Blood Shadows Read online

  And let them yank her off the case and wrap her in cotton wool in some distant locale? Make her fight her way back to the top of some other control unit in some other vampire-infested district? No. She had come too far. Invested too much. More than that, this was the only way. ‘I told you – he didn’t say anything.’

  Xavier leaned back in his seat, the disconcertment in Max’s eyes telling her she wasn’t the only one holding information back.

  ‘I’ll be upfront with you, Caitlin,’ Xavier said. ‘Kane Malloy has been involved in some cross-species activity. Regular contact has been established between him and Jask Tao. Were you aware of that?’

  Another fact she’d have to avoid disclosing – ammunition she’d held on to for when she finally got Kane inside. Revelations of furtive meetings with the lycan leader would have allowed her to detain him for longer should her initial readings prove less fruitful than planned. ‘I had heard rumours but nothing anywhere near confirmation.’ She glanced at Max to see him silently berating her for her lack of disclosure.

  ‘Well, the Lycan Control Unit has noted several reports of their meetings,’ Xavier continued.

  ‘What does that have to do with me?’

  ‘I’ll get to the point,’ Xavier said. ‘A young woman like you gets the better of Kane Malloy, especially as underhandedly as you did, and he’s going to want to reinstate his control. Unfortunate, yes, but maybe your hastiness tonight has given us the biggest advantage we’ve ever had of convicting him. We all know there are only two ways we’re going to do it. We either get him shadow-read when his defences are down, or we catch him in the act. Something big. Something indisputable.’

  She knew exactly where Xavier was going with this. ‘Something involving collaboration with other third-species deviants?’

  ‘Kane is going to walk free in the next couple of hours. We need to know what he’s planning. And we need someone on the inside to do that.’

  Caitlin frowned. ‘You mean me.’

  ‘You never discussed this with me,’ Max cut in, shooting Xavier a glare contemptuous enough to have placed him on conduct procedures himself.

  ‘I am here to advise this unit on the best course of action,’ Xavier reminded him. ‘Taking everything into account, I believe this is it.’

  ‘By offering my best agent, my stepdaughter, as bait in a situation we have no control over with a vampire none of us can even begin to comprehend?’

  ‘A risk but, based on the fact Kane clearly wants her alive, a calculated one. I’m asking her to do her job,’ Xavier said, squarely meeting his glare. ‘But if your family connection is going to be a problem…’

  ‘It’s never been a problem,’ Caitlin said, avoiding eye contact with Max. ‘I make my own choices.’

  ‘Good. Because I’m offering you the biggest opportunity of your career, Caitlin, one that I have no doubt is well within your capabilities. I’m sure I don’t have to spell out what this will mean for that career if you’re successful.’

  ‘A career I’ve been suspended from, remember?’

  ‘Something else that has worked to our advantage. You’re out of the loop as far as anyone is concerned. Officially, I can get you reinstated in the next twenty-four hours on undercover work. No one else in the team need know. And I think it best we keep it that way.’

  ‘Caitlin, you don’t have to do this,’ Max said. ‘We can move you to a safe house. Get you the security you need.’

  ‘For the rest of my life?’ She could see from the discontent in her stepfather’s eyes that he already knew what she was going to say. ‘This is my case. I’m not backing out now.’ She looked back at Xavier. ‘I want to hear what Kane’s got to say for himself.’

  It took three double doors, each under a security code, to get to the containment quarters. At the fourth, the security guard keyed her in.

  ‘You know the procedure,’ Hadrian said. ‘Stay on your side of the table. Pass all things across the top of the table. We’ll be watching you from behind the mirror. If you’re in distress, bite your lip and we’ll intervene.’

  Caitlin nodded. ‘Kane touches me and he knows he’s not going anywhere. I think he’ll keep his distance.’

  Hadrian indicated for her to make her way through the next set of doors into the interrogation area. ‘Room one.’

  Turning her back on him, she passed two rooms on her right before stopping at the third.

  She took a steady breath, her pulse racing, reached for the handle but let go.

  You can do this, she insisted, her hands clenched by her sides. She closed her eyes for a moment then opened them with renewed determination. She reached for the handle again and pushed the door open.

  Kane Malloy sat back on the metal chair as relaxed as he would be if knocking back shots in a club, legs casually apart beneath the table, his jeans cuffing his chunky lace-up boots. He didn’t flinch as she entered, his elbows remaining lax on the armrests. His self-assurance exacerbated her unease, not helped by his position emphasising the taut muscles of his biceps, revealing glimpses of his honed chest through the fabric of his dark grey T-shirt.

  Caitlin instinctively lowered her gaze, her stomach tightening as she recalled how that hard, powerful body had felt pressed against hers.

  But it was too late to turn back now.

  She closed the door, the twenty-by-twenty-foot room suddenly feeling claustrophobic, the throbbing silence adding to the tension as she felt him unashamedly assessing every inch of her. She cursed silently as tingles swept up her spine, berating herself for letting him affect her.

  The intimidation was clever, dangerously low key.

  The games had already begun.

  Clutching the release papers tight to her chest, she’d never had so much difficulty putting one foot in front of the other. Grateful to reach the table quickly, she stopped at the far side and placed the papers on the corner, the pen on top.

  ‘You need to gain more confidence in those sexy hips,’ he said, that low rasp making every hair rise on the back of her neck. ‘Learn to make the most of them.’

  Sitting in the bolted-down chair opposite him, she interlaced her hands on the table. She used every reserve to meet his gaze, keeping her expression impassive despite her pounding heart. ‘Very clever, Kane. How did you do it?’

  ‘Do what?’

  ‘Block her.’

  Satisfaction danced behind those captivating navy eyes. ‘It’s an old vampire secret.’ If he knew she’d worked out what he was, he wasn’t letting on.

  At this stage it was safer to play along. ‘Not one that I’ve ever heard of.’

  ‘Because you’re the authority on all things vampiric, right?’

  ‘I know enough to know what you did is impossible.’

  ‘Don’t be a sore loser, Caitlin. I’m sure you enjoyed the chase while it lasted.’

  ‘It’s not over yet, Kane.’

  ‘Unsubstantiated accusations. No forensic proof. Hearsay. Alleged crimes. Failed shadow- reading. Not looking good, is it?’

  His self-possession was intoxicating, infuriating.

  ‘Still got you here, didn’t I?’ she retorted.

  ‘You cheated,’ he said, an unnerving glimmer of rebuke behind his eyes.

  ‘I thought you had to have rules to cheat. I don’t remember agreeing to any.’

  He flashed her that fatally charming smile. An effective predator at work. A master predator. ‘Now that sounds like a fun precedent to set.’

  ‘You were waiting for me, weren’t you?’ she said, desperate to break the tension.

  ‘You’re not the only hunter around here, Caitlin.’

  ‘What do you want with me?’

  ‘If you hadn’t upped the ante, you would have known by now. But don’t worry, you will soon enough.’

  Her stomach lurched at the candour in his tone, the darkness in those eyes. ‘Is that a threat?’

  ‘I prefer to call it foreplay. But whatever works for you.’ He leaned forward, r
ested his hands on the table – strong, masculine hands that had pinned her to the wall with such competent ease. ‘You upped the ante with the wrong vampire, Caitlin.’

  She leaned forward to mirror him. She had to do something to goad him. She needed him to snap, needed him to do something to justify keeping him in for a few more hours. ‘I thought you would have noticed I don’t play the helpless-female card very well, so you can quit with the power games.’

  ‘Easy to say when you’re surrounded by people to protect you. How convincing will those pretty brown eyes be when I’ve got you alone again?’

  ‘You touch me and I will convict you.’

  ‘Like you have this time?’

  She held his gaze defiantly. ‘It’s okay, Kane. Your ego is having trouble dealing with the fact that I outsmarted you. I can take it.’

  He smiled again, albeit briefly, revealing an alluring hint of those even white teeth, those slightly extended incisors, purposefully drawing her attention to those sexy masculine lips. ‘So, tell me, has your pulse raced that fast with every vampire you’ve caught?’

  It was a cruel but clever change of tack. One he clearly sensed would make her falter.

  ‘I thrive on the chase,’ she said.

  ‘Not as much as you thrive on fear. Or maybe it’s me that’s the potent aphrodisiac for you.’

  She exhaled curtly, felt herself flush. ‘Believe me, this is purely business, Kane. Much as I’m sure that’s another blow to your ego.’

  He smiled again, his gaze unfalteringly intrusive. ‘I heard those shallow breaths when I had you pinned to that wall. I felt you shudder when I unfastened your belt.’

  ‘Repulsion does that to me.’

  ‘You are so unconvincing,’ he said, raking her slowly with his gaze. ‘But I guess for someone like you, denial is the safe option.’ His eyes rested squarely on hers again, their intensity making her stomach flip. ‘Much safer than letting me in.’

  ‘Well, you know all about denial, don’t you, Kane? Why don’t you be a big boy and confess to what you’ve done? Unless you’re scared of the consequences?’

  ‘Such vehemence. I’m going to put that to good use. I think too many nights alone in front of the TV has left Caitlin a very tense and frustrated girl. A pretty girl like you, I’d have expected a few male friends. At least one or two one-night stands.’

  The ‘empty bed’ remark back in the corridor had been unsettling enough but she’d managed to dismiss it as a random jibe. These remarks were too close to the truth to be random. He’d been into Lowtown. He’d found where she lived. Or he wanted her to believe that. Her heart pounded at the prospect of him watching her – thuds of fear, thuds of unforgivable excitement as she tried not to waver under the practised seductiveness of his eyes. ‘My love life of interest to you is it, Kane?’

  ‘You probe around in someone’s business long enough and they’re going to start to notice you, Caitlin.’

  ‘Did you know we were coming for you?’

  ‘I know a lot of things.’

  ‘Except about hemlock pins in gun handles.’

  ‘Like I said, you cheated. But I’ll give you that one.’

  ‘And I’ll give you some advice: don’t underestimate me, Kane. Whatever trick you used tonight with Isla, I’ll work it out. And next time I bring you in, I’ll be the one to read you. We’ll see how clever you are at blocking then.’

  ‘Now who’s making threats?’ Warning flashed in his eyes. ‘Do it again, Caitlin, and I’m going to stop being nice to you.’

  She pushed the papers towards him, slid him the pen. ‘I’m not scared of you, Kane.’

  He picked up the pen, a self-satisfied smile curling the corners of those seductive bow lips. ‘Lie all you want, Caitlin,’ he said, signing the papers, sliding them back across to her. ‘But we both know you know what I am. Just as we both know you’re never going to get me back in here again. So if you want to read me,’ he said, leaning back, lifting his wrists, his gaze locked challengingly on hers, ‘let’s see what you’ve got.’

  Panic and shock whipped through her. If he was calling her bluff, he was playing a very dangerous game.

  Kane Malloy was many things, but stupid and careless were definitely not on the list. He was either one hundred per cent convinced she would fail or one hundred per cent convinced she would refuse. Because they both knew if she saw anything, even claimed to have seen anything, the fact he had volunteered would mean they could reinstate detainment.

  Her instinct was to throw that compelling self-assurance right off balance. But it wasn’t that simple. Shadow-reading was an intimate act – the proximity it required, the length of touch it necessitated, the sustained penetrative eye contact. Even if she could get inside him, overpower those barriers he’d used with Isla, it wasn’t going to be quick and it wasn’t going to be easy. And the absence of the containment chair, the protocol, others in the room, would only exacerbate the intimacy.

  The very thought of it terrified her.

  Back in the corridor, she at least had adrenaline to blame for her reaction to him. How her body had ignited at his closeness, relishing his intoxicating scent of musk and spices. How when he’d held her against that wall, his lips temptingly close to hers, all she could think of was how his kiss would feel – whether he’d tease her lips apart sensually or overpower her with force.

  But now, as his gaze lingered on her, she knew it was nothing to do with adrenaline. And putting herself in that position again wouldn’t only be a test of her self-control, it could show him just how vulnerable she was.

  But those beyond the two-way mirror didn’t know that. Nor could she allow them to know. If she turned Kane down, turned down the unexpected but perfect opportunity, they’d want to know why.

  Caitlin had no choice.

  ‘If I find something, Kane, I can keep you in for another seventeen hours. Be warned – I’m stronger than you think.’

  ‘Maybe. But nowhere near as strong as me.’

  She glanced across at the mirror. She knew Xavier would want her to take any opportunity she could. She also knew if she did, Max would be watching, cursing her stupidity, demanding she sat back down again or have someone intervene.

  But there was an agreement: no interference unless she bit her lip.

  And there was no looking into the void unless you got dangerously close to the edge.

  After a few more moments of hesitation, she grasped the arms of the chair and stood. She stepped up to his end of the table, stopping at the corner, inches from his thigh.

  His gaze didn’t falter as he moved his leg out a little, enough to let her slip between him and the table before closing the gap again.

  She felt the compulsion to lean back and grip the table’s edge for support, but that would have given too much away. ‘Last chance, Kane.’

  His eyes sparkled coaxingly as he held up his wrists.

  She hesitated for a moment longer before reaching out, her fingertips already tingling at the prospect.

  But he was quick. He snatched hold of her wrist and was instantaneously on his feet.

  A split second later, she was flat on her back on the table, his thighs forcing hers apart.

  Caitlin snapped back a breath. Panic surged through her as, in the swift skilful move, he had trapped her beneath him, his hips melding against hers like they were two parts of the same piece. And as he slammed her hands either side of her head, gazed deep into her eyes, Caitlin shuddered.

  Because even in its wrongness it felt unnervingly right. Even in her alarm, the power of his cool hard body was painfully evocative, his unwavering self-control rousing her further, the provocative playfulness in his gaze doing nothing to help abate her arousal.

  ‘You’re not the only one who can cheat, Caitlin.’

  ‘Big mistake,’ she hissed.

  He looked at the mirror and then back at her. ‘No one’s come running yet.’ He dragged his gaze appreciatively down her throat, her cleavage. ‘Just
how much can I get away with before they come to the rescue, huh?’ His eyes glinted with mischief as he looked back into hers. ‘I bet Max is poised and ready. I’m sure he wasn’t happy you coming in here all alone. I know how protective he is towards you after all you’ve been through. Not that you talk about it. Not that anyone ever talks about it. How fitting he made a move on your mother so soon after his best friend became ashes.’

  Caitlin glowered at him, stunned by his knowledge. ‘You don’t know what you’re talking about.’

  He leaned closer, his lips dangerously near hers, his eyes terrifyingly beautiful in their menace. ‘Struck a nerve, Caitlin? Not nice having people pry into your personal business, is it?’

  She turned her head to the side to break from the intensity, anger, fear, resentment searing through her. And she tensed as his lips brushed intimately against her ear, just as he had done in the corridor. Only this time she knew he was doing it to avoid being lip-read.

  ‘I know your mission to read me isn’t just about convicting me, or uncovering vampire secrets, Caitlin. So, if it makes you feel better, yes, I do know what killed your father and yes, it is the same thing that came after your mother. And you’re right – it is some ancient species you’ve never heard of. Yes, I do know how to find it and yes, I am one of the few capable of killing it. And maybe, one day, just for the hell of it, I will. But in the meantime, I have my own revenge to fulfil.’

  She held her breath as he lifted her wrist to his mouth, brushed his soft lips along one of the most tender, receptive parts of her body. And as he let it go and gently used the back of his hand to turn her head towards him, she almost conceded and raised the alarm.

  ‘Unfortunately, for what I have planned,’ he said, lowering his mouth to hers. ‘I’m going to need that precious glowing soul of yours.’

  She knew she should have stopped it then and signalled for reinforcements. But the shock of the revelation distracted her, her need to hear more overwhelming any self-defence. She stared at him in horror. ‘That’s why you want me?’

  ‘Why else?’