Page 19

18

Ella went straight into the bathroom, leaving Vadim alone in the kitchen. By the time she got into the shower, he materialized through the locked door and joined her. She was too tired to argue and the sight of him naked and more than willing to have sex with her was far too good to pass up. After they’d washed each other again and she’d forced herself to get out of the cramped shower, she remembered something.

“What’s with all the feathers, Morosov?”

He was rinsing his hair and she paused to appreciate the streams of water cascading over his broad shoulders and tight abs.

“What feathers?”

“Don’t play dumb with me. The ones that cascaded down over us when you were in a snit.” She tried not to smile. “Or should I say, when you were in such a fowl mood.”

“Funny.” He turned his back on her and rubbed vigorously at his hair. “You should go on the stage.”

“But what were they? And if you really shapeshift into a chicken or some kind of bird, why wasn’t the wolf pack salivating at the thought of eating you up?”

“I have no idea.”

Ella wrapped a towel around her waist. “You are impossible.”

“So I’ve been told.”

“We’re supposed to be mated.”

“I thought you didn’t believe that was true.”

“Oh shut up.” Ella flounced out of the bathroom and into the bedroom. She wasn’t going to get dressed again. Pink bunny pajamas would do fine. She waited until the shower shut off and dragged a comb through her hair before returning to the kitchen.

Vadim appeared with a towel wrapped around his hips and nothing else. Ella nearly swallowed her tongue. He pointed at a pile of paper on the countertop.

“I picked up your mail.”

“Thank you.” She didn’t bother to ask him how or when he’d managed that. She wasn’t talking to him more than was absolutely necessary. To have something to do she pulled the pile toward her and began to sort through, keeping all the take-out menus and chucking the coupons and unsolicited credit card offers in the trash. Her hand stilled over a familiar brown envelope from Otherworld.

“Shall I make some coffee?” Vadim inquired.

She stared at the envelope. “Herbal tea would be better.”

“Do you have some?”

“Sure, it’s behind the bag of coffee.”

“It’s out of date.”

“It’s a bag of dried leaves! It won’t kill you.” She opened the envelope and studied the single sheet.

“Anything important?”

“Just a reminder to return my letter accepting or declining my OCOS mate.”

Vadim put two mugs on the countertop. “You haven’t done that yet?”

“Shut up ! I’ll do it when I feel like it.”

“But it is already, as you might say, a done deal.”

“I know that.” She put the letter down. “Why are you so worried?”

He returned his attention to the mugs and filled them with water before putting them in the microwave to heat. “I’m not.” His smile was full of sensual satisfaction. “Do you want to take this to bed or have it out here?”

In answer, she pointed at the bedroom. He picked up the two mugs, added the tea bags, and went ahead of her, only to stop short at the door.

“Oh for fuck’s sake, Rossa. Not now.”

She peered around him and saw the angelic looking blond Fae lounging naked on her bed again.

Rossa nodded at Vadim. “Making progress, I see. She’s letting you sleep in here instead of on the couch.”

“No, I’m just bringing her tea through so we can talk before we go to bed.”

Rossa winked at Ella. “He’s such a liar, isn’t he? It’s no wonder he got into so much trouble in Otherworld.” She glanced up at Vadim, whose expression was uncompromisingly blank.

“What exactly did he do?”

The Fae’s tone became confiding. “Well?—”

“Nothing that concerns you, Ms. Walsh,” Vadim interrupted. “Now where do you want your tea?” He glared at Rossa. “Perhaps you might join me in the kitchen so that Ms. Walsh can get some sleep.”

“Oh no, that’s fine.” Ella sank down onto the side of the bed. “You just both carry on. Don’t mind me.”

“Is there something specific you wanted, Rossa?”

“I have a message for you.” Rossa cleared his throat importantly. “If you wish to avoid your fate, you know what to do.”

“That’s it?”

She looked at Vadim but nothing showed on the surface. She probed a little deeper and was shocked to sense the fury raging beneath his skin. Even more interesting was that he was letting her feel it. Was it becoming harder for him to shut her out too?

Rossa pouted. “That’s what I was told to say. Is there a reply?”

“No.” Vadim fixed Rossa with his stare. “Now either leave, or I’ll make you.”

“You couldn’t?—”

Before Rossa even finished the sentence, Vadim raised his hand and power flowed through him. Ella found herself adding her own and watched in fascination as Rossa shimmered and then disappeared with a startled yelp.

Vadim smiled. It wasn’t pleasant. “Luckily, he’s not as powerful in this dimension as he’d like to believe.”

Ella got into bed. “Why’s that?”

Vadim sipped his tea and sat beside her. His perfectly tucked in towel refused to slip an inch. “Because as you once noted, he’s almost completely Fae.”

“More than you?”

“Definitely.”

“But he’s also feathery.”

“We share a common ancestor.”

“That’s right, Colonel Sanders.”

He finished his tea, feathers apparently unruffled. “Are you ready to turn the lights out?”

“If you’re staying.”

He paused to look down at her. “If you’re okay with that.”

She pulled back the sheets that still bore the imprint of Rossa’s luscious naked body. “Hop in.”

She’d never been one for pillow talk. It was strange to cuddle up to a man and find that your head fitted nicely into the curve of his shoulder and that the softness of your body aligned with the hardness of his.

“Despite your initial reservations you seem to be taking to this bonded mate thing quite well—the sex part, I mean.” Ella hastened to qualify her comment.

“My earlier reservations matched yours, I think.” He hesitated. “It was something of a shock.”

“Then why did you put yourself forward to OCOS as a potential mate?”

“I didn’t.”

Ella opened her eyes and flipped over to stare into his face. “You must have.”

“I assure you, I didn’t.”

“Then how did we end up together?”

“Fate?”

She scowled at him. “I don’t believe that for a second.”

“Neither do I.”

“Then what?”

“I suspect it might have something to do with my visit to Otherworld the other week.”

“I remember you were reluctant to go there. Why is that?”

“Because I left.”

She poked him in the chest. “Morosov, stop being so damned cryptic.”

He sighed. “I left to escape certain malign forces that threatened my existence.”

“And going back reignited their interest in you.”

“You know the Fae, they like to toy with human emotions.”

“Why did you come with us then?”

“Because Alexei was absent, and I couldn’t let you go alone.”

She sank back down and rested her cheek on his chest. “Oh. Now I feel all responsible.”

His quiet chuckle surprised her. “Don’t. They would have found me eventually. Rossa has been keeping an eye on me for years.”

“Was that what his message was about? That someone wants you to go back to Otherworld permanently?”

“Not exactly.” She pinched him hard and he grabbed her hand. “If I go back, I’ll probably be executed.”

“What did you do?”

She felt him tense beneath her. “It’s in the past. I have no intention of talking about it now.”

“Why not?”

He kissed her fingers. “If we speak of it, we bring it into the present and Otherworld will know. I’d rather not make things worse.”

That made a weird kind of sense and she was too tired to argue anymore.

“Okay, let’s go to sleep then.”

She sensed Vadim start to relax almost immediately and she didn’t disturb him. To be honest, she was amazed he’d taken her into his confidence at all. One of the things she’d learned as an empath was that once a thought was out in the open it definitely took on a life of its own.

* * *

Ella first noticed something was up when she spotted Peach the receptionist sitting bolt upright at her post, her hands idle, her expression terrified. Normally Peach would be so busy with her social media and games by now that she barely remembered to look up and check Ella’s badge.

“Hey, Peach.”

“Ms. Walsh, Mr. Morosov.” Peach smiled. “Good morning !”

“Are you okay?”

“I’m just fine , Ms. Walsh! Can I help you with anything?”

“You can stop scaring me. Is everything okay?”

“Everything is awesome! I love my job!” Peach sang. Ella glanced at Vadim as they approached the elevators.

“Has she been cursed or something?”

“Not that I noticed. Shall we take the stairs?”

They walked down together and entered the main lobby of the SBLE offices. A businesslike hum had replaced the usual peaceful silence and several of Ella’s colleagues were walking around purposefully like the folks in TV car ads.

“What’s going on?” Ella turned to Vadim.

“I’ve no idea. Let’s see if Alexei knows anything.” Vadim held the door open for her and followed her into the smaller conference room. Alexei and Liz huddled together by his desk. “What’s up?” Ella demanded.

Liz made an anguished face at her. “Drew Spencer’s here!”

“Drew who?” Ella rushed ahead and took Vadim’s seat.

“The head of SBLE!”

“What does he want?”

Alexei swung around to look at Vadim. “Didn’t you tell her? I thought Feehan took you into his confidence.”

“Yes, he took me into his confidence, which in this world means it was a private conversation, Alexei.”

“But didn’t it concern Ella?” Alexei persisted.

Vadim’s gaze rested on her face. “Which is why I didn’t tell her anything. She’s an adult. She can decide how she wants to deal with this herself.”

Ella punched him on the arm. “Thanks, Morosov.”

“You’re welcome.” He paused. “I checked up on Drew Spencer last night. He’s about a quarter Fae, so don’t expect him to be easy to deal with.”

“Wow, the head of the SBLE actually has some Otherworld blood in him? That’s great!” Ella said.

Alexei laughed. “Wait until you get to meet him. You might change your mind.” He checked his watch. “We’re supposed to be in there right now. Shall we go?”

* * *

Vadim waited until everyone else had taken their seats before sitting opposite the surprisingly young looking head of the American branch of the SBLE. Vadim sensed that in some way he and Drew Spencer were kin, but that wasn’t unusual. With his lineage, Vadim was linked to almost all the great Fae houses.

Feehan stood and cleared his throat. “Everyone, I’d like you to meet Mr. Drew Spencer.”

Drew Spencer acknowledged their greetings with a brisk nod of his head. His eyes were the watchful opaque black of a shark.

“I’m pleased to meet you all, although I’d rather it was in less trying circumstances.” He glanced at Ella. “Ms. Walsh, may I offer you my condolences for the loss of so many of your colleagues, and my assurance that I will do anything in my power to ensure that your life is preserved.”

“Gee, thanks.” Ella nodded.

Drew swiveled to face the whiteboard. “I’ve gone through the specifics of this case with Mr. Feehan, and I must admit to having some concerns.”

“Which are?” Alexei asked.

“To be brutally honest, your lack of progress worries me.”

“What else do you expect us to do, Mr. Spencer?” Vadim asked. “We are dealing with a serial killer who seems to have the ability to appear and murder at will. The only connection between the victims is that they are female and all graduated from Otherworld empath colleges in the same year. We have identified these women, and are now guarding the remaining empaths. We don’t intend to let the Siren near them.”

Drew studied Vadim, the force of his magic pushing against Vadim’s in the equivalent of a psychic handshake. Whatever Spencer felt made him retreat.

“Mr. Morosov, is it not?”

“That’s correct.”

“The ‘expert’ from Russia?”

“If that’s what you want to call me.”

“Isn’t that why you were brought on the case?” Drew’s quick smile was meant to intimidate. “Unfortunately, your expertise seems to have added nothing so far.”

Vadim didn’t bother to answer that and continued to look calmly at the man. Feehan shifted uncomfortably in his chair and made no effort to intervene. Vadim remembered his wasn’t the only career on the line.

“We’ve all done our best, Mr. Spencer,” Ella said. “No one on this team enjoys seeing empaths die.”

“That’s very brave of you to say, Ms. Walsh. Personally, if I were you, I think I’d feel let down.”

Vadim tensed as Ella stared at Spencer. “I’ve been let down by way too many people to know when that isn’t the case. My colleagues have behaved impeccably.”

“But your life is in danger.”

She shrugged. “It’s going to end soon anyway.”

“Only if you don’t take an OCOS mate.”

“That’s hardly relevant, is it?” Ella replied. Vadim wanted to grin at her. “As Morosov said, this particular killer is proving hard to catch.”

Spencer steepled his fingers and studied Ella through them. “There is one way we might catch this deviant.”

“Let me guess.” Ella folded her arms and sat back in her chair. “You want to use me as bait because, hey, I’m not taking an OCOS mate, so I must have a death wish anyway, right?”

“That’s not quite what I intended to say, Ms. Walsh, but it is close enough. Would you be willing to offer yourself up as ‘bait’?”

“Ms. Walsh, Mr. Spencer, we’ve already tried that, and you know what happened.” Vadim paused. “We ended up with two more dead empaths.”

Spencer glared at Vadim. “Seeing as your superiors considered you were at fault in both of those deaths, Mr. Morosov, I suggest you keep out of this.”

“I was not found guilty of those accusations, Mr. Spencer.”

“That’s because you were never charged.” Spencer locked gazes with Vadim. “And why was that, I wonder? It might suggest that you have undue influence in high places, which scarcely speaks well for your integrity.” Everyone in the room was staring at Vadim with various degrees of consternation. He almost flinched when Ella squeezed his knee under the table.

“You’re out of order, Mr. Spencer. Morosov doesn’t need to do this shit job, but he does it anyway, and I’d trust him in a heartbeat.”

The “so fuck off” that ended that sentence remained unsaid, but somehow reverberated in the air like a challenge.

“I’ll think about what you have suggested and discuss it with my team and come to a decision.” Ella smiled. “After all, as you said, the choice is mine.”

She rose to her feet and nodded at everyone around the table except Spencer.

“Shall we adjourn to the bar on the other side of the street and decide what to do?”

Everyone rose with her, even Feehan, leaving Spencer sitting by himself at the table.

* * *

Despite her brave words, Ella was trembling when she finally managed to escape to her office. She’d promised to meet everyone in the bar in fifteen minutes and she intended to honor that promise. But she’d needed a moment alone. Spencer’s combative attitude toward Vadim had infuriated her and she’d felt a weird need to protect him. Not that he needed it, but she simply couldn’t allow him to be treated like that in front of the rest of the team. They were all at fault, not just him.

There was an internal mail envelope in her tray and needing something to do, she opened it. A photo slid out and she studied it carefully. The printed writing said Incoming Empath Freshman Class , 2003 . There was nothing else in the envelope. Ella returned her attention to the picture. She picked herself out quite easily. She hadn’t changed much—still the same baby face and bad dress sense…

She touched Laney’s face and then Christa’s, counted the smiling, apprehensive faces. Only eight female empaths and two males had graduated. There were fourteen in the photo. What had happened to the others? She tried to remember…

As if she’d conjured him, Vadim came through her door and shut it behind him. He looked unaffected by Spencer’s comments but Ella knew him better now.

“That man is an asshole,” Ella said.

“I agree. He seemed determined to get into some pissing contest with me. I have no idea why.”

“He’s part Fae, right?” Vadim nodded. “None of them seem to like you, do they?”

“You have a point.” He took the seat in front of her desk. “It was good of you to stand up for the team. Good of you to stand up for me.”

She shrugged. “As I said, the guy is an ass, and we’re in this together. Sure, I gave you a hard time when you arrived, but I’ve gotten used to your ugly face and you’re one of us now.”

“Thanks.” His smile was so beautiful she couldn’t look away. He paused. “Don’t do what Spencer wants, Ella.”

“Play bait?”

“Please, we’ll find another way.”

Ella stared at him. “Because of what happened with Natasha?”

“No, because of you. I don’t think I could let you do it.”

“It’s not your decision to make.”

“We’re mated.”

“We agreed that it was just about sex.”

“No, that’s what you wanted.”

She wrapped her arms around herself. “You didn’t disagree.”

“Because I didn’t know how I would be affected. I didn’t expect it to change me. I thought I was strong enough, secure enough to resist.”

“We don’t have to change,” she said quickly.

“I think we already have.” Vadim studied her. “Are you afraid?”

“Of what, of you?” She attempted a laugh. “Of course not!”

“Then why would you be willing to sacrifice yourself as SBLE bait? Do you think you are so worthless?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“ They say it, Ella. The SBLE has been telling you you’re expendable your whole life.” He stood up and came toward her, his hand outstretched. “It doesn’t have to be like that anymore. You have the ability to live how you want now.”

She evaded his touch and he went still. “What’s wrong?”

“You’re much more powerful than me. You could make me do whatever you want.”

“I’ve already told you I’d never do that.” He shook his head. “Don’t you trust me at all?”

She found it hard to swallow. “You told me that you were doing this mating thing so that we could finish the case and you’d not get fired.”

“I told you what you wanted to hear.”

“You lied?”

A muscle flexed in his jaw. “You say that with such hope. Is that what you want, Ella? For me to let you down, so that you can continue to believe it’s safer not to care about people?”

“You know people let you down. We agreed on that!”

“But I didn’t know how I’d feel when I bonded with you,” he said. “That it wouldn’t just be about sex and keeping my pathetic job.”

“Just because you’ve changed, doesn’t mean that I have to. Sex was enough for me.” God, her voice was trembling. Could she be more pathetic?

“And that’s the problem, isn’t it?”

“It isn’t a problem. I got exactly what I wanted.”

“And now you’re prepared to throw it all away for the glory of the SBLE?” He hesitated. “Don’t you want to live?”

“Why?” She sounded angry now. Angry was good. “With you keeping all your secrets and your power and me an open book you can fuck and control?”

She saw her rage mirrored in his blue eyes and swallowed hard as the floor flexed and rolled as if they were in the midst of an earthquake. He turned away and headed for the door, pausing only to glare at her over his shoulder.

“Everything I have, all my power, all my secrets are yours for the taking, Ella. I can’t keep you out. But you didn’t want that, did you, didn’t want all of me because you’ve grown so afraid of living that you don’t even see a lifeline when it’s thrown at you—only another noose.”

“That’s not fair!”

“Life’s not fair, Ella, but hey, why should that bother you? You’ve already given up.”

He slammed out of her office and she stood staring at the door, a bitter taste in her mouth and her thoughts in chaos. She brushed at her face and realized she was crying and that a small black feather was stuck to her cheek. Vadim was wrong. She was just as scared of dying as living.

She put the old photograph in her backpack and blew her nose. She had to go and meet her team and convince them she was willing to act as bait to lure the Siren into their trap. There was no other choice, and if Vadim didn’t like it, he knew what he could do.

Go look for another mate.

* * *

Vadim studied the half-empty bottle of vodka on the coffee table in front of him and picked up his glass to refill it. Drinking vodka and being Russian might be considered a cliché, but he’d wanted to get drunk fast and his adopted country had provided an excellent way for him to do it. His hotel room was in disarray, his suit lay discarded on the floor and he was sitting on the couch in his boxers.

Ms. Walsh, of course, had ignored his advice to tell Spencer exactly where to put his plan and enthusiastically offered to act as bait for the Siren. Vadim downed his vodka in one and wondered why he was bothering with a glass. Spencer had been delighted and had assured her that no harm would come to her at all.

He borrowed a favorite phrase of Ella’s. “Yeah, right.”

Vadim hadn’t said anything to Spencer but had sat there and let them make plans around him. All his instincts roared that this was a mistake, but who cared about that? Ella didn’t, and she was supposed to be his mate. In all other scenarios, as her significant other, he would’ve at least been asked his opinion. Here it was a secret, and thanks to Spencer, the rest of the team thought he was untrustworthy and worried about being involved in another scandal.

He’d made sure Ella had protection from other members of the team and left work early to hole up in his hotel room. He hadn’t intended to start drinking, but his sense of injustice and frustration had demanded an outlet. He couldn’t have sex with Ella or blast something to oblivion, so alcohol seemed a good option.

Someone banged on the connecting door between the rooms.

“Vadim? It’s me, Alexei.”

Vadim concentrated on his vodka. He’d already locked and warded the door so he wasn’t worried about Alexei getting in.

“Are you in the shower?”

Vadim ignored the question. When had he become this pathetic version of himself who was afraid for another human being? Had he lived in the human world for too long? In Otherworld, the fate of one individual was considered negligible, but Ella was his mate . It seemed she’d roused all his protective human instincts—instincts he’d fought hard to conceal as a child. He rubbed a hand over his face. Did she really believe he was closed off? He’d been more open with her than with any other being in either world since his brother’s death. Alexei rattled the door handle one more time and then seemed to give up. Vadim returned to his thoughts and his vodka. Whatever Ella decided, he would do his best to keep her alive despite herself. He was even willing to die for her. If he could die.

He wasn’t even sure of that any longer.

* * *

Ella put her backpack down on the countertop and let out her breath. The apartment seemed quiet with just her in it. Liz was waiting for the pizza they’d ordered for dinner and would be staying the night. Ella had decided to walk the rest of the way home from the pizza place to get some much-needed air and thinking time. She imagined Vadim’s expression if he knew what she’d done. She sure was making some bad horror movie choices for a girl who was the target of a serial killer. Part of her wanted the Siren to find her now, so that she could end it.

It was funny how she always complained about Vadim being over-protective but now that he’d backed off she felt bereft. “It’s just lack of sex.” She said the words out loud partly to convince herself. “I don’t need him.”

She took out two plates and found the pizza cutter. The thing was, it wasn’t just sex. She’d come to like and respect him as well. When he hadn’t said a word when she’d decided to go along with Drew Spencer’s plan she’d almost been disappointed.

She shook her head. “I am so fricking contrary these days.”

“Are you talking to me?”

Liz appeared at the door bearing a big cardboard box and Ella decided to put everything else aside and just eat.

Much later, when Liz had fallen asleep on the couch, Ella pulled out the photo of the incoming empaths and studied it more closely. Who had sent it to her and why? She had intended to mention it to the team, but Drew Spencer’s presence had upset their normal routine. She counted the smiling faces again. Fourteen potential empaths, four of whom hadn’t made it…what had happened to those guys? Why had they failed to graduate and had they been happy about that or not? She frowned. And what happened to an untrained empath anyway? Did they still go nuts at twenty-seven?

She glanced at the clock. It was getting late. The only way she might discover more about the forgotten empaths was to go back to Otherworld, talk to the administrators at the college again and look up the individuals in the Merton records office. What had happened to the information Perry, the college principal, had offered to provide for them? Was he trying to protect someone? His distaste for the killings had seemed quite genuine, but she doubted he was the guy actually doing the checking. Was someone in his office deliberately withholding information?

Her cell phone buzzed and she recognized Vadim’s number and hesitated. Did she want to talk to him? If she didn’t, would he think she was too afraid?

“Hey.”

There was a slight pause before he spoke. “Thanks for picking up.”

“Why wouldn’t I?”

“I just wanted to check you were okay. Is someone staying with you tonight?”

“Liz is here. We had pizza and she’s sleeping on the couch.”

“Good.” Another pause. “I’ll see you at work tomorrow, then.”

Ella closed her eyes and gripped the phone hard. He sounded like he didn’t give a damn, and even though she’d pushed him away, it hurt. “Morosov, would you come to Otherworld with me in the morning?”

“Why would you want me to do that?”

“There’s something I’d like to follow up.”

“I thought you’d decided to go with Spencer’s plan.”

“I have, but I think this might be important.”

“What might be?”

She looked at the photo propped up beside her bed. “Four of the incoming empaths in my class didn’t graduate.”

“So?”

“What happened to them?”

“Why does it matter?”

“Because…I just have this feeling that it does.”

“A psychic feeling?”

She heard the skepticism in his voice and found herself bristling. “I’m not Natasha and I’m not going nuts anymore, remember? My intuition is working just fine.”

“I wasn’t trying to imply…”

“Yes, you were.”

He sighed. “Look, why don’t you talk this through with the team when you come in tomorrow?”

“Why can’t I talk it through with you right now?”

“Because I’m not feeling entirely rational.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m drunk, and I’m missing you.”

“Why are you drunk?”

“Why do you think?”

“Because I agreed to Spencer’s plan?” She realized she was scowling at the phone. “You’ve given up on me, then?”

“Ella…” He sounded weary and she felt unaccustomed tears crowd her throat. “Isn’t that what you wanted? Me to back off and let you make your own decisions?”

“You know, you’re right. I shouldn’t have bothered you.” She tried to sound brisk and professional. “I’ll certainly bring this up at the meeting in the morning and see what everyone else thinks. Night, Morosov, sweet dreams.”

“Ella, fuck this. Don’t?—”

She turned her phone off and took it out into the kitchen to hide in her backpack. He was right. She couldn’t jerk him around like that. She’d told him to back off, and he’d done exactly what she’d asked him. Okay, she now thought she might have made a mistake, but she couldn’t tell him that. If she survived the Siren, there would be plenty of time to put things right between them.

Plenty of time.

If she survived.

And if Vadim stayed around to find out she’d had a change of heart.