Midnight Sins

Chapter 18

Cara hit the ground hard. She felt blood pour from her knees, felt the trickle of the liquid on her palms. As fast as she could, she shoved to her feet, and her first thought was of—“Todd!”

Then she saw him, rising a few feet away from her, face cut, hands dripping blood just like her own were.

Relief had her shaking.

Her gaze flew toward the back of the alley, but she knew what she’d see. She should have known all along, really.

“Christ!” Todd’s voice was stunned and she knew that he’d just caught a glimpse of Cameron’s charred body.

He took off running, heading straight for the still-flickering flames.

Cara didn’t move, but her gaze tracked over to the left. Niol rose, his arms around the pale reporter. Cara’s eyes met his.

She hadn’t told Todd, because it would have been impossible for him to manage the feat, but there was a second way to kill a succubus or an incubus. A way only the most powerful demons could master.

Complete incineration, an incineration that started from within the body. If the fire began in the heart, then blasted outward, the demon could be destroyed.

But there were so few who could manage that much power.

So few.

Niol held her stare.

He’d loved her sister, in his way. And he’d wanted vengeance just as she had.

A vengeance he’d achieved.

A vengeance he’d given to her.

Cara’s head moved in the briefest of nods. Her heart ached as she thought of Nina. Of the life that had been cut far too short by the darkness in demons and men.

Justice had finally been given to her twin. Perhaps now, the nightmares would stop.

And Nina could rest.

“Holy shit!” A stunned male voice.

Ah, the other officers. She’d nearly forgotten about them.

Todd jerked off his shirt, and he battled against the flames. Didn’t really matter—she knew the fire would die away in moments.

But the two uniformed officers, they did matter. She closed her eyes, let her power stir inside her, and Cara pushed her scent hard into the air. Her eyes opened—one last look. Then, for the second time, she turned away from Cameron. The man she’d once called friend. The man who’d tried to destroy her.

This wouldn’t be the last time she would think of him, she knew that. Turning away—it didn’t mean she could shut him out or stop the memories. Her heart ached, her soul raged.

But it was over.

He was gone.

Nina was at peace.

Cara took careful steps toward the cops. The heel of her left shoe was broken, and her clothes were torn. She probably didn’t particularly look sexy, but how she looked, well, that really wasn’t the issue. The closer she got to the men, the more dazed their expressions became.

“Gentlemen,” she pitched her voice low, injecting a strong dose of hypnotic power, “remember this. When you arrived at the crime scene, the body was already burning and Detective Todd Brooks was fighting as hard as he possibly could to stop the flames.” Truth mixed with deception always worked the best.

Good-bye, Cameron. Hope you enjoy the hell that’s waiting…wonder if it’s as hot as Niol’s flames…

Sometimes, fate had a way of giving people exactly what they deserved.

“Shit.” The next evening, McNeal sat at his desk, glaring down at the neatly typed report before him. “That woman from News Flash Five saw everything?”

Todd cleared his throat. “Uh, yes, sir.” Since she’d been less than five feet away and had wound up with singed hair, it would have been hard for Holly Storm to avoid the whole self-combusting incubus scene.

McNeal’s eyes rose, then pinned Todd in his chair. “And she’s gonna keep quiet?”

He hoped. “I think so.” The woman had been shell-shocked, but before the ambulance attendants loaded her up, she’d grabbed his hand and told him, voice hoarse from the fire and Cameron’s powerful grip, “You’re right. No one’s ready for this.”

“And the two uniforms?” McNeal demanded. “Billy Mane and Tyler Johnson? They’re both backing up the story about the fire?”

With a little help from Cara. “Yes.”

McNeal grunted.

“Todd secured the scene,” Colin said. “He did the damn best he could under the circumstances and—”

“Hell, stop defending him, Gyth.” McNeal closed the report with a snap. “I know he secured the scene the only way he could.”

Hmm. Nice of Colin to back him up. Maybe he’d finally forgiven him for the whole your-lover-might-be-a-killer thing.

The bastard should have forgiven him—Todd wasn’t holding a grudge against Colin for suspecting Cara. Mostly because he’d thought she was guilty in the beginning, too.

They were both idiots.

But it looked like they’d officially gotten past the twisted shit in their lives and gone back to being a team again.

“I just want to know,” McNeal growled, “if Brooks here thinks that bastard Niol was involved in the torching.” His lips pursed. “’Cause that part wasn’t in this neat little report.”

“Sir.” He kept his voice calm. “This is the report that you want presented to the DA and the mayor, correct?”

Another grunt.

“The report tells, clearly, that when I entered the alley, I discovered Cameron Komak, burning. I tried to put out the flames. Several other witnesses”—that would be Niol, Cara, and Holly Storm—“soon entered the alley. The police were notified. Unfortunately, the heat from the flames was so intense that Cameron died on scene.”

“And when I went to Cameron Komak’s house after I was informed of the incident,” Gyth picked up the story with barely a pause, “I found undeniable evidence to link him to the killings of Simon Battle, Travis Walters, Michael House, and Susan Dobbs.” Now, that part was actually true. The guy had made a whole fucking wall in his place dedicated to the crimes. He’d had clothing belonging to the victims, photos—a fucking sick shrine.

Gyth shook his head. “The man apparently had an obsession with Cara Maloan, and in his twisted mind, he was punishing Cara by attacking the men who showed interest in her.”

“And framing her for their deaths, right.” A hard exhalation of air from McNeal “Nice little package you’ve got for me.” He leaned back in his chair. “Nice pretty bow you put on the case.”

Todd’s shoulders stiffened. “Komak was the one who tied things up with that damn wall.” He’d gone to the apartment after Gyth had notified him and seen it for himself—fucking insane.

“This report will be fine for the mayor and the DA and any of those other vulture reporters who want info on the case.” McNeal picked up a pen, began to tap it casually against the desktop. “But you left out a few details…like, oh, say, just how the hell did Cameron Komak catch on fire?”

He pissed off a demon. Todd didn’t speak those words, because he didn’t have proof. He had a suspicion that went straight to his soul, but there was no way anyone would ever be able to prove Niol’s involvement. “We don’t know how the fire started. Smith’s looking at the body. She’ll be in soon to brief you on what she’s got.”

“And what about his alibis? They checked out and—”

“The alibis were given by humans,” Colin reminded him.

“And Komak planted the memories in their heads,” Todd said. “They never actually saw him those nights—he just used his demon power,” which was pretty damn scary, “to make them think they had.”

“Hell.” Disgust coated McNeal’s voice. “These cases just get harder and harder.”

Todd shrugged. “’Cause the criminals are a different breed.” One that he’d be ready to face now, head-on.

He rose slowly, pushing up from his chair. He was bruised and sore as hell from the fall he’d taken in the alley, and he couldn’t wait to go home and curl up in bed with his succubus.

“Where the hell are you goin’?” McNeal demanded.

“Don’t you know, Captain?” Colin asked, and a smile lifted his lips. “The man’s got a date waiting.”

“Hmm.” McNeal’s dark brows bunched. “With the succubus?” No censure. Just curiosity.

Todd gave a stiff nod.

“Be careful with that one, Brooks. A woman like her, if she gets away from you, you’ll spend the rest of your life kicking your own ass.”

Then Todd was the one to smile. “Don’t worry, Captain, I don’t have any intention of letting her go.”

“Um.” He tracked his gaze over to Colin. “You gonna finish filling me in?”

A nod.

McNeal jerked his thumb toward the door. “Then get the hell out of here, Detective. I think you’ve more than earned some rest…or a night off with your lady.”

Todd didn’t have to be told twice.

He found her sitting at the edge of her pool, staring down into the glowing water. She wore a loose, flowing top and a pair of dark shorts. In the faint light, her pale legs gleamed.

He’d kept his distance from her all day, knowing that the media glare would be on the case, and needing to wait until he’d presented his report to the captain before he got close to her again.

But, at least for him, the case was over now. The killer had been caught.

Killed.

Not by his hand, and not in a way that he understood. Because he could have sworn when he battled those flames—they had been coming from inside Cameron’s body.

Impossible.

Or, at least that’s what he would have thought, once.

Cara didn’t glance up at his approach, but he saw her shoulders stiffen, and he knew that she was aware of him.

He walked toward her slowly, stopping only when he was close enough to reach out and touch her—and he did, lifting his hand to smooth over the long silk of her hair.

“Are you…” her voice, husky, sexy, made him ache, “going after him?”

Todd blinked. Not the question he’d been anticipating.

Cara turned her head, glancing over her shoulder so that their eyes met. “You know it was Niol, don’t you?”

“Yes.” He’d known the minute he saw the flames that Niol was responsible. When Cameron had threatened to kill the reporter, Niol had been too calm, too certain when he’d said, “Either way, you’re dying tonight.”

And Cameron had died.

But Cara needed to understand something. He stared into her eyes, and told her the truth. “If I could have killed Komak, I would have.” Because the bastard had gone after her. Killed her sister, and, in his gut, he knew Cameron wouldn’t have stopped until Cara had suffered the same fate.

And anyone who threatened his woman’s life—well, Todd intended to take them down, by any means necessary.

Yeah, he was a cop. But he was also a man.

“I can’t prove that Niol was behind Cameron’s death.” And no matter how long Smith looked at the body, he doubted she’d find any evidence to link the demon to the crime.

Her feet lifted from the water’s edge. After a moment, she rose slowly and turned to stand before him. “You’re going to let him go?”

A grim nod. “For now.” If the bastard fucked up in the future, he’d go after him. But, for now, with this case—well, there really wasn’t a choice.

“And what about us?” Her eyes matched the darkness of the night. “Now that the case is over, are you just going to let us go, too?”

What? He grabbed her arms, holding her tight and helplessly noting the softness of her skin. “Is that what you want? To get rid of me now?” God, he hoped not, because if she left him now—

He’d never be the same.

“Am I what you want?” She asked, voice just as hard and desperate as his had been. “Am I really what you want, Detective Todd Brooks? A demon to take home to the family? A woman who will always be different, one who will always—”

“Be mine.” Not a question, a statement of fact. In his heart, she was his. Would be his. Always. “And I don’t really give a shit about what the rest of my family thinks. Not that I’ve got much of one left, anyway.” A few cousins, spread across the United States. “Hell, baby, your family is the one I’m more concerned about.” How would they feel about having a human in their fold?

“All day,” he continued, “I’ve thought about you. Wanted you. Wanted to touch you and taste you and—” He broke off, because he had to feel her mouth under his. The kiss was too fierce, bruising in its intensity, but she met him, her lips feeding on his with a wild hunger—a hunger he knew well.

The thought of losing her—it ate away at him. His hands worked on her clothes, all but yanking the fabric away. Todd needed to feel the softness of her flesh against his, needed it more than breath right then.

He had to show her how good it was between them. How good it would always be.

But her hands rose and pushed against his chest. His head lifted.

“Todd…it’s more than sex to you, isn’t it?”

The question pierced his heart. “Do you even need to ask, baby?” This time, when he kissed her, his lips were soft. “You’re in me, Cara. So deep inside me. Hell, I didn’t think anyone would ever know me like you do.” And he hadn’t believed he’d ever need anyone the way he needed her. “I told you once that I would follow you into hell.” His hands lifted and he framed her face. “I meant that. I’d do anything for you.”

“You’re not—not just saying—” She stopped, shook her head. Her face was wistful, her eyes watchful.

He tightened his hold on her. “Don’t you understand, baby? You’re mine—the woman I’ve always wanted, and never thought I’d find.” Todd had to swallow before he said, “I know I should be better. More, for you, but I’m just a man, a man who touched the best thing he could have ever imagined one night.” Time to drop his pride. “I love you, Cara. Love every part of you, and if you’ll let me, I’ll spend the rest of my life showing you just how damn good a human and a demon can be together.”

Her lips curved upward slowly, and the darkness in her gaze seemed to lighten. “You love me?”

“More than anything in this world or any other.” Stark truth. And, damn, but he was praying she felt even a fraction of the same way about him. She had to feel something, and if she gave him enough time, he’d show her how great they could be together.

“I know things started the wrong way between us.” Extreme understatement. “I wish I’d met you without the case. Just seen you singing one night.” He would have felt the same way about her, but the suspicions and accusations wouldn’t have been between them.

Her right hand lifted, and she traced the lines of his face. “Do you know that before I met you, I was ready to give up sex?”

He slowly shook his head, shocked. Could a succubus even do that?

She laughed softly. “Then I met you, and everything changed for me. Everything.”

He hoped she meant—

“I love you, Todd Brooks, and I will keep loving you for all the very, very long years of my life.”

She loved him. Fucking miracle. He crushed her against him, drove his tongue deep into her mouth, and tasted the paradise he’d been craving.

It should have been a soft, tender mating. Their feelings were spoken now, real, but the emotions were too raw, as was their hunger.

Their hands fought, ripped at the clothing. Fabric gave way quickly beneath the assault.

Then his mouth was on her breast. Licking, sucking, kissing, loving the sweet flesh. His hands shoved down her shorts. Tore away her panties to find the creamy flesh that waited for him.

Her fingers unsnapped his jeans, pulled down the zipper, and his arousal sprang out, hard, ready, so eager for her that moisture coated the broad head of his cock.

There was no waiting. He stumbled over to the chaise longue. Nearly fell onto the cushions and dragged her down over him.

Her thighs were parted, so when she fell onto him, she straddled him and her hot, wet sex slid over his cock.

Another kiss. Lips, tongue. Tasting. Taking.

His hands touched her—frantic touches, caresses all over her flesh.

Her fingers wrapped around the length of his erection. Squeezed, stroked, and had his eyes rolling back into his head.

His lips tore from hers. “Can’t…wait.”

Her smile would have tempted a saint—and it sure as hell tempted a cop. “Good.”

Then she was positioning his length, lifting her hips, and pushing the head of his arousal into the tight opening of her sex.

He thrust up, jerking his hips off the chaise at the exact moment her hips drove down onto him. Their moans filled the air as his cock lodged deep within her.

When her sex clenched around him like a hot fist, there was no stopping him. Todd’s hands dropped to the cement for balance and his hips began to piston up against her. Harder. Faster. The night sky glinted above—a million shining stars winked over Cara and he thrust, sinking into the hottest paradise he’d ever know and starring at stars—and his succubus.

Her eyes were shining. A glow inside the darkness. Her hand was on his chest, right over his heart.

The heart that had always been hers. He just hadn’t known—

Her sex contracted, a ripple of movement that had Todd gritting his teeth and choking out her name.

Release was moments away, but damn it—he never wanted the passion to end.

Never wanted to leave her.

Her thighs clamped over his legs. The site of her bare breasts tormented him, and his head jerked up. Todd caught one nipple in his mouth, then slammed deep into her again.

The warmth of her palm seared his skin. Power filled the air. Danced over his body.

The climax hit him, and the world exploded into a shower of those stars he’d seen. Millions of stars. Pleasure flooded him as he pumped into her, driving as fully into her honeyed clasp as he could go, and filling her with the hot essence of his release.

Her magic roared through him and she called his name. Her hips bucked, her sex clenched, and the quiver that shook her body shivered through him.

He licked her breast as the aftershocks of pleasure hummed through his system.

His hands rose from the cement and wrapped around her.

Todd’s head lifted and he stared up at her face.

His Cara.

The spark of her energy danced in the air, the spark that even now was heating his flesh and sending energy pumping inside him.

When he kissed her again, he tasted the magic and he tasted the power of the woman he’d gladly fight the devil to possess.

And, well, perhaps he already had.

The bull pen was all but deserted when Smith knocked lightly on Danny McNeal’s office. It was well after 11 P.M., but she knew he was still working. Though the blinds were drawn in his office, faint light glowed from beneath his door.

“Come in.” His voice was gruff, hard, as it usually was.

Her shoulders straightened and her left hand rose automatically to smooth over her hair.

Then she walked inside, keeping her head high and her strides long and easy.

She saw his eyes widen, just the tiniest fraction, when he caught sight of her.

“Dr. Smith.”

Ah, so she was back to doctor, hmm? Smith placed her report onto his desk. “My notes on Cameron Komak’s body.”

He dropped his pen. “That was fast.”

Well, there hadn’t exactly been a lot left to work with.

“What’s the determination?”

Now this was the tricky part—but she had a feeling she’d probably be dealing with a lot of tricky cases from now on.

The thought wasn’t as unsettling as it had once been. In fact, now, well, the cases almost seemed…challenging.

The visits she’d been secretly having with Emily were starting to pay off.

All of the Other weren’t evil. She was understanding that. Accepting that.

Smith met his stare directly. “Off the record, my belief is that Mr. Komak self-combusted.”

He didn’t blink. “Self-combusted.”

“Um. The fire appears to have originated internally—as opposed to an external stimulus like gasoline or—”

McNeal held up a hand. “Go back to the internal part.”

Simple enough. “I think the fire started inside Mr. Komak’s body. Specifically, in the region near his heart.”

“Shit.”

Yes, she’d expected that response. He pointed toward her notes. “That’s not in the report, is it?”

“My notes list a fire of undetermined origin.” And that was true. She didn’t know how the fire had started—just where it had flared to life.

“Thanks, Doctor. That should be all I need, for now.”

A dismissal. Her eyes narrowed. “Does that mean the case is closed?”

“My detectives discovered indisputable proof to link Komak to the killings.” His lips twisted. “Shortly after Komak died from that fire of undetermined origin, Gyth searched the guy’s apartment and found one of those hell walls that the serials like to keep. So, yeah, the case of the Bondage Killer is closed.”

“But there will be more, won’t there? More cases like…this.”

His chair squeaked as he rose. His shoulders were so wide, so strong, and his face—she’d always thought he had the face of a warrior. “There have always been cases like this. The only difference is that now we aren’t transferring them away from you anymore, they’re coming to you.” He stalked around the desk. “That gonna be a problem for you?”

The Other, they still frightened her. Or, some of them did. Whoever had managed to burn Cameron Komak from the inside out, that guy scared her, but Smith realized she had to start trusting the supernaturals that she knew well. Like Colin.

And it was definitely past time for her to trust the one she’d let into her heart so long ago. “They won’t be a problem.” Deliberately, she looked him over, running her gaze from his gleaming head down to his too-big feet. “But you will be.”

Her eyes returned to his face just in time to catch his wince. “We’ve been over this. I’m not gonna bother you, personally, anymore, Dr. Smith—”

“Ah, see, now that’s my problem.” She closed the distance between them. Wrapped her hands over his shoulders. “I want you to keep on bothering me.” She kissed him. Mouth open, tongue ready.

His arms locked around her, jerking her tight against his chest—his heart.

Just where she liked to be held.

The kiss was hungry, wild, and held a desperate need—his need, hers.

Oh, God, but she’d missed him.

Her hands pushed between them, began to fumble with the buttons on his shirt.

McNeal dragged his mouth from hers. “Nathalia…Hell, babe, don’t tease, don’t let me think you want me again when—”

“I’ve always wanted you.” Her nails stilled against the white front of his shirt. “Even when you were such a damn idiot.” Because a little thing like her man talking to animals, well, that wasn’t going to push her away.

Time to claim her lover again.

She glanced over at his desk and didn’t even try to stop the smile that rose on her lips. “Feel like taking a walk down memory lane?”

His hungry growl was more than answer enough for her.

Cara watched Todd while he slept. Stared at the shadows beneath his eyes and the faint stubble on his jaw.

The sun rose slowly, and still she watched him. There was more that she needed to tell Todd, and she knew that when his eyes opened and he stared at her in the morning light, it would be time to share another secret with him.

She’d never told another human what she would tell him, but Todd deserved to know.

So when his eyelids finally opened and he gazed at her with sleepy brown eyes, she felt a moment of fear.

Then he lifted his hand and smoothed his fingers over her cheek.

He won’t leave. The knowledge was certain in her heart.

“Todd.” His name whispered from her lips. “I need—there’s something I have to tell you.”

He smiled and rolled onto his side. They’d made love again during the night. Sweet love, slow.

“I—you haven’t noticed it yet, but you will, soon.” She licked her lips. “Being with me, if we stay together, long term, um, you’re gonna start seeing some side effects.”

The sleep disappeared from his gaze as his body began to stiffen. “Side effects?”

“Uh, yeah.” This wasn’t the easiest conversation to have with a lover. She’d known that, and put it off as long as possible.

“Just what kind of side effects are we talking here?”

Okay, he didn’t sound overly worried. Good. “You’ve never asked me how old I am, Todd.”

“You’re twenty-eight. I saw the age on the license we found and—”

“I’m not twenty-eight.”

He blinked. “You look twenty-eight.”

Yeah, and she’d keep on looking that way—for a long time to come. “The power that succubi get from sexual energy—well, you see, part of that power—it renews us.”

A line appeared between his brows. “I don’t think I’m following you, baby.”

“Okay, follow this.” A quick breath. “Sex for a succubus, it’s like dipping into a fountain of youth.” And that was one of the reasons her kind were so hard to kill. Frozen forever at a perfect age of health and vitality—yeah, it was hard to take ’em down.

His eyes widened and a soundless whistle passed from his lips. “Holy shit.” Another whistle, a quiet one this time. “You’re saying—you’re some kind of immortal?”

Something like that. “When I’m with you and we share the power, you get dipped into that fountain with me.” A pause. Okay, she was starting to sweat. “If you keep staying with me, and I don’t take, and we both exchange the power—your body will start renewing like mine.” He’d never be as strong as she was, because he hadn’t been born an incubus, but when she poured the magic and power into his body, he would renew the same way.

They wouldn’t live forever. She wasn’t a true immortal. There were few of those guys left. But she and Todd, well, they’d sure live more than their share of days together.

“Those side effects I mentioned—well, you won’t have as many gray hairs and wrinkles and—”

“You’re fucking kidding me!” He’d shot upright and astonishment was clear on his face.

Cara shook her head. “No, I’m not.”

She gave him a minute to take that in. Cara rose beside him, tugging the sheet up to cover her breasts.

His lips pursed. “Hmmm. Are women gonna start following me around now because my scent is supersexy?”

They’d better not, or she’d kick their asses. “No. The longer life span and physical appearance—those the only changes you’ll have.” The only ones she’d ever known a human mated with one of her kind to have. The renewing power was secret and sacred, and custom dictated that it was to be shared only with the mate of a succubus or an incubus.

Todd was her mate, forever.

“So now you know another of my secrets,” she told him, and raised her chin. “And the choice to stay or go,” because it wouldn’t be easy, having a longer life when so many that surrounded him—so many that he cared for—weren’t able to walk the earth with him for those days. “That choice is yours.”

“Go?” He repeated, then he caught her arms, rolled fast, and pinned her beneath him on the bed. “Trust me, baby, there’s no going for me.” His kiss was warm and hungry. “I’m right where I want to be, with the woman I want, for the rest of my damn life.”

Her heart slammed against her chest at his words. “Are you sure? Think about it, Todd. I can’t just take from you—it’s not an option.” Long-term mating with a succubus without the exchange of power would result in death for a human. “You’ll be different. From your family, your friends.” He needed to understand the road he would take with her.

“We can end things now,” she told him. “Before you change, before anything else happens—”

“Too late.” Said simply. “I’ve already changed.”

What? No, he hadn’t—

“When I met you, I changed.” He shook his head. “I don’t ever want to go back to being the guy I was before. I want to spend the rest of my days—however many I get—with you.”

Oh, but that sounded good to her. She tried to smile, because it was either smile or start crying like a baby. “Then I guess you’re okay with my latest secret, huh?”

His lips hitched into a half-smile, a smile that showed off the dimple she loved so much. “Baby, I’m fine with all your secrets—and I know you’ve got more.”

Her breath caught. “Do you?”

“One day, I’ll discover them all.” He pressed a kiss to her lips. “Every.” Another kiss. “Last.” A swipe of his tongue. “One.”

“You…ah…know my secrets.”

“Not all of them.” Whispered against her mouth. “But one day, one day I just might…”

Then he lowered his head and pressed his lips against the sensitive skin of her neck, and the passion Cara felt for Todd rose once again in her body.

As she arched against him, Cara realized Todd was right. She did have a few more secrets. Nothing too dangerous.

And maybe—maybe he would discover them all.

But first, well, first she’d make certain she discovered his.

She could hardly wait for the games to begin.

Good thing they had plenty of time ahead of them.

Long days, longer nights, great sex, and a few secrets.

Things might get a bit wild for her and her detective, but that would be just fine for Cara.

In fact, that was the way life for a succubus should be.

Wild, sexy…and so damn satisfying.

Reading Order

1. Hotter After Midnight

2. Midnight Sins

3. Midnight's Master