Soul Sucker (22 page)

She finished the rest of her beer. And what did that prove? That Vadim’s magic was strong enough to bind her to him, or that they were truly mated by Otherworld and no one else would do it for her anymore? She turned back to Big Jim, who was still lounging by the refrigerator handing out beer and advice to random partygoers.

“Ready for another round, princess?” he asked. “You know the price now, right?”

“I do. Pucker up, baby.”

He grinned and bent down to her level. She wrapped a hand around the back of his neck and kissed him slowly until he started to kiss her back, his hand on her ass, drawing her closer. A sudden terrible coldness surrounded her and the hairs on the back of her neck bristled. She wasn’t the only one who was affected. Everyone in the small kitchen seemed to freeze into place.

Ella slowly released Big Jim and turned around. Vadim stood by the doorway, immaculate in his dark business suit, his expression cool, his hand fisted at his side.

“Jeez,” muttered Big Jim. “Who’s that?”

“Oh, that’s Morosov. He works with me.” She flicked a defiant glance at Vadim. “I didn’t know you were planning on coming to this party. You could’ve tagged along with me and Liz.”

“If I’d known that was what you planned, I would’ve done so.” Vadim walked over to her, his blue eyes like ice. No one else moved. “Unfortunately, I was under the mistaken impression that you’d gone home early with a headache.”

Big Jim shook his finger at Ella. “Naughty.”

She shrugged. “He doesn’t own me.”

“That’s correct but I am supposed to be guarding you.” He raised his cool gaze to Big Jim, who immediately held up both his hands and stepped back from Ella. “Any of these males could be a threat to you.”

Ella squared up to him. With her high heels she came up to his autocratic nose. “I know these guys. They’re Doug’s pack. I trust them all.”

“So I saw.”

She met his gaze and then wished she hadn’t. “I’m fine. If you’re so worried about my safety that you had to chase me down, you can go and wait in the hallway. I’ll find you when I’m ready to leave.”

“
Shit
,” Big Jim breathed in her ear. “You’ve got some balls. That is one scary powerful dude.”

“I don’t think so.” Vadim took hold of her elbow.

The next moment they were alone somewhere in complete darkness. It was still close to the party because she could hear the music. She could smell a faint scent of Big Jim and wondered if they’d ended up in his bedroom at the top of the house.

“Don’t play games with me. Take me back, right now.”

Vadim didn’t say anything but stepped so close that she could feel every furious, vibrating inch of him from head to toe. Something soft touched her cheek and she realized the air was full of swirling black feathers.

“Why did you kiss that male?”

“What is it to you?”

He let out a very controlled breath. “We’re mated.”

“So you say.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

She pushed away from him, stumbled against the side of a bed and sat on the edge. “Don’t get all macho and possessive on me.”

“Ms. Walsh, if you had any idea how hard I am trying to stop myself getting ‘all macho and possessive on you’ right now you’d shut the fuck up.”

She glared at him. “There’s no need to swear either.”

“I apologize.” She’d never believed anyone could speak between gritted teeth before, but she believed it now.

“Here’s the thing, Morosov. I was conducting an experiment.”

“To see how many males you could fuck in one night?”

“There were only three and I only kissed them.”

He gave a bark of laughter. “Only three.”

She kicked her sandals off and wiggled her tortured toes. “I wanted to see if it felt any different.”

“Different to what?”

“Kissing you, of course. It was suggested to me today that you are way more powerful than you let on, which I knew already, and that you might have used your magical powers to convince me that we were mated when we weren’t.”

“And why would I do that?”

He moved until he was directly in front of her. She could see his expression now and it wasn’t very reassuring. “To make sure I got through the case without going nuts and saved your ass.”

Magic surged around her and caught at her hair, making it stand on end. She fought a shiver as she remembered how all the big tough shapeshifters downstairs had backed down in Vadim’s presence.

“Do you really think that badly of me?”

She forced herself to look at him and found her gaze fixated on his immaculate white shirt. “Obviously not, which is why I, a) didn’t storm off in a huff or, b) confront you and instead, c) conducted my experiment at this party.”

“And what are the results of your experiment?”

“None of them tasted right.”

He leaned in and licked a salacious line along the seam of her lips. “And what about now?”

She inhaled his now familiar scent and lust pooled in her stomach. “Mmm...”

He kissed her again, feather-light touches over her mouth and jaw, her nose, her eyelids. “And now?”

“I think I need to taste you again.”

He claimed her mouth in such a way that all thoughts of the other males disappeared, replaced by the ferociousness of his need, his power and her desire for him. He kept kissing her and she slid a hand into his hair and drew him close until he was right where she needed him between her open thighs.

Before she could stop him, he fell to his knees and she felt his teeth nipping her inner thigh. Her panties disappeared and his mouth was on her most intimate parts, sucking her clit, his tongue delving between her folds to push inside her. When he added his fingers to the mix, she writhed against him. He didn’t stop, making her climax twice more before crawling up over her body and kissing her.

He snapped his fingers and she was naked, her hands mysteriously bound over her head with his tie. Candles appeared beside the bed, illuminating her flesh.

“That’s not fair,” she gasped.

He straddled her and ripped off his jacket. “Do you think I care?”

She stared up at him as he yanked off his tie and slowly unbuttoned his shirt. “Make your clothes disappear too. I want to see you.”

His smile was lethal. “You can damn well wait.”

She tried to pull against her bonds, but they were too strong and she couldn’t wiggle out of them either. Were Doug and Liz looking for her? Was anyone worried that she’d been literally magicked away?

Vadim knelt up to continue his leisurely striptease, pushing down his pants and underwear to reveal his already stiff cock. As he palmed himself a bead of moisture gathered at the tip. With a groan, he leaned forward and rubbed his wet thumb against her lips.

“Taste this, too.”

She sucked on his thumb until he replaced it with his cock and then she sucked on that until he took control and fucked her mouth, one hand moving between her breasts, pinching and shaping her nipples into hard peaks of need. She used her teeth on him and his breath hissed out. Removing his cock from her mouth he slid it between her breasts, cupping her rounded flesh tightly around him. He groaned her name and came. The sharp scent of the sea and a hint of citrus infused her skin.

“Let me loose now. I want to touch you,” Ella demanded.

He took no notice, only knelt between her legs and pushed them wide and over his shoulders before devouring her with his fingers and his mouth again until she screamed his name. Even before she finished coming, he slid his cock back inside her and took her that way, each stroke long and leisurely from tip to root, and then slamming into her, making her beg and scream and forget everything but his taste, his body and his mind claiming hers. So wet now, his clever fingers playing with her clit and the pucker of her ass, marking her as the other men had failed to do, in every way he could.

She couldn’t escape his thoughts either, and he couldn’t control them as well as he controlled his body. She was becoming aware not only of his need for her, but the astounding depth of his magical powers. She bit down hard on his lip.

“You could destroy me.”

Vadim went still over her, his cock hard, his heart pounding against hers.

“I couldn’t.”

“Don’t lie.”

He kissed her already swollen mouth. “I
couldn’t
. I could kill anyone who touched you, though.”

“Is that a threat?”

He bit her back. “It just is.”

She tried to jerk her head away but he wouldn’t let her. “I’m not human. You know that, and I’m now a bonded male. Ask Doug, ask any of those men downstairs what that means and what they would do for their mate. I’m no different.”

She stared into his eyes. “So this is you being nice?”

He pushed himself deep inside her until she moaned. “Yes.”

“Winning me over with fantastic sex?”

“
Yes
.” He gazed down at her. “I don’t think you would enjoy any of the alternatives. Most bonded males would consider me to be within my rights to slaughter the three men you kissed and beat you soundly.”

She bared her teeth at him. “Go ahead, if you want me to castrate you with the bread knife.”

* * *

Vadim realized his black mood was evaporating when he was able to smile at her. “I’m no fool, Ms. Walsh. I’ll take what I can get.” He released her hands from their bonds. “And I have you right where I want you, under me, wet from my seed and begging.”

She opened her mouth—no doubt to argue with him—but he kissed her instead and increased the pace of his thrusts until she was coming all around his shaft. He came with her, fusing his thoughts with hers and making the floor shake with the combined power of their magic.

Reluctantly he rolled away from her and found their clothes. He handed Ella her bra and the sexy black dress she must have borrowed from Liz and placed her shoes neatly in front of her.

“Don’t tell me there isn’t a shower here.” Ella stepped into her shoes.

He raised an eyebrow. “Unfortunately not.”

“And you’re okay with that, Mr. Clean?”

He stepped into his underwear and pants, dusting the black feathers off as he dressed. “We’ll be home soon. We can shower then.”

She narrowed her eyes at him as she struggled into her black bra. “You’re up to something.”

He continued dressing, zipping her into her dress without a murmur when she ordered him to. Was it petty of him to like the thought of walking her down the stairs, through the rest of the party guests and out the door when she smelled of him? That all the males would know she was his mate and keep away?

Yes, it probably was, and most unlike him, but he was going to make sure it happened.

“Morosov, where are my panties?”

He stopped smiling and studied his indignant colleague, who now stood in front of him, hands on her hips in a stance he knew meant danger.

“I’ve no idea. Where did you put them?”

“You took them.”

“I don’t remember that.” He tried to look sympathetic. “Does it matter?”

“Not if you can whisk us right out of here and straight home.”

“I can’t do that.”

“Why not?”

“Because this room is warded and we have to let Liz and Doug know you are safe and going home with me.”

“Can’t you just Fae-interface with Liz or something?” Ella was tapping her foot now, irritation clear on her face. He was enjoying himself.

“No.”

“I don’t believe you.”

He just looked at her and then went over to the door and opened it. “Shall we?”

She clomped down the narrow stairs behind him. Judging from the noise, the party was still going strong. “They’ll know what we’ve been doing.”

“I suppose they might, but Liz can keep it to herself, can’t she?”

He spotted Liz sitting on one of the couches kissing Doug and pushed his way through to her.

“Liz?”

“Vadim!” She scrambled to untangle herself from Doug, slapping his hand away from her thigh and rearranging the neck of her dress. “I didn’t know you were here!”

“I came to collect Ella. Feehan asked me to.” He made a face. “I just wanted you to know that we were going now.” He waved a vague hand behind him. “Ella’s just over there.”

Liz tried to look around him at Ella but he made it impossible for her to see much. “Sure! We’ll see you in the morning.”

Vadim inclined his head. “Good night Liz, Doug.”

He sensed Ella was already working her way down to the kitchen and hurried to catch up with her. The same group of guys was hanging around the refrigerator and they went quiet when they saw him. He liked that. He wondered what they had been saying to her, and what she’d said in return. Ignoring the stares, he walked right up to her and took her hand, bent to kiss the luscious curve between her shoulder and neck. He’d marked her there with his teeth. She obviously hadn’t noticed yet.

“Ready to go, Ms. Walsh?” He nodded at Big Jim whom he hoped was busy inhaling their bonding scent and getting the correct message.

Ella tried to pull out of his grasp but he held on and followed her out into the street, casting one last meaningful glance over his shoulder at the silent shapeshifters. He didn’t think any of them would let Ella kiss them again.

Chapter Eighteen

Ella went straight into the bathroom, leaving Vadim alone in the kitchen. By the time she got into the shower, he materialized through the locked door and joined her. She was too tired to argue and the sight of him naked and more than willing to have sex with her was far too good to pass up. After they’d washed each other again and she’d forced herself to get out of the cramped shower, she remembered something.

“What’s with all the feathers, Morosov?”

He was rinsing his hair and she paused to appreciate the streams of water cascading over his broad shoulders and tight abs.

“What feathers?”

“Don’t play dumb with me. The ones that cascaded down over us when you were in a snit.” She tried not to smile. “Or should I say, when you were in such a
fowl
mood.”

“Funny.” He turned his back on her and rubbed vigorously at his hair. “You should go on the stage.”

“But what were they? And if you really shapeshift into a chicken or some kind of bird, why wasn’t the wolf pack salivating at the thought of eating you up?”

“I have no idea.”

Ella wrapped a towel around her waist. “You are impossible.”

“So I’ve been told.”

“We’re supposed to be mated.”

“I thought you didn’t believe that was true.”

“Oh shut up.” Ella flounced out of the bathroom and into the bedroom. She wasn’t going to get dressed again. Pink bunny pajamas would do fine. She waited until the shower shut off and dragged a comb through her hair before returning to the kitchen.

Vadim appeared with a towel wrapped around his hips and nothing else. Ella nearly swallowed her tongue. He pointed at a pile of paper on the countertop.

“I picked up your mail.”

“Thank you.” She didn’t bother to ask him how or when he’d managed that. She wasn’t talking to him more than was absolutely necessary. To have something to do she pulled the pile toward her and began to sort through, keeping all the take-out menus and chucking the coupons and unsolicited credit card offers in the trash. Her hand stilled over a familiar brown envelope from Otherworld.

“Shall I make some coffee?” Vadim inquired.

She stared at the envelope. “Herbal tea would be better.”

“Do you have some?”

“Sure, it’s behind the bag of coffee.”

“It’s out of date.”

“It’s a bag of dried leaves! It won’t kill you.” She opened the envelope and studied the single sheet.

“Anything important?”

“Just a reminder to return my letter accepting or declining my OCOS mate.”

Vadim put two mugs on the countertop. “You haven’t done that yet?”

“Shut
up
! I’ll do it when I feel like it.”

“But it is already, as you might say, a done deal.”

“I know that.” She put the letter down. “Why are you so worried?”

He returned his attention to the mugs and filled them with water before putting them in the microwave to heat. “I’m not.” His smile was full of sensual satisfaction. “Do you want to take this to bed or have it out here?”

In answer, she pointed at the bedroom. He picked up the two mugs, added the tea bags, and went ahead of her, only to stop short at the door.

“Oh for fuck’s sake, Rossa. Not now.”

She peered around him and saw the angelic looking blond Fae lounging naked on her bed again.

Rossa nodded at Vadim. “Making progress, I see. She’s letting you sleep in here instead of on the couch.”

“No, I’m just bringing her tea through so we can talk before we go to bed.”

Rossa winked at Ella. “He’s such a liar, isn’t he? It’s no wonder he got into so much trouble in Otherworld.”

She glanced up at Vadim, whose expression was uncompromisingly blank.

“What exactly did he do?”

The Fae’s tone became confiding. “Well—”

“Nothing that concerns you, Ms. Walsh,” Vadim interrupted. “Now where do you want your tea?” He glared at Rossa. “Perhaps you might join me in the kitchen so that Ms. Walsh can get some sleep.”

“Oh no, that’s fine.” Ella sank down onto the side of the bed. “You just both carry on. Don’t mind me.”

“Is there something specific you wanted, Rossa?”

“I have a message for you.” Rossa cleared his throat importantly. “If you wish to avoid your fate, you know what to do.”

“That’s it?”

She looked at Vadim but nothing showed on the surface. She probed a little deeper and was shocked to sense the fury raging beneath his skin. Even more interesting was that he was letting her feel it. Was it becoming harder for him to shut her out too?

Rossa pouted. “That’s what I was told to say. Is there a reply?”

“No.” Vadim fixed Rossa with his stare. “Now either leave, or I’ll make you.”

“You couldn’t—”

Before Rossa even finished the sentence, Vadim raised his hand and power flowed through him. Ella found herself adding her own and watched in fascination as Rossa shimmered and then disappeared with a startled yelp.

Vadim smiled. It wasn’t pleasant. “Luckily, he’s not as powerful in this dimension as he’d like to believe.”

Ella got into bed. “Why’s that?”

Vadim sipped his tea and sat beside her. His perfectly tucked in towel refused to slip an inch. “Because as you once noted, he’s almost completely Fae.”

“More than you?”

“Definitely.”

“But he’s also feathery.”

“We share a common ancestor.”

“That’s right, Colonel Sanders.”

He finished his tea, feathers apparently unruffled. “Are you ready to turn the lights out?”

“If you’re staying.”

He paused to look down at her. “If you’re okay with that.”

She pulled back the sheets that still bore the imprint of Rossa’s luscious naked body. “Hop in.”

She’d never been one for pillow talk. It was strange to cuddle up to a man and find that your head fitted nicely into the curve of his shoulder and that the softness of your body aligned with the hardness of his.

“Despite your initial reservations you seem to be taking to this bonded mate thing quite well—the sex part, I mean.” Ella hastened to qualify her comment.

“My earlier reservations matched yours, I think.” He hesitated. “It was something of a shock.”

“Then why did you put yourself forward to OCOS as a potential mate?”

“I didn’t.”

Ella opened her eyes and flipped over to stare into his face. “You must have.”

“I assure you, I didn’t.”

“Then how did we end up together?”

“Fate?”

She scowled at him. “I don’t believe that for a second.”

“Neither do I.”

“Then what?”

“I suspect it might have something to do with my visit to Otherworld the other week.”

“I remember you were reluctant to go there. Why is that?”

“Because I left.”

She poked him in the chest. “Morosov, stop being so damned cryptic.”

He sighed. “I left to escape certain malign forces that threatened my existence.”

“And going back reignited their interest in you.”

“You know the Fae, they like to toy with human emotions.”

“Why did you come with us then?”

“Because Alexei was absent, and I couldn’t let you go alone.”

She sank back down and rested her cheek on his chest. “Oh. Now I feel all responsible.”

His quiet chuckle surprised her. “Don’t. They would have found me eventually. Rossa has been keeping an eye on me for years.”

“Was that what his message was about? That someone wants you to go back to Otherworld permanently?”

“Not exactly.” She pinched him hard and he grabbed her hand. “If I go back, I’ll probably be executed.”

“What did you do?”

She felt him tense beneath her. “It’s in the past. I have no intention of talking about it now.”

“Why not?”

He kissed her fingers. “If we speak of it, we bring it into the present and Otherworld will know. I’d rather not make things worse.”

That made a weird kind of sense and she was too tired to argue anymore.

“Okay, let’s go to sleep then.”

She sensed Vadim start to relax almost immediately and she didn’t disturb him. To be honest, she was amazed he’d taken her into his confidence at all. One of the things she’d learned as an empath was that once a thought was out in the open it definitely took on a life of its own.

* * *

Ella first noticed something was up when she spotted Peach the receptionist sitting bolt upright at her post, her hands idle, her expression terrified. Normally Peach would be so busy with her social media and games by now that she barely remembered to look up and check Ella’s badge.

“Hey, Peach.”

“Ms. Walsh, Mr. Morosov.” Peach smiled. “Good
morning
!”

“Are you okay?”

“I’m just
fine
, Ms. Walsh! Can I help you with anything?”

“You can stop scaring me. Is everything okay?”

“Everything is awesome! I love my job!” Peach sang.

Ella glanced at Vadim as they approached the elevators. “Has she been cursed or something?”

“Not that I noticed. Shall we take the stairs?”

They walked down together and entered the main lobby of the SBLE offices. A businesslike hum had replaced the usual peaceful silence and several of Ella’s colleagues were walking around purposefully like the folks in TV car ads.

“What’s going on?” Ella turned to Vadim.

“I’ve no idea. Let’s see if Alexei knows anything.”

Vadim held the door open for her and followed her into the smaller conference room. Alexei and Liz huddled together by his desk.

“What’s up?” Ella demanded.

Liz made an anguished face at her. “Drew Spencer’s here!”

“Drew who?” Ella rushed ahead and took Vadim’s seat.

“The head of SBLE!”

“What does he want?”

Alexei swung around to look at Vadim. “Didn’t you tell her? I thought Feehan took you into his confidence.”

“Yes, he took me into his confidence, which in this world means it was a private conversation, Alexei.”

“But didn’t it concern Ella?” Alexei persisted.

Vadim’s gaze rested on her face. “Which is why I didn’t tell her anything. She’s an adult. She can decide how she wants to deal with this herself.”

Ella punched him on the arm. “Thanks, Morosov.”

“You’re welcome.” He paused. “I checked up on Drew Spencer last night. He’s about a quarter Fae, so don’t expect him to be easy to deal with.”

“Wow, the head of the SBLE actually has some Otherworld blood in him? That’s great!” Ella said.

Alexei laughed. “Wait until you get to meet him. You might change your mind.” He checked his watch. “We’re supposed to be in there right now. Shall we go?”

* * *

Vadim waited until everyone else had taken their seats before sitting opposite the surprisingly young looking head of the American branch of the SBLE. Vadim sensed that in some way he and Drew Spencer were kin, but that wasn’t unusual. With his lineage, Vadim was linked to almost all the great Fae houses.

Feehan stood and cleared his throat. “Everyone, I’d like you to meet Mr. Drew Spencer.”

Drew Spencer acknowledged their greetings with a brisk nod of his head. His eyes were the watchful opaque black of a shark.

“I’m pleased to meet you all, although I’d rather it was in less trying circumstances.” He glanced at Ella. “Ms. Walsh, may I offer you my condolences for the loss of so many of your colleagues, and my assurance that I will do anything in my power to ensure that your life is preserved.”

“Gee, thanks.” Ella nodded.

Drew swiveled to face the whiteboard. “I’ve gone through the specifics of this case with Mr. Feehan, and I must admit to having some concerns.”

“Which are?” Alexei asked.

“To be brutally honest, your lack of progress worries me.”

“What else do you expect us to do, Mr. Spencer?” Vadim asked. “We are dealing with a serial killer who seems to have the ability to appear and murder at will. The only connection between the victims is that they are female and all graduated from Otherworld empath colleges in the same year. We have identified these women, and are now guarding the remaining empaths. We don’t intend to let the Siren near them.”

Drew studied Vadim, the force of his magic pushing against Vadim’s in the equivalent of a psychic handshake. Whatever Spencer felt made him retreat.

“Mr. Morosov, is it not?”

“That’s correct.”

“The ‘expert’ from Russia?”

“If that’s what you want to call me.”

“Isn’t that why you were brought on the case?” Drew’s quick smile was meant to intimidate. “Unfortunately, your expertise seems to have added nothing so far.”

Vadim didn’t bother to answer that and continued to look calmly at the man. Feehan shifted uncomfortably in his chair and made no effort to intervene. Vadim remembered his wasn’t the only career on the line.

“We’ve all done our best, Mr. Spencer,” Ella said. “No one on this team enjoys seeing empaths die.”

“That’s very brave of you to say, Ms. Walsh. Personally, if I were you, I think I’d feel let down.”

Vadim tensed as Ella stared at Spencer. “I’ve been let down by way too many people to know when that isn’t the case. My colleagues have behaved impeccably.”

“But your life is in danger.”

She shrugged. “It’s going to end soon anyway.”

“Only if you don’t take an OCOS mate.”

“That’s hardly relevant, is it?” Ella replied. Vadim wanted to grin at her. “As Morosov said, this particular killer is proving hard to catch.”

Spencer steepled his fingers and studied Ella through them. “There is one way we might catch this deviant.”

“Let me guess.” Ella folded her arms and sat back in her chair. “You want to use me as bait because, hey, I’m not taking an OCOS mate, so I must have a death wish anyway, right?”

“That’s not quite what I intended to say, Ms. Walsh, but it is close enough. Would you be willing to offer yourself up as ‘bait’?”

“Ms. Walsh, Mr. Spencer, we’ve already tried that, and you know what happened.” Vadim paused. “We ended up with two more dead empaths.”

Spencer glared at Vadim. “Seeing as your superiors considered you were at fault in both of those deaths, Mr. Morosov, I suggest you keep out of this.”