God, Dragos hoped that was the case. He hoped they found the woman alive. “Is there a number six?”
Rozalia minimized the programs and right there, on the home screen, was a folder marked simply with a 6. Opening it they both said, “thank god” as the same thing was found, minus the pictures of her death.
“Is there anything we can use to find her faster?” Dragos asked.
“Let’s see,” Rozalia opened every file in the folder and nothing came up with a name, until they got to the latest one. It was a picture of her coming out of a house ready to go on a jog. “I’ll see if I can get the address, or maybe a license plate,” she said zooming in on the car.
Dragos nodded and reached for his phone. While Rozalia worked to locate their latest possible victim, Dragos needed to find out where that forensic specialist was. This whole condo was quickly starting to smell like blood and it was putting him on edge.
* * * *
Neculai sighed as his mother again complained about not knowing anything about Dragos. Ever since she’d arrived all she’d done was try and guilt trip him about his mate. Yes, he understood that finding out she basically had a son-in-law in that way was upsetting, but damn, he was starting to not feel sorry for her.
“So, when are we going to meet his family?” she asked, placing the casserole she’d been prepping in the oven. His mother certainly looked good in the kitchen. Her red dress and light blue apron hugged her body giving her a “mommy” quality from the 1950’s. Neculai’s kitchen was completely modern though—black granite counters with white cupboards, gas and stainless steel appliances, and a large island that served as both a work space and a breakfast bar—so it was a bit of a mismatch.
“Huh?” Neculai looked at his mother with a blank expression. He hadn’t even thought about when he was going to meet Dragos’ family, let alone his parents.
The look his mother gave him made Neculai feel like he was six years old again, and in trouble for playing with his father’s antique swords. “You have met his parents, right?”
“Well,” Neculai bit his bottom lip, “I’ve met Rozalia. His partner on the force.”
The long, exasperate sigh she released made him cringe. “What have you been doing with this man? You don’t know his family, and you haven’t introduced him to us, but you’re mated? Neculai, dear, I want to understand and let you make your own decisions, but this is getting dangerous.”
What the hell did that mean? He wasn’t a child anymore. Whether she understood or not had absolutely no bearing on how he made his decisions. As for it being dangerous, Dragos was a fucking cop! The only dangerous thing he could think of when it came to his mate was the very real danger of losing him because of some harebrained idiot.
“Thanks for your concern Mother, but I am perfectly capable of making my own choices.” Neculai hoped that would be the end of it, he really did. All this talk was starting to give him a headache. “I’m going to lie down.”
“Are you feeling okay, dear?” she sounded worried as he stood from the stool in the kitchen where he’d been sitting at the breakfast bar. At least she still seemed to remember she was supposed to be concerned about his physical state, and not his sex life.
“No, I have a headache,” Neculai answered honestly. “If you and father are just going to harp on me about Dragos, then please don’t bother yourselves to come. I’ve made up my mind, and he’s it for me.”
The stunned look that took over his mother’s face was almost worth his little outburst, almost. Her shock quickly faded into tears and simpering. Neculai rolled his eyes and stood his ground as she started in on him all over again. This time though Neculai was an insensitive son that didn’t care about her feelings.
And what of her desire for grandchildren? Why did it have to be a man? Surely there were plenty of female officers he could’ve shacked up with?
And that was the root of the problem in the end. Dragos was a man. Damn his parents and their outdated ideals.
“Neculai? I’m back.” Dragos’ uncertain voice pulled Neculai away from the unpleasant conversation with his mother.
With a smile he turned and greeted his mate as he set his things down on the coffee table in the living room and headed for the kitchen. Neculai was pleased when Dragos came directly to him. Wrapping his arms around the half-dragon, Neculai kissed Dragos softly.
“Welcome back,” Neculai pulled back slightly, and looked into those beautiful golden eyes. “How was work?”
Dragos’ grin was filled with victory. “We found our guy, and it seems we managed to prevent his next kill just in time.”
Neculai was glad to hear it. Nothing made their job more satisfying than knowing a life, or multiple lives had been saved. Of course, if the higher ups hadn’t dragged their feet on this case, then five women wouldn’t have had to die before catching the killer.
“Dragos, what do your parents do for a living?” Neculai growled low at the question from his mother, but he stopped when he realized how quiet and tense Dragos had gone. Looking down at him, Neculai tried to decipher his reaction, unfortunately he couldn’t come up with anything. “Do they live around here? I would love to meet them.”
The smile Dragos gave her was sad, and cold. “I’m sorry, but that isn’t going to happen.”
“Oh? Why?”
“Mother,” Neculai warned her.
“No, why can’t I meet his parents? I’m sure his mother has an opinion on this sudden mating,” she snapped.
“I doubt that. I’m an abandoned child,” Dragos’ voice was soft, almost lost in the silence that followed his words. “I was a ward of the state until I was sixteen, and then I was on my own. I have no blood relations. If you want to meet my family, I’m sure I can work something out with Rozalia.”
“And that is?” Neculai noted the shock in his mother’s tone, despite him just explaining who that was.
“My partner at work, and my best friend all through school and the academy,” Dragos answered. “Her family is my family.”
“That’s enough,” Neculai cut in. “Why don’t you head to the bedroom and get comfortable. Take a shower or a bath. I’ll join you in a minute.”
“Yeah,” Dragos nodded, kissed Neculai on the cheek, and headed for the hallway.
Neculai waited for Dragos to be well outside of ear shot before turning to his mother and glaring at her. “You know, that is not how I wanted to find out about his family situation. You couldn’t leave well enough alone? You just had to press this issue?”
“I-I didn’t mean any harm,” she wrung her hands in her apron, looking about the kitchen like a lost kitten.
“You might not have meant harm, but you’ve done it,” Neculai kept his tone firm. He wanted her to understand he was not happy with her intrusion into his and Dragos’ life. “I think you should leave for the night, Mother.”
“Neculai, dear, I’m sorry,” she said, bottom lip quivering. “I didn’t know.”
“Neither did I,” Neculai snapped. “And now that I do, I don’t know how to approach him. Our relationship is still new! Do you understand what you’ve done?”
“But, you’re mated.” Neculai realized that was where her confusion was coming from. He really did need to explain this situation to her, but not tonight. Right now, he was far too upset about her insensitivity to have a calm and rational conversation with her.
“Just, go home for now,” Neculai sighed. “Please? I’ll call you and father in the morning.”
She nodded and moved quickly to collect her things. “The casserole will be done in twenty minutes. Make sure you don’t burn it.”
“Yeah, thanks.” Neculai didn’t give her his usual kiss on the cheek as he saw her to the door and out of his house. This day was completely fucked up.
Chapter Eleven
Dragos stood under the hot spray of the shower playing the pity filled look on Sasha Petron’s face over and over again in his mind. He was used to getting that reaction out of people when
they found out about his history, but damn, it still irritated him to see it.
Worse was the shock and horror in Neculai’s eyes. Did he think differently of Dragos now that he knew he’d been raised in foster homes? Not that he particularly cared, but it would put the brakes on the progress in their relationship.
“Fuck.” Dragos knocked his head lightly on the tiled wall. This was not how he planned this night to go. Dragos had thought to come back, let Neculai know they caught the guy, and then maybe engage in some actual couple like activities with his mate. All they’d seemed to do since meeting was work and have sex. At this rate this relationship was going down the same roads as all the others Dragos had been in.
“You okay in there?” Neculai asked from the other side of the shower stall door. Dragos turned his head, making out the outline of his mate’s body through the frosted glass. “Um, about what my mother said, I just want you to know there isn’t any pressure to talk about that. You can keep it to yourself until you’re comfortable.”
Sighing, Dragos turned off the water and opened the door. Neculai handed him a towel and stepped back, giving Dragos his space. For a man who seemed to constantly want nothing but tactile contact he sure was being rather considerate. Then again, Dragos doubted he would be in the mood to touch someone after hearing something like what he’d just said earlier.
“I’m sorry she cornered you like that,” Neculai said, his head bowed.
Giving Neculai a half smile, Dragos decided to go with levity. There was no reason for the tension between them just because his childhood was revealed. “Is your mother always so up front?”
“Unfortunately,” Neculai flinched. “She asked my prom date if he planned to sleep with me after the dance. It made what should’ve been an enjoyable night completely uncomfortable.”
“Did you?”
“Did I what?” Neculai looked at him, confused.
Now when Dragos smiled it was genuine. “Did you sleep with your prom date after the dance?”
“Oh,” Neculai went red in the face, “Yeah. I did.”
“Then,” Dragos stepped up to his mate, standing chest to chest with the taller man, “I’d say she had reason to question the guy.”
Before Neculai could say anything else, Dragos leaned up and took his lips in a heated kiss. He wasn’t trying to lead into anything sexual, but he needed Neculai to know that his mother’s questions didn’t bother him. He was more worried about Neculai right now.
Neculai’s arms wrapped around him, one hand spanning around the back of his waist while the other delved into his wet hair. Dragos moaned as Neculai took control of the kiss, his tongue snaking out and twining with Dragos’. Fisting his hands in Neculai’s shirt, Dragos pulled him closer. The kiss wasn’t meant to be sexual but it was impossible to deny the desire he felt for the other man when he was so close.
“Shit,” Neculai broke the kiss and rested his forehead against Dragos’. “Fucking casserole.”
“Um, what?” Not really the reaction Dragos had been expecting. Usually when a make out session started turning heavy he heard something a bit more seductive. Food was the last thing on his mind right now.
“My mom left a casserole in the oven,” Neculai explained. “Can we pick this up after dinner?”
Shocked, but happy to be back on track with his original plan of doing something couple like, Dragos agreed and stepped away from Neculai. He watched as his mate fled from the bathroom like his ass was on fire before he finished drying off and dressing in a pair of black sweats and a grey t-shirt that had HBIA in bold block print across the front.
After making sure his dirty clothes were in the hamper he found, Dragos went into the living room. He had to admit, for a recently ex-bachelor, Neculai had a nice home. The single level house had awesome little details here and there that spoke of its craftsman heritage. The white walls paired with the dark wood floors was a great contrast. Neculai’s furniture was more country living than modern designer, and Dragos liked it. It was comfortable and just made one feel at home. Which was nice, considering the outside was the usual dome shape almost all houses in Paradigm were.
The only typical guy thing Neculai had was his large LED screen TV. It was easily 72 inches and mounted to the wall. That and the latest video game console paired with the sound system.
Dragos wondered if Neculai rented this place, or did he own it? He certainly made enough at HBIA to afford a place this nice. Dragos’ own apartment wasn’t anything to sneeze at, it being a higher end condo in a nice neighborhood.
“You can watch anything,” Neculai called from the kitchen. “I get every channel imaginable.”
Taking him up on his word, Dragos reached for the remote and instantly turned on the hockey game he knew was playing. It wasn’t his team, they played tomorrow night, but it was still hockey.
Neculai joined him on the couch just as the referee was splitting up a fight between the two teams. “Hockey? I’m more of a soccer fan.”
“We can watch that if you want,” Dragos reached for the remote, ready to change the channel.
“No, there’s no game on right now. Besides, I said you could watch something,” Neculai grabbed the remote and set it aside before Dragos could get to it. “Which of them is your team?”
“Neither,” Dragos answered. “I’m a Penguins fan.”
“Oh.” It was obvious by Neculai’s tone that he had no clue which team that was, and Dragos couldn’t help but laugh. “So, about the casserole. It’s chicken fajita style. I hope you don’t mind.”
“No, of course not,” Dragos smiled at his mate. This was so normal. Almost like a night a spent between lovers. They were curled up on the couch together, watching television and talking about something completely mundane. It was nice.
Deciding he wanted to be closer, Dragos scooted a couple inches over and set his head on Neculai’s chest. Instantly the taller man wrapped his arm around his shoulders and kissed the top of his head. That was it. They stayed like that until the alarm for the oven went off and Neculai got up.
“I’ll do that,” Dragos followed him up, pushing Neculai back down to the cushions. “You shouldn’t be moving around too much as it is.”
Neculai gave him a look that was taunting, but he didn’t argue with him. “Plates are in the third cupboard left of the sink. The silverware is in the drawer directly below that.”
Dragos nodded and set to pulling out the casserole, cutting it, and dishing it out. “What do you want to drink?”
“I’d love a beer,” Neculai sighed.
Part of Dragos wanted to argue, but he decided not to. Neculai wasn’t on any strong meds, and it wasn’t like he was going to be leaving the house any time soon. Opening the fridge, Dragos grabbed two beers, and did a balancing act with the plates and drinks into the living room. As soon as Neculai spotted him, he snatched up his share, and set it on the coffee table.
“Thanks,” Neculai smiled.
“Yep,” Dragos returned the look and the two settled in next to each other again.
* * * *
Last night had been peaceful and, amazingly, a lot fun. Neculai couldn’t remember the last time he’d enjoyed himself so much just watching a game with someone. Dragos had been a good sport in explaining the game to him and soon he’d gotten into it. They’d even decided to root for separate teams, just to make it interesting.
Now though, with his parents glaring at them from across the kitchen island, that peaceful night seemed far out of reach. Vitus and Sasha had arrived minutes after Neculai woke up, demanding he explain what was going on. With no other option, he’d let them in and gotten Dragos out of bed. After coffee had been made and distributed to those that really needed it—namely Dragos and Neculai—they now sat in silence.
“Well?” Vitus growled.
Neculai looked over to Dragos who seemed to be at a loss for words. He couldn’t blame the man. Neither of them had exactly thought this far ahead when this entire thing started.
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“Father, Mother,” Neculai smiled, reaching out and taking Dragos’ hand, “I’d like to introduce you to my true mate, Dragos Iliescu.”
His mother looked confused while he father’s expression was completely stunned. That stunned expression morphed into elation quickly and Vitus jumped up and hugged Neculai tightly. “Congratulations, son! To think my son would have a true mate. Welcome to the family, Dragos.”
“Vitus, dear, what is going on?” Sasha demanded.
The older demon could hardly seem to contain his happiness as he moved to his wife’s side and wrapped his arms around her. “They’re true mates. I believe you humans would call it soul mates. It’s unbelievably rare to find such a pairing.”
“Soul mates?” her voice was filled with skepticism. “Dear, what are you saying? Speak English.”
“Mother,” Neculai cut in before his father could, “Dragos and I met at work, that much is true. Due to the unique nature of our circumstances, and the fact we’re half-breeds, when we slept together on a whim we accidently triggered the mating.”
“Slept together on a whim?” she sounded disgusted and horrified as she focused on that part of what he’d said.
“Yes,” Dragos nodded, “Our relationship started out as a one-night stand.”
“Damn,” Vitus whistled. “That’s some serious luck you two have.”
“Luck!” Sasha shouted and stood from her seat. “You call meeting up for a quick fuck, luck? Neculai, I’m incredibly disappointed in you. I thought I raised you better. And you,” she turned a firm glare on Dragos, “Don’t think I have accepted this just because of this true mate nonsense. You set one toe out of line, give me one reason to suspect your intentions aren’t genuine, and I’ll end you.”
“Mother,” Neculai snapped in warning. He was not going to sit by and let his mate be threatened, even by his own mother.
Crime of Passion (HBIA: Case Files Book 1) Page 8