"It's stealing souls, but it's certainly not seducing men to do it."
"No. But Seline's still digging around, so she might find a reason."
"Seline being the chairperson of this Damask Circle you work for?" Ethan queried.
"He's a cop," Kat said with a smile. "They tend to dig."
"They do indeed." Gwen's gaze was amused as she looked at Ethan. "And yes, she is."
"Did she give you any idea how to stop this thing?"
"Not yet, but if it's some sort of vampire, then we could try all the traditional methods of killing a vampire."
Ethan's expression shut down. "I said stop, not kill. This thing has to be brought to justice and face trial."
"You don't really believe that," Gwen said. "And besides, no court or jailhouse currently built could ever hope to hold this thing."
"You know, I think white ash works against it," Kat said, remembering the soul sucker's reaction in the warehouse.
"I think I wounded it when I slashed it with the stake."
Ethan's expression was incredulous. Gwen patted his hand. "Don't worry, dear, it's going to get a lot worse."
She leaned back in her chair. "I think I might try a little scrying."
Kat rose and retrieved Gwen's crystal then nudged Ethan and nodded in the direction of the sofa. He rose and walked over. She sat down opposite him. Anything else just wasn't safe.
"So," she said. "Who were you talking to on the phone?"
His gaze was doing a slow tour of her body, lingering appreciably on her bare legs. She hugged a pillow close to her chest and wondered at her sanity in choosing a skirt over jeans. This man had her hotter than hell.
"Nosy type, aren't you?" Amusement glimmered briefly at her actions.
"It's a gene all women are born with. You going to answer the question?"
"I was getting an update from my partner. Preliminary analysis confirms a large dog gnawed the bones. They believe it was only one, not a pack."
"Which is what I saw." She looked at her grandmother and saw her unfocused expression. The scrying appeared to be working this time. "I don't suppose they have any indication of the time of death?"
He studied her for a moment. "Why is that important, beyond the obvious?"
"Because it would give us an idea how long this thing is keeping the kids before it kills them." And how long his niece might remain alive.
"They won't know until later today. Mark will call me as soon as he can."
She nodded. "Did you tell him you've joined us?"
"No. The less he knows in that regard, the better. If the hammer falls, I don't want to take him out as well."
"So what reason did you give for suddenly disappearing from home?"
His smile made her breath catch. "Said I'd met a pretty lady and intended to do nothing more than have incredible sex for the next few days."
Her pulse leapt into overdrive. "And do you?"
His smile was a wicked promise of things to come. She shifted slightly and resisted the temptation to fan her face.
"Whenever I can."
His voice was rich and husky and conjured images of those sheets again. Though even the floor would have done right now. "And your partner didn't think this a strange deviation from a man who has no one in his life?"
"No one permanent. I'm a werewolf, not a monk."
"So when the moon rises, you're not overly fussy?"
He raised an eyebrow. "I've never sunk to prostitutes, if that's what you're asking."
She wasn't, but in many regards, it didn't really matter.
He was here, she was horny, and if they could find the time and space, it could be damn well perfect between them. And did it matter how many different partners he'd had? She'd certainly had more than her fair share over the last ten years, despite her grandmother's recent insinuations that she was in danger of becoming a reborn virgin.
"What about yourself?" he said. "Why aren't you married and home safe with a kid or two? Why are you running around risking your life chasing madmen? Or madwomen?"
She gave him a deadpan look. "The barefoot and pregnant ideal went out a long time ago, Detective."
"That doesn't answer my question."
She sighed. "It comes down to the chocolate thing."
"So you're saying chocolate is better than sex?"
It was interesting he said sex rather than love. Was it some sort of werewolf thing that he kept mentioning sex without ever mentioning any form of emotion? She didn't know, but she suspected her grandmother might.
"In some cases, very definitely." She grinned and added, "Of course, I haven't had time yet to judge the offer on the table."
"So you still intend to… sample the offering?"
"The sooner the better."
"With that I agree wholeheartedly."
The look in his eyes smoked her insides. Gwen chose that moment to take a shuddering breath and wake from the scrying, and Kat wasn't sure whether to curse her grandmother's timing or bless it as she rose and walked over. She pried the crystal from her grandmother's fingers, then grabbed a drink and some pain killers, offering her both.
"Thanks," Gwen said, when she could.
"Get anything?"
Kat sat at the table, Ethan next to her. She was intensely aware of not only his closeness but of his knee brushing hers. It was a promise of heaven she didn't dare react to.
Gwen nodded. "It's moving all right. Down to Rogue River ."
Ethan frowned. "That's a tiny resort town. Why would it be going there in winter? Wouldn't summer be a better time if it wanted to prey on kids?"
"I think it's safe to say this thing has an agenda of its own, and until we uncover that agenda, we can't afford to second guess its motives."
"So we're heading for Rogue River ?" Kat said.
Gwen nodded. "But in two cars. What I saw confirms it doesn't know about me. We have to keep it that way a while yet."
"Gran, you can't drive that far in my car."
"I have no intentions of doing so. I'm going to hire myself a driver and a car and travel in luxury."
Kat nodded. It wouldn't be the first time she'd done that.
The noise of the Mustang sometimes got a bit much for Gran, even if she didn't like to admit it. She glanced at Ethan. "You want to car pool?"
He nodded. "We'll take my Cadillac. You can leave your Mustang garaged at my place. It'll be safe enough."
That made sense. If, for some reason, the three of them had to travel in the one car later on, it would be more comfortable to do so in a Caddie. She looked at grandmother again. "And after we get to Rogue River ?"
"It'll be dark, but I suggest you two do a walking tour of the town and see if you can sense anything unusual."
"Then?"
"Then we fortify our defences, sit back and wait for their first attack."
Chapter Five
They'd been driving for a good four hours and had barely exchanged a word. But the silence between them was comfortable, something Ethan found strange considering how sexually tense they both were.
Not that he was any sort of expert when it came to knowing what it was like to spend time with a woman beyond the time of sex. He satisfied his needs, made sure both parties had a good time, and then he walked away.
His work, his past and what he was allowed for nothing else. And yet here he was, enjoying silence. Amazing.
"You hungry?" she asked.
"Is that a question, or are you actually saying you're hungry?"
"The latter." Her cheeks dimpled. "I need to eat."
So did he. But he also needed her. And with night encroaching, that need was becoming more fierce. More undeniable. He pointed to the Mercedes up ahead. "You want to phone your grandmother and see if she wants to stop?"