by K. L. Kreig
“Uh…yes.” she breathed.
She was in a desire-induced fog. Had she spoken? She couldn’t remember.
Detective Thatcher interrupted. “Why don’t we all have a seat and you can tell these…special investigators what you know about Sarah Hill. What you told me.”
Pulling her gaze away from the sexy beast in front her, Kate retook her seat. Detective Thatcher and Ren sat across from her at the table, but Dev took the seat beside her. She couldn’t help her surreptitious glance to see if he was wearing a wedding ring and was happier than she should have been to see none. It took everything in her not to reach out and touch him again. Or scoot her chair closer. Was she dreaming?
She pinched the back of her hand. Ouch. Very much awake.
“Kate, please tell us what you can.” Dev’s voice was encouraging, but his eyes were smoldering, like he was hungry. For her.
What the hell? Get a grip, Kate! Getting her brain to formulate a coherent thought was challenging.
After several moments, Kate pulled it together and spent the next fifteen minutes relaying everything to Dev and Ren. They listened with rapt attention, asking questions, taking notes. She took care to look at Dev as little as possible, as every time she did, she seemed to stumble over her words and all thought escaped her.
They genuinely seemed to believe her, which was a relief. Maybe she could help Sarah Hill after all.
___________
Dev
As Dev listened to Kate retell her dream, he had a hard time concentrating on her words. He was in awe of her. Her scent was driving him out of his damned mind. The soft thud of her pulse beneath her fair, porcelain skin was mouthwateringly enticing. He had to fight with his entire being to keep his fangs from descending. And the fact that she wasn’t looking at him nearly enough was driving him absolutely fucking crazy. He wanted to stare into her mesmerizing eyes forever.
She was more than he’d imagined his Moira to be. She was stunningly beautiful, deliciously curvy in all the right places and her skin softer than the finest silk. All he could think about was being inside her sweet body. His dick was as hard as steel and he’d had to reposition it many times throughout the conversation. He wanted to possess her. Completely. Thoroughly. Now.
He warred with himself on how to handle this situation. It was delicate. Not that she was delicate. He had a feeling she was going to give him a run for his money. He was actually terrified of scaring her off. Him—terrified. Never thought he would see the day. The man in him knew he needed to take it slowly with her, court her, gain her trust. The pure animal in him, however, vowed he would never let her out of his sight. Ever. Her wants and feelings be damned.
After she’d described the whole dream in detail, he asked, “Is there anything else you can remember about the setting or her captors, anything unique at all that you haven’t told us?”
Kate’s eyes shifted toward the floor. “No, no…that’s everything I can remember.”
Ohhhh, his Kate was holding something back. His Kate. She was nervous. He needed to gain her trust so she would confide in him completely. Give herself to him completely.
Two things were crystal clear.
This exquisite woman was his and she was a dreamwalker. She didn’t know how special that made her. Or how much danger that put her in. Dev made a swift decision.
“Kate, based on what you’ve told us, I think you’re in grave danger and will need to be remanded into protective custody until we can locate Sarah.”
Detective Thatcher started to protest and Ren looked at him as though he’d grown two heads. Kate simply gaped at him for a moment before a stubborn look crossed her beautiful features and she did exactly what he thought she would.
“That’s not necessary, Detective.”
Okay, let’s try wooing. “Dev. Please call me Dev.”
“Okay. That’s not necessary, Dev. In fact, that’s about the stupidest idea I’ve ever heard. Why on earth would I need to be in protective custody? I can assure you I am in no danger.” She laughed.
Detective Thatcher abruptly stood, a violent look on his face. “She’s right. That isn’t necessary, Detective.” Snarly much?
Asshole was living a little too close to the edge. He mentally shrugged. Oh well, his death. Dev didn’t even acknowledge Thatcher, keeping his gaze locked with Kate’s.
Right, animal instinct it was. “Oh, I assure you, love, it’s quite necessary.”
“What the hell are you doing, Dev? Police custody? Love?” Ren spoke to him telepathically.
“Fuck off,” Dev growled and continued.
“Kate, I’m afraid this is a serial kidnapper and murderer we’re dealing with and we’ve been trying to catch him for years. I don’t want you to be in his crosshairs once he discovers you have come forward with information that may help us track him down. He’s dangerous. He’s left too many bodies in his wake. I don’t want you to be one of them.” He wouldn’t let her be one of them.
She visibly paled. “He’s done this before? I don’t understand how he would even find out I’ve been here?” Now she sounded a bit panicked. Good. He would use that to his advantage.
“Trust me, as much as we try to keep this under wraps, this is a high profile case. Young, beautiful college girls are being snatched. It’s a media frenzy. Someone will find out you were here and leak it to the press. It’s only a matter of time. And when that happens, a bull’s-eye will be painted directly on your back. This guy will consider you a threat he may act to eliminate.”
He’d tried pushing a little compulsion her way. She regarded him for a moment, her eyes narrowing.
“Thank you, Dev, but I promise you I’ll be just fine. I have a good security system at home and I have a concealed carry permit. I practice twice a week at the range. Plus, I’ve been training in Jeet Kune Do for the past eight years. I’m good.” She had the most infuriating smirk on her gorgeous, full lips. Lips he wanted wrapped around his cock. Now.
Well…shit.
He glanced at Detective Thatcher and Ren, and they had the same smirks on their faces, Ren clearly containing his laugh. He pushed a bit of his power toward them. Wiped the smirks right off…at least the human. Ren looked at him with a knowing laughter in his glittery eyes. Paybacks are a bitch, pretty boy.
Now what? She wasn’t leaving here alone. Over his dead body.
Okay, onto Plan B… Plan B…what was Plan B?
“How about compromise, man?”
“Compromise?”
“Yeah, compromise. The act of negotiation, concession, finding a middle ground? I know it’s a foreign concept to you, Dev, but pulling alpha won’t work on this chick.”
Compromise definitely wasn’t his best skill. But to keep Kate safe, he would give anything a try.
Dev pleaded—groan—pleaded, “Kate, please let us keep you under protection for just a few days. If nothing slips to the press, then you can go back to your normal life. Business as usual.” Yeah, no fucking way that was happening. Ever. But she didn’t need to know that now. He just needed to get her with him and the rest would fall into place.
She sighed heavily, clearly contemplating his latest offer.
Ren could barely contain his laughter now. His shoulders were shaking. Goddamn pretty boy wasn’t gonna be looking so pretty very soon.
“Can’t you just post a patrol outside my house?” she asked.
“A safe house would better, Kate. It’s just a few days. Come on…just think of it as a much-needed vacation. You do look a little tired.” He quickly added, “Beautiful, but tired.”
She frowned at that statement, brows creasing, wrinkling that smooth, delectable forehead. He definitely liked it better when she smiled.
“Where exactly is this safe house and who will be with me?”
A small smile played on Dev’s lips, knowing he was making progress. He’d better not too get too cocky. “I can’t tell you exactly where the safe house is, for your own protection, but it’s just right
on the outskirts of Milwaukee.” Dev glanced at Ren and back to Kate. “And Ren and I will be protecting you. I promise you, Kate, we won’t let anything happen to you.” Nothing, but the most intense pleasure you can handle.
“Look gentlemen, I sincerely appreciate your concern, but I’m not in any danger. If you feel better, send a police car by my house once in the evening for a few days, but going into protective custody seems pretty excessive. Now, I really do need to be going, as I have a class to teach in just a few hours.”
She grabbed her coat and purse and stood to leave.
“Kate, I really wish you’d reconsider,” he pleaded.
There was no goddamned way he was letting her out of his sight for a single, solitary moment. It went against every single protective instinct in his body to let her walk out that door without him. His body vibrated with nearly unrestrained need to pull her into his arms and flash her the hell away from here and he needed to rein himself in quickly before he did something stupid.
“At least tell us where you teach…please.” That word tasted bitter too. He had a feeling he’d better get used to saying it. A lot. But only to her.
She turned and gifted him with the most brilliant smile he’d ever seen. It was brighter than a thousand suns and more beautiful than any word he knew in any language. What was this poetic shit filling his brain? He was whipped after less than an hour in her presence.
“I’m an assistant psychology professor at Marquette University.” And with that she walked out the door.
Dev was out of his chair in a flash. “She doesn’t leave our sight. Let’s go.”
It was a myth that vampires couldn’t go out in the daylight. Younger vampires had to temper their exposure to sunlight as it made them weak, but once a vampire came into their full powers at age one hundred, they could withstand the sun just as well as any human could.
“Dev, slow down and think for a minute,” pleaded Ren. “Nothing will happen to her.”
“You’re fucking right nothing will happen to her, because we’re gonna be like white on rice. Now get your ass moving or I’m going without you. We’re wasting time.”
Ren tightly nodded. “Yes, my lord.”
“Don’t call me that, asshole.”
“You touch one hair on her goddamn head and I will kill you, leech,” gritted the detective.
Dev laughed. “Good one, human.”
Chapter 8
Kate
Kate could hardly concentrate on anything as she prepared—or tried to prepare—for her class, which started in fifteen minutes. What the hell had happened this morning at the police station? So many thoughts and questions swirled in her head.
Giddiness bubbled up inside…her dream lover was real. And he had a name. Devon. Dev. How was this possible? It’s like she just conjured him up and suddenly he stood in front of her in the flesh. She thought back to a movie she’d seen about two teenage boys who cut out parts from a magazine to make their dream woman. Weird Science. That’s exactly what this felt like. Weird.
Nothing about her dreams should surprise her, yet it continually did. She’d found lost pets. She’d been witness to those that were ill taking their last breaths. She’d seen more adultery that she could recount. But she never dreamt about herself, it was always others. Except for this one thing. This one man.
Why?
She blushed furiously, remembering what his corded, sinewy muscles felt like under her hands. How his skin tasted, masculine and salty, under her tongue as she ran it across his neck. His jaw. His lips. She touched her fingers lightly to her tingling lips as though she could feel his on hers.
Would the real version match the dream one? No doubt. Did she want to find out? Hell yes. Should she? God no. She already knew it would be far too easy to fall madly in love with him and she simply could not do that. He had unmistakable heat in his eyes, yes, but no one who looked like him would be satisfied with someone who looked like her for long. And then she’d be right back where she was a year ago when she’d caught John cheating.
Lonely.
Depressed.
Heartbroken.
She almost felt like she was having an out-of-body experience, floating twelve feet in the air, watching herself. This could not possibly be real. She didn’t feel real at the moment. She was just going through the movements.
She knew she wasn’t in any danger. What a crock. Did Dev really believe she was, or did he just want to get closer to her? He’d looked at her like she was the most decadent of desserts and he couldn’t wait to indulge. Just thinking of him made her heart race.
And the crazy thing was, against her better judgment, she’d wanted to agree. To be locked in a safe house with Devon Fallinsworth for two whole days? For the love, what woman wouldn’t want that? Only those who batted for the other team, because he was McDreamy and McSteamy, with a dash of McDanger all rolled into one delectable package. Walking out of that police station had been one of the hardest things she’d done in a very long time and wasn’t that just stupid?
He radiated danger. Yet strangely enough, she wasn’t afraid of him. Au contraire, she felt unbelievably safe with him…odd that. She had just met him, yet she felt like she’d known him all her life and if she were in any real danger, she’d unequivocally trust him to keep her safe. He was powerful, seductive, sexy…and formidable.
She’d not been attracted to, or even thought of, another man since John. Well…that wasn’t entirely true. She’d been attracted to Dev in her little fantasy world.
But he was real and life was not a dream. And what she needed to do was banish any thought of this man, because he was not long-term boyfriend or husband material; any fool could see that. He was a love ’em and leave ’em kind of guy, of that she was sure. Panties probably fell off of women any time they got within one hundred feet of him. They were wet, at minimum. Hers certainly were. She’d had to change them once already today and she’d probably be changing them again when she went home.
In some ways, she wished she’d never met him. Now that she knew he was real flesh and blood, it would be harder to concentrate on anything but him. Her obsession with him before was steeped in fantasy, like that hot guy you see at the grocery store every other week that you wonder what it would be like to bang, but you know it will never happen. But in Dev’s case…it could happen. And that was a very bad place to go. It could leave the door open even the slightest crack that something would happen between them and she knew better than travel down that road again where the only thing that lay at the end is a deep pool of bitterness and despair.
And there was no real life scenario that she could dream of happily ever after, a white picket fence, and 2.5 kids with Devon Fallinsworth. That would be emotional suicide. She was so not going there again.
Kate had her life and her career neatly and precisely mapped out and it didn’t include a domineering dangerous man, no matter how much he made butterflies take flight in the pit of her stomach or how moist her core became simply by remembering the way he stared at her with molten hot eyes.
She needed to finish her dissertation, apply for professorship and begin her grant work to fund her archetypes and the collective unconscious study, so it didn’t matter anyway. She had no time for a boyfriend or a boy toy or even a fuck buddy. She’d probably never see him again anyway, so instead of dwelling she stuffed him back into the box of things that could never be and sealed that baby up tight with an entire roll of packing tape.
Kate pushed everything to the back of her mind as her students rolled into the classroom and got settled, focusing instead on one of her other passions. Teaching. This semester she was instructing a course on the Psychology of Human Sexuality. It was always well attended. Go figure.
“Good afternoon everyone. I hope you’re ready for a lively discussion on the subject for today’s class…understanding random hookups.”
After the clapping, whistling and whooping subsided, she started her lecture.
Iron
ic topic, because even though she tried not to, hooking up was all she could think of doing with Dev. Only he didn’t feel so random to her. Not by a long shot. And that possibility scared her more than anything else.
Chapter 9
Dev
Dev was going out of his everlovin’ mind. He could not stand to be away from the one woman he’d waited so long for. This was absolute torture. He’d followed her all over the damn city. She went home first, then to the gas station, picked up dry cleaning, and finally went to Walgreen’s before she ended at the university campus to teach her class. Which he found out was the Psychology of Human Sexuality. Interesting. A grin curved the corners of his mouth. Very interesting indeed.
“How are you doing over there, boss?” Ren asked.
“Peachy. You?”
Not true. He wasn’t peachy at all. He was in hell. He’d been wracking his brain trying to figure out how he was going convince Kate to come with him. In all his wildest dreams, he never thought he’d have to woo his Moira, although that had been downright naïve. And he wasn’t exaggerating the danger she was in. She was a dreamwalker and now his Moira. That put her directly in harm’s way from any number of people who may want to get to Dev, including Xavier.
“Couldn’t be better.” Ren cleared his throat. “You know…I can arrange a security team to follow her. Watch over her. She’ll be protected. You can’t follow her around indefinitely.”
Ren had been restrained enough not to say anything about Dev’s out-of-character reaction to this woman. He knew it wouldn’t last. Ren was the only one with enough cojones to challenge him. Pissed him off sometimes, but that was why he trusted him implicitly.
