She nodded again. “Agreed.”
“The second is that we need to contact someone at The Directive and let them know what’s happening here. I’ve been struck by The Thirst and you’re my Bloodmate. There are people who may want to use that to their advantage, and besides, if it turns out I’m a killer, The Directive are the ones who’ll decide what to do with me.”
“I think I can manage that. What’s the third?”
“That you stay nearby at all times. You’re my Bloodmate, and I need you with me.”
A small, disbelieving smile touched her lips. “You can’t be serious.”
“I am. The only reason I’m not running right now is you. I know you don’t feel it the way I do, but we’re connected, you and I.”
“Destined,” she said, but he didn’t miss the disbelieving tone in her voice.
“Yes. I hope we have time for you to be able to discover that for yourself.”
She closed her eyes briefly and shook her head. “This is insane.”
“Do you agree to my terms?”
“I guess I don’t have much of a choice.”
It was a small victory, but a victory nonetheless. With her at his side, at least he didn’t need to worry about hurting anyone else. The Thirst had released its hold on him and would continue to do so while they were together.
He still hadn’t checked out of his hotel room but he figured there wasn’t much point in doing so now. It didn’t look as though he would be returning to London any time soon.
“Give me a minute,” he said. “I need to go and find the maid’s cart and hope she hasn’t disposed of the black rubbish bag already.”
Charlie got to her feet. “I should come with you.”
“No, really. I’ll be quicker on my own.”
Her blue eyes narrowed. “Because of your ... speed?”
“Exactly.”
Before she could say another word, he’d already left, darting out of the bar area faster than she was able to see. He took the stairs back to the floor his room was on and spotted the maid’s trolley only a little farther down the hall. The black bag still hung from the end, and from the smell of blood which filtered through to his nostrils, he was able to tell the shirt was still in there. Using his speed, he ran to the cart, plunged his arm into the bag, and pulled out the bundle of material. Before anyone had even noticed him, he was back in the bar, taking his seat opposite Charlie.
She widened her eyes at him. “Now, that was fast.”
He repressed a smug smirk. He wasn’t in any position to be smug right now.
Not wanting any of the other guests to see what was in his hand, he pushed the bundle of clothing into the top of his bag.
“We’re taking my car,” Charlie said.
He wasn’t going to argue with her about that. “How far away is the station?”
“About forty minutes’ drive.”
He allowed a small smile to play across his lips. “A little time to get to know each other, then.”
She shot him a look. “This isn’t a date, Mr Sokolov.”
He trapped the smile between his lips. “Of course not. My apologies.”
But he was still happy to spend time in her company, even if it was only to be driven to a police station and possibly arrested for murder. He’d have considered the idea laughable if someone had suggested such a thing to him only a matter of days ago, but he discovered things could change fast and with no warning at all.
He threw a ten pound note onto the bar to pay for her drink and then got to his feet. Already, Charlie was walking away, heading out of the door, and he found his gaze drifting down to take in the way her waist nipped in and flared out at the hips. Even the bulky police uniform couldn’t hide those curves.
He let out a sigh and ran his hand over his lips. Life could be so damned cruel. He’d found her—the rare thing that was a vampire’s Bloodmate—but she thought he was a murderer.
Reaching down, Ivan picked up his bag and followed her outside. She was already at her car and had opened the rear door.
He cocked an eyebrow. “You don’t expect me to sit in the back?”
“How am I going to explain to my colleagues that I’ve arrested a suspect, but I let him ride shotgun?”
“Don’t tell them you’ve arrested a suspect. I’m not under arrest, am I? I’m coming in voluntarily.” There was no way he was sitting in the back like some kind of criminal. Okay, maybe he was a criminal, but he was still working on the innocent-until-proven-guilty theory. Anyway, he wanted to sit beside her.
She ground her teeth at him. “You’re not making this easy for me.”
“I am,” he replied, thinking of all the ways it could be difficult to take a vampire in for questioning. “Believe me, I am.”
Chapter 8
Charlie had no idea how she was going to explain this to her colleagues back at the station. She wasn’t stupid. She knew how bad this seemed and how hard it was going to be to explain. Vampires weren’t a common occurrence around these parts, and she certainly hadn’t been expecting to take one down to the station with her. One thing she hadn’t been betting on was that she’d be driving back with a vampire sitting next to her. She’d expected a few tall tales from people, mostly revolving around rumours of the Beast of Dartmoor, but she hadn’t expected to be bringing something paranormal back with her.
He might be a murderer, too, a little voice spoke in her head. What’s to stop him doing exactly the same to you?
But, for some reason, she hadn’t feared for her safety. The way he looked at her didn’t instil fear into her. Quite the opposite. It sent shivers racing through her body, condensing at her core, and she was thankful for the thick material of her uniform which hid the way her nipples crinkled when he stared at her in such a way. Maybe it was a vampire thing, and this was how he got people to relax in his company before he attacked them, but she didn’t think so. And it wasn’t only the way he looked at her either. When she’d touched the back of his hand, it was as though she’d been able to see right into the centre of him. She’d felt as though he’d allowed her to live his life, if only for a few seconds. She didn’t even know it was possible to do such a thing, and she felt as though she’d experienced the type of man he was from the inside out. No one had ever been so open with her before.
She’d been caught up in a whirlwind of madness but she couldn’t back out now. Not only did she want to do her job, she also had curiosity burning at her soul at the idea of being his Bloodmate. She’d never had a serious relationship with a guy—nothing more than a few dates or a one-night stand that never went anywhere. Though she’d always considered herself to be the most independent of women, having lived alone since the age of twenty-three after finally managing to shake off the last of her flatmates, something about the idea of someone who was destined to be with her forever appealed. Maybe that was the reason she’d never been able to find the right guy. It wasn’t as though she’d not been introduced to any, because she had, but none had sent her heart racing as this man did.
No, not a man. A vampire. She needed to remember that. She had no experience with his kind, and she needed to stop reading too much into things. This could all be a trick, and she’d be the one left looking stupid.
As she drove, the headlights illuminated the moorland ahead. These roads were narrow, with a single lane each way, which often reduced to just one lane for both directions. But there wasn’t much traffic at this time in the evening, and they barely passed another soul. She was aware of how isolated they were out here. If the vampire decided he didn’t want to come with her, he could easily break free and run. Why wasn’t he doing just that? Surely there was more to his motives to want to help her than wanting to be near her? But why turn himself in? Did he genuinely believe he might be dangerous and so was trying to protect others from himself? If that was true, it meant he didn’t trust himself, and it didn’t seem like a good thing for her to be sitting in a car with him, alone.
&n
bsp; “You’re quiet.” His voice came from beside her, making her jump.
“Sorry. A lot on my mind.”
“You mean me?” Despite the gravity of the situation, she still detected a teasing, flirting manner to his voice.
She kept her tone firm. “I mean my job.”
“Of course.”
They fell back into silence again.
Charlie took her eyes off the road for a moment to glance over at him. He really did have beautiful eyes, and his profile was like something she’d seen in a men’s health magazine. She knew she shouldn’t let herself be drawn in by his looks. Wasn’t that exactly what vampires used to lure in their prey? A pretty face was always disarming, and combine that with a confident, charming personality, it was a struggle to think of the person as being a deadly killer.
An image of the dead man’s body, his throat torn out and blood everywhere, flashed in her mind. She tightened her fingers around the steering wheel, and she took a shaky breath. That was what she needed to focus on—not the attractive mouth of the man beside her or imagining how those strong-looking fingers would feel against her skin. She had to remember what he might be capable of.
Still, Charlie squirmed in her seat at thoughts of him touching her. It had been a while since she’d had a man in her life. Most men she met were intimidated by her—either by her height or by her job.
“Are you okay?” he asked her. “Your heart rate has increased.”
Shit. “You can hear that?”
“Yes. I can hear the prickle as the hairs on your arms stand to attention, too.”
She froze. She didn’t like that he could hear how her body reacted to him. It might give her away.
Give what away? That you find him attractive? That deep down you hope there might be an inkling of truth to this whole Bloodmates thing?
Either way, she didn’t like it.
“Well ... just ... stop listening,” she finished lamely. “Or I’ll have to get you some noise-cancelling headphones or something.”
He grinned at her, revealing white teeth. “They won’t work, I’m afraid. My hearing is too sensitive for even headphones to block out sound.”
“Perfect,” she muttered, staring at the road to concentrate on her driving. How the hell had she ended up getting into this situation?
The police four-by-four rolled over a cattle grid, and then the road widened as they left the moorland and headed onto the main road. The nearest police station was situated in a small town, and soon she was pulling into the car park out front. At this time in the evening, the most interesting things going on were people drunk or getting into fights after leaving the pub. They had the occasional domestic violence case to deal with, but otherwise things tended to be quiet around here.
At least, that was until a man was found dead, and she ended up with a vampire sitting in the car beside her.
Charlie spotted Stephen’s car parked outside. So, he was already here. It had been a long day with an early start, and he probably wanted to get home to his wife and kids. She wondered if he’d found anything, but he’d probably have let her know if he had. She realised she hadn’t called in about Ivan Sokolov either. It wasn’t exactly an easy call to make.
She drove into her space and glanced over at the vampire. She was about to get other people involved in this, and she didn’t know how they’d respond. Disbelief, at first, she imagined. But then fear? Dealing with a vampire wasn’t their normal territory, but it wasn’t as though this particular vampire was threatening at all, even if he did think himself capable of killing a man.
What if it wasn’t him? What if he was wrong and there was something else on the moors that had done that to both Richard Hutton and the animals before him? If there was one paranormal creature stalking the moorland, then why couldn’t there be two? Hadn’t she thought of something paranormal when she’d seen the sheep that time? And hadn’t she wondered how he’d been killed without any of his friends hearing a thing, or that he hadn’t had time to fight back? The killer being something paranormal would explain that.
Yeah, something like a vampire.
“You’re doing it again,” Ivan said, his hand resting on the car door handle.
“Doing what?”
“Getting lost inside your own head.”
She rubbed her hand over her eyes. “Yeah, sorry. I tend to think everything over a lot. Part of the job.”
“You can always say those thoughts out loud, you know. I might be able to help.”
“You don’t want to know what’s going on inside my head. Trust me on that.”
She pushed open the car door and climbed out. Nerves caused butterflies to churn her stomach, but, strangely, she discovered it wasn’t the vampire who made her nervous, but the reaction of her colleagues in the station. She wasn’t following protocol here but she wasn’t sure they even had protocol for this situation.
Charlie led the way, striding towards the entrance. She smiled and nodded at the officer behind the desk.
“Hey,” she was greeted. “Long day?”
“Definitely.”
The other woman’s gaze flicked over Charlie’s shoulder to Ivan. She didn’t want to explain who he was so just gestured with her head for him to follow her into the back.
Stephen was standing with his head bent over a desk. He must have sensed her enter as he lifted his head to look at her as she walked in.
“Evening,” he said. “I was starting to think you’d gone home already. Find anything useful?” He caught sight of Ivan and frowned. “And who is this?”
“This is—” she started, but Ivan stepped forward, directly into Stephen’s personal space. She expected her colleague to react, and for a moment worried Ivan would try to hurt the other man, and she would have no way of stopping him, but instead Ivan spoke.
“You need to go home. Forget you ever saw me. Wait for Charlie’s call in the morning.”
To her surprise, Stephen nodded. “Yes. I will. I’ll go home now.”
Her colleague picked up his belongings and then turned to Charlie. “I’ll wait for your call in the morning.”
“Wait? What?” Confusion swam through her mind.
Stephen pushed past them both and left them alone in the office.
She spun to Ivan. “What did you do to him?”
“Compelled him not to interfere with these proceedings.”
Something dawned on her. “That’s what you were trying to do with me outside the hotel, wasn’t it?”
He nodded. “Yes, but it didn’t work.”
“Why not?”
“Honestly, I have no idea. Perhaps it’s because you’re my Bloodmate.”
“It certainly appears to have worked on Stephen, but why wouldn’t you want him to help?”
“It’ll be easier, just the two of us, at least for the moment. We’re going to have to call The Directive in, too, and again, they’ll most likely want to take over, assuming this death is down to me. They’ll need to decide what needs to be done with me.” His teeth dug into his lower lip, and he glanced away.
For the first time, she realised he was actually worried about the proceedings. “What do you think they’ll do with you?”
“I’m not sure. If I’ve killed a man, I’ll have to be punished. And if they decide I’m still a danger, that punishment may be permanent.”
She widened her eyes at the implication. “Permanent?”
“Yes, though that is also dependent on you.”
“Me?”
“You’re my Bloodmate. Without you, the blackouts will return, and so will my thirst for blood. I won’t be able to control myself. Who knows how many others I might kill.”
“And with me?” Her heart thrummed in anticipation.
His eyes locked with hers, and she didn’t detect so much as a trace of humour on his face. “With you, I feel complete. Like my whole world has slotted into place, and I can finally live in peace. No more searching for fulfilment in empty, meaningless hooku
ps.”
When she spoke again, her voice came out breathy. “That’s a lot of pressure to put on one person.”
He nodded. “I know. And that’s why I won’t demand anything of you. You’re my Bloodmate. I knew it the moment I caught scent of you in the carpark, and all of the pain from The Thirst flooded away. But you’re also human, and I understand if you don’t feel the same way. These things can take time.”
Her mind was reeling. How was she supposed to respond to any of this?
Instead of emotion, she fell back on what she was comfortable with—procedure. “Let’s find out if you are responsible. Where’s the bloodied shirt?”
He bent to his bag and unzipped it before pulling out a white shirt that had been bundled into a ball. She wasn’t squeamish in the slightest, but still the sight of the amount of blood shocked her.
“You said you woke up with all of this on you?”
He rubbed his hand across his mouth and nodded. “Yes, and no memory of how it got there.” He lifted a foot. “My shoes were filthy, too, as though I’d been running through mud.”
“Do you normally get this ... messy ... when you feed?”
His lips twisted, his dark eyebrows pulling together. “No, not at all. Vampires wouldn’t normally waste blood in this way. But if I was caught up in the grips of The Thirst, there’s no telling what I might have done.”
She nodded. “Well, the best thing we can do to find out for sure is to send this off to the lab. They’ll be able to compare the blood samples to the body. If they don’t match, we’ll know you’re not the killer.”
“If they don’t match, there’s probably someone else out there who I hurt. It doesn’t mean I’m innocent, only that I’m innocent of that particular death.”
He had a point.
“How long is it going to take to get the results back?” he asked.
“Normally, it would be at least twenty-four hours, but they know me in the lab and might be able to put a rush on it. Still going to be at least twelve hours though.”
Lines appeared across his smooth brow. “It’ll be daylight by then. I’ll need somewhere I can sleep undisturbed. I need to contact The Directive as well, and let them know what’s going on. They’re busy with the number of Thirst cases that have cropped up lately, and the number of Bloodmates, too, but they need to be alerted to what’s happening.”
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