Touch of Evil Read online

  The firemen rushed around in perfect synch, trying to get the fire inside stopped before it spread to the surrounding buildings and took out the whole block. The fire had grown quickly, making her wonder what the hell Ash had used to start it. Then again, the less she knew was probably the better.

  Over the shouts of the firemen and the whisperings of the onlookers, Eve heard her name, and turned to see Sebastian stalking toward them, his face a twisted mask of rage.

  Ash pulled her a little closer, partially shielding her with his body. Under normal circumstances, she would have ripped him a new one for treating her like someone who needed to be protected. But the sheer violence on the face of the vampire coming at them made this situation far from normal.

  “Sebastian,” she started, then forced the tremor out of her voice and tried again. “Where’s Brie?” She hoped her face conveyed the proper amount of concern and fear for her sister’s safety.

  “That’s just what I was about to ask you, Evelyn.”

  She knitted her brows together in confusion and blinked her eyes as she pretended to process what he had said. “Why, Sebastian, I don’t know what you mean.”

  “Don’t play stupid, Evelyn. It doesn’t suit you.”

  Eve could tell that Sebastian would like nothing more than to beat Brie’s whereabouts out of her, but the presence of the other party guests and Ash prevented it.

  “Listen, Sebastian, if she’s not inside, I have no idea where she is. She probably slipped out a back window or something when the alarms went off.” She inflected hope into her voice and frowned with worry.

  “We’ve already checked the alley, Evelyn. I assure you, she is not there.”

  “Well, maybe she went home.” She pushed fear through the hope and looked at him with wide apprehensive eyes.

  Ash couldn’t help but be proud of her acting ability. He settled back and let her take the lead. Sebastian’s attention wasn’t focused on him, so there was no reason for him to speak. But he was coiled and ready to intercede should Sebastian’s anger move beyond words.

  “Perhaps,” Sebastian conceded through clenched teeth. “Though, it would be highly inconsiderate of her not to find me to let me know she was all right. Don’t you think?”

  “Brie is a grown woman, well over twenty one. She doesn’t have to answer to anyone.” Her temper snapped, despite her tight control on it. She quickly pushed it back, telling herself she needed to chill out, or her life was as good as gone. “I think we should hope that she’s not trapped inside that building.”

  Eve had returned to her hope filled, anxious voice, but Sebastian could detect the insincerity just beneath her words.

  Rage flashed red in his eyes and his hand snaked out to seize her arm, his fingers biting painfully into her flesh. She refused to cry out, but couldn’t stop the flinch that narrowed her eyes. “You will regret this,” he hissed, glaring down at her. The fact that he was about to lose his ever-present cool would have normally had Eve laughing outright in his face. But the very real threat of violence in his eyes had fear closing her throat.

  “Let. Her. Go.”

  The sound of Ash’s deadly voice so close made her jump. How she had managed to forget he was there was a shocker, but she had.

  Sebastian’s eyes shifted to the man towering behind Eve. An almost pleasant smile touched his lips in response to the hint of red in the other vampire’s eyes. Not enough for Eve—who was still staring at him—or the other people around them to notice. But more than enough for Sebastian to understand the warning.

  “Careful, Mr. Marshall,” Sebastian said, his voice a sea of cold menace. “One misstep on your part and the gentleman behind you will put a stake through your heart.”

  Ash froze. A discreet sniff confirmed that the werewolf was indeed standing behind him. But the fact that he hadn’t detected the creature was not the reason he was feeling panicked. It was Sebastian’s carefully chosen words that had Ash’s gaze flicking to Eve, waiting for her to realize what it meant.

  A string of curses exploded in his mind as he relaxed into a more casual stance. Eve had gone stone still, her face stripped of whatever she was thinking. He hadn’t meant for her to find out like this. But he should have known that Sebastian wouldn’t want to keep that little bit of information to himself.

  Fuck.

  A stake? Eve’s mind screamed. Through the heart???

  The implications tore through her like a hot knife through soft butter, leaving her cold inside. Ash was a vampire.

  Suddenly, his seriousness when he’d said they had to talk when this was all over made sense. How his touch and kisses always started out feeling cool, only to quickly warm with her heat … she had unconsciously attributed it to how chilly the nights had been lately. Now she called herself a fool.

  Anger at him for keeping what he was from her, and most of all, anger that his deception allowed Sebastian to stare down at her with that look of smug self-satisfaction on his face had her skin heating. To think, she had actually been thinking that Ash might be the one. What an idiot.

  “Let me go, Sebastian. I have no idea where Brie is.” Eve was amazed at how level and calm her voice sounded when she was raging inside. “Now, unless you want me to make a scene in front of your guests and the authorities milling around here—and I assure you, what I would have to say would have them very interested in you—I suggest you let me and my companion go.” She took a deep breath and leveled her narrowed gaze on him. “Now.”

  She could see him struggling with what to do. Ultimately, he had to let her go or risk dealing with the police. It clearly galled him to have to concede this round. She returned his glare with one of her own, neither willing to give an inch. Then, with a split-second baring of his teeth, he released her.

  Eve smiled, the edge of her lips rising in a cold, polite farewell. “Thank you for inviting us, Sebastian. It was a truly lovely party.” Sarcasm dripped from her voice, any illusion that she didn’t know what had happened inside shattered by it. “I trust you’ll give the firemen my number if they have any questions?”

  “I assure you, I will,” Sebastian promised. His glare left her to focus on Ash.

  “Well then, goodnight. Ash, take me home. I’ve had enough fun tonight.” Eve didn’t look at Ash as she turned on her heel and started to where they’d parked the rental car Flora had acquired for them.

  “You better follow the lady, Mr. Marshall. You don’t want her to get too far ahead of you.” Ash glared at Sebastian and straightened his shoulders. He made sure his face showed more than a hint of the venom that had earned him his reputation as Celine’s childe. He was satisfied to see the other vampire’s smile drop a fraction.

  “You will go down,” Ash promised. His voice was low, almost casual, but there was no mistaking his intent.

  “I don’t think so. I’ve been around much longer than you and I’ll be here long after you are dust. Know this, I will get her back.”

  “Ash!” Eve’s furious voice reached them from half a block up; Ash’s vampire hearing picked it easily out of the din of the firefighters and onlookers. The fire had been contained, but there was still a lot of work for them to do.

  “You’re human awaits, childe of Celine.”

  Surprise flickered briefly across Ash’s face. It was quickly covered with a scowl, before Ash turned without another word and stalked away. Sebastian watched them as they proceeded up the street, their bodies as far apart as was possible with the crowd milling around.

  “Follow them. Bring them to me,” he instructed Edward, who had moved to stand behind him. He couldn’t risk taking them here; too many witnesses.

  “Yes, sir.” Edward moved away, blending easily into the crowd and disappearing.

  “Mr. Cane?”

  Sebastian turned to face the fireman standing behind him, his usual polite, charming smile back in place. “Yes?”

  “We think we’ve found the source of the fire.”

  “So quickly? How impres
sive.”

  “Er, yeah. Anyway, it’s pretty obvious that the fire started in the trash in the men’s bathroom. Seems we’re looking at a case of arson here.”

  Sebastian detected the hint of accusation in the man’s voice, but merely arched a brow. “I’m sure it was, Mr… I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name.”

  “Perkins,” the firefighter answered, even as his brows drew together in surprised confusion. “How can you be sure?”

  “A man in my position has many enemies, Mr. Perkins. It is of no surprise to me that someone would want to destroy what I have built.” Or steal what belongs to me.

  “Well, the police are going to need a list of those enemies.”

  “Yes, of course.” As he moved to follow the fireman over to the officers conducting interviews of the crowd, Sebastian surveyed the destruction of his club with little interest. He was rich enough to rebuild, even if the insurance company refused to pay. The loss of this establishment wasn’t what had a blood lust he hadn’t felt in a long time singing through his veins. Evelyn had pushed him too far this time and, once he used her to get Brianne back where she belonged, he’d take great pleasure in teaching both women a lesson; a lesson in blood.

  No one escaped Sebastian Cane.

  * * * *

  “You be careful, boy,” Cyrus growled as he slid out of the car. He sent a furtive glance to the back seat, where Brianne was still unconscious. “Hear me?”

  “Yes, sir,” Mark replied with a mock salute. A cigarette burned in his hand, sending a ring of smoke around his dark head. “You, too. I’ll call in a couple of days.”

  “Don’t worry about me. I’m too mean to kill.” Cy slammed the door and leaned back in the open window. “Oh, and when you get to where you’re going, try not to kill Seth. He’s doin’ us a huge favor.” He smirked as his grandson scowled, but nodded his okay. The younger man’s foot tapped on the accelerator, revving the engine, his impatience to leave apparent.

  “Go on, get out of here.” Cyrus pulled out of the window and slapped the side of the car. He watched the Thunderbird until the taillights completely faded from sight, then turned to trot up the walk to his house.

  He was supposed to pick up Flora, then head out of town for a few days. Just in case. It would be hard for Sebastian to link Ash back to them and Mark, but not impossible. So they decided to err on the side of caution and lay low.

  Or so Mark had decided.

  Cyrus had never run from anything in his life and he didn’t plan to start now. Flora felt pretty much the same way. They were staying. And if Sebastian somehow traced Ash back to them … well, he might be old, but he still had a few tricks up his sleeve.

  * * * *

  The only thing that broke the thick silence surrounding them as they rode back to Eve’s apartment was the steady tap, tap, tap of Eve’s nails on the door frame. She sat next to Ash, her gaze trained out the window, her arms crossed over her breasts, ignoring him. Anger practically vibrated off of her and it made Ash’s nerves bunch with tension.

  Should have told her to begin with, he told himself, driving more on instinct than actually paying attention. If he had told her from the start, she might not have kissed him, but at least she wouldn’t be plotting ways to cut off his parts. Well, that’s what he assumed she was doing. He had no real way of telling what she was thinking. She refused to look at him, refused to acknowledge that he was even there. The thought that she might never acknowledge him again sent a bolt of fear shooting through him. And, considering he was a fairly dangerous vampire that didn’t have much to fear, that was surprising.

  The closer he drew to Eve’s apartment, the more that fear crawled up his throat. The thought of what might happen when they got there terrified him. Or more to the point, what wouldn’t happen. If she got out of the car and didn’t even say a cursory goodnight to him, Ash didn’t know what he would do. He couldn’t explain the blind panic that thought brought out, he just knew it was there. He didn’t understand how, in so short a period of time, Eve had become very important to him. So important, that he knew he had to find some way to fix this. Now if he could just figure out how.

  When they pulled to a stop in front of her building, Eve was out of the car and walking away before Ash had fully rolled to a stop. She was inside the building before he had a chance to park and pull the keys out of the ignition to follow her. With a quick burst of his vampiric speed into the building and up the stairs, he caught up to her as she slid her key into the lock. She gave no indication that she knew he was there, even though he was burning holes through her back with his eyes.

  “Eve?” he said.

  She didn’t answer, just walked into her apartment. The door was left open, so he took that as a good sign and followed, hesitating in the doorway. “Eve?”

  She stood by the patio doors, looking out on the city lights that glowed in the night. Her body appeared rigid, but the longer he looked at her, he noticed that her shoulders were trembling slightly. With a deep sigh filled with guilt, he stepped inside and closed the door. The thin wood wouldn’t do much if she let loose on him, but he at least put up the pretense.

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” Her question was so soft, that if it wasn’t for his enhanced hearing, he would have missed it. He worked his jaw as he tried to figure out why he hadn’t. He should have known keeping it from her wouldn’t have ended well.

  “I guess I didn’t want to scare you off. You were pretty clear on your feelings about vampires.”

  “Not vampires. Sebastian,” she bit out through clenched teeth.

  He tilted his head to the side and stared at the long line of her back exposed by her low-fitting dress, and frowned. “No, I don’t think you made that distinction. I remember, very clearly, that you asked who had ever heard of a good vampire. I guess I wanted to prove who I was before your prejudice could make excuses against us.”

  Eve turned to him, compelled by the angry edge to his words. He was angry? Well, that was just fine, because she was more than willing to give him a fight. “Well, excuse me. You’ll have to forgive me for being a little apprehensive about the undead. All I’ve had to go on is movies, and the one bastard of a vamp that took a liking to my sister.” Her eyes snapped green fire and her fingers dug into her arms, as if she was trying to hold herself back. “Maybe, if you hadn’t lied to me, my opinion could have changed.”

  “I never lied to you.”

  “Lying by omission is no better than flat out lying to my face. And the rest of them—none of them could have mentioned it? They kill vampires for a living for Christ’s sake. I never even would have guessed that they had a vampire working for them.” Her voice rose an octave with each word, bringing her ever closer to shouting.

  “I don’t work for them. I work with them. Difference.”

  “Don’t split hairs. The fact is, unless I was told, there was no way I would have known that you’re a vampire. Never even would have considered it.”

  “Oh, come on. You can’t tell me that you never noticed my lack of body temp?” His eyes had iced over, making them appear the color of icebergs. Anger was written across the sharp curves of his face, contorting it. “Or lack of heartbeat. You had your goddamned hand over my heart earlier this evening and you had no idea? I’m not buying it, lady.”

  “Fuck you. You had just kissed me fucking senseless. How the hell was I supposed to focus on something like that?” Eve’s hand waved in front of her, palm up, questioning. “And don’t turn this on me. It wasn’t up to me to figure it out. It was up to you to tell me.”

  Ash’s jaw tensed and his eyes narrowed as her point hit home. She was right. Trying to turn it around on her wouldn’t make his blame any less. “Fine. You’re right. I should have told you. I’m sorry.”

  Even though it was said quickly and with the tenseness of anger coating each word, she didn’t doubt his sincerity. She could see it in his eyes. “Well, you should be,” she said for lack of anything better. She turned away from
him, taking deep breaths to calm the rapid beating of her heart. She felt the sting of tears behind her eyes and blinked them back. She hated getting angry. Really angry. Because sooner or later, she would start to cry. And that pissed her off even more.

  “So, what now?”

  The threat of tears became even stronger with his quietly voiced question. She could hear the hope in it, the remorse he felt at deceiving her. But she couldn’t accept any of it just yet.

  “Now, you leave and I go to bed. Tomorrow, we go collect my sister and decide what to do next. After that…” she turned around again, her eyes locking with his, “—we’ll see. I have a lot to think over. The least of which is whether or not I can trust you.” She saw the shot of hurt that clouded his eyes, but she couldn’t feel badly about it. Not yet. Maybe not ever.

  Ash looked at the floor, staring blindly at the beige carpet. After a second he nodded, raising his eyes to hers again. “Fair enough,” he said simply, then turned away from her and started towards the door.

  Eve clamped her jaw to make sure that she didn’t say anything stupid, like “stay” and watched him go. Confusion had her eyebrows drawing together when he paused, the door open a crack. When he looked back at her, her breath caught in her throat at how his eyes, which had just been glacial, were now burning white-hot. She took an instinctive step back, her hand dropping to her sides, her body poised for flight. Fear slid through her at the predatory gleam shining in his eyes. He had the look of a starving man. Unfortunately for her, she didn’t know if he wanted to figuratively or literally feast on her.

  “While you’re thinking things over,” he said, his voice low, the deep timber sending a shiver down her spine that had nothing to do with fear. “There’s something I want you to pay particular attention to.”

  “W-what’s that?” She raised her chin in an attempt at defiance. Her eyes widened and she squeaked in surprise with the speed he suddenly appeared in front of her, his steely arm already closing around her waist and pulling her against him.