Chapter Two
Tobias saw anger flare in Nix’s eyes. Before she could respond, he started to move away from her. She touched his arm to stop him. Just the weight of her slender hand on his sleeve sent a shockwave through him. Damn, but he’d missed her. He hadn’t allowed himself to think about how much until now. The only reason he was back in town was because Amarinda had needed him. Otherwise he wouldn’t have been within a hundred miles of here.
He stared down at Nix and resisted the urge to comb his fingers through her short black curls, slide his palm down her soft olive-complexioned cheek. Take those sexy courtesan lips with his own. Sympathy swirled in her dark eyes. That had been one of the first things that had struck him about her, those gorgeous brown eyes that so clearly communicated what she felt. He was humbled that she possessed such an amazing capability for empathy. No matter how much she might hate him now, she could still be sorry for his loss of a friend.
She dropped her hand and took a step back, going still like prey in the presence of a predator. Her small fists clenched at her sides and that stubborn chin of hers went up. Intelligence and good sense were qualities about her he admired. She knew better than to show fear in the face of his thin control. From the change in his vision he knew his pupils had expanded to obliterate his irises, and from the wary way she watched him he suspected the whites of his eyes had been taken over by crimson. His fangs were down and the bones in his face had hardened. Nix’s step back had been her humanity reacting to the changes in him. His race was a race of hunters, regardless of which dimension they were in, and she knew it.
When she’d stiffened to stand her ground, well, that was the demon in her taking up the challenge. And there was the danger, that attraction of pret to pret, regardless that most demons and vampires barely tolerated each other. That was why he’d left. For her. To make sure she didn’t lose her grip on everything that made her human.
Nix cleared her throat. To his surprise, instead of arguing that she should stay, she said, “I’m sorry. I know she was your friend.”
He appreciated her sympathy even as he held himself rigid against the urge to yank her into his arms. “She was your friend, too.”
Sadness and regret passed through her eyes, small specks of yellow mixing with the brown of her irises. Her emotions were cutting away at her ability to control her demon, but she didn’t seem to be in any danger of losing control. He was impressed. But it still didn’t change the fact that they’d been together all of five minutes and her demon had surfaced. Which meant he still had the ability to drive her insane and he couldn’t—wouldn’t—do that to her.
“Yes, she was. Once.” Nix paused then repeated, “I’m sorry.” Turning, she walked away.
Watching her ass sway as she moved away from him made him hard. He ground his jaw. His big head might know he was bad for her but his little head sure didn’t give a damn.
He watched her duck beneath the crime scene tape and his jeans pulled even tauter across his groin. She paused and pulled off the booties, dropping them into a box set aside specifically for used protective gear. She gave a small wave to MacMillan and called out, “See you later, Dante.”
The detective held up one finger, silently asking her to wait, and called out to Tobias, “When can we get together to compare notes?”
Tobias checked his watch and responded, “Why don’t we get together first thing in the morning? We can discuss it over coffee.”
“Coffee for you, maybe. Breakfast for me.” MacMillan murmured something to the tech next to him and then said to Tobias, “Seven a.m. at IHOP all right with you? Nix?”
Tobias gave a nod. He really didn’t care where they met.
“Oh, wait, that’s daytime hours…” MacMillan grimaced, then shook his head.
“Newly turned vampires are the only ones who can’t abide sunlight,” Tobias said, “but after twenty-five years or so it’s not a big problem. Sunglasses help.”
“Oh, never mind, then. There goes that whole ‘creatures of the night’ mystique thing you had going on, though,” Dante taunted.
Tobias caught the glance MacMillan sent his way before the detective asked Nix, “Can I talk to you for a minute? In private.” She smiled and they walked several yards down the street, well away from the crime scene. “Can he hear us from here?” MacMillan asked.
Yes, he can. Tobias scowled. What was so damned important that the cop had to talk to her alone?
The detective leaned toward Nix, one arm braced against the wall of the building they stood by. It was clear from his stance that he was interested in her. With a snarl Tobias turned back toward the crime scene. Nix’s private life was none of his business, not anymore. Resisting the urge to turn back to watch the two of them, he caught the attention of one of the techs and motioned him over. “What have you recovered so far?”