“Are you?” Humans were as crafty as the Fae about things like that. It never failed to amaze me, but then again, I didn’t think in terms of getting ahead. Not much. I just wanted to do a decent job and enjoy life.
“Nah…I wouldn’t mind a promotion but I don’t envy him. His job has to be a pain in the ass. I’d do it, if it ever fell to me, but it’s not exactly one I’m jonesing for. But he’s so paranoid he can’t see reason. Anyway, let’s head down to the archives. They’re on the same floor as the morgue. We need to figure out a game plan. I already looked up Tom Lane in the computer and so far, there are hundreds of hits. We have to weed through them one by one, to eliminate any obvious non-contenders.”
He led me toward the door, where we crossed to the elevator. The car was slow and smooth, and very big. It took me a moment to figure out that they not only transported people in this elevator, but corpses on stretchers, and probably a good many other things. As the doors opened with a hushed swish, I followed Chase out into a long hall. We turned to the right and headed up toward a door on the far right. He flipped the switch as we entered, and I blinked as stack after stack of big file boxes came into view, neatly organized onto metal shelves eight shelves high, till they reached the ceiling. The stacks were intimidating, and a brief thought ran through my head of what it would be like if an earthquake were to hit at this moment. We could be buried under a sea of paper and cardboard.
“All right, have a seat over there at the table.” Chase spread out an armful of file folders. “I ran the name Tom Lane through the system for Washington State. Here, we have a list of convicted and incarcerated inmates by that name. Here’s a list of convicted and released criminals. Here’s a list of birth certificates. And one of death certificates. I also ran it through the DMV, here are a list of the Tom Lanes who hold valid Washington State drivers licenses. Here’s a list of anybody who holds a professional license by that name.”
“You’re just list happy, aren’t you?” I stared at the stack of pages that smelled a lot like tedium, but gave him a grin to show I was joking. As he spread out the papers, I stared at them. “You really think we’ll be able to find him hidden in all of this?”
Chase shrugged. “I wish I could say yes, but the truth is, when it comes to anything connected to Otherworld or the Fae, I’m clueless. I’m doing the best I can. Police work is methodical. We start at point one and go to point two and so on. If you have a better solution, I’d like to hear it, and I’m not just blowing smoke.”
I snickered. “I see what you mean. This is going to be like finding a snowflake in a storm.”
“Yeah, but we don’t have much of a choice. Here…you take this list, and use that computer terminal over there. Let me show you what to do.” He motioned for me to sit down, then leaned over my shoulder. The smell of spice and beef and cologne all mixed together in what was suddenly an intoxicating scent. I blinked as I realized that he smelled tasty. I usually didn’t react much to men. I had never really thought about it, to be honest. But an odd little buzz flared inside and I couldn’t shake it off.
I cleared my throat, trying to ignore his proximity. “What do I do now?”
“I’ve got you set up to search nationwide. You type in the number here—each man is given an individual number once he’s assigned to the system, and then it will search through to see where he’s currently living and his status.” He suddenly stopped and I swear, I could feel his breath on my neck.
I tried to steady my voice. “Status…you mean how rich he is?”
“No, I mean if he’s dead or alive.” Chase sniffed.
Startled at his breath on my neck, I glanced up at his face. “Did you just smell my hair?”
“No…not at all.” His voice was soft, but I knew he was lying. Chase sweated when he lied—just enough so that it was easy enough for us to tell. I was especially good at noticing because of my Were nature. Most Weres were hypersensitive to scent.
Smiling softly—for some reason the fact that I had managed to disconcert him made me smile—I decided not to push the subject and began to type in the numbers, one at a time.
Two hours later, we were still wading through a flurry of paper without any solid results. I yawned. “I have to take a break. All I see are numbers when I close my eyes.”
Chase mumbled something, then pushed his chair back. The legs screeched along the concrete floor. “Muffins. We need muffins. And coffee.”
I nodded. I didn’t drink coffee very much—it was an Earthside beverage that I hadn’t developed much of a taste for—but right now the buzz would be more than welcome. “Do you have a Starbucks near here? Or any espresso stand?”
“Across the street. Want to take a walk to get fresh air into the lungs?” He grabbed his jacket and slid his arms into the sleeves.
“Sounds good to me.”
We took the elevator back up, then headed outside through a side door that was accessible only to those who had the code. As we launched ourselves into the breezy autumn night, I inhaled deeply. The scent of smoke and rain weighed heavily in the air. Chase pulled his coat tighter around his shoulders.
“You cold?” I was chilly too.
He nodded. “It’s nippy, all right. But we don’t have far to go.”
We hit the mini-mall. Luckily, the coffee shop was open till midnight, so we ordered our drinks and found a table in the corner. The shop was filled with computer geeks on their laptops and shoppers who were seeking a retreat from the gusty night.
This was one of the first times I’d ever been alone with Chase for any appreciable time and it occurred to me that I really didn’t know much about the man. I studied his face as we sat there in a comfortable silence. He was handsome, with a firm jaw line and dark hair slicked back. His skin was a light colored olive, and his nose was long and narrow. My gaze lingered over his lips—they looked soft, not chapped, and I realized I wanted touch them.
“Like what you see?” His abrupt question made me realize that I’d been staring at him full on.
I blushed. “I’m…I didn’t mean…” I closed my mouth, wishing the ground could open up and swallow me. But he just laughed and winked.
“I’m just teasing you. But…it feels weird, doesn’t it? You and me, out together? I know I feel a little bit awkward.” The boyish smile told me he wasn’t lying.
A sudden pang hit me, and I wasn’t sure why, but I blurted, “I bet you wish you were here with Camille.”
Mortified the moment I heard the words tumble out, I immediately shut my mouth, accidentally piercing my bottom lips with one of my fangs. They were non-retractable, and I let out a cry as a drop of blood welled up and trickled down my chin. Embarrassed again, I grabbed for a napkin, but Chase beat me to it.
He quietly reached over with his and dabbed the blood off my face. “Please, don’t think that.” His voice had taken on an odd tone. As I met his gaze, I realized he was looking at me like he was seeing me for the first time. “I like you, Delilah. You’re fun to hang out with. You don’t make me uncomfortable. Well, not unless you’re sneaking up on me like you have the habit of doing.”
Cautious, wondering if he was making fun of me, I held his gaze, searching his face. There was no subterfuge there. He was telling the truth. At least, my heart wanted to believe it. I wasn’t sure what was happening, but I had never felt like this before. My pulse quickened as he slowly extended his hand across the table and rested it on my fingers. His skin was warm against mine, and I could barely breathe. I shivered, but not from the cold.
“Delilah…” Chase’s voice was hesitant.
I wanted him to lean over the table, to press my lips against his. I wanted to know what it felt like to have a man wrap me in his arms. All those years of ignoring my love life, of never finding anyone interesting enough to pay attention to, they all seemed to roll away like water off a duck’s back. Menolly had been in love, long ago. And Camille was the queen of hearts. But I had always felt to
o young. Too awkward. Too inexperienced.
Sitting there, so tense I could barely stand it, yet afraid to move, I stared at Chase. Please, make the next move. Please, lead me through the gate I’m too afraid to open on my own.
And then…in a fraction of a second…he withdrew his hand and took a sip of his coffee. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be so rude.”
His sudden aloofness left me wanting to cry. What was something wrong with me? Feeling suddenly ugly and awkward, I fought to hold down the tears as I shoved my chair back and stood.
“Excuse me while I use the restroom.” Before he could say a word, I headed toward the bathroom, my cheeks flaming. Once inside, I locked myself in a stall and let the tears flow. The kicker was, I wasn’t even sure why I was crying.
I glanced in the mirror. “Well, what did you think would happen? You don’t even know what you want, so why are you so upset?” After a quick rinse to my face, I let out a long shuddering breath and—trying to navigate the swirl of emotions flooding through me—headed back.
Chase was waiting at the table. He gave me the once-over, looking worried. “Are you all right? Did I say something wrong?”
I shook my head, my lips tight. I didn’t want his pity, and I sure as hell didn’t want to make him feel guilty for something that I didn’t even understand.
“No, don’t worry about me. I’m just feeling a little antsy tonight.” Avoiding his stare, I slipped on my jacket and picked up my backpack. “Why don’t we head back to the office and finish up our work?”
As we stepped back into the blustery night, it hit me that my feelings weren’t going to just magically disappear. Because as much as I didn’t want to admit it, I realized that I was attracted to Chase. And that was the last thing I wanted.
We were almost through the last page of names without having any luck when Chase let out a garbled cry and jumped to his feet.
“What’s wrong?” I looked around, readying myself for…for…I didn’t know what for But the knowledge that three demons were out there scouting for us had left me jumpy.
“Something just ran across my feet!” He shoved back his chair, glancing under the table. After a moment, his shoulders relaxed and he straightened up. “Just a mouse. It’s back in the corner, trapped. Poor thing looks scared.”
The tone of his voice touched me—he sounded worried. But the word ‘mouse’ lingered in my ears. I peeked under the table. Sure enough, there, in the corner, was a little mouse. Its bright, glittering gaze looked a little too frightened, and I realized the poor thing must be scared out of its mind. But then, I felt something else. An all-too familiar sensation. The mouse was cornered. My nose wrinkled as I picked up the scent of fear.
“Oh, hell.” I knew what was going to happen. “I have to get out of—” but before I could say another word, the room began to spin and my body to shift. When I shifted, it was like stepping into a blender of sensation, like walking into a kaleidoscope and being spun around and around. As I fell into the haze that accompanied changing form, the world took on a golden hue. Another moment and I was standing on the floor, staring at the mouse, my tail rippling with excitement.
When I shifted, I retained some sense of my two-legged self’s consciousness, but my inner Tabby came to the surface. I lowered myself to the ground, wriggling my butt as the mouse—suddenly aware that there was a new player in town—let out a horrific squeak.
“Delilah? Delilah? What the hell are you doing?” Chase’s voice echoed through the room.
I glanced up at him, daring him to stop me. The man was slow, like all two-leggeds, and I knew I could make it to the mouse before he caught me.
As I launched myself forward, Chase sent the chair in his hand flying back as he lunged. He hit his head on the table and let out a loud curse, but I was faster.
I shot toward the mouse, who let out a “No! Don’t kill!”
“Delilah! Bad cat! Leave the mouse alone!” Chase’s voice thundered as he scrambled under the table after me.
I reached out a tentative paw, poking at the mouse, a vague sense of guilt piercing my desire to play. I resisted my conscience. I wanted the toy. The mouse was my toy, and if I caught it, I should be able to play with it any way I wanted.
“Please. Spare.”
The words weren’t words, not as I knew them in two-legged form. But the mouse and I were communicating all the same. Something about the cry, about the fear in the mouse’s eyes, penetrated my haze of desire to chase it around the room. I hesitated, cocking my head to the side. The mouse, seeing its chance, darted behind a file cabinet sitting just to the left of the table. Unable to resist, I followed, pouncing a second too late. I face planted against the metal cabinet.
Shaking my head—I had hit hard—I hunkered down, glaring at the narrow space through which the mouse had escaped. I could wait as long as it took. In my fervor, I overlooked one thing: Chase. He scrambled out from beneath the table.
The next moment, I was hanging in the air as he scruffed me, lifting me up with one hand while he slipped his other beneath my butt to give me a place to rest. I struggled briefly, but the smell of the detective penetrated my brain enough to divert my attention. He smelled good, like someone I wanted to rub up against. I stopped trying to escape, and let out a purp as I glanced up at him.
He was smiling gently, and in that moment I sensed that I was safe around him. I settled down in his arms as he carried me over to a chair and sat down. As I nestled on his lap and he gently began to rub beneath my chin. Maybe this wasn’t so bad. I stretched out, arching my back so that my belly showed, and he laughed, gently rubbing my fur. His touch felt good, and I began to purr.
“You are the funny one,” he whispered as he leaned back. “I don’t know if you can understand me right now…but you and your sisters sure are a handful.” I pretended to ignore him, hoping he would continue scratching behind my ears. For the moment, I was content to stay in my cat form, even though I knew that I should shift back.
“You think that I’m a horndog. I know Camille thinks that. But even though I come on too strong to her, I hope she knows—that you all know—that I respect the three of you. I never know how to act. Menolly scares the crap out of me, to be honest. And in a way, Camille does too. I don’t know how to be myself around her. But you…Delilah. You’re easy to be around. I’m not a complicated man, and I live in an all-too complicated world. I do my best to help, to make the world a little safer, but the bad guys just keep coming and some days I don’t know if we’ll ever win. Sometimes, it’s nice just to sit back and…well…pet a cat who’s lounging on my lap.”
There was a wistfulness in his voice that penetrated the blissful haze that I was lolling in. A weariness that a part of me understood. I flipped over and stood up to his chest, my paws resting on his shoulders as I stared into his eyes. If I had startled him, he didn’t say anything.
I reached out with my paw, gently patting his face. I wanted to wipe away the pretense, to uncover the layer beneath the wisecracking player persona, because I had just realized there was a whole ‘nother Chase behind the flirt and the snark.
As Chase let out a soft sigh, stroking my ears, I closed my eyes and began to shift, right there on his lap. That did surprise him. I shifted fast and hard, in a bone-jarring transformation that ended up with me straddling his legs. He didn’t have time to move or push me off.
“Delilah…” Before he could say another word, I took a chance. I leaned in, pressing my lips against his. He murmured something—I couldn’t hear what it was—but then he wrapped his arms around me, drawing me to him.
I could feel him growing erect against the front of his jeans, and I longed to touch him. I leaned back, my eyes wide. His lips were on mine, and the pleasure rippled through me, stirring to life a passion I had never been sure I could feel. I was ablaze from head to toe. Panting gently, I put my hands on his shoulders and slowly, carefully, ground against his lap, letting out a soft cry.
“Delilah…” Chase’s voice was husky, filled with longing and yet—I could hear the hesitation beneath my name. “Are you sure you want this?”
I nodded, holding his gaze. “I want this—but for me. I want you, but only if it’s me you want. Not my sister, not some distant fantasy. I want you…but on my terms.”
He bit his lip, looking torn. “You’re sexy as hell, especially with that fire in your eyes. But I’ve never thought of you this way. I don’t want you to feel like you made a mistake.”
“I never thought of you like this, either. Not until now. But things change. All I can think of is running my hands across your chest, of feeling your lips against mine.” Then, a sudden fear swept over me. Maybe he was trying to let me down easy. Once again feeling embarrassed, I hung my head.
“Hell, I never stopped to think that maybe you just aren’t interested. Damn it, this is all so easy for someone like Camille…she knows what to say. I don’t. If you’re not interested, just say so and we’ll pretend it never happened.”
As a tear began to trickle down my cheek, Chase leaned close to me, pressing his forehead against mine. “Delilah, I never said I wasn’t interested. I just want to make sure this is really what you want. Tonight, I’ve had the most fun I’ve had in a long time. You’re easy to talk to, and I like hanging out with you. And…I like that you felt safe enough to change form around me. You’re a beautiful cat. I see why your sisters call you Kitten.”
I slowly raised my eyes to meet his gaze.
As he continued to smile, I found the flush fading from embarrassment into desire once again. He must have felt the same because his breathing deepened and he softly pressed his lips against mine, gently playing his tongue over them. I parted my lips and slid into the kiss. This time, it was different—slow and deliberate. As his hands found their way under my shirt, I shifted so that he could reach far enough to cup my breast. I wasn’t wearing a bra and the feel of his fingers rolling my nipple between them sent a rush of heat between my legs. I let out a long sigh into the kiss.