Page 125 of Soul Sucker

He sat forward. “Really? What changed your mind?”

“Fear, I suppose. Fear of going mad and somehow damaging those I work with, or those I love.”

He nodded sympathetically. “I can understand that. Being an empath is a heavy burden.” He hesitated. “But isn’t there another way?”

“What do you mean?”

“I heard you were investigating a serial killer called the Siren.”

Somewhere faintly in the back of her head warning bells sounded and she sensed Vadim shouting at her. She blinked and refocused her gaze on the tranquil face of the man in front of her. When she stared at him, all her anxiety slipped away and she felt calm and sure, and, yeah…almost happy.

“Yes, I am. What of it?”

He smiled and she found herself smiling back. “I heard he offers empaths another way out of their dilemma.”

“What do you mean?”

“He relieves them of their pain and sets them free.”

Ella considered that. “But they die.”

“They die at peace, though, don’t they?”

“I suppose so.” She found herself nodding. “It’s hard being an empath.”

“I know. All that psychic burden, all thatknowledgebringing you down. You can see why none of the empaths struggled at the end.” He sat forward. “Didn’t you sense that? That they were happy to die?”

She stared at him. “I’m…not sure. How come you know so much about this?”

He ignored her question and brought his chair around to sit beside her. “Don’t you feel that, right now? That the burden is crushing you, that you can’t go on?”

God, she wanted to agree with him. A single tear ran down her cheek. He reached forward and gently wiped it away.

“You’ve been under so much stress, haven’t you? You’ve been so alone. Your family doesn’t understand you, your colleagues fear you, and madness is approaching. No wonder you panicked and chose to take an OCOS mate.”

She found herself nodding again as more tears spilled. He gave her his ironed cotton handkerchief.

“It’s all right. I understand what you are going through, I really do.” He grasped her left hand and she shuddered as his power rolled over her and through her. “Just let it go. I’ll make sure that everything is all right for you.”

* * *

Vadim pointedDoug toward Netherfield Hospital. “Liz is in there. She’s fine, but a bit confused. Go and see if they’ll let you take her home.”

“Thanks, dude.” Doug slapped him on the back. “Are you sure you don’t want me to come with you?”

“No, you go take care of Liz. I’ll manage.”

Doug headed up the steps and Vadim turned back toward the main road. Ella was definitely in Otherworld but she’d stopped communicating with him. He wasn’t sure if she just didn’t want to talk, or if she was being prevented. It didn’t make any difference. He was going to find her and God help anyone who had harmed her. Otherworld always put him in the mood to kill.

He didn’t have time to be careful anymore, and he was twenty human miles from the records office where Ella was. He closed his eyes and materialized on the cobbled street outside the building. Rossa sat on the steps shivering in a thin gold cloak and green hose that clung to his muscular thighs.

“I was wondering when you’d get here.”

Vadim jerked his head at the records office. “Is she in there?”

“Your female?”

“No, the Queen of the Fae.”

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