Taking a deep breath, I opened my mouth. “It’s him, isn’t it? You are thinking that the killer is...?”
Nope. I still couldn’t bring myself to say the words out loud. Dave would have to do do it for me.
Reaching out, Dave’s thumb traced my jaw. The touch sent electricity through my skin, causing me to yank back. What was he playing at?
Stepping forward, Dave pushed me against the cubicle wall without touching. Did he not know about personal space?
“You’ve got to stop running away from what’s happening. You know full well that the man killing those women is the man you’re betrothed to.”
And there it was. The truth of what I’d hoped was a lie. There were too many clues pointing to the inevitable fact that the Essex Obsessor was the son of the man my father had lost the bet to. And for some really weird reason, he was coming for me in an unconventional way.
“I have to give myself over to him,” I muttered, still unable to look upwards.
I didn’t want to see the beauty on Dave’s face. He was very good at hiding his emotions, but every now and then he would reveal himself through his eyes.
“No.” His disagreement was sharp.
About to reply, I was silenced when he put his hands on my shoulders and squeezed. Unable to move as he bent his head, I looked into his eyes. His face stopped a few inches from mine. His breath rushed over my face, tickling my skin. His brown eyes delved, searching my gaze, causing me to shiver.
“We will find him,” he said fiercely. “I will not allow him to take you. You are your own person. No one owns you. Can you not see how powerful you are, Gemma?”
Shaking my head, I bit my lip hard. His finger came up to nudge my teeth. Forcing myself to let go, I swallowed. “Ever since I died, I cannot wield the magic I used to. Do you know how that makes me feel?”
It was his turn to shake his head roughly. I had never seen him so agitated about me. Was he angry that I was no longer a strong agent? I hadn’t known him for too long, but there was a bond between us. Working so closely with someone inevitably made it hard not to form a friendship.
“Being dead has not stopped you from being you. Don’t make excuses. You are perfectly capable of being the agent you’ve always been. Just because this bastard has a personal vendetta against you, doesn’t mean we can’t stop him. In fact, that should make you more determined. As soon as you admit that he wants you, we can change tactics. This isn’t about the Essex witches...” Coming slightly closer, Dave forced me to stare into his eyes as his lips moved. “This is about you.”
My chest rose and fell as the truth of what he said sunk in. This man wasn’t after me because I was an Essex witch, he was after me because of the bet my father had made. This whole time he had been using me as an excuse to kill other people. His sick nature needed to be taken down. Why not just come for me, instead of hurting all those people?
“Let’s go and interview the Cambridges,” I said, grabbing Dave’s arms and squeezing. “And then, I’m going to confront this wanker. He needs to die. I will not marry someone who is not of my choosing.”
A small smile played on Dave’s face as he tucked my hair behind my ear. Even though there was nothing between us, his light fingers dancing over my skin sent another shiver down my spine. Why was he affecting me so much recently?
“Let’s do this.”
Smiling in return, I flashed us to the prison block of the building. The security guard there jolted, spilling his coffee on his trousers.
“You’ve got to stop scaring me like that,” he said. “You’re a pain in the arse Gemma Abbott.”
Returning his grin, I winked. “I do apologise. I’ve been in a bit of a rush recently. I promise to make it up to you.”
His laughter was joined by the shake of his head. “As if you would stop work long enough.”
Moving over to the doors, he flashed his card and allowed us entry. Patting his arm as we went past, I thanked him. As he turned to go back to his post, I clicked my fingers and spelled him a box of luxury doughnuts. Who didn’t love doughnuts?
His laughter echoed as the doors shut behind us and we went towards the interrogation room. We had already asked him to bring Joseph Cambridge for questioning.
The main middle area of the prison block was dark. Lights were embedded on the floor, leading us to the doors of various rooms. Numbers were set in the doors, lit up in yellow light. The darkness was magically induced. It helped those of us who had clearance to use magic in the block while disarming the prisoners.
“Are you sure you want to question Joseph first?” Dave asked as he led us to Interrogation Room One.
It was a bit of a stupid question, one that Dave had never asked me before when it came to my decisions. In fact, he had been good to trust in every part of the process. Why was he doubting me now? Maybe he thought I wasn’t capable of staying disconnected. The demon mask was left at the same factory building that Joseph Cambridge used to summon an actual demon. There was no way that the pair were not connected.
“Yes. Don’t worry, I’ll keep a clear mind. This is still work after all.”
The door opened when Dave flashed his card across the panel. The slow swish of wind that blew back my hair made me pause for a second. The vampire inside had not only sworn a vendetta against me, he had threatened innocent lives.
Straightening my spine, I marched in behind
