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"Get out of here, Mac," Mason said, eyes never leaving Greaves

I was pissed, and an arguood idea But Mason outranked me, and he’d spent more than a decade in the paranormal unit A human wouldn’t have put in that kind of ti to bet Greaves did And if the sweat on the agent’s brow and the tightness of his jaas any indication, whatever Mason Sanderson was, he was a scarythe second I left the station I glanced down at the nunored the call, but after the third time, I started to wonder No calls from him the entire day while I was at the office, and now three in a ro close of tabs was he keeping on h a fast food drive-thru, I headed back to the office, ignoring yet another of Aidan’s phone calls as I pulled into the police parking lot

"Jerk," I muttered He’d lied to me Lied to me and slept with me and made me look incompetent in front of my coworkers I blinked back tears and tried to focus on anything but Aidan But focus failedmy phone to call him back

"Hello, beautiful" Aidan’s voice was smooth Whatever tabs he kept on me apparently didn’t extend into the interview roo asshole" The words spilled out before I could stop the I didn’t know he’d lied Before I could co at hireeted ain, and I’ll sic the OWEA on your ass The real OWEA, not liars like you with plastic badges Don’t callthink about me" My voice cracked, and I shut the phone with a snap Blinking back tears, I concentrated on breathing No crying Not over that lying ass

After a fewto think about Aidan, but if he had anything to do with Aie hadn’t returned the call I’d sneaked while going through paperwork, so poking around the office after hours see any inforht Either that, or head back to Sylvester’s and let Kiht Or I could call Aidan back and talk to hi intolot aroundMarisol As a member of the paranormal division, she would be able to access the records Maybe I suppressed a sigh No, I couldn’t bring her into this My career was most likely already in the crapper, but hers didn’t have to be It wasn’t fair to drag her doith me

But Claude held sway, and I suspected he was far more powerful than he acted Not only was he a vampire--and despite the fact he’d never admit it, Vasquez was scared shitless of vampires--but Claude didn’t really need his job Oh, he seemed to enjoy the work, but the man drove a new quarter of a h-rise condo in the most expensive part of town He didn’t need it, not like I needed to find A to help me, he simply wouldn’t

I opened my phone and pulled his number from my list of divisionseveral times, and then went to voice et this It’s important" I flipped the phone shut and tossed it onto the passenger seat I h the maze that this case had becoht, Amandato track hieable about ic I frowned and took a sip of my Coke If what Marisol said was true, succubi--and by extension incubi--kept a piece with them of the people they drained I wasn’t entirely clear how that worked, but if draining one person to the point of death, a person who deserved it no less, had almost killed her sister--hell, had driven poor Elaine to become a shut-in for years after the incident--then whatso many women have done to this incubus? He had to be insane, truly mad, if he carried bits of the personalities of the dozen wo the truth

Iother than Aidan Byrne But thoughts of hih my mind as if summoned by my determination to banish them I’d never had afeelings so quickly I stilled, a sudden thought hitto thrall me? He shouldn’t be able to do that, not unless…

Not unless he’d been draining people

No He couldn’t be, could he? My thoughts scattered and I couldn’t bring them back into focus Aent and his asshole attitude all scrahts

Screw this

I started the car and threw it into reverse I had to do soo to his house It had been a year since I’d been there, when Claude had held a small party to celebrate a coain

Swinging out onto the road, I headed east and tried to reot a few blocks before I noticed in ths behind me A couple of turns later, I was alunned it and swerved hard to the right, turning down a one-way street, and then h, the car followed me A few more turns and I made my way into soh traffic and rinned and al U-turn and headed for Claude’s

The sound of rabbed the phone, expecting to see Aidan’s nu ive up

I glanced down at the nu a different phone I frowned Dare I answer it?

I dared

"Hello"