Storm of Sin - Patricia D. Eddy Page 0,3

arch a brow. “You do realize pairing her with a demon isn’t the best way to introduce her to the Bureau, right? Try one of the mages. Or a shifter.”

“I’m not doing this for her, Sinclair. Your last assignment was a disaster. Hell, it was almost as bad as Tucson, and I won’t save you from yet another raving mob after your head.”

“That was a one-time lapse of judgement.” Running a hand through my black hair, I wonder if I’ll ever live that fiasco down. “If you had not insisted I work seventy-two hours straight, I would have fed on my own, and—“

Grayson rolls her eyes. “Enough with the excuses, Sinclair. I warned you there’d be consequences for your actions. Now, get the fuck out of here. Your new partner will be here at noon, and you might want to take care of your little…problem before then.”

My problem? Fuck. Shoving the commander’s door as hard as I can with my stomach twisting in on itself, I stalk through the bullpen.

Damn earthquake. Barely a three-point-five, but it was strong enough to cause everyone at Midnight Sin—the nightclub I purchased a decade ago when I moved to San Francisco—to evacuate before I could settle on a snack for the evening.

I catch sight of my reflection in the two-way glass outside Interrogation Room Three and curse again. When I’ve fed, I’m normal enough. But as hungry as I am, I look like a cross between Matt Bomer, Jason Momoa, and Channing Tatum. That is if any of them had irises rimmed with crimson.

Bursting out of headquarters, I turn half a dozen heads—mostly women, but a few men as well—and three of them make a beeline straight for me.

“Are you a movie star?” The meek little mouse who reaches me first doesn’t have enough power in her for a snack, let alone a full meal. But she might be able to take the edge off.

“No,” I purr as I take her arm. “But I’ve often thought I should be. What role would you like me to play?” Steering her towards an alley, I scan the rest of the crowd, ensuring my glamour has taken hold and they see nothing as my tasty treat prattles on about how I’d make the perfect action hero.

“Or you could be a vampire,” she says with a giggle. “And drink my blood. After you...bite me.”

“What’s your name, love?” I have one rule. I refuse to feed from anyone without knowing their name. Well, two rules. No killing. I’m a demon. Not a monster. Not anymore.

She gazes up at me with wide brown eyes. “L-Laura.”

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Laura.” Choosing the cleanest section of wall in the alley, I cage her, pressing my forearms to the bricks. “May I kiss you?”

“Y-yes,” she stammers, and I crush my lips to hers.

Fuck. So sweet. And stronger than I’d thought. Her life force flows into me as our tongues dance together, and when my teeth scrape her lower lip, she moans. Or perhaps...that sound is coming from me.

Laura melts against the bricks, and soon, I have to wrap my arms around her slight frame to hold her upright. She claws at my shirt, desperate for more, but I probe her mind, seeing a husband, two children—adorable ones, even.

Enough.

Pulling away, I cup her cheek, my other arm still tight around her back. “Look at me, Laura.”

She gasps as her gaze locks on mine. Unsurprising. With my feeding haze at its peak, my normally dark blue eyes are probably blood red. I let my lips curve and lower my voice. “Where were you going when you saw me?”

“The bank.” Enraptured now, she gives me a lazy smile. “But we could go to a hotel?”

“No, sweetheart. Pay attention.” After another brief kiss, I push into her mind once more. “You were headed to the bank, but then you heard a kitten crying from the alley. So you went to look for it. As soon as you reached this spot, the sound ceased. You waited a few moments but never found the poor little thing, so you returned to your errands. You will have no recollection of me, and will feel no guilt for what we...shared.”

The memories firmly implanted in her mind, I break our connection and step back, using a small amount of my newly refreshed power to hide myself behind my glamour.

Laura shakes her head and blinks hard. “Here, kitty, kitty. Where are you, little one?”

After another few seconds, she shrugs, straightens