Blood Magic by Laken Cane

Chapter Six

I left my car and walked across his yard, then settled myself into one of the chairs on the porch. Maybe he was asleep. I didn’t want to wake him if he was. I knew he didn’t get a lot of sleep.

Ten minutes later, he opened his door and stepped out onto the porch. He sat down beside me and for a few minutes, we just stared out into the darkness, neither of us speaking.

He was dressed in a white t-shirt and worn jeans, no shoes. I found it hard not to stare at him, as I’d never seen him wearing anything but a suit. His hair had grown out a bit and was slightly messy, as though he’d tried the sleep thing and it hadn’t taken.

Truthfully, Rick Moreno was a good-looking man—both in a suit and in jeans. In his suit, he looked like a detective. Like a cop. In his jeans with his fitted t-shirt and his bare feet, he looked…sweet, sort of. Sexy, definitely.

“You’re hot,” I said.

He looked at me then, and finally, he laughed. It was rusty and quick, but it was a laugh. “Thanks. Back at you.”

We grinned at each other for a few seconds, then our smiles dwindled, and we went back to staring out into the darkness.

I cleared my throat. “How’s Beth?”

“She’s doing better.”

“Good. I’m happy to hear that. Will she be home soon?”

He hesitated. “Yeah.”

Detective Moreno wasn’t the talkative sort.

“I called and left a message a couple of times,” I said. “You never returned my calls.”

“I meant to.” He moved restlessly in his chair. “Louis said you were doing well with your new office.”

I nodded. “He’s a very generous man.” I half reclined back in my chair and turned my head to look at him. “Demon’s been quiet. I’m hoping he faded.”

“With any luck.”

“What’s been going on, Rick?”

He sighed and met my stare. “I caught a hard case. Serial killer.”

I sat up. “I saw the news a couple of weeks ago. You were talking about him. You said he was a mama’s boy, that he needed but never got her approval, that when he killed those women, he was essentially killing her.”

“I was baiting him,” he said dryly. “It worked. He’s angry. He’s going to make a mistake and when he does, I’ll be there.”

“Serial killers are fascinating,” I said, causing him to lift an eyebrow. “Oh, I don’t mean I like them. It’s just…interesting, you know? What they do, why they do it, who they were. What twisted them up and made them want to kill people…” I shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“You don’t want a glimpse into their heads.” He gave me a displeased look. “They’re sociopathic assholes who get fucked up when they’re kids and grow up to torture and kill innocent people.”

“They’re not born killers, though,” I said. “There’s evil dormant in all of us, right? Theirs gets activated through the abuse of a horrific childhood. I just think—”

“They start on animals, Ms. Silver. Did you know that? Some of the things I’ve seen these killers do to—”

“Stop.” I glared at him. “They’re monsters. I’m aware.”

He was silent for a few minutes, then, “Beth knows nothing happened between us, Kait.”

I shook my head. “I’m so fucking sorry for that. I wish I could tell her.”

“She knows. And it wasn’t your fault.”

“Are you doing okay, Detective? You’re not sleeping, are you?”

He rubbed his eyes. “No.”

I stood and held out a hand. “Come on.”

He stared at my hand for a good twenty seconds before he took it. He stood. “Where are we going?”

“I’ve had a few sleepless nights myself. Sometimes you just need to know someone is there.”

“Kait, I’m not a child.”

“No. You’re not.” I tugged him to the front door. “Come on. I’ll heat you some milk and sit with you until you fall asleep.” The detective never touched pills. Not even sleeping pills. Warm milk might not put him to sleep, but the comfort of having someone with him might.

He was exhausted but couldn’t turn his mind off. I knew how that was. While I went into the kitchen to heat his milk, he undressed and got into his bed. “You should get a dog,” I told him when I returned with the milk. “They’re the best company and incredible stress relievers.”

He took a drink of the milk, made a face, and set it on the nightstand. “Thanks, Kait. Go home. Get some sleep yourself.”

“I’ll go home when you’re snoring.” I sat down in a chair close to the side of the bed. “So nothing from the demon. That really is a good sign. I don’t know why this demon maintained his power after I killed him. He should have become a helpless spirit, doomed to float through our world forever. But somehow, he can fight. He can possess people. He can’t possess me—I’ve got an anti-possession tat on my shoulder. Something you need to get done, Detective. Obviously, I have to keep the blade from him.”

And I just kept talking. It should have felt strange, being there in his bedroom, but it didn’t. It didn’t feel strange at all.

Ten minutes later, he was out. His eyes were closed, his breathing even, and some of the new stress lines on his face had smoothed out. For a little while, I watched him, tempted to pass out in the chair.

But in the end, I left his house, and I got into my car.

I backed out of his driveway, then paused in the dark, quiet street as goosebumps popped up suddenly on my skin. Someone was out there, watching me. Someone dangerous.

My ex-alpha and his goons, maybe. He wasn’t going to go away. Or maybe…

Maybe it was the demon.

I probed the shadows, but other than the cars lining the side of the streets, I saw no movement. I was tired. My encounter with the vampires had used up a lot of energy. My shift had used up more. I needed to have some dinner, take a nice, hot shower, and sleep.

I was tired and overreacting. That was all.

But when I reached my house, the bad feeling was still with me.