Embraced By Darkness (Riley Jenson Guardian 5)

She shrugged and moved across the room with calm assurance. "I have good hearing, I have my other senses, and I have employed someone to cook and look after the house. We cope. Of course, once outside, I still have the help of the Fravardin."

Who were the guardian spirits her clone brother, Misha - the man who had been my mate for a while - had met and enlisted when he'd been in the Middle East. They might have failed at protecting Misha in the end, but they had died trying. And even after his death, those who had remained had honored his wishes and kept protecting Dia. He'd once said that he would use them to protect me, but I had a feeling he'd never had the chance to put that into action. Certainly I'd been in deadly situations since then, and no invisible entity had popped along to offer assistance.

And mostly, I was glad about that, despite having a few extra scars I didn't really need.

"So what can I do for you?" Dia continued.

I crossed my arms on my knees and said, "I was wondering if you'd heard any rumors about a nightclub called Mirror Image."

She wrinkled her nose. "I have several clients who attend. I do not like the vibe I get from it."

"What do you mean?"

Risa scooted past on the train again, this time making siren noises.

Dia smiled. "She's destined to work with cars when she's older. If it has wheels and it's fast, she loves it."

I raised my eyebrows. "So she's not psychic like you?"

"Oh, she is. I'm just not sure what direction her talent will take, as it is still developing. But it's there and it's strong. More so than mine." She shrugged, then added, "From what I have seen - or felt - from the clients who have gone there, the club is a good place to be. But I have always sensed something predatory behind it."

"Most werewolf clubs have that feel. The hunt is on for sex."

She nodded. "But this is different."

"In what way?"

She hesitated. "It has something to do with the owners. They are predators."

"They?"

"There are two of them, and they are what the club is."

"Which makes a whole lot of sense," I muttered.

She smiled. "What I see through my visions is not always definable. You know that."

I blew out a breath, then said, "Have you heard any recent news reports?"

She studied me for a minute, blind eyes unfocused and yet curiously aware all the same. "You're hunting whoever is tearing apart those poor women, aren't you?"

"Yes." Unfortunately. "But nothing is making sense. We found both killers dead for no apparent reason, and neither should have been capable of tearing someone apart like they did."

"Sometimes humans can do extraordinary things."

And sometimes something else is involved. "At least one of the victims was unfaithful. I know anger can often give a little extra strength but this goes beyond that. And what I really can't understand is why these men would go to such extremes. I mean, why destroy their own lives as well as their partner's? That doesn't make sense."

"Jealousy often doesn't. And it can be a very destructive emotion."

Yeah, but the cause of these murders was more than that. I was sure of it. "It just doesn't feel right."

And if anyone would understand that statement, then it would be Dia.

She continued to study me for several seconds, then said, "If you want me to help, I need to touch you."

My heart accelerated. I knew it was fear of the unknown more than fear of her. Which was odd, really, considering some of the truly depraved men I'd brought down over the last year. "Why?"

She smiled. "We both know you are afraid of what I might or might not see of your future, which is why you are so reluctant to even shake my hand in greeting. But if you want my help on these cases, I need to see what you have seen. And to do that, I must first touch you."