Souls Of Fire: Fireborn Part 5

"Ow," I said, instinctively jumping back and then rubbing my nose. "Sorry, I wasn't watching-"

I stopped, suddenly recognizing the grinning man in front of me. It was the emerald-eyed Fae I'd talked to yesterday.

"Meeting in this doorway seems to be our destiny," he said, idly rubbing his chest. Though I'd hit him with some force, I doubted I'd actually done any real damage. He was too muscular-too hard-looking-to be injured by a short woman in a hurry. "How's your nose?"

"Sore, but that's what I get for not looking where I was going." I shrugged, my cheeks heating. Only I very much suspected its cause wasn't embarra.s.sment, but the rather intense way he was watching me. Like I'd suddenly become prey he very much intended to hunt. I might not be an innocent, but-if his expression was anything to go by-he very much intended to explore some of the more sensual pursuits with me.

"Well, I'm afraid it's not entirely your fault." He raised his left hand, revealing a phone. "I was texting rather than looking."

He was also blocking my entry into the building and showed little inclination to move.

"Do you live here?" I asked, more to break the silence than any real need to know.

His gaze dropped to my lips as I spoke, and the waves of heat rolling from him sharpened abruptly. Desire flared deep within me. Heat-any sort of heat-was a siren call we found hard to resist.

"No. But a friend rents an apartment on the second floor." His gaze scanned me, and it felt like I was standing naked before him. It was a rather pleasant sensation. "You?"

"My boss lives here, but he's a forgetful old sod and I'm always having to retrieve stuff."

He laughed. It was a rich, strong sound that rumbled across my senses and fueled those inner flames. "I've known a few bosses like that. Sounds like you might need a drink to recover."

"Possibly," I said, raising an eyebrow. "Depends on who's offering."

"Ah, of course." He held out his hand. "Jackson Miller, at your service."

"Emberly Pearson."

His big hand enclosed mine, and a tremor ran through me. G.o.d, his skin was so deliciously warm it was all I could do not to close my eyes and draw it into me.

"Well, Ms. Pearson, I do think I need to buy you a drink to apologize for my clumsiness." He drew my hand to his lips and lightly kissed my fingers. It felt like a caress of flame. "What are you doing tonight?"

I couldn't help smiling. He was a fast worker, that was for sure.

"Sadly, I'm working tonight."

"Well, technically, so am I, but I can always find time for a pretty lady." He pursed his lips, amus.e.m.e.nt and desire making his bright eyes glow. "What about breakfast?"

"Breakfast?" I repeated, all sorts of exciting possibilities running through my mind.

"Yeah, breakfast." He paused, his grin widening. "Nothing else, just breakfast. Fae prefer to savor the chase, so the rest will come with our second date."

Second date? I didn't know if I'd survive the first one without at least exploring some of his unrestrained heat. But I raised my eyebrows and drawled, "And what if the first date bombs?"

"Given what's burning between us, my sweet, I very much suspect the first date will be hot and heavy and that our second date will be sooner rather than later." He took a business card out of his wallet and handed it to me. "Ring me whenever you've finished work, and we'll go from there."

I accepted the card. Jackson Miller, Miller Engineering, it read, with a cell number underneath. I tucked it into the top pocket of my jacket. "It could be very late by the time I've finished tonight."

He shrugged and finally stepped to one side. "I'll be awake."

"Then I'll call." With a smile, I brushed past him and made my way up the stairs. His hungry, heavy gaze followed me until I was out of sight.

d.a.m.n, but he was hot.

I blew out a somewhat shaky breath and tried to pull the scattered remnants of my thoughts together. Work first, then Sam, then pleasure.

Although once upon a time Sam would have been my pleasure, instead of an unknown but s.e.xy fire Fae.

I shoved the thought back into its box. Sam had moved on to the amazonian, and maybe, just maybe, I'd run nose-first into her male counterpart.

I coded myself into Mark's apartment and then ducked under the police tape and went inside. The mess was much the same, only this time there was fingerprinting dust everywhere. I ignored the empty but bloodied chair and walked over to his desk. After feeling around for a couple of seconds, I found the little latch and pressed it. There was a click; then a drawer popped out from the base of the old table. I grabbed the laptop, plonked it down onto the desk, then hit the on b.u.t.ton. After a moment, it fired up.

I pulled up the chair and got to work, accessing his network and then entering his cloud site. To discover it was empty. Totally empty.

The b.a.s.t.a.r.ds had not only accessed his site but erased all his files. And the only way they could have done that was via Mark. I wondered how long he'd lasted before he'd given up his secrets. I guess if his battered state was anything to go by, it had been quite a while, and for that I could only admire him. Many a stronger man would have suffered far less before giving in.

I studied the screen for a few moments longer, then clicked back into the activity screen. The information had been accessed at 9:20 and then removed at 3:45 a.m.-hours after Mark had been killed and the inst.i.tute ransacked. Why? If they'd wanted to ensure they were the sole owners of all his notes, why not erase it immediately?

I didn't know. Probably wouldn't ever know, given Sam wasn't likely to bother me again once I'd handed over all the information I could. And given they apparently had open orders to kill the virus-afflicted, I very much suspected that whoever was behind the professor's death wouldn't exactly be getting his day in court if caught.

I leaned back in the chair and rubbed my eyes for a moment. It had been a long day, and all I really wanted to do was go home and go to sleep before I went to breakfast with a certain Fae. But I needed to complete my task here and get Sam out of my life again, and the sooner I went through the rest of this mess, the better.

With a sigh, I pushed upright and got to it. It was close to eleven by the time I'd finished. I picked up the laptop and left Mark's apartment-hopefully for the final time-then made my way downstairs. The back of my neck began to p.r.i.c.kle as I neared the ground floor, and I frowned, glancing around quickly. I couldn't see anyone in the shadows, couldn't feel any body heat, and yet . . . someone was watching me.

And while the sensation might have been nothing more than tiredness and an overactive imagination, I nevertheless hurried out of the building. Only it wasn't just cold, but raining.

"Fantastic," I muttered, shoving the computer under my coat. "Just f.u.c.king fantastic."

s.h.i.+vering, I ran toward the crisp white and pink glow of Magenta's lights.

The sensation of being watched didn't fade.

It grew.

And they were no longer just watching, but following.

CHAPTER 4.

I ran on, but all my senses were trained behind me. Whoever it was, they were little more than the occasional whisper of footsteps and a distant s.h.i.+mmer of heat that was too cool to be human.

Vampire.

Fear and panic surged, making my heart race and a cold sweat break out across my skin. I could protect myself better than most, but I'd been attacked by a rogue vamp in a past life, and it was an experience I had no wish to repeat. Legend might suggest a vampire's bite was o.r.g.a.s.mic-and they certainly could be-but it was a harrowing, hateful thing when you were an unwilling victim.

And the b.a.s.t.a.r.d had killed me, too, simply because he'd caught me off guard and had ripped out my throat before I could fully react. And if a phoenix died before their allotted one-hundred-year span was over, the subsequent rebirth was a wretched, traumatic experience.

I s.h.i.+vered, suddenly thankful Magenta's was close. I raced for the warm pink glow of the bar, slowing only once I'd reached it. A quick glance behind me didn't reveal my follower, but if it was a vamp, I wouldn't see him. The b.a.s.t.a.r.ds were well able to surround themselves in shadows and all but disappear.

At least I was safe for the moment. Whoever it was would hardly make a move in front of so many people.

I shook the rain from my hair, then unzipped my jacket and held the laptop in one hand as I made my way through the crowd hanging around the front of the place, smoking and drinking. Sam wasn't among them. Inside, the music was loud and ba.s.s heavy, and the air rich with the warm heat of humans. It took me a few minutes to find Sam, as he'd positioned himself in a rear corner and was half-hidden by the shadows.

He rose as I approached, his gaze scanning me and suddenly sharpening. Just for a moment, his concern washed through me, thick and sharp, and it not only warmed me deep inside, but provided yet another hint that the man I'd once loved was still in there somewhere. Which only made the steely front all that much harder to take. "What's wrong?"

"I'm being followed," I said. "A vampire, by the feel of him-"

He made a disgusted sound and sat back down. "He was supposed to keep out of your d.a.m.n sight."

I stared at him for a moment; then anger surged. "He's one of your people?"

"Yeah."

He motioned me to sit. I ignored him. That odd sense of darkness flared again, sending a s.h.i.+mmer that was part desire, part fear, down my spine.

"Why the h.e.l.l are your people following me? I've been doing all that I can to help you, and this is the thanks I get?"

"Emberly, sit down and calm down." His voice held the whip of command. "It's not what it seems."

I snorted in disbelief and shoved the computer at him. "You might want to have your people look at this. It's Mark's laptop, the one we used in the lab to transcribe his notes. We erase the drive regularly, but I'm guessing you'll have someone who can recover data."

"We do." He frowned. "But we searched both the lab and his house thoroughly-where the h.e.l.l did you find it?"

"He had a special compartment built into the desk." I stripped off my sodden jacket. The s.h.i.+rt underneath was soaked in thick patches that clung to me like a second skin. It was also white and, where it was wet, more than a little see-through-something I couldn't do much about. But it wasn't like he hadn't seen me exposed before. Wasn't like he was even interested.

"So, explain why the h.e.l.l you're having me followed." I dragged out the chair opposite him and sat down. "Because it certainly smacks of you not trusting me."

"Actually, we don't trust anyone, but in this particular case, we just don't want you dead. Would you like a coffee? You look cold."

I was cold, but I'd be d.a.m.ned if I'd let him do anything for me-not even something as simple as getting me a drink. I crossed my arms and said, "All I need is for you to explain that comment."

He grunted. "Think about it; Baltimore is dead, his home and office ransacked, and you're the only link we have to both Baltimore and the false security guard. And if they haven't found what they're after, it's logical to think they'll come after you next."

"But I don't know-"

"They don't know that," he cut in brusquely. "Adam will continue to follow you at night, and someone else will shadow you during the day. At least until we know for sure they're not going to s.n.a.t.c.h you."

I glared at him, though my anger had slithered away faster than rain down a drain. I could hardly argue about what he was doing when it was being done to keep me safe. "You could have at least warned me. I d.a.m.n near had a heart attack."

He grimaced. "You weren't supposed to know he was there. Most people can't sense vampires when they shadow."

"Well, I'm not most people."

"No," he said, voice dark. "You're not."

And he would never forget it. G.o.d, I needed a coffee. No, what I really needed was alcohol. A bucket of it, preferably. But I couldn't be bothered getting up to order anything and I wasn't about to ask him.

So I simply said, "I don't think anything was missing from either the lab or his office, but when I went to his apartment, I booted up the laptop and discovered his stash had been erased."

"His stash?"

I nodded. "Mark backed up all his research in an online cloud service as an additional security measure. Only he and I knew the codes, so that's one of the things they must have beaten out of him."

"What time did they access it?"

"Three forty-five this morning."

"Well after he'd been murdered and everything ransacked."

I nodded again. "Which doesn't make sense. Why do it after they'd ransacked? Why not do it before?"

He half shrugged. "Maybe they accessed it only after they hadn't found whatever it was they were looking for elsewhere."

"But all his notes were stored there. All of them-" I stopped suddenly. All except the ones I had, that was.

"What?"

I cleared my throat. "Mark asked me to type up some notes the night he died. I've still got them."

"f.u.c.k. You should have mentioned-"

"I forgot," I snapped. "It's not like I did it deliberately." Not like I wanted his grumpy, forbidding a.s.s in my life any longer than necessary.

And if I kept telling myself that often enough, I might eventually believe it.

Sam grunted. His expression wasn't giving much away, but the darkness in him was stronger, its caress making me s.h.i.+ver and yearn. It almost felt like the aura a vampire used when they wanted to make their blood taking as pleasurable as possible. Not all of them did, of course. Some, like the one who'd killed me, rather enjoyed the taste of fear and panic. But at least the b.a.s.t.a.r.d had suffered, because I'd managed to burn a good part of his body before I'd died. Vampires couldn't regenerate ruined flesh any more than a phoenix could-although at least our rebirth did give us a fresh, scar-free start.

"Are they still at home?" he asked.

I nodded. "I usually transfer the files across to the inst.i.tute once I finish transcribing, but I forgot to do that with everything that happened."

"Probably just as well, given they've managed to steal everything else."

"Meaning they did get into the inst.i.tute's system?"

"Yes. Although they only erased Baltimore's notes."

I rubbed my arms, trying to get some warmth into them. Saw his eyes flicker briefly downward and felt my nipples harden.

And wished like h.e.l.l there was some way to make myself as immune to this man as he was to me.

He leaned back in his chair, his face a mask. "Then we'd better go get them."