Pieces of her blonde hair spilled out of her chignon, and she couldn’t seem to stop shivering.“Kurt was laying it on thick, saying that he was really into me.The rest of the night’s pretty fuzzy. I don’t feel like myself. I don’t want to be alone right now. Will you come back to my place?”
“Of course.” Gillian reached out to squeeze Brooke’s hand and then glanced out the window at the colorful storefronts. People bustled along the sidewalks on their way to work, and the routine of it put her somewhat at ease. She turned back to face her and smiled. “Let’s try and forget last night ever happened.”
“I recommend that you tell only one person, the fewer people who know, the better,” Mulroney murmured from the front seat. This was the first time he’d spoken since they’d gotten into his car. His pale blue eyes slid to hers in the rearview mirror, and her heart skipped a beat. “For everyone’s safety.”
Gillian reached into her purse for her phone and glanced at the screen. It exploded with likes and comments from her recent posts; if any of them only knew the half of it. She had a few texts from Saje, reminding her of tonight’s Mabon Ritual. Luckily, today was her day off so she could go crash for a few and get her bearings before she went back to work.
“Don’t worry. I don’t plan on saying anything about this to the others. It’s one of the few things we agree on.” Ellen and the other girls had been through enough this past year. Things were finally getting back to normal around the coven. From what she’d overheard Detective Dubrosky say to Mulroney, all of the vampires involved in the blood ring were in custody. So why worry them unnecessarily?
“I guess there’s a first for everything, even in this particular instance.” Mulroney agreed, his tone brimming with sarcasm.
Her first instinct was to rattle off some flippant reply, but she figured it was best to keep her feelings to herself when sitting in the backseat of a detective car, especially when the detective in question distrusted her with a blatant intensity.
Gillian observed the vampire sitting in front of her, reluctantly admiring the way his long, tapered fingers covered the steering wheel and the confidant way he maneuvered the vehicle. While part of her couldn’t stand him, he was nothing like the vampire who had tried to mind-roofie her. Mulroney lived by a code—a code that she suspected made him worthy of his badge.
She’d never forget the first time Mulroney showed up at the manor. She had assumed it was Belinda, one of the witches from her coven ringing the doorbell as she was notorious for losing her keys. Gillian had just stepped out of the shower, never expecting the plain-clothed detective—who came to accuse her and her coven mates of being linked to an organized crime syndicate—to be so good-looking. The whole thing had caught her completely off guard.
Mulroney pulled up to Brooke’s apartment building on Hudson Street and cut the engine. “We’re here,” he announced, and the four of them got out of the car.
Detective Dubrosky turned to Brooke. “I’m going to check your place first to make sure no one’s inside. What’s your apartment number?”
Brooke reached into her purse and handed the detective a heart-shaped key ring with a small copper amulet dangling from the center. “I’m in fourteen C.”
“I’ll be right back.” Detective Dubrosky walked up the block to the red brick building in a blur of speed.
A few minutes later, she came back and handed the keys to Brooke with an encouraging smile. “All clear. Hopefully, you can put this all behind you.” She got back in the car and began typing on her phone.
Brooke turned to Gillian and covered a yawn. “I need to go crash before I pass out. I’ll meet you inside.” After she thanked Mulroney and his partner, she waved goodbye and walked up the block.
“There’sone more thing to put to rest, Miss Howe.” Mulroney took a step closer, and she caught another whiff of his cologne. The clean laundry scent made her head spin.
Gillian smirked. “Let me guess, you decided to arrest me after all?” Why did her voice sound provocative, almost flirty?
“Tempting, but no. Would you be able to identify the vampire who tranced you in a line-up?”
“I think so. I mean it was dark, but I have no doubt his face will be in my nightmares. What I still can’t figure out is why. Was this all for a few moments of undiluted pleasure?”
“You think this is just about pleasure?” The way he said the wordpleasuremade anticipation curse through her veins in hot revolutions. “Some vampires have an addiction to blood in the same way humans do to drugs or alcohol. When a blood bond is made, those who have that predisposition become insatiable for the next fix and will do just about anything to satisfy the craving.”
His words made her stomach clench. She tried not to think about what could’ve happened if he hadn’t shown up. “That should help me sleep tonight.”
“I’m not about to sugarcoat the facts. It’s a good thing you won’t be alone. Last night was a bizarre evening.”
She sighed. “Yeah, that’s certainly one way to describe it.” She took in the dark street with its pale pools of light from the streetlamps, which now seemed too far apart. A shiver slid down her spine.
“Please, don’t hesitate to call if either of you remember anything else.” He closed the remaining distance between them and handed over his card. Their fingers touched, and a bolt of electricity shot up her arm like a live wire. Her eyes locked with his, and she wondered if he felt it too. If he did, he didn’t show it—his expression remained blank.
After an awkward silence, she motioned to his Jeep. “I’ll let you get back to work. Thanks for the ride, and well, for everything.”
His ice-blue eyes stayed locked with hers, and she got the feeling he wanted to say more but shoved his hands in his pants pockets instead. “You’re welcome.”
Gillian turned and walked up the sidewalk, glad to be rid of the sexy vampire. She’d had more than her fill of creatures of the night to last a lifetime.
Chapter 5
Late afternoon sunlight streamed in through the blinds. Gillian blinked and sat up, momentarily disoriented from waking in a strange bed. And then she remembered she’d crashed in Brooke’s guest bedroom. She glanced at the clock. She’d slept for almost seven hours straight and felt oddly refreshed.
Her fingers trailed over Mulroney’s suit jacket, spread out on the bed. For reasons she couldn’t explain, she’d slept with it next to her pillow. Lifting the fabric to her nose, she inhaled his intoxicating male scent like some lovesick teenager. He’d ridden in as a kind of crazy-hot knight in shining armor—all self-important and judgy. It’s not like she needed him to save her. She’d done that without his help, even before he arrived. Still…
