The Royal Occult Bureau

by Barbara Russell

  I stepped out of the bathtub and wrapped a towel around me, finally warm, but not less shaken. The knock on the door thundered.

  “Asia? It’s me. How are you?” Concern and anger filled Evander’s voice.

  “I’m fine.”

  “Are you hurt? Did the cryptid’s poison burn your skin?” His tone lowered and cracked.

  “I’m just rattled, but I don’t have a scratch.”

  There was a pause, filled by his heavy breathing. “I need to see you.”

  “Can you bring me some clothes? My dress is contaminated with the cryptid’s poison, and aside from the nightgown and the dressing gown, I don’t have any other clothes.” Not that I would mind if he saw me with just a towel on or naked, but he wouldn’t appreciate it.

  “Give me a moment.” His footfalls receded, then he cracked the door open and handed me one of his shirts and my dressing gown through the narrow opening.

  “Thank you.”

  Our fingers brushed, and a spark of longing whispered on my skin. But he shut the door firmly before I could reach out for him.

  When I buttoned the shirt, Evander’s musky scent enveloped me. The fabric caressed my skin and covered me almost to my knees, but I donned the dressing gown as well. I didn’t bother with tying up my hair and let it cascade to the small of my back.

  Evander was leaning against the wall in front of the bathroom when I exited. Still in his black outfit, he cut an imposing figure against the cream-coloured wallpaper, all raw energy and flashing anger.

  I tugged the sash of the dressing gown. “Evander, I—”

  He pushed off the wall and wrapped his arms around me in a bear hug that stole my breath.

  “I’m so sorry,” he whispered in my ear. “I shouldn’t have left you alone.”

  Now I was safe. I rested my cheek against his chest. “You couldn’t know, and Jasper was here. I’m fine, just scared.”

  “This shouldn’t have happened.”

  His big body trembled, and I caressed his back.

  “It’s all right.” I stroked his tense muscles again.

  The smell of leather mingled with his scent, creating a heady mix that soothed my shaking.

  “The door to the bureau didn’t open,” I said.

  “I know.” Another shudder. “Thank God Jasper was here.”

  Thank God I’d stolen a green vial from Jessica’s bag.

  He slowly unwrapped himself from me but left his hands on my waist. “Do you need anything? A cup of tea or a glass of brandy?”

  “No, thank you. I’m only tired.”

  “Let’s sit down then.” He took my hand and led me to the sitting room.

  “Where’s Jasper?”

  “I sent him home. Other agents are going to patrol the house, although I doubt another Unnatural will attack tonight.” Gently, he led me to an armchair.

  The fact that he’d ordered his captain away raised a few questions I didn’t have the energy to ask.

  I sat, my pulse beating faster as a nagging sensation prickled the back of my head. “What is it? What do you have to tell me?”

  Evander knelt in front of me and took my hands. “Katy is dead.”

  The words didn’t have a meaning for the first moments. Then reality dropped on me like an avalanche.

  “No.” I meant to shout, but only a strangled noise came out.

  His fingers squeezed mine. “We found her behind the Fair Maiden. Her body was cold when we arrived. The incubus must’ve killed her during the day and not at night like the others.”

  Again, his words didn’t make sense. Katy was dead.

  Tears streamed down my cheeks. Sobs shook my body, and it didn’t matter how much I inhaled, I was suffocating.

  “I’m sorry.” Evander’s voice sounded distant.

  He held me again, and I gripped his shoulders for dear life, sinking my fingers into his muscles.

  “Katy.” My voice slurred out croaky and small.

  I sobbed on his chest, and he stroked the top of my head.

  There was a swish of fabric. Evander lifted me, and I found myself sitting on his lap, curled up over his body. He tucked my head under his chin and started his soothing massage of my back. He let me cry, even when my tears soaked his shirt and I scratched his chest with my nails.

  “I drew it on her,” I said among sobs.

  “No, no.” The circles he was drawing on my back became faster. “If there’s someone to blame, it’s me. I underestimated the incubus. He’s smarter than any other incubus I’ve met.”

  It didn’t lift the weight on my chest. I gripped the lapels of his jacket harder and I cried until my eyes hurt and exhaustion took me.

  A strong arm was coiled around my waist when I woke up the next morning. Evander’s chest pressed against my back, and he held me close, as if worried someone might take me away from him. I blinked away the sleep.

  We were lying in his bed, under the blankets. I was still wearing my dressing gown while he’d dispensed with the jacket.

  I remained still, needing a moment to digest the fact that a cryptid had attacked me, Katy was dead, and I was in bed with Evander.

  Katy and I hadn’t been very close, not like Charlotte and me, but sadness pierced my heart because, like any other whore, she’d led a life of misery and hard choices only to end up dead in a dark alley. It didn’t matter what Evander had said. Katy’s death was my fault. If I’d gone back to De Luna House, the incubus wouldn’t have targeted the other girls. I expected more tears to come, but my eyes were sore and dry.

  Sunlight sneaked through the narrow slit between the curtains. Golden dust motes danced in the dimly lit room. It was silent and quiet, a stark contrast with last night.

  I stirred, but Evander hugged me tighter.

  “Asia,” he whispered. “How do you feel?”

  “I’m . . . I don’t know. Too many things happened last night.” But I was glad to be in his arms.

  He inched his arm away from me, but I grabbed it.

  “Don’t, please. I need . . . you.”

  “I’m here.” He snuggled closer again.

  The warmth of his body seeped into my skin. As long as I lay in his arms, I could pretend everything was normal and that I was safe.

  “What is Bertie going to do now that his henchman is dead?” I asked, lacing my fingers with his.

  The breath he drew in brought his chest farther towards me. “He still has his noxus, which means the cryptid was yet another Unnatural working for him. That’s the worrying thing about Bertie. He’s surrounded by Unnaturals, happy to help him. It makes things complicated for us. And there’s more.” He rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Katy didn’t show the same symptoms of Charlotte, did she?”

  “Paleness, tiredness, and obsession for Bertie? No. I mean, she found him particularly attractive, but she was never hysterical about seeing him.”

  “Dammit.” Evander shook his head. “Bertie killed her deliberately. He could’ve drained her sexual energy like he did with Charlotte, but he decided to have sex with her once and then kill her.”

  I closed my fist. “He was angry. With me. It’s a message.”

  “Yes.”

  A hard lump of sorrow blocked my throat. “Do the girls of De Luna House know about Katy?”

  “I don’t think so. We were the first to discover the body, and it’s the bureau’s policy to cover every trace of the Unnaturals’ activities as soon as possible without warning the police or other civilians.”

  I turned in his arms, and for a moment, the intensity in his emerald gaze startled me. “Did you remove Katy’s body?”

  He brushed a lock of hair from my forehead. The touch started a fire in my veins despite everything.

  “Yes,” he said. “Her body was sent to our laboratories, so the technicians can examine the wounds and estimate the time of her death.”

  “After that?”

  His jaw clenched. �
��The body will be burned.”

  “Can I tell the girls Katy is dead?”

  “No. I’m sorry.”

  “But they have the right to know. The incubus is after them.”

  His shoulders tensed. “Secrecy is the bureau’s first rule.”

  “Secrecy and the fact that low-class citizens aren’t considered human beings.”

  “We can’t leave evidence of an incubus’s killing, and the police already discovered a few bodies. We had to cleanse the memories of many officers to keep the leak of information to a minimum.”

  The damn memory wiping again. I put a hand on his chest where a few buttons of his black shirt were undone. “I don’t want to forget you.”

  His throat muscles worked as he swallowed. “You’ll be happier without remembering any of this, any of the creatures.”

  “How can you possibly think something like that? Besides, I wasn’t happy before meeting you.” But I can catch a glimpse of happiness only when I’m with you.

  The thought caught me off guard, and I was glad it didn’t go out of my mouth. The deep, shattering feelings Evander’s voice and touch stirred inside me were something I wasn’t ready to examine.

  “What if I want to help the bureau?” I said, rubbing his skin with my thumb. “What if I want to work with you?” That thought came unbidden too, but this time I was happy to have said it out loud.

  His eyelids drooped with sadness. He didn’t have to answer. Most likely, a whore wasn’t exactly the type of employee the bureau would hire.

  “The recruiting process is quite complicated,” he said in a diplomatic tone.

  “But can I apply?”

  He caressed the top of my head. “Let’s catch Bertie first.”

  “If I survive.”

  His brow creased in an obstinate frown. “Asia, I swear, I’ll do anything to keep you safe.”

  “I know.”

  It wasn’t his skills I didn’t trust, but the fact that the bureau considered me expendable.

  My skin tickled with anticipation when his knuckles stroked my cheek and the curve of my jaw.

  “I don’t care what the bureau says,” he whispered. “Protecting you is my priority.”

  I inched closer. His hand caressing my face stiffened, but he didn’t move away. I paused a breath from his lips, giving him the time to withdraw. His chest moved quickly up and down. I brushed my lips against his, secretly gloating when he groaned deep in his throat.

  A frisson of sheer pleasure started in my abdomen when he put a hand behind my nape and pulled me closer. His tongue teased my bottom lip before thrusting inside my mouth, and I didn’t hesitate to open it to give him better access. Shivers ran up and down my spine, awakening something within me I didn’t know was asleep. His teeth grazed my lips and jaw in that possessive way that made me quiver as he alternated a kiss to a light bite.

  I draped a leg around his and shifted my hips closer to him. His response was immediate. One hand rested on my thigh and started bunching the skirt of my dressing gown up. The weight of his twitching erection pressed against my belly, and wetness pooled between my legs.

  When his hand touched the naked skin of my thigh, I nearly cried out in pleasure. The rough pad of his thumb fondled my leg while he kept kissing me, harder, deeper. He broke the kiss only to trail his lips down my throat. My pulse quickened.

  His deft fingers travelled up my leg and slipped between my thighs. I arched my back. I wanted this. I wanted him badly. My body trembled under the double assault of his mouth on my collarbone and his fingers caressing my inner thigh, so close to where I wanted them to be.

  Another low growl escaped him when he found my wetness and stroked my core. The heated lash of sensations spearing me was nothing like what I’d experienced with the clients I liked. It was raw and wild and so intense to be addictive.

  With his mouth, he pushed down the neckline of the dressing gown until he bared a breast. His warm breath hit my sensitive nipple before his tongue stroked it. He tongued and bit the hardened peak of my breast mercilessly.

  Hard fingers sank inside me and rubbed a sensitive spot, and I couldn’t stay still. I writhed and squirmed, energy building within me. Hot flushes coursed through my body and left a scorching trail of need behind.

  I gripped his shoulders hard while his mouth teased my nipple, and his fingers stroked my secret heat. His name left my lips with a scream of pleasure. Spasms shocked my body, ten times stronger than what I’d felt with Jean-Pierre or some other expert clients.

  Boneless and shattered, I reclined on the pillow, panting hard.

  He slowly withdrew his fingers and kissed my cheek. It was the first time a man took the time to worship my body like that without asking anything back. And I was ready for more. But he leaned his forehead against mine and remained still as he’d done when he’d kissed me for the first time.

  I shifted underneath him, so that he was nested between my legs, and held him. “I want you,” I said, kissing his stubble.

  He didn’t reply. All his muscles were hard and tense as if he were fighting for control. But I didn’t want him controlled. I wanted him wild and unbridled, our skins touching.

  “Evander.” I traced his jaw.

  A hot flare of his scent filled my lungs, sending a new spasm of pleasure between my legs.

  “I want you,” I repeated. I’d said those words countless of times to my clients, only because that was what they wanted to hear from a whore, but this time I meant them.

  He gazed up, emerald eyes aflame. Hot turmoil raged on his face. Then he rolled off me. “I can’t.”

  Amazing how two simple words could hold so much destruction. All the heat left me.

  “Why?” I didn’t bother containing my disappointment. It was oozing from me in waves.

  The light limned his profile as he stared at the ceiling.

  “Please, answer me.”

  “I can’t say more.” Evander jumped off the bed and strode away from me.

  Again.

  Seventeen

  IMPOSSIBLE, ANNOYING, FRUSTRATING MAN.

  By the time I donned a dress Jessica had left for me, I’d finished the adjectives I thought described Evander.

  What a great way to ruin one of the most intense moments of my life. His ‘I can’t’ taunted me and replayed in my head in an endless loop.

  I strode into the kitchen, my heels smacking the floor in rhythm with my thumping heart.

  Evander was sitting at the table, sipping a cup of tea, but he gallantly rose when I entered. A pot of freshly brewed coffee stood on the table. The aroma covered the lingering stench of the cryptid.

  “I’ve made some toast for you.” He handed me a plate with not just toast but scrambled eggs and butter.

  “Thank you.” It came out colder than I meant, but dammit, the only man I wanted had rejected me while the men I never wanted threw themselves at me. There was some irony in that.

  “Asia.” He put down his cup. “I’m—”

  “No.” I held up a hand. “Don’t say you’re sorry for what happened, unless you mean to say you’re sorry for having stopped.”

  “I am sorry, for both instances.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I’m putting you in danger. I can’t bed you.” The stubborn, hard set of his jaw said he was restraining himself again, but from doing what I hadn’t the foggiest.

  “Why would lying with me put myself in danger?”

  He’d said something similar to Sirius when I’d eavesdropped their conversation.

  His shoulders hunched. “I can’t explain everything.”

  “Well, you have explained nothing, so I guess you can tell me something.”

  “Can’t you simply trust me?” Exasperation laced his voice. “It’s dangerous. Believe me, even though I can’t tell you why.”

  Green fire flashed in the depth of his gaze. Honesty radiated from him. Still, it didn’t mean I
was ready to forget how he’d walked away from me. Twice.

  I sighed. “I wish you trusted me as well.”

  He walked around the table and put his hand on my shoulder. “I can’t reveal all the bureau’s plans and rules.” He took my hand and held it close to his chest. “But please believe me when I say I’ll protect you.”

  Why did his words sound . . . odd? The touch of his hands sent my rational thoughts out of my mind, and my spine wilted under his burning stare.

  “Do you trust me?” he asked again.

  “Evander.” I tipped my chin up. “I trust you.”

  He sagged. “Thank you.”

  His soft lips brushed my forehead. I leaned against him, but he straightened and stepped back.

  “I’ll provide new clothes for you,” he said gruffly, sipping his tea.

  Mentally, I added ‘maddening’ to my list. “That won’t be necessary. I’ll collect my clothes from De Luna House. I need to go there, anyway,” I said. “Because I’d like to see Violet and retrieve my books and other things.” And because I was going mad in this house with nothing to do but think about him.

  “Please, don’t tell Violet about Katy.”

  I threw a hand up. “I know. Don’t worry.” It’d be hard though, stepping into the house and pretending I didn’t know what happened to poor Katy. “I’ll call a cab.” I went to the door, but he stepped in front of me.

  “Wait. I can’t escort you now. I have a meeting at the bureau.”

  “I can go alone.” I shrugged.

  “No. I don’t want you to be alone.” He donned his jacket and adjusted the collar, looking every inch the dangerous gentleman he was. “I’ll send an agent. I mean, I’ll ask Jasper to find an agent to escort you.” He headed for the bureau’s door.

  I narrowed my gaze on him. Jasper had told me they were close friends. Maybe that explained the casual way Evander acted around his captain.

  After what happened last night, I didn’t want to argue about having an escort. “All right.”

  He paused on the threshold. “Be careful.”

  “You too.” I fought the urge to run to him and kiss him senseless because he was just stunning in his dark suit.

  He bowed and was gone.