' She cut off her words, and stared at him.
He smiled grimly. 'Yes,' he said softly. 'You're one of the remaining two slated to die.'
Chapter Five
Coldness settled in the pit of Eryn's stomach and refused to budge. She put down her knife and fork and pushed the plate to one side. If she ate anything else right now, her stomach might rebel.
'That doesn't make sense. And it certainly doesn't follow the set pattern.'
He raised his eyebrows. 'You really think there's a pattern in this madness?'
She frowned. 'Yeah. The killer has been bedding his victims before he kills them. The only person I was with last night was you.'
'Remember what you're dealing with.'
She mulled over his statement. 'He's assuming the identity of the women's chosen partners?'
'Once they've decided on a mate, yes.'
'But why?'
'Because the killer cannot stand them having what…' He paused, as if choosing his words carefully. '…he cannot.'
'Children?'
He shook his head. 'Love. Acceptance.'
Her eyebrows rose. 'Acceptance?'
'In a department filled with freaks, your killer is considered the freakiest.'
'Why?'
Again, he hesitated. 'Because he is something no one thought could exist.'
'And that is?'
'Something I can't tell you.'
'Can't, or won't?' she snapped.
'Can't.' He reached out, capturing her hand before she could pull it away. His fingers twined around hers, so warm and strong and so, so right. Which was surely a sign her common sense had flown out the window when it came to this man.
'I have told you more than I should,' he said softly. 'Any more, and it could be dangerous.'
She snorted. 'You've just told me I'm slated to die. What could be worse than that?.'
'Trust me, there are things far worse than death.' He squeezed her fingers. 'I come from an organization that has no wish to become known to the general public.'
The ice in her stomach grew heavier. 'Well, that's a great choice, isn't it? Be killed by our killer, or be killed by the people you work for.'
'The people I work for don't kill innocents. But your memories of this time—of us—are certainly under threat.'
Her gaze widened in disbelief. 'They'd erase it?'
'Definitely.' He gave her a lopsided smile that sent her hormones off in an excited little shuffle. 'I don't want that. I want you to remember our time together. Want you to remember us.'
'Why?'
'Because we're good together.'
That they were. But could they be anything more?
Somehow, given what he'd said about the department he worked for, she suspected not.
A fierce twinge of regret ran through her. She ignored it and changed tactics. 'Why did you bed all the victims?'
'Because my telepathy skills are not strong, and I can generally only read a woman's mind when we are in the midst of making love.'
That was an answer she certainly hadn't expected. Though it did explain how he'd known where she lived. 'But why did you need to read their minds if you knew who the victims were going to be?'
'What we didn't know was who they'd been with. Or who their chosen partner might be.' He shrugged. 'It was the fastest way to uncover which men we had to watch.'
'Then whoever had the watch assignment wasn't much good, because the women got killed anyway.' She frowned.
'Were your people actually watching the victims' apartments?'
'Yes.'
'Then how did the killer get through?'
'He's a face shifter, and even we can't track all the forms our people are able to take.'
She stared at him for a moment. 'That's why you don't want the police to catch the killer. Your organization has no intention of letting the authorities suspect that people like you are out there. Or that the people you work for are out there.'
He raised her hand to his lips and kissed her fingers. 'A quick mind as well as a stunning body. I chose well.'
She grinned. 'Compliments won't get you said body. But more answers just might.'
His eyes gleamed with the hunger that still burned the air between them. 'How many more questions must I endure?'
'Six?'
He shook his head, amusement touching the corners of his eyes. 'I think I'll need to ease my hunger before I can answer
'Five, then.'
Again he shook his head.
'Four?'
He didn't answer, just gently straightened one of her fingers and raised it to his mouth. His gaze holding hers, he placed her finger in his mouth and lightly sucked on it.
A tremor ran through her. Sweet Lord, this man could get her hot enough to melt without even trying.
She licked her lips. 'And you were accusing me of sexual blackmail.'
He simply gave her a smile that had enough heat to burn the soles of her feet, and continued doing erotic things to her finger.
'Three?' she somehow managed to croak.
He raised an eyebrow, then released her finger and straightened her hand, placing a gentle kiss on her palm.
Desire curled through her, a furnace threatening to explode.
'Two?'
'One,' he said, dropping a kiss on the inside of her wrist.
'Then we make love.'
'Here?'
'The place isn't important.'
'It is if it can get us arrested.'
'Do you really think the owner will call the police?'
No. He'd sit back and enjoy the show. And give them free coffee as a thank you afterwards. 'Why the urgency?'
He gave her another of his mind-blowing smiles. 'Because I want you so fiercely it's becoming positively painful.'
A feeling she could more than understand. 'You'll answer my other questions afterward?'
'If you make love to me again after I answer those questions.'
She raised her eyebrows. 'Are you always this insatiable?'
'Until I met you, no.'
