Circle of Desire (6 page)

She didn’t wait for a reply, just continued toward the water. When she reached the sand she began stripping. Soon there was nothing left but flesh.

She was creamy and luscious and absolutely perfect, and he went hard just watching her. If he were any sort of gentleman, he’d go back to the car as she’d suggested, but he’d long ago given up any such pretensions. Besides, he seriously doubted whether
any
man could walk away right now.

She dove underwater, then rose a heartbeat later and rolled onto her back. Her breasts were generous white mounds with dark thrusting peaks that he suddenly ached to taste. He shifted and wished his jeans weren’t so damn tight. The goddamn zipper was killing him.

It was lucky the moon had fled. At least he had control enough to simply sit there. And while he suspected she wouldn’t rebuke his advances right now, he wasn’t about to hit on a woman who’d been through what she’d just endured.

He watched until it became apparent she was getting ready to come out, then got up and walked stiffly to the car. His erection hadn’t gone down any by the time she reappeared. Though she was fully dressed, moisture made the T-shirt almost see-through, and her sweatpants clung like a second skin.

Thank God for long shirts. “Back to the motel?”

She nodded, her teeth chattering and skin almost blue. He took off his coat and draped it across her shoulders, then settled her into the passenger’s seat. After climbing into the driver’s side, he started the engine and turned the heater up full blast. The car’s interior quickly became a furnace. The chattering
eased and her skin became a more normal color. But the T-shirt took longer to dry, and he wasn’t at all sorry about that.

“Mind telling me what that was about?”

She sighed. “I’m an empath with a difference.”

He glanced at her, but she still had her eyes closed. “What sort of difference?”

“Instead of sensing the emotions of the living, I soak up the feelings of the dead.”

“That’s not possible.”

She snorted softly. “I wish.”

“But …” He frowned. They’d known what he was from the moment he walked up to the motel door, and that was something no one could have told them. Everything else, maybe, but not that. “How?”

“I’m not really sure myself. But it seems the more emotional or violent the death, the more those feelings permeate a room.”

“So when you walked into that room—”

“I felt everything that little boy had when he died.”

No wonder she’d been so cold. She’d shared head space with violence and death. “How the hell do you keep sane?”

A smile touched her still pale lips. “I was under the impression you thought I wasn’t.”

“Well, swimming in the ocean until you’re blue is pretty damn crazy.”

“I had to wash myself clean,” she said softly. “I could smell them. On me. In me.”

A sentiment he could certainly understand. He’d done the same thing himself once or twice over the years—though admittedly, he’d chosen a hot shower rather than an icy ocean. “So what happens now?”

“Now we need to get some breakfast and take it back to the motel. You know a bakery open at this hour?”

“I’m a cop. We know the opening time of every bakery, deli, and fast-food chain in the whole damn city.”

She looked at him. “Really?”

“Really,” he said solemnly, glad to see her smile had finally touched her eyes.

“Then take me to your favorite, and I’ll buy you breakfast.” She hesitated. “Unless, of course, you’d rather go home.”

He had nothing—and no one—to go home to. And he wasn’t leaving this woman’s side until this case was solved. Though he might not believe in psychics and witchcraft, the last few hours had certainly proven these two not only knew everything the police knew, but had an innate ability to keep one step ahead of the pack. Right now, that was exactly where he needed to be.

And if he could get into her bed as well, all the better.

G
WEN WAS ASLEEP ON THE SOFA BY THE TIME THEY GOT
back to the motel room. Kat dropped the bags of cinnamon rolls and pastries on the small table and walked over.

“Gran?” She kept her voice soft, not wanting to startle the older woman.

Gwen sighed and opened her eyes. “My feet feel like bricks. You’ll have to massage them before you do anything else.”

“I’ll do that,” Ethan said behind her. “You go get breakfast ready.”

Kat looked up in surprise. “You sure?”

He nodded. “My mom had arthritis, too. My brother and I used to take turns massaging to ease the aches for a while.”

“Well, before you touch
my
feet, you’re going to have to provide a proper introduction.” Gwen’s eyes twinkled despite the echoes of pain. “I can’t keep calling you Detective Morgan if we’re going to get so friendly.”

He smiled, and Kat’s breath caught. She had a feeling he didn’t smile much, but when he did—wow.

“It’s Ethan, ma’am.”

“Gwen Tanner. Pleased to meet you.” She shook his offered hand. “The oil’s over there by the sink.”

He retrieved it, then sat on the coffee table and eased her feet onto his legs. If the relief on Gwen’s face was anything to go by, he certainly knew his way around a bottle of massage oil. Maybe that was something Kat could put to good use later …

He chose that moment to glance at her, and for several heartbeats Kat found herself pinned by the power of his gaze. What passed between them was a recognition of fate. Of inevitability. But more than that, it was a promise of passion and satisfaction … and something else, something she couldn’t quite define.

A tremor ran through her. She’d never felt this strong an attraction to anyone, and in some ways it was almost scary. The pull she felt had nothing to do with the allure of a werewolf in the middle of moon fever, and everything to do with the man himself. By the same token, she was positive the moon had
everything
to do with his attraction to her. But that didn’t matter. What
did
matter was finding time alone without jeopardizing the case.

She lowered her gaze and got down to the business of making coffee and setting out breakfast. “Gran, are you coming over to the table, or would you prefer to remain where you are?”

“I’ll stay here.” She patted Ethan’s hands. “Thanks, pet. That feels much better.”

Kat tossed him a hand towel, then brought over Gwen’s coffee and cinnamon rolls. “So what’s the plan today, beside rest?”

“I’ll try to do another reading this afternoon. I’ve got a feeling this thing is not going to hang around for much longer.”

“Because the police are closing in?” Ethan asked.

Gwen gave him a wry look. “The police haven’t a clue. Present company included.”

He raised an eyebrow. “So you don’t believe we’ll catch the psycho behind this?”

“No, because none of you truly know what you’re up against.” She glanced at Kat. “Why don’t you explain it to the man?”

Kat sighed and cupped her hands around her coffee mug. “The thing that’s killing these kids is what we’ve termed a soul-sucker. It’s a vampire of sorts, but instead of blood, it feeds on souls.”

His expression was blank, but she could feel his disbelief as easily as she’d felt his desire only moments before. “Vampires don’t exist.”

“Much as werewolves don’t exist? Get real, Detective.”

“Ethan,” he said automatically, then added, “That
kid last night was torn apart. And the first kid was discovered drained of blood.”

Kat nodded. “Neither of which was the actual cause of death.”

“The coroner says otherwise.”

“The coroner can’t see the gaping hole this thing created when it ripped their souls from their bodies.”

“How can
you
even see something like that?”

She shrugged. “I told you before, I’m empathic. I see and feel emotions. A soul being torn free is a pretty emotional event, believe me.”

He stared at her for several minutes, then shook his head. “I can’t. Sorry.”

“Then believe this,” Gwen said. “That thing is not working alone. At the very least, it still has a werewolf working with it, and I suspect there are others. It saw Kat last night, and it now knows we’re on its trail. That puts us in great danger.”

He glanced at Kat. “You want me to arrange police protection?”

“No,” Gwen answered. “Their attempts to protect us would mean as little as their attempts to find this thing.”

He flexed his fingers, then picked up his coffee. He didn’t like being told his department was useless. “Then what do you want?” His voice held an edge of harshness.

“You want to find this killer fast, and you’re not particularly fussy about how you do it. We need additional protection. Two very compatible needs, I should think.”

His gaze flicked from Gwen to Kat, then back again, but in that brief moment Kat saw the surge of triumph.
He’d had no intention of leaving anyway, she realized. He would have done all that he could—even using what was flaring between them—to keep close. It should have annoyed her, but it didn’t, simply because she understood his motives.

She just had to hope she was one of the more pleasurable stones in his path.

“If Benton sees me anywhere near the two of you, I’m history.”

“Then make sure you’re not seen.”

“Easier said than done. The captain’s got a nose for this sort of stuff.” He scratched his chin, the sound harsh in the silence. “If I step into this, I expect to be made a full partner. No secrets.”

“Don’t worry, Detective—you’re going to learn a whole lot more than you bargained for on this one.”

Gwen’s voice was dry, and Kat shot her a quick look. If her amused expression was anything to go by, she wasn’t talking about the case, but something else. Something more personal.

A thought
she
didn’t like one bit. When it came to matchmaking, her grandmother was almost as bad as Seline, the Circle’s head honcho. Both had been pushing Kat for years to find a man who could be a true partner—in work and out of it. Insinuating, in Kat’s opinion, that the men she’d been with over the years either weren’t manly enough or hadn’t a hope in hell of being able to work with her, let alone live with her. And if she was being honest, the latter was certainly a half-truth. She wasn’t the easiest person in the world to get along with. As Ethan would undoubtedly find out if she didn’t get her regular fix of chocolate soon.

He took another pastry, then stood. “I’ll go home and collect some clothes. I trust you ladies won’t run off while I’m gone?”

“We’ll be here,” Gwen said. “You can trust that, if nothing else.”

His gaze very much indicated he didn’t trust either of them. But he didn’t say anything, just headed out the door.

Kat looked at her grandmother. “Why?”

Gwen sighed. “I had a vision while you were gone. He’s in as much danger as we are.”

“Because he was part of the task force?”

“Because he was closer than he knew. Remember, he was at that warehouse before you or the soul-sucker or the vampire. I wouldn’t be surprised if he has latent precognition skills.”

“And the soul-sucker was heading after him because of that?”

“Yes.” Gwen rubbed her eyes. “It’s also after us, for much the same reason. We all stand a better chance if we stay together.”

“Did you see when they’ll attack?”

“You know my visions are never that specific.”

Unfortunately, she did. But occasionally she hoped for a miracle. “Was that all?”

“I did see one other thing. And it’s the reason I waited until Ethan left to tell you all this.”

A lump settled in her stomach. There could be only one reason to wait until Ethan had left. She gulped down her coffee to ease the dryness in her throat, but it didn’t seem to help much. “What?”

“His niece is still alive.”

K
AT BLINKED. “WHAT?”

“She’s alive. She’s not dead yet.”

“Then why …?”

The question hung in the air, and Gwen sighed. “Can you imagine his reaction if I told him that? I don’t know where she is, or what condition she’s in. I just know that at this point in time, that little girl lives. It might be a different story in a few hours’ time.”

“And you got no image at all that could help us find her?”

Gwen shook her head. “It’s not a warehouse, though. It’s somewhere different.”

“Why?” What sick game was the soul-sucker playing now?

“I don’t know. But she seems to be working in six-day cycles, and she doesn’t kill one kid until she’s snatched another.”

“If that’s the case, then Ethan’s niece has three days left.”

“Maybe. Maybe not. As I said, I just don’t know.”

There was entirely too much on this case they just didn’t know, and kids were dying because of it. She
noted the slump in her grandmother’s shoulders and rose. “Why don’t you get some sleep?”

“I might just do that.”

Kat offered a hand, then carefully pulled her grandmother upright. Gwen cursed as bones cracked, and worry stirred through Kat. The arthritis was definitely getting worse, and despite what she’d said to Ethan earlier, Gran did have a choice. Seline had recently found a way to mute both the visions and her scrying ability, so walking away was, for the first time in fifty years, a true option for her grandmother.