Bound to Shadows

"I met mine in a bar." She shrugged. "One night, and I was pregnant."

"And you haven't seen him since?"

"No, but Risa's talents are growing at an extraordinary rate. She needs more guidance than I can give her."

"Which is where Qui

"Yes." Her gaze swept my face. "Do you think he will mind?"

I didn't think kids were on Qui

"Thank you." She squeezed my hand, and some of the tension riding her shoulders seemed to dissipate. "Now, how can I help you?"

Now that the moment had arrived to talk about Kye, I suddenly found myself reluctant to do so. As if keeping him secret would make the situation any better. With a wry smile at my own stupid avoidance, I said, "You know about the beheadings?"

"I think you'd have to be living in a sealed box not to know about them." She crossed her arms on the table. "That's the case you're investigating?"

"Yes, unfortunately." I smiled a thank you up at the waitress as she deposited our drinks and banana cake.

Risa appeared from nowhere, clambering over her mother in her haste to get to her Coke. With the straw in her mouth and her chubby cheeks glowing, she looked a picture of bliss as she downed her drink.

I spooned a mouthful of the luscious cake and probably had a similar look of bliss on my face. "We really haven't got a lot to go on, but we need to get this case solved—and fast."

"Before the vampire and the humans start taking aim at each other, no doubt."

"Preferably, yes. Although it's not actually humans doing the killing, but another vampire."

Dia raised a pale eyebrow. "Really? That's not what the papers are saying."

"Which is why you should never believe everything you read."

She frowned. "Why hasn't the information been released? It would surely diffuse the situation."

"We only just discovered it. I dare say Jack will make a press conference his next priority."

"But you still need a quick solve, just in case the public decide not to believe what is printed?"

"Exactly." I took another bite of cake. "Right now, I have no concrete clues and I'm willing to give anything a try."

Surprise flitted through her bright eyes. "Meaning you're willing to let me give you a reading?"

I hesitated. I might be discussing the case, but I'd really come here to sound her out about Kye. And letting her do a reading might just reveal a whole lot more about my soul mate than I really wanted to know. And yet, what choice did I have? If she could find something useful to stop these murders, then uncovering more about Kye was a small price to pay. "Usual restrictions apply. I do not want to know what the future holds."

"You know I can't always control where the visions go."

"I know. I just don't want to hear the nitty-gritty details of just what might happen to my love-life in my future." I waved the spoon at her. "I'd rather muddle along at my own speed."

"I can understand, given the future I've been shown." She took a sip of coffee, then pushed it to one side. "Give me your hand."

She held out a hand, palm up. I took a large gulp of coffee to fortify myself, then placed my hand in hers. Her eyes closed and her fingers wrapped around mine. Her skin was cool initially, but electricity soon surged, jumping from her skin to mine and spreading up my arm like wildfire. It made the made the hairs on my arms stand on end and my pulse race, and it felt like her essence was somehow entwining around mine. It was a merging that was both metaphysical and ghostly, and stronger than anything she'd done before. The wolf inside instinctively bared her teeth, ready to fight against the intruder, but this was a force I'd invited in, and I couldn't back away from it now.

She shuddered. "I see the murders. The papers didn't report half of it, did they?"

"No." My reply was soft. I knew from experience that if I spoke too loudly, it seemed to jar her out of the moment.

"There is a lot of hatred in those killings. And a fair bit of revenge." She paused. "Look to the vampire council, to old decisions. This began seven months ago. It is not a recent thing."

"You can't tell who or what sparked this?"

"No." She tilted her head slightly and added, "You need to be careful."

"Dia, don't—"

Her grip on my fingers tightened, even though I made no move to pull my hand from hers. "There is a player in your life at the moment. He is more dangerous than you think or know."

No prizes for guessing who that was. "I know—"

"No, you don't," she said, voice suddenly fierce. "He is a man without heart, without conscience, and he threatens people you care about. He will kill. You need to tread softly around him, and never, ever trust him."

"I don't. Believe me on that."

Her bright gaze flew open and pi

She actually sounded scared, and that was scaring the hell out of me. What on earth had she seen? I might have said I didn't want to know, but was the not knowing any better? Suddenly, I didn't think so.

"I can't, Dia. He's my wolf soul mate."

"Oh, God." Her fingers were clasped tightly around mine now, this time free of energy beyond the tension I could feel in her. "Fate really does have it in for you, doesn't she?"

I laughed. I couldn't help it. I'd said it so often myself that it just sounded so fu

Dia's smile didn't quite reach her eyes. "Cling to what you have with Qui

I raised my eyebrows. "Are there actually other wolves out there who hate their soul mates?"

"Not hate, perhaps, but there are certainly those who are disappointed." She shrugged. "We all have our dreams and desires, and fate doesn't always deliver."

As I'd discovered time and again. I hesitated, and then asked the question that I feared the most. "Who does he kill?"

Her gaze darkened. "I didn't see. You just need to be very careful around him. He is playing a game, and while I can't see his end goal, I sense it is a dangerous one for you." Her fingers crushed mine. "Please, please, be careful."

"I will. I promise."

"Good." She squeezed my fingers a final time, then released them and picked up her coffee. It was frightening to see her hand was still shaking in reaction to whatever she'd seen.

Meaning she'd seen a whole lot more than she'd ever admit.

I suddenly lost my appetite for cake and picked up my coffee. It didn't do a whole lot to warm the sudden chill.

Still, I'd known the moment I agreed to the reading that this could happen. And she warned me often enough that she would not hold back on what she saw.

And yet she was, and that was the scariest thing of all.

I glanced at my watch and saw it was nearing six. Time for me to get going, or I'd be late for my date with Qui

. "I need to go," I said, swiping the card through the slot and punching in our table number. "I've got di

The little girl looked up at the sound of her name, and gave me a cheeky smile. "Risa doesn't suck."

Dia rolled her eyes. "Indeed not."

I laughed and stood up. "Usual time on Thursday?"

"Yes. And this time, my treat. You pay enough, and I know it doesn't always go on the Directorate account."