He nodded. “It was a very long, very rough day yesterday. Apparently, I needed the rest.”
Concern shone in her gaze, and her hand pressed to his chest. “Are you okay?”
“The case I was working on—”
“I remember.” Her fingers moved in soothing circles over his skin. “Did he…kill his wife too?”
“No, just the opposite. She unloaded an entire clip of Magickal bullets into him.”
She blinked. “Um…it would be bad to say ‘good for her,’ wouldn’t it?”
His laugh was humorless. “No, except she then turned the gun on herself.”
“Oh.” Her fingertips pressed to her lips, horrified sadness filling her gaze. “I’m so sorry, Luca.”
After covering the hand that rested on his chest, he squeezed her fingers. “That was the day before yesterday.”
She winced. “So, what happened yesterday?”
How to sum this up without it becoming a melodramatic saga? “His mother came in to the morgue to collect the her son’s remains, tried to insist we throw her daughter-in-law’s body out into the gutter, pulled a gun, took a potshot at Tess—because an animal touched her precious bloodsucking boy—and while I was getting Tess to cover, she blew her own brains out.”
“Holy fucking shit,” Erin breathed. “When you have a crappy day, you don’t mess around.”
Arching an eyebrow, he said dryly, “Then, after hours of paperwork, questions from my superiors and the entire Vampire Coven and an emotional breakthrough and breakdown with my former lover, my current lover decided to hire a man on every Most Wanted list in America as her bodyguard. That was the icing on that particular shit cake.”
Her mouth twisted as if she was fighting a smile, and she cleared her throat. “All right, I won’t try to talk you out of staying here this morning like I was planning to.”
“Don’t try it later either. I told you, I have to be here.” He met her gaze squarely, hoping his expression would impress upon her how futile arguing would be. Having her fight him on it would make it harder for everyone, but it wouldn’t stop him. He reached up to cup her cheek. “I need to know you’re safe.”
“Okay.” The word was soft, but he heard it. She cleared her throat. “So when do they expect you in at the office? We should probably coordinate schedules with you, Gregor and me in terms of my work, your work and Gregor and you investigating who might be doing this to me.”
He shook his head. “No need to factor in my job. I took a leave of absence.”
“You…what?” Her jaw sagged. “Why?”
“The case I was working on wrapped up, and it’s not as if I don’t have about a decade of vacation saved up.” He shrugged. “I think this is a great time to use it.”
“Luca…”
He heaved a long-suffering sigh. “There’s nothing you can do or say that will change my mind.”
Instead of arguing, she was quiet for a moment. “So…an emotional breakthrough and breakdown, huh?”
It figured she’d zero in on the part he’d held off telling her anything about. So far, Tess had been mostly a verboten topic between them. There was a certain unwelcome awkwardness to discussing an ex you weren’t quite over with the lover you were using to finally get over the ex. He’d never asked Erin how she felt about that, if she felt anything at all. He wasn’t sure he wanted the truth—which was that it might mean nothing to her; he might mean nothing to her. Call him a coward, but some questions were best left unasked. “The shooting did force a conversation between Tess and me. It’s been a long time coming, so emotions were understandably high, but it cleared the air, which I think we both needed.”
“So you think the two of you will get back together.”
The words were flat, and it wasn’t a question. He turned his head to look at her, but had to crook his finger under her chin to make her meet his eyes. “No, I don’t think we’ll get back together. I wouldn’t want to.”
“Are you sure?” The sudden stillness in her posture, the defensiveness of her question, left him unsure if she was hoping he was sure or that he wasn’t.
“Erin…” He frowned up at her. “You seriously think I want to rekindle my relationship with Tess?”
There was no need to go into details about what happened between Tess and him two years ago, or how they’d handled each other since. He had no doubt Erin knew about Tess, because everyone in the local Magickal community did. Holly would definitely have filled her in on pack gossip, but because he and Erin had never felt the need to have a heart-to-heart about his last relationship, it stood to reason she might think he still carried a torch for his ex. Even he wasn’t even sure when he’d stopped loving Tess—when it had become just guilt, when he’d gotten past the worst of the guilt. Maybe he’d already been over her before he’d slept with Erin. That felt…right somehow. If he’d truly been committed to Tess, he wouldn’t have begun an affair with anyone else. He always gave his lovers the respect of monogamy as long as the relationship lasted, but he hadn’t been with Tess for over a year by the time he’d taken Erin to bed. He just hadn’t gotten over all the other disasters that surrounded his relationship with Tess yet.
It was a mess, it had been from the very beginning, but things were simplifying—or maybe becoming clearer to him. The only woman he had in his life in any kind of romantic capacity was Erin. He doubted she’d want to hear that, considering how relationship-shy she was, but it was the truth. So, he kept it short and sweet, “I don’t want Tess anymore, Erin. No matter what happens or how she feels about me, we’re not getting back together. Ever.”
Erin stirred against his side, her gaze focused on her hand, which played with the sash on her robe. “The day we met, I saw how you looked at her. Like, eat your heart out. I’d been through the ringer with Asher, so—”
“You thought I was a safe bet.” That stung a little, and he couldn’t even put his finger on why. Neither of them had been looking for anything other than straightforward sex.
“Well…yeah.” She hunched a shoulder. “It sounds bad when you say it like that, but you were in love with someone else! It’s not like I was the only one using the situation to my advantage.”
“No, I think we were both honest about where we were at the time.” His hand closed over hers, and he twined their fingers together. “Things have changed since then. Is that so terrible?”
“I don’t know.” Her lips twisted, and her gaze was troubled, confused. “You really don’t love her anymore?”
Since he felt some of that confusion himself, he squeezed her fingers in gentle reassurance. He didn’t know where they were or where they were going, but he didn’t want to stop moving forward. He hoped she felt the same, even knowing that going forward could be another round of emotional suicide for him. “No. Is that bad?”
“No. Yes. I don’t know.” Her brow furrowed, and she shook her head.
He couldn’t help a smile. “A definitive answer. I like those.”
She poked his ribs. “I just…I never planned for us to have feelings for each other—other than lust, of course—and I definitely never planned for us to live under the same roof, for any reason. Add that all together and it’s pretty scary.”
And suddenly he was more available than she’d thought, and that’s scared her too. He didn’t say it aloud, because the truth was it scared him as well. If he wasn’t in love with Tess, and his life was wrapped up in Erin, who he cared for more than he dared confess, what did that mean? The same kind of disaster and tragedy it had meant the last two times? Or third time’s a charm?
Keeping her safe was the most important thing, so that was what he had to focus on. Even if she ended up leaving him or hating him, he would not allow anything to happen to her. That was the only thing he knew he couldn’t live with. Not again. The mere thought made it feel like a hot poker was stabbing into his chest. No. He wouldn’t let her come to harm.
“What happened with Tess?” Erin asked, with more frankne
ss than she’d ever dared when discussing his ex before. Usually, there was a hesitation of a subject they avoided. “Did she suddenly stop hating your guts?”
He reached up and tugged one of her curls, keeping his posture as relaxed as he could. Somehow, it seemed important to be able to talk about Tess without discomfiture. As a medical examiner, she worked with his team often, so there would never be a way to completely ignore her. So, he’d rather that Erin be as sure as possible that he harbored no residual romantic inclinations, and acting as if he had something to hide where Tess was concerned would do nothing to allay any doubt Erin might have. “I told you, she never hated me. She was angry with me, but she didn’t hate me. Not really.”
Her nose wrinkled. “That’s not what she said…to, like, everyone in the pack.”
“I have no doubt,” he replied sardonically. “But she thought she should have done something to stop the wolves from Changing her—even though she was a Normal with a tenth of the strength and none of the powers—and she blamed herself. It was easier to hold it against me as someone who kept magical truths from her than admit she was a pathetically helpless victim.”
Sympathy shone in Erin’s blue gaze. “No one wants to be a victim.”
“Not usually, no.” He rubbed one of her curls between his thumb and forefinger, mostly because it was impossible for him to be so close to her and not touch her. “Tess has a lot of emotional baggage to deal with about what happened—she’s avoided doing that by blaming me. I hope she gets the help she needs. I hope Peyton can help her with that.”
“So you did know she was banging Peyton.” Her eyebrows scrunched together. “Holly wasn’t sure.”
And that confirmed what she knew and the source of her information. A grin twitched his lips. “Yes, I know. They seem to fit well together.”
“Because they’re both werewolves?”
Wouldn’t that be the easy answer? It might have been one he’d give six months ago, but not now. “No, because she’s grown into someone that I think suits what I know of him. Not that he’s an easy man to know, but with any luck, as she keeps growing beyond what the terrorists did to her, they’ll grow together rather than apart.”
“Do you think that’s what happened with you and Tess? You grew apart?” She focused intently on his face, her gaze sharp and seeing more than he probably wanted.
“Yeah.” He waved a hand through the air. “Something like that changes you—it just does. We aren’t who we were when we met, and who we are now doesn’t…quite…fit as well as it used to. Does that make sense?”
“It does.” She let out a long, slow breath. He saw in her eyes the moment she started to believe, really believe, that he was over Tess—that it wasn’t just some front he was putting up to protect his heart or his pride.
Since he doubted dwelling on Tess and his more available status would do anything to keep Erin from freaking out about his relationship with her, he decided a subject change was in order. Best not to push, especially when he wasn’t even sure which direction he wanted to push. “So…what kind of sexual favors does a guy have to perform to get some breakfast around here?”
An impish little grin formed on her full lips, and the desire that rose so easily between them grabbed hold of him. He hooked a hand behind her neck and pulled her down for a kiss. She tasted of mint and woman, and he licked his way into her mouth with a groan. Her palms pressed to his chest, her fingers brushing over his nipples. His cock responded, going diamond hard. He insinuated his hand between them and tugged on the belt to her robe so he could spread the fabric wide. Ah, yes. The feel of her silken flesh against his body was exquisite torment. The ripe scent of her desire teased his nose. He slipped his hand up to cup her full breast and thumbed the tip until it went taut. She moaned against his lips, and the kiss grew wilder, fiercer. Their tongues danced together, their breath rushing against each other’s skin. She bit his lower lip and he snarled, his hands clutching at her hips.
He was a half-second away from flipping her onto her back and plunging into her tight, wet sheath when his stomach rumbled, and a dangerous craving gnawed at the back of his consciousness. Bloodlust. Too much time had passed since he’d fed, and losing control of his passions might mean losing control of his need to feed. Reluctant as he was to ruin this hot, sweet moment with Erin, he knew there was no choice. He turned his head to break the kiss. “Erin, I—”
“Mmm?” She went after his mouth again, capturing his lips. His lust spiked, his dick throbbing with painful insistence. The pounding of her pulse called to him as much as the scent of her arousal. Every one of his baser instincts craved her now.
It took far more effort than it should have to set his hands on her shoulders and hold her away from him. “Sweetheart, I skipped lunch and dinner yesterday. I haven’t had any elixir in over twenty-four hours.”
Normally, he could go as long as two full days without feeding if he had to, but her lying across his chest, so lush and inviting, tested boundaries he never wanted to cross.
She blinked, the haze of desire clearing slowly. “Oh. Oh.”
“Yeah, exactly.”
“I, uh, don’t have any more here. You got the last of my supply when—” She coughed, glanced away. “You got the last of my supply.”
He sat up, forcing himself to retie her robe before he did something incredibly stupid. “I brought some with me. It’s in my bag.”
After reaching up to run her fingertip over his lip, she flicked her nail against one of his extended fangs. “Such a shame.”
Careful not to scrape her with his sharp canines, he drew her finger into his mouth and sucked until she shuddered, her gaze darkening with need. Gods, he loved how responsive she was. “I’ll make it up to you later.”
When he rose from the bed, she gave his ass a quick smack. “I’m going to hold you to that.”
“I’m counting on it.” He laughed as he walked over to where he’d dumped his bags on the floor before he’d showered. He sucked down a full canister of elixir in short order and the bloodlust buzzing through him eased until he felt almost normal. His stomach grumbled again, reminding him of his other hunger.
“All right, all right, I’ll make you some food.” With a pointed glance at his midsection, Erin hopped out of bed and went over to her closet to dress. “You know, before I tie you up and use you as my love slave again.”
Chuckling, he stepped up behind her and nipped at the back of her neck. “Anything you need, sweetheart.”
It surprised him a little that he meant what he said, rather than it being a flippant comment. He’d rarely had enough faith in any woman to let himself be bound during sex. The lack of power and control was something he’d usually avoid. But for her? He trusted her not to do anything he wouldn’t want, just as he’d expected all of his lovers to trust him. The reverse had only been true for a few, and Erin was in that minority.
They filed out into her main room, and she flitted about the kitchen with practiced ease. A pile of buttery toast and fluffy scrambled eggs loaded with melted cheese and a bit of sour cream were on a plate in front of him before she asked, “Where’s Gregor? I expected him to turn up the moment he smelled food.”
“Call his phone.” Then he paused, a faint rumble of the elevator reaching his ears, followed by Gregor’s distinctive scent. “Never mind. He’ll be here in about thirty seconds.”
“I’m not even going to ask how you know that,” she muttered, and added three more eggs to the skillet.
“How do you know he’s hungry?”
Her eyebrow arched an arrogant inch. “When I cook, people eat.”
“Modesty is so sexy.” He fought a grin and lost.
She laughed, the sound rising and falling like a music scale. Listening to it made his smile widen. He forked the first bite of eggs and groaned. “I thought it would taste strange with the sour cream in it, but…this is amazing.”
“I told you—when I cook, people eat. And they love it like a fat ki
d loves cake.” Her expression was smug. “Especially if I baked that cake.”
“Is there cake? Because I only smell breakfast.” Gregor came through the front door, sniffing the air like a hunting hound.
“No cake, just toast and eggs.” Erin used a spatula to serve the other vampire, then set his plate at the stool next to Luca’s. “Sit and have some.”
She put another couple of eggs on the stove while the redhead set a stack of files on the counter, slid onto the stool, and dug into his food. He paused his chewing just long enough to say, “I found out something interesting about Mr. Kondan.”
Luca jutted his chin toward the files. “Those look like hospital records.”
“They are.” The redhead’s nod was easy, as if he hadn’t just broken into a doctor’s office and stolen confidential information.
Luca snorted, but ate a few more bites of his eggs before he commented. “You know I could have gotten copies of them legally.”
“What fun would there be in that?” Gregor’s sideways glance questioned Luca’s sanity.
Erin broke in with a roll of her eyes. “So, the interesting thing about Asher?”
“Right.” Gregor offered one of his chipper smiles. “You said your car was vandalized five days ago?”
“Yes, why?” She ducked down to turn the stove off, then slid the last round of eggs onto a plate for herself.
He opened the file and spun it around so she could read it. His fingertip tapped the part he wanted her to see. “Asher Kondan couldn’t have done it. He was in the hospital for a medical procedure.”
Instead of reading, she gave the redhead a look of patented disbelief. “What kind of medical procedure would a vampire need?”
“A cosmetic one,” Luca answered. Even upside down, he could see what Gregor had pointed out. Interesting. Several possibilities filtered through his mind—those that involved Asher being involved in the vandalism anyway and those that didn’t. Either way, this situation was more complex than it first appeared. He needed to get his hands on whatever information the FBI had on this guy. He hadn’t finished looking Kondan up yesterday, but his laptop was in his bag so he could clear that problem up after breakfast.
Edge of Night Page 22
