“You need to be careful.” It was the woman who spoke, fighting back the demon’s snarling demand and her dark wishes. “I’m not who”— what—“you think I am.”
His fingers tightened around her. “Then tell me who you really are.”
Her lips curled as the phone shrieked again. “Lover,” he could have been, “I’m not even human.”
A final demanding cry from the phone swept away the dream and carried her spirit back to her body.
I’m not even human.
Todd’s eyes shot open and he reached for the phone, nearly knocking the nightstand onto the floor. “Damn it, what?” A bleary look at his bedside clock showed that he’d managed to sleep for two hours this time. Two whole f**king hours.
And screw it to hell, but he’d been enjoying that dream. Or at least, he had until Cara had whispered her little secret at the end.
Just what in the hell had that been about? How f**ked up was his subconscious? First the damn wolf nightmares—the f**king claws and teeth—and now this shit.
Couldn’t a guy just have a good sex dream anymore?
“Ah, Detective?” The rough, slightly arrogant tone had him slapping a hand to his forehead.
Captain Danny McNeal. Aw, hell.
“Is this a bad time for you, Detective?” Annoyed now—and it really didn’t pay to annoy the captain.
“Sorry, Captain. I was…” fantasizing, having almost unbelievable sex…“sleeping.”
A grunt. “Well, Sleeping Beauty, if you can manage to drag your ass down to the station—”
His back teeth clenched. Drag his ass. Fucking nice. He’d worked most of the night to protect the people of Atlanta. He deserved to let his ass get some sleep now.
“—Smith has some info on your case.”
Now that had him finally snapping to full wakefulness. “Be right there.” But he was talking to the dial tone because McNeal had already hung up on him.
Bastard.
Todd met Colin on the steps of the precinct. His only consolation was that his partner looked like shit. Exactly the way he felt.
Smith’s timing could have been a hell of a lot better.
Or, depending on the victim’s perspective, he guessed it could have been worse.
But he knew the rules. The case came first. Then sleep.
As long as he could function adequately at his job and not jeopardize any civilians, well, he was good to go.
He and Colin rode the elevator silently down to the Crypt. The Crypt was Smith’s domain. It housed the medical examiner’s office as well as all the cold slabs, so the place always chilled him to the bone.
When the elevator doors slid open, he expected to hear the usual soft strains of Smith’s jazz music, but, instead, a heavy, thick silence filled the air.
Colin hesitated. “Maybe you should talk to her alone.” His face was tense, lips tight. “I don’t…know if she’s ready to see me yet.”
Now that was damn odd. As far as Todd knew, Colin had rescued Smith from that psycho who’d taken her.
At his raised brow, Colin said, “Bad memories, you know? She just got back, I don’t want to stir anything up for her.” The man looked seriously uncomfortable.
“You haven’t talked to her since she’s been working in the Crypt again?” Todd had gone down the first day to check in with the good doctor. She’d seemed quiet, her face a bit too tense, but otherwise, she’d appeared just fine.
Colin gave a curt shake of his head. “Not yet.”
“Well, hell, man, there’s no time like the present.” He sauntered down the small hallway, grabbed the handle of the door, and opened it with a quick pull. “After you.”
Colin lifted his chin. Marched forward. “Damn it, I don’t want her to freak out.”
Yeah, well, Smith had never really struck him as the “freak out” type. More the serious, smart, and very-much-together genius type.
Colin entered the Crypt first, then Todd swept inside behind him, calling out, “Smith! We’re here—”
She stepped out from behind a row of filing cabinets. Her dark gaze immediately went to his partner, and a tremble seemed to roll over her entire body.
“Smith! ” He lunged forward, certain that the ME was about to faint.
Colin beat him to her. He grabbed Smith, holding her easily and then pushing her down into a nearby chair. “Easy.”
She sucked in a deep gulp of air. Her skin, light, creamy brown, had completely healed from the attack. The bruises had faded.
The scratches and cuts had healed. Smith looked like her old self. Gorgeous face. Exotic eyes. Hair dark as night.
But the fear that he saw lurking in those dark eyes, that was new. Before, Smith hadn’t been afraid of a damn thing.
He’d admired that about her.
“Get your hands off me,” she told Colin, her voice a growl. “I’m fine. ”
He backed off immediately.
Smith’s fingers, delicate, ringless, rose to clutch the arms of the chair. Her body wasn’t shaking anymore, and when Colin eased back across the room, some of the fear faded from her gaze. Well, well. What was this about? Apparently, he wasn’t the only one who got nervous around old Colin these days.
But then, after seeing the guy transform into a four-legged dog with teeth a shark would envy, Todd figured he had a right to be a bit on the edgy side.
After all, it wasn’t every day that a guy found out his partner could lick his own ass. Or rip a man’s throat out with his teeth.
Smith’s body trembled “How’s your doc doing?” She asked Colin, and there was an edge to the words that Todd couldn’t quite define.
Colin lifted his brows. “Good. If you went to see her, like you should, you’d know that.”
Her full lips curved into what was definitely not a smile. More a snarl. “I’m afraid I’m not quite the type of patient she’s used to.”
Now what the hell was this? Todd stepped between them, lifting his hands. “Uh, yeah, it’s obvious you two have some shit to talk about, and that’s just great.” He turned his attention solely to Smith. “But I’m tired as hell, and just want to know about the case right now, okay?”
Smith gave a hard nod. “Fine.”
That seemed to be her favorite word, but from what he could tell, the lady was definitely not fine. Okay, so he’d been mistaken about her.
A trip to the psychologist sure might be in order for the ME. Well, actually, she’d already been to one. The department had demanded that she go see a counselor before coming back on duty. He just wasn’t sure the person she’d seen had helped her.