Page 20 of The Psychic and the Vampire

“Why didn’t you tell the police who did it?”

“Because, my little blond cutie who sees more than he should, there are some things a person in a criminal organization does not do, and one of them is going to the police with wild stories that can’t be proven.”

“You’re insulting me.” Ant’s face shut down as though he was wearing a mask, but Viktor could feel his mate’s pain as if he’d been punched in the guts. “You use words like little and cutie as a means to give yourself the illusion you’re superior to me, and then when you say that I see more than I should, you are insulting my abilities and the core of who I am. I’m fairly sure you were insulting my intelligence as well, although I likely got that impression because of the tone of your voice.”

Ant stood up, his chest heaving, his nostrils flaring. “I have never understood human emotions the way most people do. I’ve often despaired of understanding why people do the things they doespecially when my mind is filled with case after case after case where people have done horrific things. But I know this much.” Ant pointed straight at him. “Mr. Fallows was a good man who had a bright future ahead of him. The only mistake he made on the night of his murder was choosing to walk home instead of calling for a taxi. He’d been to a wedding – he got killed in his brand new suit…”

“Hang on.” Viktor was still wrapping his head around what Ant had said about him feeling insulted. That hadn’t been his intention. “I got told Fallows looked like a homeless person.”

“You were lied to.” The words snapped around Viktor’s ears like a slap. “When Mr. Fallows died he was wearing a custom made suit, that in his own admission cost a fortune. The reason he tripped while running away from a madman with that sword thing was because his shoes had leather soles, and they were still slippery from lack of use. He left behind a family who mourns him every single day.”

Walking out from behind the table, Ant went through to the couch where he’d been sleeping and picked up his bag Viktor had left. Rummaging through his bag, he pulled out his phone and headed for the front door, Able silent by his side.

“Hey. Where are you going?” Viktor’s anxiety grew.

“I have to call a taxi. Don’t worry, I won’t get picked up from right outside your address and I won’t say anything to the police about you when I get to the precinct.”

“Police? Precinct? Why are you going there? I haven’t done anything.”

“Exactly.” Ant’s glare could strip paint off walls. “You haven’t doneanything, but I can dosomething. I won’t involve your name. I am going to spend time with a police sketch artist detailing to them the person who murdered Mr. Fallows. Andwhen that person stands before the judge, and he will, I will point to that person and let anyone know who will listen, who I saw murdering Mr. Fallows that night. I am going to get justice for him and his family, because they deserve it.”

“Ant. Mate. You can’t.” Viktor flew to the front door, blocking the psychic’s way. “This person is a very powerful man with contacts all over the city, including the police department. He’ll hear about what you’ve done before he’s ever arrested. All that will do is drive him underground while he sends people after you.”

Ant shook his head. “You’ve been in the shadows so long you believe the lies told by a madman. I’m going to do the right thing, because I already know that when a person does something so senseless and cruel once, it is only a matter of time before they do it again. Move out of my way.”

“Ant, please.” Viktor’s hands hovered, but he didn’t dare touch his mate’s shoulders, even when every instinct told him he should. “What about our mating? What about us?”

A flash of sadness crossed Ant’s face, but was gone in a blink. “I will clearly have to rethink what I can do about that, especially seeing as your loyalty and sense of duty is so closely entwined with someone else who has very few morals, if any. Ah.” He raised a finger.

“I did remember in Doctor Pike’s paper that he noted that claimed vampires could only ingest the blood of their mate once they’d tasted it for the first time. Anything else will make them sick. I will ensure that I have blood drawn and sent to you in the meantime. Now please move.” He swept his hand to one side and Viktor found himself physically pushed away from the door by something he could not see.

“It’s never to late to do the right thing,” Ant said as he opened the door and stepped out onto the porch. Viktor was sure he couldhear genuine sadness in Ant’s tone in that moment, but the impression was drowned out by the finality of the door shutting behind his slender frame.

Viktor willed his feet to move, but it was as though he was glued to the floor. He strained his body, using every ounce of his other side’s strength, even trying to shift just so he could break the mage’s hold. His ears strained to hear beyond the door. It wasn’t until he heard a car door shut and a vehicle driving away that his feet finally responded to the messages his brain was sending them.

Ant is going to the precinct. He’s going to do his bit to send Tony away for life. You know what you have to do.Viktor nodded grimly in response to his other half as he stormed out the door.

Chapter Fifteen

“Are you all right?” Eric, the redheaded sketch artist glanced up from his drawing pad. “You’re very quiet today and even Able seems subdued.”

“We had a busy morning.” Ant managed a smile, Bridget’s voice ringing in his head.Just because someone asks if you’re all right, they don’t need a run down of everything you’ve done over the past two days.“I was admiring your talent with the pencil. What you’re putting down on the page is very close to what I see up here.” He tapped the side of his head.

“You’d think with all the advances made in magic and technology that there’d be an easier way of doing this than me asking about the length of the nose and the width of the face.” Eric chuckled. “Maybe the mages over at the academy can work on a spell or a device where I could see what’s in your head, or the tech guys could come up with a little black box you could lay your hand on and just think what the person looks like with the image coming up on a nearby screen.”

“It’s an intriguing idea,” Ant agreed. “It would be more efficient timewise as well. Officer Mike is always complaining about the amount of detail I give him, because he’s the one who has to type it all out into his files.”

“I don’t know why they can’t just allow you to create an audio file for our records.” Eric shaded down one side of the face he was drawing. “Although I did get told, the one time I asked, it’s because the computer system here looks for keywords to help link cases, and that can’t be done with audio yet,” he added with a bright smile. “I’m sure someone will work out how that can be done soon enough. There.” He tilted his pad around so Ant could see it straight on. “Are we getting close?”

Ant tilted his head from one side to the other and then back again, studying the intricate pencil lines. He would never forget the face he’d seen in his vision and as he looked at the picture, he tried to imagine super-imposing what he saw in his brain over the lines and shading Eric had done.

“I don’t mean to hold you up,” he said, when he noticed Eric watching him with a quirked brow. It was likely he’d been quiet for longer than considered acceptable by someone asking a question. “You’ve drawn this man with a frowning expression, which changes the shape of a person’s face, wouldn’t you agree?”

“It definitely does, especially the lower half of the face.” Folding his pad back around so he could see it, Eric said, “Are you telling me this maniac was smiling?”

Ant nodded. “When he stood up, after his victim had died, he had this look of” – Ant tried to think of the word that would describe the expression he’d never forget – “triumph? A celebration? As if he was really happy and proud of what he’d done? He was puffed as well, probably from the running and the exertion of swinging that sword thing…”

“You mentioned the ‘sword thing/machete’ in your court testimony.” Eric nodded eagerly. “We should probably try and draw that as well, so our experts here can work out exactly what type of blade it was. That would make it easier to find.”

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