Meaning he'll only start to worry if she turns up dead somewhere. Bastard. "What about Gautier?"

"What about him?"

"Do you think he's behind the sudden rise in baby vamps and would he be doing it just to piss us off?"

"Probably."

"So have you figured out how did he manage to walk out of that flat when it was past sunrise?"

"All he needed to move around in was a van with blacked-out windows."

"If there was a van around, the old biddy next door would have seen and reported it. She didn't, so there wasn't." I paused. "Dunleavy and his girlfriend must have known something pretty vital to be killed the way they were. Did a full background check reveal any clues?"

"No. But the security tapes from the Cattle Club show Trudi and Jin working together on several occasions. Maybe she overhead something she wasn't supposed to."

Maybe. But that was something we'd never know now. I scratched at an itch on my leg irritably. "Here's another odd one for you, boss. How can Jin, who's listed as human and feels human, defeat a vampire?"

"I don't know." He paused, and I could almost hear his brain ticking over. It wasn't hard to guess in what direction. Eventually, he said, "But I think you need to hang around him and find out."

"Like that's a surprise."

He snorted softly. "Hey, you admitted you enjoyed yourself."

"That's beside the point. There's something more going on with his brand of sex, Jack. There's an odd energy in the air—something I've never felt before."

"Does it feel dangerous?"

"No. But—" I hesitated, not sure I could fully explain the odd mix of unease and desire Jin's energy inflicted. "I'm a werewolf, Jack. There is no way known sex with a human should leave me as shaky as I was feeling this morning."

"Unless he's some kind of emotive vampire."

"Meaning he feeds off emotion?" Which is what Quinn was probably getting at when he said blood vamps weren't the only kind out there.

"Yes. Some feed off pleasure, some feed off pain. Some like a mix. fin sounds like the latter type."

"So why does he read as human?"

"I don't know. He shouldn't."

"If he was an emotive vamp, could he beat a regular blood vamp? One who wasn't a baby?"

"As a genera! rule, no. Emotive vamps are more energy beings than physical beings."

Well, Jin was definitely physical. "So how can I protect myself against his feeding?"

"You can't. You just have to ensure you take a break between sessions and get some food into you. The richer the better, because it refuels your energy faster."

Which was why Jin had been feeding me gooey chocolate cake last night, obviously. "So, even though he's sucking down emotions, I have to eat to keep my physical energy up, same as with regular vamps?"

"Afraid so. Though emotive vamps do tend to leave you a little more strung out emotionally for a few hours afterward."

I must have slept through that period of recovery, because I was feeling okay by the time I'd left Jin's. "And if I don't eat and refuel? Can it become dangerous?"

"Well, he could drain you to the point that you're physical unable to defend yourself, but he can't kill you with his feeding as a blood vamp can." He paused. "See if you can grab some hair samples. We'll run some tests and see exactly what we're dealing with."

"He said he'd ring tonight, so I'll see what happens." I paused. "Have you decoded whatever was written on the inside of the ring?"

"Not yet. It appears to be some form of glyphs. We're trying to find a match."

"Anything else of interest in Cole's report, then?"

"Yeah, you were being a pain in the ass at the scene. Not that that's a surprise."

"Hey, I was just asking questions. He needs an attitude adjustment." And a good dose of werewolf sex. "How did Dunleavy actually die?"

"Heart attack."

I raised my eyebrows. "Really?"

"The initial attack happened during the skinning, the fatal one after eleven."

Which was about when I'd been entering his flat. The poor man probably thought I was Gautier coming back to finish him off. "What about the time of death of the woman?"

"About eight. Which means Gautier had to have some means of getting out of there without facing sunlight, even if the old girl next door didn't see it."

"Logically, speaking, I'd agree. But I've just got a feeling something more is going on."

"You tried to clarify that feeling?"

"I can't clarify something that's as tenuous as a feeling."

"Yes, you can. You just need more training."

"What I need is more sleep. Especially if you want me out with Jin tonight."

"Take the day off, but keep your phone on in case I need to contact you."

"Done deal."

I hung up and headed back inside. The smell of hazelnut coffee swam through the air and I just about drooled. "You've been preparing for my visit."

He nodded as he dished up several pancakes. "It's the only reason I have food in the house. Normally, I don't."

I propped on a stool and leaned my arms against the bench. "So it's been a while since you invited another woman here?"

He added bacon and eggs to the plate, slid the lot across the bench, then looked me in the eye. "I've never invited a woman here before."

I raised my eyebrows, even as a warmth I couldn't even begin to explain spread throughout my body. "Never, ever?"

"Never, ever."

"Wow." I picked up my knife and fork. "Thank you for the honor."

His sudden smile was filled with warm amusement, and once again my hormones stirred to sluggish life. Jin had better be a short-term job, because I sure as hell wasn't liking the impact he was having on my sex life. I mean, normally I'd be jumping over the bench after a smile like that.

"At least you can no longer say I don't share anything of myself."

I wanted to point out that this was just a house, even if was his sanctuary, and that what I'd been talking about was him. His past, his hopes, his dreams—everything that had made him the vampire he was today. But I didn't. It was a step forward, and for now, that was enough.

"So, are you just planning to tease me with that delicious coffee smell?"

His smile stretched, then he turned to grab a cup and pour the coffee. I admired the view, wished I had more energy, and began consuming the meal he gave me.

After breakfast, coffee, and gentle small talk, he took my hand and led me down the small hall to his bedroom. "You need to sleep." He pulled down the handmade patchwork quilt that covered the big old wooden bed, then gave me a stern look. "Alone."

"Well, that's never any fun."

He touched a hand to my cheek, his fingers warm and tender against my skin. "Perhaps not. But you need to rest."

Despite myself, despite stirring desire, I yawned. Hugely. He chuckled, and leaned forward to drop a sweet kiss on my lips. "If you feel like fun, I'm sure we'll have time later."

"I'll hold you to that." I stripped off my dress and climbed into his bed. The cotton sheets were cool and soft against my skin, the pillow cradling my head as gently as a lover. I was asleep before I could even say good night.

When next I woke, it was once again to the sound of silence. I yawned and stretched out the kinks, noting with relief there was little in the way of remaining twinges, then opened my eyes and looked about. Quinn wasn't in the room, but his warm, sexy scent still teased the air. Weak sunlight peeked round the corners of the thick curtains covering the windows to my right, suggesting the better part of the day had slipped by. I shifted to get a better view of the clock on the bedside table, and saw it was just after four.

"Quinn?"

My voice seemed to echo through the small house. I frowned, flipped off the covers, and got up. Quinn wasn't in the living room, nor the kitchen, nor the bathroom. In fact, he wasn't in the house at all.