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“Okay, this is how we’re going to proceed.” Ella looked at the two men. “The three of us are going to stake out the kitchen. When the creature emerges, I will be the one to engage it. Got that?” Sam and Vadim nodded obediently. “If I am in trouble, please feel free to help out.”

“What kind of trouble?” Sam whispered.

“Don’t worry, you’ll work it out. Remember, the aim is to capture the creature and persuade it to go back to Otherworld, not to kill it.”

Sam’s face fell. “Why would it want to come back?”

“Did you read the file I sent you? If what I suspect is correct, this creature has been living quite happily in the pipes for almost a hundred years. Now, along come these humans and break up the creature’s nest. It’s not pleased about that.”

Sam nodded. “Got it.”

Vadim didn’t say anything, but Ella could tell he was listening intently. He’d changed into black jeans and a long sleeved gray T-shirt that blended in with the gloom of the kitchen. The jeans fitted him really nicely. She’d almost salivated when she’d seen his tight, neat denim-clad ass.

For some reason, her eyes had adjusted more quickly than usual to the dark. Sam was the only one of them who was still stumbling around finding his way. Vadim always moved as lightly as a cat and was just as sure-footed. She pointed at a good hiding spot for him. He nodded and disappeared silently from view, a complete professional to his fingertips. After his earlier lapse he’d returned to treating her with a precise courtesy that bordered on uncivil. She wasn’t sure if she was pleased or irritated that he had the ability to compartmentalize like that. That was supposed to be her specialty.

She indicated another spot to Sam, and waited until he had subsided rather noisily into the cramped gap between the workstations. She patted his knobbly bare knee, and moved closer to the industrial kitchen sinks where she intended to sit. It was cold in the kitchen, the tang of disinfectant cutting through the lingering smells of cooking oil and grease.

Ella licked her lips and thought longingly about a plate of sweet potato fries sprinkled lavishly with salt and topped with a serving of ranch dressing…

“ I have a protein bar if you need one .”

She jumped, expecting Vadim to be by her shoulder but he wasn’t there. She concentrated hard.

“ Are you talking to me in my head ?”

“ Obviously .”

“ You can do that ?”

“ What’s the problem ?”

“ Is this part of the mating thing ?”

“ It might be easier because of that , but I’ve always had this ability . Do you want the protein bar ?”

“ No thanks . They suck .”

“ Okay , then .”

He disappeared from her thoughts as swiftly as he had arrived. She’d had her shields up, and yet Vadim seemed immune to them. How come he could get into her head so easily when she couldn’t get into his? But then, she hadn’t really tried, preferring to pretend their relationship was just about sex. She didn’t do the emotional stuff. It never worked out well for her. She’d tried to date shapeshifters and Fae who didn’t care about her extra abilities, but she’d never been able to get close to any of them. Not that those species were very interested in long-term relationships anyway. The werewolves eventually settled down when they mated, and the Fae would fuck anything without a single qualm. She should be comfortable with just fucking Vadim, but something inside her wanted more… With a sigh, she returned her attention to the kitchen and settled down for a long wait.

After what felt like hours, and probably was, Ella was startled from an uneasy doze by the subtle hint of Otherworld power seeping through the air. A thin trickle of green mist was coming out from the cupboards and she checked her weapon. Suddenly, the door creaked open, and what looked like a small typhoon swirled out into the kitchen making the stacked piles of crockery shudder and the glass tinkle.

Ella concentrated on the center of the storm and made out bony arms and legs that looked like green spiky thorns. When the disturbance came close, she reached out a gloved hand and grabbed hold of whatever it was. With an unearthly shriek, the thing stopped spinning, almost pulling Ella off her feet and into the turmoil. She held on, aware of the rose-like thorns sticking into her skin through the leather glove and the inhuman screeching that rattled around her oversensitive empath’s brain like an exploding bomb.

“Stop it.” She tightened her grip on the bony arm. “I’m from the SBLE. I have the authority to send you back to Otherworld if you continue to create unnecessary disturbances in the human world.”

“What is SBLE?”

The thing stopped spinning and faced Ella. Three green spikes adorned the top of its head like the diadem on the Statue of Liberty and it had wide-spaced black eyes, no obvious nose and a mouth full of spiked teeth. Its body was composed of sharp multi-jointed green limbs, a small torso and strands of green plantlike hangings that reminded her of vines or ivy. According to her research, a variety of female sprite.

“You might not know about the SBLE, but you know you aren’t supposed to cause a disturbance in this world,” Ella said.

“They disturbed me!” hissed the sprite. “They destroyed my nest!”

“I understand that, but they didn’t do it deliberately.”

The sprite showed its teeth. “Humans are worthless!”

“Not all of them.” Ella sat more comfortably on the floor, her hand still locked around the sprite’s upper arm and her weapon at the ready. Vadim and Sam had come a lot closer. “If you don’t like humans, why are you here?”

The sprite looked at her as if she was stupid. “They trapped me. My mother left us younglings in her nest to hunt by the stream, and when we woke up, we were alone, encased inside metal and couldn’t get out.” It shrugged its bony shoulders. “All my siblings perished. I was too weak to break free, so I made the best of it and stayed in the nest until they destroyed it again .”

“I’m sorry. The original pipes probably contained iron, which bound you here. The new ones tend to be plastic, so your ability to move around and use your magic has been restored.”

“I suppose they did me a favor then, although it doesn’t feel like it.” Her little mouth turned down at the corners. “I’m sorry about all the mess.”

Ella put her gun down. “You can’t stay here.”

“Do you think I want to?”

“Would you like to go back to Otherworld?”

“Not really. I’d like to live by a creek again, though. Somewhere I can find others of my kind, perhaps a mate.”

“ Ms . Walsh , I can find that information for you .” Vadim’s calm voice echoed in Ella’s head. “ Yes . There are several sprite colonies up in the delta area . We could take her there .”

Ella smiled at the sprite. “We could do that right now.”

“Truly?”

“Yeah.” Ella looked behind her. “I have a couple of colleagues here who can help with that.” She pointed. “That’s Sam and the other one is Morosov.”

The sprite looked dubiously at Sam and then her eyes widened and she ducked her head.

“I am sorry for looking at you directly, sire. Do not kill me, I beg of you.”

Ella frowned at Vadim. “What did you do?”

He held up his hands. “I did nothing. Perhaps the sprite mistakes me for someone else.”

“Mayhap you are right, sire, but I beg your pardon, anyway.”

She put her ungloved hand on the sprite’s shoulder. “There is one more thing I need to do before we can go. I have to erase your memories of this place so that you aren’t tempted to return.”

“I would not want to come back.”

“Unfortunately, female sprites are programmed to return to their original nesting site when they have their own young, and that wouldn’t be a good thing.”

“You are a soul sucker, then?”

“I’m an empath. I promise I’ll just take what I need and not damage you in any other way.”

“All right, then. Do your worst.”

Ella closed her eyes and concentrated, feeling her way through the young sprite’s memories, cherry picking the references to her nest that started even before her birth. She hesitated, unsure of what to put in their place and Vadim’s thoughts slid into hers. He sent her images of the delta, of small creeks and inlets, covered bank and concealed nesting holes… It took but a second to feed them to the sprite.

Ella let out her breath and carefully extracted herself from the sprite’s mind. “Do you feel all right?”

The sprite blinked. “Yes. I just want to get away from here.”

“Just give me a minute to consult with Sam, and then Morosov and I will take you to your new home.” Vadim took over her spot and settled to watch the sprite, who wouldn’t even look at him. Ella went across to Sam.

“That was really cool,” Sam breathed. “It’s weird, it didn’t exactly speak ‘American,’ but I could understand it anyway.”

“That’s because you’re an empath.”

Sam nodded. “You didn’t have to hurt her at all.”

“That should always be your aim.” Ella felt the beginnings of a terrible headache and was already shaking. “I want you to write up a report of everything you saw tonight so that we can discuss it in detail tomorrow.”

“Sure!” Sam stretched. “I’ll have it on your desk asap.”

“Great.” Ella forced a smile. “Go on home now and remember, don’t discuss your work with anyone outside the SBLE.”

His enthusiastic expression dimmed. “That’s the kicker, isn’t it? Not being able to share stuff. No wonder we all go nuts.”

“It’s part of the job, Sam.” Ella patted his arm. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Night, Ella. Night, Vad.”

Ella didn’t see Vadim’s reaction to his new nickname, but it still made her want to smile. She turned to face him and the sprite.

“Do you have enough magic to get us there?”

“Of course.”

She didn’t have the energy to confront him about the variable estimates of his magical powers tonight, but she sensed a showdown coming. Surely as his mate she should know these things?

“Take my hand, Ms. Walsh. We can do this together. You also have the power now.”

Putting the sprite between them, they linked hands, and a moment later, Ella smelled the briny tang of the delta and heard the gentle sound of water and the swish of willow trees. It was still quite dark but the suggestion of dawn lapped at the edges of the blackness making it easier to see.

The sprite inhaled deeply. “This is a good place.”

Ella let go of both the sprite’s and Vadim’s hands. “We’ll wait over there until we see that you are okay. If you don’t sense anyone, or you don’t feel welcome, come and find us, and we’ll take you someplace else.” The sprite bowed low. “I thank you, soul sucker, and you, sire.”

Ella smiled. “Thank you for being so cooperative.” They retreated behind a large tree and watched as the sprite approached the bank of the creek. Within moments three other sprites of varying sizes emerged from the murky darkness and began conversing in a strange clicking language that reminded Ella of whale song. All seemed to go well, because within another few seconds the sprite was led toward the nesting holes.

Ella let out her breath. “Looking good. Let’s give her a couple more minutes.”

“She’ll be fine. They have no females left in their particular pack. They will treat her like a queen and vie for her favors.”

“Lucky girl.” She pulled her hand free of Vadim’s. “How do you know all this?”

“I’m part Fae.”

“I know that, but what part exactly?”

His smile was meant to distract her and almost succeeded.

“Morosov…”

He cupped her chin. “How are you feeling?” His expression darkened. “Your resources are seriously depleted. Why didn’t you say something?”

“It’s just the way it is.” She grimaced. “Every time I take a memory it drains me even more than the last time.”

He studied her for a long moment. “I have a solution for that.”

“Sex is not the answer to everything, you know.”

His mouth hovered a fraction above hers. “In this case, it is. Now kiss me and let me in.”

She gave in to the kiss far too easily. It was a guilty relief to lean against his solid strength, slide her fingers into his short hair and be supported. As he kissed her, she felt a visceral tug on her psychic senses—as if she was the one having her memories purged. She bit down on his lip and he recoiled.

“What the hell was that for?”

“What exactly are you doing?”

He stared at her as if she was an idiot. “What I’m supposed to do. Take the memories away so that you don’t get overloaded.”

“But—”

“Shut up, Ms. Walsh, and let me do my job.”

His mouth descended again and she surrendered to his kiss with all the enthusiasm of a heroine in a romance novel. Pathetic, but there was no one there to see, apart from a few sprites who might well be getting up to some mating activities of their own. Vadim deepened the kiss and she responded, unwilling to be the passive partner in their embrace, determined to make him work for it.

With a groan he clamped a hand over her ass and pulled her tight against him until she could feel the hard throb of his denim-encased cock. She wanted to climb him, to fit her sex against his hardness, to have him inside her.

“ Damn it , Ella , slow down .”

His words reverberated in her mind, but only encouraged her to rub herself against him even more. With a soft curse, he lifted her up, swung her around and placed her back against a tree trunk. She wrapped her legs around his waist and rolled her hips, felt his cock press against her clit, then came hard.

One-handed, he stripped off her overalls and let them fall to the ground. While he was busy doing that, she worked at his belt buckle and zipper to reveal his shaft, which was barely restrained by the waistband of his straining boxers. He took her hand away, and pushed down his jeans and underwear, barely pausing before he shoved his thick length inside her, making her scream and come again.

She tried to control his strokes, but he was too powerful so she sank down on him and just enjoyed the ride, the power of him, his scent, the flex of his tight ass as he drove into her making her climax almost constantly. Magic gathered around them and inside them and when he finally came, she joined him and saw the equivalent of psychic fireworks explode in her mind. She also felt curiously carefree, as if his touch had burned away her burdens, her fears, her…

She opened her eyes to find Vadim holding her up against the tree, his cock still inside her. A quick mental check revealed a lightness of spirit that had evaded her for years. She pushed at his chest and he looked at her.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, I just think we should cover up. We’re near water, and I don’t want my ass covered in mosquito bites.”

He didn’t move. “What’s really wrong?”

She forced herself to meet his gaze. “Nothing. Will you just move, please?”

He pulled out and away from her and she leaned back against the tree, hoping her legs would stop shaking and hold her up. He kept an eye on her as he dressed and then bent down to retrieve her overalls and panties. “Here you go.” He hesitated. “Would you like my handkerchief to clean up?”

“Thanks.” She took the immaculately laundered cotton square and waited until he turned his back. After she put her clothes on she sauntered over to him.

“Can you get us home?”

“With your help.” He took her hand. “But I can only take us to one place.”

She’d half expected that. “Then take us both to Tiburon.”

He nodded, his expression unreadable in the half light. “When you feel me cast the spell, open your mind to it and imagine that you are adding your power to mine.”

“Okay.”

Ella shut her eyes and waited. The power of the spell took her by surprise and she wondered why on earth it needed amplifying, but she’d promised to help out, so she took the magic inside herself and added her power. Within the blink of an eye they were outside her front door in Tiburon. For the first time ever, she didn’t even feel nauseous. Maybe it was the magical equivalent of not getting sick when driving a car instead of being a passenger.

She found her keys and led the way inside. The message light on her phone was flashing. She hesitated so long that Vadim touched her arm.

“Would you like me to check that for you?”

His question made her feel like a coward. “No, it’s okay. It’s probably just my mom nagging me about the weekend again.”

She wasn’t even sure why she was pretending. Vadim probably knew damn well that she was getting leery of picking up any messages at the moment. They all seemed to end in death. She dumped her backpack on the countertop and dialed her messages. Sure enough, it was her mom, her voice loud enough for Vadim to hear every complaining word.

She deleted the message and turned to her silent guest. “I suppose I’ll have to go.”

“I’ll come with you, if you like.”

“To do what?”

He shrugged. “Support you?”

Unwanted emotions clawed at her gut. “I don’t need anyone to hold my hand, Morosov. I’m quite used to dealing with my mom.”

He stood his ground. “We’re not at work now.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You told me not to smother you at work, so I’m not doing that. But we are connected now, Ella, and if I want to support you with your family, why can’t you just accept it?”

“Because I don’t need anyone.”

He glared at her. “You damn well do.”

Anger shoved aside her other more fragile emotions and she embraced it gladly. “I need you for sex, okay? That’s all. And as we’ve already done that tonight, you can sleep on the couch.”

She turned around and headed for the bathroom, suddenly eager to wash all traces of him from her body, to eradicate all the erotic images of him fucking her hard and fast against that tree… She slammed the door behind her and turned the shower on full blast. Would he allow his calm, human facade to slip and follow her into the bathroom, fuck her into ecstasy in the shower? Did she want him to?

She studied her face in the gradually steamed up mirror. Her cheeks were flushed, her pupils wide, her hair a straggly mess of half-undone braids and bits of greenery. She had no idea why Vadim would want her anyway, but maybe he had no choice. The mating bond was way more complicated than she had ever realized.

* * *

He stared at the closed bathroom door and snarled a curse in Fae. Ella Walsh had no idea of his abilities. If he wanted to, he could blow the door down, follow her into the shower and have her obeying his every command. She’d be on her knees, his cock in her mouth, his hands in her hair…she’d be begging him to fuck her forever, until she died from it.

Power roared out of him and the entire house shuddered. With a groan he sat on the couch and covered his face with his hands. What the hell was happening to him? He sounded like Alexei at his most arrogant. God, he hated that about the Fae, that they thought they could just take whatever they wanted, destroy a human’s soul purely for their pleasure. Wasn’t that why he’d left? Hadn’t he wanted to be better than that? This mating bond was affecting him far more seriously than he had anticipated and Ella certainly wasn’t making it any easier.

He slowly exhaled as he heard the shower come on. And why should she make it easy? She was not only dealing with the approach of a significant birthday, but with a serial killer who was targeting empaths and closing in on her. The last thing she needed was an overprotective male cluttering up her life. He had to try and remember that, like him, she was used to protecting herself, allowing nobody to get close to her because closeness meant pain.

He got up and went to the closet where the spare bedclothes were kept. She had to want to share stuff with him, not have him forcibly demand it. He wanted to laugh. In his relationships, he’d always been the one to withdraw, the one that had been too private, too self-contained, and too elusive.

He punched his pillow, then laid it on top of the neatly tucked sheet. Despite what both Ella and he wanted to believe, mating was obviously a lot more complicated than having sex and sharing a psychic burden. With his mixed heritage it was also potentially dangerous.

The door to the bathroom opened and Ella came out, a towel wrapped around her body and another around her hair. Vadim focused on spreading the light quilt over his makeshift bed.

“I’m going to bed.”

He didn’t look at her, just nodded and concentrated on the correct placement of the flowery quilt.

“Feel free to use the bathroom.”

“Thanks.” There, it was all neatly lined up now, just like his emotions, a nice, straight orderly arrangement—except he wanted to follow her into her bed and make love to her all night.

He willed her to leave, but she hovered at the end of the couch.

“It was nice of you to offer to come with me to see my mom,” Ella said. Vadim sat down and focused his gaze on her pink toenails. “The only person who ever understood about my family was Laney. I’m used to dealing with them by myself.”

He raised his head. “Are you apologizing to me?”

“I suppose I am. It’s not your fault that you got forced into this crazy Otherworld arranged mating, is it?” She swallowed hard. “I should be grateful to you for saving me from madness, not shrieking at you every chance I get.”

He couldn’t look away. Despite everything, there was a core of honesty and decency in Ella that made it hard for him to ignore her, especially when she was like this. The least he could do was try and be honest back—well, as honest as he could be.

“I’m struggling with this myself.”

“You are?” She sat on the arm of the couch.

He forced the words out. “I’m part shapeshifter. Those instincts make me want to protect my mate. I forget that you’ve been doing an excellent job of protecting yourself all your life. I’ll do my best to remember that.”

“That’s very generous of you when I’ve been behaving like an ungrateful shrew.”

He attempted a smile. “I hadn’t noticed.”

“Liar.” She tapped her head. “I know you. I drive you nuts.”

He had nothing to say to that and she rose from her perch on the couch.

“I’ll see you in the morning, then.”

“Good night, Ms. Walsh.”

“Night, Morosov.”

He waited until he heard her close her bedroom door and then headed for the bathroom, which was its usual mess. While he waited for the shower to heat, he straightened everything up to his, if not to Ella’s, satisfaction and stripped off his clothes. Under the punishing heat of the shower he closed his eyes and relived the moments when he’d made love to Ella and taken the burden of her psychic energy into himself. For the first time ever he’d felt as if his Otherworld powers had been used for good. He’d felt like a superhero.

He opened his eyes.

Fuck this .

He’d never stop wanting to protect her. He would lay down his life for her. All he had to do was make sure she never realized the strength of his devotion ever again.