Crime of Passion (HBIA: Case Files Book 1)

by A. M. Halford

  Crossing his arms in front of his chest, Dragos stared at the man. He wished things like finding five women’s hearts in jars in a freezer still caught him off guard. He hated to admit it, but Dragos was becoming desensitized to this job and the horrors that came with it.

  * * * *

  Neculai finished placing each of the jars found by Dragos in their own separate evidence bags, and sealed them. He was hoping the numbers correlated to the order in which the women died in. It would make his job so much easier. Snapping more photos of the freezer and room, he marked the appliance to be removed. He needed it back at his lab to run some tests and check for fingerprints.

  Collecting the jars carefully, he headed back up to the club. From the looks of things, the others were clearing the rest of the building. Besides the cattle brand found and the items downstairs, nothing else of note had been brought to his attention.

  He’d checked the brand and it had been around magic similar to what had killed those women, but he couldn’t say if it had been used during the murders. Further tests were required. Unfortunately, the only way to identify if it had been used to brand the pentagram onto the victims was to check for DNA. He needed his lab for that.

  Going outside, he placed the jars in his work van and ordered a pair of uniformed officers to go collect the chest freezer from the cellar. Setting his case beside the five hearts, Neculai considered what steps to take next. The freezer and the jars needed to be dusted for prints, and the hearts needed to be matched to their respective owners via DNA testing. There were also the tests to run on the brand. They were all simple enough tests and things to do, they were just time consuming. By his estimate he wouldn’t be done until late.

  Of course, that estimate included time off for the lunch date he had planned with Dragos. After last night they definitely needed to talk. They still hadn’t had a chance to discuss how this new information they’d learned impacted their relationship. Neculai knew where he was hoping it would go, but something in the back of his mind told him to take it slow with Dragos.

  Sighing, Neculai climbed into his van and secured the jars and his case in the appropriate places so they wouldn’t get bounced around during transport. Once that was done he climbed back out and moved around to the side of the vehicle. The sun wasn’t quite at its peak, prompting him to check his watch. 10:46 A.M. There was still time to get back to HQ and then meet up with Dragos for lunch.

  “Is this your van?” Startled, Neculai turned to see a dark haired man standing by the rear doors of the van. There was something off about him. His eyes didn’t seem to be focused on anything in particular as he looked in Neculai’s general direction. “Well?” the man tilted his head to the side and waited for Neculai to answer.

  “This is a crime scene, I’m going to have to ask you to step behind the tape,” Neculai said instead of answering him.

  “Answer me,” the man stepped closer and Neculai instinctively took a step back. “Why do you have my collection in there?”

  Heart pounding in his chest Neculai quickly put the pieces together and felt himself instantly go on the defensive. This man was dangerous. His delirious eyes and off kilter gait wasn’t normal. As for the collection he’d mentioned, Neculai could only think of the hearts.

  “Stay back,” Neculai warned.

  The man smiled, his teeth black behind his ruby red lips. “I want my collection back.”

  Before Neculai could react, something green struck him from the front, and blackness engulfed him.

  Chapter Eight

  Dragos came out of the club after making sure everything was clear to find several people gathered around the evidence van. He didn’t think much of it until one of the uniforms moved and he spotted Neculai lying flat on his back, his eyes closed and blood trickling from his nose and ears.

  “Move!” Dragos growled, rushing to his mate’s side and kneeling on the grime covered street. “What happened?” he snarled, his hands hovering over Neculai’s prone body.

  “Not sure,” one man said, worry in his voice. “We came out with the freezer and found him like this.”

  “The hearts aren’t in the van,” another uniform provided.

  Fear spiked through Dragos as he looked at Neculai. The blood coming from his ears and nose couldn’t be a good thing. Something had to of hit him hard for that to happen.

  “An ambulance is on the way,” someone shouted. “We’re trying to get a monitor so we can access the video surveillance in the van to find out who did this.”

  Dragos realized he should be the one taking care of that, but he couldn’t think of anything beyond Neculai. He wanted to reach out and cradle his head in his lap, but Dragos had enough sense to know he shouldn’t move him until the paramedics arrived. Instead, he grabbed Neculai’s hand and held on to it, hoping his mate could feel his touch.

  The blare of sirens in the background were like a distant drum beat to Dragos as he stared at Neculai’s face. Whatever had knocked him out had caused him great pain judging by the expression twisting his handsome features.

  “Neculai,” Dragos whispered, leaning over him and ghosting his lips against his own. “Hey, wake up.” No response. The only thing that made Dragos keep calm was the fact he could still feel his connection with Neculai, meaning he was still alive. His breathing was incredibly shallow and his pulse was weak, but he was holding on.

  “Everyone, please move aside.” The paramedics had arrived, and the others were quickly moving to let them in so they could treat Neculai. Dragos remained right where he was.

  “What’s the patient’s name and race?” one of the paramedics asked.

  “Neculai Petron,” Dragos answered. “He’s half demon and half human.”

  “Next of kin?”

  “I’m his mate.” Dragos ignored the stunned gasps that came from those surrounding him. This certainly wasn’t how he planned to let the precinct know of his and Neculai’s relationship, but he couldn’t exactly focus on that right now.

  “I see,” the paramedic handed his partner an oxygen mask and then started putting a neck brace on Neculai. “How long have you been mated? Do you know if he’s allergic to anything?”

  Dragos shook his head. “It’s complicated, we’ve only been mated for twenty-four hours. I don’t know his medical history.”

  The paramedics both frowned, but neither said anything further on that subject. They invited Dragos to ride with them in the ambulance, which he accepted, and quickly loaded Neculai in. Dragos held his mate’s hand the entire ride to the hospital, all the while the paramedic beside him worked methodically to stabilize Neculai.

  * * * *

  The bench in the hall outside the operating room was the most uncomfortable thing Dragos had ever sat on. It was only making his wait more unbearable. Neculai had been taken through those double doors in front of him thirty minutes ago, and he hadn’t heard anything since.

  “Dragos!” Looking up from the floor and down the hall at the sound of Rozalia’s voice, he tried to put on a brave face for his partner, but knew he failed when she gave him a small smile. “What’s going on? Is Neculai alright?”

  Dragos shook his head. “I don’t know. No one’s come out yet.”

  Rozalia nodded and sat beside him, grasped his hand between both of hers, and joined him in his silent vigil in the hallway. Next to arrive was their captain, his usual gruff manner subdued as he stood on the opposite side of Dragos from Rozalia, setting a supportive hand on his shoulder in the process.

  “He’ll make it.” The softly spoken words comforted Dragos more than he thought they would.

  Minutes ticked by, more people from HQ showing up to wait for news on Neculai. One would almost think there wasn’t any crime going on at the moment with how many officers and forensic personnel were present.

  “Where’s my son?” The thundering roar had Dragos jumping in his seat and turning to see a man with red skin and black eyes being led down to the group. “What happened to my boy?”r />
  “Dear, calm down,” an obviously human woman reached out a hand and set it on the enraged demon’s arm. “I’m sure no one here is responsible for Neculai’s injury.”

  These were Neculai’s parents? Dragos felt his pulse skyrocket. Neculai’s father was even taller than him, standing an easy seven-four. Then again, demons were known to be abnormally tall. His red skin, black eyes, and black hair did not help the intimidation factor one bit. His mother, on the other hand, was small, no more than five-eight. Brown hair and green eyes with an oval face gave her a gentle quality. Looking at them Dragos could easily pick out which parts Neculai got from each parent.

  “I’m Sasha Petron, Neculai’s mother,” the woman bowed her head shallowly. “This is Vitus, my husband and Neculai’s father.”

  “Are you going to answer my question or not?” Vitus growled.

  Taking a deep breath, Dragos stood and faced the worried pair. “Neculai is presently in surgery. I’m afraid I know nothing at the moment except he was found unconscious on site of an investigation.”

  “And you are?” Sasha asked, her head tilting to the side. Confusion shone in her eyes.

  Yeah, how did he answer that question? “Dragos Iliescu. I’m…Neculai’s mate.”

  “Excuse me?” Sasha looked like she was going to faint. Vitus looked absolutely shell shocked.

  “That can wait for another time,” Captain Archer stepped in, standing beside Dragos. “I’m the leading officer at HBIA, and it was my office that called you in. Please, have a seat and as soon as the doctor comes out we’ll all get our answers.”

  Moving back to his place beside Rozalia, Dragos took his vigil back up. This was not how he’d planned to meet Neculai’s parents. Then again, considering how fresh their relationship was, the thought of meeting them hadn’t even crossed his mind yet. He still didn’t even fully understand how deep this connection with Neculai went, and what it meant for his life from here on out.

  As Dragos sat there worrying, the light above the door clicked off, and the doctor walked out. “I’m told the patient’s parents and mate are here. Can I speak with you three first?”

  On numb legs Dragos stood and followed behind Vitus and Sasha as the doctor led them off to the side. He really shouldn’t be in this conversation. Sure, he was Neculai’s mate, but that was due to some ridiculous fluke because they were half-breeds. Knowing that, it was beyond clear that Dragos didn’t hold the right position in Neculai’s life to be standing there.

  “He hit the ground really hard, and fractured his skull. There is some bruising on the occipital lobes, more predominately on the right side. Thankfully, there is only slight bleeding and there doesn’t seem to be any swelling at this time. We are going to keep him over night just to make sure swelling doesn’t occur,” the doctor delivered the news with professional curtesy.

  “There is a high chance that his vision will be impaired, especially in his left eye, for some time. If not permanently.” Dragos was a bit shocked when the doctor turned to him and said, “You’re going to have to keep an eye on him at home. Help him get used to the placement of things and move any furniture back so he has a clear walking path if need be.”

  Dragos didn’t even know what the layout of Neculai’s house looked like! Let alone his furniture placement. Hell, for that matter, he didn’t even know where Neculai lived. “I understand.” It was the best he could come up with under the circumstances. No way in hell was he going to admit to the doctor and Neculai’s parents that he didn’t know anything about his place of residence, that included his address.

  “When can we see him?” Sasha asked.

  “Once we get him into a room. He should be waking up from the anesthesia soon.” With that the doctor walked away to talk with the rest of the gathered group.

  * * * *

  Neculai felt like his head was going to split in half. There was a pounding in the back of his head like tiny men were trying to excavate his skull. And the throbbing down his neck, Jesus-H-Christ, he was going to need a year’s worth of massages to get rid of the tension.

  The only high point he could think of was he didn’t seem to have any lapses in his memory. He remembered enough about the attack that he could identify his assailant. He’d have to make some time with Dragos and Rozalia and get a sketch artist to take down his description.

  As he thought about the steps he needed to take to get this incident on record—and while trying to distract himself from the pain in his head—the door opened and his nurse walked in. She was a petite thing, with auburn hair streaked with a light red, and brown eyes. Her amble chest was easily seen even with the unflattering scrubs she wore. He found he needed to squint a bit to make out her features as she moved around the bed.

  “You have some visitors,” she said, checking his vitals.

  Dragos walked into his room, Neculai’s heart clenching at the sight of the man. His dragon looked absolutely tortured. He wished he could get out of this bed and wrap his arms around his mate. Neculai would do anything to take that look out of Dragos’ eyes.

  The pair that entered behind him had Neculai pausing. What the hell were his parents doing here? Okay, dumb question. Of course the precinct would’ve called them, but damn it!

  “How are you feeling?” Dragos asked, moving instantly to Neculai’s side and taking his hand between both of his. The gentle way in which he looked at him had Neculai wishing he wasn’t flat on his back due to injury. He really wanted to pull Dragos down, and slide him underneath him. “Hey?” Dragos leaned in closer, worry in his golden eyes. “Can you see me?”

  “Of course, I can,” Neculai frowned. “And I’m feeling like someone tried to spilt my head open like a watermelon.”

  Dragos smiled. Unable to resist, Neculai leaned up and kissed his man softly. Dragos whimpered quietly, deepening the kiss just the slightest. “You scared the hell out of me when I saw you lying on the street.”

  “Sorry,” Neculai reached up with his other hand and ran his fingers down Dragos’ cheek. “Wasn’t my intention.”

  “When were you going to tell us you’d mated?” his father’s voice was reprimanding as it intruded in on the tender moment between Neculai and Dragos. “Hell, when were you going to let us know you were seeing someone?”

  “Answer your father, Neculai,” his mother sounded hurt. Neculai guessed she had a right to be. This was a lousy way to find out she had a son-in-law, of sorts.

  “We just recently mated,” Neculai explained. Judging by the tensing in Dragos’ shoulders he’d guess his mate hadn’t exactly given a detailed report about their unique situation. Again, that was understandable. “As for when we met, well, we work together.”

  “Figured that one out already,” Vitus sneered. “Well, we’ll hold off on the introductions until later. For now, I’m just glad you’re in one piece.”

  “Vitus!” his mother gasped even as Dragos flinched.

  “Hey,” Neculai ignored his parents in favor of pulling Dragos closer. As long as he concentrated on one point he saw fine, but as soon as he swept his eyes from one thing to another his vision swam. Having Dragos near made it easier to focus on those beautiful eyes he liked so much. “I’m fine. It takes a lot more than a simple knock out spell to kill me.”

  Dragos didn’t say anything, only rested his forehead on Neculai’s shoulder. Seeing the detective so subdued was off putting, but then again, he liked this submissive side as well. Too bad he couldn’t do anything at the moment besides give Dragos a one armed hug.

  “I’m going to get this bastard,” Dragos finally said something, his voice cold.

  Neculai had to try not to laugh as Dragos pulled back and gave him a serious look. He knew Dragos meant it, and it touched him to know the man wanted some retribution for what had happened to him. Still, it was hard to take him seriously when he was just cuddling up to him all kitten like a moment ago.

  He never did get the chance to comment because Rozalia, their captain, and several other
people started filtering into his room. What had been a quiet visit turned rambunctious, very fast. The detectives wanted to know how it had happened, while his coworkers in the lab said they could take over his work load while he rested. He hated the idea of letting someone else finish up his cases, but knew he’d have to. With his vision messed up—and with so many people in the room he realized how bad it was, half the people were blurry—he knew there was no way he could finish the tests that needed to be done.

  The entire time people were in and out of his room checking up on Neculai, Dragos never left his side. Even as night fell and visitors were sent home, Dragos remained at his bedside.

  Chapter Nine

  Neculai squinted as he tried to bring his lock into focus, and slip the key in. This was seriously a pain. He never gave it much thought, but not being able to see his own door knob in clear focus really did dampen his ability to get into his own house.

  “Need some help?” Dragos’ amused voice was not making this process any better.

  “I’m fine,” Neculai grumbled as he finally got the key into the slot and turned it over. His door opened and Neculai finally stepped into his home. After thirty-six hours in the hospital he was pleased as punch to be back.

  “Okay, the doctor said I should let you walk around first, and move anything that seems too close together as you do so. To avoid the possibility of tripping,” Dragos said as he moved in front of Neculai and walked into his living room.

  When their relationship had started, a mere four days ago, Neculai hadn’t thought these would be the circumstances that Dragos would be first visiting his house. He’d kind of hoped it would be after a date, them both falling into his bed at the end of the night. Naked.

  “Do you need anything?” Dragos asked, setting Neculai’s things onto his couch and stepping out of his way.

  “Yeah,” Neculai reached out and grabbed Dragos around the waist, pulling him flush against his own body. “You.”