Death Bringer

“I’m beginning to wonder if Adam is simply impersonating this deceased person to draw my attention, or if he is the real deal.”

“You mean he’s come back to life?”

“It happens in Otherworld sometimes.”

“Like a zombie or something?”

“Not quite. Most Fae are immortal, but under certain circumstances, and with certain weapons, they can be destroyed.”

“I know that. So if Adam has been brought back to achieve a certain purpose, can he be killed again?”

“That’s a good question.” He glanced down at his locked hands. “Normally, I’d say yes, but in this world? I’m not so sure.”

“Morosov, you’re beginning to scare me.” She advanced toward his desk. “Are you saying Adam is unstoppable?” He smiled at her and she went still. “What?”

“I told you that it might be better to let him have his way, didn’t I?”

“And I told you what I thought of that stupid idea.” She touched his arm. “What is it?”

He cupped her chin, his thumb skimming the corner of her mouth. “Just remember that as your mate, my first priority is your safety. I will do whatever is necessary to keep you alive.”

“Why are you telling me this now, and why does it sound like a threat?”

“Because if we interfere with Adam’s plans, we’ll be putting everyone we know in danger.”

“Are you trying to frighten me?”

He brushed a kiss over her mouth. “No, I’m just telling you the truth. I’ll always put you first, Ella, never doubt it.”

He released her and she stepped out of reach with an uneasy feeling in her gut. Why did he sound so convinced that disaster awaited them? She didn’t like it at all, but she liked the idea of endangering everyone around her even less.

“Okay.”

“Okay what?”

“Find out what you can about Adam and tell Feehan enough to get him off your back.”

“Of course.” He nodded.

The door opened suddenly and Sam appeared.

“Hey, Mr. Feehan wants you both to go with him to the hospital. Apparently, Brad Dailey’s family wishes to speak to you.”

“Oh, crap,” Ella groaned. “What are we supposed to say to them?”

“Don’t worry about it.” Vadim stood up and shook out the creases in his sleeves. “I’m sure Mr. Feehan will tell us exactly what he wants us to say on the way over.”

* * *

In the hospital elevator, Vadim reached for Ella’s hand and for once she didn’t stop him.

“If the Daileys get cranky, you can wipe the memories, can’t you?”

“Sure. But I always like to have a truthful conversation about what really happened first. It helps them deal with the subconscious aspects of the Otherworld experience.”

“Does Feehan know this?”

“I’ll tell him right now.”

She cleared her throat. “Boss, if it’s okay with you, we’ll answer the Dailey’s questions as truthfully as we can and then retrieve those memories and replace them with new ones that follow the more conventional version.”

She realized she’d said “we.” Was she really thinking of her and Vadim as a matched set now? Could he perform the same empath tasks that she could?

“That’s my function as your mate. Seeing as you might be dealing with several people at once, I can at least bolster your powers with my own and stop you from becoming drained.”

She smiled up at him. “I keep forgetting that.”

“What?” Feehan was staring at her. Had she spoken out loud? Damn.

“I was just talking to myself. Are you okay with what I suggested, Mr. Feehan?”

“If it’s necessary, please go ahead. I’ve never had to deal with a situation like this before directly.”

“Don’t worry, it’ll be a breeze.”

Ten minutes later, in Ms. Phelps’s office, she was beginning to wish she hadn’t been quite so confident. There was no sign of Ms. Phelps to help smooth things over. Instead, they’d been met by Brad’s parents and grandfather, who were in no mood to listen to reason or Ella’s Otherworld interpretation of exactly what had happened. Threats about lawsuits, medical negligence and government incompetence were flying around the room. No one was giving Feehan a chance to explain.

Eventually Ella held up her hand and raised her voice above the racket.

“Will you all shut it?”

Shocked faces greeted her loud pronouncement.

“Something terrible happened to Brad, something that is beyond normal human comprehension. Whichever world he hangs out in, we will do our best to apprehend the criminal. We will not stop until we have achieved justice for your son and closure for your family.”

Mr. Dailey scowled at her. “You’re right, this is bizarre. Your whole explanation is downright insane!” He glanced at Feehan and then back at Ella. “What kind of government employs idiots like you?”

“We wanted you to know the truth, Mr. Dailey.”

“The truth?” He got in her face. “That my son’s face was stolen, and he was left with someone else’s? Bullcrap!”

Ella stared him down. “Yes, now step back, sir, or I’ll let my partner at you. He really doesn’t appreciate it when people aren’t polite to me.”

Mr. Dailey looked up and went very still. She sensed Vadim at her shoulder, emanating a sense of cold menace that would probably make Dailey wet his pants.

“Morosov isn’t quite human, so don’t think to appeal to his better side. He doesn’t have one. He could probably kill you without even touching you.”

Her adversary stepped back, his gaze still fixated on Vadim, who appeared to be making a low growling sound.

“Now if you will all sit down, I’ll explain exactly what is going to happen next.”

She waited until the three family members were seated and looking obediently up at her.

“Can you keep them calm for me, Morosov?”

“I’m already on it.”

She took a deep, centering breath and focused on the turmoil of the three minds in front of her. Vadim’s power blended smoothly with hers, and she began to extract the memories of the conversation, of the family’s anger and disbelief, of their sense of horror... Other images—Brad as a sunny-natured little boy, a baby, a sullen teen—jostled with the ones she sought. She pushed those gently away and focused on only what needed to be removed.

After a quick check to see that she had everything, she opened her eyes and studied the vacant faces of the family. Usually she needed skin-to-skin contact to make the necessary connection, but with Vadim’s help she could do without it.

“When you wake up, you will understand that Brad was an extremely unhappy individual who was afraid of letting you down by disclosing his lack of interest in a medical career. You will know that on his last night of life he unknowingly took some as-yet-unidentified new street drug and suffered a series of hallucinations that made him believe his face was not his own. Despite the hospital’s best efforts, Brad was unable to recover from the effects of taking this substance and killed himself.”

Mrs. Dailey’s mouth quivered and a single tear ran down her cheek.

“You will feel shock and anger and grief over his death. You will insist on an investigation, which the hospital will offer you. It will become clear to you that no member of the hospital staff or the SBLE were responsible for