Midnight Sins

Chapter 10

“Ah, not so fast, Gyth.” Todd brought his hand up, and barred the entrance to the elevator.

Cara frowned at him.

“What the hell are you doing now, Brooks?” The shifter glowered at him.

“Getting time with my lady. We need to talk, alone.” The words held an unmistakable edge.

Gyth’s face hardened. “If the captain finds out…”

“Then he can call my ass out again—but I’m talking to Cara now. Take the stairs.”

Todd stepped back and the doors slid closed, blocking the sight of the shifter’s stony visage. Then he turned around and locked his stare right on her.

All alone now. She looked at him and said, “Asshole.”

Todd blinked. “Cara, I told you, I had to—”

“You could have warned me!” She wanted to hit him, hard. “You didn’t have to let that jerk shifter haul me off to the interrogation room—”

“I had to fight like hell to stay on the case, Cara.”

“I thought you said I was clear—”

“You were! Baby, I wouldn’t have slipped into your bed otherwise.” Blazing eyes. “But then we found out that we weren’t just looking for your run-of-the-mill killer—we’re looking for a succubus—and you’re the only one in the area who fits that bill.”

Damn it.

He stepped closer to her. His left hand shot out. Punched a red button on the elevator control panel.

The big box shuddered to a halt.

“Wh-what did you do?” But she knew.

“We’re clearing the air here, Cara.” He exhaled heavily. “The captain knows about our relationship. Hell, Gyth knew I’d been with you the minute I walked into the station.”

The quiet words rocked through her.

“I don’t make a habit of talking about my sex life.” His mouth tightened. “I came in today because I was on duty. Apparently, Gyth has one hell of a nose. He”—Todd’s jaw clenched—“smelled you on me.”

Yeah, those two-faced shifters could do that.

“Kissing and telling—that’s not my style.”

“But then I’m not your usual ‘style,’ now am I? You think I’m some kind of freak because I happened to be born a demon and—”

“You’re not a damn freak!” She winced at his yell. “Or a monster or—”

“What am I, then?”

His mouth snapped closed.

“What am I? What am I to you? A suspect? An itch that you want to scratch? A—”

“You’re mine!” Nearly a roar.

She shook her head and wondered if her ears would stop ringing soon.

He grabbed her, crushing her against him. “I hate this case. I hate bringing you in. I hate seeing you scared and angry. I hate wanting to rip my partner apart because he questions you—and I hate myself because I have to stand there and watch—because if I go too easy on you, the captain will sure as hell suspect you’re involved—and that you’re using your sex demon powers to slip into my mind and make me weak!”

Wow. She knew her eyes had to be wide—and that her mouth was hanging open in surprise. “Todd, I don’t—”

“There’s the case, baby, then there’s you and me.”

Well, that was the way it should have been—but…“I keep finding myself in the middle of your case, Detective.”

“I know. And it fucking sucks.”

He had no idea. He wasn’t the one who kept popping up as a suspect.

“Cara…” Almost desperate. His hands were too tight on her. “Christ, woman, I—” His mouth crashed onto hers. Rough, Demanding.

So right.

A hot flush of excitement spread through her. She was still angry with him, she didn’t like the way he’d confronted her during the interrogation, but—ah, damn it, yes she still wanted the guy.

The sensual power flowing from Todd in waves wrapped around her.

The man sure had some kind of potent sexual energy.

And she was the one who was supposed to be dangerous.

He ripped his mouth from hers, breath rasping out. He freed her hands, only to raise his arms and slap his palms on the wall behind her head, effectively caging her.

She tasted him on her tongue—and wanted more. “A-aren’t you nervous?” She asked, wetting her lips and watching his gaze drop with a helpless surge of pleasure. “I mean, you’re all alone here with a demon. There’s really no telling what I could do to you.” He’d sure gone running fast enough this morning.

“And you’re all alone with a man who wants you so badly he can hardly think.” His mouth hovered over her lips. “Are you nervous?” The question was whispered right back to her.

Yes.

His scent surrounded her, just as she knew the tempting lure of her pheromones surrounded him.

“Is any of it real?” He asked, and there was a spark of unmistakable anger in his eyes. “The lust, the need…is it all a trick?”

“I told you before.” She hadn’t lied then, wouldn’t lie now. Screw her pride. “I want you. Have from the moment I opened my door to you.” Her head shook, a little sadly. “That’s no trick.”

“But what about how I feel?” His right hand dropped to capture her jaw. His thumb brushed over her lip. Pushed just past the edge of her teeth. “Are you making me want you?”

Her sex clenched with hunger just from his touch. He stood so close to her that she could feel the hard ridge of his aroused cock pressing against her.

His hand moved, drifting down her neck until his fingers rested lightly over the pounding pulse in her throat. She tried to answer him as honestly as she could, saying, “My pheromones, my scent, they’re designed to lure…”

“You mean the way you smell like sex and paradise? Yeah, baby, that’s a damn big lure.”

“I don’t release the full scent with you. I mean, I have, when we were making love, there was no way to stop it then, but now, and before, I’ve tried to control it.” Okay, she’d let it slip in the interrogation room—but he’d pushed her too far. And he’d certainly caught the scent plenty of other times—but not the full onslaught.

“Just the scent of you arouses men.” His voice was thick with tension.

“It can.”

“You said you weren’t using your magic on me.”

“Not to hypnotize you.” She hadn’t.

Damn, but she wanted the man to kiss her. That mouth of his was so close—

“What about the dreams, Cara? Those sweet, wild-as-hell dreams I had?” His fingers eased over her collarbone. Slid down the vee at the top of her shirt and paused in the valley between her breasts.

“I-I didn’t mean to—”

He brushed open the edges of her shirt. Slid his fingertips under the lace of her black bra. Her flesh was so sensitive that when he found her nipple, she gasped with the pleasure that arched through her.

Even as she realized that the seductress was being seduced.

“Didn’t mean to what?” he whispered, then his mouth finally took hers. Lips touched. Pressed. His tongue thrust deep. Tangled with hers.

Only to withdraw too soon.

He gazed down at her, and there was no mistaking his need. Or her own.

“What didn’t you mean to do?” His voice was gravel rough.

She could still taste him on her tongue. “Come to you, that way. I-I…in the past, I’ve had to focus my power. Project.” Hunt. “When I closed my eyes, I just went to you.” And it had been wonderful.

“It was all real then?” His fingers strummed her tight nipple.

“Yes, in a-a sense.” She licked her lips. “The pleasure was real, but it was just a dream.” She hadn’t actually been in his room. Hadn’t felt the warm, naked contours of his body.

Well, until last night, anyway.

His fingers stilled on her breast. “How many other men have dreamed of you?” He growled the question at her.

Anger was in his tone. But so was…hurt? Cara lifted her hands. Curled her fingers over the hard muscles in his arms. “They don’t matter. The only one that matters now is you.” She meant that.

Dreams, fantasies, they were like wisps of smoke. Being with Todd, it was real, he was real, and the way he made her feel—

Like a real woman.

Not just a demon.

It was her turn to stroke his jaw. The faint sting of stubble rasped along her palm. “I want to be with you. Not the cop and the demon.” She was tired of the allegations. Suspicions. “Just the man and the woman.” Maybe it wasn’t possible, but, damn it, something was between them.

And she wanted to find out just what it was.

Could be hard, hot lust. A lust that would burn out with the pounding mating of their bodies.

But maybe it would be more than lust. That elusive something more she’d searched for so long.

Cara rose just a bit on her tiptoes. Wrapped her hand around the back of his neck and urged his face closer to her. Their lips met, mouths open. Need burning. She kissed him with all the raging passion in her, and he met her, kissing back, full force.

When the elevator lurched, she didn’t pay it any attention. She ignored the soft ding of a bell and enjoyed the slow thrust of his tongue and the skilled play of his fingers on her nipple.

There was a soft swish, and Todd hurriedly stepped back from her, pulling his hand and mouth away with a muffled curse.

Cara realized then that they’d made it to the basement. The elevator had started moving on its own. Damn it.

Todd glanced out of the elevator. His back was ramrod straight. “No one’s here.”

She didn’t particularly care.

But when he stepped from the elevator, her eyes narrowed and she followed him. “Todd—”

His eyes burned down at her. “I’m always a cop.”

The intensity in his voice made her stomach knot.

“The cop and the man, they aren’t separate for me. I do my job, twenty-four-seven. I live this job—and I want to trust you, but—”

But. She felt the word hit her like a slap. “I thought we were past this. You said you didn’t think I was a killer.”

“I want to trust you.” The words seemed to be ripped from him. “But you didn’t tell me the truth about yourself until just hours ago—and even then, you didn’t tell me everything. I had to get the details from Gyth.”

Because she’d been afraid he’d turn away from her. “You don’t understand.” She had to swallow to ease the dryness in her throat. “You don’t know what it’s like—”

“You’re damned right I don’t—and you haven’t told me.” A door opened near the end of the hallway, and from the corner of her eye, Cara saw Gyth exit what she figured was a stairwell. The words snapped out fast as Todd demanded, “Tell me this, baby, are the demon and the woman really separate for you?”

No.

Her expression must have answered for her because he nodded. “I didn’t think so.” Todd wasn’t touching her now. Not at all. “We are who we are, Cara. No changing it.”

“I didn’t say I wanted to change.” She’d never longed to be human.

Not really.

“Take me as I am, and that’s the way I’ll take you.”

The grated words had her blinking in surprise. Was he saying—

He kissed her, hard. “And stay the hell out of anyone else’s dreams, baby.”

Before she could respond, Gyth was there. Glaring at her and Todd, with his nostrils flaring. A moment later, another door opened, one that brought her the scent of death and decay, mixed with bleach and the harsh stench of chemicals.

A tall, thin woman with coffee cream skin—a woman so beautiful Cara doubted she was human—stepped into the hallway. She frowned when she saw them.

“Smith, just the woman we wanted to see,” Todd called out.

The woman wore light green scrubs. Behind her, Cara heard the sound of jazz music drifting from the open door.

“I’m takin’ a break, Brooks.”

He sighed. “We need to look at the bodies.”

A stare that was as dark as night locked on Cara. “Who is she?”

Todd raised a brow. “She’s the expert you need.”

“What?”

“Remember, Smith? You said you were out of your ‘element’—well, trust me, for Cara—this is definitely her area of expertise.”

Smith’s gaze darted to Gyth. “One of yours, huh?”

“She sure as hell isn’t!” Todd snapped, just as Cara asked blankly, “One of his what?”

Gyth marched to the doctor’s side. Whispered to her. Cara caught the familiar “succubus” and the equally familiar “dangerous.”

“No need for whispers,” Todd said, grabbing her hand and pulling Cara toward the door. “Okay. I know what’s going on, I’ve been a blind idiot, but I get it now. I get it.”

Smith’s stare was solemn. “You’re not an idiot. You’re just human, and I’m beginning to think that we’re pretty damn rare.”

Oh, but the doctor was very much mistaken. “Actually,” Cara murmured, “at the last count,” unofficial though it had been, “humans outnumber supernaturals two hundred and fifty-four thousand to one.” Give or take a bit.

Smith didn’t look particularly pleased or impressed by this bit of news. But after a moment, she turned around and marched back into the slightly chilled room.

Back to where the bodies waited.

Cara pulled in a deep gulp of air, tasted death, and knew this wasn’t about to be pretty.

Cara’s skin still seemed too pale when she crossed the threshold of the Crypt.

The impulse to comfort her, to wrap his hands around her delicate shoulders and pull her close, was strong. As strong as the impulse to kiss her had been in the elevator.

His shoulder brushed against hers, a subtle gesture to let her know that he was there.

She wasn’t facing this alone.

Smith kept glancing at Cara. Then at Colin. Then Cara. The woman looked nervous and…angry.

Colin had told him the full truth about Smith’s abduction earlier. He knew that one of the Other had kidnapped her and tortured her. Before that horrible experience, Smith had no idea that any creatures like shifters or demons really existed.

It had been a brutal introduction for her. One that she had apparently not recovered from yet.

Of course, he couldn’t really blame the woman. If he’d been held captive by a sadistic psychopath who also happened to be a damn powerful supernatural being, well, he would have freaked, too.

Not that Smith had freaked, per se. The lady was far too controlled for that. But she’d changed. No denying it. Shut down. Blocked herself off.

She wouldn’t be able to live that way.

No one could. Not and stay sane. He knew. He’d tried once—after his mother’s shooting. He hadn’t wanted to feel again after that. The pain had been too much for him.

Over the years, Todd had learned a hard truth, though. If you weren’t feeling, you weren’t living, and life was too damn short to sit on the sidelines.

Smith used to know that.

The screech of a wheel caught his attention. His head turned, and Todd watched as Smith pushed a sheet-covered body toward them.

“Just finished some more work on him. Was about to transfer him out…”

Then they’d arrived just in time.

Smith’s gloved fingers pulled back the sheet. Todd heard Cara’s sharply indrawn breath. When he glanced at her face, he saw a faint quiver shake her lower lip.

Maybe demons weren’t so different from humans, after all.

She’d deceived him, yeah, no fucking denying that, but his Cara wasn’t a killer.

And he didn’t need his “psychic edge” to tell him that.

“Lower the sheet more.” Her voice was soft but steady.

Smith pulled down the sheet, exposing the surgical marks on Michael House’s chest and the dark handprint.

Cara’s fingers lifted over him. Hovered above that perfect impression. Her hand was smaller than the print, by at least a few inches.

Cara’s fine-boned fingers were nowhere near close to being a match. He hadn’t thought they would be, though. He hadn’t brought her down there to match hands—he’d brought her there to show her the print—and to find out what the hell it was.

“Cover him.” A tight order as her hand fisted. Smith jerked the sheet back up. Cara’s breath came faster now. Her gaze lifted, shot to his. “You were right, Todd. Damn it, you were right.”

He noticed that Smith and Colin craned just a bit closer. “You’ve seen that mark before.”

“I’ve seen a mark like that before.”

“How was the impression made?” Smith immediately wanted to know. “The bruising isn’t like—”

“It’s not bruising.” She cleared her throat. “And it was made with a simple touch.”

“I don’t understand.” Smith frowned at her.

Me, either, Todd thought.

Gyth said nothing, but his attention was completely focused on Cara.

“We like to feel the beat of the heart when we take power from someone.”

He remembered the soft press of her hand against his chest.

“In ancient Egypt,” her voice was strangely calm, almost dispassionate as her gaze stayed on the sheet-covered body, “they believed that the true essence of a man was kept in his heart. His spirit. His soul. All in the heart. Not the brain.”

“That’s why they used a stick to yank out the brains,” Smith sniffed. “Didn’t really care about preserving that part.”

Todd wondered where the history lesson was going.

“When the brain stops functioning, a person’s body is still alive.” Cara’s gaze dropped to House’s covered chest. “As long as that wonderful heart keeps beating, the person is alive.”

She wet her lips, continued, “To my kind, the heart is life. We want to feel that precious beat. To share the pleasure, the thrill. Sometimes that release of pleasure is so intense,” her voice dropped, “so powerful that the urge to keep taking is too strong.” Cara swallowed. “If you drain a human while you’re feeling the wild beat of a heart, when the human dies, the stain of the touch will remain.”

“Then you’ve seen this before?” He repeated. She seemed absolutely certain, but Todd had to know.

“Something like this. Yeah, once.” Shadows cloaked her eyes. “But I’ve heard stories. Before the killings stopped—”

Yeah, well, if she was telling him the truth, the succubus killings hadn’t exactly stopped.

“—brands like this were found all over France. England. Humans didn’t understand what they were seeing back then.” A quick glance at a silent Smith. “Now the doctors know it’s not just a bruise.”

It was a brand. A fucking calling card left by a killer who’d wanted to mark his victims.

“The hand, it’s average size,” Smith said, “could be a woman with long fingers or maybe a man with sm—”

“No.” Cara’s denial was absolute. Said at once. She shot a frowning stare at the body. “You all need to understand something—Michael—he was straight. There’s no way an incubus could have been with Michael.”

She’d know.

“An incubus can only seduce those who would find him attractive. Same thing for a succubus. It’s a basic, primitive response.” A firm shake of her head. “Michael would never have gone with an incubus. The killer, hell, the killer’s a succubus.”

She swiped a tear from her eye and whispered, “You deserved better than this.” She spoke to Michael, her voice the intimate one of a friend.

Or lover.

“I’m sorry, Michael.” She sounded completely sincere. Her hands balled into fists.

Damn, but Todd wanted to comfort her.

To protect and to fuck. Two drives that should have been at odds, but with her, they seemed perfectly in tune.

Todd huffed out a hard breath and wondered just what he was going to do about his sex demon.

Smith cleared her throat, looked a bit less hostile as she asked, “Uh, does she need to see the other body?”

Todd gave a grim nod. “Show her.” No sense putting it off now. Besides, he’d been the one to come up with the idea of bringing Cara to the Crypt.

He just hadn’t realized that seeing her pain would hurt him so much. “Hurry, Smith.” He wanted Cara away from that place.

Smith turned toward the vault. Pulled back the gleaming handle and grasped the covered slab. The slab rolled toward them with a rush of icy air.

Cara inched forward. Gasped when Smith revealed the body and she caught sight of the deep wounds on his chest.

“Why would a demon do that?” Gyth asked her, coming to stand on Cara’s right side. “If you guys can kill with a touch, why mutilate the man?”

“To make him suffer,” Smith said, watching Cara carefully. Like a rat watching a snake that had slithered too close.

Or a very nervous human watching a dangerous demon.

“No need for that.” Cara turned her stare directly onto the ME. “We can cause as much pain as we want, without butchering a human.”

Nice to know.

She rubbed her arms, as if chilled. “It…this doesn’t make sense. A succubus wouldn’t do this. I told you, it’s a waste—of energy and power.” Her gaze met his. “This isn’t—our way. This is rage. Hate. There’s no reason to kill this way—not when a succubus could use a simple touch.”

Yeah, pretty much his thoughts.

Two different murders. A nice clean death, versus a slaughter.

Because there were two killers?

One a sex demon who could kill with the soft stroke of a hand touch and one—one who enjoyed the red splash of blood and the screams of a victim’s pain?

Ah, shit.

Two killers—a possibility he couldn’t ignore.