She mumbled something.
He kept to even footing, making sure to move branches and bushes out of her way. The rain continued to punish them, but he didn’t feel the sting. He had a mate. He was so preoccupied with the startling fact that he’d bitten and burned the woman trudging along behind him, he didn’t notice the SUV by the cabin until they were almost at the door. Well, hell.
He shoved his way inside to find Simone at the table in front of a laptop, the fire crackling merrily behind her.
She glanced up. “Well, I’d wondered—” Her mouth snapped closed when Alexandra moved in behind him. Her dark gaze swept Alexandra’s muddy shoes, wet jeans, and his leather jacket before her shoulders moved back. “You have got to be kidding me.” Her smile flashed perfectly white teeth. “It’s a bit of a conflict of interest to shag a suspect, isn’t it?”
“Shut up, Simone,” Kell muttered, turning and closing the door behind Alexandra. “Why are you here?”
Simone sighed. “Daire is in one of his moods, and I thought to use the cabin for peace and quiet.”
Kell lifted his head. “Why is Daire in a mood?”
“When isn’t he?” Simone rolled her eyes.
Good point. He needed to talk to Daire, anyway. “We’ll get out of your hair.”
Simone smiled and then stilled. She frowned, eyeing the desk, then the fireplace, and then Kell. “There’s a tingle.”
Oh shit. “Nope. No tingle.” He tossed his ruined shirt in the trash.
She stood up, her head lifted, her gaze sweeping the room. A witch on the hunt. “I feel something.” Almost as if responding to a homing beacon, she wandered around, ending up in front of Alexandra. Then she gasped.
Kell pressed the palm of his hand against the bridge of his nose. Well, hell. “Simone—”
“You mated her?” Simone asked, her voice a soft whisper. She turned to eye Kell, a witch usually full of fire and piss, but now quiet, her expression shocked. “I, ah—”
“I know.” Kell slipped an arm over Alexandra’s shoulder. “It wasn’t planned.”
Alexandra shoved away from him, her head slightly to the side, her gaze squarely on Simone. “Who the hell are you people?”
“I didn’t sense she was enhanced.” Simone pursed her lips, her gaze thoughtful.
“Me either,” Kell admitted.
Simone snorted. “Ask Garrett Kayrs if he can feel any enhancement.”
Kell stilled. “Garrett?”
“Aye.” Simone shrugged. “He’s known for having an odd ability there.”
Alexandra cleared her throat. “You think you’re a witch, too? What the hell is going on here?”
Simone shook her head. “He hasn’t told you?”
“Oh, yeah. A complete bullshit story about you all being a different species of witch.” A veil dropped over Alexandra’s eyes, giving her that cop look. “You claiming to be a witch, too?”
That quickly, Simone stopped staring and started laughing. “Kellach Gideon Dunne mated a garda.” She laughed hard, her statuesque body shaking, tears gathering in her eyes. “The cousin who tried to chaperone every date I went on in my early centuries mates a cop. That quickly and without planning.”
Alexandra stiffened. “Psycho or not, you either stop laughing, or I’m going to plant your face on the floor.”
Simone quieted, glee filling her eyes. “Cop or not, I’m really starting to like you.”
“Enough. Both of you.” Kell put formidable command into his voice, not really surprised when neither woman paid heed. “Simone, keep this under your hat for now. Alexandra, we need to go.”
Simone sidled back to her seat. “At least you can become unmated if you decide this was a mistake.”
“No.” The word burst forcefully from his chest, surprising him more than the two females facing him.
Alexandra focused on Simone. “What is this mating bit you’re both talking about, and why the hell do I really have a burn on my hip?”
Simone sighed. “The males just don’t explain it, do they? For centuries, whenever a member of a nearly immortal species mated, it was for eternity. One mate only, even if one died by beheading, which is the only way to go, really. If a mated person tried to get physical with anybody else but their mate, they’d develop a horrible, painful rash.”
Alexandra snorted. “You’re kidding.”
“Nope. On the bright side, you’re about to be immortal. As a cop, that’s good, right?” Simone leaned back in her chair.
“Seriously. How in the hell am I now immortal?” Alexandra hissed.
Simone shrugged. “You’re not yet. It does take time. We’re different species with different chromosomal pairs. Humans have twenty-three pairs. Witches have twenty-seven pairs. So, the difference between witches and humans is similar to the chromosomal difference between humans and, say, a potted plant.”
“Simone—” Kell warned. He was about to burn his cousin with a hard plasma ball if she didn’t knock it off.