CHAPTER FOUR
– FOSCA –
“Oh, no.” The words are tumbling from my lips in a mere whisper.
Blinking a few times, I step back from the examination table and snap off my gloves.
Throwing them into the garbage bin, I wash my hands and finally get to safely rub my eyes.
Maybe what just happened was a daydream.
A brain fart. Neurons in the brain bumping into one another instead of sending and receiving.
Anything other than witnessing what my future mate was seeing through his damn eyes. Well, I think that’s what I saw. No. It might be some twisted daydream, nightmare shit from not sleeping more than a few hours a night. All thanks to my brother ruining my life when he started his killing spree.
“Good. You’re done?” The detective’s voice fills the room.
I turn to face him and nod while I reach out to end the recording. “I’m going to type up the report first thing tomorrow and email it to you.”
“Homicide?” Nathan asks.
I nod and walk back to the body. “Yes. Blunt force trauma to the head. I’ve analyzed the fracture patterns and there are impressions we could match to a possible murder weapon if you manage to find one. Everything will be in my report, which you will have tomorrow morning.”
“I haven’t found the crime scene yet,” Nathan grumbles.
“Clearly someone dumped him from one of the balconies. I’ve checked every room and none of them give me an impression of a crime scene.
No blood, no strong cleaning scent, nothing.
I also checked the roof. Dammit, all we have is the body and where he was found. ”
“Tom Pierce didn’t have any family or friends who might have information why he was here?” I wonder.
“I hoped to find some leads there as well. Turns out, Tom quit his job, bought a bus ticket and came here to Lexmore Beach. His parents have no clue why and haven’t talked to him since he got on the bus three days ago.
They said it was very unlike him. In fact, he never left town and was still living in his parents’ basement. ”
“Strange,” I muse.
“Yeah. Okay, Fosca, you have a nice night now. I’m looking forward to reading your report tomorrow morning.” He nods and moves toward the door.
“Goodnight, Nathan.” I release a sigh and reach for a new pair of gloves.
I’ve already placed the organs back into the chest cavity and stitched the body back together. Dave took the biological specimens for toxicological testing over an hour ago.
“Are you still here?” Dave asks as he walks inside the autopsy room.
I give him a small smile. “Nathan came by for a short recap.”
“Sure he did,” Dave murmurs. “He’s just trying to get into your panties.”
My eyes widen.
Dave waves his hand. “You never notice when guys are flirting with you. Go. I’m going to finish up here, and you, doll, you are going to enjoy the rest of your night.
We both know you have no life and will be here bright and early tomorrow morning.
This way you’ll at least have an extra hour to enjoy your nightly swim. ”
“I’ll never say no to an extra hour of swimming.” I grin. “Thanks, Dave.”
“Shoo. I’ll see you tomorrow,” he says without looking at me.
Quickly disposing of my gloves, I shrug out of my protective equipment and walk into my office to grab my purse. A few minutes later I’m walking down the road and head straight for the beach.
Moving here was a necessity, knowing my brother would eventually show up to kill Sevrin. Though, once I arrived at Lexmore Beach and saw the ocean? I felt right at home. The scent of the sea is soothing as I take off my high heels and let my bare feet sink into the sand.
The beach is almost empty and it’s why I let my heels drop along with my purse and walk knee-deep into the sea. Bliss. Why can’t life be as simple as enjoying the sea, and watching the moon reflect in the water with the stars above me while there’s a slight ocean breeze flowing through my hair.
“You shouldn’t lower your guard,” an annoying voice states from behind me.
My blissful moment is ripped to shreds. Yet again I’m facing Sevrin unprepared. Ugh, who am I kidding? I will never be prepared, and while my future mate might not be such a threat, my brother surely is.
Okay, Sevrin hates my guts and wants nothing to do with me, but my brother will waste no time to chitchat and will smite me where I stand. I learned that lesson the hard way with our last encounter. Hell, I remember very little from our last encounter.
It’s also the reason why I had to grab Sevrin’s wrist to make sure he stayed put when I threw out my anger.
The action saved me from my brother, or at least I think it did, because I woke up alone on the ground after blasting him with all I got.
I’m sure my brother tried to kill me too, due to me being the only one left in our family besides him.
Maybe he wants me dead in an effort to gain some of his powers back, because he lost everything when he killed his own blood. The only magic he’s capable of now is dark and dangerous.
“I said, you shouldn’t lower your guard,” Sevrin grunts, much closer this time.
Shit. I give my head a little shake to clear the fog. “Go away and leave me alone. Can’t you see I’m trying to relax after a shitty day?”
“Is leaving yourself exposed your version of relaxing? If so, then you’re lacking brain cells, Miss Medical Examiner,” he states in a condescending tone.
My anger flares and I can feel my powers surge through me.
“Better.” This time there’s a hint of approval in his voice.
Frustration and annoyance hit me. This is exactly why I wanted to avoid him at all cost. I’m here to kill my brother and go somewhere that doesn’t involve using my powers because once I reached the age to have my full powers?
My lovely brother killed off my family, and there was no one left to teach me.
My shoulders sag when sadness hits me hard.
Sevrin’s eyes narrow. “The fuck? What’s wrong with you?”
I hate Sevrin frowning down at me. Judging. Making me feel worthless. Powerless. Exactly what I am because I have zero control over my powers. Except when I’m angry...but then there’s still no control, just the ability to do something.
“Go away.” I brush past him to get my purse and shoes, but the annoying man grips my wrist.
His voice is softer and without judgement this time when he says, “Wait.”
I glance down where his fingers are wrapped around my wrist. “Well, I really don’t have a choice, do I?”
“You don’t have control over your powers, do you? Why? And why did you say we’re both hunting your brother?”
Narrowing my eyes, I grit, “You can keep on throwing questions at me, but it doesn’t mean I’ll feel the need to answer.”
“Fine,” he growls in my face and releases his grip on my wrist. “Let’s say you were speaking the truth about your brother...then you’d better hope to fuck I run into him first.”
I bite my tongue so I won’t blurt out words of agreement while I stomp to my purse to grab it, along with my shoes.
“My bike is this way,” the annoying man rumbles as he places a hand on my elbow and guides me in the direction he wants.
“Good for you.” I try to rip my elbow from his grip. “Stop touching me, and go back to not being in my life.”
“You and I are inevitable, babe. We might as well get acquainted since you’re the one who put the bond in place.”
Anger boils through my veins and I want nothing more than to strike him dead. Babe. Who the hell does he think he is, calling me babe as if I’m one of the women prancing around half naked, or fully naked, in that clubhouse of his.
I might lack skills to use my powers, but I do watch TV, read books, and have loads of other skills. Shit. It’s mostly human skills, hence my job as medical examiner. I’m fairly young, unlike Sevrin, who has been walking this planet for fuck-knows how many decades while still looking barely thirty.
“I’m not your ‘babe,’ and I sure as hell don’t intend to do anything with you. And, why are you even here instead of running off to find a human to...”
“Fuck?” he snarls in my face. “I might hate your guts and would rather stick my cock in the dirt than inside your cunt, but I’d never turn my back on the ways of our ancestors rooted within the marrow of our bones.”
This man flares anger inside me at every turn.
“You crude motherfucking asshole,” I snap and drop my heels along with my purse to shove his chest with both hands.
The snick of metal draws my attention to my hands and I can feel my eyes widen.
“What the hell?” I whisper and move my hands to get out of the cuffs he just threw on my wrists. “Get them off, you idiot.”
“Nope. You made your bed, and now we’re both going to roll in it.” He grabs the metal of the cuffs, bends down to grab my purse and heels, and pulls me along to his motorcycle.
I wait for him to get close and when he’s in striking distance I fight like hell. Except, his grip on me is hard and very distracting. A growl rumbles through him and it’s the only warning I get before his lips slam down over mine.
Stunned by the fire licking my veins, I gasp and the man takes full advantage by sliding his tongue inside. Where I felt bliss from the sea a moment ago to be able to relax...it doesn’t even compare to the serenity and ecstasy I feel now.