Death Bringer sj-2

by Kate Pearce

  “Them?”

  “I meant Adam. Dude, that’s one powerful male. It was like watching a horror flick. The guy literally took the shield Vadim had placed around Ms. Phelps and used it to suffocate the life out of her. She breathed it in and inhaled her own death...”

  “We’ve got security cameras set up in here. We can review the footage back at the office.” Feehan patted her shoulder. “Why don’t you see if you can find Vadim and make sure you both come in to work tomorrow by nine.”

  She met his gaze. “I’m sorry, boss. We really fucked up.”

  “We’ll go over it tomorrow with the rest of the team and work out what we can do next.” He turned her toward the door. “I’ll take care of things here. You get some sleep.”

  He seemed remarkably calm, but then he hadn’t been the one directly responsible for the security of the patient. What a mess they’d made of everything. She found her backpack under one of the chairs, then picked it up. Her shoulder and knee hurt from hitting the floor too hard, but that was the least of her problems.

  She checked her cell. There were no messages, only the realization that it was four o’clock in the morning and she had to find Vadim. Her skull felt as if someone had tried to take it apart with a pair of rib spreaders and no anesthetic. It was hard to sense anything through her pain.

  Vadim.

  He was hurting too. But where was he? Back in his hotel? She focused in harder. No. Then where?

  She felt him staring at the sea. He was definitely on the other side of the bay. But how was she supposed to get there at this time in the morning?

  Duh.

  She found a quiet spot near the elevators and made sure her backpack was secure. Closing her eyes, she focused on her mate and willed herself to get to him. The slither of sand and pebbles against her knees and the smell of the sea crashed over her. She tried to right herself and ended up on all fours, with both hands buried in the scummy wet beach.

  When she looked up, Vadim was sitting to her right on a large rock. There was no way he could’ve missed her ungainly arrival, but he betrayed no interest in her presence. That was good, right? She brushed the sand off her jeans and stumbled and slithered across to him. Luckily, the rock was large enough to accommodate them both, so she sat down.

  It was a beautiful spot. Above them rose the steep cliffs of Belvedere. To the right was the picturesque nighttime sparkle of Sausalito and to the left the orange pillars of the Golden Gate Bridge and the city beyond. She drew in a slow breath. She usually forgot to appreciate what an amazing place she lived in. She risked a glance at Vadim’s profile. He looked remote and almost too pretty to be real.

  “I’m not surprised you’re mad at me.” He didn’t react, so she carried on. “I should’ve been quicker to respond.”

  “I’m the one who failed, and you damn well know it.”

  “Morosov, I was there. I felt the power being used against you, against us. There was no way in hell that anyone could’ve withstood that.”

  “You don’t understand. I’m not supposed to be vulnerable, I’m—”

  “You did your best, right?”

  He said nothing, his mouth a hard line as he returned his attention to the spectacular view.

  “You told me that sometimes Otherworld power is diminished in this world.”

  “That’s correct.”

  “Then isn’t that what happened to you? You’re still incredibly powerful. That’s why they still had to send everything they had against you?”

  “I should’ve known what they planned to do. I should’ve realized that Adam was testing the extent of my abilities when he first turned up.”

  “Hindsight’s a wonderful thing, isn’t it?” She poked him in the arm. “Let it go, Morosov.”

  “They killed her with my magic. That makes me responsible for her death.” He shuddered and Ella poked him again.

  “Don’t be such a wuss. So they turned your own weapon on you. It happens. You still aren’t to blame. What I don’t understand is why they thought it necessary to demonstrate such power to achieve one death.”

  He sighed. “Because they’re fucking crazy?” He stared out over the sea. “If I was in Otherworld, I could destroy them all.”

  “But if you go back there, you’ll be executed.”

  He looked down at her. “Who told you that?”

  “Rossa.”

  His mouth quirked at the corner. “That makes sense.”

  “Are you intending to sit here all night?”

  “I’m not sure.”

  “Let’s go home instead. There’s food there, or at least I think there is.”

  “I don’t have a home.”

  This time she punched him much harder. “Oh, for God’s sake, lighten up, Morosov. Let’s go.”

  She grabbed his hand, and the next minute they were in her kitchen, the lights were on and Vadim was delving into the fridge.

  “You lied. There’s nothing here to eat.”

  “Try the freezer.”

  He complied and she looked over his shoulder as he surveyed her collection of saturated fatty goodness with an air of horror.

  “Come on, partner, let yourself go for once. A Hot Pocket won’t kill you.”

  “How about I make us an omelet?”

  “If you can make it quickly, go for it. I’m starving.”

  He took off his coat and jacket and loosened his tie. “Make some toast.”

  By the time they’d finished eating, it was almost five in the morning, and the sunlight was beginning to filter through the gray, foggy skies.

  Vadim stretched and rubbed his eyes. “I left my car at the hospital. We’ll need to get the ferry in the morning.”

  “Or use magic.”

  He almost smiled for the first time. “You like that mode of transport, then?”

  “It’s pretty cool.” She waited until he set the dishwasher running and then took his hand. “We have to be at work by nine. If we use the ferry, we’ll get much less sleep.” She led him toward her bedroom. “We need our sleep.”

  He already looked exhausted. Had the struggle with the Otherworld sect drained him so completely? Or was it more a case of hurt pride? Ella pushed on his chest until he sat on the edge of the bed. She slowly unbuttoned his shirt and then knelt to unbuckle his belt. His hand covered hers.

  “You don’t need to do that. I can just...”

  She bent her head and kissed the bulge of his cock. “I like doing it. Shut up.”

  He sighed as she slowly unbuttoned his pants and drew down the zipper. Underneath, he wore tight blue cotton boxers that now strained to contain his growing erection.

  “Nice.” Ella dropped a kiss on the crown of his wet cock, which had already escaped the waistband of his boxers. “Now, be quiet and let me concentrate.”

  She helped him ease out of his pants, socks and shoes and then returned her attention to his cock, sliding her hand inside his boxers at the back to stroke and cup his awesome ass. His hips jerked forward.

  “Ella...”

  There was a note of uncertainty in his voice that she’d never heard before. She kissed his shaft through soft cotton that did nothing to hide the length and girth of him, nibbled at the dampening fabric until his hand clenched in her hair, demanding more, trying to direct her mouth to more needy places.

  “Patience is a virtue, Morosov.”

  His answer was a low growl in Fae that made her nipples ache and her lady parts ready for action. But this wasn’t about her. It was about giving him something she’d never attempted to give a man before...

  Love, caring, support? She didn’t want to name it. That screamed of some sort of permanency or security or need on her part. She just wanted him to feel better.

  That was it. Sex made everything better.

  She slid her thumbs down the sides of his boxers and pulled them off. A birthmark in the shape of a black crescent nestled in the lickworthy crevice where his hip met his groin, and she kissed it. With a happy
sigh, she studied his cock.

  “Lie back on the bed, Morosov.” The hand in her hair tightened. “I mean, Vadim.”

  He lay back and she knelt between his thighs and studied the perfection of his abs, chest and beautiful face.

  “I like it when you do what you’re told.” She bent and licked his cock.

  “I noticed.”

  His eyelids were lowered, his voice a soft rumble of lust and need that made her want to start at his feet and kiss every luscious inch of him. She magicked off all her clothes except her bra and panties, which didn’t match, but who the hell cared? The way Vadim was looking at her, for once, he certainly didn’t.

  “Let me touch you.”

  She shook her head. “No, this is all about you. Put your hands behind your head and behave yourself.”

  “If you insist.”

  The darkness was disappearing from his eyes and he was visibly relaxing—apart from the important parts that stayed impressively erect. She shook out her hair and then bent over his cock and sucked the first inch into her mouth. His groan encouraged her and she took more. He rolled his hips and she sucked on him hard, one hand cupping his balls as she worked her mouth and teeth along the length of his shaft.

  His thoughts flooded hers, his desire for her a living thing that knew no boundaries and needed no words. She could tell when he was near a climax and ease off, or push him even closer... She teased and tantalized him until he was pleading with her, begging her to let him come.

  With some reluctance, she released his cock and straddled him, the cotton of her panties rubbing against the base of his shaft. As he watched, she slowly removed her bra and cupped her breasts, teasing her already tight nipples to needy buds.

  “Ella, let me, I—”

  She smiled at him and rubbed herself and her swollen clit against his cock, the fabric of her panties wet from both his need and her own.

  “Please.”

  His stark request echoed through her head, and she disposed of her panties. Watching him the whole time, she slowly lowered herself over his cock, her groan joining his as his thick length pressed inward. She started to move on him. He helped her, thrusting upward into each down stroke, so in tune with her that every sensation was doubled and trebled and...

  She climaxed and he followed her, bringing her hard down on him as he pumped upward. She nestled her cheek into the angle between his head and neck and sighed.

  “That was awesome.”

  Tomorrow was soon enough to analyze why she’d felt compelled to tend to Vadim’s complex needs in such a way. Tomorrow was also soon enough to deal with the horrors of Adam and the Otherworld sect.

  Chapter Nine

  “So you’re saying Ms. Phelps died from inhaling your magic shield.” Feehan frowned. “Has that ever happened to you before?”

  “No.” Vadim glanced around the room at the rest of the team. “It was unprecedented. I do, however, accept prime responsibility for Ms. Phelps’s death.”

  Ella shook her head. “I was there too, Morosov. There was nothing either of us could do against that amount of power. We just weren’t prepared for it.”

  Feehan paced in front of the whiteboard. “If this thing is growing stronger, maybe it’s time to call in the Otherworld authorities.”

  “I don’t think Adam was acting alone this time,” Vadim forced himself to say. “The level of power that was used against us was far too high and too complex to belong to one being.”

  “I agree.” Liz’s Fae-Web was busy lighting up over her head. “What happened wasn’t normal. I’ve never seen anything like it either.”

  Before Liz could start asking awkward questions, Vadim spoke up.

  “I’m meeting with a member from my family today to ask for additional information about Adam.”

  “Whom exactly are you meeting?” Mr. Feehan asked.

  “A cousin of mine called Rossa.”

  “Rossa?” Liz grimaced. “I know him. He’s a devious little shit.”

  He smiled at her. “You’re right, but he’s also afraid of me, and terribly indiscreet.”

  “Then you should learn a lot.” Liz’s smile disappeared. “But you also need to be careful, Vadim. I’m seeing you as central to this case, even more central than the poor victims.”

  “That’s certainly worrying.” He hesitated. “Would it be better if I removed myself from the investigation entirely?”

  Everyone else in the room except Ella looked at each other. Mr. Feehan cleared his throat.

  “We did think about that, Vadim, but Liz doesn’t believe it will help.”

  So that was why everyone had already been in place when he and Ella arrived. What time had the nine o’clock meeting really started?

  Ella snorted. “That’s a nice way to treat a team member, boss. Aren’t you the one who’s always going on about us working together as a unit?”

  “It’s okay,” Vadim reassured everyone. “I understand why you considered it.”

  Feehan shot him a grateful glance. “Thanks.”

  “Do we need to speak to Ms. Phelps’s family?”

  “She doesn’t have anyone in the area. They’ve asked us to return her to Kentucky for burial in the family plot.”

  “What about her face?”

  “We’re going to seal the coffin and make it impossible for them to open it at their end by sending an SBLE team home with her.” Feehan grimaced. “It’s not perfect, but it’s the best we can do for all of them.”

  “So all we have to worry about is victim number three,” Sam said.

  “If Adam returns. After that clash with Vadim and Ella, maybe he won’t have the balls to come back.”

  “It might delay him for a day or so, but he’ll be back,” Vadim replied. “He’s obviously a creature of habit, and he has a goal to accomplish.” He put away his pen. “If that’s all, I’ll go and speak to Rossa right now and get back to you as soon as possible.”

  Feehan nodded. “Sure, go ahead. We’ll finish up here.”

  Vadim deliberately didn’t catch Ella’s eye as he rose and left the room. She didn’t need to be with him for this encounter. He had a few things he wanted to say to Rossa without an audience. Not that he’d shut her out entirely—that would make her too suspicious—but he could still shield some of his emotions if she wasn’t breathing down his neck.

  He went into their office and then immediately magicked himself to his hotel room. Rossa was already ensconced on the bed, watching porn on the TV.

  “Hey.”

  Vadim turned off the TV and Rossa pouted.

  “I was watching that.”

  “You can do it in real life. Why watch it?”

  “True.” Rossa turned toward him. “What can I do for you, cygnet?”

  “I need you to take a message to my mother and grandmother.”

  “Okay...”

  “Tell them that if Adam intends Ella to be his third victim, they have to stop him.”

  “And why would they want to do that? They don’t like your mate. If Adam killed her, it would make things all nice and tidy again.”

  “If Adam kills her, I will return to Otherworld and to my full powers. I’ll demand vengeance for her death, as is my right as a bonded male.”

  “Um, that’s not good, right?”

  “It is for me. I’ve missed slaughter and bloodshed more than I thought I would. If my mate is involved, I strongly suspect my rage will have no bounds.”

  “You mean, you’d kill your own family?”

  “If I had to.” He paused for effect. “If I felt they had failed me.”

  Rossa’s color faded. “I don’t think anyone can stop the sect from completing their games.”

  “I’ve stopped them in the past.”

  “But only a great personal cost!”

  Vadim held Rossa’s silver gaze. “And I’ll do it again, but this time I’ll save my mate and take everyone who opposes her down with me. Tell them my terms.”

  “And what i
f they won’t help?”

  “If she is harmed, they’ll be dead. It’s quite simple.”

  “You can’t—”

  “I can, Rossa. You know I can, and so do they.” He hesitated. “And if I’m killed, I’d appreciate it if you would look out for Ella.”

  “You’re asking me? Frakk, cygnet, I’m probably going to get fried just for being your messenger.”

  “But if you survive, you will protect her?”

  He shrugged. “Sure, I like her.”

  “Swear it.”

  Rossa sighed and placed his hand flat over his heart. “I will keep the faith until the sky falls upon me, until the earth opens and swallows me and until the sea rises and covers me.”

  Vadim nodded as relief swamped him. “Thank you. Now please go and deliver my message.”

  With a wink and a flash of light, Rossa was gone. Vadim slowly let out his breath and stared at the rumpled counterpane where his cousin had been sitting. Would it be enough to save Ella? Adam had touched her to show Vadim that he could. Luckily for him, she hadn’t seen it as a threat, only as a near miss.

  He got up and straightened the bed covers. Despite what he’d claimed, if the sect combined their powers again, they might have the strength to harm his mate. That was unacceptable. He hadn’t been making empty threats to his family. For the first time in his long existence he was willing to lay down his life. Would they understand that? Would they act?

  There was nothing else he could do at the moment to stop the inevitable battle between him and the cult. It was his destiny, one he’d tried to avoid by running away.

  Ella would survive. He would make damned sure of it. She was worth dying for. Now he just had to find a way to convince her of that too...

  * * *

  “So you’re okay about this.”

  Ella studied her companion as he drove across the bridge toward the East Bay and the joys of her parents’ house in Walnut Creek.

  “Are you deaf? I believe I’ve said that at least three times.”

  “I’m just worried. You know my mom will be all over you, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “And my sister, Madison?”