Bad Mouth (3 page)

Chapter Three

Graham hadn’t spoken a word to Val the entire cab ride to the Akkadian Towers, and
that suited her fine. He’d spent the last twenty-four hours hammering at her opinions
regarding vampires, and she’d had enough. One close contact with a sexy vampire and
he got all goo-goo-eyed and only too happy to jump on their bandwagon.

If not for these coldhearted vampires, she wouldn’t have been dragged into this mess.
She was supposed to be an administrator, only directing the case, but the gridlock
with the
Immortalis
forced her to dig out her old, rusty criminal justice degree and play cop, whether
she liked it or not. Her detectives had gotten nowhere on their investigation since
the first murder several weeks earlier. The vampires, whether
Dominorum
or Legion, refused to interview with humans. A few human witnesses had come forward
with descriptions confirming vampires were the murderers, but offered nothing the
VLO hadn’t already known. Meanwhile, the trail was getting cold.

Her ex-husband was still missing. The images of his victim’s photos flashed in her
mind—severed limbs, exposed organs, and blood. So much blood. If she hadn’t seen it
herself, she wouldn’t have believed it. The derangement had twisted him into a vampire
of the worst sort.

Interrogating the
Immortalis
had eroded what little patience she’d had with them, and the situation had only been
amplified after her encounter with the Ancients. The vampires were abominations, freaks
of nature. Murderers. One of them had murdered Will as surely as her ex had murdered
his recent victim.

Her stomach churned. She couldn’t believe she’d been pushed to meet with the very
object of what sickened her, pretending they were working together toward a common
goal. The VLO was mistaken to believe an adjuvant would be keen on hunting down another.

“You still think the adjuvant’s a roadblock?” Graham’s voice came out soft, almost
apologetic.

“Oh, you’re talking to me now?”

He looked sheepish but didn’t say anything more. Good. His defection to the dark side
left a lonely ache under her ribs. She’d pulled away from Graham, put distance between
her heart and their friendship, unwilling to ever again experience the nightmare Will
put her through. She struggled with that nightmare even two years after the divorce.

Her phone rang as the cab pulled up to the semicircle driveway at the front of the
Towers. It was Alice. The call meant she’d found something on Rollins. Val motioned
for Graham to wait.

“Oh my God, Val, do
not
go in to see this guy. He’s dangerous as all hell.”

She’d never heard Alice so shaken. The deep command had Val pausing with her hand
on the door. “I have to.”

A sigh came over the line. “Did you at least bring a weapon?”

“I’m not a cop. Why would I carry?” A beat of silence passed. “Okay, next time I’ll
put my
lady’s little helper
in there, and I always carry pepper spray, thanks to you. Happy?”

“No. Rollins is bad news. He does things to the subjugates he transforms.”

“What things?”

“He mutilates them. I can’t even describe it. I’m sending pictures.”

“I’m not sure I want to see them. We’re about to go in.”

“We? So you at least have Graham with you. As if a lawyer would do any good.”

“I’ll be fine.”

“Sure. Say that again after you see the photos.” Alice’s multiple phone lines rang
in the background. “You have media crawling all over each other to talk to you.”

“Send them to Glenn.” The VLO director, her boss, would be too happy to be in the
spotlight.

“I hate to say this, but you should leave this to the detectives. You’re a paper-pusher,
Val.”

“The
Immortalis
weren’t talking to them. There hasn’t been a vampire-on-human murder in nearly two
decades and people are scared. I had to do something.”

“If you say so,” Alice replied. Val pictured her assistant’s reluctant shrug. “
You
should be scared to meet this guy. Just be careful.”

Val stared at the phone after the unusual call. If Alice the Unshakeable was upset
over what she’d learned, Val would need to use extreme caution with the
Dominorum’s
pet desk jockey. Only, from what Alice described, he didn’t sound like some desk jockey.
Now she knew why Olen had sounded so pleased with himself.

Val took a quick look at the first few photos Alice sent but couldn’t stomach any
more. Her assistant hadn’t exaggerated. She flipped her phone shut and took a minute
before sliding out of the cab with Graham trailing close behind. Ignoring his confused
frown, she smoothed her sleek pencil skirt and inspected herself.

She’d opted for a more casual look than usual, a little bit of professional but a
little bit of laid back. The dark navy skirt fell an inch shy of her knees, all business
except for the deep slit up the back and the rear-hugging fit.

“Let’s go,” she said, not waiting to see if Graham followed. She walked briskly from
the curved drop-off lane and crossed the narrow, minimally landscaped plaza in front
of the Akkadian Towers. Forty-five floors of sleek, black skyscraper to rival Columbia
Center in all but height loomed over them. There weren’t really two separate towers,
but the design intended such an appearance. In contrast with the Ancients’ stone mansion,
the Towers were tastefully elegant.

A subjugate in an impeccably tailored suit held the doors open as they approached.
He led them to an elevator beyond the security desk and swiped a keycard under a small,
wall-mounted scanner. At the sound of a beep and blink of a light, he left them to
wait unescorted. Val fidgeted in the blatant silence until Graham broke the tension.

“How long are you going to be mad at me?” he asked as they waited for Rollins’s private
elevator.

“I’m not mad, Graham. I’m disappointed.”

“I’m sorry. Can you forgive me?”

“No.”

She didn’t look at him as she answered without hesitation. His change of heart about
the vampires cut deep. Maybe it wouldn’t have felt like such a betrayal if he’d kept
it to himself. Instead he’d proceeded to beat his newfound vampire-hugging view into
her.

They entered the elevator and rode to the top in silence. Val avoided Graham’s reflection
in the mirrored doors, staring instead at a point past her right shoulder because
if she took one look at his puppy-dog eyes and angel face, she might soften.

The doors slid open to reveal a single wooden door carved with symbols at the far
end of a softly lit lobby. The walls were a warm rust color, undecorated other than
the recessed lighting. A small half-moon table sat flush against the wall midway between
the door and the private elevator. Nothing in the hallway indicated a wild beast lived
nearby.

The tremors began in her hands and slowly made their way toward the center of her
body. This wasn’t supposed to happen until
after
she left a vampire’s presence. If only she hadn’t seen those pictures of his atrocities.

Val stopped short of the door and tensed. She balled her fists at her sides and tried
desperately to get her shit together. She couldn’t meet Rollins in such a state. He’d
eat her alive.
Get it together, Val.

“I won’t let him hurt you, V.”

She shot Graham a measure of wide-eyed disbelief. He obviously had no clue what kind
of monster they would soon face. Still, his preposterous yet valiant statement swept
the impending panic attack away. Her smile might have been a little shaky as she answered.
“I know. Thank you, Graham.”

She buzzed the doorbell. It made no sound, but there was a faint
click
of the lock before the door cracked open. Seconds passed before she realized no one
would answer, and they had to let themselves in. She glanced at Graham, but his brow
furrowed as much as hers.

Where were the subjugates? Servants? Slaves? Groupies? There were always subordinate
beings to feed and cater to the vampires. Her body urged her to flee as she stared
at the dark space at the open edge of the door. With shaking hands, she pushed it
open the rest of the way.

Val stepped in and surveyed the penthouse. The ceilings were high, but unlike the
Ancients’ mansion, the extravagance of the penthouse was understated in simple, clean
lines, uncluttered. Other than a touch of red here and there, it echoed all blacks,
dark and light grays, charcoals. What wasn’t smooth marble or granite was another
chilly sort of construction—glass and crystal and pewter-colored metals.

There were no dividers in the main living area, just one spacious room all the way
to the plate glass wall with a stunning view of the Sound. A sparse sitting area with
long, low couches spread between Val and the floor-to-ceiling sliding door to the
balcony. Elegant but unused fireplaces sat at each end of the sitting area. Who required
two fireplaces in the same room? Like a vampire would need the heat.

She needed it now, however.

Crisp, salty air wafted in from the open door to the balcony. She drew in a lungful;
the freshness revived her and drew her toward the balcony. Her three-inch heels made
no sound on the thick, iron-gray carpet. She glanced back at Graham, but he’d headed
toward the wet bar and poured himself a liberal drink.

She turned away to focus on the horizon and calm her nerves and her rising anger.
Alice had set this meeting up personally, so the useless desk-jockey vampire had known
damn well to expect them. Rollins was playing with them already, but she refused to
be intimidated by his lack of attendance.

Val heard nothing, not even a hint of sound, but a heavy awareness swept through her.
Her muscles tensed with a fight-or-flight burst of adrenaline. A charge of energy
whispered along her nerves, causing her skin to tingle and raising goose bumps on
her arms that had nothing to do with the frigid room. A ticklish sensation brushed
at her nape, as if someone stood a hairsbreadth away. Though she tried for nonchalance
as she turned, the movement was too fast and jerky to fool a vampire.

She drew a sharp breath when she saw Rollins. He wasn’t right behind her but at least
ten feet away. Lord, if he had that much presence at ten feet, he would overwhelm
up close and in full contact. Before she could examine the thought further, he made
a slow approach like a predator stalking his prey.

She had to remind herself to breathe. The man was devastating. The top of her head
barely made it to his shoulders, and he was nearly twice as wide as her, his broad
shoulders straining the white fabric of his T-shirt. His denim jeans were dark but
faded in the area snug around his strong, thick thighs.

Where Graham had the soft features of an angel, this man was all solid, firm angles,
his jaw a determined square, cheekbones high, and nose perfectly straight and proportioned,
like Olen’s. His lean cheeks gave him a harsh aspect. His hair was shiny and black,
but cut military-short in the back and slightly longer in the front. He wasn’t
GQ
pretty, but raw and wickedly handsome, so ruggedly sexy the sight of him made her
inner muscles clench. The sensual being that had slumbered for too long inside of
her unfurled and sat up at attention.

Those seductive, kiss-you-senseless lips moved up into a humorless curve. Then his
eyes registered through her daze. They were colder than the room, the deep bloodred
of them reminding her just what he was and what he liked to do to humans. No matter
how handsome his appearance, animosity hardened his face. It didn’t take a genius
to figure out how he felt about the VLO’s investigation.

“Mr. Rollins?” Her voice came out more like a whisper. She knew she must look like
a deer in the headlights, and she would swear she’d tried to make her words into a
statement, not a question. So much for appearing nonchalant. Despite the chill in
the room, heat shot straight down to her core.

“Valerie.” His voice fed dark chocolate to her senses, rich and decadent. The vampire
was a hot, enticing male, and she was a healthy female in the midst of a sexual dry
spell, so her attraction made perfect sense. It made her want to heave. Her body might
respond to him, but her mind reeled at the idea.

He was evil and cruel and as guilty of Will’s derangement as whatever vampire had
done it.

Somehow she worked her demeanor down to the temperature of the room, her tone dropping
to subzero. “You kept us waiting.” Her temper flared when his smile widened.

“I apologize.” He looked as if he wanted to bite into those words and kill them where
they sat on his tongue. “I was on my cell when you arrived.”

His gaze dropped slowly down the length of her body. It felt like a touch, and her
skin heated along the path he took. Oh, man. He could melt an iceberg. Then she met
his gaze again. No, he could
make
an iceberg with those. She’d encountered angry and prejudiced vampires before, but
this man seemed absolutely hateful.

This arrangement was never going to work.

Chapter Four

When the liaison whirled to face Kade, a jolt powered through the center of him. She
wasn’t what he’d expected. Someone mousy maybe or someone butch, some kind of tree-hugging,
nature-loving, hairy-legged creature. Instead, she looked pale and fragile, like he
could blow on her and knock her down.

She was a tiny little thing, slender with generous, well-placed curves that teased
through the thin fabric of her suit. Her cleavage didn’t show, but her blouse gently
cupped the sides of her breasts. He doubted she had any idea how provocative that
was. Kade wanted to bare his teeth at the pounding of blood to his southern region.
And damn, it had been a long while since that area had raised its lazy head. Most
days his heart rarely beat at all, a side effect of age.

His knee-jerk reaction to her was about as welcome as a beheading.

She cleared her throat, drawing his focus to the graceful column of it and the swift
pulse fluttering under her delicate skin. For once, the thought of his mouth settling
over that tempting spot didn’t inspire disgust, only an aching hunger. “Now that you’ve
deigned to grace us with your presence, Mr. Rollins, we should get to our business
here.”

Although her insolence made no impression on him, his name formed by those plump,
bow-shaped lips raked down his spine in a pleasurable shiver as surely as if it had
been her fingernails. Since when did a name warrant a raging hard-on? The fact that
he could smell her anxiety and arousal incited his erection further until it damn
near sprang from his jeans. His eyes should have been glued to her body, but instead
they returned to meet her dazed but direct stare. Those irises of hers were electric
and so brilliantly green they seemed unnatural. The heavens had to have colored them.

He nodded, not bothering to hide his amusement from her. “I’m quite ready for you,
Valerie.”

She trembled when he spoke her name, and he felt an urge to hold that tremble against
his lips. A moment later, she snapped to, like a soldier coming to attention. Her
body went rigid, her chin lifted, and she stared him down gunslinger-style.
God. Damn.
If he throbbed any harder, his male equipment could have been the useless muscle driving
the blood in his veins.

He couldn’t keep the grin off his face. Who was this creamy-skinned little vixen challenging
him in his own home? She’d contained most of her fear, only a trace remaining under
the scent of lilacs and caramel latte.

A throat cleared loudly behind him, but he ignored the intrusion of the woman’s associate.
Her
attention went to the man, however. A hot flash of irritation darkened into a scowl,
effectively wiping Kade’s grin away. The pretty-faced man took up space at Valerie’s
side, too close for a casual acquaintance, subtly staking a claim. Kade wasn’t sure
she noticed the man’s posturing, but
he
noticed.

“Mr. Rollins, this is my partner, Graham Fischer.” Her emerald-sea eyes on Kade and
her slightly breathy introduction calmed his unrest, though he couldn’t say why. The
breathiness amplified as she continued. “Apparently, you already know my name.”

“I’ve been informed.”

“So you know why we’re here and what we need from you.”

“Why don’t you tell me what you need from me?”

Her eyes darkened, and she shivered again. So slight, he doubted a human would catch
it. Her hands came up halfway as if she might rub her arms, before she forced them
down to her sides. His stomach tightened. As hard as she tried to hide it, she was
attracted to him.

Dammit all to hell, he wanted to fuck her. He wanted her under him with her long legs
over his arms or her on top riding him like a rodeo star. He wanted to pound her against
the glass window with his cock. The dilation of her pupils told him she saw similar
images behind those eyes, images of his body naked, their limbs entwined and their
sweat mingling. And she hated it. That almost made him smile again. This disastrous
collaboration might end up being more fun than he’d anticipated.

“Mr. Rollins—”

“Kade.”

She paused and her lips parted, her tongue darting out to moisten them. He couldn’t
resist looking at them, his mouth watering for a taste. Her lips were full and rosy.
She’d taste like the raspberries he scented in her lip gloss.

“Kade,” she said.

That husky rasp of his name made his balls ache. Kade’s jaw clenched tight, a molten
anger clawing his chest. The physical desire she incited could go to hell.

She blew out a breath. “We have to find the deranged vampires and the adjuvants responsible
for them. The
Immortalis
won’t speak to us. I need you to make sure they do.”

His brows rose at her look of steely resolve. “You sound damned determined to get
these rogues.”

“They’re not rogues,” she insisted. “And of course I’m determined.” Her head tilted
like a curious cat, and he almost hesitated to crush her stubborn illusions of justice.

“And if the victims were vampires? How would you feel then?” he asked.

“Vampires?” She laughed until she saw he wasn’t joking. “They aren’t victims, Mr.
Roll—Kade. They’re performing derangements that lead to the murders of humans by the
newly transformed. There’s no question that vampires are behind this.”

“If you think we’re invulnerable and godlike, you can kneel down to me right now.
I could really get off on that.” And that was no lie. If she went on her knees right
then, he’d embarrass himself in his pants.

“Not gods. Predators who thrive on draining humans dry, leaving them to rot. Fiends
who don’t care about children or husbands or wives left behind to bury their loved
ones.”

“Bullshit. You only see what you want to believe. The truth is some cocksuckers murdered
some other poor cocksuckers and framed vampires. A human would never question the
setup, which to me is a perfect crime.”

“That’s ridiculous. No one would go to that trouble, and we’ve already authenticated
the bloodings.”

“Well, fuck. You know everything, don’t you?” He felt his eyes flare a moment before
she gasped. Her useless sidekick stepped halfway in front of her. As if the human
could stop him. A railroad spike of fury flashed through him, but he fought for calm
before he violated Olen’s orders.

Val pushed what’s-his-face out of her way and took a step closer to Kade. Brave woman
or very, very stupid. He’d lay money on the former. And his hard-on just got harder
when he’d been pretty sure it had maxed out.

She advanced until she stood inches from him and poked him in the chest as if she
were a prudish schoolteacher with a wayward pupil. “You are the most detestable, mannerless,
foulmouthed vampire I’ve ever met.”

“My apologies,” he bit out. “Care to call Olen and tell him you don’t need my help?”

“Right. Because I can see you’ll be
loads
of help.” She rolled her eyes, her hands moving to her hips. Kade couldn’t stop his
surprised laugh. She was supposed to be afraid. Humans were always afraid of him.
But she wasn’t running away and she wasn’t brandishing her anger at him. Instead,
she offered sarcasm. He laughed even harder when she stared up at him in amazement.

“What’s the joke?”

He studied her a moment. She had a gentle curve to her cheeks, ripe for cupping with
a palm. This was a strange feeling. Humans had never fascinated him before, but they’d
never reacted to him the way she did, either. He could spend all day just looking
at her and kissing her. And fucking her. His erection wouldn’t let him forget.

“Kade?” Her voice wavered with uncertainty this time.

“I don’t think you find me detestable.” He kept his voice too soft for her human doormat
to overhear. Her cheeks flushed a dainty pink as her gaze met his. “And I’m really
quite helpful. I might surprise you. But if you’d rather call Olen—”

“I’d never ‘rather call Olen’ about anything.”

“I don’t even call Olen, and he’s my own flesh and blood.”

She froze. “Your flesh and blood?”

“He’s my father. Didn’t he tell you?”

“You’re a—you’re a
Dominus
?” she whispered. The flush left her face in a hurry.

“Some call me that. Others call me the Prince of Darkness.” He laughed. “Why does
it matter? You wanted an adjuvant. You got an adjuvant.”

“And I called you a Legion desk jockey…” she murmured.

“You called me a what?”

Her fingertips darted to her lips. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to say that. I didn’t
know who you were. Neither of the Ancients said a word. And I didn’t ask for an adjuvant.
In fact, I specifically objected to working with an adjuvant.”

She stiffened and looked as if she’d like to suck those words back behind her lips,
too. He might have been angry about her obvious distaste for adjuvants like him, but
he focused instead on her body language. She appeared to care what he thought or how
she made him feel rather than letting distrust of him drive her. Maybe she did have
some sense of justice.

His involvement with the VLO’s investigation might not be a problem after all. It
could work out to his benefit. He’d have inside information and access to the VLO’s
resources. If they got too close to destroying what he’d built over the years, he
could easily divert them.

“This desk jockey can be a sonuvabitch to work with,” he said. She relaxed. “And I
can’t shut my bad mouth off. Trust me. I’ve tried for two hundred years. It ain’t
happening. Ezra hates it.”

“Ezra?”

“Adjuvant. Another
Dominus
and my brother in arms. He’s nothing like me. He’s all about everything human. You’ll
love him.”

She frowned then.
Shit
. It had been a bad choice of words. She didn’t have to say anything for him to figure
out she had a thing against vampires.

“Why did you ask about vampires being victims?”

Whoa. It might be more difficult than he’d thought to keep her in the dark.

“Checking out what side you’re playing on.” He shrugged. “You shouldn’t be a liaison,
Valerie.”

Her eyes widened, and then she looked down at her clasped hands. “It’s Val.” Her voice
dropped to a whisper. “And I know that.”

He hadn’t expected her to admit her prejudice, especially to him, but she did and
had the grace to feel bad about it. Strange that she would take a job where she’d
be in constant contact with the object of her bigotry. Something motivated her, and
he needed to dig up some answers fast before she discovered something that could trigger
war between humans and vampires, a war that would only amplify the growing hostilities
between Legion and
Dominorum
. The ruling
Dominorum
caste would never hold the lesser Legion vampires under its thumb in the midst of
such a conflict. That would be a bloody fucking mess he’d do anything to prevent.

…

“Where do you suggest we begin?” Val asked.

“Fuck if I know. It’s your investigation. I’m just along for the ride.”

He turned from them and dropped into the corner of one of the sofas, his long legs
sprawled out in front of him and his toned arm draped along the sofa back. Val wanted
to punch a wall. He’d just proclaimed he could be helpful, but he was already acting
like the roadblock she’d expected. Her exasperation grew when he said nothing more.

She raised an eyebrow, but he only grinned and patted the sofa cushion next to him.
She perched instead on the sofa across the coffee table from him. Graham sat beside
her, a tad too close. He looked like he’d tasted something rotten, and she tried not
to let that please her.

“My office sent you the details of the case. Did you receive them?”

“I did.”

She sighed. “Well?” He smiled again, but said nothing. Her patience neared its limit.
“Any impressions, thoughts, ideas?”

“Yes. Humans are brutal.”

“Kade, you know very well humans didn’t kill those people.”

“I know no such thing. Do you always jump to conclusions?”

“Dear Lord.” She rubbed her temples. “I follow the evidence. You know—proof. I’m sure
you’ve heard of it.”

The infuriating vampire laughed.

“Oh, stop it,” she said. “I know what you’re doing. You’re trying to spin me up. No
matter what you do, I’m not calling Olen.”

Well, that worked. He made a frustrated sound low in his throat and leaned toward
her. “Maybe I’m trying to shake you off that fucking high horse, knock that pretty
head clear so you’ll actually listen. I can’t help if you won’t listen.”

“I am listening.”

“No. You’re telling me how it is.”

Was he right? Possibly she may have missed something that he’d caught, but she couldn’t
see how a human could cause the damage she had seen in the photos. Plus, the derangements
were real and humans couldn’t create those. Still, she had to ask…

“Did you find evidence that humans did any of this?”

He took a long moment before he shook his head. “No.”

Unfortunately, Graham took this moment to chime in. “We have evidence of vampire involvement
yet you continue to implicate humans. Who’s the one who needs a knock on the head?”

Val closed her eyes, wishing she could tape Graham’s mouth shut with his foot still
in it. She stole a peek at Kade. He didn’t address Graham but stood, holding his gaze
on her. Mortification sat hot in her cheeks.

Kade offered her his hand. She slid her hand into his as she stood. His skin felt
unexpectedly warm and work-roughened. Not the cold, smooth hand she expected of a
vampire prince.

“Mr. Rollins…”

From the corner of her eye, she saw Graham’s confused expression. He couldn’t help
it—he was too new around the
Dominorum
to understand their power, and he’d probably misjudged Kade because of the plain,
faded clothes the vampire wore. She’d tried to explain that he had to tread carefully
in their presence—they were like grenades with the pin removed.