by Kayleigh Sky
That baffled Otto and sent panic racing through him. “Wen.”
“We’re both free until our acceptance ceremony. Wen is thirty-seven years old. He’s not waiting alone for me.”
But still… It was cheating, wasn’t it?
“I guess I don’t really understand that.”
Jessa’s face fell a little, and he gave a wistful smile.
“I used to drive myself crazy hoping Wen would fall in love with me. And to be fair, wishing I’d fall in love with him. But we didn’t. We have a contract, and we do like each other. Arranged marriages have time between the contract and the acceptance. It’s civilized and accepts the reality. Nobody’s under the illusion love’s involved. Well, except for me. I was. I guess that’s why I love my romances, but I don’t want it to all be a fantasy.”
He stepped closer, and Otto backed into the wall.
Vampire.
Jessa’s bloodline glowed in his eyes. His face loomed so close every stray freckle scattered across his cheeks jumped out. The bump on the bridge of his skinny nose. The flecks of gold in his eyes like specks of mica in a loamy riverbank.
Otto’s throat seized, choking him.
“I want this. Just a kiss,” Jessa whispered. “Just to see what it’s like.”
What it’s like?
Otto pressed back in a panic but there was nowhere to go with the wall behind him. “What do you—”
“I’m a virgin.”
Otto raised his palms. Of course he was. Tied to Wen and living on romances. Bed bound for most of his teens. But at twenty-three? At twenty-three, Otto had been fucking jaded over sex. It was a release that had nothing to do with his heart. It wasn’t romantic. So why think of romance and false gold and…
Mine.
What the hell? Jess wasn’t his. And the easiest way to make that clear was to fuck him and be done with it.
But all Jess wanted was a kiss.
“I don’t want to hurt you.”
Otto dropped a hand, reaching behind him, fumbling for the doorknob when Jessa flew at him. His weight knocked Otto back. Grunting in surprise, he wrapped his arms around Jessa’s back, stunned at the crash of Jessa’s mouth against his. Never so drunk as on blossoms and heat and the wine of Jessa’s breath. Fruity and spicy. He buried his fingers in Jessa’s long braided hair and invaded his mouth, dizzy with the moans and whimpers filling his head. You can’t… Run. But he held tight. Jessa panted, the sounds he made spilling like a sweet drink down Otto’s throat, warming his belly and blurring his brain. Such soft lips. Parted and wet with desperate kisses. The rasp of stubble like fingernails teasing the skin of his spine.
Otto shuddered and cupped a round ass cheek, digging his fingers in until Jessa rocked against him, suddenly a ravenous sex demon.
The switch knocked him stupid, but he clung to the thought they shouldn’t do this, that he was forgetting something that would come back to haunt him. Not Wen. Not the royal family. Not even Maisie. But something that—
“The case,” he murmured against the brush of Jessa’s lips.
The vampire was humming, eyes closed, a flush to his cheeks. His cock, hard as iron, rolled against Otto’s thigh.
“Jess.”
Jessa opened his eyes to smoldering slits.
Fuck.
“I won’t jeopardize the case,” Jessa whispered.
His lips were spit slick and pink, and it took a minute for his words to register in Otto’s brain. In the meantime, he squeezed the ass still cupped in his palms. Hot as any human’s.
He frowned through the fuzziness in his head. What was Jessa doing to him? He’d fucked hundreds of guys and never once lost control.
But with Jess…
He raised a hand and cupped the bristly jaw, running his thumb along Jessa’s lip. He shook his head.
“You tempt me,” he whispered.
“I hope so. I’ve been flirting with you for days.”
Otto burst out laughing, and Jessa grinned.
“You’re too cute.”
“I don’t want to be cute.”
“I swear, Jess, at any other time.” He caressed Jessa’s lip one last time and let his hand fall. “But I can’t.”
Jessa’s eyes closed briefly. Then he opened them and stepped back. He hit something with his heel, and Otto looked at the jar Jessa had been holding earlier, now lying on the ground. It had fallen without Otto’s notice. Jessa picked it up and cupped it with both hands.
“What kind of seeds are those?”
“Four o’clocks.”
“A flower?”
Jessa nodded. “On a bush. They’re very old-fashioned. A human gardener gave them to me, and I planted them outside here.”
“Are they pretty?”
“They’re not blooming now. Not ’til summer, but you can see.”
He gestured to the door, and Otto opened it and stepped outside. The air chilled him, though the sun was still out. A stab of grief hit him as though he’d let something go he’d never get back. He pushed away the memory of Maisie waving cheerfully as she’d breezed out his door for the last time. He should have stopped her. He shouldn’t let the vamp get away from him.
Mine.
But he didn’t stop him. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and reminded himself of his professional obligations while Jessa showed him the row of plain bushes alongside the greenhouse.
Maybe in the summer they were beautiful, but Otto wouldn’t be here to see it.
29
Visiting the Family
The fog fell over them, heavy and damp, and Otto flipped on his headlights.
Jessa shivered, close enough to a shudder to make Otto glance over.
“You okay? Need the heater on?”
“I’m fine. The fog’s just kind of creepy.”
“Pretty thick,” Otto agreed.
They were heading to Willits, Mateo’s hometown according to what Isaac had told them. It occurred to Otto that Isaac had only told them what he had because he didn’t believe Mateo was anywhere near there, and neither did Otto. Most likely his family and friends would be close-mouthed, but Otto wanted a feel for the place because he hoped it would help put him in Mateo’s headspace. Not that he had any confidence that would do much for him anymore, but it was all he had at this point.
After he switched on the defroster, he relaxed in his seat and focused on the murky road in front of him.
Less than an hour later the fog had evaporated, and the sky had turned a flat white color.
Otto got off the highway and pulled into the parking lot of the Sunview Terrace Apartments a few minutes later. Years ago, the complex had probably been appealing to families, but time had painted the multicolored exterior with water stains and dreariness. The buildings were a mix of two and three-story units in faded yellow or blue.
Otto turned off the engine, and Jessa popped open his door and jumped out. Otto joined him on the walkway.
“Are we going to knock on doors?” Jessa asked.
“I hope not. I thought we’d check the mailboxes first.”
According to Isaac, Mateo had lived with his grandmother, but none of the names on the wall of mailboxes that fronted the parking lot was Lopez. There was Rangel, Avila, and Estrada, but no Lopez.
Great.
“Okay, blossom. Guess we’re knocking on doors.”
Mateo hadn’t lived here in three years, and although a few cars were parked in the driveway, they knocked on seven doors before the tenant answered and said they didn’t really know any of their neighbors and didn’t know that name.
Jessa stood behind him with his hair pulled tight across his neck.
After getting no answer at three more doors, Otto said, “Maybe they’re at work. Let’s finish this building, get something to eat, and try again in a couple hours.”
Jessa opened his mouth, but before any words came out, he grabbed onto Otto’s arm as the building shook. A pot on the railing tumbled off and crashed to the ground below
. An instant later, a door opened two apartments down, and a guy poked his head out.
“What was that?”
“A pot,” said Otto, looking over the railing to make sure nobody had been standing under it.
“Idiot place to put it.”
As the door started to close again, Otto raised a palm and stepped over. “Just a sec. Have you got a minute to answer a question?”
Suspicion immediately filled the guy’s eyes. He was about fifty and wore a blue shirt with a logo with an eagle on it over a T-shirt and a pair of dark gray slacks.
“Is that a uniform?” Otto asked. “I won’t keep you long if you’re heading out to work.”
“I’m a security guard. I just got home.”
Otto nodded and made himself look pleased. “Then maybe you can help. I’m with the Comity Police, working on a missing person case. Mateo Lopez? We received information that he used to live here with his grandmother, Estelle, but I don’t see her name listed.”
“That’s because she’s dead.” The guy glanced behind him. “Just a minute.”
He swung the door closed but didn’t quite shut it. Otto glanced at Jessa, who widened his eyes. But then, as Otto was about to tap on the door, the guy returned.
“I left the stove on. I’m Estelle’s nephew, by the way. Dan Estrada. Mateo’s my cousin, but I haven’t seen him in a long time. You’re the second person who’s come looking for him.”
“Oh? Is he in trouble?”
“Not that I know of, but like I said, I haven’t seen him in a long time. Probably the other guy has. Said he was a friend, but not the same age, though I’m guessing they were probably in the same line of work.”
Interesting. What he did for a living was the kind of thing Otto would’ve thought Mateo would hide, but Maisie hadn’t either now that he thought about it.
“It’s important we find him. Do you have a few minutes?”
The guy sighed, glance flickering to Jessa.
“He’s okay,” Otto added. “He’s with me.”
The guy snorted. “I can handle you both.” But when he retreated into the apartment, he left his door open.
After a quick smile at Jessa, Otto entered. Jessa followed quietly.
“Go ahead and sit down. I’m just finishing my coffee. You want some?”
“No, thank you.”
Jessa shook his head, and the guy sat. “So whadda you want to know?”
“You said you haven’t seen him in years. Not even for his grandmother’s funeral?”
“Nope. Mateo found a way to make some easy money. I’m guessing his loyalty is with his own kind like the guy who came looking for him.”
“But if he was looking for him, he didn’t know where Mateo was either.”
A quick flush of irritation crossed the guy’s face. Then he shrugged. “So maybe he has no loyalty.”
“Does Mateo have any friends here?”
“No. I doubt it. People come and go.”
“What can you tell me about who was looking for him?”
The guy pursed his lips together, brows drawing down while he thought. “Early thirties, I’d say. Skinny and quiet… like you,” he said with a sharp stare at Jessa, who pulled his hair tighter across his neck.
Otto edged closer to him.
“Did he say how he knew Mateo?”
“No. I didn’t ask. I don’t care. Mateo broke his grandmother’s heart. He knew better than to come back. That’s what I told this guy. I have no problem with vampires, but drainers?... Not their fault, I guess, but you can’t trust them. It’s too dangerous to. I wouldn’t let Mateo stay here doing what he’s doing. Or the other guy. I told him to go. He had marks on his neck like he’d just come from somebody. I didn’t think those lasted.”
He looked again at Jessa. “That’s a vampire necklace you’ve got on, isn’t it?”
Otto slipped his hand inside Jessa’s elbow. “Thank you for your time.”
The guy’s eyes narrowed for a moment, then he nodded.
At the door, Otto paused. “Did you get the guy’s name by chance?”
“I want to say Ash or Aiden, but I’m not real sure.”
A moment later, he shut the door on them with a heavy thud.
Otto caught up to Jessa, already halfway down the stairs. He followed him to the walkway and gripped his elbow again, slowing him down.
“Hey, are you okay?”
Jessa wrinkled his slightly pinched nose. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
“You don’t have to do this.”
Otto waited while Jessa took a deep breath and blew it out. “It’s exciting.”
“Exciting?”
Jessa nodded, and in the light trapped under the clouds gathering again, his eyes glittered.
“You weren’t scared?” Otto asked.
“Of course not. Not with you there. I felt like the sidekick in one of my detective novels. It was fun.”
Otto shook his head. “I need to be more careful with you around.”
Jessa pulled his arm free. “I don’t want you to be careful. I don’t want to be protected all the time. I can take care of myself. I’m stronger than you, you know?”
“Wanna arm wrestle?”
Jessa laughed, the annoyance on his face blowing away. “I’m just saying I wasn’t in any danger.”
“I like making sure,” Otto said, regretting his comment the minute he said it. It was too personal. It was Wen who should worry about Jessa, not him. But the color rising in Jessa’s cheeks echoed the hot flush in Otto’s body, and he didn’t mind that at all.
Even though he told himself he should.
Even though getting in deep with Jessa was a bad idea.
30
Shook Up
On the way out of town they stopped at a minimart, got a couple of hot dogs, some snacks, and two Cokes, and continued on. Jessa munched on his potato chips, occasionally sucking on his fingers and driving Otto crazy with a sound he’d really rather hear coming from between his legs.
With a glare into the radiant light under the clouds, he rested his arm on top of the steering wheel and said, “Help me think.”
“About what?” Jessa asked.
“What we know.”
“Well… It starts with Brillen Acalliona.”
“That’s where we come in. The victim is the end or the middle. We’re trying to work our way back from Acalliona’s death.”
“The convention brought him to Comity.”
“Right. A jeweler’s convention held in a hotel less than a mile from where he was killed. Attendees interviewed and checked out.”
“Comity House.”
“Which he went to because he was pretending to be a drainer, but it didn’t work. Is it related to the murder? Or an unconnected perversion? Blood whores exist for a reason. Acalliona’s not the only one to drink from humans, but the tattoo… That’s a twist. Why not pick up somebody on the street? He ended up with Mateo anyway.”
“Maybe he didn’t want a whore. Mateo was from Comity House.”
“Okay. So Brillen comes to a convention out of town with a fake donor card. Where’d he get it? Somebody had to supply it. Or agree to make it. I’m guessing Acalliona’s not the only one who likes their blood from legitimate sources. Still… it seems elaborate.”
“If he thought he deserved better than somebody off the street, he’d go somewhere like Comity House.”
“And Wen is on the up and up.”
“Of course he is. He gave Mateo a job. Wen has a good reputation.”
Otto shot Jessa a quick glance before returning his focus to the highway. Jessa defending Wen didn’t surprise him. That was Jessa’s nature and not the usual vampire-sticking-up-for-vampire bullshit. He believed in Wen—which gave Otto pause. It was hard for him to shake the feeling Wen was involved, but maybe he wasn’t.
He gave Jessa another quick glance. “No offense, Jess.”
“You don’t have to like—”
The car rose, Otto
’s stomach lurching with it. Jessa gasped and grabbed for the dashboard. On the other side of the median, a pickup swerved in their direction, and the pavement rolled as though a wave had passed underneath it.
“Shit,” Otto muttered, holding on tight to the steering wheel.
He pumped the brakes, though somewhere in the back of his mind a voice rose, telling him he shouldn’t do that. A roar filled his ears. He relaxed his foot and steered away from the wall of cement at his side, scraping his door and fishtailing away into the center of the highway. The roar died, only his pounding heart drumming in his ears now. The car rocked to a stop, and he took a rattling breath.
“Holy shit. Are you okay?”
Jessa glanced over, blanched white, and nodded. “I think so.”
Two cars had stopped behind them, but the pickup on the other side of the median continued on. Nobody within sight looked hurt, but the way ahead was impassable now, so there was no telling what the damage was farther on.
Jessa fixed a sick-looking gaze on the ruptured pavement. The edges were as jagged as somebody’s exposed spine.
Repressing a shudder, Otto reached for his satellite phone.
“Can we get by?” Jessa asked.
“Yeah. We just need to back up and get over. The other side looks passable. Wait here. I want to check in and see what I can find out. Back in a sec.”
The quiet outside the car was eerie after the thunderous roaring a few minutes ago. Heading back the way they’d come, Otto peered into first one car and then the other, checking on the occupants, who waved or nodded. Turning back, he stuck to the sunny areas, skirting the splotchy shadows under the pines. A few seconds later, an engine started behind him.
“Comity Dispatch.”
“Detective Jones. I’m about fifteen minutes outside Willits. The highway ruptured in front of us. Any info on the damage between here and home?”
“The epicenter was Sac. Let me check on anything else I can tell you.”
One of the cars behind him rolled backward, picking up speed as it went. It shrank in size and soon the other car followed it. The sun glinted off the windshield of the first car when it reversed through an opening in the median.
