Circle of Desire (20 page)

But dogs certainly wouldn’t stop the mara, which
meant
they
had to stop it before it got anywhere near the house and the dogs.

She moved her gaze on, studying the line of trees to her right. Ethan was in there somewhere, padding through shadows as restlessly as the dogs in the yard. He’d barely said two words all night, and she’d long ago decided she was going to have a long talk with her grandmother when they got back. Gwen didn’t usually interfere in her relationships, be they casual or not, so to do so now meant Ethan must have said or done something that had raised her protective hackles. And Kat had a feeling that any interference from her grandmother could prove deadly to any hopes she had of a relationship with him.

She frowned at the thought. He’d made it clear from the beginning he didn’t
want
any relationship beyond sex, so why did she keep thinking of them in terms of something more permanent?

She didn’t know. All she knew was that she liked him. A lot. And while they were dynamite together sexually, it was more than that. There was an empathy between them—just beginning, but there nonetheless. She’d never felt anything like that before, and she had a feeling it could be a whole lot deeper, a whole lot stronger, if only he’d let it.

And that was the problem. He was never going to let it be anything more—because of the woman who’d stolen his heart long ago.

The chocolate lost its taste, and she shoved the half-finished candy bar back into her jacket pocket. Rising, she brushed the dirt from her jeans, then headed through the trees. Lightning flashed, closer than before, caressing the air with electricity. Underneath
her jacket, the hairs along her arms rose on end, then the aroma of evil hit her so strongly that it snatched her breath and left her gasping.

She pulled a white ash stake from her jeans pocket and ducked behind the nearest tree. The wind was coming from the right, blowing the sounds of heavy footsteps toward her. Zombies. At least five of them, if those steps were anything to go by. She crouched down and studied the barely visible sweep of trees. Ethan was down there, moving away from the sounds. Obviously, the wind was snatching away the scent of death long before it reached his nose. She couldn’t call to him, couldn’t warn him, and in some respects, didn’t want to. If the mara knew he was here, she might go after him rather than the kid. And while they were here to save the child, she wasn’t about to risk Ethan’s life to do so. Because if Gran and she failed, he might be Janie’s only hope.

The heavy steps drew closer. She closed her eyes for a minute, gathering strength, then rose and stepped from the cover of the tree.

The dead stopped, surprise flitting across their decaying features. The mara was in the lead, her gown as flimsy as smoke and revealing more of the woman than Kat ever wanted to see. Obviously, it wasn’t only the child the soul-sucker hunted tonight.

“Sorry, folks,” Kat said, raising the stake, “but kid and soul are off the menu for tonight.”

The mara screamed—a sound that sliced through the night. Her form began to melt into air as the zombies crowded forward. Kat hit them with a wide beam of kinetic energy, thrusting them on their bony backsides as she ran at the soul-sucker.

Smoke condensed and began to slither away. Kat slashed it, and the soul-sucker screamed in pain. She raised the stake to strike again, but was hit from behind and thrust face-first into the ground.

She grunted, battling for breath and spitting out dirt as bony knees pressed into her back. The zombie chuckled, his breath washing dead things past her cheek. Bile rose. She swallowed heavily and hit him kinetically. Before she could rise, something else grabbed her and dragged her upright. Kinetic energy surged again, but a second before she released it she realized that the smell had changed, had become the scent of freshly cut wood combined with the tang of earthy spices. Ethan, not one of the zombies.

“Go,” he said, his face grim as he pushed her toward the house. “Stop the mara.”

She didn’t argue, just ran hell-bent for leather down the path toward the house. The dogs were barking furiously, and the owner was outside, gun in hand, yelling at the dogs to shut up.

She skirted the fence line and climbed into the yard on the opposite side of the house. The mara was at the window and beginning to seep inside. Kat lunged forward, slashing the smoke with the stake. The soul-sucker screamed, and blood as black as the night sprayed across the glass.

Out of the corner of her eye, Kat saw movement. She spun and raised the stake, then saw it was the dogs, not a zombie. She hit them kinetically, tossing them across the picket fence. It wouldn’t stop them long, but her only other option was hurting them, and she wasn’t about to do that.

The mara had seeped through the window. Kat
swore and hit it kinetically, drawing the glass backward rather than pushing it forward and spraying the room. Inside, a child began screaming—a terror-filled sound that was quickly cut off.

Because the soul-sucker had her.

“Don’t you be moving, little lady.” The harsh warning was overridden by the sound of a rifle being cocked.

Kat swore again and hit the man kinetically, thrusting him onto his ass. The gun went off, the shot blasting the house dangerously close to her head. Wood splintered, tearing past her cheeks. She dove through the window, hit the carpet, and rolled to her feet in one smooth movement.

Neither the child nor the mara was in the bedroom, and the trail of evil led into the hall. A nightie-clad woman was hurrying toward the bedroom, but she froze, eyes widening in fear when she saw Kat.

Kat threw out her hands to show she held no weapons. “Did you see anyone run past here?”

The woman’s gaze flickered. In that instant, Kat realized someone was behind her. She spun, but it was too late.

Something smashed into her head, and the lights went out.

“T
HE LEAST YOU COULD DO IS GET ME A WET CLOTH TO
clean her face with.” Ethan’s tone was brusque, and it seemed to be coming from a great distance.

“No one is doing anything until the sheriff gets here.” The second voice was harsh and low and filled with so much anger it quivered. But it was a voice Kat recognized. It was the homeowner who’d tried to shoot her. The father of the little girl the soul-sucker had taken.

She opened her eyes and blinked several times, trying to get her bearings. She was still lying on the floor, but she was no longer in the hall. Her head was cradled on muscular thighs, and warm fingers touched her cheek, gently caressing. There was so much pain in her head it felt like her brain was about to explode, and the same could be said for the air, which was sharp with anger and tension.

She tilted her head and met Ethan’s gaze. “You’re here.” She hadn’t expected him to be. She’d thought he’d be chasing the soul-sucker.

“I am.” There was concern in his voice, but the fury she could feel in the air was visible in his nut-brown eyes. “How are you feeling?”

“Like shit. What about the mara?”

“Gone with the kid.”

She struggled to rise. “We have to go after them—”

Ethan put a hand on her shoulder, but it was the sound of a rifle being loaded that made her freeze.

“We’re being held at gunpoint in the living room by the father and the oldest son,” he explained, voice clipped. “They called the sheriff.”

Her gaze met his again. “Have you told them you’re a cop?”

“Yeah,” he said dryly. “They aren’t buying it.”

“You showed them your badge?”

“They’re not buying that, either. And they took my gun.”

She raised an eyebrow. “And you let them?”

He hesitated. Something flashed in his eyes. “They had a gun to your head. I had no choice.”

“Ah.” She was tempted to ask why that had stopped him, but she knew the answer would be anything other than an admission of caring. “Is there a football swelling on the side of my head? It feels like it.”

A smile touched his mouth and did strange things to her pulse. “It’s more like a golf ball.” His fingers moved from her cheek to her head, gently probing her scalp just above the temple. “Nasty-looking, but there’s no cut.”

“Good.” She’d had more than her fair share of cuts already on this case. She raised a hand, touching his stubble-lined cheek. “We’ll find her. Before the three days are up, we’ll find her.”

Just for a moment, his anger and fear and torment surrounded her, strong enough to almost taste. Then it shut down, as he shut down emotionally, until all
that was left was his cop face. “Don’t promise.” His voice, though soft, was harsh. “Because promises like that are almost never kept.”

“Mine will be.”

“Don’t.” The sound of sirens touched the air, and he asked, “Are you up to trying to track down the mara’s scent once the sheriff releases us?”

She nodded but couldn’t help wincing in pain. “Don’t suppose anyone would give me a painkiller?”

Silence greeted her request. If it weren’t for the heavy breathing, she might have thought Ethan and she were alone in the room. She certainly couldn’t see anyone else from where she was lying.

The sheriff and his men arrived about five minutes later. The big man’s gaze swept the room, hesitated on them briefly, then moved on. “Jesus, Frank, put the gun down. What in hell do you think you’re doing?”

“Karen’s gone.” The homeowner’s voice was defiant but shaky. “And these two know about it. They broke into my house—”

“These two are part of a special task force trying to
stop
the kidnappings. Deputies, grab those damn rifles.” The sheriff strode toward them. “You two okay?”

Kat nodded and sat up with Ethan’s help. “Do you mind if we look around? There’s still a chance we can find the kidnapper’s trail.”

“Sure. Just come back and give me a full report. I particularly want to know why you didn’t call for help.”

She nodded again and tried to ignore the pounding ache in her head. She needed painkillers and rest, but she wasn’t likely to get either of those anytime soon.
Ethan helped her rise and kept hold of one hand as he led her past the white-faced trio near the hall door. His fingers felt good against hers, warm and strong.

He stopped near the little girl’s bedroom. “Is this where you were knocked unconscious?”

She nodded, then took a deep breath and completely lowered her shields, seeking whatever emotions might lie in the hall. Death was a slither of darkness staining the air. She couldn’t feel anything from the little girl, but then, she wouldn’t. Not until Karen was dying.

“This way,” she said, untangling her fingers from his.

She followed the trail through the kitchen and out the back door. The dogs barked, but someone had chained them, and they were no longer a threat.

Rain began to fall, big, fat drops that hit with the intensity of hail. Overhead, thunder rumbled. If the heavens opened up, she’d lose the scent completely. She hurried across the yard and leaped the fence. The storm hit as they entered the trees, and within minutes, the thread of evil had evaporated. She stopped, cursing long and loud.

“I’m gathering you’ve lost it,” Ethan said, amusement momentarily warming the frustrated anger still evident in his voice.

She nodded and rubbed her arms as she studied the trees above them. “Where exactly was that cabin you found?”

“To the north.”

He took off his coat and placed it over hers. Heat rushed through her, as if the warmth of his body had infused his coat and now transferred it to her. Or
maybe it was just the scent of him lingering on the thick leather that warmed her senses.

“You think that’s where they might be headed?” he continued, catching the ends of the coat and tugging her closer.

She was too aware of his nearness, too aware of the fingers brushing her stomach as he zipped up the coat, to do anything but nod.

“How safe is it to be investigating that cabin at night?” His gaze met hers, and deep in the brown depths, hunger stirred.

It echoed through her. She might be angry at his continuing insistence that they could be nothing more than a moment, but right now, she was more than ready to enjoy one of those moments—pounding headache, aching cold, and all.

She licked the rain from her lips and saw his gaze leap down. “Not very. It’s better to wait until dawn, when they’re less active.”

“Then we wait.” He lowered his mouth to hers, his kiss a gentle explosion of heat that ended far too soon. “But for now, let’s get out of this rain.”

The promises in his eyes made her every nerve ending tingle, and for a moment, she found it difficult to even breathe. “The sheriff wants an explanation,” she somehow said.

He touched a hand to her cheek. Desire slithered through her and pooled deep in her abdomen.

“The sheriff is going to get the shortest explanation in history.” His voice was a smoky whisper that made her body thrum. “You need to get back to the cabin and tend to that headache.”

She raised her eyebrows. “How do you know I’ve got a headache?”

“I can see it in your eyes.” He kissed her forehead, then twined his fingers in hers. The grin that touched his lips was sexy enough to curl her toes. “Of course, once we’ve tended to the headache and got you warm again, we just might be able to do something about that other ache.”