Bad Mouth (6 page)

The ancient boy focused on her again. “We truly don’t turn children anymore. Thing
of the past, during the most barbaric eras. My Sire stole me from parts unknown and
turned me because his love interest at the time desired a child of her own.”

“At the time? They…broke up?”

“You could say that. They lasted ten years, a blink of an eye to a vampire, and then
he grew tired of her and cut her head off during a bout of raunchy sex.”

The brutality was appalling enough, but the boastful words coming from such a youthful
mouth were jarring. He grinned, pleased at her reaction.

“I was on my own after that, but I’d destroyed him by the time I reached my two hundredth
birthday.” His smile gone, his face wore a cold mask. “Ask now what you will so I
may get back to my thrill a minute.” He aimed an amused glance at Kade.

A barely dressed nymph of a woman came in and flounced down on Ptolomy’s other side,
a pout on her lips. Her breasts thrust against his arm, and her hand crept up too
high on his thigh to be decent. Val squirmed, but Ptolomy palmed the nymph’s breast
and then brought the woman’s hand over his crotch.

“Classy,” Kade said. “And pretty bold for a kid with no hair on his balls.”

“Hey, there’s hair there,” Ptolomy said, disgruntled. “It’s just really, really fine.”

“Please,” she said. “Can we get this over with?”

Ptolomy seemed agreeable, probably wanting to get back to his thrills. “I didn’t feel
the need to share this with your investigators, but I find I’d like to share this
with you. Since Kade and I are such great, long-time friends.” He winked at Kade.

Kade’s smile curved even higher. “Oh, pipsqueak, we’ve never been friends.” Dark shadows
played in his gaze. She shivered again, but for an entirely different reason. What
kind of sinister relationship did these two have?

“I will cut to the point, Ms. Craig. I did not witness or hear the attack at the edge
of my property.” That fact no doubt infuriated him, judging by his hard tone. “But
the security cameras caught two humans at close proximity to the site of the blooding.”

“Humans? Are you sure?” she asked.

“Without doubt. You couldn’t miss the humans. Goth with piercings, and one had a Mohawk,
the kind with big spikes. One of my staff said he’d seen them before, near some abandoned
buildings along the waterfront.”

Finally, maybe they were getting somewhere. “Did he say where along the waterfront?”

“South end of Harbor Island at the mill.”

“The old Fisher mill? What was your man doing out there?”

“His sister works at the marina.” Ptolomy’s smile turned lecherous. “But he wandered
off a few streets for a…bite to eat.”

She groaned. Were they all this warped? “I thought the place burned down a couple
years ago.”

Kade answered, “Just one of the piers.”

The area Ptolomy spoke of was isolated. The only reason for anyone to wander down
there was to find or cause trouble. She’d send a VLO team to check it out in the morning.

“You have video of these guys then?”

“Yes. Greta will make sure you have a copy before you leave.” With that, he pushed
the nymph off the couch. The girl frowned, but left to do Ptolomy’s bidding. “You
can’t see the blooding because it happens off the edge of the camera, but you get
a glimpse of the humans.”

“Not the vampire committing the murder?”

“No.” Ptolomy smiled and stood. “That is all I have for you, young one.”

She shook her head. It sounded odd coming from one who appeared half her age.

Ptolomy walked them toward the doorway and looked back at Kade, a warning in his expression.
“Soon, my never friend.”

Kade nodded once, and then Ptolomy was gone. “Did you get what you need?”

“Sort of. He’s not one to answer questions, is he?”

“Never was.” He gave her a wolfish grin. “See? I can be helpful.”

He certainly had been helpful. She surmised the boy vampire wouldn’t have cooperated
if her interactions with Kade hadn’t so amused the Ancient. Maybe Eva hadn’t been
lying as Val had assumed. But her instincts had never failed her in the past.

She nearly jumped from her skin when Graham appeared and offered his hand. She’d been
so focused on Ptolomy and Kade, she’d forgotten about Graham. He held up the disc
with the video on it. Frustration clouded his face, but he held his tongue. She didn’t
doubt that once they were alone, he’d clue her in on whatever bothered him.

When they walked into the chill Bellevue air, he leaned down to her. “Ride back with
me.”

She glanced at him and then at Kade, who was speaking to his driver. Her stomach sank
as Graham maneuvered her toward his Prius. Kade scowled her way and headed for her.
Graham tugged until she jerked her arm from his grasp.

“I can walk on my own, thank you very much.”

He made an irritated sound. “I’m just trying to get out of here. Why are you dragging
your feet?”

She sighed, but he’d made a good point. They were done with interrogations for the
evening. There was no reason to spend any further time with Kade. Why was that such
a disappointment?

Kade approached her with a determined stride. “Where are you going?”

“Home. We’re done for tonight.” She hoped he couldn’t hear or see her lack of enthusiasm.
He had a big enough head without thinking she enjoyed his company.

“I could take you home.” The hardness of his face softened, and it made her want to
stroke the skin. Bring him closer for another kiss like the one they’d shared earlier.
She could almost forget he was a vampire.

When she started to speak, Graham cut in.

“I’m driving her. We have work to discuss.” He grabbed her elbow again, pulling her
back a step. She yanked away again. His manhandling had gone too far.

“Go wait in the car,” she said, with maybe more force than necessary. He winced, but
did as she requested. She exhaled and turned back to Kade. Her sigh turned to a gasp
at the dangerous glow of his eyes as they followed Graham to the car. “Look, I’m sorry
he’s so rude, but he doesn’t think you’re safe for me to be near.”

He stepped in front of her, so close she could rest her cheek against his chest if
she wanted. And darn it, she kind of wanted to. Instead, she tipped her head back
to see his face clearly. He bent even closer, as if to kiss her again. Her breath
seized in her chest, and her lips parted. This couldn’t happen. Graham sat in his
car not ten feet away watching them with rapt attention that burned into her back.

“I’m
not
safe for you,” he murmured in her ear. He darted his tongue out to taste her earlobe,
sending a miniquake traveling down every nerve ending. A whimper escaped before she
could cut it off. She clenched her hands to keep them from clinging to his shirt.
He backed away and smiled at her. “You see?”

Her nod was jerky. “Yes,” she whispered.

Then his stone visage returned, and his eyes lit red again. “I’m even less safe for
him.” He tipped his head toward Graham. “He wants you.”

“That’s ridiculous. We’ve been friends for years.” She wasn’t sure why she resorted
to the lie, but it felt easier than dealing with Graham’s feelings.

Kade’s cynical expression indicated he could see right through her. “I’m not known
for my control, Val. Do something about him, or I damn well will.”

Chapter Seven

She’d left without Graham this time, and part of her dabbled with guilt. He’d be incredibly
angry, especially after confessing his thoughts about Kade. It wasn’t a good idea,
though, for him to mingle with Kade. Both of them were getting territorial over her,
and Graham would never win if pitted against this
Dominus
.

It had become a safety issue and nothing to do with a desire to be alone with Kade,
of course.

She spent the short cab ride going over the documents in her satchel. They were already
memorized, but she needed something to do while her heart raced and jumped like a
bunny on ephedrine. This kind of eager anticipation couldn’t be good. Before she could
go through the paperwork for the tenth time, her ride came to a stop at the curb.

After suffering the stale sweat smell in the cab, she welcomed the frozen air and
took her time to cross the plaza, watching the billowing of her cloudy breath. She
swung her hands in the chill to dry her clammy palms before ducking into the Akkadian
Towers. As she rode the elevator up, she stared at the water dripping from her thick-heeled
boots to pool at her feet.

Maybe she should have brought Graham. Intense physical attraction aside, she found
Kade far too personally appealing. There was nothing fake about the man. Nothing pretentious,
only 100 percent Kade. He didn’t care what anyone thought of him, yet he cared about
others. His moment of tenderness with Eva, and then his moment with her in the car
when she thought she’d have a meltdown showed her that something wasn’t right about
his reputation. And forget his comment about not being kept waiting, he’d offered
her a car because he cared. Chivalry was alive and well in him, and not just as an
empty gesture. Maybe his age had something to do with it, but she doubted that. It
was plain to see he wasn’t proud of that honorable side of him. Somehow, that made
him even more charming to her.

Kade opened the door this time. He gave no sign of recognition, no smile, no reaction
whatsoever. He only stood aside and motioned her in. A knot tightened in her middle.

“Good evening,” she said.

“Where’s fuckface?”

“Where’s what?” He crossed his arms patiently.
Oh
. He meant Graham. She turned toward the balcony and covered her mouth, but she couldn’t
stifle her mirth. Her shoulders shook as the laughter snuck out. So unprofessional,
and she really should stick up for her friend, but Graham had asked for it.

“I’m sorry.” She collected herself enough to face Kade. “He’s otherwise engaged this
evening. We’ll have to make do without him.”

He smiled that familiar smile and her tension scattered. She removed her jacket and
walked farther into the room.

“Come. Have a seat.” He offered a drink, which she declined. She needed to stay focused.
“Who did you come up with?”

“Selene Stavrou,” she answered. “She was most evasive when questioned, and where she
stayed two weeks ago gave her a clear view of one of the murders. She’d have to be
deaf and blind not to have seen something.”

“Ah, Selene.” He looked thoughtful. Something in the way he said the name got her
back up.

“You know her.”

“Oh, yes. I know her quite well.” His suggestive tone brought the catty right out
of her, and the shock of it speared her insides. She bit her tongue and took a deep
breath, pushing her irrational displeasure to the back of her mind. It wasn’t her
business what Kade had done with the woman.

“What if she doesn’t talk?”

“She has no choice in the matter.” He stood, his eyes lighting up as if they were
windows into hell. Val wouldn’t want to defy a man with eyes of fire, but who knew
how the Legion vampires would react? They were used to such displays of power.

“Shall we go?” Val moved past him to grab her jacket when he caught her wrist. She
looked up and then couldn’t look away. His red eyes continued to blaze as his hands
slid up her bare arms.

“Why do you feel warm?” she whispered. She should have made him unhand her but all
she could think about was his tender kiss the night before, a scene that had replayed
too many times before sleep finally claimed her. His head lowered toward hers until
she felt his breath on her lips. “Why are you breathing?”

“You make my heart beat. It makes my blood move and my lungs expand. It makes…other
things happen.”

He pulled her hips until their bodies were nearly one and she couldn’t mistake what
one of those
other things
were. Her belly quivered, and her lips parted. He took that for an invitation. Just
as those sexy lips brushed hers, she heard a ravaged voice.

“Sire?”

She jerked back from Kade and whirled toward the newcomer. The second she saw him,
her hand went to her stomach, and she turned away toward the balcony. Her nausea fought
to rise, but somehow she tamped it down enough to face the living version of the photos
on her phone.

Recent burn wounds comprised half the vampire’s face and a mass of scar tissue covered
his throat. Clothing covered the rest of him, even his hands. He had no hair, only
bruised, cut, battered skin over his scalp.

Her muscles tightened with horror, and she couldn’t look at Kade. She’d been about
to kiss the monster who had done this to a human subjugate. Self-disgust curled in
her chest.

A deep animal growl erupted beside her. Only then did she turn to Kade, but he didn’t
look at her. His feral eyes were on the vampire, his fangs long and bared with aggression.

“You!” He pointed at the poor creature. That “poor creature” fixed on her with ravenous
eyes, drooling and uttering hungry little sucking sounds with each violent heave of
its chest. “You vile piece of shit. If you touch one hair on her body, if you even
look at her wrong, I will fuck you up. You will pray I put an end to you.”

The vampire cowered, the sounds reduced to a feeble whimper. “Yes, Sire,” he rasped.
To her relief, he made no move to look at her again.

“You wanted something?” Kade asked him.

“A phone call for you in your office, Sire.”

“Take a message. I’m occupied.”

The creature bowed and backed away before disappearing down the side hall. Val felt
like she’d faced down a grizzly, but the worst was the thought of facing that grizzly’s
maker. She sensed Kade’s gaze burning into her, and she couldn’t face the heat of
it.

“Judge me all you want,” he growled. “Hate me if it makes you sleep better.”

She glanced at him, trying to keep her composure. His expression was granite. Her
mind cast around for a biting reply, but she couldn’t think of anything to say about
what he’d done to the subjugate. Kade’s cruelty was beyond her comprehension.

“Right.” He shook his head. “You know nothing.”

“For heaven’s sake, Kade, are you going to say you’re innocent, and you don’t brutalize
your subjugates? Am I missing something?” She pulled her jacket off the edge of the
sofa and headed toward the door. “On second thought, I don’t want to hear it. We have
work to do.”

He followed her out of the penthouse. “Sure you can lower yourself enough?”

She didn’t answer until the elevator doors closed in front of them. “I’d already seen
photos of your handiwork before we met.”

“So what’s different now?”

“Nothing, I suppose. When I met you, I thought—I just didn’t think you could…be so
barbaric.”

“Well, I live to disappoint,” he murmured, his gaze directed at the floor. She nearly
reached out to him before she pressed her hands against her thighs.

“Did your maker mistreat you?”

He jerked upright, his eyes catching hers in their reflections. “My maker?”

“Olen
Rex
, I mean,” she said.

“I didn’t say he was my maker, Val. I said he’s my father.”

She frowned. “I took it as a figure of speech. It’s not possible.”

“It is. I was born vampire, not turned.”

“Vampires can’t get pregnant. I know that much.”

“They can conceive. They just can’t carry to term.”

The doors slid open as he casually dropped that bomb and stepped out, leading the
way toward his car waiting at the curb. She jogged to catch up with him. He opened
the door for her before sliding in beside her. Kade didn’t speak to his driver at
all, but the male subjugate pulled from the curb and seemed to know where they needed
to go.

Val shifted toward Kade. “Then how?”

“Human surrogate,” he answered. “A human has to carry the child.” She tried to catch
his eye, but he focused on the scenery outside the window.

“A human gave birth to you?” She’d never heard of anything like it, and she was considered
highly educated in everything vampirism.

He turned to her finally, his expression guarded. “It’s rarely allowed, but
Immortalis
adjuvants can impregnate humans. And we can use human surrogates for vampire-conceived
embryos. I’m not the only live-born vampire.”

“I don’t understand. Why do you…do what you do to the subjugates? Is it because they
had a choice and you didn’t?”

He responded with a short bark of bitter laughter and returned his gaze to the window.
“I told you. You know nothing.”

“Then tell me.” She wasn’t sure she wanted to know, but it felt important. He didn’t
seem like some kind of beast raging out of control. And for some ungodly reason, she
didn’t want to believe him fitting of her image of a malicious vampire.

She’d seen his humor, his intelligence, his compassion, and she didn’t think she could
make herself forget his unexpected moments of tenderness. Though his visage had gone
icy, a deep vulnerability thrummed beneath it. Somehow she’d hurt him, causing his
sudden withdrawal. She’d never thought it possible for a vampire to have softer feelings
that could open them to hurt. Her past had taught her not to see vampires as anything
but heartless monsters.

“We’re here,” he said.

They had pulled into a circular drive in front of a large, white New England-style
manor. Detailed red-and-gray brickwork formed a facade along the first level up to
the portico framed by slender columns. This rural beauty didn’t match how she’d imagined
Selene Stavrou’s style. At the VLO headquarters, Selene had come across as a rich
snob in the few minutes she’d seen the Legion.

A bald, elderly subjugate answered the door. He looked uncomfortably professional,
his dark, pinstriped suit tailored close over his round belly. Overweight subjugates
were few and far between. He had to be a new conscript.

“How can I help you?” he asked.

Kade stepped forward, but anger darkened his features. “Selene. Now.”

No one in their right mind would argue with that tone. The subjugate gestured past
the foyer, his eyes wide and his mouth slack. Kade glanced at her. “Go on. I’ll be
there in a minute.”

She hesitated. “What are you doing?”

“My duty. Go.” He propelled her forward, but she pushed back against his hand. He
groaned. “Fuck sake, woman. I’m not gonna kill anyone. Find Selene.”

A glance over her shoulder reassured her. He was angry for some reason, but he didn’t
have that fiery look of death in his eyes. “Don’t be long,” she said. Despite his
dark mood, he flashed a grin at her. Heaven help her, but she liked his smile, even
those stubborn grins when he was facetious.

The foyer ended in three short, wood-lined arches forming the entry to a living area
where Selene lounged on a chaise near an unlit fireplace, a martini glass in her hand.
Val couldn’t believe her eyes. No wonder Kade had slept with this woman. The vampire
was even more gorgeous than the last time Val had seen her. Her thick, midnight hair
coiled in a coif of perfect ringlets. Her white slip of a dress contrasted virginally
against golden skin. And of course her cool demeanor was as ever-present as her exotic
accent.

“I cannot believe Crawford let you in,” she said. “I have answered your questions
already, Ms. Craig. I am sure you can show yourself out.”

Val bit back an angry retort. “We’re not through with you yet, Miss Stavrou. You stated
you were staying at the W hotel. We know your room had a clear view of the roof of
the World Journal where the victim was found.”

“As I told you, it was too dark and much too far away to see anything, even if I had
been standing at the window at the very same time the blooding took place. I do not
know how I can offer you anything that might—” She leaped up from the chaise at bullet
speed and bowed her head. “My lord.”

Kade had entered through the archway. He didn’t look like he wanted to ravish the
Legion, but his red eyes were more luminous than usual. Somehow Selene made supplication
look sexy, and Val hoped it wasn’t working on the vampire prince.

“Selene.” He stopped by Val’s side, which soothed her. She needed the appearance of
unity, even if Kade was partial to the other woman.
Please let him not be partial to the woman
. Selene shot her a sharp, cutting glance before Kade caught the woman’s attention
again. “You seem to remember protocol. Somehow you’ve failed to impress the proper
decorum upon your subjugates.”

Selene’s eyes widened. “Crawford? He treated you poorly?”

“Just fix the goddamn problem before I do.”

“You did not harm him, did you?”

He threw his arms out in exasperation. “What is it with you females? No, I did not
harm the goofy bastard. However, he is more educated now. So you were saying?” He
motioned for Selene to continue.

Selene’s blatant concern over her subjugate put Val’s world on a sudden tilt. Vampires
didn’t care about their servants, and Selene wasn’t the kind to think twice about
a fat old man with poor etiquette. Humans were playthings for them. Weren’t they?

“I informed Ms. Craig that my statement has not changed. I saw nothing of the blooding
the night I stayed in Seattle.”

Val’s frustration pushed up from her chest. This was Eva’s interview all over again.
Kade would take Selene’s words at face value. Vampires always stuck together, and
having Kade with her wouldn’t change a thing.