Page 116 of Soul Sucker

She took out two plates and found the pizza cutter. The thing was, it wasn’t just sex. She’d come to like and respect him as well. When he hadn’t said a word when she’d decided to go along with Drew Spencer’s plan she’d almost been disappointed.

She shook her head. “I am so fricking contrary these days.”

“Are you talking to me?”

Liz appeared at the door bearing a big cardboard box and Ella decided to put everything else aside and just eat.

Much later, when Liz had fallen asleep on the couch, Ella pulled out the photo of the incoming empaths and studied it more closely. Who had sent it to her and why? She had intended to mention it to the team, but Drew Spencer’s presence had upset their normal routine. She counted the smiling faces again. Fourteen potential empaths, four of whom hadn’t made it…what had happened to those guys? Why had they failed to graduate and had they been happy about that or not? She frowned. And what happened to an untrained empath anyway? Did they still go nuts at twenty-seven?

She glanced at the clock. It was getting late. The only way she might discover more about the forgotten empaths was to go back to Otherworld, talk to the administrators at the college again and look up the individuals in the Merton records office. What had happened to the information Perry, the college principal, had offered to provide for them? Was he trying to protect someone? His distaste for the killings had seemed quite genuine, but she doubted he was the guy actually doing the checking. Was someone in his office deliberately withholding information?

Her cell phone buzzed and she recognized Vadim’s number and hesitated. Did she want to talk to him? If she didn’t, would he think she was too afraid?

“Hey.”

There was a slight pause before he spoke. “Thanks for picking up.”

“Why wouldn’t I?”

“I just wanted to check you were okay. Is someone staying with you tonight?”

“Liz is here. We had pizza and she’s sleeping on the couch.”

“Good.” Another pause. “I’ll see you at work tomorrow, then.”

Ella closed her eyes and gripped the phone hard. He sounded like he didn’t give a damn, and even though she’d pushed him away, it hurt. “Morosov, would you come to Otherworld with me in the morning?”

“Why would you want me to do that?”

“There’s something I’d like to follow up.”

“I thought you’d decided to go with Spencer’s plan.”

“I have, but I think this might be important.”

“What might be?”

She looked at the photo propped up beside her bed. “Four of the incoming empaths in my class didn’t graduate.”

“So?”

“What happened to them?”

“Why does it matter?”

“Because…I just have this feeling that it does.”

“A psychic feeling?”

She heard the skepticism in his voice and found herself bristling. “I’m not Natasha and I’m not going nuts anymore, remember? My intuition is working just fine.”

“I wasn’t trying to imply…”

“Yes, you were.”

He sighed. “Look, why don’t you talk this through with the team when you come in tomorrow?”

“Why can’t I talk it through with you right now?”

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