Page 98 of Marked By Moonlight

“The room wasn’t reserved in my name, and there was a lockbox,” he said. “So, no. But there were probably cameras on the street.”

He gave them the address, but they pressed on.

“So, no alibi?”

Marius whispered into my mind.Do not say anything. I repeat, do not say anything.

“I have not seen Ms. Kepke since yesterday morning,” he growled.

The head constable looked at one of his men. A window opened in my mind, allowing me to read his thoughts clearly. Raisa Kepke was an associate of a prominent member of Parliament, I learned, who didn’t want their dealings to go public. The constable’s superiors wanted this case solved quickly and with minimal media attention. They needed a closed case fast, and Marius was as good a suspect as any.

The constable was already calculating where to position his men in case Marius resisted arrest and how many more squad cars to call in for backup.

“Backup?” I yelped.

The officer stared at me, and I coughed into my hand. “Let’s back up, shall we? You haven’t questioned me.”

Gordon frowned. Roux’s eyes went wide, and even Henrik made a cutting gesture.

Don’t!Marius yelled into my mind.

“You don’t match the suspect’s description, miss,” the officer reasoned.

Thank goodness, but yeesh. Talk about female privilege. Marius was being grilled, while I was assumed harmless. Which I absolutely was, but still. It was the principle of the thing.

“I had nothing to do with Raisa Kepke’s murder, but neither did he.”

“And you know that because…?”

Not a word!Marius barked into my mind.

Celeste looked on with interest. The others, in panic. My confession could get Marius off the hook with the law, but Gordon would be furious. An offense by one of the men would be held against all four of them, which they couldn’t afford, especially now that they were nearing the end of their contracts. In a few weeks, they would all be free of their ridiculous arrangement with Gordon.

I took a deep breath, then spoke.

“Because he was with me.”

Marius closed his eyes. Everyone went very, very still.

“At two in the morning?” the constable asked, and yikes. Never had five words been so loaded.

Heat flooded my cheeks as I nodded. Not because I was ashamed, but because the officer on the right looked from me to Marius and back, graphically picturing us in the act. Icould tell because the special power that had slipped out of my subconscious was still turned on.

Magic was a bitch sometimes.

The officer stroked his chin. “I see.”

Gordon’s face turned red with fury. “Now, wait just a moment—”

“We left for the night,” I cut in. “I booked us a room in Belgravia. Marius was with me all night.”

Celeste looked half jealous, half triumphant, because trouble for me was her catnip.

“He could have slipped out,” another officer pointed out.

I glared at him. “You seem very determined to place suspicion on the basis of a very general description of a man’s build. Even when that man has an alibi.” I paused, collecting myself before I started yelling. “And no, he did not slip out at two in the morning. I woke to hear a church bell chime at that time. And Marius was with me.”

The first police officer glanced at the other. One thought I was covering for Marius, but the other two believed me.