A Shade of Midnight

by Renee George

  “I talked to many people that night. It was, after all, a party. I can’t be expected to remember every person.”

  “Oh, he was quite distinguishable. Not only did he have a white streak down the right side of his head, he was the only guy there dressed like Columbo.”

  “Well, unfortunately, men don’t notice such things, Ms. Vail.”

  Liar. Tobias Tolliver was a polished man, from his perfectly coiffed hair and beard, to his thousand-dollar tailored suit and his manicured nails. He’d have noticed. “Forgive me if I don’t buy it. Not at all. I don’t think there’s much you miss.”

  “You flatter me, Ms. Vail. Is that all? I have a busy schedule today.”

  “One more thing. Why was Kathleen Albright here?”

  “I don’t see what that has to do with the case,” he said, but his emotional meter was pinging off the radar. “Now, if you’ll see yourself out.”

  For a moment, she said nothing, fixing her eyes on Tolliver. The man definitely had secrets, but until Mina’s ability became mind reading, she wasn’t going to find out with the direct approach. She stood, leaning forward, palms flat on Tolliver’s desk. “You have a nice day,” she said. “I’ll see you around.”

  The meeting had gone much as she’d expected, Tolliver not telling her anything she didn’t already know, but she was still pleased with herself, something she couldn’t keep off her face as Tolliver’s brown eyes scrutinized her. One way or the other, she would find out what he knew, and the bug she’d placed under his desk was a good start.

  Walking out of the building, she pulled out her cell phone and hit redial. “Bobby, how’s the reception?”

  “Perfect, Mina.”

  “Great.” The magic of modern technology at its best. “Call me if you hear anything interesting.”

  * * * *

  Greer sat in a booth across from the Aalia. Her long, dark hair was so black it was almost blue, and her skin glowed with powerful energy. Staring at her, all he could think was, I’d love to wear her skin. Unfortunately, the Caledon rebels had hired him to work for and with the aural, so he wasn’t allowed to kill her.

  “I followed her to her apartment last night,” he said.

  Aalia blinked her dark brown eyes. “Was she alone?”

  “Are you asking if Bishop was with her?” The aural had an unhealthy fascination with Mina Vail. He knew Vail was half-aural, but the other half of her made her nothing better than a mongrel. A mutt. A filthy half-breed.

  “Just answer the question.” She drew power into her hands, enough for him to feel it.

  Greer believed, like his fellow Children believed, that eventually all power would be bred out of their kind. The intermixing with humans caused a dilution in their genetics, and soon, like other species who’d had fallen prey to mankind, other worlders would disappear as well. The new queen cared too much about humans and not enough about her own people.

  “She was alone,” he said. “But that’s not what I find interesting.” He’d watched the events unfold the night of Wilson’s death. The uniformed cop first on the scene had a personal grudge against Semina Vail, and it only took two beers and three shots of whiskey to loosen his tongue.

  The aural crossed her arms. “Stop playing, Greer. Tell me what you know.”

  “The homicide cop, the one handling Wilson’s case. He and Mina Vail used to date. And, he lives across the hall from her. Should we make plans for their deaths?”

  She leaned forward. “No,” she said. “Right now, no one has connected the cases, but if they do, we’ll have more to deal with than a nosey private detective and a cop.” She tapped her chin. “Besides, I have other plans for her.”

  “You’re the boss.”

  She smiled, her dead gaze locked on his. “Yes, I am.”

  Chapter 9

  The day disappeared quickly and every new lead came to a dead end. By evening, Mina was back at her apartment playing connect the dots with potential suspects. Tolliver, The Albrights, the widow, Eric Bishop, and the mystery man. Investigation had never been her strong suit. Mina’s skills had been in fixing problems, permanently, not solving puzzles. Eric had texted he would be over at nine in the evening with some news. Mina had debated calling him and getting his information over the phone. No sense tempting fate, but every time she picked up the phone, she couldn’t bring herself to make the call.

  The doorbell rang. Mina peeked through the peephole. She’d expected to see a very tall and delicious Eric, but no one stood on the other side. She opened the door. On the floor in front of her threshold, a small cardboard box only one inch thick and four inches squared with a two by three card on top rested at her feet. She picked it up, moved back inside, and closed the door.

  The card read, “For Gavriil Doyle.”

  Mina’s stomach clenched. A love gift from his new girlfriend, probably. And oh, irony, it had been delivered to her door instead. She crossed the hallway and knocked. No answer. She stooped to place the package in front of his door but stopped halfway to the floor. What if someone else picked it up? She would hold on to it for him so it wouldn’t get stolen. She’d keep it safe for Gav. Give it to him in person so he could see she wasn’t jealous and that she’d moved on as well.

  Yeah, right. She hated the idea of him kissing another woman, touching someone else the way he touched her. And what if he fell in love? Mina dropped her right arm. The package thumped against her thigh.

  Back inside her apartment, Mina put the small box on her kitchen counter. She sent Gav a text. Talking to him was suddenly too hard. When and if he arrived, she’d give him the box. Even thinking about letting Gav go made her soul hurt.

  Forty-five minutes and an order of take-out later, a knock sounded at the door. “Mina,” came Gav’s muffled voice.

  She straightened her electric blue razor-strap tank top and brushed at her gray yoga pants before she walked to the door, and opened it. “Hey.”

  And there he was, all handsome and dreamy with his dark hair and blue eyes. Even without his looks, Gav had always been a stand-up guy. Nice, loyal, and morally ethical. The last one had been a big reason why she couldn’t make long term work with him. If he knew about her past, he’d see her in the same light as all the criminals he took down. But, Jesus, watching his shoulders and triceps flex as he kept his hands tightly crossed behind his back, Mina wished it could be different between them.

  Instead of hello, he said, “You have something for me?”

  “Yes.” When she’d strolled to the box on the counter, Gav stepped into the apartment. “It smells like garlic, ginger, sesame oil, and soy sauce.”

  “You always did have a great nose.” She handed him the package and gestured to the Chinese take-out boxes on the coffee table in the living room. “Pork dumplings, ginger chicken, lo mein, and some sticky rice.” Mina shrugged. “I have an extra set of chopsticks if you’re hungry.”

  She wanted to take the words back as soon as they fell out of her mouth. She had a little over an hour before Eric was due to arrive, and she was inviting Gav to eat with her? It was as if she’d fallen off the stupid truck.

  Gav nodded, almost mechanically. “Okay, but I can’t stay long.”

  “You have a date.”

  “Something like that.”

  Mina let out her held breath, but did it slowly and controlled so he wouldn’t know just how much she’d wanted him to say he’d stay or how much him having a date hurt. Did she have the right to be jealous? No. Especially when she also had the hots for Eric, who she didn’t want to share, either. She plopped down on the couch, grabbed the extra set of chopsticks, and held them out to him. “Cool.”

  Gav looked her up and down from the dining area. “I see you got all dressed up for dinner. Special occasion?”

  Aside from the yoga clothing, which happened to be über-comfortable, she’d pulled her hair back in a ponytail. She straightened her spine and rolled her shoulders back. “You obviously lack the sophistication to appreciate ca
sual wear.”

  “Obviously.”

  He strolled to the fridge, rummaged around for a minute, then made his way into the living room with two diet sodas. Mina took the one he offered her. She glanced away from him, suddenly unable to meet his gaze. “Thanks.”

  She’d made love to two men in the past week, and instead of feeling like a shameless hussy, she felt as if for the first time in her life, things were falling into place for her. As if, finally, her restless energy had found a home. Not with one guy, but with two. She wanted both of them, and she knew in her soul, she’d never be able to choose between them. You shouldn’t have to, a voice in her head said.

  “I am seriously messed up,” she muttered.

  “What?”

  “Nothing.”

  “You know you’d look good in a burlap sack, right?”

  She raised her eyes and drank in his gorgeous face and to-die-for body. “Whatever.” She smiled, though. She couldn’t help herself. He still wanted her. Still loved her. She could feel the emotion pour from him. “Shall we eat?”

  Gav smiled, flashing his pearly whites, as he took his first bite. He could be a poster boy for a toothpaste ad.

  “Quit grinning like that. You’ll blind me.”

  “Can I help it if I have a dazzling smile?” He raised an eyebrow.

  Even with the Lo Mein noodle dangling from his lips, the man was gorgeous. And his mouth—oh, that mouth—well, it would get a five-star review from even the toughest critic. She ate some noodles—salty, sweet, and spicy. All delicious. She swallowed them and said, “Don’t flatter yourself, cat boy.”

  “Ouch.” His face grew somber, and Mina noticed for the first time he was holding the small brown box. Before she could ask him about it, he added, “So, your new boyfriend’s a murderer, eh?”

  “Talk about ouch.” Mina arched her brow. “I know he’s a suspect, Gav. But Eric didn’t do it.”

  “How can you be so sure?”

  “I…” How could she be sure? She had difficulty reading his emotions, but in her bones, she knew Eric was innocent. “I just know.”

  * * * *

  Gav stared at Mina while she sipped her diet soda. He was fairly certain Eric Bishop was innocent as well. Destan Gray had phoned earlier. Gray’s agent had arrived in Kansas City earlier in the day. They were meeting at Gav’s apartment at eight-thirty, which meant he had about thirty minutes to torture himself pining for a woman he couldn’t have. At least, a woman he couldn’t have in the way he needed.

  “I miss you,” he said in a moment of raw honesty.

  Mina bit into a dumpling. “How’s Galinda?”

  “Who?”

  “Your girlfriend.”

  Gav inwardly cringed. “Rachel.” Rachel was a pride female. A woman he was dating out of obligation to his parents. Unfortunately, his heart had already chosen a mate, even if his brain told him it could never be. He wished he could be done with Mina, completely and forever. He thought avoiding her would make his feelings fade, but it only strengthened his desire for the tall, raven-haired beauty. But it took two people to have a relationship, and with Mina, he’d been the only one trying.

  “Her name’s Rachel, but I call her sweetheart most of the time,” he said as Mina took a bite of her dumpling.

  Her eyes bugged for a moment before she started coughing.

  “Are you okay?” he asked, sliding closer to her. He put his hand on her back.

  She jerked away from his touch. “Don’t,” she managed to say between wheezing breaths. “I’m fine. Just inhaled when I should have swallowed.” The phone rang. She grabbed her cell. “Hello?”

  Gav didn’t have to have her empathic powers to know she was irritated. He heard a man on the other end of the phone and recognized it as Eric Bishop. The suspect. Gav stood up, putting more distance between them. He picked up the package again and looked at the card. It just had his name. Strange.

  “Hey,” Bishop said to her. “You okay? You sound breathy.”

  Gav fingered the hard edges of the cardboard box, feeling oddly strange, almost light-headed for a moment. He watched Mina take a big drink of soda before she responded. “I’m fine. What’s up?”

  “I’m running late. I just wanted to let you know.”

  Gav heard the pause on the man’s end of the conversation. He opened the box. Inside was a pressed yellow flower with an acidic scent. He picked it up and turned it over. The color was remarkably preserved for a dried flower. A rush of warmth flushed his skin.

  “That’s odd.”

  “You say something?”

  He looked at Mina and shook his head, rubbing a petal between his thumb and forefinger.

  “You still there?” Mina asked the phone.

  “You have company?” Bishop asked.

  “Yes.” Her gaze met Gav’s. “Just a friend.”

  “Semina? You sound weird.”

  “I’m fine, Eric.”

  Ugly rage flared in Gav. Eric Bishop had called her Semina. She was his woman, not this other man’s, his lion demanded. Gav tried to push his beast down, but it was even more of a struggle than usual. Something was wrong, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

  Mina didn’t take her eyes off Gav. “Talk later,” she said into the phone then hung it up. “What’s going on Gav? You’re putting off some powerful vibes right now.”

  Jealousy swam through him like a school of tadpoles in a shallow puddle. He felt odd. Not like himself. He swallowed at the heated lump in his throat. He leaned toward Mina and inhaled. “Mmm… Smells good.”

  Mina reached out, her fingers brushing the flower. “What is that?” Her words were faint, a bare whisper.

  “Mina,” Gav said.

  Her eyelids fluttered, and she drank him in with her warm, hazel-brown eyes. “Oh, dear Jesus,” she whispered hoarsely. “I feel warm all over.”

  Impulsively, he kissed her. The heat of her lips, holding firm at first, unyielding, melted against his. He should stop. He couldn’t keep pursuing someone who didn’t want the same kind of relationship he did, but something about her wouldn’t let him let go—possibly the tongue she slipped between his teeth.

  He slid his hand along Mina’s side, cupping the smooth curve of her breast, his thumb rubbing over an already hard nipple. She moaned into his mouth, her back arching toward him.

  Fuck! He’d promised himself he wouldn’t fall back into her bed, not again, not without her complete commitment. Mina had told him she’d been married once to a wolf shifter, and it had ended in a quick divorce. Her history, as an assassin and a warden, was one of the reasons his pride rejected her as his mate, and his mother hated her.

  But his heart, his mind, and his body didn’t give a shit what his mother or his pride thought. It was Mina, always Mina, who fulfilled him. She called to the animal in him, and his lion wanted her. And therein lay the danger. His animal threatened to shift every time he had sex with Mina, taking all of his strength and willpower to hold it back, to keep himself from claiming her against her wishes.

  She had no idea how hard it was for him to be with her and not have her completely. He’d never told her because deep down, he didn’t want her to stop seeing him. No matter what he said. No matter how many times he’d tried to push her away.

  Grabbing him by the shirt, Mina flipped Gav onto the couch and straddled his thighs.

  She rolled her hips forward, rubbing herself over his fly. Her wet heat soaked into his jeans. She fumbled with the button on his pants, working the zipper, and releasing his shaft against his abdomen. Her long fingers grasped his length, and he sagged under her touch. She was the strongest woman he’d ever met, part of the attraction, really. An alpha male needed a strong mate. An alpha lion needed a queen.

  He flexed his fingers as she eased herself over his cock, working as always to fight the change. His lion wanted her badly and every time he slept with Mina created a struggle. She mounted him, her heat engulfing him, driving him that much closer to the ed
ge.

  Rocking her hips back and forth, Mina said, “Shit you feel good. So thick inside me.” Her eyes looked funny, completely glazed.

  “Mina.” He tried to stop her, but he wanted this, wanted her.

  She hummed her delight. His balls tightened against his body when she pulled up her knees, taking him deep.

  “Ohhh,” he cried. He fought his orgasm. She’d always insisted on condoms. She didn’t want a baby. He couldn’t. Couldn’t come inside her. She’d hate him.

  “Yes, yes,” she murmured rocking faster, sliding up and down his shaft. He could smell she was close, the musk of her sex getting thicker, permeating his senses. “Gavriil, Gavriil,” and while he didn’t like being called by his given name, at this moment it sounded like heaven from her lips.

  Unbidden, his hands went to her firm breasts, squeezing, pinching, teasing them with his fingers. Her grinding became more urgent, harder against him, and he felt the blood rush to his cock, rock hard, ready to burst. Her humming grew louder as she thrust her hips forward, hands reaching out to his chest. Her fingers tangled in his hair, and she yanked as her orgasm spilled from her body, an earthquake of tremors and shudders.

  “Fuck…” The word trailed off, as his balls jerked to his body and he couldn’t hold back any longer. He pushed Mina back and pulled out, stroking himself as his climax hit, spilling his seed onto his own stomach.

  Her eyes cleared a bit to stare up at him, hazel, with just the hint of gray and brown. “What…what just…” She scrambled off him. “Oh, God. No condom. No condom.”

  He knew what she feared. “I didn’t come in you.”

  “Fuck, fuck.” She grabbed her shirt and pulled it on.

  Mina would never accept being his mate, but he wanted her. Wanted her so goddamn bad, and tonight he could barely control himself. What happened if he lost complete control and let his lion free? Or put a baby in her belly because he couldn’t stop himself?

  * * * *

  She felt Gav’s emotions shift and whirl—need, desire, want, love, control, fury, hurt. Something was odd about his emotional state, but she was more worried about him going full-on lion.