Синтия Иден - Midnight Sins

Well, not exactly. The bedcovers were pulled up high on this guy. Past his pectorals. In the other cases, the bedspreads and sheets had pooled right over the men’s groin areas.

Todd slanted a quick glance at Colin. Saw his partner’s nostrils widen, just a bit.

“You smell that?” Colin asked.

Todd inhaled heavily, and caught the scent of…blood. He stepped forward, his gaze now sweeping over the victim’s body like a hawk’s.

A tech lifted the covers then, snapped a picture, and Todd got a good look at the guy’s chest.

Blood coated his flesh.

“Sonofabitch.”

“Yeah.” Colin stepped closer. “The uniforms first on the scene didn’t touch anything. They just called in the body, said a naked guy had been found tied to a bed with white hemp rope—”

“And no one even checked to see that the guy had been butchered.” Fuck. Okay, so the uniforms hadn’t wanted to disturb the crime scene—smart.

But, damn.

The lady hadn’t been playing with weapons before.

So much blood. The poor bastard in the bed had died hard.

“I’d say the guy’s been dead less than an hour,” the tech told them.

Colin grunted. “The guy at check-in has him signing in at nine.”

So the time line fit. Okay, but…“Was there anyone with him when he checked in?” Todd asked.

Colin gave a hard nod. “Talked to the clerk right before you got here.” A dark brow rose. “He saw a woman with long blond hair. A woman who kept her back turned away from him most of the time.”

What was going on? Serials didn’t change their MOs. Not this fast.

“It can’t be a copy,” he muttered, “no one knows about the scene, and—”

“That little redhead, what’s her name? Hannah? Holly? You know, the reporter who replaced Darla on News Flash Five ?”

Todd nodded cautiously. Holly Storm.

“I saw her nosing around the scene of the second kill. The captain sent out a gag order.” A damn strong one. Colin shrugged. “But maybe the lady got some info from one of the uniforms.”

“It would’ve been on the five o’clock news if she had.” He’d seen her at the scene, too, skulking around in typical reporter fashion. But Holly hadn’t broadcast any hard-hitting stories yet—because no one on the force had given her so much as a five-second sound bite—and the public wasn’t even aware that there was a crime wave to copy.

Something else was going on.

The scene didn’t feel like a copy.

“Someone has to know.” Colin pointed to the bed. “Someone knows and they’re trying damn hard to make the scene look the others.”

“Uh, guys?” The tech’s voice, breaking with excitement.

Their heads jerked toward him. The guy lifted up a knife, blade still bloody, gingerly holding it by the hilt. “I think we’ve got the weapon.”

Well, damn. Now that was sure as hell not like the other scenes.

But then, neither was the bloody body.

Either they were dealing with a whole different killer—one who liked the bondage games just as much as the last woman, only she liked for her prey to bleed—or their case had just gotten a very, very big break.

“Let’s get it to forensics.” They needed to scan that baby for prints, ASAP. The odds that there would be a match in the system were slim, even if the perp hadn’t wiped the hilt clean.

Still it was a solid lead, something that they could run with on the hunt. The fire of the chase began to heat Todd’s blood.

It was dawn before Todd made it back to his place. He stripped, then all but fell into the bed.

He caught her scent then. A light, lavender fragrance hanging in the air, mixed with the wilder scent of woman.

Cara.

Hell, it was like the woman was right there with him.

As he closed his eyes, he whispered her name, and wondered if he’d dream of her again.

Or if he’d slip back into the past and dream of sharp teeth and savage claws. A nightmare that he couldn’t escape from as he watched a man transform into a beast in a blinding fury of crunching bones and savage pain.

He wanted Cara, not that shifting demon from hell. The demon who had his partner’s eyes.

She opened her eyes and found herself in his bedroom once more.

Dream or reality? This time, she knew the answer right away.

Light filled the room. Chased away the shadows and clearly showed the man on the bed. He was naked. She could see the muscled expanse of his chest. The faint marks near his shoulder, the white line too close to his heart, and the jagged imprint on his side. Old wounds—the price of his job.

A light covering of dark hair arrowed down to his groin—right down to the heavily aroused flesh of his cock.

The guy emanated so much sexual tension it was a draw she could all but taste in the room.

But she still shouldn’t have been in his dream. Cara frowned even as she stepped forward almost helplessly. She hadn’t entered his dream deliberately. Once she’d gotten into bed, she’d closed her eyes and let exhaustion claim her.

She should have slept in blessed darkness.

Not been sent to him.

What was going on? It was like she had no control over herself or her powers when she thought of him.

“Come closer, Cara,” he whispered, and her eyes lifted in surprise to find his hungry stare on her.

Shouldn’t have happened. Even in the dream state, she should have needed to command his eyes open.

Cara hesitated, confused. But the time before, he’d been awake and aware—just as he was now. She just hadn’t truly realized the significance of that act—until now.

The man had too much power for a human, and if she had any sense, she’d be transporting out of the dream state as fast as she could.

Instead of licking her lips and inching toward the bed.

His gaze dropped and raked over her. His stare was so hot her flesh seemed to burn.

“You’re wearing too many clothes.”

Just a thin gown, like before. No underwear. She lifted her hands, caught the silk, and pulled it over her head.

Todd swallowed.

She tossed the gown onto the floor. “Now I’m not.” The good part of her, the part that had sprung to life just a few years back, screamed at her that this was a mistake. She shouldn’t be in his mind without his permission. Shouldn’t be planning to enjoy a sensual game with him. Shouldn’t be so eager to taste him, his lips, his body, his very soul.

But the other part of her, the wild, dark demon who lived in her heart, she all but growled with eagerness. So much strength and power.

Cara wanted him.

And she would have him.

If only in her dreams.

His dreams.

She eased onto the bed, then crawled up the mattress until she crouched over him. Her index finger lifted and trailed a path down the center of his chest. Her gaze darted over the faint scars and, for a moment, a pang shot through her.

Humans could be hurt so easily.

“God, this feels so real,” he muttered. “I can smell you, all around me.” He reached for her, fisting his hands in her hair and dragging her up for a hard, deep kiss. A kiss that made her forget about the scars and know only raw need. “And I can damn well taste you,” he bit the words off against her lips. Then he kissed her again. Harder. The thrust of his tongue claimed her mouth, and she responded greedily, stroking him and widening her lips.

Her hands caught his shoulders. Broad. Powerful. She pushed up, levering her body so that he lay beneath her while she straddled his hips. “Tell me what you want.” An order. Magic seemed to shimmer in the air.

He caught her hips and closed his fingers over her flesh. The heavy weight of his hands forced her moist sex against the rigid length of his cock. “You know what I want.”