Partners In Crime (Eternal Flames Book 9) Read online

  Baldwin and Vik started laughing. Vik must have seen the same warning look he did, because his mate cleared his throat saying, "Anyway, Ethan asked if it was possible that Baldwin was my mate. I said I didn't smell mate, then Twix reminded us that Griffions didn't have a scent. I guess with as long as we've worked together it just became so normal, I forgot about it."

  "I don't know what I would do if I couldn't smell Nash. He has the best scent in the entire world. It's like a burning fire on a cold winter's day. It's especially strong and nummy the lower I get, right where his co―"

  Nash quickly covered his mate's mouth, and Toby made a sound that sounded like. "What?"

  Baldwin and Vik burst out laughing once more, as Nash sighed. "Do not encourage him, you two. You have no idea what it's like. All four of them are like this. They just say whatever the hell is in their mind. Even cute, quiet Pascal is not as innocent as he seems. Get the four into the same room and we get to hear about everyone's sex life. I know more about Rhys, Twix, Dain, Rune, and Kerrick than I care to know."

  At the mention of Dain and his mates, Baldwin snorted, "Yeah, we know what you mean."

  Nash looked at Baldwin curiously, when neither Vik or Baldwin expounded upon the prior statement, Nash asked, "So, Vik, you were saying?"

  Vik smiled at Toby, then went on explaining things. He told them what Angelo said and how he had rushed to the station and tried what they suggested, then how one thing led to another.

  "And again, how did you two come to the conclusion you're mates?" Nash asked again.

  Baldwin felt his cheeks getting hotter. "When he uh―you know?"

  Nash looked confused. "No, I don't know."

  Baldwin gave Nash an intense look. "You know when he uh―"

  Toby gasped, "Oh, when you tasted his essence! Wow, how cool is that? Hey, wait, how didn't you know that's how you found a mate?"

  "Tasted his essence? What the hell are you talking about?" Nash asked then understanding must have hit the man because his eyes went wide and his mouth opened in an "Oh."

  Baldwin sighed, "Honestly, Toby, I don't think any of us Griffions even knew we would get a mate. We are not like other shifters created. We were lab born. Many of my men hoped, but we never had anyone mated before so we didn't know this is how we found them."

  "None of you ever gave a blow job before?" Toby asked.

  "Osito! That is not something to ask someone," Nash admonished.

  Toby rolled his eyes. "Oh please, like you weren't wondering the same thing."

  "I can't tell you about the others, but I can say I work twenty hours out of twenty-four, and seven days a week, Toby. I honestly never had time to give a blow job," Baldwin explained.

  "Oh! Oh! That mean's Vik busted Baldwin's blow job cherry! How cool is―Holy crap, that also means that isn't the only cherry Vik is going to bust."

  "Osito!" Nash gasped.

  Vik looked at Baldwin in amazement. "Really? That was your first? Because I have to tell you, it was amazing. I mean, it was mind blowing."

  "Looked like it blew more than your mind," Toby muttered.

  Nash rolled his eyes then turned back to Baldwin and Vik. "Well, congratulations on finding your mate. You’re a really lucky man, and from what I know about you, Baldwin, Vik is just as lucky. I'm concerned about you working together though."

  Vik jumped up. "Whoa! Wait just a damn minute! I am not giving up my partner because he's my mate."

  "Vik, this case is hard enough as it is. I need your minds focused. I can't have you two running off having sex all over the station," Nash stated firmly.

  Toby scoffed, "Why not? We do."

  "Osito, damn it, would you stop talking about our sex life with everyone," Nash snapped.

  Toby jumped off his mate's lap, crossed his arms, tightened his lips, and his eyes damn near disappeared. "You know what, Nash? You know how you think I'm cute when I'm angry? Well, prepare to see me gorgeous!"

  Nash stood up. "Now, Osito."

  Toby wiggled his finger at Nash, snapping, "Don't you osito me, you big lug. My point was, even though we have had sex in every room in this building, you still do an awesome job. Vik and Baldwin will do the same. They are professionals. Finding the murderer in this town is extremely important to them. You told me yourself that Vik and Baldwin were busting their asses with Orion and you were worried that they weren't getting enough rest. Now you are talking about splitting them up. That's just stupid. We are stronger when our mate is with us and if you can't see that, then I think there is a couch ready for you to keep warm tonight."

  Toby started for the door, and as he passed Baldwin and Vik, he stopped. "Congratulations on your mating. I know you two are going to be great together."

  "Osito! Damn it. Toby, get back here!" Nash shouted as he stood up. Before he ran out the door Nash stopped. "You two can continue working together, but if I think progress is not being made because of this, I will separate you. Do I make myself clear?"

  "Yes, sir," Both men replied at the same time.

  Once alone again, Baldwin looked at Vik. "I'm not sorry we're mates. I promise to focus when we are working."

  Vik gave Baldwin a small smile. "What do we do now?"

  "I say we eat those roast beef sandwiches I smelled when you walk in. Find out if Orion got those pictures yet, and do what we can to catch a killer. When we're finished for the night, then we can go to either your place or mine and make it official. I mean―um―if you want to," Baldwin replied.

  Vik stood up and turned to Baldwin, then gently ran his hand down Baldwin's cheek and looked directly into his eyes. "I have dreamed about my mate since I was told who they are and what they mean to us. I've watched so many of my friends find theirs and was jealous that mine had not made an appearance. Now here I discover, I not only have a mate, but it is with a man I have worked with, longed for, and fell in love with so long ago."

  "What?" Baldwin gasped.

  Vik leaned down and lightly kissed Baldwin, then whispered, "Yes, Baldwin. I love you. I don't know when it happened, and I really don't give a shit. I love how you sip your beer then lick the top of the bottle. Or when you're nervous and you say "um" all the time. How you make me laugh when you can tell I'm getting a bit uptight, or bring me coffee when we work late into the night. Your love of your people and how they love you. How you still insist on watching over Twix when he has two mates very capable of the task. Your smart and sexy as hell. Shit, Baldwin, what is there not to love? You walk into a room and I feel tingles running through my body. You speak and I get the shivers and want you never to shut up. You are an amazing man, Baldwin, and I thank the Gods that I have you in my life."

  Baldwin felt his throat tighten at his mate's words. Everything the man just said was how he had been feeling for years. Was that feeling love? Baldwin had never been in love before. He had respected, liked, and even detested others, but never love. "I―I've ne―"

  Vik gave Baldwin a small smile. "It's okay, mate. I didn't say it expecting to hear it back. I just wanted you to know where I stood with this relationship."

  Before Vik could step back, Baldwin grabbed his mate and pulled him onto his lap. "I don't know what love is because I've never felt it before. I have nothing to compare it to. I get queasy thinking about you getting hurt. I hate when you drive away, because I don't want you out of my sight. My heart beats funny when you walk into a room or I hear you speak as you enter a room. My breathing stops when I set my eyes on you for the first time each and every day. If that means I love you, then yes, Vik, I love you."

  Vik wiped his eyes, muttering, "I'm supposed to be all macho, butthead. How can I be macho if you make me cry?"

  Baldwin smiled, whispering, "It will be our secret."

  Baldwin leaned into Vik and gently placed his lips to his mate’s. Both men opened for each other, relishing the taste and feel of one another.

  Toby's loud screech had the two men pulling apart as Nash walked past them with Toby thrown over his shoulde
r screaming, "Put me down, you Neanderthal. I will not be treated like this! You have no right to detain me! I can leave if I want to!"

  Baldwin and Vik both got up and made their way to the window, peeking behind the blinds.

  Nash was unlocking the interrogation room door. "I think it's time to do that strip search we talked about."

  "Oh, hell no! I want my lawyer. I want my phone call. I want―" Toby's voice could no longer be heard when the door closed.

  Vik and Baldwin looked at each other and went to the door. Orion was standing at the end of the hall looking amused.

  Vik laughed asking, "Want to catch the show in the viewing room?"

  "Shit yeah!" Orion said with a laugh.

  Baldwin followed his mate, saying, "Five minutes and we get back to work. I have a mating I want to get to."

  Walking into the viewing room they saw Toby naked and strapped to the interrogation table. Nash was thrusting in and out of his mate, reading the man his rights. "You have the right to remain silent, although I do love to hear you scream. Anything you―"

  "Do you think he knows we are in here watching him?" Orion asked.

  Panting and wishing they were alone, Baldwin watched as Nash looked directly at the two-way mirror. "Be used against you. And with our guests watching, I have witnesses to use those words against you."

  Toby begged for more and the sound of the phone had Baldwin reluctantly picking it up. "Baldwin here."

  "Baldwin, this is Doctor Gary Clayton. I need you to come to the coroner's office, now."

  "What is it, doc?" Baldwin asked, not taking his eyes off Nash and Toby making love, thinking how soon he and his own mate could be doing the very thing they were.

  "Did you hear me?" Doc Clayton asked urgently.

  "Sorry doc, what was that? I got distracted," Baldwin replied.

  "I said that I did some checking into those marks. I feel stupid as hell for not catching it, but I was looking for fang marks," Doctor Clayton replied.

  Baldwin turned away, putting his complete focus on what Clayton was saying to him. "What about the fang marks?"

  "That's just it, they aren't fangs. It's a tool. A twin pronged cork puller, to be exact," Doc Clayton replied.

  "Holy shit. That means this isn't a vampire at all!" Baldwin gasped bringing Vik and Orion’s attention his way. "We're on our way, Doc."

  CHAPTER 4

  Baldwin called Nash as Orion called Illan and Justice requesting they meet them while Vik drove them to the coroner’s office. When Baldwin explained what the doc had said about a cork puller, Vik had his doubts. Even if a cork screw had been used, how was the blood completely drained from the victims? And wouldn’t a cork screw cause some kind of strange tearing in the flesh around the holes? If not when going in, certainly there would be when it was pulled out?

  Then there was the time. With a cork screw, the perp would have to make the holes separately, which would require more time. Then there was the whole draining process. Whoever was doing this would have to have had a lot of time with each victim, Vik thought to himself as he maneuvered the car into a parking space outside the corners office.

  Just as he shut off the engine and opened the door to get out, Illan pulled in next to him, with Justice and Avery in the car. They all climbed out of their cars, when Vik spotted Nash walking around the corner. “A corkscrew? How the hell is that possible? And why didn’t we see it sooner?” Nash grumbled as he joined them.

  “I was just thinking the same thing,” Vik stated as they all filed into the waiting room.

  “Doc Clayton said it was a twin pronged cork puller, not a corkscrew,” Baldwin replied.

  “What’s the difference?” Avery asked.

  “Big difference, love,” Justice answered as he wrapped an arm around Avery’s back. “A corkscrew is one metal screw that you have to twist and twist until it digs into the cork, then you pull it out. But the twin prong is just a puller. You still twist the cork but in a different way.”

  “Our Mayor is correct,” Doc Clayton said as he stood in the doorway, holding the door to the back rooms open.

  They all followed Doc Clayton into the exam room where Carlin Francis was laid out on the autopsy table. Avery gasped softly as they all entered and Justice tightened his hold on his young mate. Vik shook his head as he watched the trio. Why would Illan and Justice bring their young mate here to see this? But then when he thought about it a little deeper, his gaze flashed across the room to where his own mate stood, looking over the body. He hated being away from Baldwin as well, so he could understand them bringing Avery along. Plus, with Avery someday taking over the pixie leadership from Destrain, it was probably a good idea for him to start being involved with all of this stuff. And although Baldwin was a fierce warrior and had seen more than his fair share of the evils that men do, Avery wasn’t as tarnished, so maybe it wasn’t a good idea he be here.

  “It looks the same as the others, Doc, just two holes,” Baldwin said as he straightened.

  “Yes, well, to the naked eye you are correct. But when I dug deeper, I found the answers. As you suggested, I checked the distance in the hole markings. First, I must say, I have no idea what the distance is for a vampire’s fangs, so I went with other clues.” Doc Clayton looked to Orion. “Unless, of course, you were willing to allow me to measure yours?”

  “Careful there, Doc. I already tried that and Orion had a hissy fit,” Baldwin replied and smirked at Orion.

  Orion grumbled, “I did not have a hissy fit, as you say. As I explained, a vampire’s fangs are very sensitive. We don’t just let anyone touch them. Let’s just say they are like an erogenous zone and leave it at that.”

  “Really?” Avery asked in interest, causing Illan and Justice to both growl low. Avery smacked Justice on the chest as he rolled his eyes.

  “Anyway,” Doc cut in, pulling all their attention back to him. “As I was saying, without knowing the distance of a vampire’s fangs, I―”

  Orion grabbed an orange that sat next to a half-eaten sandwich, on the counter nearby, dropped his fangs from his gums, and bit into the fruit. He extracted his fangs and handed the orange to Doc Clayton. “Here, but as you know, like with humans, everyone’s bite patterns are different. But maybe this will give you an example.”

  The Doc examined the bite, moving to stand next to Carlin’s body where he had a few tools. He picked up some kind of board and measured the holes in the orange, then examined them further. Everyone stayed quiet as they just watched the Doc work. Vik leaned against a counter and crossed his arms over his chest as he looked around the room. Not that he wasn’t interested in what the Doc was doing, but he had no clue what it was and he wasn’t speaking. Vik figured he would tell them something when he was done.

  After the Doc grabbed some kind of stick and poked at the holes in the orange, he then leaned over Carlin and started measuring the holes there as well. Vik sighed quietly and stood, moving around the exam room as he looked at all the crazy gadgets lying around. He noticed a small broken light bulb, like the size of the ones in his bathroom, that sat against the wall with the drawers, where the Doc would keep the bodies he was working on.

  “Okay, that just proves my earlier findings,” Doc announced and Vik turned to face the man.

  “And what is that, Doc?” Nash asked.

  “The bite marks of your friend Orion there and the bite marks, or suspected bite marks, on the victim don’t match.”

  “So, then this isn’t the work of a vampire? Well, that’s good,” Justice said.

  “Yes, and no. All that proved is that Orion isn’t the killer,” Doc stated and turned away, walking to the counter.

  “Was there question that I was?” Orion asked through clenched teeth. Vik knew his new friend would keep his shit together, but that didn’t mean the vampire wasn’t offended by being accused.

  Doc spun back around with an open folder in his hand. “Not that you were per se, but you are the only vampire in town that we know of
, so,” Doc replied with a shrug, then walked back to stand beside the exam table.

  “Gary, can you please tell us why you called us all here?” Justice jumped in quick and Vik knew he was trying to diffuse a potentially bad situation.

  “Yes, of course. Anyway, the bite marks in the victim’s neck are separated enough to make it appear as though they came from a vampire, but as Vik and Baldwin suggested, they are still too close together. For them to be this close, the perpetrator would have to have been a lot smaller, almost child-like, for the marks to match up. I would also rule out a child or smaller person because they would have to have incredible strength to control their victims. First to overpower them, then to dispose of the bodies.”

  “That’s not too much of a struggle with paranormal. All breeds are typically stronger than humans, Doc,” Illan said.

  “So I’ve heard,” Doc Clayton huffed and looked down at his paperwork.

  Vik wasn’t sure what was going on with the Doc. He was a little grumpy most times, but he seemed more disturbed than normal.

  “What did you find, Doc?” Vik asked, moving closer.

  “Okay, from the beginning. To the naked eye these appear to be bite marks of something with fangs. A vampire, as we have been led to suspect. But, even without the measurements of fang distance, and with the suggestion of Vik and Baldwin, I looked a little closer. You were correct, even if a vampire bit into the flash, there should be at least a small showing of a bottom bite and as you can see there is none. Second, as with all the other victims, I was unable to find a trace of saliva. So, I went deeper and when I took measurements of each of the holes, their depth is different. Meaning one hole is deeper than the other, which you would not find in a bite mark of any creature. Now, as someone bites into something, as you can see here with my orange that Orion ruined for my lunch, when teeth go into something, they push the edges inward, then as the teeth are extracted, the edges pull back and flare outward. That is not the case here. See on the orange what I mean?” Doc held out the orange for them all to see.