Kade's Dark Embrace

Chapter One

The sultry, summer night buzzed with mortals seeking entertainment in the heart of the city. Listening to the sounds in the distance, Kade recognized a familiar jazz song being played by street performers. After the long flight to Philadelphia, he needed to stretch and gather his thoughts. Unable to resist the lure of the waterfront, he leaned against the cool railing, watching the lights of the boats passing by and flickering in the rushing water. Sensing great evil on the horizon, he breathed deeply, letting the sight of the water soothe him.

His cell phone buzzed; glancing at the text, he swore. A dead body had been found near the airport. Goddammit. He was too late. Kade waved to the waiting limo driver, gesturing that he needed to leave. Pivoting, he noticed an attractive woman sitting alone at the end of the dock, far away from the crowd. She appeared confident, yet alone, as she sat in the darkness, moonlight glinting off her long, blond hair. What the hell was a woman doing down on the docks alone this time at night?

Glancing at the enchanting stranger, Kade struggled to push sex from his thoughts. It had been far too long since he’d felt the touch of a woman. Aroused by the possibility of an encounter with her, he swore once again. Not now. He needed to concentrate on the real reason he was here in the city. Tristan, an old friend and Alpha of the regional wolf pack, had called him in New Orleans nearly a week ago requesting his assistance. He had planned on seeing Tristan later that night at his club; there he’d find a donor willing to play. Right now, this woman was just a lovely, human distraction. One who was stupid enough to be sitting alone in the dark by the waterfront. Yet, he could not seem to tear his eyes off of her. The thought crossed his mind that maybe he should just have a sip of her sweet, young blood before work. Her delicious scent registered in his brain, and his fangs began to elongate.

Over the centuries, he’d been with plenty of women, but none held his heart. As for his thirst, there were many willing women who offered themselves to vampires these days. What was it about this alluring stranger that he found so intriguing?

Like a fox spotting a rabbit in the woods, he could not resist the temptation of the hunt. Slowly approaching her, he admired her long, curly, blonde hair wishing he could run his fingers through it. She was of average height, around five-four, if he had to guess, with a strong, athletic build. As she stretched her toned arms up over her head, he admired her firm, pert breasts straining against her tight, white t-shirt. Her black, spandex miniskirt accentuated her lithe, tanned legs. She immediately glanced at her watch and folded her arms impatiently. Was she waiting for someone? A date?

Darting into the shadows, he attempted to cloak his presence, yet she stared straight at him. Bloody hell. Could she see him? Interesting...was she supernatural as well? His cell phone went off again reminding him that he needed to get to the site. With a parting glance, he memorized her face, hoping he’d see her again. Silently he returned to the car, reluctant to leave the woman, but anxious to wrap up this case and mete out justice to the murderer.

Down by the river, Sydney waited for her friend. God, it was a beautiful night in the city. She always enjoyed coming down to the waterfront, but it was rare she got a night off to relax. She loved her job as a cop, busting criminals in one of the toughest cities in America. Even though Philly could chew up and spit out a cop on a good day, she enjoyed the city’s history and rich culture. But tonight instead of cracking heads, she was off and meeting a girlfriend for drinks. All work and no play made Syd a dull girl, and she was looking forward to playing hard tonight. She needed a stiff drink. Where the hell was Ada? That girl was always late. They had reservations at Vincent’s at nine, and she did not intend to miss out on dinner. She hoped like hell that Ada hadn’t got called back into the office.

A cold breeze came off the water, sending a chill up her spine. She truly wished it was the sudden rush of air that put her on alert, but she’d been around the block long enough to recognize danger when she felt it. Inspecting her surroundings, she only saw a pair of lovers strolling past the tall ships. Still, she felt eyes on her. In the distance, Sydney spotted a large, very male silhouette in the shadows. Criminal? No, someone else, something else, a supernatural? Human or otherwise, someone was out there, he was there. It wasn’t that she was naive about supernaturals; it was just that she generally didn’t arrest them. Damn. I so don’t need this tonight.

Reaching up under her skirt, Sydney checked the silver knife holstered to her thigh; it was secure. She nonchalantly slid her hand into her purse, unlocking the safety on her trusty Sig Sauer. Then, she casually pulled out and applied her favorite pink lip-gloss and pretended not to see him. Her body tensed ready to spring into action. She smiled and tossed her gloss in her bag...a girl has always got to look her best when she kills. She glanced away for a second to the couple on the dock who were still there. Then, her eyes darted back to the shadow in the night. He was gone. Where the hell did he just go?

As sounds of the jazz band filled the air, she willed herself to relax. Maybe he was just a lost tourist? Whatever, he was gone, just another predator in the city. The music in the distance reminded her of the last time she was in New Orleans. Damn if she didn’t love that town: beignets, cafe au lait, jazz. Sydney shook her head disappointed that she didn’t have a vacation planned this summer. “Shit, I am so stuck in Philly,” she scoffed to herself as she took note of another drunken loser being cuffed by the local beat. Okay, sure, there were drunks in New Orleans but at least the NOLA drunks would just vomit and pass out. No, this was Philly. Drunks here boo Santa and get in more trouble than a dog with an Easter basket, and like the dog, they usually end up either sick or dead. Ah yes, another lovely eve in the big city.

“What now? I'm supposed to be having fun tonight,” she snapped as her cell phone went off. The Freaks Come Out at Night blared from her purse. She could tell from the ring tone that Tony, her partner, was calling. “Hey, Tone what’s up?”

“Gotta floater out of the Delaware down near the airport. Captain said it looks messy, and I was kinda hoping you could join me for the party.”

“Okay, but you so owe me. I'm at Penn’s Landing right now waiting for Ada. Guess our girl’s night is not happening.”

“Uh, Syd...One more tiny detail...”

“Seriously?”

“P-CAP is meeting us there.”

“Hell no, I don’t feel like dealing with their shit tonight.” P-CAP: Paranormal City Alternative Police. Sydney wasn’t a fan of working paranormal cases. For the most part, Sydney stuck to the cut and dry, run-of-the-mill human murders. She didn’t have to work with supes, nor did she want to. She wasn’t exactly prejudiced without reason. Two years ago, when working a supposedly simple hit and run, an unknown were-bitch shifted into tiger mode and killed two cops. It turned out the perp was related to the hit and run driver, and the tiger thought she could fix the problem by killing the humans. Too bad for her, Sydney always carried a silver knife. Sure, she came out with a few scratches, and almost died in the I.C.U., but Sydney came out of the skirmish alive, the tiger didn’t.

Sydney sighed. “Okay, Tony, but I swear if there are any kitty cats workin’ this case I'll be taking them directly to the vet to be fixed and declawed. I am not dealing with shifters tonight.”

“Yeah, yeah, one close call with a pussy cat and now you’re allergic to all of P-CAP?” he jokingly asked.

“Make all the jokes you want, Tony. It’s all fun and games until their claws come out, and the next thing you know the knives are flying. Good thing I've been practicing my aim. See you in ten.” Okay, so it was probably more like twenty given the city traffic on a Friday night, but at least she was going. She was annoyed that her one night off was screwed thanks to a floater. Nothing got much grosser than that, especially when the skin came pulling off...yuck. It was probably just another idiot who thought it was a great idea to take a swim in the Delaware on a muggy August night.

When Sydney showed up on the scene, there must have been at least ten black and whites, not to mention the buzzing crowd of spectators who decided to show up to see if they could catch a glimpse of a dead body. What the hell was wrong with people? She knew damn well the answer to that question was 'everything'. It wasn’t as if she hated the general population, but she tended to see the worst in people, human or not: drug users, rapists, murderers, and perhaps the worst of the bunch, child abusers, and pedophiles. The sick bastards never ceased to amaze her. She shuddered thinking about what might be waiting for her beyond the yellow tape tonight.

Walking down the gravel sidewalk, she ended up in trampled, soggy weeds that formed a makeshift path. The scene buzzed with CSI and fellow officers. Swiveling her head around, she felt a chill in her bones. It was ninety degrees outside. Something was off, really off. She tried to remain steady on her feet as she gently eased down the slope of the slippery grass. “Sydney! Over here!” she heard Tony call.

As she approached the body, the smell hit her first. “Oh God, what the fuck is that smell? Dead body mixed with algae? Shit, that is just terrible,” she complained.

“Nice mouth, Syd. Soon you're going to have to carry around that cuss jar with you in the car,” Tony teased.

“Yeah, well, fucking sue me. I’ve given up on the damn cuss jar. I’ll just write your favorite charity a check. That should cover me for the year,” she winked.

“Okay then, I’ll be waiting on it. Yeah, I know the smell is pretty bad, huh? I guess I failed to mention that the gal who discovered the body passed out from the smell. Buck up, Syd. I’ll buy you roses afterward,” he chuckled.

Tony thought he was so damn funny. He was a tough cop, born and raised in South Philly. Six-three, Italian goodness wrapped in a hot, witty package, he had no difficulty getting dates. Dark, olive skin; cropped, raven hair, with just a wisp of a flip to the front, the man looked like he could bench press a Septa bus, minus the bulk of a wrestler. To top it off, he knew the city like the back of his hand, and there was no one Sydney would rather trust to have at her back.

She loved him...as well as she could love anyone. He was a good friend. Okay, sometimes she thought of him as a very good friend and was often tempted to turn things into a 'more than friends' arrangement, but she had worked hard to get where she was in the department. Sydney would be damned if she gave into her primal urges to screw her partner and then end up an office joke as the 'cop who liked to be on top.' Still, she couldn’t help but admire his manly physique, which reminded her that she needed to get out tonight and find someone to play with. A quick, meaningless quickie would give her the release she desired, one she very much needed before she ended up breaking her own 'no-dating-on-the-job' rule.

Thoughts of sex were pushed to the back of her mind as the body came into view. The body was that of a young woman. Her skin was almost translucent after being in the water for so long. She was dressed in a long, white gown, which shimmered in the harsh lights. She almost looked like the porcelain dolls her mother used to collect, beautiful to look at but no touching allowed. Yes, this girl looked innocent, fragile. How old could she have been? Maybe twenty-one? Sydney blew out a breath. “What a fucking sicko. What the hell? What is that stuff on her eyes? Her face?”

As she leaned in for a closer look, Tony tapped notes into his cell phone. “I know, Syd. We definitely have a demented one on this case. It's almost as if the perp wanted her to look a certain way, cared about her appearance...well, except for the whole ‘sew her eyelids shut and dress her up like a doll’ shit...and of course, we still need to find cause of death. The coroner is on her way. Take a look at her face.”

The girl’s eyelids were sewn shut in the shape of an 'X', and she still had what looked like makeup on her face. She had been in the water for at least a day or two. Maybe it was something else besides makeup? Tattooing? Sydney had a friend who tattooed eye makeup on women so they looked fresh-as-a-daisy, day or night, no muss, no fuss. Well, except there was plenty of muss here. Actually, the water-logged loose skin looked like you could pull it right off the girl, as if it were a translucent glove. Ew...Sydney might be a cop, but that didn’t mean she didn’t get grossed out by the sick ways people died, or the things they did. Like the guy they found dead with a gourd shoved up his ass. Yep, another day in the city...still gross.

“Tony, her skin looks so pale. Paler than what I would expect from your average floater. It's almost as if....” Sydney’s skin pricked in awareness. The feeling she had on the docks, the guy who’d been watching her earlier, had he freaking followed her? What the hell?

Kade stepped into the spotlights, dominating her space and finishing her words. “It almost looks as if her blood was drained from her body, and indeed, it was. Allow me to introduce myself, I am Kade Issacson from P-CAP, and I am now officially in charge of this case. You are welcome to stay on and assist...” Kade spoke confidently, concealing his excitement. He could not believe the woman at the docks was here at his scene. What was she? Her sweet scent called to him arousing all his senses. He struggled to remain professional, determined to find out who she was while controlling the situation.

Sydney tsked. She could not believe the sheer audacity of this guy. As she spun on her heels to address him, her eyes locked on the source of her chills. The heat began to rise to her face as she realized this guy was a serious, supernatural being...dangerous; added to that, he was drop dead gorgeous. She could barely bring words to her lips to argue with him. Desire pooled in her belly. She quickly focused her thoughts back on the body, letting her anger rise to the surface.

“Name’s Willows, Detective Sydney Willows.” She was infuriated P-CAP thought they could come in here and boss the little, human woman around. Nice try. “Seriously? You guys finally decide to show up and you're all like, ‘It’s our case now.’ Well, here's a newsflash...this girl is a human. According to the regs, ‘human vic, human cops’. So, you can move along friend, or watch. Whatever you’re into. Just stay out of my way.” Damn, if she was going to let some hot, supernatural guy tell her what to do at her scene.

Kade smiled. This was going to be fun. “Ms. Willows, while you are indeed correct that the vic is human, she was murdered in a very supernatural way. Therefore, according to the regs, this is officially a P-CAP case that requires your mandatory cooperation,” he lied. Kade knew full well that he didn’t really need her cooperation. He could just as easily pull in his officers and handle the case himself. But he couldn’t resist teasing the fine detective and looked forward to the opportunity to work with Ms. Willows. Besides, asking her to cooperate would lead to better human relations, so it could be a win-win as far as he was concerned.

Sydney rolled her eyes and blew out a breath. Well good and fuck. She was having a fine evening up until now, day off and all. And now this...she had no idea what the hell he even was. “Mister?” she spat out.

“Please, call me Kade.” He spoke with just the smallest hint of a British accent.

Albeit insincerely, she purred oozing sweetness and sarcasm, “Kade, our police department would love to cooperate with P-CAP just as soon we get the coroner’s exam completed.”

“That would be lovely, Ms. Willows. Now, may I please look at the body?” he smirked.

“Yes,” she curtly replied, moving out of his way so he could get a better look at the girl. Sydney could not believe her day. Okay, she could maybe do this...work with Kade, as long as he didn’t bite her, or claw her or bespell her, or whatever other supernatural shit he did. Even if she didn’t know what his deal was, she was convinced that he was capable of doing things that she would not like. She crossed her arms, irritated with the entire night. She knew one thing for sure; working closely with Kade was going to add exponentially to her overall, sexual frustration. Ugh, how was she ever going to get through this case being around this guy?

She glanced over at him as he conversed with Tony. Kade’s sexy frame towered over her. He was well over six-five with loose, dark blonde hair that reached his collar. The strikingly handsome, hard planes of his face accentuated his piercing, ice blue eyes. Sydney could tell he was athletic and muscular, and wished she could see what was hidden beneath his navy, linen sport jacket. He defied her notions of how she imagined most supernaturals dressed, expecting him to be clad in black leather and chains. Instead, he struck her as classic, masterly, sensual. Sydney smiled to herself thinking that Kade looked like he just stepped out of a freaking Ralph Lauren ad. His cream, linen pants hung loosely on his tapered hips revealing just a glimpse of what supernatural 'assets' he had under them. Shit, Sydney, are you really looking at the man’s crotch at a crime scene? You so need to get laid.

As she looked up, he caught her eyes and smiled. Oh, God...please don’t let him have seen me looking there. She quickly glanced at Tony who chuckled, “Hey, Syd, whatcha lookin’ at? There really is a lot to observe at the scene, huh?”

Damn, she was so busted. “Shut it, Tony! Need I remind you that I was supposed to be off tonight?” she retorted.

“Off or getting off?” he quipped.

Her face flushed red in embarrassment. “Ha, ha. Tony. You boys keep talking. I’m actually going to work. I’ll be with Ada and find out what she’s got,” Sydney huffed. She was eager to put some space between herself and Kade. She needed to get her hormones under control and think. Why cover the body with tattoos? Why all the presentation? Obviously, the perp must get off on some kind of ritual during the actual killing. Some killers like to take their time, play with the victim, such sick bastards.

Ada Billings, the coroner, stomped down the hill toward the body. Dr. Adalee Billings had been on the job as long as Sydney could remember. With not many women on the force, Ada was the closest female friend Sydney had. Ada was a beautiful, African American woman with dark, cocoa skin. At five-eight, she could have easily been mistaken for a model. Her ebony, shoulder length hair was usually pulled back in a scrub hat. But because she was supposed to be out with Sydney tonight, having dinner, her hair was fashionably coiffed into a French twist with a royal blue barrette. Quick-witted and insanely intelligent, Ada could go toe-to-toe with any person in the department, so the men just didn’t mess with her. Sydney loved having a smart girlfriend on the force, given she usually worked in a sea of men.

As Ada leaned in to examine the body and set down her evidence kit, Sydney sidled up next to her, anxious to get Ada’s first impressions. The smell was overwhelming at this point. Death, animal or human, it was a smell that permeated the lining of your nostrils and could get into your clothing. Damn, if she didn’t just dry clean this blouse.

“So, what ya got, Ada?” Sydney inquired.

Ada stared narrowly at the girl’s face and hands. “Hard to tell without being in the lab, but the tattooing is interesting. Maybe some kind of ritual? Magical protection?”

“Yeah, I was thinking ritual. The perp took his time on the girl: the dress, the makeup, sick fuck. What makes you think magical protection?” Sydney asked.

“Early tattooing was thought to have mystical protection, a talisman of sorts worn on the skin. We’ll take pictures of the tats and get them to research. Damn, if this city isn’t getting freaky tonight. Is P-CAP down here? Honestly, Syd, my take is that this might be their case, but if you want us to run the body, I’m on it.”

“Yes and yes. P-CAP is here just waiting to take my case, but all the same, I’d like you to run the body first. So if you could put a rush on it, I would appreciate it. This could be a human-on-human crime. It could be a human copycat playing with magic trying to make it look paranormal, or it could be something that needs to go over to the wild side.” She glanced toward Kade. “And if that happens, they can have it. Personally, I wouldn't mind turning it over to what’s his name...Kade over there...so I can get him out of my hair,” Sydney huffed.

Ada looked over to Kade and smiled. “You mean that whole lot of sexy goodness over there talking to Tony? Yummy. I would love to work with him, or just work him, period. Whatever, you send him down to the lab, and I’ll be happy to review the results in detail with that sexy man right there. Mama needs some sugar tonight.”

Sydney tsked at the thought. “Yeah sure, if you’d like a bite with your sugar, I’m sure he’d be happy to oblige you. Not sure if he’s got fangs or claws, but something’s going on there.”

“Girl, you sound like you doth protest a little too much. Why not just look at it as a perk of the job? Lord knows there aren’t many. Or maybe that hot partner of yours could spice up your coffee?” she laughed.

Hot partner? Yes, that would be Tony. “Yeah, you’re right about that. There's a whole lot of sweetness there, but tasting his candy would not be good for my career. Ada, I just need to get out and satisfy my needs...Can you tell that I’m a little distracted tonight?”

“Well, girl, you have about five hours to satisfy your needs, and then you need to get your ass down to the lab. I'll bag her up, start the autopsy, snap the pics, and get the trace out. Now, look at this thread.” Ada held up a tiny, brown, thread-like substance in her tweezers. “Maybe something unusual about that too? Could be regular thread, or something else?”

“Okay, run the thread. We gotta move quickly. This girl was tortured, and I have a feeling she isn’t going to be the perp’s last play toy. It’s like the killer enjoyed this...took his time. He's sharing his work with us. Wanting us to see what he did to this girl. God, it makes me sick.”

Ada shook her head in disgust. “I know. We’ve got a predator here. Not sure if there's anything to the tats or the thread, but I'll start right away. Now why don’t you get back to your night off? Well, at least for a few hours until I gather some evidence. Kade over there looks awful lonely. He certainly looks like he could take care of all your needs,” she teased.

“No way, Ada. I'm outta here for now. See ya down at the lab.” She gave Ada a wave and turned to leave. It was supposed to be her night off, and damn if she wasn’t going to get at least a few hours to herself. As Sydney readied herself to leave, she felt eyes on her back. She glanced at Kade to find him staring at her. She nodded her head and turned around quickly so he wouldn't think she was interested in him.

Something about him bothered her. She felt drawn to him; it was probably the supernatural, hotter-than-hell vibe he had going on. He told her he worked with P-CAP, but his story didn’t jive with her instincts. Sydney read people well, and there was something about him that said he wasn’t a cop. Or even a supernatural cop. He looked like he belonged at a country club. Maybe he was a lawyer, or a businessman? Taking in one last glance, she memorized his clothing and shoes. The suit wasn’t right. So not the inexpensive cop wear she was used to seeing at the station. Boss? Calvali? And the shoes, he was wearing Salvatore Ferragamo. Sydney regularly shopped the shoe sales at Nordstrom’s and knew he was not wearing Clarks.

Something wasn’t adding up. He looked too perfect to be working a detective beat, even for someone not human. Sydney wondered what kind of supernatural he was. Wolf? No, he didn’t strike her as the rugged, outdoorsy type. No, Kade was refined, sleek, and uber-sexy. Primal and dangerous. Vampire? Yes, she’d bet he was a vampire. Damn curiosity was getting the best of her as she surreptitiously hoped she’d see him again. Kade might be keeping a few secrets, and Sydney was going to find out exactly what he was up to...as soon as she engaged in a few secrets of her own.