“The number three is a very powerful symbol to this sect. Did you notice Sam saying that there were three reports of similar deaths earlier in the year?”
“So you reckon Adam will be trying to add two more to his current collection?”
“I would assume that’s his goal.”
“But we still have no idea how to find him.”
He sat back. “We’ll find him. I know his scent now.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“I’m trained to hunt prey.” He smiled at her and his eyes glinted black. “I’m certain he’ll return, especially if he knows I’m seeking him.”
“Because we leave a trace of our magic at every scene, and if he goes back to check on Brad...”
“He’ll find a trace of me.”
“Will he want you?”
He rose to his feet. “Everyone wants me, Ms. Walsh.”
Ella made a rude noise and grabbed her backpack. “Then maybe we’d better head back to the hospital right away.”
San Francisco General was its usual chaotic self, but Vadim had learned to ignore it. Since hooking up with his mate, he was finding it harder to deal with his emotions and the impact of other human minds. He wasn’t surprised that most unsupported empaths went mad at the age of twenty-seven. His shields were constantly buckling under the pressure of the onslaught of feelings. Since joining minds with Ella, he’d come to respect her abilities quite considerably.
He was also glad she led the way through the maze of identical hallways to Brad’s ward without faltering. Delia, the nurse who’d offered him her services as a guide to the city, was sitting outside the door, looking rather important. Flanking her was an enormously tall guy wearing dark shades and a suit cut to fit a bulky shoulder holster. He scanned the hallways like a pro and immediately tensed as Vadim and Ella approached the door.
He held up his hand.
“This room is secured. Please step back and then state your business.”
Ella held up her badge. “We’re from the SBLE. We’re here to see Mr. Dailey.”
“I have no instructions to admit anyone except approved medical staff and Mr. Dailey’s immediate family.”
Before Ella could get up in the man’s face, Vadim stepped in front of her and smiled pleasantly. “I think you’ll find that you are mistaken and that both Ms. Walsh and I are on that list. Please feel free to confirm that information with Ms. Phelps, the administrator dealing with this case.”
“
“
Sometimes he agreed with her that it would be easier to blast his way through the obstacle, but since leaving Otherworld, he’d been attempting to cultivate more reasonable habits.
“
He smiled again at Delia. “Hi, how are you, today? How’s Brad doing?”
After a swift glance at the security agent who appeared to be whispering into his mike, Delia turned to Vadim.
“Brad’s grandfather is in there with him, but he’s still sedated and unable to respond to them.”
“Poor guy.” Vadim shook his head. “Perhaps we’d better not disturb him, then.” He turned to Ella, who wasn’t looking very pleased. “Shall we go and find Ms. Phelps and get her up to speed?”
“I’d rather see Brad.”
He took hold of her elbow and propelled her along the corridor. “We’ll do that in a moment. Do you particularly want to go in there and face his grandfather? We can’t answer a single damn question for them yet.” She went to speak, and he kept talking. “It’s not likely that Adam will get in there either, with Delia and that thug on the door.”
“I suppose you’re right. Maybe we should come back later.”
“Let’s do that. We can ask Ms. Phelps to call us when the ex-senator leaves.”
She grimaced. “Okay, but I just have a bad feeling about this.”
So did he, but he didn’t want her to know that. “How about we catch an early dinner at my hotel and return this evening?”
“I suppose that would work. Look, there’s Ms. Phelps.” She walked over to the nurse’s station. “Hey, we just got barred from Brad Dailey’s room by some secret-service guy.”
“You did?” Ms. Phelps took them back into her office and shut the door. She patted ineffectively at her blond bun. “I’m not surprised. That man was demanding I show him full security checks for every single member of staff and patient on this ward! If the ex-senator wants his grandson to have more privacy, he’ll have to pay for a private room on a secure corridor.” She lowered her voice a fraction. “It’s not as if Brad is a VIP.”
“How long is he staying?”
“The former senator is leaving in about two hours. He’ll hopefully be taking his security detail with him. Brad’s parents are due in tonight at around eleven. They are flying in from Florida. They were on their yacht.”
“Nice.” Ella said. “So will you call us just before the senator leaves? We need to talk to Brad.”
“He hasn’t been very responsive today at all.” Ms. Phelps shook her head. “His doctor fears he might be going into a coma of some kind, his body signs are so minimal.”
“Well, thanks for the heads-up. We’ll do our best to get him to talk to us, but we’ll understand if he can’t.”
Vadim held the door open for Ella and then followed her toward the stairs and the elevator bank. She looked back at him over her shoulder.
“How much time do we have?”
“To get something to eat and get back here? Just under two hours.”
She groaned. “At this time of day it’s going to take us that long to get to your hotel in the commuter traffic.”
“Not if we don’t use the car.”
“I keep forgetting about that.” Her smile made his body come to life. “Can you take us right into your room?”
He could.
As soon as they materialized, he wrapped his arms around her and backed her up against the nearest wall, his tongue in her mouth, his hands roaming her jeans-covered ass.
“Morosov, what about my dinner?” She slid a hand around his neck. “I’m starving.”
There were so many filthy things he could say to that. “Sex first, dinner after.” He lifted her until her thighs hugged his hips and his cock ground against the seam of her jeans.
“But what about our talk?”
He scowled down at her far-too-innocent face. “After.”
She rolled her hips against his hardness and he fought a groan. Why did she always wear so many clothes? He had her naked in a second and stretched out beneath him on the bed, her legs spread wide by his. With a sigh he bent over her breasts and licked one hard nipple into his mouth. She started to squirm and he increased the pressure, sliding his fingers over her swollen clit and into her welcoming warmth.
She climaxed almost immediately, and he added another finger, transferring his attention to her other breast. His cock beat an urgent pulse along with his heart, wanting to be in her, to be joined to her in every way possible.
“Morosov...”
Why did she insist on talking when he was busy savoring the delights of her skin and scent and texture?
“
He raised his head to look at her. “What?”
She blinked at him. “I want something to do.”
