She stared at his profile, wanting to trace a fingertip along the line of his jaw. His muscles twitched there, and for some reason, she wanted to smooth it away. She wondered if he could sense that she wanted to touch him, if he could smell her blossoming attraction.
Pulling her gaze from him, she looked down at her hands and tried to will her feelings away. Just knowing that he could sense them, taste them even, made her even more uncomfortable than before. It was hard enough keeping them from her face, or from her voice. To know that Caine could read them anyway, no matter what she did, caused a treacherous ripple of pleasure over her body. She shivered, knowing that he could probably read that, too.
“Are you cold?” he asked while he turned on the heater.
She nodded, relieved that he attributed her quivers to the temperature. However, the gleam in his eye as he turned his gaze to the SUV’s controls, told her he knew damn well what caused the goose bumps on her arms and legs. And it wasn’t the lack of warmth in the vehicle, but the rising heat in her body.
He flicked on the heat hoping to lessen the tension in the vehicle. Tension that was quickly becoming sexual more than anything else. Caine could smell Eve’s increasing attraction toward him. Not the way most males could by the scent of her body, it was something more. Something floral, sweet and enticing. An odor he didn’t want to discern.
Because her attraction to him only increased his toward her.
Tightening his hold on the steering wheel, Caine directed his thoughts away from the beautiful woman sitting beside him to more pressing matters: the case.
It was starting to unnerve him that they had so few clues. No crime was perfect. It was impossible for a murderer to exact his force on another without leaving pieces of himself behind. But so far, the team had nothing concrete that was pointing them in any one direction.
He knew eventually it would come together; it always did. Criminals didn’t remain free for long. Not in his city, anyway. Something always gave them away. He just hoped that they could find that something soon. If this case remained unsolved, the scrutiny on Necropolis and its inhabitants would steadily rise.
It wouldn’t be long before the humans took matters into their own hands. He’d seen it before, so many times before. War, bloodshed, persecution. The Otherworlders had already been rounded up and tagged. Watched constantly. It wouldn’t take much more for that to increase. Soon, there would be electronic surveillance or worse.
He would do what he had to, to make sure that never happened.
Solving this case was what mattered. For more reasons than just catching a criminal. It was about the survival of his people. If they didn’t find out something soon, he feared the worst.
Chapter 10
W hen they arrived at the victim’s place of residence, Caine noticed two cop cars and an unmarked sedan parked in front. For a moment, he wondered if there had been another crime committed, but then he realized they were there because of him. He parked on the opposite side of the street, their escort parking behind him.
After he jumped out of the SUV, he went around back and opened the hatch so he and Eve could grab their kits. Once equipped, they walked up the cement walkway to the front door of the blue trimmed two-story house. A uniformed officer greeted them on the porch.
He glared at Caine, and then turned his gaze to Eve and nodded. “They’re waiting for you in the living room.” He opened the door for them.
Caine motioned for Eve to go first. It would be best if the victim’s family and Detective Salinas saw her first. Maybe it would cut down on the animosity he could sense all around him.
Upon entering the house, Caine took note of the simple furnishings and decorations.
Simple and understated, like a picture from Better Homes and Gardens. It was obvious the Crawford family was solvent. Not wealthy by any means, but comfortable.
As he followed Eve through the entranceway and into a large, homey room, Caine noticed a few family photos on the walls. Mom, dad, Lillian and a younger male sibling.
All smiling. One average happy family.
When they entered the living room, a large man with a shirt and tie stood up. His eyes took in Eve, a quick assessment, and then locked on to Caine. Caine could feel the man’s hate as if someone had poured hot water on his head.
Detective Salinas looked like a man made of iron. Wide shoulders, barrel chest and big meaty hands that now clenched at his sides. Caine was strong, stronger than any human, but he would’ve thought twice about tangoing with the steely-eyed cop.
Eve took a step forward, blocking the detective’s line of vision. “Aaron.”
He nodded to her. “Eve. Good to see you.”
“You, too.” She glanced over her shoulder. “This is Caine Valorian from the other lab.”
Caine tipped his head. “Detective Salinas.”
Aaron ignored him and motioned toward the couple sitting on the pale blue sofa. “John and Barbara Crawford.”
Eve nodded to them respectfully. “Sir. Ma’am.”
Caine observed that the couple sat apart on the sofa, indicating a level of guilt and accusation between them. He wondered who blamed whom for Lillian’s rebellion and eventual disappearance.