Death Bringer

“‘Us’? Do you mean Vadim didn’t go back to Russia with Alexei?”

“No.”

Liz sat back on her heels. “That’s a surprise.”

Ella looked up at her friend. “He’s been seconded here to work as my partner.”

“The poor, poor man.”

“He’s not human, and he’s definitely not a man, Liz. Don’t waste your sympathy on him.”

Liz raised her eyebrows. “Did you find out what he is, then?”

“Not exactly, but he does have some Fae Royal blood.”

“Which family?”

“How would I know?” She tried to sound unconcerned.

“Find out, it makes a big difference.”

“To what?”

“To how long he’ll live, how strong his powers are and what exactly he can do with them over here.”

“I’m scared to ask.”

Liz studied her. “I would be too. He’s like nothing I’ve ever come across before.”

“That’s not very encouraging.” Ella moved her hand and hit something hard. “Look what I found!” She picked up the diamond and passed it over to Liz. “Jeez, it’s huge. Here you go.”

“Thanks a million. My Fae grandmother gave the earrings to me. She said that if I lost one, I’d be cursed forever.”

“And yet you still wear them?”

Liz made an airy gesture. “There’s almost always a way to get around a curse, you know that. Now what did you want to talk about?”

As they walked toward Liz’s cubicle, Ella described Brad Dailey’s situation. By the time they sat down, Liz’s silver Fae-Web was already active and circling around her head.

“So have you ever heard of anything like this happening in our world before?”

Liz briefly closed her eyes. “I’m not sure. There are fragments of information, but most of the potential candidates die so soon after the event that it’s hard to find a common thread.”

“Do they die from their injuries?”

“No, they usually kill themselves.”

“Damn.” Ella let out her breath. “I wonder if that’s what the creature wants? Maybe he thrives on that death. But what happens to the face of the victim afterward?”

“I’ve no idea. What I can do is type out the information I have and add any pictures through the printer. If I can get the sucker to work.” Liz cast a dark look at the center of the office, where a bank of supposedly new printers sat. “Fae technology is crap.”

“If you can’t print them out, Morosov said to send the info to him. He can retain it.”

“He can? That’s useful.” Liz cast Ella a speculative look. “So how are things going between you?”

“Ms. Walsh, where are you? I’m already in the car.”

“I’ve got to run.” Ella leaped out of her chair. “Morosov’s waiting. We’re heading down to the last bar Brad visited before he went home—well, the last one he remembers, anyway. I’ll see you later.”

“Coward!” Liz called after her, but then, Ella already knew that.

Vadim was in the underground parking lot that sat beneath the SBLE offices. She found him more by instinct than by design and paused to study the car he was driving. He opened the passenger window and angled his head so that he could see her. “Well, are you going to get in?”

Ella opened the door and slid onto the opulent leather seat. “When did you get this?”

“I had it delivered this morning.”

She stroked the dark gray leather. “It’s awesome.”

“The seats are both heated and cooled.” He closed the window and backed slowly out of the parking space. “They also massage you.”

“No way. Where’s the button?”

“Down on the side of the seat. The bright green one.”

“Oh, man. That’s so cool.” She shivered as the mechanism within the seat rolled up and down her spine. “It certainly beats my car.”

“Everything beats your car.” He emerged into the sunlight and tapped on the screen on the navigation system. “I’ve already programmed in directions to the Blue Flamingo, so we should be fine.”

“What about Penny Jordan?”

“She’ll be at the hospital in a couple of hours. I’ve arranged for us to meet her privately before her shift.”

Ella hunched a shoulder and stared out at the crowded streets, where the tourists and office workers jostled for supremacy. “You’re so organized. I’m not sure why you need me at all.”

“Don’t be childish. Pouting doesn’t suit you.” He looked to his right, then cut across the junction out onto Embarcadero. “It must’ve been difficult for you to walk away from Brad without easing his memories.”

“It was, but I know we need more information before I can do that.” Ella shook her head. “I just hope he can keep it together. He felt incredibly fragile.”

“I agree.”

She studied his flawless profile and wondered why she worried about anyone thinking they were mated. No one in his or her right mind would think she was in Vadim’s league.

“You’d be surprised.” He turned briefly to smile at her. “Anyone with an ounce of magic in them can sense the connection between us right away.”

“Don’t read my mind!”

“If you mention me in such flattering terms, how can I help it?” He returned his gaze to the road and took a steep uphill street that reminded her of the climb up to the top of a roller coaster. “Haven’t you noticed the looks we’ve been getting all day? Everyone magical at work can sense something is going on.”

“Damn.” She returned her attention to the street and the unlucky pedestrians who were struggling up the incline. Some of the San Francisco streets needed either a base camp halfway up or trained paramedics equipped with heart resuscitators. “I was hoping our shields were good enough to keep everyone out.”

“I don’t think we can do that. It’s just something we give out as a mated couple. I’m not sure what it is, but I know it when I sense it.”

“Well, it doesn’t mean we have to admit anything, does it?”

A muscle flicked in his cheek, and she got the uncomfortable impression that her fake flippancy was starting to annoy him.

“No, but as I said earlier, your birthday is coming up next week, and then it will become obvious to even Feehan that something’s changed.”

Lampposts emblazoned with the Italian flag announced they were in the heart of Little Italy, with its closely packed bars, shops and eateries that spilled out onto the sidewalks even on cooler days like this.

“Oh, look, we’re here.” Ella pointed at an unlit neon sign at basement level. She wasn’t discussing anything to do with mating. She had a job to do. “Can you find somewhere to park?”

“Naturally.”

A parking space appeared to the right, directly in front of the Blue Flamingo.

“Now, that is one skill I’d really like to have. Can you tell me how you do it?”

Vadim reverse-parked the Mercedes in the tight space in one fluid motion. “It’s quite simple. You just envision a space opening up, and it will happen.”

“Right. You know, if magic was that easy, we’d all be doing it.” She checked that she had her phone and got out of the car. The smell of garlic and baking bread tantalized her nose. “God, we have to eat while we’re here.”

He stepped onto the sidewalk beside her and inhaled. “Yes, we definitely should. Let’s do the interview first, though.”

She followed him down the steps to the front door of the Blue Flamingo, which was propped open with a beer crate. The usual stale smell of flat beer, disinfectant and urine wafted out. Inside, there were no customers,