Page 18 of Unhallowed Murder
“And you’re strong enough mentally to say that without thinking the actual secrets. I know vampires over a century old who can’t do this. I can’t help but hear your thoughts; however, I shall refrain from digging through your memories.”
She ate unselfconsciously, which relieved him. So many felt guilty eating when he didn’t eat, but the tiger didn’t much care. Like him, she was an apex predator. Like him, she hunted humans — she put them in prison, he drank their blood. Still, they both hunted humans. Most shapeshifters didn’t. Did he feel an affinity for her because of this?
No. Or at least, not entirely. He liked the entire package — woman, detective, Lieutenant, tiger. Or rather,tigress, he thought with a silent chuckle.
He took a sip of wine and sat back, relaxed. He enjoyed watching her eat — he could see the tiger helping to make decisions about the cut, the choice of the next bite.
“You use this location for your office?” she asked.
“There’s one here I can use, when needed. My office is at our coterie house. I own a home in the same neighborhood, which allows me to keep a close eye on our people, but it gives me some privacy.”
“Why do I get the feeling most people aren’t privy to this information?”
“Because they aren’t. I keep a room at the coterie house, and it’s my official address. Only a select few know of my personal residence.” He reached out, caressed her cheek. “You’re tired, Ronnie. Physicallyandemotionally. You feel responsible for your victim?”
“Yes. She’s mine now. It’s my job to get justice for her and her loved ones.”
“You have a soldier working for you. Deputy Myers?”
She nodded. “Marine. Excellent at following orders unless he thinks I’m putting myself in danger. Actually, that can be said of most of my team. They’re human and don’t know I’m a shapeshifter. They feel protective because I’m a woman, but they don’t treat me as less than them.”
“You’ve earned their respect.” He chuckled. “Two of them had their finger on the trigger, ready to shoot your suspect. If you hadn’t neutralized him, they were prepared to do so.” He lifted a brow. “They’re disciplined. Solid. They were worried for you, but no more than they would’ve been for a male officer. They trusted you to handle yourself, but had your back. It was fascinating to watch.”
“I have a great team, but you didn’t invite me here to talk about them. Why am I here?”
“Because you feel obligated to come since I helped you. I’m okay with this until we’ve spent some time together, but I hope your reason changes.”
Ronnie shook her head. “That wasn’t what I wanted to know, and you know it.”
He smiled. “Another reason I like you. Straight to the point. I’ve considered this question a good bit. Not why you’re here, but why I wish you to be. Why Ineedto spend time with you. I find the answer a simple one — I like you. I respect you. I’ve lived a long time, and I’ve learned matters of the heart cannot always be spoken of in terms of logic.”
“Matters of the heart? Seriously?”
He shrugged. “The spark is there. It’s up to us whether we nurture it or ignore it. Is it such a crazy thought?”
“Yeah. You’re a vampire. You’ll live until someone kills you. I’ll likely die long before then. You can’t go out during the day.” She sighed. “You can hear my thoughts. Could direct my mind, if you chose.”
“You aren’t a coward, but I can understand some of your fear.” He settled his phone on the table, his recording app active, and hit record. “Let me help. I’m going to put a suggestion in your head that your nails are a different color. Look at them and tell me what color they are now.”
“Pearl.”
Josef found the place her thoughts originated. He planted a memory of her painting them red, and thensuggesteda thought of her nails being a nice deep shade of red.
“No. They aren’t red, they’re pearl! I felt you doing it!”
He nodded and turned the recording app off. “It seems we didn’t need the recording after all. A small percentage of shifters aren’t easily suggestible. This doesn’t mean it’s impossible, but it means any who try run the risk of being caught at it. The chance of it working is greater when you’re emotionally tired, which you are now, or when the suggestion isn’t far off the mark. It’s possible I could’ve made you think white, but you rebelled at the thought of them being red.”
“Also, I knew to watch for it.”
“Yes, but I have a feeling you’ll always know your thoughts versus the ones planted by someone else.”
“So, you’re saying it’s hard to ignore my thoughts, and you could snoop through my memories if you chose, but you can’t change my mind?”
“I can teach you to shield your mind. I’m surprised Martin or Nathan hasn’t already done so. You may not be able to keep a Strigorii out, but you’ll likely know when one comes in, at least.”
She looked sheepish. “One of the adult female tigers was supposed to teach me as a teen. We didn’t much like each other, so she just taught me enough to pass the test. I remember I’m supposed to put a wall up, but it seemed stupid, so…” She shrugged embarrassed.
“Imagine a mylar balloon big enough for you to put your whole body inside, except it isn’t made of mylar, but the material of your bulletproofbody armor. Put yourself in it. Think about how strong it is. How nothing can get past it.”
