Death Bringer

Chapter Three

“There you are, Liz. How are you?”

The last time Ella saw her friend, she’d been stuck between two Fae portals and ended up hospitalized in Otherworld. It hadn’t been pretty.

“I’m fine. Luckily, the Fae heal super fast. How are you?”

“Good.”

And that was the most Ella was prepared to say about the matter. She’d found Liz in the old conference room that used to serve as Vadim and Alexei’s temporary office. Her new partner had been extremely quiet on the ride back to the office, letting her and Feehan discuss the case to their hearts’ content. She didn’t like it. He’d shut his mind to her completely. The moment she got him alone, she was going to find out what the hell was going on...

She refocused and noticed Liz was sitting in the middle of the floor.

“What exactly are you doing?”

“Nothing!” Liz jumped up so quickly that she almost fell off her impressively high heels.

“You’re not mooning over Alexei leaving, are you?”

Liz made a face. “As if. Actually, I was looking for something.” Her normally pale complexion was now as pink as her shoes.

“In here?” Ella turned a slow circle. “There’s nothing except two tables and a ratty chair.”

“Exactly.” Liz tucked a strand of blond hair behind her ear. “Last night, Doug came to the office to pick me up, and because I had to work so late, the place was deserted and we, um, took advantage of the facilities.”

“Gross!” Ella jumped away from the nearest horizontal surface. “Are you nuts?”

“Shut up. Doug has animal instincts, and there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s one of the things that attracted me to him.”

“Anyway, so what did you lose?”

Liz sighed. “One of my antique diamond earrings.”

“Damn. I’ll help you look.” She got down on the coffee-stained beige carpet and methodically searched the space. “Are you sure Doug didn’t bite your ear in a surge of manly passion and eat the thing?”

“He would’ve choked. It’s a big diamond.” Liz continued to pat the carpet. “What did you want, anyway? I thought you’d be avoiding this place like the plague for a few days.”

“Feehan called us in to deal with a new case.”

“‘Us’? Do you mean Vadim didn’t go back to Russia with Alexei?”

“No.”

Liz sat back on her heels. “That’s a surprise.”

Ella looked up at her friend. “He’s been seconded here to work as my partner.”

“The poor, poor man.”

“He’s not human, and he’s definitely not a man, Liz. Don’t waste your sympathy on him.”

Liz raised her eyebrows. “Did you find out what he is, then?”

“Not exactly, but he does have some Fae Royal blood.”

“Which family?”

“How would I know?” She tried to sound unconcerned.

“Find out, it makes a big difference.”

“To what?”

“To how long he’ll live, how strong his powers are and what exactly he can do with them over here.”

“I’m scared to ask.”

Liz studied her. “I would be too. He’s like nothing I’ve ever come across before.”

“That’s not very encouraging.” Ella moved her hand and hit something hard. “Look what I found!” She picked up the diamond and passed it over to Liz. “Jeez, it’s huge. Here you go.”

“Thanks a million. My Fae grandmother gave the earrings to me. She said that if I lost one, I’d be cursed forever.”

“And yet you still wear them?”

Liz made an airy gesture. “There’s almost always a way to get around a curse, you know that. Now what did you want to talk about?”

As they walked toward Liz’s cubicle, Ella described Brad Dailey’s situation. By the time they sat down, Liz’s silver Fae-Web was already active and circling around her head.

“So have you ever heard of anything like this happening in our world before?”

Liz briefly closed her eyes. “I’m not sure. There are fragments of information, but most of the potential candidates die so soon after the event that it’s hard to find a common thread.”

“Do they die from their injuries?”

“No, they usually kill themselves.”

“Damn.” Ella let out her breath. “I wonder if that’s what the creature wants? Maybe he thrives on that death. But what happens to the face of the victim afterward?”

“I’ve no idea. What I can do is type out the information I have and add any pictures through the printer. If I can get the sucker to work.” Liz cast a dark look at the center of the office, where a bank of supposedly new printers sat. “Fae technology is crap.”

“If you can’t print them out, Morosov said to send the info to him. He can retain it.”

“He can? That’s useful.” Liz cast Ella a speculative look. “So how are things going between you?”

“Ms. Walsh, where are you? I’m already in the car.”

“I’ve got to run.” Ella leaped out of her chair. “Morosov’s waiting. We’re heading down to the last bar Brad visited before he went home—well, the last one he remembers, anyway. I’ll see you later.”

“Coward!” Liz called after her, but then, Ella already knew that.

Vadim was in the underground parking lot that sat beneath the SBLE offices. She found him more by instinct than by design and paused to study the car he was driving. He opened the passenger window and angled his head so that he could see her. “Well, are you going to get in?”

Ella opened the door and slid onto the opulent leather seat. “When did you get this?”

“I had it delivered this morning.”

She stroked the dark gray leather. “It’s awesome.”

“The seats are both heated and cooled.” He closed the window and backed slowly out of the parking space. “They also massage you.”

“No way. Where’s the button?”

“Down on the side of the seat. The bright green one.”

“Oh, man. That’s so cool.” She shivered as the mechanism within the seat rolled up and down her spine. “It certainly beats my car.”

“Everything beats your car.” He emerged into the sunlight and tapped on the screen on the navigation system. “I’ve already programmed in directions to the Blue Flamingo, so we should be fine.”

“What about Penny Jordan?”

“She’ll be at the hospital in a couple of hours. I’ve arranged for us to meet her privately before her shift.”

Ella hunched a shoulder and stared out at the crowded streets, where the tourists and office workers jostled for supremacy. “You’re so organized. I’m not sure why you need me at all.”

“Don’t be childish. Pouting doesn’t suit you.” He looked to his right, then cut across the junction out onto Embarcadero. “It must’ve been difficult for you to walk away from Brad without easing his memories.”

“It was, but I know we need more information before I can do that.” Ella shook her head. “I just hope he can keep it together. He felt incredibly fragile.”

“I agree.”

She studied his flawless profile and wondered why she worried about anyone thinking they were mated. No one in his or her right mind would think she was in Vadim’s league.

“You’d be surprised.” He turned briefly to smile at her. “Anyone with an ounce of magic in them can sense the connection between us right away.”

“Don’t read my mind!”

“If you mention me in such flattering terms, how can I help it?” He returned his gaze to the road and took a steep uphill street that reminded her of the climb up to the top of a roller coaster. “Haven’t you noticed the looks we’ve been getting all day? Everyone magical at work can sense something is going on.”

“Damn.” She returned her attention to the street and the unlucky pedestrians who were struggling up the incline. Some of the San Francisco streets needed either a base camp halfway up or trained paramedics equipped with heart resuscitators. “I was hoping our shields were good enough to keep everyone out.”

“I don’t think we can do that. It’s just something we give out as a mated couple. I’m not sure what it is, but I know it when I sense it.”

“Well, it doesn’t mean we have to admit anything, does it?”

A muscle flicked in his cheek, and she got the uncomfortable impression that her fake flippancy was starting to annoy him.

“No, but as I said earlier, your birthday is coming up next week, and then it will become obvious to even Feehan that something’s changed.”

Lampposts emblazoned with the Italian flag announced they were in the heart of Little Italy, with its closely packed bars, shops and eateries that spilled out onto the sidewalks even on cooler days like this.

“Oh, look, we’re here.” Ella pointed at an unlit neon sign at basement level. She wasn’t discussing anything to do with mating. She had a job to do. “Can you find somewhere to park?”

“Naturally.”

A parking space appeared to the right, directly in front of the Blue Flamingo.

“Now, that is one skill I’d really like to have. Can you tell me how you do it?”

Vadim reverse-parked the Mercedes in the tight space in one fluid motion. “It’s quite simple. You just envision a space opening up, and it will happen.”

“Right. You know, if magic was that easy, we’d all be doing it.” She checked that she had her phone and got out of the car. The smell of garlic and baking bread tantalized her nose. “God, we have to eat while we’re here.”

He stepped onto the sidewalk beside her and inhaled. “Yes, we definitely should. Let’s do the interview first, though.”

She followed him down the steps to the front door of the Blue Flamingo, which was propped open with a beer crate. The usual stale smell of flat beer, disinfectant and urine wafted out. Inside, there were no customers, just one young guy behind the bar restocking the shelves and watching basketball on the flat-screen TV above his head.

He looked up as they approached. “Hey we’re closed. Come back in an hour or two.”

Vadim extracted his government ID card from his wallet and flashed it at the bartender. “We’re from the SBLE. We just need to ask you a few questions.”

Ella was always amazed at how quickly people accepted she was a bona fide government employee without checking her identity with a secondary source. It seemed this guy was no exception. He might be a bit nervous, but it wasn’t because he feared them, which was definitely a mistake.

“You probably need to talk to the boss. He’s not here.”

“Actually, we want to talk to the person who was behind the bar last night.”

“That would be me. I’m Mike. What’s the problem?”

Ella pulled out a barstool and sat down, allowing Vadim to conduct the interview.

“We’re trying to trace the movements of a Brad Dailey. We believe he was here last night.”

“Brad? The blond-haired guy who got dumped?”

“That’s the one.”

“Did something happen to him? I made sure he didn’t drive home. I called him a cab, and Adam, the other guy who was here, said he’d see him home to his apartment.”

“The man’s name was Adam? Did you get his last name?”

“Nope. I missed that.”

“It doesn’t matter. You did the right thing not letting Brad drive.”

Ella sensed Vadim’s magic enfolding Mike, making him more receptive to answering questions. It was a useful tool, and one she intended to borrow from Vadim’s arsenal. It would complement her empath gifts nicely.

“Was there anyone else in the bar who conversed with Brad?”

“There wasn’t anyone else here, period. It was a quiet night. Just Brad and his girlfriend—until she stormed out, and then just the two guys. They were here for about three hours until I had to shut up shop.”

“Were they drinking heavily?”

“I wouldn’t say, like, heavily. They switched from beer to shots after about an hour, and they were talking a lot more than they were drinking.”

“Would you say either of them was intoxicated by the end of the night?”

“Brad was definitely a bit worse for wear, but Adam looked stone-cold sober. That’s why I was okay with him helping Brad home.” He opened the dishwasher and steam rose into the air. “Is the guy okay?”

“Brad’s fine. We’re more concerned about tracing the guy who helped him get home. Can you describe him to me?”

“Adam? He was probably in his thirties, well dressed in a suit and tie.” Mike picked up one of the glasses from the dishwasher rack and polished it before putting it back on the shelf.

“What did he look like?”

Mike frowned. “It’s hard to say. He was pretty average—brown hair, brown eyes, medium height, no visible tats or piercings, not buff or gay, just a regular kind of guy. It’s weird...now that I think of it, I really can’t picture him very well at all.”

“If I sent someone from our office down here to make a sketch of him with your help, do you think you could do it?”

“It depends. He was just so average, you know?”

“It’s okay, you never know what you might remember when you start working with the artist.” Vadim handed over a card. “Call me if you have any further questions or information to impart.”

“Will do.” Mike tucked the card in his shirt pocket. “Is Brad going to be okay?”

Ella got off the stool and smiled at him. “I’m sure he’ll be fine.”

“How about Adam?”

“If we find him, we’ll let you know. Did he mention if he was visiting the city, or has he been in here before?”

“I think he was here, like, for a conference, some computer thing, although he looked too well dressed to be a nerd, but you never know these days, do you?”

“Was he staying around here?”

He did mention a hotel, but I don’t remember which one.” Mike shrugged. “I generally try not to listen to everyone’s conversations, but it was a quiet night.”

“We understand, and we’re grateful you’ve been able to help us so much.”

“You’re welcome.” Mike hesitated. “Did Adam, like, steal stuff from Brad’s apartment or something?”

“He stole something, all right.” Ella wrapped her scarf around her neck. “But we’ll find him and make sure Brad gets everything back.”

“Good luck.”

She followed Vadim back out into the sunshine and walked into the nearest restaurant. She sat opposite him at a tiny table covered with a traditional red-and-white-check tablecloth. The table wobbled when she picked up her menu.

“Can you fix that?”

“The table?” He folded his paper napkin into a wedge, rocked the table for a minute and then shoved it under one of the feet. “Is that better?”

“Perfect. You don’t have a magic fixing spell, then?”

“I’m more of a destroyer than a fixer.”

“Funny.” She grinned at him as the waitress placed breadsticks on the table, accompanied by a plate of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. “I’m starving.”

“You always are.”

“I can’t help it.” She dipped her breadstick into the oil and swirled it around. “I love to eat.” Holding his gaze, she brought the bread to her lips and slowly licked the oil off the rounded tip. His eyes narrowed and the temperature around them seemed to increase by about a hundred degrees. Very slowly she sucked the breadstick into her mouth and bit down.

He shuddered and reached for her hand. She was scorchingly aware of his need beneath her own skin, of wanting to rip off his shirt and touch his bare chest, to reach lower and grasp—

“Are you ready to order?”

Ella jumped and turned to the waitress. “Yeah, I’ll have the cheese ravioli with the Gorgonzola sauce, please.”

“And for you, sir?”

“A green salad and a bowl of spaghetti with olive oil. No cheese.”

“Thank you.” The waitress scribbled on her pad. “Anything to drink?”

“Just some water, please.”

Ella dragged her attention away from Vadim. “A soda. Any kind, I don’t mind.”

“There are about two thousand calories in that ravioli you ordered.”

“So?”

“You’re not going to die next week.”

“We’ve already had this discussion.” She picked up another breadstick and pointed it at him. “What did you think of Mike the bartender?”

“He seemed to be telling the truth.”

“That’s what I got, too.” She deliberately crunched her way down the breadstick, sending crumbs flying everywhere. “It fits in with what Brad told us, as well. Don’t you think it’s weird how this Adam guy hasn’t left much of an impression on anyone?”

“I suspect that’s part of his magic. A creature that steals other people’s faces wouldn’t want to draw attention to his own, now, would he?”

“True.” Ella contemplated the plate of oil. “I still don’t get what he wants with Brad’s face, though, do you?”

“It could be for many things. A spell, an offering to a higher being, a collection of curiosities. Otherworld serial killers can be just as inventive as human ones.”

She shivered. “I know.”

He reached out and took her hand again. “We’ll work it out.”

“I’m glad you think so. I’m not so sure.” She tried to ease out of his grip, but he held on and brought her fingers to his mouth. With exquisite care he kissed his way along her knuckles, his tongue always in evidence, his breath warm on her flesh.

“Don’t play games with me, Ms. Walsh.” He bit down on the fleshy pad of her thumb and her whole body came instantly to life. “You can’t have it both ways.”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“Teasing me, and then talking about work.”

“I didn’t—” She bit back a moan as he bit and then licked her. Damn, she was wet now, and he would know.

“God, I know, and if I had a little less sense, I’d take you outside, back you up against the nearest wall and fill you up with my cock.”

“Shut up!”

This time she did manage to pull out of his grasp. His gaze dropped to her open coat and the tight buds of her nipples, which were visible through her T-shirt.

He reached for the glass of water the waitress had placed beside him and drank it down in one long swallow. “You drive me insane.”

“It’s my fault now, is it?”

He looked at her indignant face, her flushed cheeks and soft fair hair. He wanted to shove his hands into her hair and bring her mouth to meet his, and then reintroduce her to other, more needy parts of his anatomy...

“Stop it, you pig!”

He took a slow inward breath and raised his head to look past her. The waitress was approaching with their lunch. Thank the universe for small mercies. Nothing ever got between his mate and her food. For once he was content to accept that. Except that this time, watching her enjoy her ravioli was akin to watching her orgasm. If he wasn’t mistaken, her low moans were more suitable for being naked and in his bed than for a plate of cheese and pasta.

He eyed her speculatively. Of course, he could make her some pasta from scratch... He shoved his fork into his spaghetti and twirled it. He was behaving like a fool when he most needed to be on his guard. If he wasn’t careful, Otherworld would have no problem dragging him back to face his fate, and Ella would be moaning over her pasta with someone else.

He finished his lunch and dabbed at his mouth with his napkin. “Are you ready to go? We need to be at the hospital.”

Ella scowled. “Give me a minute. I’m still eating.”

“Can’t you get it to go?”

“What’s eating your pants?”

Nothing, unfortunately. “I just want to avoid getting stuck in traffic.”

“Fine, I’ll get a box. This stuff deserves to be savored. I can have it for supper tonight.”

He stood up. “I’ll get you a box while I settle the bill.”

The route back to the hospital was full of twists and turns, and streets of unimaginable steepness, but he kept his attention fully on the task and ignored his companion as best he could. She didn’t seem to mind, having attempted a conversation, gotten pissed off when he didn’t reply and then fallen asleep.

She snored.

He parked in the staff lot and got out of the car to open Ella’s door for her. She smiled up at him and he almost snarled with lust. Tonight, unless she relented, he had to go back to his hotel room alone.

“Help me out, I’m still sleepy.” She extended her hand and he just stared at her. “Morosov!”

He yanked her out of the car and into his arms and was kissing her before she’d even drawn another breath. She didn’t fight him, just melted into him and kissed him back. Within seconds, his hand was on her ass, picking her up and molding her against his aching cock.

“Morosov.”

He kept kissing her and tried to ignore her voice in his head.

“This isn’t the right place.”

“It never is, with you.” She bit his lip, driving him wild.

“We need to talk to this witness, and then we need to talk, okay?”

“You’re being the sensible one now? What the hell is wrong with you?” He wrenched his mouth away from hers, breathing hard. “And how are we going to manage that when I’m living in the city, and you’ve banned me from your house?”

“I haven’t banned you. How about I come and hang out with you at your hotel? We can have dinner and talk.” She sighed, and looked into his eyes. “And have sex. Can we do that?”

He set her away from him. He’d never thought he’d be the one who had to beg for her time. With his powers, he could compel her to do anything he desired, but he wanted her to come to him willingly. He wanted her to crave him as much as he craved her. “All right.”

She smoothed down her clothing, not that it made much difference to her appearance. She always looked as if she’d just rolled out of bed. “It’s a deal. Let’s go and meet Penny Jordan.”