by Sylvia Day
When he let her go, she couldn’t come back to him even if she wanted to. Yet if he kept her, if he tried to work off their penance in unison in the hope that one day he could be what she needed, he would lose her.
Evangeline Hollis had family written all over her. Husband, two and a half kids, a dog, and a white picket fence. Her sister was married with children. Her parents had passed their silver anniversary. The fact that she rarely dated wasn’t so much a fear of commitment as it was a fear of wasting time with Mr. Wrong.
Alec couldn’t give her the life she craved, and if he was honest, he would admit that he might never be capable of giving it to her. He was a killer, a murderer. Everyone had a talent, and ending lives was his. He’d never be the nine-to-five family man Eve wanted and deserved.
“I have enough on my plate at the moment,” she said hoarsely. “I don’t know when you’re leaving, what I’m doing, where this mark is taking me, or how the hell I’m going to get my life back.”
Alec smiled, the hunter in him relishing the chase.
She wriggled away from him. “I don’t need any more complications. Now answer the question: what are you to me?”
“Every field-assigned Mark has a mentor. The training is thorough, but nothing can replace hands-on experience. Mentors guide new Marks in the transition from the classroom to the streets.”
“Sounds organized. Training. Mentoring.”
“It is. Very much so.”
Eve nodded. “Okay. So now I know how to kill a Nix. How can I expect him to try and kill me? The normal ways? Does he have special gifts I should be concerned about?”
“They can kill with a kiss. Their lips seal to yours and they flood your lungs with water, drowning you. They can leech moisture from you, dehydrating you to death. But that takes time. You’d have to be immobilized. And they kill the old-fashioned ways, too.”
“So my best option is the commonsense one—keep my distance.”
“Definitely. With any luck, your body will acclimate quickly to the mark and you’ll soon be able to smell him coming.”
“I caught a whiff of him earlier.” Her nose wrinkled. “A bit of residual odor on the outside of the vase.”
Alec scrubbed a hand over his face. “Usually Marks start out smelling everything, then they learn to control their senses enough to focus on the little things. You’re working in reverse. How the hell can you smell something so minor so quickly?”
Eve yawned. “Like I know. That’s one too many questions for me today. I’m hitting the sack. I’m beat.”
“Want some company?”
The corner of her mouth tilted up and his blood heated. “Not tonight, I have a mother in the house.”
“Good point. Tomorrow we’ll head out and find your little stone friend.”
“Yipee” she said dryly. “Can’t wait.”
She walked away with a saucy wave.
CHAPTER 10
“This is a bit out of the way for you, isn’t it?” Alec asked, as Eve pulled into the parking lot of St. Mary’s church.
“I drive when I need to think.” Her gaze drifted over the roof of the building before she turned her attention to finding a spot.
“Busy congregation,” he noted.
It seemed odd to Eve to have Alec in the car with her. For years, she’d pictured him on his motorcycle. He seemed at home astride it, a part of it, a virile man and his steel horse. But when he’d offered to drive she’d swiftly declined. She needed a clear head to absorb the surfeit of information he was imparting to her. There was no way she’d be able to think with his hips between her thighs and her arms wrapped around him.
“I guess so,” she replied in response to his observation.
Eve put her car in park, pulled the key from the ignition, and undid her seat belt. Unsure of how their “hunt” would progress, she’d dressed in well-worn jeans, Vans, and a button-up, short-sleeved top. “Ready?”
He looked at her with a soft gleam in his eye. “Why didn’t you just ask me what you wanted to know?”
“You were asleep.”
Alec snorted. “That’s a cop-out.”
“What’s the matter with wanting to read it with my own eyes?”
“It’s hearsay. A lot of it is more fable than literal truth.”
“And you’re going to give me an unbiased play-by-play?”
In answer, he smiled and opened the passenger door. She remained seated as he alighted, her gaze riveted to his ass and long legs. He, too, wore jeans. His feet were encased in steel-toed Doc Martens and his torso was covered in a dark blue T-shirt. She was astonished by how normal he looked, when he was anything but.
She got out of the car before he could get the door for her. “Now what?”
“We case the church.” Alec slipped on his sunglasses. “Then we spread out slowly on foot until we find where he lives.”
“I thought churches were sacred.”
“Stick with me, kid,” he drawled. “You’ll learn something new every day.”
“Nothing I want to know,” she muttered, slamming the door shut and pocketing her keys.
They weaved through the rows of cars with Alec in the lead. “Where did you see him?”
“Up there.” She pointed at the arch. “There were other people around, but no one else seemed to notice him.”
“They’re not marked.”
“Lucky them.”
The wry glance he tossed over his shoulder brought a smile to her face.
“Ms. Hollis.”
The husky, rumbling voice of Father Riesgo was unmistakable. She paused midstride and turned around, her smile widening at the sight of the approaching priest. She sensed Alec taking up a position behind her.
“Father,” she greeted, finding him no less incongruent in the collar today than she had the day before.
She introduced the two men and was startled when Alec reached out his hand and spoke in a foreign language. Father Riesgo replied in the same tongue, his returning handshake firm and his green eyes sparkling.
Riesgo looked at Eve. “This must be the man who prompted you to study the church.”
“Uh . . .”
“I am,” Alec said, grinning wickedly.
“Excellent. Your relationship must be growing more serious.” The priest glanced at Eve. “We have some wonderful couples’ meetings you might enjoy.”
Alec tossed an arm across her shoulders. “Eve is a bit stubborn.”
“The more stubborn they are,” Riesgo said easily, “the more devoted they can become. Are you here for morning mass?”
Eve shook her head. “I’m here for a different kind of research. I’m an interior designer. I was told there was a Gothic-style building around this area. Do you know of it?”
“You came to church for that?” He arched a brow. “Why not drive around and look for it?”
She glanced at Alec. His dark gaze was wickedly amused behind his shades. Eve scowled when she realized that he had no intention of helping her.
“It was his idea,” she blamed, jerking a thumb toward him.
He responded by wrapping his arms around her. “It got you to church two days in a row, didn’t it? I told you miracles happen.”
Eve elbowed him in the gut, an act that only hurt her arm and made him laugh.
Father Riesgo smiled. “Mass begins in an hour. Hopefully you’ll both be able to attend.”
Waving lamely, she managed to urge Alec away.
“See?” he asked, as they left the parking lot. “No one believes you’re a lost cause.”
She kept walking.
“Are you giving me the silent treatment, angel?”
“I’m looking for my friend.”
He hummed a doubtful sound and reached for her hand, linking their fingers.
As they rounded a corner and left the quieter side street for the main thoroughfare, the noise picked up appreciably, exacerbating the feeling that she was leaving safety behind and entering an unknown, dangerous
new world. Cars traversed Beach Boulevard at the customary Southern California pace, a unique speed somewhere between distracted leisure and impatience. The vehicles that could have their tops down did. The rest had their windows down, allowing a steady stream of music to pour into the air in an eclectic mix of country and rap, alternative and pop.
The sky was powder blue, cloud free, and sunny. Just the right blend of warm sunlight and cool breeze . . .
A breeze that blew a noxious odor straight into Eve’s face.
The stench made her nose wrinkle in protest. She couldn’t describe the scent even to herself, having no point of reference for something that smelled so horrendous.
Instantly, Alec changed. His grip tightened and his casual stride, shortened to match hers, altered to a predatory deliberateness. Eve noted the change in him and felt the corresponding change in her body. Everything closed in. Narrowed. The background noises faded away, her vision sharpened, her muscles thickened. Adrenaline flowed hot and heavy through her veins. The sudden pulse of power was brutal. And arousing. Not entirely in the sexual sense.
“I smell them,” she murmured, shivering. She felt as if she could run like the wind and tear a phone book apart with her bare hands.
Euphoria. That’s what it was. And it was caused by aggression. How the hell did the two blend?
“Yeah.” He glanced around, then gestured to a business suit–clad gentleman climbing into a Range Rover a few feet away. “There’s one.”
“Where’s his detail?”
“Hidden beneath his clothes or hair. He’s a lesser demon, hence the reason he stays in mortal guise for a full-time job.”
Eve tugged on his hand, her mouth dry. He glanced at her in a distracted manner, then did a double take.
“I feel weird,” she managed.
Alec gave a rumbling purr. “You look awesome. The mark is hot on you, angel.”
It felt hot, too, in a wholly primitive way.
She breathed deeply, picking up a barrage of odors—exhaust fumes, heated asphalt, someone’s fresh coffee, a rotting soul . . .
“German shepherd,” she blurted, startled by the surety she felt in identifying the dog she smelled.
“Good job. The guy across the street with the Starbucks cup. What flavor?”
She sniffed, sifting through perfumes and fabric softeners. “None. It’s black.”
“Excellent.” Alec jerked his chin down the street. “Can you read the headline of the newspaper in that stand?”
“No. It’s lying down, smart ass.” She narrowed her gaze. “But I can see that brick building about a mile away with a tiny gargoyle on the corner of the fourth floor.”
He smiled. His expectation was tangible, thrumming across the space between them.
“You enjoy this,” she accused, trying to ignore how infectious his excitement was.
“I’m good at it,” he corrected. “Don’t you enjoy being good at something, regardless of what that something happens to be?”
Eve released his hand, caught his elbow, and tugged him across the street. Two things astonished her by the time they reached the other side—one, that she’d been strong enough to veer him off course, and two, that they crossed the street before the pedestrian crossing countdown timer had ticked off more than two seconds.
No one could walk that fast. It wasn’t humanly possible.
She paused, her brain trying to catch up with her body. “Whoa.”
“Your Change is coming along,” Alec said with his hand on her back and his gaze trained down the road. “But you’ll have to learn how to keep a lid on your skills in public. We can move too fast to be seen, but it’s still risky. If we aren’t careful, it won’t be long before we have widespread panic. Infernals feed off negativity, and they don’t need any more fuel.”
“It wasn’t intentional.”
“I know. Just sayin’.”
Straightening, Eve blew out her breath. “Okay, I’m ready.”
They continued at a more leisurely pace, but there was nothing else casual about them. The closer they drew to the building, the edgier she became and the more focused Alec appeared to be. Sounds and smells washed over her like lapping waves, sometimes intensely, at other times muted. The effect was disorienting and by the time they reached their destination, Eve wanted to lie down.
“It’s still under construction,” she said, noting that some of the upper windows still had the manufacturer’s stickers on them.
“And I don’t smell anything. This can’t be the building.”
“Alec, gargoyles aren’t exactly a dime a dozen around here and the ones on this building are identical to the one I saw.”
“If there was a tengu here the whole place would reek. Just like you can smell fish blocks away from a wharf.”
She crossed her arms. “Okay, fine.”
“Fine.” He reached for the door, rattling it. “It’s locked.”
Eve peered through the window. The basic setup for a welcome/security desk and an occupant directory were in place but unfinished. There was a sign of some sort lying facedown inside the window. She suspected it was the property management company’s contact information.
She cocked her head. “Hear that?”
“What?”
“Sounds like an air compressor.” She stepped back to the very edge of the sidewalk. Leaning against a parking meter, she looked up.
“We’ll need to get on the roof.”
“Right, but how do we get up there?” Eve looked at him. “With a bionic leap or something?”
Alec glanced over his shoulder with a wry curve to his mouth. “No.”
“Good.” A sigh of relief escaped her. “I’m afraid of heights.”
“We’re climbing up the outside.”
“Four stories?” She hugged the meter. “That’s fifty-three feet above the ground. Are you insane?”
“No, I’m kidding.” He winked and held out his hand. “Let’s head around back and see if we can get in that way.”
Growling under her breath, Eve walked past him and searched for a walkthrough that would lead them to the alley at the rear of the building. She found one just beyond the athletic shoe store, a few doors down.
After they made it to the other side, they discovered a chain-link fence protecting a makeshift construction site at the soon-to-be entrance of a subterranean parking garage. A dozen men in tool belts and hard hats littered the area. The sign on the fence said they worked for D&L Construction.
“Looks like they have a guard at the gate,” she pointed out, referencing the man with a clipboard who was checking off who entered and left.
“Is that usual for a construction site?”
“Sometimes. Depends on how hazardous the site is and the expense of the decor. You want to limit your liability against injury and prevent theft of certain decorative items.” She took stock of the building again. “With this type of retro design, it makes sense that the interior would follow suit with some costly period details.”
“Excuse me,” Alec called out, as they approached the sentry, a rent-a-cop with a massive physique. He looked as if he might eat steroids like breath mints. “What type of building is this going to be?”
“Office space. Really nice.”
“Any chance we can take a look around? I’m looking to relocate my offices.”
The guard shook his head and reached into his pocket. “Sorry. You have to make an appointment with the property management company.” Gray brows drew together in a frown. “I ran out of the gal’s business cards. The building is attracting a lot of attention so I’m giving out a dozen or more a day. I’m betting the space will be full long before it opens.”
“When is the planned opening?” Alec asked.
“I’m not sure anymore. The contractor is behind schedule. Plumbing and electrical are still in the works.” The guard shrugged. “Hang on a minute, and I’ll grab some more cards.”
The man was about to turn away when a large group
of construction workers rounded the corner in a rowdy bunch. The fast-food cups in their hands suggested they were returning from break.
“Sorry,” he said with a grimace. “I have to check these guys in first. We’re having trouble with the time clock, so I have to keep track of their shifts as backup.” His voice lowered. “They get pissy if their hours aren’t right, and since the foreman just left for lunch, there’s no one around to keep them in line.”
Alec smiled. “I have an appointment in an hour and I’ll have to change clothes between now and then. Do you mind if I just go grab a card myself? I’ll bring you back a stack.”
Eve tried not to look too surprised. What was the rush?
The guard’s eyes glazed over. He gestured lamely toward a nearby mobile trailer. “They’re in a holder on the foreman’s desk.”
“Thanks.” Alec caught her arm and dragged her through the gate.
“How the hell did you get him to let you in so easily?”
“The mark makes us . . . persuasive.”
She thought of how she’d felt compelled to be with Reed and her breath caught. “The Jedi mind trick is cool, but what’s the point in this case? We need to come back with the Realtor.”
“Not everything is a dead end. Always look for a detour.”
“A business card is a detour?” She waited while Alec ascended the metal ramp and knocked on the trailer door. No one answered.
“The foreman just left for lunch, remember?” He smiled and turned the knob. “An unoccupied office filled with paperwork is a detour. Come on.”
With a last, quick glance around, Eve grabbed the railing and vaulted up the ramp. She was quick, but Alec was quicker. By the time she shut the door, he was already sifting through the papers littering a large desk.
The long rectangular office space was devoid of any dividers. On the right-hand side was a small grouping of lockers and a beat-up sofa. On the left sat the desk and several metal file cabinets that were six drawers high. The walls were decorated with various blueprints of the building, and the linoleum floor was bare and badly scuffed.
“What the hell are you doing?” she demanded.
“These gargoyles look like your tengu, right?” He glanced up at her. With his sunglasses hanging on the back of his neck, he looked too relaxed to be a snoop. “Most likely they were made in the same location. Who manufactured them?”