Touch of Evil Read online

  Eve had to smile at the fact that at least one of the men in the room didn’t think she was crazy. The fact that it was Mark was surprising.

  “How do you mean?” Cyrus looked at Mark, his expression guarded.

  “Well, I’m sure Flora could come up with something to disguise our scents. Remember that raid on the werewolf pack in Africa last year? Three men took down a pack of ten. Didn’t they say they took something to alter their body chemistry temporarily so they smelled like rats or something?”

  “Oh, that’s pleasant,” Eve commented with a shiver.

  “The point is, it had to be something non-threatening to the pack. Something normal. Non-human.”

  “Go call Flora. Ask her if she can do it, and if she can, tell her to get her ass over here. If were gonna do this, we don’t have a lot of time to plan. Ash, I hope you have a penguin suit. Looks like you’re going to a party.”

  Eve stood and watched as the three men spurred into action. Shock that they were actually going to do this left her momentarily speechless.

  “Ms. Murphy? You better come on.” Her gaze jerked up to Cyrus’ and she nodded. Six months of trying to figure out what to do was finally coming to a head and she had to admit, she was a little overwhelmed.

  Straightening her spine, she followed Cyrus into the dining room. “Right behind you Mr. Tanner.”

  * * * *

  “Who is he?” Sebastian asked, leaning back in his thick leather chair.

  John, his highly paid informant, threw a file on the desk and sat in the high back chair opposite the vampire. Sebastian leafed through it, listening intently as the man spoke.

  “There’s no record in history of an Ash Marshall.” He pulled out a slim cigar and lighted it. Sebastian waited patiently, knowing that John would get to the point soon enough. “However, there are records of a vampire fitting his description.”

  “Who was that vampire’s sire?”

  “Celine.”

  A thin, wicked smile spread across Sebastian’s face at the name. Celine was legendary, even for a vampire. She was a Cajun beauty with big dark eyes that cut a bloody swath across the United States. He remembered tales of her and her childe, terrorizing cities during the final days of the war that had divided this country. He had still been in London at the time, valiantly supplying weapons to the Southern States of America. For a price, of course.

  Sebastian only fed because he had to. He’d never gone into senseless killing, unless it was a means to an end. Unlike Celine and her childe, money and business were his passions. And he was very good at acquiring both.

  But even he had to admire the spectacular display of fear the pair induced. Then, sometime during the early decades of the 20th century, Celine had disappeared—presumed dusted—and her childe was never heard from again. Until now.

  “So, he’s Celine’s,” he murmured softly, recalling the mild-looking man with Eve the night before. “And if their body language meant anything last night, he is Evelyn’s new suitor.” He chuckled and tilted his chair, resting the back of his head on his clasped hands. The irony of it was not lost on him. “Very interesting.”

  “What do you want to do about him?” John asked, stubbing out his sweet smelling cigar.

  “Do?” Sebastian tapped his fingers against his chin, appearing deep in thought. The smile that bloomed across his mouth had his guest suppressing a shiver. “Nothing. It’s no concern of mine whom Evelyn chooses to consort with.” Especially if that someone was inclined to kill her, thereby helping Sebastian retain his hold on Brianne. The chuckle he let out would have crystallized the moisture in the air if it were possible. “But just to be on the safe side, try to find someone that knows why Celine’s childe dropped out of sight. That will be all.”

  “Of course, Mr. Cane.”

  Sebastian turned and looked out the office window, staring at but not really seeing the thick, weeping willows that surrounded his property. He was highly amused that Evelyn, who was so adamant against his and Brianne’s relationship, now had herself involved with a creature that was much more deadly than he had ever been. He was still chuckling when the man he entrusted his security with stepped inside the office after a brief knock.

  “Sir?” The man stared at Sebastian as if he was afraid he had finally gone around the bend. He made sure the look was gone when Sebastian turned to face him.

  “Ah, yes, Edward. Is everything ready for the party?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Edward’s tone cut through Sebastian’s amusement and he tossed a quizzical look at the man. “Is there a problem, Edward?”

  Edward could think of a few other things he’d rather do than answer that question. It wasn’t that he was afraid of his employer, quite the contrary. He could rip the creature’s throat out faster than Sebastian’s eyes could flash red. No, he feared the woman that was currently in her rooms, taking a bath. And he desired her nearly as much. It was that and the fact that Sebastian paid him well which kept him loyal.

  “I was just wondering if this party was such a good idea. Especially inviting her sister. That girl is trouble.”

  “Normally, I would agree with you. However, in order to get what I want, I need to give Brie what she wants. To an extent, that is.” “Yes sir,” Edward conceded, knowing that no matter how much he protested, the party would go on.

  “Is that all?”

  “Yes. I’ll go get ready to escort Miss Brie to the club.”

  “Thank you Edward.”

  Edward turned and left, knowing he had been dismissed. As he walked down the opulently decorated halls and headed for the stairs, he couldn’t quite shake the feeling that the party was a mistake. But Sebastian was determined. And when that happened, there was no stopping the vampire. Edward just hoped that it didn’t come back to bite them all in the ass.

  * * * *

  By four a.m., Eve was seeing two of everything and yawning every other second. She sat on the couch, her legs tucked under her, watching the men who seemed to have fonts of endless energy as they plotted and planned her sister’s rescue. She could hear the woman that had shown up around twelve, moving around the kitchen. Pots clanged together occasionally, spurring Cyrus to let out a stream of colorful curses. Flora would shoot something equally as crass back at him. Eve had been torn between shock and laughter that the woman, who was a shock to the eyes alone, could give as good as she got from the old man.

  She had nearly laughed out loud when, as was his usual habit, Mark was lighting a cigarette off the remains of his last one. Flora marched up to him, pulled the newly lit tube of tobacco from his mouth, and tapped it out with short jabs in the ashtray. She had looked at him, arms crossed over her massive bosom, her eyes daring him to argue with her. She’d told him that if he didn’t wait at least an hour between cigarettes, she was going to take the whole pack, dump it in a glass of water and make him drink it. The idea of it was enough to make Eve grimace, but Mark looked positively green. Still, he waited an hour, constantly checking the wall clock until he could spark up again.

  Flora had spent the last couple of hours alternating between the kitchen, where she was keeping a steady stream of sandwiches and coffee coming, adding her two cents to what the men discussed, and making sure Eve was comfortable. In fact, what had started the coffee and sandwich production was Eve’s stomach growling embarrassingly loud. She hadn’t eaten since the hastily inhaled bowl of cereal before work this morning. Flora had clucked and cooed and cursed Cyrus for being such a bad host. Cy’s only reply was a dark glare at the woman’s back.

  “Flora! Is that concoction going to be ready soon?” Cyrus’ bellowed question startled Eve out of her hazy retrospection.

  “Dammit, Cy. I told you it would be. Now be quiet and let me get what I need to get done, done, you mean old coot.”

  Eve’s laugh was stifled by another yawn. Ash looked up at her and flashed a quick grin, rolling his eyes at the couple’s antics. He had been the most silent of the bunch, tossing out
things once in awhile, but mostly letting Mark and Cyrus plan. After all, he would be in the club with Eve, posing as her date and working as a distraction for Sebastian.

  Eve had been amazed at how much information they had accumulated so quickly. Cyrus had the plans for the club, and had already memorized the best escape route. Ash had apparently gleaned a lot from his visit to the club and was filling them in on where the security cameras were and how many guards were inside. Mark had already found a safe house where the group would meet, twenty-four hours after the rescue. She felt her apprehension fade with each passing minute, realizing that these men were the best at what they did. Weapons were discussed and checked, and even a sedative for Brie was discussed. Eve had been against it at first, but, as Mark pointed out, she would have no way of knowing who they were and would probably scream or worse, sing—they had to make sure that she was out cold until they were out of the club.

  “All right, I think it’s time one of you Neanderthals took Eve here home,” Flora said, emerging from the kitchen wiping her hands on an old dishtowel.

  “I’ll take her.” Ash pushed the plans he had been studying away and stood to stretch out sore muscles.

  Eve’s eyes were drawn to the play of muscle under his clothes and the expanse of skin that was exposed by his T-shirt riding up. Oh yummy, her tired brain thought at the sight of his six pack abs. Luckily, Ash was too preoccupied with getting the keys from Mark and searching for his jacket to notice her ogling him.

  “I can just get a cab.” she said when she remembered how to use her voice.

  “Pshh. Don’t worry about it honey. Why pay for a ride when you get one from one of these oafs for free?” Flora asked, her eyes twinkling. Eve smiled back before gathering up her shoes, stockings and evening bag and standing herself.

  “You need to come back out here tomorrow night. Wear what you’re going to be wearing to the party so we can fit you with a transmitter,” Cy barked without looking up.

  Eve stared at the top of his head, her eyes glaring daggers through the top of it. “Fine,” she started, sliding her shoes onto her feet, “but it won’t be until after work, which I have to be at in five hours.”

  “Fine, fine,” was all Cyrus said.

  Eve rolled her eyes and shook her head at the lack of sympathy in the old man’s voice.

  “You know, Cy,” Flora said. “You should think about getting to bed yourself. You have a class in the morning.”

  “Dammit, woman. Leave me be. Can’t you see I’m working?”

  “Well, excuse me for giving a shit,” Flora said with a huff.

  “Some things will never change,” Ash said as he closed the door on the argument with a chuckle. He turned and led Eve to the gray Thunderbird parked in the driveway.

  Eve looked out the window in silence as Ash slid behind the wheel and revved the powerful engine to life. She had to smile as he pulled out of the driveway and started down a street lined on either side with identical brick houses. They were the housing the College provided for the professors. There was no indication from the outside that you would find a demon hunter and his family hiding inside.

  Then again, she supposed that was the intriguing part of living in North Port. Nothing was what it seemed. A rather small city that could have died when the warehouse district did, the College kept it thriving. Considered one of the top ten academic schools in the country, most high school graduates were dying to get into NPU, sometimes literally. This place, with its over-populace of the young and carefree, was an all you can eat buffet for the real citizens of the town. For a small town, their murder rate rivaled that of Baltimore or L.A. Most of the murders were blamed on some poor homeless person that didn’t have the means to defend himself. Others would remain unsolved. But neither of those accounted for the many others that were merely listed as missing.

  Eve grew up here. After her father had disappeared, her mother had moved back here. Her grandparents had still lived here, teaching at the university. It was how she knew about Cyrus to begin with. She remembered, at their weekly Sunday meals, her grandparents talking about the poor paranormal psychology teacher. His wife had died, leaving him to raise their young daughter alone. Then the daughter had taken off, never coming back to visit her father. Eve remembered feeling a great sadness for the man that had lost so much. Now that she met him and his grandson, she couldn’t help wondering what had brought Mark to live with him.

  Shaking off the curiosity of things that were none of her business, Eve stared blankly out at the darkened storefronts. There was something inherently depressing about a city at night, at least, to her. All the people milling around, desperate not to go home, looking for something they would never find in a nightclub. It occurred to her that she might move after this was all over. Maybe head south. Brie liked the sun. And Eve loved the beach. Someplace where vampires and danger weren’t knocking at your door everyday.

  Bored with looking at the passing city, Eve turned towards the man behind the wheel. The lights from the outside cut across his face, highlighting his cheekbones and making them seem almost gaunt. His hands rested lightly against the wheel, his long fingers curled around the hard plastic in a loose grip. He expertly navigated the streets, his impossibly blue eyes watching for pedestrians and traffic.

  “Mind if I ask why you’re staring?” His voice cut through the silence, deep and warm with more than a hint of amusement.

  Eve grinned, unashamed at getting caught staring. “I was just thinking how pretty you are.” she replied, laughing out loud when he scowled.

  “I am not pretty.”

  “Yes you are. You have a face an artist would salivate to paint and your eyes—wow. They alone should have women dropping at your feet like flies. And your body isn’t too bad, either.”

  “Er, thanks.” He wasn’t sure if she was teasing or not, but he had to admit it was nice to hear. Eve’s laughter bubbled from her throat, sending a pleasant chill racing up his spine. He glanced over at her and grinned. “Glad I can amuse you.”

  “I think you could be very amusing,” she said, her gaze brazenly dragging over him.

  An eyebrow shot up at her suggestive tone and he had to concentrate on not sending them careening into a street lamp. He took the opportunity a red light gave him to turn to face her. “Are you propositioning me?”

  “Maybe,” she replied coyly, looking up at him under her lashes.

  God, he was good looking. Eve could feel the very pleasant tingles starting at the base of her nerve endings in anticipation. She was not a slut, not by any means. But she wasn’t a prude, either. She liked men, enjoyed them if she chose. She wanted Mr. Right, but she certainly didn’t mind testing out the Mr. Right Nows along the way. Ash was a good prospect for either of those categories. She found herself thinking as she waited for him to kiss her or the light to change, whichever came first, that she wouldn’t mind at all if he fit into the first. There was something about his eyes, his entire demeanor that screamed honorable. But then again, she could just be caught up in the hormones that were currently raging inside of her. And that was all right, too.

  Every instinct yelled at Ash to take her up on what she was so happily offering. Unfortunately—or fortunately, Ash couldn’t really decide which—his more logical mind won out. Yes, he wanted her. But she didn’t know what he was. Even though he had not told her, nor had she asked, he figured it would be ugly if she found out after they made love. No. This was not the time. Maybe after they dealt with the problem of Sebastian and her sister, he’d tell her the truth then let her decide but not before then.

  Eve saw the second he decided to turn her down. “Pity,” she said.

  She didn’t sound mad, which pleased Ash. Nothing was worse than a pissed off woman. Unless it was a pissed off woman that had just had her offer of sex turned down. Eve shrugged, gave him a look that told him very clearly “your loss” and went back to looking out the window. They drove in silence for the remainder of the ride, except for Eve
’s occasional directions.

  When they pulled up in front of the small apartment building, she turned toward him and stuck out a hand. He took it without hesitation and gave hers a squeeze.

  “Thank you, Ash. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  Before he had a chance to respond, she tightened her grip on his and used the leverage of his body to pull herself into his lap. His reaction to her boldness and the heat of her body straddling his was immediate. He was rock hard and pulsing in his jeans. Her mouth fused over his, her lips hot and demanding. He opened willingly under her, moaning at the first swipe of her tongue across his. Instinct had his hips grinding up, rubbing his rigid length against her silk covered vagina. His fingers slid under the hem of her skirt, searching for the soft, sleek skin beneath.

  She wiggled on top of him, eager for more, aching with want. She wanted more. Needed it. She wanted to feel his skin against hers, wanted to sample the muskiness of that skin. He smelled wonderful, wild and rich and he tasted just as good. And, God, could he kiss. His mouth moved expertly under hers, teasing and tasting, taking and giving. His hands were rough on her flesh, molding her like warm putty.

  “We need to stop.” Ash pulled away, gasping.

  “Yeah, sure,” Eve agreed before kissing him again. She whimpered as his hands slid over her bottom, his calloused fingers teasing the edge of her silk and lace panties. When his thumb slid across the center of her, Eve nearly came.

  God, she was so wet, so warm, so fucking eager. It wouldn’t take hardly any effort to push those panties aside, undo his jeans and slide up into all that slick softness. His cock throbbed painfully at the thought of it. He thrust up against her again and pressed his thumb over her clit through the thin material. She cried out at the pressure and started to vibrate in his arms.

  Her essence filled the car, wrapping around him, sliding into his senses. It intoxicated him. Made him … hunger.

  The hunger slammed into him so quickly he had no time to brace against it. He heard her whimper in pain as his hands convulsed around her flesh, forcing her down harder on him. Even so, she didn’t pull away, instead kissing him with more passion and rubbing her lush breasts temptingly against his chest.