My face heated as he took in my sexy bra. The panties matched, and the set was like all of my underthings— pretty, overpriced, and made of very little fabric. I didn’t like to flaunt my succubus nature in the open—aside from when it helped me solve cases—but I did allow myself a bit of hidden allure.

“You’re so beautiful, my bella,” he whispered, and my heart dropped.

You’re more than beautiful to him, remember? And somehow, armed with that knowledge, the compliment seemed more real. Like something I’d actually earned.

Like something worth mentioning.

I melted into his arms and he pulled me closer, groaning into my mouth. He made quick work of my bra and the rest of my clothes while I took off his. I wanted— needed to feel him against me, inside me.

Suddenly, we were on the bed. He was on top of me and he trailed kisses down my neck and to my chest.

He took my nipple into his mouth and sucked while he massaged my other breast with his hand. Then he traced my skin as he moved his hand down, trailing heat as he slid it down my stomach. Ever so softly, he moved his hand between my legs.

When he touched me, I jumped.

“Easy,” he whispered.

I could only moan in response as he palmed me, and then slid a finger into my heat. I gasped as he rubbed my most sensitive spot in a way that almost pushed me over the edge. Desperation touched me, and I suddenly needed him so badly I ached.

Could it really feel this good? The man was obviously an expert, but still. I’d never been shy about my succubus nature. I’d slept with men before—more than my fair share, probably. But with him...it was different. I could feel him, feel his energy—so close I just had to reach out to touch it, to taste him. So tempting…

The thought stilled me, and my mind whirled. I was not tempted to touch him with my succubus powers. No, I’d never been tempted, not really. Did I already care about him that much?

My racing thoughts must have shown on my face, because he touched my chin lightly and stared into my eyes. “No thinking. Just feel.” He rubbed his body against mine, and I could feel his cock between my legs, brushing against my wetness. I gasped and he smiled. “Yeah, bella.

Just like that.”

He moved his mouth to my nipples, and he sucked and nibbled them until I moaned. Pulling back, he watched me as he blew on one, making me shiver, and then he took it into his mouth again. Almost rough, he plucked and rolled and sucked until I couldn’t think of anything but him. Then he slid down my front, kissing and licking his way until I could feel his breath against my inner thighs. I tensed in anticipation, and he nipped at my sensitive flesh.

Finally, he kissed me there. I gasped as his tongue touched me, caressed me, pushed me to the brink. And then lights flashed, my body tensed, and I fell over the edge, crying his name.

His chest brushed against my already sensitive breasts as he moved over me. His eyes met mine. Black, they were devoid of white cornea or pupil or iris. The mark of a salamander—the eyes that were so similar to their inhuman cousins. As he slid into me, I moaned and closed my eyes, forgetting the strangeness of his.

He moved within me, thrusting hard, in delicious rhythm that had me gasping for air and clinging to him.

He reached between us and touched me, rubbing softly in rhythm with his thrusts. Stars clouded my vision and I whispered his name. He grunted and pushed into me hard, before spasming against me. I gripped the sheets and he threw back his head, calling my name.

Chapter Eleven

Costa’s arms were wrapped around me when I woke the next morning. My first instinct was to burrow deeper into the covers and my second was to flee. I’m generally the sort of girl who follows her first instinct, so I snuggled a little closer. Costa murmured in his sleep and his embrace tightened around me.

The night had been magnificent and, despite the passion, I’d gotten more rest in his bed than I had on my own all week. I grinned to myself. Exercise was good for sleep.

I traced his smooth skin with my fingertips, and he wrapped his arms around me more tightly. God it felt good to be held. So good. Too good.

I blinked at the clock on the nightstand. Only seven.

We needed to get a move on, but at least we hadn’t really overslept. He mumbled something and took a deep breath against my hair. I smiled. No reason we had to go right now. An extra half an hour certainly couldn’t hurt.

A moment passed before I processed the click of the lock giving way. By then, the door was opening. I sat up, holding the sheet against my chest, and reached over to the nightstand. I tugged my gun from its holster and pointed it at the doorway.

Or to be more accurate, I pointed my gun at the gorgeous redhead who strolled into the room, carefully balancing donuts and coffee in her hands.

We stared at each other for a moment. Her green eyes narrowed, and then she raised an eyebrow at the man next to me. Costa pushed himself up on his elbows, and he frowned at our uninvited guest.

“What are you doing here, Beatrice?”

I glanced at him. Was she uninvited after all?

“Maybe you should get your little girlfriend to drop the gun before you start asking me stupid questions, Val.”

Her voice was rich and smooth, and lower-pitched than I would have guessed. Sultry, that was the word.

“Put down the gun, Mari. This is my partner, Beatrice Davis,” he mumbled. Costa sat up on the edge of the bed and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.

I frowned at him but lowered the gun.

“Jesus, Val. I knew you were hoping to use the succubus to lure out the perp, but I didn’t know you were going to have to fuck her to do it.” The redhead grimaced and set the coffee and donuts on the desk.

My hand flew to my mouth, and self-loathing coursed through me like a vile drug sent directly to my veins. A weight settled in on my chest, and I went very still. Use the succubus? Lure out the perp? Didn’t know he’d have to fuck her to do it?

“Get the fuck out of here, Beatrice,” Costa said, voice low and hard. Dangerous.

Beatrice shrugged and tossed her hair over her shoulder. “Whatever, I’ll be in the lobby while you two...

finish up in here.”

The door slammed behind her, and I flinched.

“Don’t let her get to you,” Costa said, voice tight. But anger didn’t cover his face, guilt did. He wouldn’t meet my eyes; instead he looked down. “Last time I leave a key for her. She can wait for me if she needs files from now on.”

His expression carried all the confirmation I needed.

I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think. I had to get out.

I grabbed my clothes and yanked them on. Costa was talking to me, but I couldn’t hear him. I couldn’t pause to listen to his bullshit. I had to go.

He grabbed me by my shoulders. “Listen to me, bella.”

I stepped back, staring at the floor, and he released me. I couldn’t look at him. If I looked at him I would cry.

And there was only so much humiliation I could take in one morning.

“Don’t touch me,” I finally rasped out. “You will never fucking touch me again.” I shoved past Costa and ran for the door. He didn’t stop me.

To my utter horror, tears started to leak down my face as soon as I reached the lobby. I moved outside quickly, keeping my head down, and silently praying that Costa’s partner wouldn’t see me as I shuffled through the doors.

Once I hit the sidewalk, I strode to my car. Costa could find his own ride back to the station.

I hadn’t cried when Elaine was taken—not really. I hadn’t cried when I’d learned what they were going to do to her if I didn’t find her in time and stop them. But this— crying over a man? What the hell was wrong with me? Oh sure, it didn’t help that this hit on top of everything else.

And the piece of my mind that remained rational realized that given all the stressors in my life—not to mention the lack of sleep—this wasn’t exactly a crazy response. That it was probably a delayed reaction, having more to do with Elaine than Costa and his rude partner. But the rest of my mind thought I was shallow. And so I cried harder.

I wallowed in my misery as I drove to my house. I couldn’t do anything for Elaine until I got home and pulled calmed down, so I parked on the side of the road for a few minutes, quit fighting the tears, and let them fall.

Once I’d gotten myself somewhat together and parked in front of my townhouse, I trudged up to my front door, not even bothering to pretend I walked with any sort of dignity.

Flipping Costa.

I took a quick shower, finally letting loose the last of my tears under the hot stream of water. I let the heat wipe away the pain and anger and humiliation. I let it comfort me.

Numb, I got dressed and then made myself a cup of tea. I sat down at my dining room table. I had to focus on finding Elaine, on figuring this out. Whatever Costa had intended anyway—using me as bait aside—didn’t seem to be working. The perp was either too smart to try to kidnap a cop, especially a cop working his case, or I didn’t fit the bill in some other way. I wasn’t exactly in the age range of the average victim—just a touch too old.

I pulled out the case files and started scanning them again, one by one. I made a list of the cities we knew about, and approximate date ranges that the kidnapper would need to have been in those cities. There were gaps, but I would bet that more than a few of those piles of ash had never been discovered, in who knows what cities, or— less likely—that some of the succubi who had disappeared had never been reported missing.

According to my list, the perp would have been in Phoenix before Chicago—kidnapping a succubus there.

And prior to that, Anchorage, where a pile of ashes proving to be those of an unknown otherworlder was found near a police station.

I’d take it to Natalie, I decided. She hadn’t called yet saying she’d found anything, but the information couldn’t hurt for her to have. It might make her search quicker, and an obvious suspect might even become apparent. Hope surged within me and suddenly I was on my feet, full of energy, and barely able to stop myself from racing out the door.