Ripper

by Lexi Blake

  A full demon was. I agreed with him whole-heartedly on that count, but I had grown up in the supernatural world. My mother had talked to me about a halfling friend of my grandfather’s all the time. They’d worked for the Council together on several jobs. He’d had a wife and kids and he’d always been a loyal friend. The way my mother told it, halflings came in two kinds—the kind that took after the demon part and the kind that stayed true to their human souls. Though she’d said even that kind could be assholes, too. Assholiness, according to my mother, was not limited to demon DNA.

  Sloane pushed his chair back. “I’ll call your brother. He’ll watch out for you. As long as you stay away from this particular case, I think this perp will leave you alone. He seems to want to keep this between me and him. Don’t worry about the check. I’ll get it. I’ll catch this guy, Kelsey. I promise you that.”

  He turned to go and the easiest thing in the world would have been to let him. Let him think I didn’t want to have anything to do with a half-demon and I wouldn’t have to ache at the thought of his pain. I didn’t like caring about someone I’d just met. I didn’t like…anything I felt when I thought about Grayson Sloane.

  “Why me?” I couldn’t let him walk out like that. “Why this sudden pursuit of me?”

  He turned back around and I could see he really didn’t want to walk out either. “It wasn’t sudden. At least, it wasn’t for me. I’ve wanted you since I went to your mom’s for dinner with Jamie and I saw a picture of you and I knew I’d finally found you.”

  “Found me?”

  He laughed a little and weariness overcame his handsome face. I had the most insane urge to force him to sit down, to massage the back of his neck and kiss his forehead until his troubles went away. “I was never going to tell you this. I was going to pretend we just met through Jamie. Well, it doesn’t matter. My father…one of his powers is prophecy. He can see certain futures and determine outcomes and often change it. I don’t do any of that, but every now and then I get a flash of the future. It’s a little movie in my head. I’ll touch something or I’ll walk into someplace and it triggers the power in me.”

  The room seemed quiet and I was aware that we were alone. It was intimate and not at all scary. “Where did you see me?”

  “I spent the night in a hotel in Dallas.” His voice was rich and I got the feeling he enjoyed the story he told. He might be thinking twice about telling it, but it was close to his heart. “I’m from Houston originally, but the job I was interviewing for was here in Dallas. My family had money and I inherited it when I was sixteen, so I kind of waste it as much as I can. I took the bridal suite because it was the only suite left. I always spring for the best. It’s a game in a way. Let’s see how much of my mother’s money I can waste. Anyway, I interviewed and it went great. I spent some time in the bar, but something compelled me to go back to my room alone. The minute I laid down on the bed, I saw you.”

  “What was I doing?”

  He smiled and it was sweet and carnal. “Me, honey. You were doing me. It was our wedding night and I was so happy. I remember feeling happier and more…complete than I’ve ever felt my whole life. I was with my wife. She was beautiful and difficult and mine. I thought about how hard you were on the outside and what a stunningly giving woman you were on the inside. I saw your entire fucked up, gorgeous soul, and it melded with mine. I tried that whole weekend to see it again, but it was gone after that first night. I didn’t see you again until two years later when I walked into your mother’s house. I told myself I had to wait until the time was right. I told myself not to fuck this up. Of course, I still managed it.”

  I felt my whole face go red with emotion and I tried hard to force the tears that threatened back, but he said it with such great longing that I couldn’t argue with him. He believed in this and that made me want to believe, too. Who didn’t want to believe there was one person out there who could complete them? Who didn’t feel lonely enough to want that?

  He stood there and looked down at me with such deep desire. It went past anything sexual and I wished I could have seen what he saw that day. His eyes were filled with regret. “Look, I know I screwed everything up so I can be honest with you. I love you. I know that sounds ridiculous and it’s too soon to say anything like that, but you’re the other half of me. You always have been. You always will be. If you need anything, I’ll get it for you. All you have to do is call me.”

  He stared at me for another second. In that weird time, I felt like I saw myself through his eyes and it was a revelation. I was fucked up and yet I was still beautiful to him. For one stupid moment, I felt radiant and I couldn’t let it go. I jumped out of my chair and my hand was on his arm. He turned and the minute he saw my face I was in his arms. They caged me and I felt safe and small and feminine in a way I hadn’t up to that point.

  I lifted my face and he kissed me.

  It was gentle at first, a meshing of lips as he lowered his mouth almost reverently to mine. He had to bend over to press our lips together. The moment our mouths met, something seemed to open up inside me. He gently ate at my lips, his tongue barely a whisper, but I felt it there almost begging entry, and I softened against him. I’d had sex before. My experience wasn’t vast. It wasn’t nonexistent either. My sexual history up to Grayson Sloane consisted of seeking a way out. I indulged in sex for the same reason I drank that last tequila shot I didn’t need. I wanted to get out of myself for a while and not think about anything.

  Gray’s kiss didn’t simply take me away. It was so much more than a meeting of lips that led to something else. I was more myself than I had ever been in my life. I didn’t want to be anywhere but right where I was—in his arms.

  I let my hands trail up his body, feeling the strength of him. He was all muscle, from his lean waist to a chest that felt like a well-made statue against my hands. Pressing my body against his, I sighed and opened my mouth. His hands tangled in my hair and I had no idea how much time passed as his tongue danced with mine. When he groaned, I felt it deep in my own body, and everything that was female inside me answered him. He pulled me close, his hands dangerously near my ass, and I felt how much I affected him. His erection rocked firmly against me, not trying to hide what he wanted. His cock was hard against my stomach and I went up on my toes, trying to get it where it belonged. It belonged at the center of me. He belonged inside me.

  The door to the private room opened and I was pulled roughly from my little slice of nirvana as the waitstaff entered carrying trays of food. Gray let me go, his hands shaking as he steadied me against his chest. He laughed, a nervous sound, and I couldn’t help but lean against him and laugh, too. The waitstaff was professional and pretended like they hadn’t interrupted a serious make-out session. I felt like I was sixteen and my mom had caught me with my boyfriend. It was silly and innocent and I felt younger than I had in years.

  “Kelsey,” Gray said achingly, and when I looked into his eyes I saw such devotion in them. It scared me, but I decided to try a little bravery.

  “Gray, I don’t know about the whole love thing,” I said honestly because it was all too fast for me. “But how about we start with dinner?”

  He smiled. “All right, sweetheart.”

  * * * *

  “So who was the vampire you appeared to have a distinct dislike for?” I polished off the last of my excellent lobster. I’d drowned it in butter.

  We’d spent the majority of dinner on safe topics. He talked about being a Texas Ranger and how obnoxious it was when people called him Walker. I talked about the weird parts of growing up with two ridiculously overprotective brothers. We stayed far away from anything too emotional. We’d had that portion of the evening and it was nice to laugh. Now I was ready to push him on the professional level.

  He smiled as he finished his steak. “His name is Marcus Vorenus. Until tonight, I really didn’t have a problem with him. He’s fairly easy to deal with and almost always reasonable. I didn’t like him looking at you tho
ugh. He seemed interested.”

  “He felt old.” I ignored his possessiveness. I wasn’t used to anyone feeling that way about me, but I couldn’t forget that odd connection I’d had with Vorenus. I played with his name in my mind, rolling it around and letting it run through my brain.

  “He is old, sweetheart,” Gray said and I was getting used to the endearment. “He’s roughly two thousand years old. He was born in ancient Rome. As far as anyone can tell, since the coup Donovan led, Vorenus is the world’s oldest walking vampire.”

  “He seemed sad.” I could still see his face when he realized Gray was there. He’d been smiling before, and then I’d watched it all go a polite blank. I wondered what it must be like to be so unique in the world, to remember a time no one else could recall, to have seen so many people he undoubtedly cared about grow old and leave him.

  Gray made a choking sound. “Uhm, I don’t know what the guy has to be sad about. According to my research, he’s worth about a billion dollars, has an important seat on the Council and the king’s ear. He backed Donovan in the fight and Donovan won. He’s one of the most influential individuals in the supernatural world.”

  “He was sad,” I reiterated. Money didn’t fix all your troubles and power sometimes caused more. I’d felt his weariness. Even with the distance between us, I’d felt as though I’d bumped against his soul.

  Gray considered me for a moment. “What did you get off him? If you had to guess, what class of vampire would you say he was?”

  He was testing me. I didn’t mind. I was actually kind of happy he wasn’t treating me like a china doll the way he had before. I had no desire to be anyone’s sweet little princess. I wouldn’t be good in the role. “If you forced me to guess, I would say he’s an academic. He’s not physically strong, but he has mental powers. The other vampires walked right into the club, but not him. He knew I was there. He felt me.”

  And I’d felt him.

  Gray’s lips turned up in an approving smile. “If I’d had you, I wouldn’t have needed six months worth of research to tell me that. Vorenus is an academic. He’s also an intensely powerful persuasive, which is why it’s a damn good thing I was there tonight. He was trying to pull you to him.”

  I sat back. I didn’t think so. He’d asked, and politely at that. He’d felt my interest in him and replied with an invitation. I hadn’t felt like he was taking my will. The push to go to him had come from inside me and not some outside force. As attracted as I was to Gray, I’d felt something for the vampire, too. He’d felt a little like a kindred spirit.

  I let that image go as Gray continued talking. “There are some people who believe Vorenus was the one behind the coup. It makes sense in some ways. Donovan was a king, but it seems hard to believe a kid a couple of years out of college could pull off something like taking down the Vampire Council. He had to put together a powerful group to back him.”

  “This Donovan guy is the king?” I tried to wrap my brain around the fact that the entire supernatural world had changed while I’d been hiding.

  Gray poured himself another glass of wine. “Yes, he is, and he’s dangerous. Do you understand what the term king means in reference to a vampire?”

  “It’s a technical term. A vampire king would be stronger, faster than other vampires,” I responded. He would be able to kill other vampires with ease. “Genetically they’re extremely rare. He’s a super predator.”

  “Yes, I think that’s a good way to describe Donovan.” Gray’s hand toyed idly with mine as he spoke. “You should know that one of the first things he did when he took the throne was to break off all contact with demonkind. The only reason he allows me an audience is my status with the Rangers.”

  That was news. Vampires and demons had a decent relationship for as long as anyone could remember. Their alliance was tightly bound by contracts, and law ruled their actions. From what I understood, they met once a decade or so and renewed their treaties. “Did the king break their contracts?”

  “Not exactly. He follows the letter of them, but he refused demons a seat on the Council,” Gray explained. “The rumors are that he’d promised them one and then turned his back on them when the time came. He also refuses demonkind when they request an audience. The current contracts had a ten-year term, with an extra four years built in to cover anything that would come up. Like if the demons found themselves involved in a war or the vampires couldn’t make it to the negotiating table. They have four years from the end of the contract before it’s void. We’re on year two of that extension.”

  “Donovan refuses to negotiate? What happens if he never comes back to the table?” Demons could be controlled with contracts. Without one, I didn’t like to think about what they would do.

  “We’ll find out in two years. Some say Donovan’s simply playing hardball, but I think there’s something personal behind it. There are some of us who fear Donovan is going to let his distaste for demonkind push this plane into war. He hates them.”

  “You keep saying they,” I pointed out, wanting to understand Gray. “You don’t refer to demons as we.”

  He leaned forward, his mouth a flat line. “I’m a halfling, Kelsey. I’m actually stronger than most full-blooded demons, but it doesn’t matter when it comes to this. Contracts are written in very specific language. The agreements between vampires and demonkind are only for full bloods. Donovan doesn’t have to follow any law but his own when it comes to me.”

  The waitress walked into the room after hesitantly opening the door. I hid a grin because I thought she was trying to make sure she didn’t walk in on us throwing down on the table. Since that kiss, Gray had been sweet and not at all handsy. The waitress set down the check and thanked us. Whether she was thanking us for coming in or for keeping our clothes on throughout the entire meal, I wasn’t sure. Gray pulled out a credit card and shoved it in the bill. The waitress strode off to run the card and I thought about what Gray had told me about the new vampire order.

  “Liv said the king was looking for a sheriff.”

  Gray laughed, the sound bitter. “Donovan has no respect for any law he didn’t make himself. Don’t think for a minute he’s trying to do something noble, sweetheart. He was a criminal before he was a king and that partner of his…I won’t even go into him. If there were any way to pin something on him, I would arrest him in a heartbeat. The king is playing with words when he says he wants a sheriff. He’s trying to pretend he isn’t as bad as the last Council.”

  I’d heard the last Council wanted to enslave the supernatural world, so this dude must be a real winner. “If he doesn’t want a sheriff, what does he want?”

  “The technical term is Nex Apparatus. It means death machine. He wants someone to do his dirty work so his hands stay marginally clean.”

  I’d heard the term before. It gave me an icky feeling. “He wants an assassin? Why doesn’t he appoint a vampire? A Nex Apparatus is always a vampire.”

  The waitress brought the check back and Gray signed it with a flourish. “That’s the thing about Donovan. He’s a tricky one. If he thinks it will help him politically to have a non-vampire death machine then he’ll find that man and when he does, he’ll use his talents to his own betterment. Come on, sweetheart. I want to get you home.”

  I stubbornly sat back and ignored the hand he offered to help me up. I cocked an eyebrow and waited. We had settled the fact that I was willing to explore this attraction I had for him. I was willing to look past his demon half. Actually, he didn’t know it yet, but I kind of wanted to see those fangs of his. What we hadn’t settled was his refusal to talk about our case, and there was no question it was our case.

  He sighed and I saw the weariness in his eyes. “Can we talk about this at home, Kelsey? Please?”

  I didn’t like the idea of giving in, but I let him help me up and lead me out of the restaurant, his big hand on the small of my back. I was going to have to deal with my newfound weakness when it came to Gray. As we waited for the valet to
bring the truck around, I was already thinking about, maybe, playing around with him when we got to his house. Would it be a really bad move? The man already claimed he loved me. In his weird brain, we were already married, so why shouldn’t I? I didn’t have to promise him anything beyond a night together. I was thinking about making a move on him in the car when he tensed beside me.

  “What’s taking him so long?” Gray asked, annoyed.

  Then I felt it. It was an instinct, like a bug creeping up my spine. We weren’t alone, not even close. I surveyed the buildings around us, trying to find the eyes that watched us.

  “What is it Kelsey?” Gray asked, his voice quiet and dead serious.

  “There are eyes on us.” I knew they were there. Two, maybe three people were watching from a distance, their attentions focused on us. The street itself was empty, far too empty for the time of night. This wasn’t some residential part of Dallas. There were always cars here, always people walking about, and yet there was a hush over the place.

  Wards, most likely. A good witch—and I’m talking about skill, not intent—can ward a building or even a piece of land. The wards would make humans attempt to avoid the space. They wouldn’t even realize why they changed direction. They simply took a turn they hadn’t been planning because that ward whispered to them.

  I peered down the street and sure enough, every car coming our way turned.

  “You carrying?” Gray’s Colt automatic was in his hand and he flicked off the safety.

  I eased my hand into my bag and felt for my little .38. I pulled it out and nodded at Gray.

  He frowned down with a shake of his head. “What the hell is that? That won’t hurt a puppy much less a supe. Are you planning on giving them a splinter with that thing? Does that even have silver ordnance in it?”

  I narrowed my eyes in irritation. “No, I wasn’t planning on getting into a firefight with a bunch of supes. I was planning to spend the night quietly staking out that club. And why would I carry silver bullets? I only own a gun in case one of my divorce cases goes bad. Trust me, my .38 gives Johnny Cheatsalot something to think about.”