Midnight Sins

Chapter 9

Silence.

Then, “How long have you known?” The question came from McNeal.

Colin just stared at him. His face was completely blank.

“Since the night Smith was taken. I followed Colin, long enough to see him change.”

Colin flinched.

Todd spared the captain a glance. “Then you called and demanded I come back.”

“Shit.” McNeal rubbed the top of his gleaming head. “I knew you were going after him, but I didn’t realize just how damn close you’d gotten.” McNeal glared at Colin. “How come you didn’t smell him? Hear him? You shifters are supposed to have such keen senses!”

“We do.” A growl.

“I watched from a good distance. Used night-vision binoculars.”

“His scent was already on me,” Colin said nearly a second later. “And that night, I was more focused on Other things.”

McNeal watched him with a hooded gaze. “So how much do you know?”

Not much. “I know werewolves are real—”

“Wolves?” McNeal mumbled. “Fucking figures.”

Colin cleared his throat. “Ah, we’re generally called shifters—not werewolves.”

“—and that demons are, too. I know that place, Paradise Found, is some kind of meeting place for them all.” And that all this shit was still making his head spin. Because now he wondered…how many of the perps he’d busted over the years, how many of the people he’d met—had actually been human? And how many had been something more?

“So you know about your little girlfriend, huh?” Colin drawled.

Todd braced his legs apart as he confronted his partner. “Don’t push me, man. I don’t care how much fur you can grow or how sharp your claws are, I will take you down.” He wasn’t particularly afraid of the big, bad wolf, not anymore. The first, oh, two weeks, yeah, he’d been piss scared. But the fear had soon morphed into anger—anger because his partner should have told him the truth long ago

“You’re gonna take me down?” Colin shook his head. “Another partner tried that. He’s dead, and I’m still here.”

What?

“So how do you feel…knowing all this, Brooks?” McNeal rose and stalked toward them. “Do you think the shifters are evil? The demons are abominations that need to be put down?”

Cara was no abomination. She was beautiful and sensuous and she made him feel better than he’d felt in years.

Ever.

And his partner could be a bastard, but he wasn’t evil…just too furry sometimes. “I feel like a veil has been over my eyes for years, and now I’m finally seeing clearly.” He might not love everything he was seeing, but he wanted to see it all. Good. Bad. Human. Shifter. Demon.

“There’s a lot more out there than you can imagine. A whole world of supernaturals—the Other.” McNeal was close now. Barely two feet away. “Vampires. Do you know about them? They’re real. They can drain a human dry, kill with a bite. And the demons…you think you know about them? Do you know about the level-ten demons? The ones who can destroy buildings with a blink of their black eyes? Do you know that level-tens are practically immortal? The older they get, the harder it is to kill ’em. Hell, some can’t even be killed by mortal weapons.”

“So that makes taking them down a real bitch,” Colin added darkly.

McNeal’s words were probably meant to scare him. They didn’t. They just made him more curious. He’d been trying to block Cara from his thoughts as best he could while he talked with Smith, McNeal, and Colin about the case, but the gloves were off now. No more pretending.

They were talking about the creatures that were roaming the city right under the noses of the humans. Cara was one of those creatures. He wanted to know everything he could about this new world and about her. “What else is out there?”

Cara wasn’t a level-ten. She’d said she only had mid-range power. She could make fire. The lady had also said that she could hypnotize humans. Not him, but others.

“Oh, just about any damn thing you can imagine.” McNeal never took his gaze off him. “The nightmares that wake you up late at night, the ones that make you break out into a cold sweat—the things out there, waiting in the shadows just beyond human sight—they’re worse than your bad dreams. A thousand times worse.”

“Djinn.” Gyth spoke softly. “Witches. Wizards—”

Instinct guided him as he faced McNeal. There was something about the guy’s voice, about the way McNeal eyeballed him. “And just what are you, Captain?”

McNeal’s expression never wavered. “I’m an overworked cop who hadn’t thought he’d have to be dealing with this crap again so soon.”

Not the answer he wanted. That lick of heat powered his blood, the burst of excitement he got when he came close to breaking a case. Or now, breaking his captain. “You aren’t human.” He wouldn’t have really questioned the captain’s humanity before. But that had been before…before he’d watched Colin change. Before he’d kissed a demon and touched a paradise he hadn’t known existed.

“Oh, I’m human. Just with a little something…extra.” A quick glance toward the locked door. “Screw it. If you want to play in the Other world, I’ll put my cards out for you.”

“Captain?” The surprise in Colin’s voice was real.

“He knows, Gyth. No sense denying anything now. Besides, the way this town is overrun with Other gone bad, you’re goin’ to need his backup on these damn monster cases—even wolves can’t go it alone.”

“But will he back me up?” The question was directed at McNeal, but Colin’s gaze was on Todd.

So he answered. “I always have, haven’t I?”

“That was before.” His eyes were guarded.

“Yeah, well, the fact that your ass gets furry doesn’t really change things for me.” A pause. “I’ll still watch your back, just like I expect you to watch mine.”

A hard nod.

“And no more secrets. I’m sick of ’em.”

“Brooks…” Now the captain looked worried. “There aren’t many humans who understand about the paranormals. You can’t just go around talking to anyone—”

What the hell? Did he have “idiot” stamped on his forehead? “I’m learning the rules of this game. It’s gonna take me some time,” and a whole lot of adjusting, “but I’m learning. And I’ve already figured out most folks are like I used to be. They don’t have God’s first clue what’s happening—and I think most of ’em would like to keep living in the dark.”

“Glad you understand that.”

“Um.” He cocked a brow. “So what are you, captain? A demon? Do your eyes do that cool black trick?”

“Vamps can do that, too,” Colin told him. “Not the whole eye, though, not like a demon’s. A vamp’s eyes change when he goes into hunting mode.”

Good point to know.

“I’m a charmer,” McNeal said.

“What?”

“A charmer.” His lips thinned. “It means I can talk to certain…animals.”

“Uh, just what kind of animals?”

The captain smiled his shark smile once again. “Come with me for a walk sometime, Detective, and I’ll be happy to show you.”

Yeah, he’d put that on his to-do list. Right after he caught a killer. “Rain check, Captain.” He pointed to the file that had been tossed onto the desk. “So what about our killer? What are we dealing with here?”

Colin rubbed his fingers over the bridge of his nose. “Emily had a few ideas on that one.”

Emily? So she was in on this, too?

McNeal must have guessed his thoughts, because he said, “Dr. Drake isn’t exactly who you thought she was, Brooks. She’s human, but gifted.”

“Psychic,” Colin supplied.

Todd tensed.

“Her gift only works with paranormals, so Dr. Drake’s patients are generally…”

Supernaturals. Other. The captain didn’t have to finish his sentence. “I get the picture.”

“Good.” McNeal frowned at Colin. “So just who—what are we facing?”

A hesitation that lasted nearly a minute, then…“According to Em, the most likely suspect is a demon. Based on the body’s appearance and the crime scene, she thinks we might be dealing with a succubus.”

Succubus. The name was familiar to Todd. He’d heard about a succubus before, and the male version, the incubus. He’d read about them back in college in one of his medieval studies classes that he’d taken, hoping for an easy A, but managing to drag out a low B.

A succubus was a kind of…sex demon.

Cara’s image flashed in front of his eyes and an icy spear of awareness pressed right into his heart.

Oh, shit. No way, she couldn’t be a—

“Succubus.” McNeal whistled soundlessly. “Met one of ’em once. About ten years ago. Sexiest thing I’ve ever seen.” He coughed. “Well, almost ever seen.”

Cara was damn well the sexiest thing he’d ever seen, but that still didn’t mean—

“I’ve been doing research on succubi,” Colin said, eyes hard and intent on Todd. “Talked with Em some more, hit the local occult shops right before I came in.” A brief smile. “Those places are always open—works for the clientele, you know.”

Todd made a mental note to hit the same shops. A bit of research reading was definitely in order.

“From what I’ve learned, the succubi tend to be extremely territorial. It’s rare to find more than a couple in the same city.”

“And do we know of a succubus in Atlanta?” McNeal asked.

Colin looked at Todd. Too much knowledge was in his stare.

No.

“I said, do we know of a succubus in Atlanta?” The captain repeated, voice rising.

The spear drove deeper into his heart and the pain stole his breath for a moment when Colin said, “Yeah, we do. Her name’s Cara Maloan, and she was our original suspect in the killings.”

Todd’s face burned fiery hot, then shot to icy cold as pinpricks flew over his skin. A sex demon.

“Then get her ass in here, now.” McNeal’s thin lips tightened. “But be careful. I’ve heard stories. A succubus can steal a man’s mind. Drive him crazy with lust…and kill him as he begs for her touch.”

The captain’s warning came too late for Todd.

A steady rage began to burn inside him. “Cara’s not the killer,” he snarled.

“Fuck.” Grim understanding was in the one word. “Brooks—what the hell have you done to my case?”

He met that gray stare without so much as a blink. “Cara isn’t a killer. Her alibis checked out—”

“And if those alibis were given by humans, she could’ve planted the damn suggestions! Shit, Brooks, she’s a demon, you can’t trust her.”

He wanted to. “I saw her reaction to the news of House’s death. The woman hurt. She’s not a killer.” His gut told him that.

“That’s your dick talking,” McNeal snapped.

Todd stepped forward, body tense.

McNeal glared right back at him. “Gyth…” He never took his eyes off Todd. “Bring her in.”

He felt, rather than saw, his partner’s hesitation. “Her story checked out, Captain—and the alibis—they were given by demons and a witch, not humans.”

“Like demons and witches don’t lie.” McNeal shook his head. “I want Ms. Firon here to-damn-day.”

Todd realized that his hands were clenched into fists. “You’re wasting time.”

“Gyth—get out of here.” McNeal barked the order, then glared at Todd a full minute before saying, “Brooks, you’d better start talking—fast—and let me know why I should keep you on this case. If Cara’s guilty—”

“She’s not.” Gut, psychic edge, whatever the hell it was—every instinct he possessed screamed her innocence.

The woman had lied to him, though. A sex demon. Shit. She should have told him—

“You’d damn well better prove she’s not involved in these killings—convince me, or your lover is going to find her ass in jail.”

She was back in the station again. Back in the same dingy interrogation room. Sitting at the same scarred table and sitting in the same chair that tilted slightly to the right.

And Cara was pissed.

“Why isn’t Detective Todd Brooks in here?” She demanded, glaring at the stony visage of his partner.

Gyth shrugged. “Because I’ve got questions for you.”

Screw his questions—and screw him. “Does he know what you’ve done? That you dragged me out of my house—”

“Politely escorted—”

“Handcuffed me—”

“For your own protection—”

“Cut my hair—”

“You agreed to that sample—”

“And put me back in this shitty room—”

He cleared his throat. “Interrogation rooms aren’t supposed to be pretty.”

Her nails tapped against the table top. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but I was under the impression we’d already done this dance before. My alibis checked out, remember? I even got a nice apology from your partner.”

“You left out a few facts when you were here before.” He pulled out the chair on the opposite side of the table. Flipped it around. Straddled it as he sat down.

Her eyes narrowed. “What do you mean?”

“Well, like the fact that you’re a demon. You didn’t mention that little tidbit the first time around.”

He’d told her secret. “Todd…discussed that with you?” It hurt. In the heart that others had said she didn’t have. To think that Todd had run straight from her bed to the station so that he could tell his buddies what a freak of nature she was—

Cara straightened her shoulders. “I want to see him.”

“Don’t think that’s the best idea,” he murmured.

Like she gave half a rat’s ass what he thought. Her nails scraped over the old wood. “Look, shifter—”

His jaw tensed. “How do you—”

“I want to see Todd. If I don’t see him, I’m done talking. Done being the good citizen and putting up with all this bullshit.” She’d call Niol, and he’d make the cops sorry they’d even thought to question her. “You don’t want to mess with me. I’ve got friends—you can’t even imagine how strong they are. Not even in your darkest dreams.”

He leaned forward. “You threatening me?”

Cara shrugged. She was done talking. Unless she got to see Todd.

“He’s been watching you.” Gyth pointed his index finger toward the mirror. “Listening to you.”

Not a newsflash. She could feel his stare. He’d been in and out of the other room since she’d been dumped in interrogation. But she didn’t want to admit her knowledge to the cop, so she’d asked her questions—

And gotten more damn enraged by the moment.

Todd should have his ass in there. What game was he playing now? What—

“If he wanted to talk to you, he’d be here—”

The door shoved open before Gyth could finish his sentence. Banged back against the wall with a thud. Todd stood in the doorway, face flushed, eyes glinting.

He looked furious. Body tight. Hands clenched.

Just the way she felt. “Been telling stories, have you, Todd?” She asked softly, tilting her chin back just the slightest bit. Seeing him again stirred an ache inside her. The hunger hadn’t abated. The need was still there, even though he’d turned on her.

She could be such an idiot sometimes.

“I didn’t have to tell him. Gyth already knew.” He slammed the door shut with his heel, then stalked toward her.

Ah. Her gaze darted back to the other cop. Shifter nose.

“And how’d you know about me?” Gyth asked.

A shrug. Not like it was confidential information or anything. “When you smelled my pheromones, you stepped back. Demons, humans, vamps—they all come closer.”

A growl sounded. It didn’t come from the shifter, but from Todd. “So you’ve got a lot of…experience luring men, do you?”

She didn’t like his tone. Not. One. Bit.

“But you’re a sex demon, right? So screwing men, draining them, even killing them for sensual power—that’s just right up your alley, isn’t it?”

What the hell was happening? Was this some really nightmarish game of bad cop, bad cop? What had happened to her tender lover?

He’d left when he found out what I truly am.

The air in the room thickened around her. “I don’t like the term ‘sex demon.’” Her head cocked to the right. “I find it offensive.” As offensive as she found the rest of his words. She’d made love with him the night before. She hadn’t just been screwing around.

Her fingers flattened against the table. Deep groves indented the surface, courtesy of her nails. Her gaze held Todd’s. “And I am not, not, going to apologize for being what I am.” She’d been born a demon. Unchangeable fact. She was a demon, one that, after she hit adulthood, needed a certain powerful energy to continue living. Not her fault. Just the hand of fate.

“You’re not going to apologize for killing?” Gyth asked. “Damn ballsy of you.”

Now she had to be careful. “And just who is it that you think I killed? I’ve already told you that I had nothing to do with Michael’s death, or the others you mentioned and—”

“But you didn’t tell us that Simon Battle liked to come to Paradise Found and listen to you sing.” Todd was at the edge of the table. Hands fisted. Brows low over his eyes, and jaw clenched tight.

“What? Who?”

“Simon Battle.” Gyth slid the eight-by-ten photo across the table. “Victim number one, in case you’ve forgotten.”

Her gaze flickered to the photo. She inhaled sharply. “I don’t know him.”

“But he knew you,” Todd told her. “In fact, according to the guy’s friends, he made it a habit to go and catch your show once a week.”

“I’ve only been singing at Paradise Found for a little over two months—”

“And he caught one of your shows every week.”

Cara studied the photo, tried to block the pain that shook her. The man’s eyes were closed. There was nothing particularly familiar about the guy. He was attractive, with strong features and a faint dimple in his chin. His hair was brushed back from his high forehead.

Yeah, a good-looking, dead guy. One she didn’t know. Her eyes lifted back to Todd’s. “You’ve been at Paradise when I sing.”

Gyth swore.

She ignored him, continuing, “You know how packed that place can get. With the lights on the stage, it’s not like I can see every man in the crowd.”

“But they can all see you.”

“So?”

He opened his mouth, began to snap, “That’s just what you—”

“How’d a human get inside Paradise so often?” Gyth demanded, cutting across Todd’s angry words.

Cara blew out the breath she’d been holding. “Humans get in all the time. Those who know about us sometimes like to play.”

“And Niol lets them?”

“As long as no one gets seriously hurt in his place, Niol tolerates just about anything.”

“You know him pretty well.” Todd’s voice was controlled now, too controlled.

Cara nodded.

“He’s like you, right?”

“Not exactly.” Niol wasn’t an incubus. Just a full-blooded, deadly dangerous warrior…who happened to be a level-ten demon.

He’d also been her sister’s lover. Years ago.

“What about him?” Gyth pushed another photo in front of her.

She really didn’t enjoy looking at photos of dead men. Cara spared a brief glance for the still features of the handsome man, felt pity stir in her heart. “Am I supposed to know him, too?”

“Travis Walters. Until recently, he lived on your block. We found out he moved about five months ago.”

“And I moved in less than four.” She wanted to jump up, to scream and rage at Todd. How could he be doing this? Did he really think she’d murdered these men? How the hell could he go from making love to her to—to treating her like a prime suspect?

She wanted to punch him. She wanted to scream.

Damn it, she even felt stupid tears welling in her eyes.

This shit sucked!

“Tell me, Cara…” Todd’s tone was so sharp it could have cut glass. “Can a succubus really kill her lover?”

“You’re still alive, aren’t you?” She flared, driven to the edge. She was about to snap. One more smartass comment from her lover and—

“Can a succubus kill?”

Cara shot to her feet. “Anyone can kill under the right circumstances.” He should know that. After all, he’d admitted his own crimes to her.

“But what about killing without damaging the body? Without breaking the skin at all?” Gyth asked.

Her stare never left Todd. “What am I? Your prime suspect or some kind of expert on demons?”

Todd’s lips tightened and gaze dropped to her lips. She saw hunger flicker in those eyes, need. Anger. “You’re both.”

“And you’re a damn jerk.” Why did she always have to fall for the wrong man? And, shit—these questions, they weren’t just about her being a suspect, Cara realized with a sinking heart. Todd and Gyth thought the killer was a succubus.

And they knew she was a succubus.

Oh, hell.

“Is it true that succubi are territorial? That only one or two hunt in a city at a time?” Gyth just kept pressing with his questions. Firing one after the other.

And then she realized what they were doing. Todd was the distraction. Gyth was the real threat. He was hitting her, trying to uncover any secrets she might have.

Fine. If they wanted some secrets, she’d tell them. Nothing too dangerous, of course. But…“Yeah, we’re a bunch of possessive bitches.” A faint shrug. “Usually one, maybe two in a city—”

“How many are in the city now?” Gyth fired.

She paused. Okay, this was gonna look bad, but she’d give them the truth. “As far as I know…I’m the only one.”

The two men shared a dark look.

Hell. Jeez, Cara, why not just ask your lover to lock you up and toss that key away next time?

“As far as you know…” Todd repeated carefully. “Does that mean another succubus could be in the city?”

“Possibly,” she admitted. “Maybe.”

“You sense each other, don’t you?” Gyth’s question was hard.

“Just like you’d know another shifter.” She pushed back the hair that wanted to tumble over her eyes. “Look, it’s possible another succubus is in Atlanta—if she’s stayed far enough away from me, I wouldn’t have sensed her, so I can’t say with complete certainty—”

“What about the men?” Todd asked quietly.

Cara frowned. “There aren’t any other—”

“Incubi.”

Oh. A shrug. “Yeah, some of ’em are in Atlanta.” The incubi outnumbered the succubi nine to one, so they’d had to learn long ago how to share the prime cities. It had been a real bloodbath at first. Too many men. Too much aggressive hunting instinct bred into the blood.

She smiled at Todd, a deliberate, seductive smile, and let her scent out, full-force.

The shifter swore. “Man, be careful.”

Too late. Her fragrance was in the air, seducing, and she saw the telling twitch of Todd’s nostrils.

Cara put her hand on his chest. Just as she’d done last night, when no clothes separated her from his flesh. His heart thundered beneath her touch. Not just from anger. The desire was there—on his face and in his eyes. “Poor detective. Wanting something that you hate.”

His hand flew up. His fingers locked around her wrist in a hard, steely grip. “I don’t hate you, Cara.”

“But you fear me.” And suspected her of murder, apparently, again. Damn it. Could things not just work out well for her one time?

“No, baby, I don’t fear you.” He leaned in closer to her. “I’m pissed as hell—you should have told me the truth—all of the truth, damn it— about yourself.”

Ah, he meant the little succubus part of her demonhood. “I would have told you—you didn’t give me enough time before you ran out—”

“I didn’t run! Shit! I had a job waiting on me, fucking cases. I was coming back to you tonight—but then I found out a succubus is killing in the city and oh, guess what, my girlfriend just happens to be a succubus—”

His girlfriend? Okay, she pushed that part aside, for now. “Todd—what makes you think the killer’s a succubus? We don’t kill.” Anymore. “We get along with humans, we don’t hurt—”

“Somebody sure as hell is,” Gyth murmured.

“Tell me it isn’t you,” Todd said, the words fierce, cutting her like a too-sharp knife.

Did he truly think she’d gone on some kind of sex spree and killed those three men?

His skin was warm against hers. The scent of his body reminded her—too much—of the pleasures they’d shared. But his eyes held secrets…and suspicions?

Fuck him.

“So was it a game?” The words burst from her as the anger raged past the pain. “ Coming to Paradise, dancing with me, going home with me—was it all some trick? You still think I’m a killer and—”

“I think you’re a sex demon—”

“Succubus.”

“And you just confirmed that your kind aren’t exactly tripping over each other in the city.”

“I. Didn’t. Kill. Them!” But if they knew a succubus was involved…“And you know what, Detective, it sounds to me like someone has been feeding you information about my kind. What’s the deal? You got your own demon expert somewhere around here?” Her gaze jumped to the mirrored wall. “Maybe right there?”

“Maybe.” The drawl came from Gyth.

Her gaze jerked back to Todd. He stared down at her, too handsome, too fierce.

Too human. Humans and their suspicions. Always so quick to judge.

Her temper snapped. “Arrest me or let me go.”

“I’m not letting you go.” Todd shook his head.

“Well, then you’d damn well better—”

His jaw worked a moment, as if he struggled to find words then, “I-I believe you, Cara.”

“What?” Gyth demanded. “Brooks, are you crazy—”

“She’s not a killer.” He cut across Gyth’s snarl with one of his own. “I fucking told you and McNeal that already—”

Her lips parted. What?

“She’s in here now because procedure demanded it, but Cara’s alibis checked out, she’s cooperated, and she’s not a damn killer!”

Okay, the man was making her head swim. “If you knew I was innocent, why did you put me through this shit?”

He jerked his thumb toward the mirror. “So the asshole in there would know you were innocent, too.”

She blinked. “Ah…”

He faced the mirror. “Reactions, right, Captain? That’s what you wanted to see. Well, judge her. I say she’s innocent. If you think she’s a murderer, then come in now.”

Don’t come in. The words flew through Cara’s head.

Silence.

Then a curse from Gyth. “Fucking ballsy.”

Todd grunted then glanced back at her. “I have to do my job. Always. Remember that.”

She was trying to play catch-up, fast. So, Todd had been forced to question her by his captain? He still believed she was innocent?

But…from the look on his face, he was pissed at her.

Because I didn’t tell him I was a succubus.

Damn.

“You had to be questioned, Cara.” Todd spoke, voice softer now, more controlled. “And you had to come in because, hell, Cara, I really do want your help.” He glanced at Gyth. “We need your help.”

Her knees were shaking. “Just what do you want me to do?” Her anger had cooled a bit, replaced by confusion, fear, and other emotions that she didn’t want to analyze too much.

Todd sighed and the look on his face told her she wasn’t going to be loving what came next. “Well, first, baby, we’re gonna need you to look at a body.”

No, not loving it at all.

He hated battering her with questions. Hated watching the play of stark emotions run across her face.

For a few moments, she’d looked almost broken. Then the anger—no, rage—had kicked in.

And the lady had looked like she wanted to kick his ass.

Not the normal pattern for a killer—he sure as hell hoped McNeal realized that fact, and got off his back.

The captain had wanted to yank him from the case the minute he’d learned about Todd’s night with Cara. He’d argued for an hour with McNeal, listing every reason, five times, why Cara couldn’t be the killer.

Damn, but he hoped he wasn’t wrong.

His gut said he should trust her.

His cock said he should take her.

And his heart said he was in serious trouble.

He was out on a limb now with the captain. A very thin limb that could break at any point, but the fact was, if Cara wasn’t the killer, then seeing as how it looked like another succubus was on the loose, she’d be the best person to guide them in their hunt.

Provided, of course, that she was feeling like helping out the long arm of the law.

“I need you to see something on the body,” Todd told her softly, trying to pull back the anger that flared within him.

Anger because she’d lied to him—Christ, a fucking sex demon.

Every man in the world probably wanted her.

He wasn’t the sharing type.

And just how many other humans had she bewitched with her seduction? Was he just another in a long line for her? While she was—well, much more to him.

“What?” Cara’s cry was hoarse. “I don’t know about your idea of a good time, Todd, but—”

“You know exactly what my idea of a good time is.” He wanted her then so badly he ached.

And she still looked angry as all hell.

Oh, yeah, he’d royally fucked things up.

No choice.

Proving her absolute innocence was paramount now.

Keeping away the other assholes on this earth who wanted her—well, that would be his goal number two.

Her plump lips parted as she drew in a deep breath, and if Gyth hadn’t been glaring at him, Todd would have leaned forward and kissed her right then.

“Don’t even think about it,” she said.

He leaned forward another inch anyway. Just a breath of space away from her delectable mouth. He’d never seen a mouth that sexy before, and he knew it tasted as good as it looked. Pushed too far, he taunted, “But isn’t that why you sent your sweet smell out to me? Because you wanted me…to want you.” And he did. Didn’t matter to him that the lady was dangerous. A huge unknown element. He. Wanted. Her. Period.

And when this case was finished, he planned to take a few days off and spend them in sheer wild sexual bliss with her.

Provided that he hadn’t pissed her off too much in the meantime.

“I—shit.”

Her mouth even looked good when she said that.

Sexy demon.

Sex demon.

“I really do need your help, Cara,” he said, trying to take his mind off just what being a sex demon entailed. He didn’t want to think of her with another man. Other men.

He wasn’t a virgin. He’d had more than his share of willing partners, so he sure as hell didn’t expect Cara to be pure as the driven snow.

But he did not want to think about her with other men. Not even for one fucking moment.

“Rein in the scent.” He reinforced the order by tightening his fingers around her delicate wrist. “I don’t want the cops in the bull pen going crazy.”

“You have no idea what I could make them do,” she told him, voice rumbling.

Oh, he was starting to figure it out.

“The last victim, Thomas Monroe, was stabbed.” Gyth’s harsh words snapped Todd back to the case.

Cara blinked. “But that doesn’t make any sense. Not if you truly think the killer’s a succubus, anyway.”

They were pretty damn certain that was who they were after.

“A death like that,” Cara continued, “it wouldn’t yield a succubus any power.”

His breath caught. “Explain that to me, nice and slow.” ’Cause he sure as hell didn’t know what she meant, but he knew he didn’t like it.

“Look, killing isn’t really our way.” Her lips twisted. “Anymore, okay? Once upon a time—”

“And that would have been when?” Gyth asked.

“Middle Ages.”

Shit.

She read his expression easily. “While I personally wasn’t around then, demons always have been. Get used to that fact, Todd. Your life will be so much easier once you start realizing there is much more to the world than you thought.”

Maybe. Or maybe things would just be five times harder.

He’d bet his paycheck on option two.

“A lot of demons killed back them. Succubi got a reputation.”

He’d read a bit about that earlier. Right after the captain had chewed his ass out and he’d made a frantic trip to the occult bookstore two streets over.

“A lot of innocents were killed back then, blamed for what the demons were doing. The attacks also brought attention to the Other. Not really something that my kind wants.”

“So the demons decided to take a break from killing?” Not likely.

“There were some ancient demons. Those who’ve been on earth from nearly the beginning. They don’t rule over anyone, but back then, they—they kept an order, so to speak.” She nibbled on her lower lip. “I haven’t heard anything about those guys in years, don’t even know if they’re still around.”

Great. So if the big bosses weren’t controlling folks anymore, then he’d probably keep finding demons with appetites for murder.

“But long ago, those guys sent out the cazadores del alma.”

Gyth stepped forward. “I’ve heard of ’em.”

“Yeah, I haven’t.” Todd realized he was still holding Cara’s wrist. Stroking her pulse point with his thumb.

He dropped her hand. Put some space between them.

“They’re soul-hunters. Born of witch and demon, those guys are incredibly powerful. Have few vulnerabilities. And they’re basically the boogeymen who come after Other when things get out of control.”

“Do these boogeymen ever go after humans?” Gyth asked, eyes hard.

“Not that I know of.” Her brows lowered. “Anything’s possible, though.”

Todd was trying to assimilate the information as quickly as he could. “So let me get this straight. Succubi stopped their sex death party in the Middle Ages because the cazadores del alma were sicced on them?”

“Basically.”

“And you’re saying none of your kind has killed since then?” Not buying it.

Cara hesitated. “I’m saying succubi don’t normally kill. Not anymore. There’s no need. The sexual culture today is so much more open. Hell, we can get a little rush of energy just by going into a bar—”

Understanding dawned. “Or by singing to a hungry crowd.”

“As long as humans are there, yes,” she said—and did a faint flush color her cheeks? “If there aren’t humans in the crowd, it won’t work. Demon power doesn’t infuse us.” A slanted look at Gyth. “Shifter strength can work, just not as well.”

His head was aching. Temples pounding. And he’d thought working the cases before was tough. “Fuck it. We’re going to see the bodies.”

She shook her head, sending the blond locks flying. “I told you, I didn’t want—”

“Cara, I need your help. House needs you—just look at ’em, okay? I wouldn’t ask if it weren’t damn important.” And just the idea of letting her into the Crypt was unorthodox as hell, but he was desperate. With every word she’d spoken, he’d become more convinced that a succubus was out in Atlanta, killing. And to catch a murderer, or a sex demon, well, he just might have to use…a sex demon.

The knowledge Cara could provide to him was priceless, and he wasn’t about to let her slip away. Not when he needed her so much.

For the case.

And for…well, hell, he just needed her.

She swallowed. “Todd…”

“Cara, I need you.”

Her gaze held his. One breath of time. Two. Then, “All right.”

Relief had his shoulders dropping.

Smith had wanted someone with more “expertise” to look at the print on House’s body.

Looked like she’d just gotten the perfect expert.

“What do you think?” Danny McNeal asked quietly as he and Dr. Emily Drake watched the threesome file out of the interrogation room.

Emily stared through the thin mirror. “I think I’m not going to be able to help you very much on this case.” Her palms were sweating, but her voice was perfectly controlled.

“Could that woman, Cara Maloan, be a killer?”

Yes. “I can’t answer that question.” Her shoulders were stiff as she turned to face him. “I’m sorry.”

A line appeared between his brows. “What? Why can’t—”

“Doctor-client confidentiality.” The words were soft.

McNeal’s eyes widened, then, “Shit.”

Nice sum up, but McNeal had always seemed to possess a special talent with words.

“You didn’t go inside,” she said softly. When Todd had called him out, she’d felt the electric arc in the air as McNeal tensed.

A growl. “Can’t prove she’s involved yet.” A pause. “And Brooks has never been wrong on a case before.”

But he’d never had one like this before, either.

Emily glanced back over her shoulder just as the door shut behind Colin. Damn, but this case had taken a bad turn. Cara was a sweet woman. Smart. Unquestionably beautiful.

But sad. So very sad on the inside.

And, even though she couldn’t tell McNeal, Cara was also a woman with the complete capacity for killing. Emily had learned about Cara’s darker side months ago—when the succubus had finally confessed about her sister’s murder…and the ensuing death of her sister’s lover.

Emily’s fingers curled into fists. She sure hoped Todd knew what he was doing. Colin wouldn’t slip up—he’d never let his guard down around the other woman.

But Emily was trained to observe other people. To read their emotions, and when she’d watched Todd, she’d seen the hunger in his eyes. The need for Cara.

A need that could prove to be very, very dangerous.

A need that had proved fatal for another.