I immediately regretted the words. Not because they weren’t true, but because they were mean. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have—”
Roger grabbed at Barbie, clinging to her hand. “She loves me, Alena. I know because we were together long before you got sick, and she’s with me now when I’m in the fight for my life and future against a woman who obviously never really loved me.”
The hypocrisy of his words was not lost on me, but that he couldn’t even hear what he’d just said . . . how could anyone be so blind?
Tad’s jaw dropped, which was saying something, since he could unhinge it. I glared at him, and he pulled it together. “He . . . he . . .”
They stormed away as Tad spluttered for words. I stepped in front of Tad, blocking his way so he couldn’t go after them. When it came down to it, he would defend me, and I loved him even more for it. But this wasn’t the time or place.
“Let it go, Tad. This will be dealt with in court. Where a judge will see how much of a fool he is and how he doesn’t deserve anything, never mind everything.” I held my head high, even though I knew what I was saying was a long shot. No matter how ready Roger was to admit his infidelity, Super Dupers didn’t have the same rights as humans.
Hence the Wall between us, and usually the two separate justice systems. If it hadn’t been for the shambles of the Supernatural Division of Mounted Police at the moment, I wasn’t sure I’d even have this chance. So I was going to take it and run with it for all I was worth.
The sound of boots clattering on the floor turned everyone around, silenced the low buzz of chatter, and drew more than a few gasps. Four police officers walked in with a single figure between them, and while the officers looked good in their crisp uniforms, they weren’t the ones who drew the gasps, I was sure of it.
The detainee stood taller than my six-foot height and his dark-brown hair was a simple buzz cut that made the sharp angles of his jaw that much more pronounced. Dark eyes, the irises rimmed in violet, flicked over me, sparkling as if he’d seen a candy he couldn’t wait to gobble up. Two piercings rested in his jaw, fake fangs that mimicked the real fangs I knew he had hidden behind his lips. There was a faint ghost of stubble over his face that made him even more luscious than before.
Sure, I was still married, but I wasn’t dead. I could look. And fantasize.
“Remo, what are you doing here?” I managed to say without completely stumbling over the words. I’d not seen the vampire mob boss since he’d slept—only slept—in my bed after the battle with Achilles. To be crystal clear, I hadn’t slept with Remo. He’d stayed with me, to protect me, I think. At least that’s what I told myself. I also told myself I hadn’t missed him at all.
Liar.
According to Remo and the rest of the Super Dupers, there was no cross-species dating. Even Tad and Dahlia were treading a dangerous line by seeing each other.
I swallowed hard as Remo slowed next to me, and my heart went into double time, tripping over itself.
“Here, let me take these,” Remo said, scooping the paperwork from my arms and handing the whole pile to Tad.
I couldn’t look away from him as he slid his arm around my waist and tugged me close enough that I could smell the cinnamon on his breath. My eyelids fluttered, and I battled the urge to moan.
“I heard you were in court today. I had them move up my hearing so I could be here. In case you needed help. And . . . I’ve missed you,” he said.
He’d missed me. If I thought my heart was pounding before, it was nothing to the runaway beat of it now. Like a mixer whipping at full speed.
“Excuse me, my wife and I were having a discussion,” Roger snapped suddenly, cutting through the moment. Damn, where had he come from? I thought he’d disappeared farther into the courthouse.
Roger grabbed my hand and tried to tug me away from Remo.
Remo’s eyebrows shot up, and he tightened his hold on my waist, easily keeping me at his side. “You must be Roger, yes?”
I jerked my hand out of Roger’s, and he glared at me. Like I’d done something wrong.
He turned his stink eyes on us both. “Yeah, I’m Roger.”
Remo smiled at him, not quite wide enough to show off his fangs. “Then I have to give you my thanks for being fool enough to set her free. I must say, you are an idiot of extraordinary proportions.”
I had to fight the smile. Mother always said it wasn’t polite to act smug. Of course, Roger had made sure I had my ego smacked down more than a few notches. Maybe all the notches.
“She didn’t always look like this, you know. She was a fun sponge: brown hair, brown eyes, boring. In every aspect of her life. And she went out of her way to make sure no one else had fun.” He snorted. “Every aspect, even the bedroom.”
As if we didn’t all get the implication the first time around.
I couldn’t help myself from shrinking away from Remo, while anger began a slow, burning build inside of me. Roger was right; when I’d been turned into a Super Duper, there was no doubt my looks became a hundred times what they’d been.
Remo didn’t let me go. “Her beauty is only an added bonus to the woman she is. Like I said, you are a fool to not have seen it, no matter how she appeared to you.”
One of the escorting officers tapped Remo on the shoulder, and I recognized Officer Jensen. Funny I’d not even seen him with Remo in the room. But I wasn’t surprised that he was here with Remo. He was Remo’s inside man on the human police force, and I had no doubt the vampire mob boss had arranged the situation to his benefit. No doubt at all. I mean, he’d changed his court date to line up with mine. As far as I could see, there was no end to Remo’s reach.
“We have to get you to your hearing, sir,” Officer Jensen said, though his eyes flicked from Remo to me. As if questioning what was going on between us.
Now, there was the small matter of me having used my siren abilities on Jensen when I’d needed help battling Achilles. The impression I’d left hadn’t yet faded, apparently, and it made his loyalties waver between Remo and me.
Remo nodded. “Of course. I would hate to be the cause of the entire court system being put behind schedule.”
Without warning, he pulled me fully into his arms and pressed his lips to mine. I melted, unable to stop myself from snaking my arms around his neck. Cinnamon and honey, his mouth was this delectable concoction that made me want all of him, down to the last drop. Heat rushed through my veins as he held me tight, even as he pulled out of the kiss.
His eyes were wild, filled with unspoken things I wanted very much to hear from his lips. “You undo me,” he said softly.
I stared up into his eyes, my breath coming in hitches and gulps. “I know the feeling.”