He nodded. "Mom had arthritis, too. We all used to take turns massaging to ease the aches for a while."
"Well, before you touch my feet you're going to have to provide a proper introduction." Gwen's eyes twinkled despite the echoes of pain. "I can't keep calling you Detective Morgan if we're going to get so friendly."
He smiled, and Kat's breath caught. She had a feeling he didn't smile much, but when he did — wow.
"It's Ethan, ma'am."
"Gwen Tanner. Pleased to meet you." She shook his offered hand. "The oil's over there by the sink."
He retrieved it then sat on the coffee table and eased her feet onto his legs. If the relief on Gwen's face was anything to go by, he certainly knew his way around a bottle of massage oil. Maybe that was something she could put to good use later...
He chose that moment to glance at her and for several heartbeats Kat found herself pinned by the power of his gaze. What passed between them was a recognition of fate. Of inevitability. But more than that, it was a promise of passion and satisfaction and something else, something she couldn't quite define.
A tremor ran through her. She'd never felt this strong an attraction to anyone, and in some ways it was almost scary. The pull she felt had nothing to do with the allure of a werewolf in the middle of moon fever, and everything to do with the man himself. By the same token, she was positive the moon had everything to do with his attraction to her. But that didn't matter. What did was finding time alone without interfering or jeopardizing the case.
She lowered her gaze and got down to the business of making coffee and setting out breakfast. "Gran, you coming over to the table, or would you prefer to remain where you are?"
"I'll stay here." She patted Ethan's hands. "Thanks, pet. That feels much better."
Kat tossed him a hand towel then brought over Gwen's coffee and cinnamon rolls.
"So what's the plan today, beside rest?"
"I'll try to do another reading this afternoon. I've got a feeling this thing is not going to hang around for much longer."
"Because the police are closing in?" Ethan asked.
Gwen gave him a wry look. "The police haven't a clue. Present company included."
He raised an eyebrow. "You don't believe we'll catch the psycho behind this?"
"No, because none of you truly know what you're up against." She glanced at Kat.
"Why don't you explain to the man?"
Kat sighed and cupped her hands around her coffee mug. "The thing that's killing these kids is what we've termed a soul sucker. It's a vampire of sorts, but instead of blood, it feeds on souls."
His expression was blank, but she could feel his disbelief as easily as she'd felt his desire only moments before as he said, "Vampires don't exist."
"As werewolves don't exist? Get real, Detective."
"Ethan," he said automatically, then added, "That kid last night was torn apart. And the first kid discovered had been drained of blood."
Kat nodded. "Neither of which was the actual cause of death."
"The coroner says otherwise."
"The coroner can't psychically see the gaping hole this thing created when it ripped their souls from their bodies."
"How can you even see something like that?"
She shrugged. "I told you before. I'm empathic. I see and feel emotions. A soul being torn free and destroyed is a pretty emotional event, believe me."
He stared at her for several minutes, then shook his head. "I can't. Sorry."
"Then believe this," Gwen said. "That thing is not working alone. At the very least, it still has a werewolf working with it, and I suspect there are others. It saw Kat last night, and it now knows we're on its trail. That puts us in great danger."
He glanced at Kat. "You want me to arrange police protection?"