by Unknown
He stared down at her hand and felt warmth flow through his body. He had to focus on the job at hand and not think about how she smelled like exotic flowers. It wasn’t easy with her sitting next to him in those black leather pants.
Heaven help him.
If he didn’t get his head back into the game, he was more than screwed. “Here we are,” he said, turning off the car before jumping out. All that he needed was to put a little space between them.
A few feet.
Maybe inches.
Well, shit!
“Let’s go,” she said, moving closer to his body. It was automatic, since she was accustomed to being near Jacques and under his constant guard. She felt comfortable around the detective, more so than he obviously was feeling.
As he walked them through the crowd of police officers who were sent to secure the scene, he placed his hand on her lower back. He told himself it was to keep her going in the right direction, but he was only kidding himself.
Once on the crime scene, Flynn handed her a pair of latex gloves to keep her from leaving prints or any other DNA behind on the body.
Jolie was amused. She wouldn’t be leaving prints without them, but the thought of him knowing that would only make him more nervous. It would also make him think to look at her as one of the killers.
She knelt next to the victim and turned the woman’s head. She saw the two telltale puncture wounds that were indicative of a vampyre bite. Where they healed immediately on her kind, in humans they took time to fade. “Looks exactly like the other crime scenes.”
“As of yet, there are no prints or any trace of DNA, Detective,” said the coroner. “She might have been wiped down prior.”
Jolie leaned down toward the neck and smelled her skin.
“What are you doing, Doctor?” the coroner asked, bewildered.
“I’m trying to see if I can smell any sort of chemical which may have been used to subdue her,” she admitted, lying her ass off. What Jolie was actually doing was trying to pick up the scent of the individual who had done the crime. She lowered her nose again and stopped moving. The second whiff paid off, and she located the trace. Immediately, Jolie opened her mental path back home to her guardian.
“Jacques?”
“Yes, Jolie. What do you need?”
“The killer is definitely one of us.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. I can smell her scent. Now, we just need to find her, before she and her companions drink the city dry.”
“I have a bad feeling about all of this.”
“Oui, it is just like Paris in the eighteen hundreds all over again.”
“What will you do?”
“The only thing I can. I need to find the killer and execute her as quickly as possible.”
Yeah, he had a really bad feeling.
It was about to begin again…
∞ Chapter Five ∞
Jolie focused on the detective. She could feel him closely studying her. When her gaze met his, he turned his head to look away. She couldn’t help but notice the looks that he gave the rest of the team. Apparently, the coroner and a few of the other police officers were busy checking out her ass, and the detective was well aware that they were doing it.
“Did you smell anything?” he grumbled, still staring at his men.
“No, and it looks like we’re right back where we started,” she answered, reaching up for a hand. Instead of his, there were three thrust at her. “Thank you,” she replied, as the young enthralled officer stared at her. Jolie would like to credit the over eagerness to her being a vampyre, but this time it was all about her pants.
“I need to get home and start looking over the files,” she said.
Once more, all the cops there volunteered.
That just pissed him off. “I’ll take you,” growled Brogan, removing her hand from the officer’s grip. The boy was staring at her like she was a goddess. At any second, he just might fall to his knees to worship her.
Then again, who could blame him?
“I can call for Jacques to come get me,” Jolie offered. She knew that he was going to be busy and probably didn't want to leave the scene.
“That’s okay. There isn’t much more that I can do here. Gress will arrive soon and take over. While he conducts the canvassing, I’ll head to the morgue to handle the victim.”
Jolie appreciated it. “Thank you, Detective.”
It was hard not to notice the crowd of officers parting as they ogled her with open mouths and lust-filled stares. When he found out he was going to babysitting, he didn't foresee this being his biggest issue.
It was like she was a big juicy steak, and all the men were stirred up into a feeding frenzy.
Walking her to the car, there were speculative eyes watching them and once again, he placed his hand on her back. If she wasn’t going to stop him, why worry? After all, he was telling himself that it was all in her best interest.
Yeah, like he bought that load of bullshit.
Closing the car door, he got in behind the wheel. After buckling his seat belt, he had to know.
“How do you do it?”
“Pardon?”
“Wherever you go, all eyes are on you. It’s like you’ve cast a spell,” he admitted, and then was sorry he opened his mouth at all. “Forget I said anything. I’m just tired. I don’t know where my brain is right now,” he added, as he turned the key and started to drive.
Jolie grinned in the darkness. If he knew the truth, he would be even more stirred up. She couldn’t help that some males were drawn to her. How did she explain to him that it was a way for her kind to assure they’d continue to have offspring? It’s just the way of her people.
Brogan decided to change the subject. “So, have you lived in that house for very long?”
“Years,” she said, staring out the window into darkness. “It’s been in my family for generations, since sometime in the eighteen hundreds, I believe.”
“Wow, that’s crazy.”
“I agree,” she answered. “We just recently had it renovated and updated to fit our needs.”
He heard the use of the word ‘we’, and took it as an open invitation to ask more questions. “Isn’t it too big for only one person?” He knew he was fishing, but he couldn’t help it. Flynn was curious about the man he saw in the robe. In his head, he rationalized it as him being a cop and curious.
In his gut, he knew it was more.
“Who says that I live alone?” she asked, looking at him in the dark. She saw his eyebrow rise in silent question. “Are you referring to Jacques, your proclaimed underwear model?” she teased.
“No.”
He was lying again.
She could feel it.
“I’ve a few close family members living with me. It is too much house for one person, and I like having people around.”
“It’s ginormous.”
“I can’t disagree with that. I believe there are sixteen bedrooms.”
He hated himself for being fixated on it, but he went for it anyway. “So, that guy, Jacques, is a relative?” Silent relief washed over him.
“No, he’s not.” Jolie wasn’t quite sure where Jacques fit in anymore. All that she did know, was that he was more than a friend and companion.
So much more.
“Oh.” It spoke volumes, and it was only one word.
Jolie was curious as to what was going on in his head. Glancing over at him, she let her mind seek out his to see what he was thinking. Normally, she wouldn’t invade another’s mind, especially one who was not of her kind, but he sounded troubled. As she softly entered to peek around, she saw some of his thoughts and dreams. It appeared that the detective was indeed attracted to her.
As she was just about to look deeper, something occurred that had never happened before. The entire pathway slammed closed on her, forcing her out.
“Shit!” he bellowed, grabbing his head.
Jolie grabbed the wheel so th
ey didn't have an accident.
“What?” she asked, still shaken that he had tossed her out of his mind so easily. “What’s wrong, Detective?”
“Damn! It felt like I had someone’s fingers digging into my brain.”
That alarmed her. Apparently, the detective was far more intuitive than he realized. It was probably why he was such a good cop.
“Are you okay?”
This had never happened before. Usually Jolie could enter anyone’s mind unnoticed, and extract the information that she wanted. “Do you want me to drive?”
His hands went back to the wheel, and he shook his head as if trying to clear the pain.
“No, I’m okay now. It was the weirdest feeling, that’s all.”
“Maybe you’re coming down with something,” she offered, placing her hand back on his arm. Jolie sent some healing energy into him, since it was her fault that he had felt all the discomfort.
Mental note-she couldn’t dig around in his mind unwelcomed. Her police liaison likely had an intuitive gift.
Unfortunately for him, that made her even more curious.
They drove in silence until he pulled into her driveway. When he went to get out of the car to open her door, she stopped him. “It’s okay, Detective. I can get to the door myself. Here comes Jacques anyway.”
It caught him off guard that he didn't want to say goodnight to her. It was completely strange and made him feel out of control. For some reason, he didn't want their ‘death date’ to end.
Flynn glanced up in time to see the front door open, after she already had said it. That was one hell of a sense of timing on her behalf.
“Will you still be available for our meeting today?” he asked, looking over at the clock on his dashboard. It was just after four in the morning.
“Yes, Detective. I’ll be expecting you at my office later,” she replied, pushing the door open.
Jolie paused when he grabbed her arm. She waited as a million expressions crossed his face. It looked like he wanted to say something.
“Yes?” she asked, urging him on.
Brogan battled to not say anything stupid. He was already batting a big fat zero with the woman. “Get some sleep, Doctor,” he stated, finally able to get a sentence together.
She doubted that was his intended comment.
“I plan on sleeping like the dead, Detective. I suggest that sometime today, you do the same.”
When the doctor got out of the car, he watched her walk toward the man standing in the doorway. The entire scene perplexed him.
What was she doing with the man? Immediately, the testosterone surged, and he began comparing himself to Jacques.
On second thought, he knew exactly what she was doing with the model. He drove around the driveway and headed toward work and the morgue. Maybe the dead would help put the luscious doctor out of his mind for the time being.
Despite how long the day was going to be, one thing still lingered in his head.
Would she look just as silly with a police detective?
Nah, he didn't think so…
Jacques waited for her to approach. “Jolie, are you well? I felt some anxiety earlier,” he said, holding his hand out for her. As she approached, he scanned her features, trying to find any trace of trouble. Then, he felt guilty. He should have volunteered to accompany her to the crime scene instead of sending her out alone.
“Jacques, there’s nothing to worry about. I’m fine. I was just startled.” Jolie accepted his offered hand, letting him usher them into the family room.
After helping her out of her jacket, Jacques disappeared. Instead of trying to connect with him, Jolie took a seat on the large leather couch. Placing her feet on the table, she waited for him to return.
When he did, he must have been reading her mind. She was just thinking about some tea.
“Here, drink this,” he said, handing her the herbal concoction.
She sipped it slowly, letting the warmth flow into her body. Closing her eyes, she took a moment to relax by the fire. When the cup was taken from her hand, she opened one eye to find Jacques removing her boots.
“Sit back, relax, and then we can talk,” he said, being brash. She had told him to treat her like more than just a primus, and he was doing just that.
When he pulled her legs into his lap and held her tea cup, she couldn’t help but grin. Apparently, while she was gone, he had decided to mellow out a little. Gone was the worried guardian, and back was the friend she remembered from centuries ago.
As he stroked her leg, she finished her tea. Neither spoke, and it was incredibly pleasant. Jolie recalled many a night just like this one as they were beginning their journey together, except their wealth wasn’t nearly as grand.
When the cup was empty, he continued, “Was it bad?” he asked, cautiously.
“The crime scene? No, it was a body empty of life, reminding me of when we die at dawn. She was simply a shell with nothing inside. Although, we are given the luxury of keeping our blood. Someone didn't give her that option.”
“May I ask then what has you disturbed? I can feel your energy, and it’s out of sync.”
Jolie sometimes forgot that Jacques was very astute. One of the reasons that he was a superior guardian, was that he could detect the needs of his mistress and meet them without being asked.
She opted to tell him everything. “I was attempting to go into the detective’s mind, and once I managed to get past his barriers, he must have felt me and kicked me out,” she stated, laughing. “It startled me that he was able to do it. That’s all. I’m not used to being detected in someone’s head.”
“Oui, I imagine it would be startling.”
“It was, because he’s merely a human, and I wasn’t expecting it. Now, I’m forced to wonder how he was able to do it. Obviously, I overlooked his natural abilities.”
That bothered Jacques. In her voice, he could sense the budding fondness for the human. The mere fact that she could easily slip into his mind was unsettling. Why this human?
It put him on edge.
“Then, you need to stay out of his head. If he could feel you entering, he may be able to go one step further.”
She was well aware. “It means that if we want to know what he’s thinking, we may have to trust him and ask.”
Jacques didn't like this at all. Humans were notorious for being untrustworthy. They would betray their kind in a heartbeat. It was how it had been for centuries. He couldn’t keep track of the times they had been sold out for some trinkets or gold.
He wasn’t sure that this man would be any different.
“He was also upset to think that this killer might be a woman.”
That made Jacques burst into laughter. “Our kind would give him nothing but nightmares then.”
Jolie agreed.
“I kill because it is my job to protect you, but I’ve been by your side in many battles. You’re far more vicious than I am,” he teased, winking at her.
It made her grin. He wasn’t giving himself nearly enough credit. Jacques had become a legend in his defensive techniques. He put other guardians to shame and was sought after by many of the older vampyres.
Yeah, over her dead body was that happening.
Together, they were a matched set when it came to death.
Jolie had a thought. Sitting up, she dug through her jacket pocket searching for her phone. Finding it, she called into her office. After her secretary’s voicemail picked up, Jolie left her a message to cancel all her morning appointments. She hung up her phone and got up off the couch.
While she wanted to work this case full steam ahead, she knew the stark reality. Her body needed down time, or death would strip her of all her gifts and control.
Holding out her hand, she waited for him to take it.
“I must rest.”
It appeared their time together was done for the evening. It was short, but at least he was able to see her before he went to death.
As her g
uardian escorted her to her chamber, Jolie couldn’t help but notice the silence of the house. “Where is everyone? It isn’t dawn yet. This place is like a mad house before the sun comes up.”
“I warned them that the police detective was returning to drop you off, and we weren’t sure if he would enter the house or not. I sent everyone off to retire early. I assumed that you didn't want to have to explain the crazy relatives,” he answered, as he enjoyed the warmth of her fingers twined with his own.
Today was going down as one of the best days in his life. He made love to the mistress, got to call her by her name, and now was actually holding her hand like a lover would.
His heart skipped.
“Thank you, Jacques,” she said, allowing him to open her door for her.
When she stepped inside, he finally spoke, “Goodnight, Jolie. Rest well.”
It caught her off guard. “Won’t you be joining me, Jacques?”
The look on his face was again priceless.
“I wasn’t aware that was an option,” he replied, trying to maintain his calm exterior, even as his brain was swirling in chaos.
“I would really like it if you would stay, Jacques. I can only rest until noon, but I think that having you beside me would make it enjoyable,” she answered, going one step further, as she tugged him into the room.
When he came without comment, Jolie knew she was one step closer to her ultimate goal.
At the side of the bed, she released his hand. “How about I contact Louisa and you get undressed?”
“Very well,” he replied. If she wanted him to hang upside down by his toes, he would, just to have this incredible privilege of sleeping beside her.
This day was getting better and better.
After contacting her donor, Jolie turned to shed her clothing. It pleased her that Jacques was already naked and in bed waiting for her. It wasn’t lost on her that he definitely looked like an underwear model.
A really sexy one, too.
He read her thoughts and couldn’t help but be amused. “You’re thinking of me as an underwear model? I don’t know if I should be insulted or not,” he teased, as she slipped effortlessly into the bed beside him.