inciting all sorts of impossible thoughts in her head.
Skye gasped. “What are you doing?” she asked breathlessly. It took everything in her to not press against him to feel his delicious hardness against her body.
“I dreamt of you.” His eyes darkened and seemed to devour her as he said the words.
Her mouth went dry. “Lots of people have dreams.”
He lowered his head so that their lips were only a breath apart. “Not like this,” he whispered. “You do something to me, Skye. Something I haven’t quite figured out yet.”
When his eyes traveled down to her mouth, her traitorous tongue shot out and licked her bottom lip. The fire in Lucas’ eyes roared to life, and its twin began to rage inside her veins. She wanted his mouth on hers, wanted to feel his body press up against her own. Desperately. What the hell did that say about her? A Gypsy who was about three heartbeats away from jumping a Druid? Her ancestors would be incredibly displeased, to say the least.
“I want you, Skye.”
Her heart stuttered at the words. He said them so openly. No games. No hidden agendas. Just truth. They were potent in their sincerity, and an answering heat pooled low in her belly.
He leaned down even closer, and she knew if she so much as breathed, his lips would be on hers.
“I—”
“I know you aren’t ready yet. But when you are, you know where I stand. You have invaded my mind, my senses…” Lucas looked up from her lips and back into her eyes. “I’m not entirely sure how you did it so quickly, but I’m not about to question it.” He stepped away then, and her skin pebbled from the rush of cool air that caressed her as it filled the space his body had vacated.
I am so fucked, she thought as her heart continued to race. You aren’t yet, but you wish you were, a more wicked internal voice pointed out. Her coffee was entirely forgotten as she watched him walk away from her and back into the apartment.
What could she say? Her subconscious wasn’t wrong.
Chapter 16
Lucas
Lucas made his way back inside his apartment, his muscles taut from self-control. When he’d woken up, she’d been the first person on his mind, probably because of the dreams he’d had of her all night. Dreams where she was beneath him and he was finally doing all the things he’d wanted to do to her since he discovered her on that balcony during the art show.
When he’d stepped out and seen her standing on the balcony, sleep-mussed in one of his T-shirts, bathed in light from the sunrise, he’d nearly lost all control. Shit, had his sister not been in the apartment with them, he might have said fuck it and just carried her off to bed.
He knew she’d have gone willingly. He’d seen the way his words affected her. The way her lips had parted and those gorgeous eyes had stared up at him. Eyes that could get him drunk if he looked in them long enough. Fuck. He ran his hands through his hair and leaned against the counter. What the hell was he supposed to do?
There was no time for distractions, and yet, for her, he’d be willing to make an exception. He wouldn’t mind losing himself in Skye Giovanni for a while.
Lucas
forced himself to think of Lizzie—her life was on the line, and she needed him focused if he was going to keep them all alive. If he was the only one being targeted, he might have allowed something to happen with Skye. But he couldn’t take that risk, not with his baby sister. Not even for Skye.
Lucas poured a cup of coffee and his cell began to buzz. He pressed the talk button. “MacConnell.”
“Morning, Sunshine,” Matthews’ cheerful voice sounded on the other end of the line, and Lucas nearly growled. Cocky son of a bitch. He slipped on some shoes, and after hooking Lucy’s leash to her collar, stepped out into the hall.
“What the hell do you want?”
“I see someone pissed in your bowl of Wheaties this morning.”
“Is there a point to this phone call or do you just want to piss me off?” He really did like his partner. Other than Lizzie, Matthews was his closest friend. But therein lay the problem: Lizzie. His sister seemed to have a thing for his horn-dog partner, and that was something that couldn’t happen.
“Just wanted to let you know I’ve got a file with the images from last night’s second crime scene. You wanted to see pictures of the symbols, right?”
“Yeah.”
“I can bring it by on my way to the office this morning.”
Lucas’ grip tightened on the phone. He needed to set up an appointment to meet with a historian about the runes, but Lizzie was insisting on going into work. Like it or not, he needed someone to watch over her, and unfortunately, there was no one other than himself and Matthews that he’d trust with that job.
“I actually need your help today.”
“With?”
“I need to see about taking Skye to meet with some historians about those symbols, but… Lizzie wants to go into work.”
“And you want me to watch over her?” Matthews concluded, his voice entirely too pleased for Lucas’ liking.
Lucas grit his teeth, counting to three and releasing his breath before replying, “Yes. Keep her safe, and if anything weird happens, call me.”
“You got it. I’ll be there in fifteen to pick her up.”
“Make it thirty.” He ended the call and slipped the phone into his pocket.
Thirty minutes would give them enough time to get ready so that he and Skye could leave when Matthews and Lizzie did. The choice had nothing to do with needing to chaperone Matthews around Lizzie, but everything to do with not being left alone in his apartment with Skye. He just didn’t trust himself to be alone with her. Especially not with a bed in close proximity.
Or a couch.
Or a table.
“Dammit,” he said under his breath. It was definitely time for a cold shower. He brought Lucy back inside, put some food down, and went to freeze his ass off before starting the day.
Thirty minutes later, Matthews knocked on the door. Lucas pulled it open, grateful to have a few minutes alone with his partner while Lizzie and Skye were still getting ready.
“Here.” Matthews handed him the file, and Lucas opened it to see the runes in the first image. They were arranged the same way as the ones in the previous apartment, but some of the symbols were different.
Strange. “Was there anything else different at this scene?”
“Nope. Bodies were burned beyond recognition using an impossibly hot chemical fire like the others, weird ass symbols on the wall, and no witnesses who can place anyone in or near the building at the time of death.”
Lucas nodded, he had expected as much.
“Morning, James.”
Lucas turned to see his sister walking into the kitchen wearing more makeup than usual. Lucas swore she did it just to piss him off. She knew how he felt about her hooking up with his partner. What made it worse, and very nearly had him changing his mind, was the look on Matthews’ face when he saw her.
Lucas recognized it, because it was the same one he gave Skye.
“Morning, Lizzie.”
“Okay, you two. Straight to the diner and don’t leave unless I tell you to.”
“Yes, mother,” his sister responded.
“Morning, James,” Skye greeted as she walked in, nearly knocking the air out of Lucas’ lungs in the process.
It just wasn’t fair that she was allowed to look like that so early in the morning. How the hell was he supposed to resist her? What would those legs feel like wrapped around his waist while he—focus, MacConnell. Lucas shook his head to clear it. So much for the cold shower.
“We’ll be downtown at the University if you need us,” he said tightly.
“We won’t,” Lizzie all but sang as she and Matthews headed out. Now she was purposely trying to fuck with him. “Love you, brother!” she called back into the apartment.
“Ready?” Skye asked after they were the only two still in the room.
Lucas studied her for a moment, his eyes traveling up her perfect body as he catalogued every luscious curve. He knew he must look damn near feral because Skye straightened in response, her cheeks flushed with color and her eyes wide. When all of this was over, they were going to spend an entire week alone in his apartment.
He had until then to convince her it wouldn’t be a huge mistake.
Chapter 17
Skye
Skye was still reeling when they got into the car. She eyed Lucas warily, not sure how to act around him now that he’d laid it all out there. It wasn’t that she wasn’t interested, because clearly, she was. It was just… anything between them was doomed.
Skye closed her eyes and immediately snapped them back open when visions of Lucas making good on his promises filled her mind.
Nope. Nope. Nope. Not going there, Skye.
“Does this guy know we’re coming?” she asked, trying to get some sense of equilibrium back.
Lucas strummed his fingers on the steering wheel, not taking his eyes off the road. “He does.”
Skye nodded, and silence filled the car. It wasn’t uncomfortable, per se. There was just so much unresolved between them that she was desperate to distract herself with conversation so that her mind couldn’t wander back to wanting what she couldn’t have.
“Does he know why?”
“Mmhmm. He was a bit surprised when I said we were looking for his expertise to help with a case. He wasn’t sure how ancient runes would tie into a homicide, but when I said there were pictures, he seemed eager to take a look.”
Skye shuddered.
“Cold?” Lucas asked.
“No. Well, not like that. Just the thought of willingly studying something so evil makes me nervous.”
“Well, you said it was like math, right? Numbers in and of themselves aren’t evil.”
“True,” she said, considering the point. “Although there are some that would disagree. Think of the superstition around the number thirteen. It’s considered so unlucky most hotels still don’t have a thirteenth floor in their buildings.” Skye stopped, a new thought coming to mind. “I wonder if our Druid believes in numerology.”
“Numer what now?”
“Numerology. It’s sort of like astrology, but with numbers. People believe that there is a divine or mystical connection around specific numbers and their relationships with an individual or events.”
“I’m not sure I follow.”
Skye racked her brain, trying to think of an obvious example. “Take the number three. It’s tied to Christianity via the Holy Trinity. It is also believed to be the number of times Jesus asked God if there was a way he could avoid crucifixion.”
“Really? Wow, I had no idea.”
“I’m hardly an expert, I know very little about the actual practice.”
“How do you think it plays into our crime scenes?”
“It’s just a hunch, but I’m curious if there’s a correlation between the types of runes that are used and when the murders take place, like the time of day or day of the week. Or if even the number of bodies matter. At your first scene there were two bodies, and then the next day there were three. It
could all be a coincidence, an escalation meant to taunt you, like you were saying, but what if there’s something there?”
Lucas nodded. “Couldn’t hurt to check. Might shed some light on what to look for next.”
Skye nodded absently, her thoughts following that train of thought and taking a dark turn. She gasped, her hand swinging out and clutching his arm without conscious thought. “Lucas!”
“What?” he asked, glancing around like she had seen something in the road.
“Is it possible there’s another crime scene? One you haven’t heard about yet?”
Lucas frowned. “What do you mean?”
“If there’s a scene with two bodies, and then three… do you think it’s possible—”
“That we haven’t found the first murder yet,” Lucas cut in. His eyes widened as he turned to face her. “You think there might be another body out there? One we haven’t discovered?”
Skye shrugged. “I think it’s possible, given the pattern that might be emerging. I don’t know. Is that dumb?”
“I’ve solved cases with worse hypotheses than that. At the very least, it’s worth looking into.”
Skye was pleased Lucas was taking her hunches seriously. It helped push away the lingering sense of fear all thoughts of the Druid caused. “I’ll add it to our to-do list.”
He chuckled, but the expression on his face remained serious. The fact that this guy was out there murdering people to get to him was not sitting well with her handsome detective. Before she could say anything further, Lucas signaled and they were turning into the drive that would take them to the Celtic Studies Department of Chicago University.
Skye’s head pounded like a snare drum from the intensity of her headache. Not just any headache, it was a borderline migraine and showed no signs of easing up anytime soon. What was worse, she’d left all her meds back at her apartment. She hadn’t had a bad migraine in nearly six months, so it had completely slipped her mind to grab them. Skye pinched the bridge of her nose as the symbols in the books in front of her began to dance on the page.