Venom And Vice

19

Of all the possible outcomes I’d analyzed since the moment she pushed inside my head, her pursuit of energy to fix her loss of power hadn’t entered the equation. I’d counted on her being upset. I’d known things would be a little dicey for a bit, but I assumed she’d get over her disappointment and pick up where she left off. The threat to her safety would ebb, and life would go back to normal. I should have known Ashley would find a way to corrupt my plans. Whether it was her earnest excitement about her magic, or her bumbling attempt at a rambled apology, or the heady rush of watching her hand wander down my body like the paw of a curious kitten, she found every damn way she could to endear herself. To summon emotions I had no desire to feel, including f*****g guilt. I’d done the right thing. I had to stand by my decision. If I didn’t want to feel bad for what I’d done, then that only left one option. Fix it. I wouldn’t undo the spell, but I could give her a purpose—a sense of control and direction in this new life of hers. An idea came to me. While I wasn’t crazy about drawing her into Hunt business, it was the best thing I could come up with and promised to at least serve as a distraction. I made Ashley’s apartment my first stop the next day. She answered the door in a tiny camisole and pajama bottoms, her hair piled in a sexy blond mess on her head. She was gorgeous without even trying. I had to give myself a stern warning not to make this situation worse than I already had. “I know it’s early, but there was a minor incident yesterday that I need to look into. I thought you might want to come with me.” Jesus, I sounded like a p***y now that the words were out. Maybe next time you can ask if she wants to hold hands and go for a walk. It was too bad there was no way to strangle my inner voice. That fucker was getting on my last nerve. “Really?” she asked, her wide eyes reminding me of a rare Irish sky clear of any clouds. “Apparently,” I clipped. “Can you be ready in five?” Before I change my mind. She leaped into motion. “Of course! Let me throw on some clothes. You’re welcome to have a seat while you wait.” She disappeared into her room. I closed the front door and joined Knight in the living room. Lochlan had told me about our newest guest. I’d been lucky he arrived after my break-in or conducting the spell would have proven difficult. Stories abounded about the wolf’s mysterious abilities, and I had no desire to test them. I nodded at the wolf who eyed me curiously. “Name’s Casek. Welcome to the Huntsman.” His golden gaze drifted back to where Ashley was busy getting ready, then cut back to me. “I know you’re here to keep her safe,” I assured him that I understood his silent message. “We’re on the same mission.” Knight huffed, then rolled onto his side. His enormous body took up most of the couch. I chuckled to myself, wondering how the two got along. Ashley didn’t strike me as the mothering type. “Okay, I’m ready. I think.” She skipped into the living room, then ran back to her bedroom, then reappeared. “Okay, now I’m really ready.” “We taking the dog?” I asked. We both looked at Knight sprawled on the sofa. “Nah,” she said, then addressed her furry guardian. “I’m gonna run an errand with Casek. I’ll be safe with him and see you back here later.” She walked to the door as though she hadn’t just spoken to a dog like he was a human and peered at me questioningly. I didn’t know why it amused me. I’d done the same thing minutes before. Knight made no move to extract himself from the sofa he’d usurped. It appeared we had his blessing. As we walked to the elevator and then out to the car, I explained the situation. “Yesterday, a jewelry store in town was ransacked and robbed. We have suspicions about the suspect. Belfast police are investigating, but we’re also doing our own inquiry. I’ve been briefed on the scene but haven’t had a chance to look over it myself.” She listened intently to every word. I could almost see the gears excitedly whirring away inside her head. “How do you get the police to allow you onto the crime scene?” “We have contacts on the force. And when needed, we use a touch of persuasive magic.” “Do those contacts inform you when a crime looks suspicious?” “That and we have someone assigned to police radio at all times. We like to be first on the scene when possible if magic is involved. In the past, instances of Fae crimes were rare, but since Morgan began opening portals, almost every day is a new adventure.” I couldn’t say I was entirely disappointed when Fae began appearing on Earth in larger numbers. A full- scale invasion would have been a nightmare, but having a few creatures to hunt was a nice change of pace. I showed Ashley up to the front entrance of the jewelry store, which was untouched aside from the yellow caution tape. She examined every detail, slowly scanning her surroundings as we stepped inside. “I see they’ve got cameras. Is there a recording of the intruder?” “There’s a recording, but it didn’t capture the thief.” “Rear entrance?” “None. Access to the back alley had been sealed off years ago after a break-in.” She nodded, taking in the extent of the damage inside. “The only display cases broken are those beyond the reach of the camera.” “A design flaw of their system. The largest, most expensive pieces were kept close to the register in the back.” She nodded absently and then spent the next half hour inspecting every minute detail of the scene. Once she had made a full circle of the room, she turned her bright blue eyes back to me. “The Draug that attacked Rebecca and me months ago. He’s never been caught, has he?” Good girl. I hadn’t been sure if she had enough background knowledge of the Fae to make the connection, but she had put the pieces together exactly as I’d done and come to the same conclusion. “Explain.”