by Kate Pearce
“It’s okay, you never know what you might remember when you start working with the artist.” Vadim handed over a card. “Call me if you have any further questions or information to impart.”
“Will do.” Mike tucked the card in his shirt pocket. “Is Brad going to be okay?”
Ella got off the stool and smiled at him. “I’m sure he’ll be fine.”
“How about Adam?”
“If we find him, we’ll let you know. Did he mention if he was visiting the city, or has he been in here before?”
“I think he was here, like, for a conference, some computer thing, although he looked too well dressed to be a nerd, but you never know these days, do you?”
“Was he staying around here?”
He did mention a hotel, but I don’t remember which one.” Mike shrugged. “I generally try not to listen to everyone’s conversations, but it was a quiet night.”
“We understand, and we’re grateful you’ve been able to help us so much.”
“You’re welcome.” Mike hesitated. “Did Adam, like, steal stuff from Brad’s apartment or something?”
“He stole something, all right.” Ella wrapped her scarf around her neck. “But we’ll find him and make sure Brad gets everything back.”
“Good luck.”
She followed Vadim back out into the sunshine and walked into the nearest restaurant. She sat opposite him at a tiny table covered with a traditional red-and-white-check tablecloth. The table wobbled when she picked up her menu.
“Can you fix that?”
“The table?” He folded his paper napkin into a wedge, rocked the table for a minute and then shoved it under one of the feet. “Is that better?”
“Perfect. You don’t have a magic fixing spell, then?”
“I’m more of a destroyer than a fixer.”
“Funny.” She grinned at him as the waitress placed breadsticks on the table, accompanied by a plate of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. “I’m starving.”
“You always are.”
“I can’t help it.” She dipped her breadstick into the oil and swirled it around. “I love to eat.” Holding his gaze, she brought the bread to her lips and slowly licked the oil off the rounded tip. His eyes narrowed and the temperature around them seemed to increase by about a hundred degrees. Very slowly she sucked the breadstick into her mouth and bit down.
He shuddered and reached for her hand. She was scorchingly aware of his need beneath her own skin, of wanting to rip off his shirt and touch his bare chest, to reach lower and grasp—
“Are you ready to order?”
Ella jumped and turned to the waitress. “Yeah, I’ll have the cheese ravioli with the Gorgonzola sauce, please.”
“And for you, sir?”
“A green salad and a bowl of spaghetti with olive oil. No cheese.”
“Thank you.” The waitress scribbled on her pad. “Anything to drink?”
“Just some water, please.”
Ella dragged her attention away from Vadim. “A soda. Any kind, I don’t mind.”
“There are about two thousand calories in that ravioli you ordered.”
“So?”
“You’re not going to die next week.”
“We’ve already had this discussion.” She picked up another breadstick and pointed it at him. “What did you think of Mike the bartender?”
“He seemed to be telling the truth.”
“That’s what I got, too.” She deliberately crunched her way down the breadstick, sending crumbs flying everywhere. “It fits in with what Brad told us, as well. Don’t you think it’s weird how this Adam guy hasn’t left much of an impression on anyone?”
“I suspect that’s part of his magic. A creature that steals other people’s faces wouldn’t want to draw attention to his own, now, would he?”
“True.” Ella contemplated the plate of oil. “I still don’t get what he wants with Brad’s face, though, do you?”
“It could be for many things. A spell, an offering to a higher being, a collection of curiosities. Otherworld serial killers can be just as inventive as human ones.”
She shivered. “I know.”
He reached out and took her hand again. “We’ll work it out.”
“I’m glad you think so. I’m not so sure.” She tried to ease out of his grip, but he held on and brought her fingers to his mouth. With exquisite care he kissed his way along her knuckles, his tongue always in evidence, his breath warm on her flesh.
“Don’t play games with me, Ms. Walsh.” He bit down on the fleshy pad of her thumb and her whole body came instantly to life. “You can’t have it both ways.”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“Teasing me, and then talking about work.”
“I didn’t—” She bit back a moan as he bit and then licked her. Damn, she was wet now, and he would know.
“God, I know, and if I had a little less sense, I’d take you outside, back you up against the nearest wall and fill you up with my cock.”
“Shut up!”
* * *
This time she did manage to pull out of his grasp. His gaze dropped to her open coat and the tight buds of her nipples, which were visible through her T-shirt.
He reached for the glass of water the waitress had placed beside him and drank it down in one long swallow. “You drive me insane.”
“It’s my fault now, is it?”
He looked at her indignant face, her flushed cheeks and soft fair hair. He wanted to shove his hands into her hair and bring her mouth to meet his, and then reintroduce her to other, more needy parts of his anatomy...
“Stop it, you pig!”
He took a slow inward breath and raised his head to look past her. The waitress was approaching with their lunch. Thank the universe for small mercies. Nothing ever got between his mate and her food. For once he was content to accept that. Except that this time, watching her enjoy her ravioli was akin to watching her orgasm. If he wasn’t mistaken, her low moans were more suitable for being naked and in his bed than for a plate of cheese and pasta.
He eyed her speculatively. Of course, he could make her some pasta from scratch... He shoved his fork into his spaghetti and twirled it. He was behaving like a fool when he most needed to be on his guard. If he wasn’t careful, Otherworld would have no problem dragging him back to face his fate, and Ella would be moaning over her pasta with someone else.
He finished his lunch and dabbed at his mouth with his napkin. “Are you ready to go? We need to be at the hospital.”
Ella scowled. “Give me a minute. I’m still eating.”
“Can’t you get it to go?”
“What’s eating your pants?”
Nothing, unfortunately. “I just want to avoid getting stuck in traffic.”
“Fine, I’ll get a box. This stuff deserves to be savored. I can have it for supper tonight.”
He stood up. “I’ll get you a box while I settle the bill.”
The route back to the hospital was full of twists and turns, and streets of unimaginable steepness, but he kept his attention fully on the task and ignored his companion as best he could. She didn’t seem to mind, having attempted a conversation, gotten pissed off when he didn’t reply and then fallen asleep.
She snored.
He parked in the staff lot and got out of the car to open Ella’s door for her. She smiled up at him and he almost snarled with lust. Tonight, unless she relented, he had to go back to his hotel room alone.
“Help me out, I’m still sleepy.” She extended her hand and he just stared at her. “Morosov!”
He yanked her out of the car and into his arms and was kissing her before she’d even drawn another breath. She didn’t fight him, just melted into him and kissed him back. Within seconds, his hand was on her ass, picking her up and molding her against his aching cock.
“Morosov.”
He kept kissing her and tried to ignore her voice in his head.
“This isn’t th
e right place.”
“It never is, with you.” She bit his lip, driving him wild.
“We need to talk to this witness, and then we need to talk, okay?”
“You’re being the sensible one now? What the hell is wrong with you?” He wrenched his mouth away from hers, breathing hard. “And how are we going to manage that when I’m living in the city, and you’ve banned me from your house?”
“I haven’t banned you. How about I come and hang out with you at your hotel? We can have dinner and talk.” She sighed, and looked into his eyes. “And have sex. Can we do that?”
He set her away from him. He’d never thought he’d be the one who had to beg for her time. With his powers, he could compel her to do anything he desired, but he wanted her to come to him willingly. He wanted her to crave him as much as he craved her. “All right.”
She smoothed down her clothing, not that it made much difference to her appearance. She always looked as if she’d just rolled out of bed. “It’s a deal. Let’s go and meet Penny Jordan.”
Chapter Four
“He was just so...immature, you know?” Penny Jordan glanced from Vadim to Ella, who nodded understandingly. “So full of himself that I couldn’t trust him at all. He flirted with all my friends and lied to my face. I was sick and tired of it and finally broke up with him.”
“In the Blue Flamingo bar last night?” Ella asked.
They were sitting in a small consulting room on the first floor of the hospital, near Penny Jordan’s workstation. The space smelled of disinfectant and fear and made Ella’s empath senses jangle like a toothache. She and Vadim sat on the only two chairs, and Penny perched on the side of the paper-covered gurney, legs swinging in her green scrubs. She was a slim, dark-haired woman with a sweet expression and a wide smile.
“Yes. I asked him to meet me there, because I hoped he wouldn’t make a big scene in public.”
“Had you been to that particular bar before?”
“Not with him. I chose it because it’s a great place to pick up a taxi, and I wanted to make a quick escape.”
“How did he take being dumped?”
Penny grimaced. “He smiled right in my face and said that he was okay with it because he’d already hooked up with someone else and was going to dump me anyway.”
“Did you believe him?”
“It doesn’t matter if I did or not, does it? It was just so typical of him to try and turn everything around and make it all about him. It actually made me glad I’d found the nerve to break up with him.” She sighed. “No doubt he’s telling everyone he dumped me.”
“He’s not saying much at all at the moment, actually.”
“What do you mean?” Penny put a hand to her mouth. “He didn’t go and do something stupid, did he?”
“To be honest, I don’t think what happened between you had much to do with what’s happened to him, other than that Brad was in the wrong bar at the wrong time.”
“Was he mugged? I don’t want to date him anymore, but I don’t want him dead or hurt.” She stared at Ella. “You don’t think I did something to get back at him, do you?”
“It’s okay. You don’t seem the type to send someone to break his legs.”
“So, he is hurt?”
“In a manner of speaking. From what we can make out, he stayed at the bar until closing and got drunk. Someone took him home in a taxi, and he didn’t turn up for class this morning.”
Penny shrugged. “That’s a fairly normal night for him, so what else happened?”
“He was found in a distressed state this morning by the emergency services and brought into hospital for further observation.”
“Did he use something illegal?”
Vadim sat forward. “Why would you think that?”
“Because he liked to experiment with stuff.” Penny shook her head. “That was another reason why we argued. I’ve seen addicts come into the ER. I wouldn’t want to end up like that. Brad should know that too. He’s training to be a freaking doctor!”
“At this point, the medical team isn’t quite sure what Brad took, or didn’t take. All we know is that he is in a severely heightened state of anxiety.”
“He’s probably scared his daddy’s going to cut off his money because he missed class again. I kept telling him he should just admit to his parents that he doesn’t want to be a doctor, but he’s too afraid of letting them down.”
Vadim smiled. “I know that feeling. Do you really think he’s scared of his parents?”
“Wouldn’t you be?” Penny’s faintly mocking smile disappeared. “He called them the Kennedys on speed. He was terrified of messing up.” She hesitated. “Is Brad here? Do you think I could see him?”
“He’s heavily sedated at the moment, Ms. Jordan, and not receiving visitors. But we will keep you informed of his progress, if you wish it.”
“I’d like that.” Penny rose and tossed her coffee cup in the trash. “He might be a jerk, but I still care about him. When he was nice, he was really nice, you know?”
“Oh, I know. The jerks always are.” Ella held out her hand. “Thanks so much for talking to us, and as my colleague said, we’ll keep in touch.”
She waited until Penny closed the door behind her before sitting down next to Vadim again.
“She seemed way too nice to be going out with Brad.”
“He certainly didn’t come across as a very admirable or likeable character, did he?” Vadim stretched out and crossed his legs at the ankle. “I actually felt quite sorry for him.”
“For Brad?”
“He’s under a lot of pressure from his family to conform. It’s hardly surprising that he’s acting out and is so immature.”
“You can obviously relate. Was that your excuse for getting kicked out of Otherworld?”
He considered her for a long moment, his expression bleak. “For my youthful behavior? No, although the damage I caused was far more long lasting than Brad’s.”
“What did you do?”
“Eventually I conformed.” His mouth twisted. “That’s why I got kicked out of Otherworld.” He rose to his feet. “Do you want to go back to the office and start looking for Adam, or stay and talk to Brad again?”
“Brad’s in a fairy-imposed coma.”
“From which I can awaken him.” He stood by the door and stared down at her. “What do you want to do?”
“I suppose we should go back and tell Feehan what we’ve learned so far.” Ella groaned. “Liz might have more information too. We can also check in with her about the mysterious Adam.”
“So let’s go back.” He held open the door for her and followed her down the hallway. “Brad’s probably better off sleeping, at the moment.”
* * *
Feehan opened the door into the big conference room and snapped on the fluorescent lights.
“Let’s get everyone in here, shall we?”
Ella followed him in, glad to see that someone had taken down all the horrific pictures and info about the empaths the Siren had murdered, from their last case. She was happy that he was dead, but it didn’t bring back her fellow empaths, especially her best friend, Laney. She missed Laney like a sister...well, more than a sister. Ella’s real sister drove her nuts. If it hadn’t been for the Siren, she wouldn’t have met Vadim and ended up mated to him, likely to live a long and happy life. Was she only allowed one special person in her life at a time?
“Sit down, Ella.” Feehan pulled out a chair for her and hovered over her solicitously. “How are you feeling? I know your twenty-seventh birthday is coming up next week.”
“I’m feeling good, boss. How about you?”
She gave him her best shark smile and he backed off and took a seat at the other end of the table. She supposed, being her superior, he had a right to inquire about the state of her mental health. Unmated empaths had a tendency to go nuts from psychic overload as their twenty-seventh birthday approached. And hers was next week. He didn’t know she was mated to Vad
im yet. No one did, although Liz had skated pretty damn close to working it out.
Not even her parents knew she was going to survive. She’d refused to consider choosing an Otherworld-approved mate until Vadim had practically forced her to take him on. She’d only done it then because he’d made it seem more attractive than death in an elevator shaft. If she was honest, admitting she was going to live after spending the last twenty-seven years deliberately pissing everyone off in the belief she would die young was somewhat embarrassing. She was still debating whether to mention it to them or not. She’d agreed to go to their house in the East Bay and eat birthday cake on the weekend. If she wasn’t going out of her mind, that might just do it for her.
Vadim slipped into the seat to her left and Liz took the one on her right. A minute later, Andrew and Rich came in, accompanied by her trainee empath, Sam. As usual, they were arguing about something baseball related and barely stopped to acknowledge anyone else in the room.
“Here you are.” Vadim put a cup of coffee in front of her.
“Thanks.” She smiled at him and then noticed Liz was staring at them with a knowing look. “About time, too.”
He merely raised his eyebrows and looked away. Liz nudged her. “He is so hot, Ella, I don’t know how you can stand not jumping his bones.”
She felt her cheeks heat. “Whisper that a bit louder, Liz. I don’t think Morosov got it all.”
“Oh, I heard.” His low, amused voice held a hint of sex that sent little shivers up and down her spine. “For the record, I don’t know how she resists me either, Liz.”
Feehan picked up a pen and headed for the whiteboard.
“Now that we’re all here, let’s talk about the new case.” He wrote Brad Dailey’s name on the board, followed by the name of the bar and all the other details Ella and Vadim had given him. “What else do we know?”
Liz put up her hand. “I’ve been searching the Fae-Web for other cases like this, and as I was telling Ella, it’s really hard to find anything concrete, because the victims tend to go mad or die fairly quickly.”
“That’s not good.” Feehan frowned. “Can you share what you have anyway?”
Liz handed out some sheets of paper to the team. “I typed this out really fast, so excuse any errors. The Fae-Web refused to connect with our internet. I’m still waiting for some photographs of the victims.”