Keri Arthur - Circle of Desire

She hadn't expected him to be. She'd thought he'd be chasing the soul sucker.

"I am." There was concern in his voice, but the fury she could feel in the air was visible in his nut-brown eyes.

"How are you feeling?"

"Like shit. What about the Mara?"

"Gone with the kid."

She struggled to rise. "We have to go after them — " Ethan put a hand on her shoulder, but it was the sound of a rifle being loaded that made her freeze.

"We're being held at gunpoint in the living room by the father and the oldest son," he explained, voice clipped.

"The sheriff has been called."

Her gaze met his again. "Have you told them you're a cop?"

"Yeah," he said dryly. "They aren't buying it."

"You showed them your badge?"

"They're not buying that, either. And they took my gun."

She raised an eyebrow. "And you let them?"

He hesitated. Something flashed in his eyes. "They had a gun to your head. I had no choice."

"Ah." She was tempted to ask why that had stopped him, but she knew the answer would be anything other than an admission of caring. "Is there a football hanging off the side of my head? It feels like it."

A smile touched his mouth and did strange things to her pulse. "It's more like a golf ball." His fingers moved from her cheek to her head, gently probing her scalp just above the temple. "Nasty looking, but there's no cut."

"Good." She'd had more than her fair share of cuts already on this case. She raised a hand, touching his stubble-lined cheek. "We'll find her. Before the three days are up, we'll find her."

Just for a moment, his anger and fear and torment surrounded her, strong enough to almost taste. Then it shut down, as he shut down emotionally, until all that was left was his cop face. "Don't promise." His voice, though soft, was harsh. "Because promises like that are almost never kept."

"Mine will be."

"Don't." The sound of sirens touched the air, and he asked, "You up to trying to track down the Mara's scent once the sheriff releases us?"

She nodded and couldn't help wincing in pain. "Don't suppose anyone would give me a pain killer?"

Silence greeted her request. If it wasn't for the heavy breathing, she might have thought Ethan and she were alone in the room. She certainly couldn't see anyone else from where she was lying.

The sheriff and his men arrived about five minutes later.

The big man's gaze swept the room, hesitated on them briefly, then moved on. "Jesus, Frank, put the gun down.

What in hell do you think you're doing?"

"Kathy's gone." The home owner's voice was defiant.

Shaky. "And these two know about it. They broke into my house — " "These two are part of a special task force trying to stop the kidnappings. Deputies, grab those damn rifles." The sheriff strode toward them. "You two okay?"

Kat nodded and sat up with Ethan's help. "Do you mind if we look around? There's still a chance we can find the kidnapper's trail."

"Sure. Just come back and give me a full report. I particularly want to know why you didn't call for help."

She nodded again and tried to ignore the pounding ache in her head. She needed pain killers and rest, and she wasn't likely to get either of those any time soon. Ethan helped her rise and kept hold of one hand as he led her past the white-faced trio near the hall door. His fingers felt good against hers, warm and strong.

He stopped near the little girl's bedroom. "Is this where you were knocked unconscious?"

She nodded, then took a deep breath and completely lowered her shields, seeking whatever emotions might lie in the hall. Death was a slither of darkness staining the air. She couldn't feel anything from the little girl, but then, she wouldn't. Not until Kathy was dying.

"This way," she said, untangling her fingers from his.

She followed the trail through the kitchen and out the back door. The dogs barked, but someone had chained them, and they were no longer a threat.

Rain began to fall, big fat drops that hit with the intensity of hail. Overhead, thunder rumbled. If the heavens opened up, she'd lose the scent completely. She hurried across the yard and leapt the fence. The storm hit as they entered the trees, and within minutes, the thread of evil had evaporated. She stopped, cursing long and loud.

"I'm gathering you've lost it," Ethan said, amusement momentarily warming the frustrated anger still evident in his voice.

She nodded and rubbed her arms as she studied the trees above them. "Where exactly was that cabin you found?"

"To the north."

He took off his coat and placed it over the top of hers.

Heat rushed through her, as if the warmth of his body had infused his coat and now transferred it to her. Or maybe it was just the scent of him lingering on the thick leather that warmed her senses.

"You think that's where they might be headed?" he continued, catching the ends of the coat and tugging her closer.

She was too aware of his nearness, too aware of the fingers brushing her stomach as he zipped up the coat, to do anything but nod.

"How safe is it to be investigating that cabin at night?"

His gaze met hers, and deep in the brown depths, hunger stirred.

It echoed through her. She might be angry at his continuing insistence that they could be nothing more than a moment, but right now, she was more than ready to enjoy one of those moments — pounding headache, aching cold and all.

She licked the rain from her lips, saw his gaze leap down.

"Not very. It's better to wait until dawn, when they're less active."

"Then we wait." He lowered his mouth to hers, his kiss a gentle explosion of heat that ended far too soon. "But for now, let's get out of this rain."

The promises in his eyes made her every nerve ending tingle, and for a moment, she found it difficult to even breathe. "The sheriff wants an explanation," she somehow said.

He touched a hand to her cheek. Desire slithered through her and pooled deep in her abdomen.

"The sheriff is going to get the shortest explanation in history." His voice was a smoky whisper that made her body thrum. "You need to get back to the cabin and tend to that headache."

She raised her eyebrows. "How do you know I've got a headache?"

"I can see it in your eyes." He kissed her forehead then twined his fingers in hers. The grin that touched his lips was sexy enough to curl her toes. "Of course, once we've tended to the headache and got you warm again, we just might be able to do something about that other ache."

"I hope so," she said. "I certainly hope so."

However much they might have wanted to provide the shortest explanation in history, the sheriff certainly wasn't about to let them get away with it. It was nearly an hour before they made their escape. Kat closed her eyes and leaned back against the headrest. They'd given her some pain killers, and her headache had eased to a muted thumping. Bearable, but still not pleasant.

She had a suspicion, however, that a decent cup of coffee, something to eat, and a good hour or so of loving might take away the rest of the ache.

The storm raged, making conversation almost impossible as they drove back to the cabin. Not that she minded.

There was a certain intimacy in sitting here, cocooned in warmth, the sound of rain pounding on the car's roof mingling with the swish of wipers. And Ethan caressing her thigh as he drove, warming her more thoroughly than any car heater ever could.

She was almost disappointed when the car slowed and he moved his hand to change gears. She opened her eyes to discover they were back at the cabins.

"If those lights are anything to go by, you're grandmother's still awake," he said. "You want to go in and give her an update?"

"We'd better." If they didn't, she'd just come in to see them. "Besides, she might have heard from Seline while we were out."