Death Bringer (Soul Justice) (10 page)

“That’s because I executed him. Can you find out who he really is?”

“If you want.” She stretched out her hand toward the distortion.

“If she tries to touch me, cygnet, I’ll—”

Ella staggered and almost went down. In that instant of confusion, Adam simply disappeared, leaving Vadim cursing in Russian, Fae and every other language he could remember.

“What the hell was that?” Ella gasped.

“Adam.”

“God, when he touched me, it
hurt!
”

“I know. I felt it.”

He helped her to sit in the only chair and knelt in front of her. “I apologize. I didn’t realize he would affect you like that.”

“It’s okay. I’m fine now. I shouldn’t have attempted to touch him.” She cupped his cheek. “But Morosov, what the hell? He does look like you.”

“In this form, yes. That’s why I wanted you to find out what lay beneath.”

“Do you think he’s after you as well as his trophies?”

“I have to assume so. Someone wants me involved in this case whether I want it or not. Why else would they use an image I’m familiar with?”

“An image of yourself.”

“Close enough.” He sighed and moved his head until his mouth brushed her fingers. “I wish I could say that was the end of this, but I’m sure he’ll be back.”

“Next time I won’t try and touch him.” She shivered. “I can still access his mind, though.”

He stood up. “I should be able to do that by myself, now I’ve gained your skill set.”

“It takes a while to get used to the idea, doesn’t it? It’s a bit like your power for me.” She frowned. “We haven’t had a lot of time to share our skills, though.”

“Not really.”

It was hard to believe he’d only known her for a few short weeks. He couldn’t imagine his life without her now, and Adam had just touched her.

“Are you feeling okay?”

“Yes. I’m fine now, why?” Her expression changed. “Hell, he didn’t take my face, did he?”

“No. He probably didn’t have time.”

Her hand flew to her cheek. “How can I keep him out?”

“He won’t be able to overpower you as long as our minds are linked together.”

“Are you sure about that?”

“Absolutely.” He checked that the shield around Ms. Phelps was stable again and then went across and took Ella’s hand in his. “You smell like Fae.”

“Like Adam, you mean?”

He inhaled slowly. “No, Rossa. Was he here?”

“He might have popped in.”

He raised her chin so that she had to look into his eyes. “You didn’t tell him anything, did you?”

“Like what? He already knows the important bits.”

“Don’t trust him, Ella. Everything you say will be reported to Otherworld.” She blinked and he forced himself to keep calm. “He might look like an angel, but he’s as devious as the devil.”

“I know that. What are we going to do about Ms. Phelps?”

“We’ll just have to stay here and keep her safe.”

“And stop Adam getting to her.”

“Exactly.” He kissed the top of her head and released her. “He won’t be back for a while. Why don’t you go down to the cafeteria and get us both some coffee?”

* * *

Ella woke with a start and fumbled for her weapon.

“What’s up?”

Beside her, Vadim was staring intently at the space around Ms. Phelps. It was dark in the room, and the unnatural play of light around the bed was startlingly obvious. Ms. Phelps was sitting upright, her mouth open as if she were silently screaming.

“
Something’s wrong.
”

“
Duh.
”

“
My magic’s being attacked.
”

She could feel it now inside her, the insidious sense of being drained and squeezed dry.

“
Then do something!
You’re supposed to be strong!
”

“
Too many forces are combining against me
,
all the power of the sect
,
I
—”

Vadim crashed to the floor, his head in his hands, and Ella fought to reach him through the demons howling in her own mind. The room shuddered like the quiet center of a tornado. Why weren’t the SBLE guards coming in to help? Ella tried to shout, but the sound was whipped away.

“
Hold on!
”

The shield around Ms. Phelps was thinning like the ripped silk of a defective parachute. Ella reached the bed and marshaled all her power to try and mend it, but nothing worked. Even as she watched, the Fae shielding spell was drawn inexorably toward Ms. Phelps’s open mouth. Did she know she was inhaling death? Did she understand what was happening to her?

“No!” Vadim staggered to his feet, power shooting from his outstretched hand. “Leave her!”

Everything seemed to be suspended, and time moved so slowly that she could see the battle for supremacy being fought frame by frame. Even as Vadim’s power roared through the room, it was already too late. The shield was gone, swallowed down by Ms. Phelps, who collapsed back onto her pillows.

As quickly as the storm had arisen, it subsided, leaving Vadim and her on the floor. The door flew open and one of the security guards nearly trampled her as he rushed in. She noticed for the first time that the drapes were ripped, the blinds askew and both the chairs were upside down.

“What the hell happened?”

She pointed at the motionless figure on the bed. “That happened.
Dammit!
” She crawled over to Vadim. “Are you all right?”

He snarled something obscene in Fae and shook off her hand. Without another word, he turned on his heel and pushed his way through the security personnel and medical staff now arriving at the door. She didn’t bother to chase after him. She could find him anywhere, and someone needed to be here to tell Feehan the bad news.

As if he’d heard her thoughts, her boss appeared at the doorway, a cup of coffee in his hand.

“Ella, are you all right? I was just coming to check on you. I saw Vadim heading down the stairs. Was he looking for me?”

“He needs some space at the moment, boss. He’s angry with himself for not being able to protect Ms. Phelps.”

Feehan glanced over at the bed, where one of the medics shook his head. “Dammit. She’s dead?”

“Yeah, and on our watch. We were literally right here.” She stood up and shook her head, trying to ease the dizziness. “We tried everything to keep them out. Even Vadim’s power wasn’t strong enough.”

“Them?”

“I meant Adam. Dude, that’s one powerful male. It was like watching a horror flick. The guy literally took the shield Vadim had placed around Ms. Phelps and used it to suffocate the life out of her. She breathed it in and inhaled her own death...”

“We’ve got security cameras set up in here. We can review the footage back at the office.” Feehan patted her shoulder. “Why don’t you see if you can find Vadim and make sure you both come in to work tomorrow by nine.”

She met his gaze. “I’m sorry, boss. We really fucked up.”

“We’ll go over it tomorrow with the rest of the team and work out what we can do next.” He turned her toward the door. “I’ll take care of things here. You get some sleep.”

He seemed remarkably calm, but then he hadn’t been the one directly responsible for the security of the patient. What a mess they’d made of everything. She found her backpack under one of the chairs, then picked it up. Her shoulder and knee hurt from hitting the floor too hard, but that was the least of her problems.

She checked her cell. There were no messages, only the realization that it was four o’clock in the morning and she had to find Vadim. Her skull felt as if someone had tried to take it apart with a pair of rib spreaders and no anesthetic. It was hard to sense anything through her pain.

Vadim.

He was hurting too. But where was he? Back in his hotel? She focused in harder. No. Then where?

She felt him staring at the sea. He was definitely on the other side of the bay. But how was she supposed to get there at this time in the morning?

Duh.

She found a quiet spot near the elevators and made sure her backpack was secure. Closing her eyes, she focused on her mate and willed herself to get to him. The slither of sand and pebbles against her knees and the smell of the sea crashed over her. She tried to right herself and ended up on all fours, with both hands buried in the scummy wet beach.

When she looked up, Vadim was sitting to her right on a large rock. There was no way he could’ve missed her ungainly arrival, but he betrayed no interest in her presence. That was good, right? She brushed the sand off her jeans and stumbled and slithered across to him. Luckily, the rock was large enough to accommodate them both, so she sat down.

It was a beautiful spot. Above them rose the steep cliffs of Belvedere. To the right was the picturesque nighttime sparkle of Sausalito and to the left the orange pillars of the Golden Gate Bridge and the city beyond. She drew in a slow breath. She usually forgot to appreciate what an amazing place she lived in. She risked a glance at Vadim’s profile. He looked remote and almost too pretty to be real.

“I’m not surprised you’re mad at me.” He didn’t react, so she carried on. “I should’ve been quicker to respond.”

“I’m the one who failed, and you damn well know it.”

“Morosov, I was there. I felt the power being used against you, against
us.
There was no way in hell that anyone could’ve withstood that.”

“You don’t understand. I’m not supposed to be vulnerable, I’m—”

“You did your best, right?”

He said nothing, his mouth a hard line as he returned his attention to the spectacular view.

“You told me that sometimes Otherworld power is diminished in this world.”

“That’s correct.”

“Then isn’t that what happened to you? You’re still incredibly powerful. That’s why they still had to send everything they had against you?”

“I should’ve known what they planned to do. I should’ve realized that Adam was testing the extent of my abilities when he first turned up.”

“Hindsight’s a wonderful thing, isn’t it?” She poked him in the arm. “Let it go, Morosov.”

“They killed her with my magic. That makes me responsible for her death.” He shuddered and Ella poked him again.

“Don’t be such a wuss. So they turned your own weapon on you. It happens. You still aren’t to blame. What I don’t understand is why they thought it necessary to demonstrate such power to achieve one death.”

He sighed. “Because they’re fucking crazy?” He stared out over the sea. “If I was in Otherworld, I could destroy them all.”

“But if you go back there, you’ll be executed.”

He looked down at her. “Who told you that?”

“Rossa.”

His mouth quirked at the corner. “That makes sense.”

“Are you intending to sit here all night?”

“I’m not sure.”

“Let’s go home instead. There’s food there, or at least I think there is.”

“I don’t have a home.”

This time she punched him much harder. “Oh, for God’s sake, lighten up, Morosov. Let’s go.”

She grabbed his hand, and the next minute they were in her kitchen, the lights were on and Vadim was delving into the fridge.

“You lied. There’s nothing here to eat.”

“Try the freezer.”

He complied and she looked over his shoulder as he surveyed her collection of saturated fatty goodness with an air of horror.

“Come on, partner, let yourself go for once. A Hot Pocket won’t kill you.”

“How about I make us an omelet?”

“If you can make it quickly, go for it. I’m starving.”

He took off his coat and jacket and loosened his tie. “Make some toast.”

By the time they’d finished eating, it was almost five in the morning, and the sunlight was beginning to filter through the gray, foggy skies.

Vadim stretched and rubbed his eyes. “I left my car at the hospital. We’ll need to get the ferry in the morning.”

“Or use magic.”

He almost smiled for the first time. “You like that mode of transport, then?”

“It’s pretty cool.” She waited until he set the dishwasher running and then took his hand. “We have to be at work by nine. If we use the ferry, we’ll get much less sleep.” She led him toward her bedroom. “We need our sleep.”

He already looked exhausted. Had the struggle with the Otherworld sect drained him so completely? Or was it more a case of hurt pride? Ella pushed on his chest until he sat on the edge of the bed. She slowly unbuttoned his shirt and then knelt to unbuckle his belt. His hand covered hers.

“You don’t need to do that. I can just...”

She bent her head and kissed the bulge of his cock. “I like doing it. Shut up.”

He sighed as she slowly unbuttoned his pants and drew down the zipper. Underneath, he wore tight blue cotton boxers that now strained to contain his growing erection.

“Nice.” Ella dropped a kiss on the crown of his wet cock, which had already escaped the waistband of his boxers. “Now, be quiet and let me concentrate.”

She helped him ease out of his pants, socks and shoes and then returned her attention to his cock, sliding her hand inside his boxers at the back to stroke and cup his awesome ass. His hips jerked forward.

“Ella...”

There was a note of uncertainty in his voice that she’d never heard before. She kissed his shaft through soft cotton that did nothing to hide the length and girth of him, nibbled at the dampening fabric until his hand clenched in her hair, demanding more, trying to direct her mouth to more needy places.

“Patience is a virtue, Morosov.”

His answer was a low growl in Fae that made her nipples ache and her lady parts ready for action. But this wasn’t about her. It was about giving him something she’d never attempted to give a man before...

Love, caring, support? She didn’t want to name it. That screamed of some sort of permanency or security or
need
on her part. She just wanted him to feel better.

That was it. Sex made everything better.

She slid her thumbs down the sides of his boxers and pulled them off. A birthmark in the shape of a black crescent nestled in the lickworthy crevice where his hip met his groin, and she kissed it. With a happy sigh, she studied his cock.