Page 12 of Dead Heat

“Fehu?” Alessandro queried.

“It’s Norse. F is the English equivalent.”

“Someone marked me with the letter F?” He looked down at his chest again. “I guess that’s appropriate.”

“Were you drunk the night before?” I asked.

The incubus grunted. “It isn’t a tattoo. I was home the night before. No booze.”

“Any company?” I asked.

A lazy smile unfurled. “One or two guests.”

“You don’t remember how many?”

He sank against the cushions in a dreamy daze. “Oh, I remember. Two. I was trying to be coy.”

“And the bad luck started that morning when you woke up?” I asked.

Alessandro nodded. “First, the mirror in my bathroom cracked when I looked to check my hair. Talk about the ego taking a hit.” He dragged a hand through his thick mane. “I had to find another mirror to make sure I hadn’t woken up ugly.”

I wondered how Goran must’ve felt the first time he’d glimpsed himself in the mirror after the Giver cursed him. Poor guy.

“Who were the guests?” I asked.

“I don’t remember their names.”

“Male? Female?”

“One of each.”

I glanced at Kane. “Local?”

“Not sure. He met them at the club and left with themafterward, so Josephine is trying to locate them on the video surveillance.”

“Does Josie know you’re asking for my help?”

Kane avoided my gaze. “Not as such.”

Alessandro grinned. “Cat fight?”

“Hardly. She doesn’t like me because she thinks I’m a danger to her boss.”

Alessandro leaned forward and stared at me from beneath the set of enviable lashes. “Are you?”

Kane pushed him back against the sofa. “Irrelevant.”

“Danger is great for heightening sexual pleasure, just FYI.” Alessandro looked between us. “It’s in my top five preferences.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” I said.

Kane arched a questioning eyebrow.

“What happened with your guests the night before?” I asked. “Anything out of the ordinary?”

“I mean, it was extraordinary, totally reinvigorated me, but I don’t see how that’s connected to what’s happening now.”

“I don’t either … yet. Do you know their species?”

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