Sniffing, Eve pulled back. “I’ve been telling myself it was over, what happened that morning. That I was safe. That’s been the only thing keeping me going. The thought that it was over.” That, and Selene. Not that she’d admit that to Jac. “I’m not sure I know what to do now. The idea that I could see him again—”
“Not on my watch.” Jac opened her mouth to say something else, but the loud chime of the lab’s doorbell cut her off. Eve’s heart constricted, then stuttered into overdrive, her entire body tensing as her fight-or-flight instinct kicked in. Immediately Jac’s warm hand covered hers. “I’m sure it’s the techs delivering the body. I’ll go get it.”
Normally Eve would’ve jumped right up to help receive a new corpse, but she didn’t trust her legs to support her. “Thanks.”
Eve watched Jac cross the lab and peek out the window into the hallway, exhaling in relief when she immediately stepped back to open the door. Two familiar police technicians wheeled in a gurney and carefully transferred a black body bag to the steel table in the center of the room. Eve watched the process—something she’d witnessed hundreds of times before—with a sense of mounting dread.
She didn’t know how she would bring herself to stare into that woman’s lifeless eyes again. Not when she felt somehow responsible for her death. She’d faced the same evil this woman had stared down tonight and escaped—if only because of the freak appearance of a wolf in Golden Gate Park. She was alive and this woman wasn’t.
Eve could have just as easily ended up on that steel slab. Even more horrifying than that thought was that she might wind up there yet.
Jac told both technicians good-bye, closing the lab door behind them. Then she turned to Eve and planted her hands on her hips, fire in her eyes. “All right. We gonna catch this motherfucker or not?”
Eve snorted at Jac’s characteristic bluntness. “Yes.”
“Then get up, evil genius, and work your forensic magic.”
Eve knew perfectly well what Jac was trying to do—motivate her with flattery, banish her fear with a reminder of their purpose. And it worked. She could either live in terror of another encounter with the Golden Gate Park killer or she could take her fate into her own hands. She was Dr. Eve Thomas, for goodness sake. She’d helped catch one serial killer. Damn straight she could do it again.
Eve slapped her hands down on the surface of her desk and stood, shooting Jac a determined grin. “Let’s do this.”
“That’s my girl.”
Eve locked away her disquiet, forcing back every nonanalytical emotion so she could prepare the body for the autopsy. It was “the body” now, not a woman. Not someone who had been walking and talking mere hours ago, before being forced to stare into the same eyes that haunted Eve’s nightmares. It was a body. An empty vessel. And, potentially, their key to tracking down the man who cut short its owner’s life.
The examination felt very familiar. Multiple wounds, all made with the same type of knife used on Yasmin Mandujano. Similar patterning of shallow cuts and deeper slices, with two perfectly placed slashes across the throat that had caused her to bleed out. As Jac had indicated over the phone, the evidence of petechiae covering her face and eyelids confirmed that he had strangled this one, too.
“Do you think he asphyxiates them until they pass out, then cuts them, then asphyxiates them again when they wake up?” Eve tilted her head, considering the question objectively, trying not to remember the feeling of thumbs digging into her own vulnerable throat. “That could explain how he’s able to kill them so brutally in such public places without anyone hearing.”
“If that’s true, he’s one sick bastard.” Jac grimaced. “Seems like a lot of effort to go through, especially in a scenario where time is limited and the threat of discovery is high.”
Swallowing, Eve let herself remember the man who’d attacked her. His eyes, the cold certainty in his voice when he said he could do whatever he wanted. “He thinks he’s invincible. That nobody can stop him.”
Jac hesitated, then touched Eve’s shoulder. “Is that what he told you?”
Eve stripped off her bloody gloves, crossing the room to toss them in the medical waste bin. “He gets off on fear. He definitely got off on my fear. Using that knife to toy with me. Cutting me—”
“He cut you?” Jac rounded the table as though Eve were bleeding right then and there. “You didn’t tell me that.”
Eve met Jac’s eyes. “A nick. On my breast.”
Jac’s expression turned deadly. “I will fucking kill him.”
“No, you won’t.” Eve picked up the evidence she’d collected from the body—fibers that could very well turn out to be insignificant, pubic-hair combings despite no indication of sexual assault, and scrapings from beneath the victim’s trimmed fingernails. But if this was anything like the last body, none of it would lead them any closer to their killer. “You’ll arrest him.”
“Maybe I’ll just hit him first.” Touching Eve’s cheek, Jac tightened her jaw. “A little.”
Eve stepped away from her, needing the space. Protective Jac stirred feelings inside her that no longer had a place in her life. “Don’t you dare do anything to jeopardize your safety or your career. Okay?”
Jac followed Eve to her desk, perching on the edge again. “I want to say something, but I don’t want you to get angry with me.”
Eve knew exactly where the conversation was going, but after the care and concern Jac had shown over the past hour or so, she didn’t have the heart to shut her down. “I’ll try to remain calm.” She forced a neutral expression, hoping to put Jac at ease.
“Selene,” Jac said, and held up a hand when Eve tensed. “I know she’s important to you. And I trust your judgment. But that phone call—”
“You can’t prove it was her. Can you?”
“It was her. I know it in my gut, Eve. For all my faults, I think you’ve always trusted my gut.” Jac gave her a pleading look, and Eve could see that this truly wasn’t simply about jealousy. Jac believed that Selene was their anonymous tipster. And Eve had always trusted Jac’s gut. It usually seemed to be right.
“She could have a lot of reasons to want to remain anonymous.” Eve tried to think of what might prevent Selene from telling her about something so important, but came up short. But she was certain Selene had reasons, legitimate ones. “It’s not against the law to make an anonymous tip.”
Jac stared into Eve’s eyes. “Are you in love with her?” Eve opened her mouth to answer, but Jac looked away with a pained grimace. “Don’t bother. Your face says it all.”
“I can’t explain how it is with Selene,” Eve said. “But it’s good, Jac. It’s really good.”
“Then ask her.” Jac glanced at the exam table, then back at Eve. “Please.”
Eve exhaled shakily. If Selene had discovered the body, Eve did want to know, and not only because it might help their investigation. That was a big secret to keep. Selene might have her reasons, but if Eve didn’t ask, she could only guess what they might be. Eve was tired of relationships built on lies. She wouldn’t have one again, not even for Selene.
“I will,” Eve murmured. She wanted to know, didn’t she? But how to do it without destroying what had so far been perfect in every way? “Just give me some time.”
“Two bodies in less than a month,” Jac said meaningfully. “Don’t take too long.”
Eve gave Jac a grudging nod. “I won’t.”
Chapter Seventeen
Selene knew something was different the moment Eve answered her door the evening after the second murder. Eve’s face softened at the sight of her, and Selene’s entire body hummed as their connection flared to life, but Eve seemed almost reserved as they embraced. The stream of emotion that flowed from her directly into Selene was difficult to decipher, almost overwhelming in its complexity. Familiar love and desire were there, but new—and unsettling—feelings were in the mix.
Anxiety. Fear. Worst of all, uncertainty.
Those negat
ive emotions seemed directed at her, an unexpected turn of events that jarred her into stunned stillness. She knew that Jac and Eve had argued about her that morning at the crime scene, but now she wondered what exactly Jac had said. Whatever it was, it had clearly gotten to Eve.
“Is everything all right?” Selene asked as she drew back from their embrace. Cautiously, she stepped into Eve’s apartment and closed the door behind her. She had planned to tell Eve this evening that she wouldn’t be around on the night of the full moon, so the last thing she needed was unspoken distrust between them. That would make lying even harder to pull off. “You seem upset.”
“I am upset,” Eve said, but gave her a brave smile. “Rough day at the lab.”
“I’ll bet. Anything I can do?”
Eve smiled wider, blushing. “Why don’t we talk a little first?”
Relieved by Eve’s reaction, Selene walked deeper into the apartment. Flirting was a good sign. If Eve was still flirting, Jac hadn’t managed to completely poison her mind against her. At least not yet. After a moment of hesitation, she sat on Eve’s couch. She needed to act casual, to push aside her nerves. If she wanted Eve to trust her, she had to project calm honesty. That was the only way to make Eve believe that she wasn’t hiding anything.
Eve put her hands on her hips. “Want something to drink?”
Selene shook her head, patting the cushion next to her. “Sit down, sweetheart. Tell me about your day. About the woman from the alley.”
Eve shook her head, then turned to walk into the kitchen. “Let me get a glass of wine first.”
“Of course.” Selene stood and followed Eve to the refrigerator, watching as she pulled out a bottle of chardonnay. She hoped Eve had been able to scientifically establish the fact that her own attacker was the same man who killed the woman in the alley. Selene had smelled it, of course, but could never tell Eve. “So it’s the same guy, right? The one who killed the woman in Golden Gate Park?”
Sighing, Eve poured a generous glass of wine, then took a large sip. After another sip, she topped off her glass, then recorked the bottle, sticking it back into the fridge. “Without a doubt.” Eve gestured for Selene to follow her back to the sitting room. “Same exact wounds. Same knack for creating the cleanest messy crime scene I’ve ever encountered.” Eve sat and took another healthy drink, shivering after she swallowed. “And there was something else.”
Selene sank onto the cushion beside Eve. Her gut churned as Eve struggled with whatever she intended to say next. “Tell me.”
“Remember the phone call I got last night? The hang-up?”
Throat dry, Selene nodded. “Was it him?”
“He placed the call from the victim’s cell phone—probably as he stood over her body. We found the entry in her call log.” Eve hiccupped out a humorless laugh. “Pretty big clue that not only are my attacker and this killer one and the same, but he’s clearly fixated on me for some reason.” Another drink, more like a gulp than a sip. “Jac assigned a protective detail to watch my apartment. You probably walked past them on the way in.”
“I didn’t notice.”
“Well, they’re my new shadows, for the time being.” Eve gave a weary chuckle. “Hope you don’t mind having the cops watch you when you’re with me.”
Selene forced down her natural panic at the idea. Eve blinked, staring hard into Selene’s face, and Selene worried that she hadn’t hidden her reaction well enough. “Whatever keeps you safe, darling. That’s all I care about.”
“Is it?” Eve asked, then blushed and quickly stared into her wineglass.
“Of course.” Selene frowned. She could feel that Eve was struggling with something, almost as though she wanted to ask Selene a question, and her heart thumped as she considered all the possibilities. Could Eve have found out about her abilities somehow? Was it the mind-reader thing from the other night? Or did Eve actually know she was a shape-shifter?
But how could she? Selene had been beyond careful not to shift at all since her brief foray into Golden Gate Park to track the killer shortly after Eve’s attack, terrified that Eve or Jac would somehow find out. If that wasn’t what Eve wanted to ask her about—if that wasn’t the cause of Eve’s obvious lapse in trust—then what was it?
Did she simply sense that Selene was keeping secrets?
“I love you, Eve.” Selene took Eve’s hand between her own, shocked by how cold and fragile her slim fingers felt. Drawing from deep within herself, Selene channeled every bit of love and devotion she felt for Eve into her touch, desperate to wrap Eve in the warmth of their bond. “Keeping you safe is more important than anything else.”
Eve’s eyes filled with tears and she blinked rapidly, setting down her wine to swipe at her face with a shaky hand. She left her other hand within Selene’s grasp, curling her fingers around Selene’s palm to give her a gentle squeeze. “I’m so scared, Selene.” Breaking eye contact, she whispered, “And I love you, too.”
Eve still wasn’t saying something. She was holding back, too frightened to vocalize the lingering unease that still hung between them. Hating to see Eve so torn up, Selene took a deep breath and prayed she wasn’t making a mistake by probing deeper. “What else is wrong, darling? Is there something you need to talk about?”
Fear shot from Eve to Selene like a stab in the gut. Eve jerked her head back and stared into Selene’s eyes, desperately searching for…Selene didn’t know. Selene lifted Eve’s hand to her lips, forcing herself not to tremble, and kissed Eve’s knuckles.
“You can tell me anything,” Selene murmured. If Eve knew about her, Selene wouldn’t deny it. After all, Eve had allowed her inside her apartment, so how disgusted could she be? “Don’t be afraid.”
Eve took a breath, then hesitated. After a moment she shook her head. “No, it’s nothing. I’m just…shaken up.”
Scooting closer, Selene pulled Eve into a loose embrace. She kissed her hair and stroked her back, sending as much positive, healing energy to Eve as she could muster. That meant suppressing her own anxiety about the lie she had yet to tell, about whatever Eve didn’t feel comfortable saying. But Selene knew it was important. Though it felt slightly manipulative to influence Eve’s mood when Eve was so clearly uncertain, Selene told herself that it was for her benefit. There was nothing wrong with wrapping Eve in love and desire right now, not when it would ease her obvious disquiet.
Eve exhaled, seeming to melt into their embrace. “This is what I needed.” Fisting her hands in Selene’s T-shirt, Eve buried her face in Selene’s chest and inhaled deeply. “You always make me feel so good.”
“I’m glad.” Selene closed her eyes, not allowing herself to feel the guilt that tickled her subconscious. She wasn’t abusing Eve’s trust by making her feel better this way. She was just using their connection to both their advantage. “I try.”
“I want to trust you.”
Selene stiffened slightly at Eve’s mumbled words, then forced herself to relax. The comment was probably more about Jac than Selene. She knew Eve had trust issues—which made keeping secrets doubly painful. “Of course you can trust me.” Drawing back, she met Eve’s gaze. “I will always do everything I can to protect you. And I will never, ever hurt you. Not if I can help it.”
Eve stared deep into Selene’s eyes. Her face relaxed as she shed the last of whatever had been bothering her. “I know you won’t.”
“Good.” Selene kissed Eve’s lips, then pulled back a few inches to watch her reaction. Success. Eve was no longer anxious, suspicious, or uneasy. She was full of love, and Selene’s chest hurt at the intensity of having all that emotion directed toward her.
“I want you to take me to bed.” Eve blushed as soon as the words came out of her mouth, but she didn’t break eye contact. “I need you to make everything else go away, just for tonight.”
“I can do that,” Selene murmured. She stroked down Eve’s arm, raising gooseflesh. “You’ve had a long day. Maybe we can just hold each other.”
Eve sh
ook her head. “No. I want you to fuck me.”
Selene went still. She wanted Eve—she always wanted her—but for a moment the sudden change in mood paralyzed her. Five minutes ago Eve had been full of doubt, and now she eyed Selene with so much hunger it made thinking all but impossible. “You sure?”
“I need you inside me. I need…” Eve closed her eyes and exhaled shakily. “I need you.”
Selene stood, then pulled Eve to her feet. They could talk later. Right now she needed to reassure Eve that no matter what else happened, she was the most important thing in Selene’s life. She needed to make Eve believe that she was loyal and true, that despite the secrets Selene had to keep, nothing would ever stand in the way of them being together.
She needed to make Eve trust her again.
Chapter Eighteen
Eve didn’t know what to think about the drastic shift in her mood over the past twenty minutes. Before Selene came over, she was scared—of the strange turn the Golden Gate Park killer case had taken, of Jac’s revelation that Selene might be the anonymous tipster, of the possibility that she had once again fallen in love with someone who could so easily mislead her. But more than being afraid, Eve had been determined. She had sworn to herself that she would ask Selene about the anonymous phone call straight up, to hell with the consequences. If Selene hadn’t made the call, at worst Eve would embarrass herself for having lent any credence to Jac’s suspicions. But if Selene was the tipster, Eve needed to know. Not only because Selene could have useful information without knowing it, but also for Eve’s own peace of mind.
If Selene had discovered that body, she had been keeping a pretty big secret. And it needed to be brought out into the open if their relationship had any hope of surviving. After Jac, Eve couldn’t deal with more lies. She just couldn’t. She was willing to give Selene the benefit of the doubt that she had hidden the truth for good reason. What she couldn’t do was look the other way.
But all that fear and determination had disappeared within Selene’s embrace on the couch. The simple touch of Selene’s hands, then her gentle kisses, had chased away every bit of Eve’s negative emotion, leaving her filled with almost crippling desire. The only thing Eve felt now was a fierce urge to connect with Selene at the most primal level. She could find no logical reason for her wildly vacillating emotions, but she was beyond caring. She wanted to trust Selene—she needed to trust Selene—because, plain and simple, Selene made her happy. Beyond happy. Selene was everything to her, inexplicable as that was.
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