“Another one?”
“Seems so.”
Grabbing his jacket, Nathan followed her out the door.
***
Sienna hadn’t argued when Nathan had insisted on riding with her. He was a part of this now whether she liked it or not. Mostly the reason she didn’t like it was because she was falling for him. Another cop. Despite her vow to do otherwise. Why did she always have to fall for cops? They were nothing but trouble and she should know, given that she was one herself.
Her body still keyed up from their encounter moments earlier, Sienna reminded herself she was on the job and not to think of the way Nathan touched her, kissed her, seduced her.
Or how utterly intoxicating he smelled.
“Why doesn’t your car have a GPS?”
Startled out of her thoughts, she signaled to take the corner as she responded. “Because it’s a piece of crap and it’s not my car. It’s a loner until mine is repaired, which seems to be taking forever. For some reason the yahoo at the shop didn’t know how to fix my car so he shipped it to the nearest city. Loser. They tell me they have to order in the part and it should be another week. I hate this car.”
“Sounds like you have some issues.”
She shrugged. “Don’t get me started. Okay, I know the city is still in rebuild mode but how can a mechanic not know how to fix a car? Why hire him then?” She shook her head, shaking it off.
“Interesting. I didn’t think they still had cop cars without GPS. What’s up with that?”
“Beats me. Something I plan on discussing with the chief when I have a free minute.” Spotting the flashing cop lights, Sienna pulled into the alley and behind the car. “If you’re going to be on the scene, you’d better suit up.” Leaving her seat, she opened the trunk and pulled out her kit. She handed a pair of latex gloves, gown and a cap to Nathan before taking her own. “I’m still the primary. Got it?”
“Loud and clear, Lieutenant.” He saluted her with a bright smile.
That was a lethal smile he had, Sienna thought with a sigh, and one of the reasons she was drawn to him. Shaking her thoughts clear she spotted an officer who looked as if he’d just come out of high school standing by the latest victim. It worried her that there were so many untrained officers on the force and decided she really needed to talk to the chief and get some seasoned officers into the mix.
“Lieutenant Storm,” she introduced as she crouched down to the body. “You’re the first on the scene, Officer…” she craned her neck to get a look at his nametag, “Vega? You related to Dante Vega by any chance?”
“Brother. And yes, I was the first on the scene. Actually, this is my first day on the job and, really, I’m only supposed to be on traffic but this woman came running out at me, screaming bloody murder so what was I supposed to do?” He shrugged.
She could see the resemblance now. Not just in the facial features but the stance as well. His hair was longer than his brother’s but the color was the same and so were the shape of the eyes, nose and mouth. “Where is the woman now?”
“In my car. I told her to wait there until someone with authority showed up.”
Sienna looked up, saw the woman leaning back against the seat, and decided she could use a few more moments to cool down. As Sienna looked down into the wide eyes of the dead boy before her, she heard the quick footsteps behind her.
“Sorry it took me so long to get here. Car wouldn’t start. Hey, Danny.”
“Bro.”
“Nathan.”
“Dante.”
“Now that we’ve all had our nice little hello-fest, can we get to the reason we were all called here?”
“Yes, Lieutenant,” Dante replied sheepishly, kneeling down beside her. “He looks maybe fifteen.”
If that. The kid still had peach fuzz on his face. “No visible ID but it could be in his back pocket. We’ll wait until Doc Hawthorn gets here to check that out. What’s this?” She pointed to the clear plastic bag with a white piece of paper in the hole, taking up the place where the boy’s heart had once been. “Wanna photo it, Detective Vega?”
“I’m on it.” Getting to his feet, Dante shuffled off for his camera.
Sienna scanned the rest of the body, looking for anything and saw exactly what she’d seen with the others. The body was meticulously positioned on the ground, his clothing even smoothed out. The bastard had time to straighten the kid’s clothing after killing him and she was betting no one saw him. What kind of demon was he?
“Here we go.”
“I want close-ups of the paper,” she instructed and scooted to the side to allow the detective to capture the shots. When he’d taken several, she inched back toward the body and with careful approach, slipped the plastic from the hole, then carefully pulled the paper out. The moment she opened it she was blinded by a white hot flashing of light and the sounds of a deep-throated laugh piercing her skull. Dropping the note, she clamped her hands over her ears as she fell back onto her butt.
Chapter Seventeen
She could hear him, could feel him, and it was like slime over her heart. Sienna tried to shake it off but she knew it would take time to get him out of her system. If only she’d seen where he was it might make the pain worth it. Then again, she could always pick up the note and try it again.
Despite the risks to her life.
“Sienna!” Kneeling down at her side, Nathan took her hands in his. “What’s wrong? Talk to me.”
She could see his lips moving though his voice was crowded out by the roar in her head. “Secure the note. It has his blood on it,” she shouted, hands still on her head.
“What’s wrong?”
This time she heard Nathan’s voice mixed in with the roar. “I’m okay. I just need a minute.” Pulling her hands from her head, she gave them a shake before standing. Sienna knew the roar in her head would last several minutes yet.
“How do you know it has his blood on it?”
She turned to Dante, tilting her head, giving her ears a rub. “Say it again? I’m having trouble hearing you.”
“Jesus, we need to get you to a doctor.” Grabbing her hand, Nathan tugged her away from the body.
She tugged back. “I’m fine. This is normal for me when I come in contact with someone’s blood and I’m not prepared for it. It’ll pass. What did you say, Detective Vega?”
“How do you know it has his blood on it?” He carefully lifted the note in his gloved fingers.
“I touched it and felt him. It’s part of my abilities. Check out the writing. It’s his blood not the victim’s he used to write it with.” The roaring in her head was beginning to dull.
Shifting the note, Dante frowned as he looked at it. “If that’s the case, we have his DNA.”
“Won’t do us much good if he isn’t in the records. Test it anyway. All I got from it was his laughter. He enjoys what he does.” And that sickened her even more.
“I thought you said you couldn’t read minds?” Nathan asked with a narrowed look her way.
“I can’t, but I can read people through their blood. Let’s get back to our victim here.” She heard a car pull up and figured it was probably the doc.
For the next half an hour they worked the scene, did what had to be done, and when it was all taken care of, Sienna slipped away to her car and took a moment to herself to take a painkiller. The headache just wasn’t going away. Rolling her neck first, she rested her head, face down on the hood, and hoped to God it would ease up soon.
She jumped when Nathan’s hands touched her neck and when she tried to shift, he pressed down a little more.
“I’ve been told I give great massages. Wow, these muscles are as tight as a board.”
She stepped away from his hands, despite the desire to feel them on her skin. “Comes with the job. Are you
ready to roll?”
Nathan nodded, slipping his hands in his jeans pockets. “Anytime you are.”
Sliding behind the wheel, she waited until Nathan had buckled his seat belt before she sent them rolling.
“How is it you can read a person through their blood? I’m confused by the whole thing.”
She really didn’t feel much like talking but she knew he wouldn’t stop unless she answered him. “It’s part of my abilities. My mind can link with the person through their blood. Most of the time I can block it, but when I’m not expecting it…well, it just slams right into me.”
“And it gives you a headache?”
“A mind splitting cluster bomb is more like it.” Which, thanks to the painkillers she’d taken was now starting to ease.
“Sounds like something you’d want to avoid. Okay, by linking with a person, does that mean you can see where they are?”
“Yes. It’s essentially like being a part of them. I’ve linked with a person on a few occasions, missing children and so forth, but not often. Each time I do it I risk slipping into a coma.” Which was why she only did it in emergency cases.
Nathan grunted. “Then what’s the point to the ability?”
She signaled and turned left on Anderson road. “It works just fine if you’re pure Tejakkan, which I am not. My mother was human and that is why I risk coma every time I try to link with someone. My brain isn’t equipped to withstand the procedure.”
“Tejakkan?”
She glanced over at him as she drove. “It’s the race of demon I come from. My grandfather was the Majaha. The King of Tejakkan’s.”
“Demons have a king?”
She snickered, signaling left. “The things you learn, huh?”
“It blows my mind. How did I not know anything about demons and vampires before now?”
“Because you weren’t open to seeing them. They’re all around us, in every part of the world. A majority of the unsolved cases tend to be about a demon or their counterparts. But because the human race doesn’t want to believe, they don’t see the evidence before them. I worked a few of those cases in my career.”
He shifted in his seat. “It actually makes sense. Jesus, I’ve been so blind.”
“Welcome to the world of the sighted, Detective.”
“What a world it is. You said ‘was,’ in reference to your grandfather.”
“He passed away eight years ago.” Traffic was slow which still blew her mind. Even in the wee hours of the night in Kansas the traffic was horrendous.
“I’m sorry. So does that mean your father is now King? Hey, should I call you princess?” he snickered, giving a mock bow as best he could while sitting in the car.
“No, my father is not king and no I am not a princess. My father is the third son so unless both my uncles and their children die before my father, he won’t ever see the throne.”
“But you’re still royalty. That is so cool.”
She pulled up to his hotel and stopped the car, utterly glad to have the conversation over. “Home sweet home. Get some rest.”
He glanced out the window and into the darkness. “I thought we were going back to the cop shop?”
“There’s nothing to do right now but wait. It’ll take the doc a few hours to do the autopsy. We could both use that time to rest.”
“In that case, maybe we could finish what we started earlier in your office.”
She saw the move coming and blocked it. “We need to rest.”
“From the impression I got in your office, you need something else.” He slid his hand into her hair, cupping her head.
What she needed was irrelevant. What was smart was the point. “I need to check on Daisy. She’s probably chewed my apartment up by now and she’ll need to pee.”
“We can go back to your place then.”
“Detective—”
“Put our professions away. Right now we’re two adults with needs and don’t tell me you don’t want me because I know differently, Sienna.”
He took her mouth so quickly it shocked her. But damn it if it didn’t fry her brain and make her want. And when his tongue skimmed her teeth before dipping into her mouth she knew she was a lost cause.
She pulled away, sighing. “I told myself I wouldn’t do this again.”
“Do what?” He stroked a finger along her cheek.
She wanted to melt. “Get involved with another cop.”
“Cops have needs too.” He grinned at her and she was lost.
Damn it, why did he have to be so charming. Shifting the car into gear, she sent them rolling toward her apartment. “Sure, just not with other cops.” Yet she didn’t seem to be stopping.
“What’s the problem with dating a fellow officer?”
“It only leads to heartbreak and trouble. Trust me, I know.”
He angled in his seat. “Do tell, Lieutenant.”
“This isn’t the time.”
“This is the perfect time. Spill.”
Why she gave in was beyond her. “I was involved with my captain a year ago. We were pretty tight or so I thought. I actually saw us getting married.”
“Let me guess, he didn’t.”
Signaling left, she turned the corner. “Oh, he really didn’t and to top it off, he told me he was through with me. I was devastated but that gave way to the anger I felt when I found out he was posting semi-nude shots of me on his blog.”
“Get out!”
She pulled into her parking spot and climbed out of the car. “He was fired and I switched divisions. I couldn’t stay there. His buddies didn’t make it easy for me to stay so I transferred. Now I’m here and I’m done talking about my past. Let’s focus on our killer.”
Nathan was silent as they entered her building. When he grabbed her arm, the look on his face stopped her. “A real man knows how to treat a woman. The scumbag who ripped your heart out doesn’t even come close to being a man.”
He’d just managed to cause her heart to skip a beat. She actually had to suck in a breath before she managed to speak. “Let’s just stick with the task at hand.”
“Finally, you see it my way.” In a quick move, he pinned her to the wall on the stairwell and captured her mouth in a strong hot kiss. His hands skimmed along her sides before taking her hands in his. As he released her lips, he brought her hands to his mouth, and grazed his teeth over her knuckles. “Sex is just what you need now. It’ll help relieve those tense muscles in your neck.”
Well, hell. How was she supposed to turn him down now? Her body was vibrating with need. Daisy just might have to wait a little longer to pee. “You’re right.” Hurrying up the stairs, she unlocked her apartment door. He took her in the doorway, kissing her stupid one more time before slamming the door shut with his foot. All she could think was Take me now.
Tugging his jacket over his shoulders, she backed them toward her bedroom. He groped with her shirt, pulling it free of the waistband of her pants.
“How is it you can go outside without a coat on when it’s freezing cold?”
“My body adapts to the temperature. It cools when I’m hot and heats when I’m cold. It’s part of my species. I can’t release your belt buckle.” And it was damn frustrating.
“It’s a sliding snap mechanism.” With one simple move he had it open.
“Huh,” was all she said as she tore at his zipper. She heard a whimper behind her and, angling her head, saw Daisy in the middle of her bed, a snowstorm of feathers all around her. “Oh, Daisy.” She’d managed to tear open every one of Sienna’s pillows.
“Two words: Chew. Toy.” Laughing, Nathan pulled Sienna’s shirt over her head and tossed it aside.
“Let me clean the bed off first.”
“It can wait.” He released the fron
t clasp of her bra and took one taut nipple into his mouth.
“Oh wow…” The bed could definitely wait. He had the most clever mouth she had ever known on a man. The way he swirled his tongue over her breasts sent ripples cascading across her body. And when his fingers began tugging at the zipper on her pants, she couldn’t wait to have him inside of her.
With haste she tugged his jeans down, kicked out of her pants, then pulled him down onto the bed with her.
“Condom.”
“Right.” Perched on her elbows, Sienna watched as Nathan bent over to pick up his pants. He had a round, firm ass that was absolutely bitable and just over his right hip was a small dragon. “Nice tattoo.”
He glanced over his back, then busily slid the condom into place. “Thanks.”
“It’s kinda small.” Most men tended to have ostentatious tattoos to show they were tough. But apparently that wasn’t the same for Nathan.
“It was a birthday present from my insane sisters. They got me drunk on my thirtieth birthday and when I passed out they took me to a friend of theirs who does tattoos. They told him to put the tattoo somewhere I wouldn’t see and to make it small and manly. This is what I ended up with.”
Sienna snickered, picturing his face when he finally saw it. “Cute.”
“Adorable.” He scooped Daisy off the bed and carried her to the door. “No offence, girl, but I don’t perform for the public.” Shutting the door, he turned his attention back to Sienna. He stood there a moment, just looking at her.
“What?” She felt a little uncomfortable the way he was looking at her.
“I’m debating which I prefer more. You in the nude, or in black leather.”
“Can you debate that after we’re done?”
He didn’t waste any time and joined her on the bed. She spread her legs for him as he held himself above her and when his lips came down on hers, nothing mattered but this moment.
They rolled on the bed of feathers, caressing, touching, feeling. Lips met, tongues teased, and teeth grazed. When he finally pressed himself into her, she took him in on a sigh. Every tense muscle in her body gave way to the pleasure he was awarding her. With each movement of hips, with each touch of lips, she felt herself falling farther down into the murky pit of love. When he caressed her face with his palm, looking into her eyes, she let herself go.
Shiela Stewart - [Darkness 07] Page 12