Page 21

Vadim stared at his cup of black coffee and took another three painkillers. He could magic himself up a potion and get rid of his hangover, but he almost preferred to suffer. It made him feel more human, something that had begun to escape him again when Ella Walsh took over his life. He wasn’t proud of what he’d said to her the previous day, but she needed to know the truth. He was mated to her. He needed her whether he liked it or not. What he couldn’t understand was why she refused to believe it too.

He took another gulp of coffee and shuddered at the bitter taste. She had no idea how damned hard he had to work to stay out of her way, and to conceal his natural desire to protect her from everything . Females of his line were considered so precious that they spent most of their lives in seclusion—unless they developed a taste for power when all hell broke loose. He had no idea how they’d react to Ella, either kill her or love her, he wasn’t sure, but there wouldn’t be anything weak about the response.

“Hey.”

Vadim looked up at Alexei, who had started to adopt the more casual dress of those around them and today wore khakis and an open-neck blue shirt.

“Good morning.”

“Drinking alone isn’t good for you.”

Vadim held up his mug. “You want to share?”

“I’m not talking about now. I’m talking about last night.”

“Spying on me again?”

Alexei frowned. “It’s my job. You know that.”

“Hopefully it will soon be over, and you can return to your lover and whisper sweet nothings in her ear about me.”

“What makes you think Madame and I are lovers?” Vadim just stared at Alexei who eventually shrugged. “So what if we are?”

“Doesn’t that compromise your objectivity in this case?”

“Why should that bother you? You lost your objectivity the minute you fucked Ella Walsh.”

Vadim stared at Alexei. “Whatever you think you know is probably incorrect. I suggest you don’t pass it on to Madame. She won’t thank you.”

“I know the truth. You’re so desperate not to fail again that you’d do anything to keep Ella Walsh happy and she’s been dying to get into your pants since you got here.”

“My reasons are my own. Keep your remarks about Ms. Walsh out of it.”

Alexei shook his head. “You’re hosed, Vadim, whatever way you look at it. What’s wrong with you? Did you think you could fuck Ella before she goes nuts and no one would know or care? Madame Dubinsky cares and she won’t like the fact that you probably used your magical power to enthrall Ella.”

Vadim found himself smiling. “That’s right. Ms. Walsh is so easy to overpower.”

“Empaths of her age are notoriously easy.” Alexei closed the door and came back to sit on the edge of Vadim’s desk. “I have to report back to Madame about you. She has me over a barrel.”

“And do you like it?”

“She says if I don’t complete my job here to her satisfaction, she will expose our relationship.”

“But won’t that hurt her?”

“Not the way she intends to spin it.” Alexei shrugged. “Let’s just say I come out of it looking like a psychotic, deranged blackmailer and she a pure white dove.” He hesitated. “I haven’t told her about your physical relationship with Ella yet.”

Vadim searched Alexei’s gaze and then skimmed his mind. Since mating with Ella he was getting far better at sensing the subtle nuances of the flow of people’s emotion.

“I appreciate that.”

“Depending on how Drew Spencer’s plan goes, I might not have to.”

“You mean if Ms. Walsh dies?”

“It seems likely, doesn’t it? The good thing for you is that if Spencer’s plan doesn’t work, the blame will be on him and not you.”

“And Ms. Walsh will be dead.”

Alexei waved a casual hand. “Collateral damage, my friend.”

Vadim looked down at his coffee and concentrated on not annihilating his old associate. It was surprisingly hard. He thought about Ella instead. She’d asked him to go to Otherworld with her and immediately retracted her request when he’d seemed reluctant. Why was he afraid to go to Otherworld now? What else could go wrong? He’d already been punished. He pushed back his chair.

“Have you seen Ms. Walsh since the meeting?”

“She was in her office with Liz for a while. I have no idea whether they are still there.”

He had a bad feeling he knew the answer to that. Her helpful attitude toward Spencer in the meeting hadn’t fooled him at all. She was up to something.

“I’ll go and check.”

Would Ella see his offer to come with her to Otherworld as him trying to overprotect her, or as a symbol of his desire to protect her over himself? Would she even see the difference? The only way to know would be to ask. He knocked on her office door and then knocked again. He opened the door and looked inside. There was no sign of her or Liz.

Trying to look casual, he checked Liz’s cubicle and then wandered out into the main office. He couldn’t sense Ella anywhere. His gut tightened as he considered what that meant and he kept walking until he reached the main lobby.

“Peach, have you seen Liz or Ms. Walsh go by?”

“Good morning, Mr. Morosov. Yes I have. They left about half an hour ago.”

“I don’t suppose they mentioned where they were going, did they?”

“They didn’t, but I did notice Ella had her cell out and was checking for portals.”

Damn . She’d gone without him. Of course she had. “Thanks, that’s very helpful.”

“You’re welcome, Mr. Morosov. Do you want me to tell you when they come back?”

“That would be great.” He smiled at her and she turned a delicious shade of pink. Just as he was about to call the elevator to go down to the SBLE floors, Doug Smith came in through the revolving doors. Vadim froze, his finger poised over the button.

“Doug? What’s wrong?”

Doug ran a hand through his already disordered hair. “Hey, Vad. Something’s up with Liz. I feel it in my gut.”

“As far as I know she’s out with Ms. Walsh. Did she tell you where they were going?”

“Nope. I just know something’s wrong.” He shivered. “I felt her scream.”

“Peach thought they might be going to Otherworld.” Doug raised his gaze to Vadim’s. His eyes looked more wolf than human. “Can we find out? I need to get to her.”

“We can certainly try.” Vadim hurried Doug into the elevator and followed him in, his mind working furiously. When they reached their level, he went straight to his own office.

“Alexei, you know Doug. Can you locate Liz? Doug thinks she’s in trouble.”

“I’ll do my best.” Alexei’s Fae-Web surrounded him. “She’s…unclear.”

“What the hell does that mean?” Doug snarled. “She’s neither here nor quite in Otherworld.” Alexei frowned at Vadim. “How weird is that? She’s not dead though.” He held up his hand. “Hold on, I’m getting a sense of portal disruption. Did the one by the bay move or something?”

“Hopefully not when Liz was in it,” Vadim muttered. He set himself to locating the portals. “Yes, it’s definitely moved. It’s closer now, by the clock tower at the Ferry building.” He looked at Doug. “What do you want to do?”

“It depends what has happened to her. Is she hurt?”

“I don’t know. As Alexei said, she is alive. Do you want to come with me and find out?”

Alexei stared at Vadim. “You’re going to Otherworld?”

“I have no choice. Liz wasn’t the only one on the way to Otherworld. I’m getting no sense of Ms. Walsh either.”

* * *

Ella walked into the public office of the Merton records office and found that nothing had changed. There was no one around, the clock on the counter continued to tick away the seconds, and the sense of being in another century deepened. She put her backpack on the countertop and fished for the OCOS form she’d completed that morning. She put it in the wire IN tray and then turned her attention to writing out a request form. As she thought how to pose her question, she bit the end of the pencil. What did she need to know about Geoffrey White? She decided to keep it simple and just ask for current information as to his address and occupation. Was he the empath who had damaged Anna Wheeler at that party? Had the college discovered his identity and gotten rid of him or had he left? If he was the man calling himself the Siren, she needed to get answers as quickly as possible.

She finished writing her note and read it through before placing it on top of her OCOS letter. According to the clock, there was another fifteen minutes before someone would be by to pick up the information. Ella picked up the silver bell that set next to it. Engraved around the outside of the bell were the words, ‘For EMERGENCIES only.’

This was a fucking emergency.

She rang the bell and the sweet sound echoed through the joyless room. No one came and Ella considered leaping over the countertop, running to the door at the back and doing some good old-fashioned hollering. She picked up her backpack and dumped it on the nearest chair.

“ Ms . Walsh , where are you ?”

At the sound of Vadim’s voice, she almost dropped her backpack.

“ I’m at the records office in Otherworld . How the hell are you talking to me here ?”

“ I’m on my way . Is Liz with you ?”

“ No , the portal shifted when we were in it . Liz ended up about twenty miles away in a place called Netherfield . She’s going to join me here as soon as she can .” From the corner of her eye she saw the door at the back of the office start to open. “ I’ve got to go . The guy’s coming to pick up the paperwork .”

“ What paperwork ? Ella , listen to me , don’t do anything until I get there . Sit tight , talk to no one .”

“ Yeah right , like I’m going to be attacked by a mild - mannered civil servant .”

“ Fuck it , Ella , listen to me , I …”

She frowned as she caught a hint of fear in his voice. “ What’s wrong , Morosov , what …”

It was the same nondescript guy who’d picked up the paperwork before. Ella nodded at him. “Thanks, could you make it snappy? I’m in a bit of a hurry.”

He stared at her for a long moment and then reset the clock, scooped up the paperwork and left her alone again. She slumped back in her chair, drumming her fingers on the wooden desk in front of her.

“ Morosov ?”

Her thought echoed weirdly inside her own head and bounced back. Where had Vadim gone? Had someone detected their communication and shut them down? Considering his reluctance to enter Otherworld it wasn’t surprising. But why had Vadim come after her? And why was he so uncharacteristically afraid?

“ Morosov .”

Again, nothing. She rubbed her forehead as a headache threatened. It felt as if there was a thunderstorm about to break inside her. She needed to get out of this place and back to work. She glanced impatiently at the clock. Where the hell was the clerk?

The door at the back of the office opened and Ella waited as the guy came toward the counter. Outside, real thunder boomed followed by the gentle patter of rain on the closed, shuttered windows.

“Miss Walsh?”

Startled, Ella stood up. “Yes?”

“Would you mind coming through to my office?”

“Why?”

“There is some paperwork you might wish to see.”

“Can’t you give it to me here?”

“Unfortunately not. I’m not even supposed to let you see these items, but I’m trying to be helpful.” He lowered his voice. “It concerns Geoffrey White.”

Ella left her backpack on the seat and allowed the man to usher her through the silent office and out into the hallway beyond. There were at least twenty matching oak doors all currently closed, except for one right at the end of the hall. Despite the booming thunder, the pressure in Ella’s head hadn’t receded at all. In fact, the farther she went down the corridor, the worse it got. Somewhere in the back of her mind she was aware of Vadim trying to reach her. Somehow it didn’t seem to matter.

She smiled at her silent companion. “I appreciate your help.”

He shrugged and she noted how perfectly ironed his shirt was. Vadim would approve. She frowned as she tried to picture him and found it increasingly difficult. She had to concentrate; there was a killer at large.

“Please take a seat, Miss Walsh.”

Ella sat in the proffered chair and rested her linked hands in her lap. There was something about the man that made her feel relaxed—as if she didn’t have to worry about Morosov, or the Siren, or anything really… He took off his glasses and she realized he was way younger than she had thought. His gray eyes were kind and crinkled at the corners. “Firstly, may I congratulate you on turning in your OCOS paperwork? I’m sure you are looking forward to meeting your mate.”

“Yes, I am.” Ella nodded. He didn’t need to know that she’d done it as a show of faith so Vadim would know she was taking their relationship seriously—well, as seriously as she could take anything.

“I know it is always a struggle for an empath to decide what path to take—to commit to a stranger, or to allow nature to take its course and send you plummeting into madness.”

“I wasn’t going to do it,” Ella found herself saying. “I was convinced I’d rather go nuts.”

He sat forward. “Really? What changed your mind?”

“Fear, I suppose. Fear of going mad and somehow damaging those I work with, or those I love.”

He nodded sympathetically. “I can understand that. Being an empath is a heavy burden.” He hesitated. “But isn’t there another way?”

“What do you mean?”

“I heard you were investigating a serial killer called the Siren.”

Somewhere faintly in the back of her head warning bells sounded and she sensed Vadim shouting at her. She blinked and refocused her gaze on the tranquil face of the man in front of her. When she stared at him, all her anxiety slipped away and she felt calm and sure, and, yeah…almost happy.

“Yes, I am. What of it?”

He smiled and she found herself smiling back. “I heard he offers empaths another way out of their dilemma.”

“What do you mean?”

“He relieves them of their pain and sets them free.”

Ella considered that. “But they die.”

“They die at peace, though, don’t they?”

“I suppose so.” She found herself nodding. “It’s hard being an empath.”

“I know. All that psychic burden, all that knowledge bringing you down. You can see why none of the empaths struggled at the end.” He sat forward. “Didn’t you sense that? That they were happy to die?”

She stared at him. “I’m…not sure. How come you know so much about this?”

He ignored her question and brought his chair around to sit beside her. “Don’t you feel that, right now? That the burden is crushing you, that you can’t go on?”

God, she wanted to agree with him. A single tear ran down her cheek. He reached forward and gently wiped it away.

“You’ve been under so much stress, haven’t you? You’ve been so alone. Your family doesn’t understand you, your colleagues fear you, and madness is approaching. No wonder you panicked and chose to take an OCOS mate.”

She found herself nodding again as more tears spilled. He gave her his ironed cotton handkerchief.

“It’s all right. I understand what you are going through, I really do.” He grasped her left hand and she shuddered as his power rolled over her and through her. “Just let it go. I’ll make sure that everything is all right for you.”

* * *

Vadim pointed Doug toward Netherfield Hospital. “Liz is in there. She’s fine, but a bit confused. Go and see if they’ll let you take her home.”

“Thanks, dude.” Doug slapped him on the back. “Are you sure you don’t want me to come with you?”

“No, you go take care of Liz. I’ll manage.”

Doug headed up the steps and Vadim turned back toward the main road. Ella was definitely in Otherworld but she’d stopped communicating with him. He wasn’t sure if she just didn’t want to talk, or if she was being prevented. It didn’t make any difference. He was going to find her and God help anyone who had harmed her. Otherworld always put him in the mood to kill.

He didn’t have time to be careful anymore, and he was twenty human miles from the records office where Ella was. He closed his eyes and materialized on the cobbled street outside the building. Rossa sat on the steps shivering in a thin gold cloak and green hose that clung to his muscular thighs.

“I was wondering when you’d get here.”

Vadim jerked his head at the records office. “Is she in there?”

“Your female?”

“No, the Queen of the Fae.”

Rossa went pale. “Don’t even joke about her. Of course I meant your woman. She went in about half an hour ago, and she hasn’t come out yet.”

Vadim walked around to the side door and tried it. “It’s locked.”

“That’s because the place is shut for the day.”

“Not if Ella is still inside.” Vadim lowered his shields an inch and frowned. “There’s a lot of magic around. It’s trying to keep me out.”

Rossa gave a crack of laughter. “Keep you out? They must be insane.”

“Unfortunately I think they might be.” Vadim nodded at Rossa. “Can you stay here and make sure no one else comes in?”

“I’m not risking my life for you or anything.” Rossa ambled back around to the front of the building. “But I’ll wait. This could be seriously amusing.”

Vadim ignored his half-sibling and concentrated his formidable talents on the task in front of him. He could only hope the abilities he’d buried so successfully in order to function as human were still there beneath his skin and his shields. He lifted his hand and power danced like lightning at the end of his fingertips. Ah yes, he still had it. Now he just had to hope it was enough to deal with whatever was behind that door.

* * *

Ella realized she was still holding the man’s hand and that she was surrounded by a curious sense of warmth and complete understanding. His mind enfolded hers, stroking her psyche, making her want to lean against him and…

“ Ella Walsh , fucking pay attention !”

Who was that roaring at her in her head? She stiffened and the warm glow around her dissipated a little. She snatched back her hand.

“Did you say something?”

“Only that you can confide in me, Miss Walsh.”

“But, I didn’t come here to do that, did I? I came to—to give back my OCOS form and to find out what happened to Geoffrey White. Oh God, you’re Geoffrey White, aren’t you?”

He looked pleased. “Do you remember me at all? Unfortunately my time at college was cut short.”

“When you stole Anna’s empath powers.”

“I didn’t steal them. She let me in her head and I realized I had special abilities far beyond most mortals’ understanding.”

“You almost destroyed her.”

“I was still learning my craft. Eventually I perfected my technique.”

“Your technique to do what? Murder other empaths?” A stab of pain lanced through her head and he reclaimed her hand.

“That wasn’t nice, Miss Walsh.” His thoughts poured over her, soothing the hurt. “We were talking about your psychic burden, about how you could lay it down and be free.”

She wanted to nod, to agree with him, but something nagged at her, someone who wouldn’t shut the fuck up in her head …

“It’s okay. I don’t need to lay down my burden. I just remembered. I have a mate.”

“You have a potential mate. I know. I’m the one who sends out the paperwork.” Her companion’s smile was beautiful.

“Of course you do.” She found herself agreeing again. God, it was so hard not to simply relinquish control and let him in. “You know everyone, don’t you? You met us all at college.”

“Luckily for you, I did. It makes my life’s work so much easier.”

“Your life’s work being…?”

“Bringing an empath peace at the end of her life.” He touched her knee. “You know what I do. You’ve seen the results.”

Laney .

Vadim was closer, she could feel him now, but he was different, stronger, more powerful, more Other . She had to fight, had to make sense of all this.

“You murder empaths.”

“No, I offer empaths an alternate way to leave this life with dignity and with their souls intact.” A flare of anger resonated through his happiness. Ella wasn’t sure if she was pleased about that or scared. She sensed he could hurt her very badly.

“Why are you trying to resist me, Miss Walsh? I’m offering you peace.”

“At a price.” Damn, creating an individual thought was like wading waist-high through molasses. She tried to cling to the chaos of Vadim shouting at her, telling her to let him in. Let him in where ? “What do you gain out of it?”

A small frown marred his brow. “I only take what is offered freely.”

“I know that, but what do you do with it?” His expression gentled. “I use it for good.”

“Your own good?”

“Taking your pain is a gift to me. It enables me to increase my powers and help others. Eventually there will be no more empaths left—just me—and then Otherworld and the humans who tossed me aside as some kind of freak will come crawling back and beg for my help.”

Okay, even in her currently deluded state she knew this guy was seriously nuts.

There was a crashing sound and Vadim appeared in the now smashed doorway. He seemed to be speaking, but Ella couldn’t understand what he was saying. He also looked murderous. She unconsciously shifted closer to the Siren, or Geoffrey or the desk nerd, whatever he was called.

He stroked her arm. “It’s all right. You don’t have to take any notice of him. Do you have your gun on you?” She nodded and brought it out. The Siren smiled and Vadim went still, although she suspected he was still shouting at her in some realm. He loved shouting at her almost as much as he enjoyed being cryptic and mysterious. She imagined him moving over her, the taste of his skin, his sweat, his come…

“I can see that you are conflicted, Miss Walsh.” The Siren’s compassion washed over her and she shivered. “If you want him to go away, you can just shoot him.” Ella nodded and slowly stood up, the gun pointed at Vadim. If he just stopped shouting at her it would be so nice, so quiet, so peaceful …

“ Ella , don’t you damn well give up on me !” The power of Vadim, his rage entranced her and she held still. “ Turn that gun around and shoot him . He’s trying to kill you .”

She rolled her eyes. “No, Morosov, you idiot, he’s trying to make me shoot you .”

Vadim’s hand shot out and she could’ve sworn she saw sparks. Puzzled she turned to look at the Siren who was trying to hide behind her.

“Ouch!” Ella squeaked as one of the sparks hit her shoulder. “That hurt!”

“Then get out of the damned way, and let me kill him!”

She heard that real time and turned helplessly toward the Siren. “I can’t get him out of my head. I’m sorry. He’ll never let me seek peace.”

The Siren gripped her hand and she almost staggered beneath the force of his rising power. “That’s impossible .”

“He’s my mate. I can’t help it.” Vadim’s magic surged through her like a tidal wave, displacing the Siren’s hold. It felt like a nuclear war was being fought inside her head. The gun wavered in her hand. “Stop it. I can’t kill my mate and be happy forevermore. I just can’t .”

Vadim smiled at the Siren. “Are you listening? You can’t have her. She’s already mine.”

“No!”

Pain splintered across Ella’s skull and she closed her eyes.

“That can’t be correct. You’re not the right male for her,” the Siren shouted, his features distorted with rage. “She needs me. She only just turned the consent form in. I defeated you in Russia! You weren’t chosen for her. You aren’t worthy!”

Vadim looked at Ella. “You turned in the form?”

She could barely manage a nod. “Morosov, he says he can give me peace, take away my burdens…”

“By killing you? By stealing everything that makes you special? Fuck that, Ella. We can do so much better together.”

She managed to look into his eyes. They glowed like blue sapphires. He looked all Fae, his power flowing over her, pushing at the Siren’s hold. Punching holes in her certainties, reminding her why she wanted to live and love and…

She turned the gun toward the Siren. “I want to kill you so badly right now.”

Vadim cleared this throat. “So do I, but don’t you think we should bring him to justice?”

“Why?” She stepped back until she was against Vadim’s chest. “You promised me vengeance, remember?” He kissed the top of her head. “After the trial we can turn him over to the Otherworld prison system. Trust me, they’ll make him suffer for the rest of his life.”

“Never!”

The Siren leapt toward Ella, his hands raised to her throat, his power arching inside her like an electrical storm. Even as she fired her gun, Vadim was quicker. Magic roared through him and the Siren was lifted in the air and slammed against the opposite wall. He landed in a tangle of limbs; his neck broken, his gray eyes wide open and tinged with shock. Blood dripped from his shoulder where Ella’s bullet had lodged.

Vadim drew Ella close. “If I act now, I can bring him back to life in a different form and we can kill him again.”

She shuddered. “No, once was quite enough, thanks.”

“Are you sure?”

She punched him in the chest. “Stop showing off.” He bent to kiss her mouth, kissed her again until she stopped shivering and returned the kiss. After a long while, she drew away from him. “We should call this in.”

“We should.” He headed for the door, still holding her hand. “Why the hell did you let him take you into his office like that?”

“Because I didn’t realize who he was at that point.” She glared at him. “He seemed so nice . I understand exactly how he got all those empaths to trust him now. As some weird kind of empath himself he understood and sounded as if he genuinely wanted what was best for them.” She put her gun away. “Dammit, the man almost had me convinced.”

Vadim took his cell phone out of his pocket. “What stopped you?”

She made a face. “You did.”

His smile was slow in coming but incredibly self-satisfied. “I knew it.”

“He wasn’t expecting us to be fully mated. He couldn’t gain total control of my mind because I’d already found someone to take on my psychic burden.” Ella looked around the main office. “No wonder he knew who to pick next. He knew everything about us.”

“I’m sure there’ll be a full investigation as to how he ended up working in here.” Vadim pressed a few keys. “I wonder why he waited until the empaths chose a mate?”

“Either because he knew they wouldn’t be going mad by themselves or because he wanted them to feel saved and relaxed when he came to call.” Ella grimaced. “It depends whether you believe he genuinely wanted the best for empaths, or simply hated us and wanted more power.”

“As I said, that will all come out in the investigation. Personally I think he was in it for the power and control. But I might be biased because he just tried to make you shoot me.” He propelled her toward the door. “Let’s get out of here before anything else happens.”

“But won’t they want to…” Ella stopped talking as she noticed the small gathering out by the main road.

“Oh hell,” muttered Vadim.

He took her hand and walked into the center of the crowd. Sitting in the midst of a group of Fae was the most beautiful woman Ella had ever seen.

“Has she got anything to do with your reluctance to return to Otherworld?” Ella whispered.

“Yes.”

“Are you engaged to her?”

“It’s much worse than that.”

“She’s your wife?”

Vadim’s laugh was short. “No, she’s my grandmother.”

“No way. She doesn’t look old enough.”

“That’s because she’s Fae.”

“Morosov, she’s wearing a crown.” Ella smiled at the woman who had dark hair and blue eyes just like Vadim. She didn’t smile back. “Are we going to say hello?”

“Unless we want to die a slow and painful death, I suppose we have to.” Vadim kept hold of Ella’s hand and inclined his head a regal inch.

“Grandmother, may I introduce Miss Ella Walsh?”

“I know who she is, Cygnet.”

“Then you’ll know we are mated.”

The Fae waved an impatient bejeweled hand. “Naturally. I am the one who arranged it.”

Ella opened her mouth, but Vadim squeezed her fingers even more tightly in a clear signal for her to shut up.

“I wondered if that had anything to do with you.” He bowed. “As you can see, you might have forced my temporary return to Otherworld, but not my compliance.”

“You wish to stay bonded to this human ? If you hadn’t interfered that maniac would have killed her for you.”

“I will never willingly give her up.” Vadim smiled. “You have done me a great favor, Grandmother. I can now live legally in the human realm with my mate.” He bowed again. “We have to get back to work now. It was a pleasure seeing you again. Take care.”

Ella gulped as a roaring sound filled her ears and she found herself outside the SBLE building on Market still holding Vadim’s hand.

“You don’t need to use the portals?”

“Obviously not.” Vadim dusted down his suit and headed toward the main lobby. “Are you coming? We need to get a special unit down to the Merton office immediately.”

“Wait a minute. Did you just tell your grandmother that you mated with me so that you could live permanently on the human side?”

“It is one of the advantages a bonded male gets for mating with an empath.”

“So I’m like your fricking psychic green card?” Ella scowled at him. “You’re way more than fifty percent Fae, aren’t you?”

He shrugged. “It depends on which version of my ancestry you believe.”

“Bullshit! She tied you to me so that you’d come running back to Otherworld begging her to release you from our bond.”

“I’m quite sure that was her original idea. But, as I said, she miscalculated.”

Ella simply stared at him and wondered whether he could see the steam coming out of her ears. He was the most infuriating man she’d ever met.

“Why did your grandmother call you signet?”

“It’s just a pet name.”

She stamped her foot. “Dammit, Morosov, you aren’t going to tell me anything, are you?”

He swung around and wrapped his hand around the back of her neck, yanking her hard against him. “I’ll tell you this. We’re mated. I’m staying and you’re just going to have to suck it up and deal with it, soul sucker.” He kissed her and then stepped away. “Got that, Ms. Walsh?”

He had already walked into the lobby and headed for the elevators before she deigned to follow him.

“Signet,” she murmured. “Just a pet name. Pah.”

A lone black feather floated toward her and she started to smile. “Silly me. Not signet . Cygnet. Baby swan.”

A delightful vision of the future unrolled in front of her. How many references to Hans Christian Andersen, ballet and Natalie Portman’s fingernails would she be able to get into their conversations before Vadim finally lost it?

There would be a ton of paperwork to fill out, but for once she was happy to do it. Laney and the rest of the empaths had been avenged. She found herself smiling at the thought of taking Vadim to see her mother over the weekend and maybe suggesting their future offspring might be able to fly… There was no point in letting Morosov think he had the upper hand quite yet. He might have declared his intentions, but she certainly hadn’t declared hers.

She waved at Peach and waited for the elevator to return. She’d gotten over her fear of them. Life had suddenly become so much more fun .