by Kym Grosso
“You got it. I’ll call her on my way over to Eden. I was planning to go there to feed and see Tristan. Do you want me to update him on today’s events?”
“Thank you, yes. Please let him know what happened, but do tell him up in his private office. We cannot afford to be overheard. Tell Tristan that Sydney and I will be at the brownstone for the rest of the night.”
Sydney shot him a look of surprise, but didn’t voice her concern. I’m going to be there all night? Working the case? Or working Kade? They did need to go over the details and work through the facts of the case. She suspected Kade wasn’t being completely honest with her. She hadn’t pressed him back at the crime scene, but she would damn sure find out after she got a shower and some food.
When they arrived, the garage door opened to let the limo in under the house. As they entered Kade’s home, Sydney took in the sight of the mahogany walled rooms. Its décor was both rich and masculine, suiting Kade.
“Nice place. I love the woodwork. Dark, but beautiful,” she commented.
“Thanks. It’s a rental that belongs to Tristan. As much as I like visiting, I have no plans on living here. As soon as the case is over, I need to get back to New Orleans.”
Sydney wasn’t sure why she felt sick hearing him say that he was going to leave. She’d known he wasn’t going to stay here forever. A small part of her had hoped that maybe he’d visit longer if he found something, or someone important enough. His statement spurred her to build up that emotional wall she’d learned to do to protect her heart. She didn’t want to have feelings for him, but she was having a hard time denying her emerging desire for the mysterious vampire. She needed to get back to business…talk about the case, in an attempt to shift her focus.
“Kade, can you show me to the bathroom? I’ve got to clean up.”
“Yes, sorry. This way.” Kade would love to show her his shower…with her naked and him thrusting into her against the tiled walls, he thought. Silently they walked up the stairway and down a long hallway. He opened a door and gestured for her to enter. “Here you go. I can have your clothes laundered while we work. Just put them in the laundry chute. I will call for the maid to take care of them. There are towels inside the closet, and there is a black robe hanging on the back of the door that you can wear until your clothes are finished being cleaned. Just come down when you are done. I’ll have some Chinese food delivered while you’re bathing.”
As they stood alone in the quiet hallway, Kade’s eyes fell to her lips. He took her hand in his, trailing his thumb over her palm. His gaze moved to meet hers, and he fought the urge to kiss her.
“Sydney…” he began.
“I just want you to know that I was glad you were there today,” she interrupted, her voice trembling. “Um…I mean…I know I wasn’t hurt, but it felt good to have someone at my back. I don’t know what the hell that thing was tonight in the alley, but I’d be lying if I said it didn’t shake me up a little. So anyway, thanks.”
Before Kade had a chance to respond, she tugged her hand out of his, entered the bathroom and quickly shut the door.
Sydney leaned against the back of the bathroom door and sighed. She had almost kissed him. What was she doing? Get your head out of your ass. He just told you that he's not staying. He's leaving and going back to New Orleans. Frustrated, she reached over and turned on the hot water, stripped out of her rank clothes and tossed them down the chute. A maid was going to launder her clothes? Must be nice, she thought. She stepped underneath the hot spray of the water and let the tension run down the drain.
As she washed her hair with shampoo, she noticed that it smelled of strawberries. A vampire with strawberry shampoo? She smiled, thinking of Kade. As she washed her body with soap, she let her hands run over her breasts. What would it feel like to have Kade’s strong hands massage her breasts? To have him suck her nipples? Sydney closed her eyes and moaned, letting her hand wander down over her bare, waxed mound. She slipped a finger into her folds, finding her core. Gently circling her most sensitive area, she imagined that it was Kade touching her. She groaned as the tingle built in her womb, shaking as she came. Sydney let her forehead rest against the dark blue tile, afraid to face him.
Kade nearly died when he heard Sydney moan and smelled her arousal. He wanted to charge up the stairs, break down the door and fuck her senseless. Didn’t she know that vampires had enhanced senses? Or maybe she knew exactly what she was doing? As he listened to her pleasuring herself upstairs, he couldn’t hold back. He sat back in the large leather chair and unzipped his pants, pulling out his rock-hard cock. Was she thinking of him as she touched herself? He stroked his shaft, faster and faster. He could not believe he was doing this in the den, but shit, she made a man lose his mind. Another moan from upstairs. He could sense she was close. He glided his palm up and down his length, bringing himself closer to climax. She was coming. He was coming. Kade cursed as his seed went flying onto his pants.
“Ah…fuck. What a fucking mess. What are you doing?” What am I doing? Great, now I’m talking aloud to myself, just fucking great. He was going to need to see a therapist after this little incident. He grabbed a wad of tissues, jumped up, and stomped up the stairs to his bedroom. He needed to get changed before she saw him.
Kade jumped in the shower, washed, and quickly dressed in a pair of worn jeans and a black cotton t-shirt. He heard her in the shower. If he hurried, he could get downstairs first. He was just about down the flight of stairs when the doorbell rang; the Chinese food. He quickly paid the driver and set off to get things ready in the kitchen.
Sydney padded into the kitchen wearing just his robe, and sat at the granite counter bar. Relaxed from her shower, she smiled at him.
“So, Kade, not to be rude or anything, but vampires and Chinese food? What gives? Thought you guys only had blood on the menu. Unless you got that delivered too?”
Kade laughed. “Ah, you do have quite a bit to learn about us, and I would love to be the one to teach you.” He winked at her, causing her to blush. “Vampires do need blood to survive, but we only need to feed a couple of times a week. We can eat food, and it tastes great, but it will not keep us alive; only blood does that. My favorite food is Peking duck, but I also got Szechuan shrimp, dumplings, moo shu chicken, and garlic broccoli. I wasn’t sure what you liked.”
“So, are we having company?” Sydney laughed.
Kade shook his head, no.
“Well, it smells wonderful. I'm so hungry. And just so you know, I love everything you ordered…it's as if you knew what I’d like.”
“You are very welcome. And I do believe I know what you would like,” he teased, desire in his eyes.
Looking down into her shrimp, she tried to hide her embarrassment. He knew she wanted him. Then it occurred to her that he might have known what she was doing in the shower. Shit. She was hoping that he wouldn’t hear or smell anything, with the shower going and that delicious strawberry shampoo. Guess she was wrong.
“So, you like it spicy? I must confess that I love it that way as well. I just can’t seem to get mine hot enough.”
Oh yeah, she loved it hot all right. Sydney gazed into his sexy blue eyes and smiled. She would have loved to have had some pithy response but her mouth was full of duck and she enjoyed his play on words.
After they finished, Kade poured her a glass of brandy. He lit a fire, and they sat on twin leather recliners that faced the fireplace. “So, what's the deal with the note?” Sydney wanted to sit back and relax, but knew it was time to get down to business. The man had secrets, and she was going to find out what the hell was going on. “I know you're keeping something from me. We’re partners. It's time to talk.” She stared at the crackling fire, hoping it would make it easier for him to tell her if she wasn’t looking at him.
“You know, we live a very long time. There is a specific vampire I suspect is involved in these murders. Luca found her scent at the Jennings’ scene. I wasn’t sure, but today, after the note, the app
arition you saw…it’s her.”
Sydney knew she wasn’t going to like whatever he had to say. But she needed the truth.
“Whatever this is, whoever this is, you can tell me. Evil is evil. Supernatural or human, all races can be touched by it.”
Kade was aware that she was trying to make him feel better, but there was nothing that could do that when it came to Simone and what she had done to those girls. He stood, getting closer to the fireplace, with his back to Sydney.
“Simone, Simone Barret. She was turned in the 1800s. I found her on the streets and took her in. I was lonely, we…we were lovers.”
Sydney cringed. Okay, so this was it. She pulled her knees up to her chest and kept still. What had she thought? That he was a virgin? Of course not. The man had lovers. He was a hot, sexy vampire. Logic told her that he'd probably had hundreds of lovers over the years. So why did she feel jealous all of a sudden?
“I have not had as many lovers as you would think.” Kade turned around and gazed directly into Sydney’s eyes as if he could read her thoughts. “Sure, I am a vampire, and it is no secret that we often have sex during feeding, but that is all it is, sex. Lovers have been few, a person to share my home and life with…but there has been no one I have ever been in love with. Simone, she was vulnerable and I…I was lonely. We helped each other. She had been trained in magic, Voodoo, and she betrayed me. When I found out she had captured and tortured several young women, I banished her. I should have killed her on the spot, but times were different back then. I thought if I banished her, that would be punishment enough, but it appears that I was wrong.”
Sydney could not believe what she was hearing. He had a lover, an evil lover, who killed and tortured girls and now was coming back to kill more girls? What the hell? She wanted to get up and leave right then, but decided to hear him out. She knew that things were not always how they seemed. She stood up and walked over to Kade.
“So, what? Are you in love with her? Why is she here? To get you back? Why kill the girls? She’s in this city?” She heard her voice getting louder and louder; so much for staying calm.
“I am over two hundred years old. You must understand that while I loved her, I am not nor was I ever in love with her; there is a difference. Why is she back? Revenge, I suspect. I banished her and maybe even broke her heart, if she had one. But if you could have seen what she did to those girls…I should have killed her.” Kade blew out a breath. “And why here? My guess is Tristan.”
“Tristan?”
“Yes, Tristan’s sister, Katarina, was one of the tortured girls. He came to me seeking my help. He knew it was Simone who took the girls. He offered pack protection in exchange for finding his sister. It was how we met and later became friends. But Simone, she knew it was Tristan who told me. She may have come here seeking to stir up trouble in his territory. She would have known I would come to his aid eventually. What she didn’t count on was that Tristan would be smart enough to recognize right away that a vampire was stirring up problems in his community, even before the first death occurred. He contacted me right away.”
Sydney’s thoughts were spinning. Simone was here in Philadelphia? How did she know where they were? Why did she come as a ghost?
“Okay, so lover girl has an ax to grind. She comes up here instead of New Orleans to get at Tristan? And to get back at you? Not buying that. I get that she's mad at Tristan for ratting her out to you. But she isn’t from this area. You said she left the country. And what the hell is with the ghost? Why not just show up in person?”
“My best guess is that she is not here physically. She may have a mage or witch helping her. Possibly vampire or human minions, maybe both. Jennings belonged to her, there could be others.”
“Nice trick, huh?” There was a reason Sydney didn’t get involved with the supernatural, and this was it: human slaves, witchcraft, Voodoo. She felt she had heard enough for tonight. As much as she wanted to be with Kade, she had an overwhelming need to get home.
Kade approached Sydney, taking her hands in his. “Sydney, I have given this some thought, and I believe Simone is somewhere in New Orleans. Somehow…maybe through magic…she is projecting herself here. I need to go search for her there. I know you want to work this case, but things are going to get more dangerous. I need to keep you safe. I am going to talk with Tristan and leave tomorrow night.”
She had felt the electric desire running up her arms and throughout her body, but at his words, she snatched her hands away from him. Who the hell was he to tell her that she had to get off the case? And he was leaving?
“Listen, Kade, if you want to jump a plane back to the bayou, be my guest, but I'm not getting off this case just because you think there could be danger. Danger is part of my job; I’m a big girl. A girl who happens to own a lot of guns and knows how to use them. There is no way I am just giving up this case while you go off chasing an old girlfriend, so not happening.” She paused and glanced away. She couldn't just stand around and let innocent women be killed in her city, she had to help find the perpetrator. “Listen, I appreciate you telling me everything. I need to think on this…get some sleep. Ada may have run more trace, and I want to get down to the station tomorrow to talk it through with her. Where are my clothes?”
“Upstairs bathroom,” he said, gesturing to the stairs. “I asked Sara to put your clean clothes in there when she finished with them.”
“Thanks.” Sydney set her glass on the table, avoiding eye contact as she went upstairs to get dressed. As she worked through the details of what Kade had told her, it wasn’t making sense. She found it hard to believe this was as simple as a lover scorned. Why all the drama with the girls? The ritual? The tattoos? Something wasn’t right. Maybe Simone did want revenge, but there was something else. Sydney wasn’t sure what the missing puzzle piece was, but she certainly wasn’t going to let Kade push her off the case.
Kade refrained from chasing after Sydney despite his desire to do so. Knowing that she was so close to his bedroom made him crazy. He wanted to kiss her full lips, taste her and make her his. Although doing so at this point would only draw attention to her, and that was not something he would do. She was already in enough danger. Tomorrow he would request that she be taken off the case. She’d be angry with him, but at least she’d be safe.
He had to get back to New Orleans and find Simone. He planned on questioning Ilsbeth to find out what Simone might be trying to accomplish with the oils and the girls. She was up to something, and he was going to find out what it was. This time she would not go unpunished.
While he was gone, he’d ask Tristan to keep an eye on Sydney, even though he hated that she might go to Tristan for more than friendship. It was killing him to know that Sydney and Tristan had been sexually involved, so asking the Alpha was not something he wanted to do, but he needed to try to keep her safe and he could trust Tristan to do that.
They rode in silence on the way back to Sydney’s condo. She stared out the window, willing herself not to look at Kade. She struggled with her emotions, still aroused by their earlier encounter. Even though she knew it was irrational, a twinge of jealousy ate at her, as she thought about Simone. As the limo pulled up to her building, doubt crept into Sydney’s mind. She sat still, unsure about leaving Kade. Her hesitation gave Kade the opportunity to move closer to her. She reached for the door handle, and Kade placed his hand on hers.
“Sydney love, after I take care of Simone, I will be back for you. We have unfinished business.”
“Kade…I…” Her words trailed off as Kade pressed his lips to hers. Sydney kissed him back, slowly allowing him access. Kade reached around and held her by the nape of her neck, deepening the kiss. It was passionate, yet tender. Sydney knew she had to go. She shouldn’t let herself get distracted by a man, but he tasted so good, and she wanted him here and now, inside her. She wanted more, but he was leaving. Coming to her senses, she reluctantly retreated from him, averting her gaze to the floor.
“Um�
��yeah…goodnight, Kade.” Her hands shook as she pushed open the door. Flustered as she was, she still had enough wits about her to get up and out of the car on two feet. Just keep on walking, girl.
Chapter Eight
Sydney woke to the sounds of the city: beeping horns, trucks, yelling, and laughter. It didn’t bother her, though; she was used to the constant buzz of urban, background noise. The cacophony meant Sydney was alive, and so was the city. Like the swashing hum of the ocean, it was soothing to her ears.
It was late afternoon when she heard her door buzzer go off. She doubted it would be Kade. While he had told her that he was old enough to go outside during the day, it weakened him. And besides, why would he come by her condo when he was returning to New Orleans? She wondered if he was packing and when he was leaving. She kept thinking of the kiss: hot, passionate, erotic. She’d fantasized about melting into his arms, making love to him right there in the back of the limo. It had taken every bit of self-control to pull away and go home without him. She had to force herself to remember she was irritated with him because he wanted her off the case, and that he was about to go chasing after a psycho ex.
She felt frustrated, wishing she could order him to stay, but then that was part of what attracted her to him. He was strong, authoritative, domineering. She laughed. What was wrong with her? She swore she would not pine over a guy, especially some bossy vamp. She had plenty of men on her dance card. Whatever, Syd. Get over it. He’s leaving anyway.
Checking her security camera, she saw a man in a uniform holding what appeared to be a vase. He held up a name tag, indicating he was from Belle’s Petals, a local flower shop. She clicked on the security panel, answering the call.
“Hello. Can I help you?"
“Yeah, I'm looking for Condo 225 B. Miss Willows.”
“Okay, come on up,” she said, buzzing him in.
