by C. D. Hersh
“What else did he say? Every little detail is critical.”
“His mother should pack a travel bag. That he wasn’t going with her. Oh, and protecting a baby.”
“What baby? Does Owen have a child?”
Kat shrugged. “I don’t know. He’s never mentioned one.”
“Where did you overhear their conversation?”
“Outside the bar where I found the last dead man. Rogueman’s. I could see the whole name this afternoon.”
“Other times? How many?”
“Three. I’m getting way too familiar with the backside of the alley dumpster.” She clapped her hand over her mouth. “I just remembered. Another night, I heard a man and a woman discussing spies in Cleveland law enforcement. The man had an assignment in the precinct, and she should have told him she had a snitch.”
Alexi strode to the door and called in the director. “Do we have any shifters in the office?”
“No. We’re clear. Why?”
“I just learned we’ve got a spy among us. If it’s not a shifter, then it’s one of our own.”
“Could it have been Owen?” Kat asked. “Impersonating Olivia? Maybe he’s who the woman meant.”
“Anything’s possible,” the captain said. She leaned in closer to the director and whispered something, then turned and faced Kat. “I’ve got a favor to ask, and it’s not easy.”
“What?”
“I need you to make up with Owen. Tell him you forgive him. Do whatever you have to in order to get close to him. He’s not going to trust us, but if he’s in love with you, he might let his guard down.”
“You want me to spy on him?”
The captain scooped a strand of dark hair behind her ear, and pulled in a long breath, releasing it as she pinched her lips together. “I know it’s a lot to ask. You’ve already been tracking him and he wasn’t aware of it. He’d make us in a minute if we got close.”
“I don’t know.” Kat closed her eyes and rubbed the bridge of her nose. “Making up so he’d believe me would mean . . . I just don’t know if I can after what I’ve seen.”
A stirring of emotions started in her core as she thought of being with him. She tried to squelch it. He’d murdered those men. She couldn’t forgive him. Couldn’t be with him. Couldn’t . . .
But what if she didn’t do what the captain wanted and something else happened to another person? Could she forgive herself if she didn’t do whatever necessary to keep tabs on him?
“Never mind,” the captain said, scrubbing the air as if erasing the request. “I shouldn’t have asked so much of you.”
“No. I’ll do it.”
“You sure?”
“Yes. What do you want me to find out?” As the captain gave her the list, Kat realized they were the same questions she had. How she would get the answers was an even bigger dilemma.
Finding Kat standing outside his door was a big surprise. For a minute, Owen stood speechlessly staring at her. “How did you find me?” he finally asked.
“I followed you this morning. Since your goodbye seemed so final, I figured you wouldn’t answer your cell.”
Suddenly, he remembered his manners. “Would you like to come in?”
“Will we be alone?”
“For a while. Mom’s at work.” He opened the door fully and waved her in. As she passed, he inhaled her perfume like a thirsty man gulps water. He’d missed her scent. More than he dared admit. “Can I get you a drink? Water? Tea?”
Rubbing her palms on her mini skirt, she replied, “No thanks.”
He ushered her into the living room and motioned to a chair. She chose to sit on the sofa. When he perched on the coffee table, she patted the cushion next to her. “We need to talk, and you might as well get comfortable while I say my piece.”
She crossed her legs at the knees and laced her fingers around her kneecaps, flexing the fingers tighter then looser. Even without aura scanning powers he could see her nerves coming to the surface.
“Sounds serious.”
“I’ve been thinking about what you said this morning. Not the murder admissions but the trying to make amends part. Captain Temple says you’re cooperating with the police on something important, so if you’re really trying to turn things around, I wanted to give us another chance.”
“What about my crimes?”
“I did my duty. Told Captain Temple. If she chooses not to pursue it, who am I to complain?”
“Quite a switch, Kat. I’m not sure if I should believe you. What about the supernatural aspect?”
“That you’re a shape shifter?” She gave a short laugh. “Believe it or not, that’s the easy part. I happen to believe in the supernatural. I’ve even had a werewolf and a vampire boyfriend. I don’t do zombies, though. They’re just creepy.”
He flopped back against the sofa cushion and started laughing. “I thought shape shifting would kill our relationship.” Sitting upright, he pinned her with a pointed stare. “Still, I’m not sure I buy the whole forgive-me-for-the-murders thing. Your expression when you told Alexi to arrest me, and when you accused me, was horrific. You seemed shocked to your core. People don’t make a hundred and eighty degree turn in a matter of hours.”
An awkward pause filled the room as she looked everywhere but at him. “Truthfully, I’m still working on it. But there’s something you should know which might make you understand why I’m trying to get past that.” She uncrossed her legs and locked them tightly at the ankles and knees. “Remember when I said we both had secrets?” Hesitation filled her voice.
He nodded, not daring to speak, fearing she would stop talking. He needed to know why she changed her mind. Wanted to be certain she wasn’t playing some game with him, for who knew what reason.
“I’ve killed, too.”
He heard a hiss and realized it came from him. Their chess pieces were equalizing. His hope soared then crashed when he recognized her confession meant she wasn’t a normal person. She was the killer she’d accused him of being.
“Not people,” she added hastily. “Creatures. Paranormal beings. Vampires, shape shifters, succubae, and other stuff. My condemning you killing bad shifters is like the pot calling the kettle black. So you see why I have to forgive you?”
“Have to?”
“Want to. I want to forgive you so we can be together.”
He stood and ruffled his hair then started chuckling. “This is so weird. I thought you were a normal person. You’re a bit Goth, but I found that kinda hot. Normal’s what I wanted, you know. A normal everyday kind of woman to spend my life with.”
“Me, too. A man, that is. When you didn’t realize the bear you’d killed was a shifter, I thought you might be normal. As forensic scientists, we have so much in common.”
He started laughing harder. “We have so much in common on so many levels it’s nuts.” He reached down and gathered her in his arms, hugging her tightly against him. “I have missed you, Katrina Romanovski. And I want to change your name. Will you marry me?”
His proposal was the forever she’d always dreamt of and the hell she’d always feared. She loved a shape shifter. A bad shape shifter, whom she wanted in spite of everything he’d done or planned to do.
Grateful he’d smothered her mouth with kisses before she could reply, she tried to form an answer to his proposal. If she said yes, what would he do when he found out she was spying on him? If she said no, she would blow her civic duty and promise to the captain.
His hands ran over her body, igniting her hunger for him. His kisses deepened, sending her into near oblivion. Desperately, she tried to keep her mind clear. To form a logical and shrewd answer to his proposal. But her mind wasn’t cooperating, nor was her body.
His mouth left hers and traveled down the open vee of
her blouse, peppering kisses and love nips on her chest, and then on her breasts. She arched into him and whispered, “Yes.”
Lifting her with such swiftness her shoes nearly came off, Owen carried her down the hall and set her beside his bed. His hands slid up her body, pulling her blouse over her head and popping open her bra.
Her hands had a mind of their own, tugging his shirt out of his pants and fumbling at the buttons. A low growl came from him. He pushed her hands aside and ripped open his shirt, sending buttons flying. The stabbing prick of his chest hairs on her breasts nearly brought her to her senses. Nearly made her realize she couldn’t betray him like this. But when he dragged her miniskirt and panties down in one swift motion, his lips trailing down her legs behind the garments, she was lost again. Consumed with fervor she’d never experienced before.
His hands left her, and she stepped out of her clothing, abandoned and longing for his touch. Whimpering her distress, she reached for him.
With a swiftness she hadn’t expected, he shed the rest of his clothes in a matter of seconds. Eyes blazing, like cat’s eyes caught in headlights, he engulfed her in his arms, and they fell backward onto the bed.
Bare flesh sizzled against bare flesh like water on hot coals, and she eagerly strained toward him. Their passion soared, and she lost herself in the dark fire. Nothing mattered except the surging obsession to become one with him. When he’d kissed every inch of her body and left her quivering, she pressed him into her soul. Urging them both toward fulfillment.
While the blaze from their passion cooled to a smolder, Owen kissed her neck. “I love you, future Mrs. Owen Todd.”
Clutching his head to her shoulder, she turned her face away and wept.
Everything was so wrong and everything was so right.
Chapter 30
As her protection detail filed into the backyard, Alexi stuck her head into the home office. “Do you two have a minute?” she asked Rhys and Eli.
Her husband waved her in.
Taking a seat, she updated them on the most recent news from Owen.
“As you can imagine, I’ve had a very full, very stressful day.” Slipping off her shoes, she rubbed the bottoms of her feet then curled her toes into the plush carpeting. “If I keep having days like this, I’ll be ready to retire from the force.”
Frowning, Eli chastised her. “I thought we agreed you wouldnae do anything without all o’ us approving.”
“Except for involving Katrina, I haven’t done anything without approval. She’d already poked and prowled around in our business so much I had to tell her something, within certain parameters, of course. If I hadn’t brought her in, she could have blown everything by disclosing the lab tests and making a public accusation which would land Owen in jail. I’m convinced he’s key to finding out Falhman’s plans and cracking Hugh’s terrorist case.
“Besides, I’d rather have Katrina as an asset than an enemy. She’s brought more useful information to the table than any of our other sources.”
“I agree.”
“So, we need to address Owen’s request about Sylvia. Are we going to help?”
“I dinna trust the Daughter o’ the Moonless Night nor the Son o’ the Moonless Night. I say, we wait tae make the decision. Let the lad stew fer a bit. Tae give the enemy the keys tae the castle without lifting a finger tae keep the Normans oot, dinna seem like a guid strategy tae me.”
“Only a couple of days before the shipment arrives. We know Owen is picking it up. Hugh and I will have the warehouse covered. By then, Katrina may know more about Sylvia’s dilemma. We can make a decision at that time,” Rhys said.
“I think what she overheard is proof enough. Sylvia’s in deep with Falhman, and he’s going to kill her.”
“We’ll take a vote,” Eli said. “I say nae.”
“No, for now,” Rhys said.
Sighing, Alexi gave in.
“Did ye take care o’ the other matter, lassie?”
“I did.”
“Then I’ll give ye the room.”
“Stay. I think you need to hear this as well.”
As she told Rhys about his half-sister, Fiona Kayler, she watched some of the sadness he’d carried in his eyes since Roc’s death disappear. That made her happy. “I don’t think she’s ready for the Society yet, but she does want to meet her brother, as a brother. How do you want to handle it?”
“Why not invite her to dinner?” Rhys asked.
“A meeting in a less personal place might be better fer the both o’ ye,” Eli suggested. “The lassie’s office or a corner booth in a cozy restaurant. I’d nae be showing her where ye lived just yet. Nae ‘til yer mair sure o’ her.”
“She’s my sister,” Rhys protested. “Family.”
“Sae was Roc and ye saw how that turned oot.”
“Yes. He saved my life.” A spot of color flared on Rhys’ cheeks. “That’s what family does.”
Eli arched a skeptical eyebrow. “Besides, she dinna trust shifters. ’Twould be in Fiona’s best interest tae make yer first family meeting mair neutral than yer home, where she’d be surrounded by a passel o’ bodyguards. In a public place, they can fan oot and melt intae the scenery.”
“Good point.” The irritation on Rhys’ face eased, and he gave an almost imperceptible nod.
As Rhys admitted to the wisdom of Eli’s suggestion, Alexi relaxed. With all the subterfuge going on, having the two most important men in her life at odds was not an option. “I’ll arrange something with her. Now tell me what happened with LJ today.”
“All’s quiet, now,” Rhys said. “But I have this bad feeling. Something’s going to happen.”
“Yer certain ye dinna recognize the shifter’s aura who ’twas flirting with LJ at the Dew Drop? ’Tis the best lead we have.”
“It happened so fast. I just caught pitch black with dark red streaks.”
“If ye ask me that has the sound o’ the devil in it, and the only devil I ken around these parts ’tis Falhman.”
“Why would Falhman want to sleep with LJ?” Alexi said. “He could probably coerce, woo, or just crook a come-hither finger at any number of shifter women who’d jump right into his bed. Going after a human doesn’t make sense.”
“If I could see Falhman I could compare auras. That would narrow it down.”
“All the time ye spent in the presence o’ Falhman last year and ye canna identify his aura.” Eli clucked his tongue. “’Tis too bad. We coulda used that piece o’ knowledge tae track the devil.”
“I could now,” Rhys said, “but I don’t think he’ll let me walk into his penthouse.”
“Mair than likely, he’d shoot ye like he tried tae do afore. Son o’ the devil or nae son, ’tis too dangerous fer ye.”
“Are you calling me the devil’s spawn?” Rhys asked.
“Nae. He may be yer faither, but, thank the Druid’s beard, ye are nothing like him.”
“I think I owe that to my mother.”
“Tell yer sister ye think sae. I’m thinking the lassie’s in need o’ some reassurance her mither did the right thing by hiding her heritage from her.”
“Are you sure we did the right thing by telling her?” Rhys asked.
“Aye. ’Twould seem sae, since her company ’tis at the heart o’ this shifter terrorist business.” Eli rose from his chair. “Think I’ll brew me a cuppa. Any takers?”
“Me,” Alexi said. “I need to talk to Rhys first.” When Eli cleared the room she leaned toward her husband and whispered, “We’re going to have trouble convincing Eli to help Sylvia. I need to know you’re on the same page as me.”
“Why do you think we should help? She tried to kill you, Alexi. And me.”
“But she didn’t.”
“That’s beside the point.”<
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“I keep thinking of Baron and what he would want. He loved her once, Rhys. I don’t think we should turn our backs on his love for her. Now her son-quite possibly Baron’s son-is trying to save her from Falhman.”
“When we have proof Owen is Baron’s son Eli will relent.”
“Or not. He seems pretty set against it. I want our time in power as Promised Ones to have an element of compassion, not forced persuasion like Tynan.”
“Tynan?” he asked with a puzzled expression.
“An early Promised One Eli said killed in order to stay in power. What we do now could set the tone for the rest of our time as Turning Stone Society leaders. I want to start it right.”
“I agree. We have to get Eli to see mercy and justice are more powerful than the sword.”
Everything seemed normal as Hugh approached LJ’s house. Rhys’ report left him feeling less nervous about her safety, today at least. His nerves danced around like live, downed electric wires. How could he explain what had happened? One thing was certain: he had to protect her at all costs. No, wanted to protect her the rest of his life.
The door opened almost as soon as his knuckles left the wood, and LJ hauled him into the front hall, planting a big, mushy kiss on him. He tried to respond in kind, but she must have noticed his hesitation, because she leaned back and stared at him.
“Tired of me already?” she asked pouting.
He kissed her, bending her backwards until her feet nearly came off the floor. Then he swept her into his arms and carried her to the living room where he deposited her on the sofa. After removing his hat and coat and laying them on a chair, he sat down next to her.