Синтия Иден - Midnight Sins

“And you’ve met the third demon.”

Todd shook his head.

“Cameron Komak, the bartender at Paradise Found.”

“I knew that asshole was too pretty.”

Too pretty. A fairly normal description for an incubus.

“Gyth, start checking these bastards,” McNeal ordered. “Track ’em down, get ’em in here, and find out everything you can about their lives for the last two months.”

Todd stepped forward. “Captain, I told you I wasn’t going to be shut out—”

“Brooks, get your ass over to Paradise Found and make Niol tell you everything he knows about the sex demons in this town.”

A wide grin split Todd’s mouth. “My pleasure, sir.”

But she knew Todd would be in for one hell of a fight, because no one made Niol do anything he didn’t want to do. “I’ll go with you,” she offered, because she knew the demon didn’t exactly have a soft spot for her lover.

But he did for her.

“Good idea.” McNeal looked so satisfied that she realized that had been his plan from the beginning.

“Captain…” Todd’s face flushed with anger. “She’s supposed to be in protective custody. I can handle Niol on my own—”

“But she can handle him one hell of a lot better.” One finger jabbed at Todd. “You saw her, Brooks, the woman doesn’t need protecting, but any fool who gets in her path just might.”

Hmm…maybe the captain wasn’t so bad.

His fist pounded against the desk. “Now, let’s get this shit wrapped up before any more dead bodies pile up in our Crypt.”

Smith was the last to exit his office. She waited for the cops and the succubus to leave, then she hesitated at the door.

McNeal sat in his chair, and she could feel the heat of his stare on her back. Her fingers tightened around the door knob—and she closed the door.

“Smith?” A thread of worry was in that rough voice.

She turned slowly and rested her back against the blinds on the door, not caring that they bent and snapped behind her. “You should have told me…”

He rose from his chair.

“From the beginning. Right after the first kiss.” The kiss they’d shared here, in his office.

God, they’d had sex on his desk.

The memories were all around her in this room.

She hated coming to meetings in his office.

And once she left, well, she couldn’t wait to get back inside the room again.

She still wanted him.

Damn it, a part of her still loved the asshole. A part she’d tried so hard to kill.

“I didn’t want you to leave me.” Stark.

“Why not?” He’d just left her in the end.

A muscle flexed along the hard line of his jaw. Her fingers balled into fists. She’d touched that jaw so many times. Felt the rasp of stubble on her palm.

On her entire body.

“Because…you mattered too much to me.”

She held his glittering stare and saw raw honesty reflected in his eyes. “But you walked away.”

Now he walked toward her. “You don’t know how hard it is to keep secrets from the rest of the world. To live every day, hiding who you really are, and praying that no one else finds out your secrets—because if someone does find out, the wrong someone, well, then your life will go straight to hell.”

She understood that. If the truth got out, God, she couldn’t even imagine what life would be like in the world if all the humans realized what was really happening around them.

Yeah, she understood, but understanding didn’t mean she forgave. “You didn’t have to walk. You could have told me the truth. ”

“And have you look at me the way you do at Gyth? Or Cara? Or, hell, I guess the way you’re staring at me now?”

That stopped her cold. Gyth was a shifter, she knew that, but the man had saved her ass. He wasn’t evil.

And as for the succubus, well, Smith didn’t know that woman, but she didn’t seem like she was a monster. She just seemed…normal.

Like any woman. Like… Jesus, she seems just like me.

Smith had even found herself admiring the woman’s shoes.

“I’m not evil, Nathalia.” He was close to her now. So close she could smell the crisp scent of his aftershave.

She’d given him that aftershave.

Her knees began to tremble.

“The bastard who took you—yeah, he was fucked up. As dark inside as they come, but you know, you know , we’ve dealt with human killers who were just as twisted.”

She nodded. She’d worked on too many cases to deny the truth of his words. They hadn’t all been Other. She knew that.

“We’re not all bad, baby, understand that—”

“I do.” Her nails dug into her palms. She understood, but it was just so hard. She woke up most nights, a scream choking her. She’d nearly died in that damn place and when she’d met the killer’s stare, she’d known what hell looked like.

She saw Dan’s throat work as he swallowed. His hand lifted then, as if he were going to touch her, but then he hesitated.

Pain danced over his face.

And she hurt.

He stepped back. Dropped his hand. “If there isn’t anything else, Dr. Smith, I need to get back to work and—”

“There’s something else.” Her voice shook. Just like her knees.

He lifted a brow.

“I wouldn’t have walked away from you.” Her chin came up. “I mean, shit, Dan, I didn’t care about the fact that you’re white—did you really think I’d give a damn that you could go all Dr. Doolittle on me?”

His mouth dropped open.

Satisfied with that response and not really trusting herself to say more, Smith managed to turn around and open the door. Then she walked out, head held high, and didn’t look back.

Her mama had taught her long ago how a lady made an exit.

Her mama just hadn’t warned her that she had real wolves to worry about in the world, wolves who often wore the flesh of men.

The guards weren’t at the door of Paradise Found, and the sight of the empty entranceway had Todd tensing.

Cara stilled beside him. “Todd? What’s wrong?”

Everything. Cara shouldn’t have even been with him then. She should have been in a safe house, protected by several guards—and he should have been casing the place alone. “When we go inside, stay behind me, okay? Just—”

Her bow lips turned down. “ Why …” she drew the word out with obvious impatience, “do you have such trouble with the concept of me being a demon?” She pointed to her chest. “Look, nearly immortal me.” She tapped him, a bit harder than he thought was really necessary, right in the middle of his chest. “And weak, human you.”

He reached for his holster. He might be mortal, but he was armed. Todd wasn’t forgetting for a moment that a potentially murderous incubus might be inside.

And then there was Niol…

His fingers curled around the gun. “Me—human, but ready to shoot. And don’t forget,” he offered her a brief smile, “I’m the one with the badge.” Okay, yeah, he knew the woman was strong.

But she was his and he wanted to protect her.

Todd pressed a hard kiss to her lips.

Then playtime was over and he stalked toward the door. Cara followed on his heels, her seductive scent wrapping around him.

He pushed on the door. Open. No way was this Niol’s usual operation.

The cop in him hesitated, but then Todd realized his internal alarm—that system that had never failed him before—it wasn’t making a single noise.

What a fucking bad time for his instincts to fail him.

Shoving open the door, he went in with his gun up and his pulse steady.