Blood Secrets-Valorian 1 (17 page)

When they had exited Jamie Duncan’s apartment complex, Eve had been waiting at the front door for them. He’d felt that she was distancing herself from him. It was like ice on his tongue. Without looking at him, she said she would meet him in the SUV, and then proceeded to walk toward the vehicle.

He knew why she was behaving this way, knew it was the logical thing to do, but he hated it. He despised not being able to talk plainly with her, not be able to share a look or a thought without realizing that it would do nothing but damage them in the end.

He parked and turned off the vehicle, Detective Calder pulling up behind them. “Okay, let’s go. Hopefully someone will tell us something we need to know to catch this guy.”

The moment Caine, Ren and Eve stepped through the door to Shadowwood Studios, Caine recognized the haunting sounds emanating from the recording room. There was no mistaking his favorite chanteuse’s evocative voice.

Caine glanced over at Eve. Her brow was wrinkled, and her jaw clenched. He imagined she was trying very hard not to let the emotion of Nadja’s song overwhelm her. At this close proximity, even Caine was finding it difficult not to be carried away.

Before they could move any farther into the studio, a security guard met them. Caine knew he was a lycan. The guard was huge, but for a man his size, he still managed to move with speed and grace. Most lycans had that uncanny poise.

“Can I help you?”

Ren held up his badge. “N.P.D. We’re here investigating the murder of Jamie Duncan.

We understand he worked here.”

The guard nodded, his eyes wide, the news obviously surprising him. “He does…did.”

“What’s your name?” Caine asked.

“Lucas Marchak.”

“Did you know the deceased, Lucas?”

“Yes, but not well. He was into, um, other stuff.”

“Like?” Caine urged.

“Drugs and partying all the time.”

Caine continued. “Did he party with the members of Crimson Strain? They record here, don’t they?”

Licking his lips, Lucas shuffled his feet. “I should go get the manager.”

“Okay, Lucas. Is it all right if we watch the recording?”

“Sure,” the guard said, moving to catch up with Caine as he walked through an open doorway and into the recording studio. Stopping just inside the doorway, Caine stared, transfixed, into the glassed booth.

Nadja Devanshi was everything Caine expected her to be. Tall and willowy, cascading ebony hair sweeping around her tiny waist and a pale oval face highlighting impossibly green eyes and a lush red mouth. An ethereal enchantress.

Yet, Caine’s blood didn’t boil at the sight of her. In fact, his pulse had not jumped at all.

It was not the reaction he was expecting when faced with this vampiress, a woman he had dreamed of one day meeting.

He suspected the young human woman sidling up to him at the studio window was the reason for his odd non-reaction. She had her hands over her ears, and tears streaming down her face.

Lucas the security guard waved at Nadja through the glass.

Eyes glinting like wet emeralds, she put her hand to her neck and made a cutting motion.

Instantly the orchestra accompaniment switched off. The echo of her clear, poignant voice reverberated around them, nearly making Caine cringe. The high note was like an ice pick in his brain.

Strange. He never heard that kind of sound before in her music. Was that what Eve felt listening to the songs, a sort of sweetly piercing pain? Had he been deaf to it all this time?

Nadja moved through the room, opened the door and swept into the studio. Caine couldn’t describe the way she moved in any other way. It seemed that her feet didn’t even touch the ground. Was she floating? A vampire had to possess a lot of power to perform that kind of feat. Even Mistress Ankara didn’t hold that kind of power, and she was close to one thousand years old.

Smiling, she extended her hand to Caine. “Caine Valorian, how lovely to finally meet you.”

He took her long elegant hand in his, surprise lifting his brow. “I wasn’t aware that we knew each other, Ms. Devanshi.”

“Reputation only, I’m afraid.”

He withdrew his hand and had the urge to rub it against his leg. Tingles of something not quite pleasant radiated over his skin. She was throwing off a lot of energy, and he wanted to know why.

“I didn’t realize I had a reputation.”

She laughed, the sound almost brittle, like icicles. “Oh, don’t be modest, Caine. All powerful vampires have reputations to uphold. You’re no different.” Her gaze swept over the other people in the room, then landed on Eve and stayed there. Smiling, she tilted her head as if studying something fascinating. “And you bring a human. How interesting. Is she a gift?”

Caine could sense Eve mentally backing away. She didn’t physically move, but she was shrinking inward from Nadja. He wondered how much power she could feel coming from the chanteuse, and how much longer she could handle it.

“We’re investigating the death of Jamie Duncan,” he said.

Her severely plucked brow lifted. “Jamie’s dead? I wondered why he never showed up for work today.”

“He worked for you?”

“Well, yes, I do own the studio.”

“Do the members of Crimson Strain record here?”

“They do. Are my boys in trouble?”

Eve sniffed. “Your boys? Are you their mother?”

Caine could feel the temperature in the room drastically lower the minute Eve’s words were out of her mouth. He should’ve warned her about a vampire’s temper. If he had known they would be talking to Nadja Devanshi about the murders, he would’ve left Eve at the lab. He didn’t know for sure, but he gauged her age at close to two thousand years old. This lithe creature held more power in her pinky than most of the vampires in Necropolis banded together.

“You could say that.” Nadja smiled. “I discovered them and helped them make their first CD. They’re lovely boys.”

Taking a step forward, Eve said, “One of your lovely boys—”

Caine set his hand on Eve’s shoulder and stopped her from advancing. “The boys are in jail pending charges. It seems they had a little road trip into San Antonio. Xavier is up on assault and we also believe that he may be linked to another murder.”

“Your human is a tad unruly, Caine. You should keep her on a tighter leash.”

“Tighter leash?” Eve clenched her hands into fists.

Caine grabbed her arm and kept her from speaking. “I apologize, Nadja. She is not used to the rules and regulations in our city. I’ll explain them to her.”

Smiling, Nadja waved her hand in dismissal. “You do that, Caine.”

“My colleague, Detective Calder, can continue with some more questions if that’s all right?”

“Certainly. I have nothing to hide.”

Still holding Eve by the arm, Caine marched out of the recording studio, through the antechamber and out the door into the night air.

Spinning her around, he set Eve up against the wall and leaned into her, his eyes glowing.

“What are you doing?”

“She insulted me.”

“I warned you about vampire politics. I told you not to open your mouth no matter what.

You could’ve jeopardized the case with your antics.”

“My antics?” Eve growled. “That woman is—”

“That woman is nearly two thousand years old and has more power than the entire U.S.

Army. With a single thought, she could’ve had you on your knees begging her for whatever she wanted you to.”

Sighing, Eve lowered her chin. “I’m sorry.”

Caine swiveled around and looked up at the night sky. “No, I’m sorry. I was kidding myself thinking that you could handle this.” He turned on his heel and looked down at her. “This is my fault, okay? I’m going to have Ren take you back to the lab, or to your hotel, or whichever.”

She pushed off the wall, and met his gaze. “You can’t do that. The baron said I was to be active in this case.”

“I don’t care what he said. You’re in danger on this case. I won’t jeopardize you any longer.” He hated having to do this to her. He knew how much she wanted to be involved in the case. It tore him inside to see the dejected and hurt look on her face. However, she didn’t understand how incredibly close she came to being injured, severely injured.

Caine could feel the anger building inside Nadja. It was like acid against his skin. And if he could feel such pain from her thoughts, he could only imagine the agony Eve would’ve endured if Nadja had released that energy onto her. She wouldn’t have survived the assault.

Eve had no clue what he had saved her from. To know would only drive her insane with fear. He’d keep it to himself and hope she got angry enough with him that she stayed away. Far, far away from this part of the case.

“You can’t push me out when we’re so close to the truth, Caine. I think I earned the right to be here. It’s not fair.”

“I don’t care about fair right now. All I care about is solving this case. And it can’t be done when I’m constantly worrying about you.” He didn’t mean for it to come out like it did. He didn’t want it to sound as though she was being punished. But in the end, she was being punished because of his inability to keep her safe.

The sparkle in her eyes faded. Replacing it was a pain he never wanted to see there. Pain he never wanted to put there. But he had.

It was foolish to think that she could handle being on the front line on this case. He supposed he had allowed it to happen because of his own selfish need to be with her, to be around her. His unchecked hunger to consume her, his predatory instincts to protect her, had almost put this case in jeopardy. Something he had never done before.

Maybe it was for the best. If she were furious with him, then she would be more careful.

She would reinforce her guard and maintain a distance. He could keep her safe the further away from the case she got.

Gathering his anger and fear, he pushed away from her, and dropped his hands to his sides. What he really wanted to do was gather her in his arms and soothe the hurt, the pain that he had just inflicted on her. But he couldn’t. This was something they both had to endure so Eve would stay safe.

Lifting her chin, she met his gaze. “You know you come across as someone that’s all about justice, and righting the wrongs of society. But all you care about is how your case is run, how your case is handled, how it will look for your team when it’s solved.” She took a bold step forward, her eyes sparking with fury. “You don’t care about Lillian Crawford. You don’t care about the pain and suffering she must have felt when she bled out in that dirty hotel room, alone and unable to defend herself from monsters she thought only existed in nightmares.” Hair fell over her forehead, and she swiped at it furiously.

“Everything I’ve read about your race is true. You’re all coldhearted, selfish and egotistical. The only reason you’re a crime scene investigator is because you like the power of it.” She shook her head, and turned so her back was all he saw. “I was so wrong about you.”

His heart shattered as her words sunk in. Emotional pain he hadn’t felt in years ripped through him like a jagged knife, shredding his soul into ribbons. Swallowing, he let out a breath and clenched his hands into tight fists.

He wanted nothing more than to convince her she was wrong about him. Wrong about his motives, wrong about his feelings. However, to do so would be futile. She wouldn’t believe him. He had proved everything she had said with his actions.

He could do nothing but accept her words and bite back his urge to prove her wrong. To prove he was a good man.

Taking the SUV keys from his pocket, Caine pressed the unlocking mechanism. The vehicle beeped and the doors unlocked. He walked to the back door, and opened it for her.

“I’ll get Ren and he can take you wherever you want to go.”

Without a word, Eve brushed past him and jumped into the vehicle. He shut the door and pressed the locking button. Through the tinted window, he could see her head hanging, and almost felt her ragged intake of breath. She looked like she was on the verge of crying. And there was nothing he could do about it.

Feeling impotent and unworthy, he turned and went back into the studio to get Ren and try to continue with the case. If nothing else, he could get them one step closer to solving it, and be one step closer to getting Eve out of the city and safely back into her own world.

In time, she would forget about him. Move on with her life, solve other cases and experience other lovers.

Although deep down inside, he hoped she would suffer in emotional purgatory as long as he knew he would.

T he odor of her ire combined with her terror was like ambrosia to his senses. A heady mixture that nearly had his eyes rolling back in his head.

From his perch in the shadows of the alley across the street, he had been witness to Caine’s and the woman’s argument. Eve…that was her name. An appropriate one, he thought considering what he had devised for her.

He thought it must be fate that had brought her to Necropolis. Instead of having to hunt in the human city for a human woman, the perfect one had already volunteered to come, all on her own. What a brave specimen.

And the time was coming for his plan to be executed. A little sooner than he had wanted, but circumstances seemed to be changing.

Caine and his team were proving to be more astute than he had previously deduced. He hated underestimating people, but it was possible he had with this vampire. He seemed to be working against his own nature to solve this case. This was disconcerting, but interesting.

He wasn’t worried though. No one, not even the notorious Caine Valorian, could stop him. He’d been planning and devising this for far too long to be stopped now. Nothing but his own death could halt the future. Even then, he knew another would pick up his cause and continue.

This event was bigger than all of the players put together. Bigger than anything anyone had ever witnessed. And he was going to be right at the center of it.

As was she.

Watching as Caine slammed the door and went back into the recording studio, his hands itched to have her, to touch her. It was not time yet, but he wanted her now. Licking his lips, the thought of what he could do with her before the right time made his blood roar and his cock twitch. Thinking about the delicious torments he could perform on her had his hands shaking and his heart pumping.