Chapter Fifteen

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

It wasn’t a single mother with a young child this time. It was a twenty-four-year-old woman and her three-year-old sister. Missy and little Kyla had been home alone for a week, since their parents were on a business trip. As the single mothers of the lair were now well-protected, it appeared that the killer had sought out an alternative.

But he’d let her live.

Levi drove to the address of Missy and Kyla’s grandparents, where both girls would be staying until their parents returned. Even as he knew he needed to focus on the current matter, his mind kept drifting back to Piper; to worrying over just exactly what idea Celeste had planted in her head.

He silently cursed the banshee to hell and back. Things were already strained between him and Piper. The bitch had only made it worse, and for what? What had she hoped to achieve? What was the point when it wouldn’t change that he was in Piper’s life? And why wouldn’t Piper just tell him what was said?

Resolved that he’d get to the bottom of the matter later, Levi cut off the car’s engine as he reached his destination. Knox, Larkin, and Tanner were waiting for him in the front yard. Keenan pulled up mere moments after Levi.

As the five of them gathered on the lawn, Knox said, “I haven’t interviewed Missy yet, but I spoke to her grandmother. Lois claims that Missy’s holding up well under the circumstances. Missy hasn’t objected to us interviewing her. She wants justice. If any of you have questions for her, telepath them to me. I don’t want several people firing questions at her, it may make her overwhelmed.”

Levi and the other sentinels nodded.

“Force members are examining the crime scene as we speak.” Knox slid his gaze to Levi. “As no deaths occurred, there’ll be nothing for you to sense. Nonetheless, you’re welcome to walk through the house if you wish to. For now, though, let’s concentrate on Missy.”

Inside her grandparents’ living room, they found her sitting on a bulky upholstered chair, her arms wrapped around the legs she’d pulled up to her chest.

Levi, Knox, and the other sentinels took seats around the room, politely declining Lois’ offer of drinks. The woman stood behind Missy’s chair in support.

“Can you tell us what happened?” Knox gently asked her.

Missy licked her lips. “I don’t know who he was.”

“That’s all right.”

“No, it’s not. I can’t see his face in my head,” she explained, clearly close to freaking out. “It’s just a blur. He told me I’d forget him, that I wouldn’t remember what he looked like, but I didn’t believe him.”

Levi held back a frown.

“Talk us through what happened,” Knox softly coaxed.

She rubbed her chin against her knees. “I don’t know how he got into the house. I was asleep, and suddenly … he was just there. In my head. Telling me to wake up. I did, and he was sitting on my bed. He told me I was his now; that I didn’t need to be afraid; that we’d be the most perfect family.”

Levi exchanged a look with Larkin.

“I wanted to scream,” Missy went on. “I wanted to fight him. I wanted to telepathically call for help. Something. But I felt my mouth curve into a smile, and I heard myself wish him goodnight.” She coughed a bitter, humorless chuckle. “I wished him goodnight.”

Lois stroked her hair, and Missy let out a shuddery breath before continuing, “I wasn’t in control of myself. He took me over. He didn’t do it to Kyla, just me. I knew he had to be the one who’d killed Diem and Emma. I knew he’d kill me, too. But I couldn’t get help. I could only say what he wanted me to say. Only do what he wanted me to do.”

Which correlated with the claim that Emma’s soul made that she’d had no control.

Frowning, Missy shook her head. “It all felt so scripted. Like it was based on a really cheesy movie about a big sappily happy family. He called me Rosalind. And he would call Kyla either ‘Bessie’ or ‘Munchkin’. But although he treated me like I was his partner, he never made me … touch him. He never touched me that way. But there’d be gentle hugs or shoulder massages or foot rubs.” She shuddered, repulsion rippling across her face.

“Did he hurt you physically?” asked Knox.

“No. There were times I thought he would, because he looked so angry. But then he’d leave the room or tell me to sleep—and I would, like a damn robot. He never hurt Kyla either. He doted on her. It creeped me out, but it was better than the alternative.

“I was always worried that he’d change toward her. Especially near the end. He was so mad, then. Mad at me because I was supposed to have learned to love him. Mad at himself because he hadn’t really wanted me; that I wasn’t ‘right.’ Like I was the wrong brand of fabric softener.”

It was more like she wasn’t ‘right’ to the killer because she was Kyla’s sister, not her mother.

“In the beginning, he was always smiling and laughing and saying how lucky we were to have such a beautiful family. Even when there were tears dripping down my face. He didn’t acknowledge it when I cried. It was weird, I’d be smiling and chatting merrily because he was forcing me to, but the tears would fall because I was sobbing inside. He pretended it away. At first, anyway.”

Knox leaned forward, bracing his arms on his thighs and clasping his hands. “At what point did he stop?”

“His mood changed after a few days,” replied Missy. “Sometimes, he’d sit in silence and stare at the wall. Other times, words would just spill out of him.”

“What sort of things did he say?”

“That he and his demon are at war. That they’ve been at war for a very long time. He said one of them wants normality, and the other wants blood and death. The entity hates that no one can remember them. He said his ‘curse’ was to always be forgotten—whatever that means—but I didn’t think I really would forget him.” Tears filled Missy’s eyes. “He was right, though. I don’t remember his name, what he looks like, or even if he was familiar to me before that day. I can recall the stuff he said, but I can’t describe his voice because I literally can’t remember what it sounds like.”

Levi’s scalp prickled. Maybe that was why no one had been able to give an accurate description of the male who’d come and gone from the victims’ houses. He couldn’t be remembered.

Missy inhaled deeply. “He said he was tired. Tired of being forgotten. Tired of being alone. Tired of fighting his demon. He kept saying he wanted it all to be over.” She sniffled. “I thought he’d kill me. But he said it was his fault that things didn’t work. That he shouldn’t have chosen me.” Her brow creased. “He said there was another time he ‘got it wrong.’ A time he’d mistakenly chosen a woman who was an aunt instead of a mom. He said he regretted that.”

Levi tensed. The bastard had to have meant Moira. When it seemed that the killer’s MO was to go after single mothers, Levi had wondered if the killer had initially thought that Moira was his mother.

“No matter how hard I try, I can’t picture him.” Missy’s voice broke. “I just can’t.”

“Would you be willing to allow Piper to try to help you?” asked Knox.

Levi inwardly recoiled at the idea, biting back a reflexive objection by sheer force of will.

“Piper might not be able to see him if he has literally vanished from even your subconscious memories, but it’s not impossible,” Knox added.

Licking her lips, Missy gave a slow nod. “Okay. But can we maybe do it tomorrow?”

“Of course, I’ll bring her by then,” Knox told her, rising to his feet.

Once again gathered in the front yard with Knox and the other sentinels, Levi said, “If I was able to read emotional vibes from her house, I would probably have picked up a lot of frustration, regret, and bitterness. He didn’t like ‘making do.’ He couldn’t keep up the fantasy as well as he usually does.”

“Because it was always in the back of his mind that Missy and Kyla were sisters, not mother and daughter,” said Keenan.

Tanner scratched at his jaw. “If it wasn’t for the fact that he’s never fussed on whether the kid of his target is a boy or girl, I’d say Rosalind and Bessie were his real family. A family he lost and consistently tries to recreate.”

“It seems more likely he renamed Missy and Kyla because he needed to see them as other people, not their true selves,” said Knox. “At least now we understand why no one can ever give us a good description of him.”

Larkin cocked her head. “Imagine how hard it would be if no one ever remembered you. I mean, think about it. You’d have nobody, because you can’t build something with someone who’ll forget you if you leave their side. It would be almost like you were invisible, because you’d make no lasting impression on anyone. He said that was his ‘curse.’ Do you think he meant that literally?” she asked no one in particular.

“It’s possible.” Levi pulled out his cell phone. “An incantor will know. I’ll ask Mia.”

Keenan frowned. “Not Ella?”

Levi shook his head. “Ella has a wide range of knowledge, but her sister’s more knowledgeable when it comes to curses and hexes.”

Mia answered after three rings. “Levi, it’s good to hear from you.”

“How are you doing, Mia?” he asked.

“Good, good,” she replied. “Congrats on finding your psi-mate—Ella told me all about it. You’d better introduce Piper to us soon or we’re gonna get cranky.”

“Noted.”

“Excellent. Now tell me why you called.”

“Can someone be cursed so that they would never be remembered by others?”

There was a short moment of silence. “Such a curse does exist, but a person would have to be enraged to inflict it on another.”

“Why?”

“The cost is more than most would bear. The caster of the spell, too, will not be remembered by anyone other than the person they cursed. And there is no way to lift that curse.”

The latter was unusual, from what he knew. “Thanks, Mia.” After ringing off, he relayed the information to Knox and the other sentinels.

“Maybe he pissed someone off and this is his punishment,” mused Tanner.

“I’d say so,” said Larkin. “I mean, he was essentially robbed of relationships—past, present, and future. His family and loved ones won’t remember him, and he has no way of building new relationships to compensate for that. He’ll always be alone.”

Keenan hummed. “Someone definitely wanted him to suffer.”

“I’d say they got what they wanted,” said Tanner. “And we can’t really say the cost was the lives of the women he murdered. That was all on him.”

Keenan twisted his mouth. “Looking at the situation, I can see why he found it easy to let Missy live. He killed the other women because they weren’t what he wanted in a partner. In his view, they’d proven to be useless. He held them at fault for how things didn’t work out. But with Missy, he believed he was in the wrong, he believed he should have chosen someone else.”

“I don’t think that’s the only reason he let her live,” said Knox. “He told Missy that he was tired and wanted all this to be over. I believe he wants to be caught.”

Levi considered that for a moment. “He knew she’d pass on whatever he told her, essentially giving us clues. You know, at first, I didn’t get why he’d target Missy when she lives right next door to Sera, who’s being watched over by the Force. That’s risky. But maybe he was tempting fate, hoping that those patrolling the area might just see and stop him.”

“I think he’s hoping you’ll be the one who stops him,” Tanner said to Levi. “That’s why he’s striking at people in our lair. That’s why he wants your attention. Maybe there’s something sentimental for him about being brought down by a kid he once spared.”

“Perhaps,” said Knox. “It might be good to talk to Dez’s brother. Marshall could have seen something from outside when he was lurking around Sera’s house to watch over her and their son. Not that he’d be able to give us a description of our killer, but he may have seen or heard something helpful.”

“Want me to question him?” asked Tanner.

Knox pulled out his cell phone. “I’ll do it now. I’ll put him on speakerphone.”

“Hello?” Marshall soon answered, a nervous tremor to his voice. Well not everyone felt all warm and fuzzy on realizing they were receiving a call from their indisputably merciless Prime.

“I have a question for you,” Knox told him. “When you were loitering outside Sera’s house, I’m guessing—given how nosy you are—that you occasionally glanced through the neighbor’s windows. I need to know if you saw or heard anything suspicious happening in Missy’s house.”

Dead silence. “Is Missy all right?”

“Yes, but she had an unwelcome visitor—something the entire lair will hear all about in due course, so you’ll soon have the answers to the many questions that are no doubt beginning to gather in your head. Right now, I need you to answer my question.”

A puff of breath. “I saw a guy sitting at her dinner table, but I can’t picture him.”

“Is there anything you do remember about him?”

“Uh … well, I heard him whistling a tune—the window was partially open. A song my great-grandmother used to hum. ‘Dreamers Dream.’ It’s from an old musical.”

“I know the song. Anything else?”

“No, sorry.”

“Let me know if something else comes to mind.” With that, Knox ended the call.

“I don’t know that tune Marshall mentioned,” said Tanner.

“Well I’m not singing it to you,” said Knox, making the hellhound snort. “Google it or something.” He cut his gaze to Levi. “Talk to Piper. Tell her what happened and that we’ll need her help. I highly doubt she’ll object.” He squinted. “I do hope you’re not about to object on her behalf.”

Levi would if he thought it would do any good. “I don’t like what using that ability does to her. I don’t like that she’ll have to see and feel what Missy went through. But I won’t interfere. Piper would only get pissed at me. I don’t want that.” They were having enough issues as it was.

Soon, Knox dismissed all but Larkin, since she was his temporary bodyguard. Levi and the other male sentinels headed to their respective vehicles. All three then made their way to the Underground, where they began their walk along the strip to the studio. The place would be closing any moment now.

“It bothers me that the killer went off script,” said Tanner. “Any woman could be next, if he’s so desperate to repeat his crimes that he’ll settle for others whether he enjoys it or not. Devon’s pregnant, that might be close enough to a single mother for him.”

“He won’t get near her, Tanner.”

“No, he won’t,” Keenan agreed. “And she’d claw off his dick if he did.”

Snorting, Tanner rolled back his shoulders. “I’ll be glad when she goes on maternity leave. Maybe I can convince her to do it sooner.”

Levi softly snickered. “Good luck with that.” Arriving at the studio, he pushed open the door. The five females paused in their cleaning, their expressions somber. Levi only had eyes for Piper.

As he crossed to her, she sighed and said, “Harper told us about Missy. She heard about it from Knox. Is Missy okay?”

“She’s doing about as well as anyone could expect of her,” Levi replied, resisting the urge to reach out and place a comforting hand on Piper’s shoulder. Dammit, he shouldn’t have to resist touching his own damn anchor. “I’ll tell you more when we’re in the car.” He wanted to get her home, where she’d be safer. He was always nervous about her being out in public.

Inside his car a short while later, Piper had no sooner clicked on her seatbelt than she prodded him for the information he’d promised.

Levi told her much of Missy’s ordeal, reluctantly adding, “We’re going to need your help with her. She can’t remember the bastard. We think he might be cursed to always be forgotten. Literally cursed.”

Piper blinked. “Wow.”

“Knox is hoping you might be able to help us ID him by taking a dip in her mind.”

“You don’t seem happy about that.”

Levi switched on the engine. “I’ve never liked the toll that ability takes on you. I like it even less now.”

“I’m used to it.”

“You use that phrase too often—when you speak of this gift, when you talk of Celeste’s tantrums, when you mention the shit you get from relatives of the criminals you identify. You’d be lying if you said that being accustomed to it all makes any of it easier on you.”

“In any case, I’ll of course do what I can to help. I can’t promise I’ll see his face, though. Not if Missy can’t recall it. Just like I can’t see events that happened at a time when a person was too young to commit it to memory. And if some curse is really at play, I doubt Missy’s memory of his physical features is simply repressed.”

“I understand you might not be able to help,” Levi assured her. “We all do. Knox simply wants you to give it a try. That’s all anyone can and will ask of you. Now, are you going to tell me what play Celeste made earlier?”

Piper did a double-take at the abrupt change of topic. “We covered this already. She was merely being her usual annoying self.”

“Then why are you so reluctant to talk about it?”

“Why are you so determined to hear about it?”

“Because it’s obvious that she managed to upset you. You’re clearly hurting, and I’m not at all good with that. No one gets to fuck with my anchor.” Her eyes flared with something that made his chest hurt, and he felt like he’d said the wrong thing. “Piper—”

“Being my psi-mate doesn’t make you privy to every thought that runs through my head,” she said, her voice stiff. “There are things you don’t want to talk about. I accept that. Now you need to accept that there’s something I don’t want to talk about. If that changes, I’ll let you know. Unless or until that happens, drop the subject. It’s not in your nature, I know. But you need to give me this. I make a lot of concessions for you. Now it’s your turn.”

Levi inwardly cursed. He hated that she was hurting and he simply wanted to fix it. But how could he push her on this when she was absolutely right—she did make a lot of concessions for him. More than he deserved. And yes, there were things he hadn’t yet discussed with her, such as the full truth about his aunt. Pressing her right now would make him both a hypocrite and an asshole. “Fine. But if she confronts you again—”

“Let’s leave it at ‘fine.’”

Silence fell between them. Thick. Heavy. Uncomfortable. At that moment, she seemed more emotionally unreachable than she ever had before, and he had no fucking clue what to do about it.

Noon the following day, Piper trailed after Levi as they entered the house of Missy’s grandparents. Her stomach was heavy with dread, just as it typically was during such times. Not that Piper would even consider backing out, much to Levi’s disapproval. He’d asked her four times this morning if she was certain she wanted to do this. Each time Piper had confirmed that she was up for it, he’d looked both disappointed and unsurprised.

It was kind of touching that he’d choose her emotional welfare over getting answers to a mystery he desperately needed to solve for the safety of their lair … because it meant he really was putting her first. Well, putting his anchor first. If Celeste was his psi-mate, she’d receive the same intense level of attention and protectiveness from him. It would be natural, of course. But the whole thing highlighted that Celeste had been right when she said, “He doesn’t see who you are but what you are.”

Maybe that was a good thing, though. Maybe Piper should try doing the same with him. It would provide some emotional distance and help her move on from him. That would sure be welcome. Because she was too aware of him now. Aware of where he stood, when he moved, what emotional vibes he gave off. Like her entire being was attempting to attune itself to his.

Walking into the living room, Piper exchanged quick greetings with Knox, Harper, Larkin, and Lois before firmly settling her attention on the female sitting gingerly on the edge of an armchair. Piper gave her a gentle smile. “Hi, Missy.”

“Hi.” Missy rubbed her thighs. “I know I should say thank you for coming and stuff, but part of me hates that someone else will see how helpless I was.”

“That’s entirely understandable, though no one would think less of you for being powerless,” said Piper. “We don’t have to do this if you don’t want to. No one will force you.”

“No, I need to do this. It’s driving me crazy that I can’t remember someone I spent five days hating. And … the truth is that I blocked him out a few times. Just curled into a mental ball in a corner of my mind. I don’t know what happened during those times.”

“You’ll get no judgment from me or anyone else. People often disappear into their own minds to protect themselves—it’s instinctive.”

“I know, I do, I just … No offense, but can we get this over with?”

“Absolutely.” Kneeling before Missy, Piper lifted a hand. “I need to touch your forehead. Is that okay?”

Missy nodded, her lips trembling. “Brace yourself, because this won’t be fun for you.”

No, it wouldn’t. But it helped that Levi had already given Piper a bullet-point version of what occurred. It not only warned her of what was to come, it meant she knew what details they already had. Levi and the others were interested in what Missy hadn’t passed on.

Piper closed her eyes, rested her hand on the other woman’s head, and thrust her consciousness into hers. Piper ‘flipped’ through her worst memories until—there.

Taking a deep breath, she sank into the real-life nightmare. She experienced it all through Missy’s senses—him sitting on her bed as he announced they’d be a family, days of watching him smile and laugh but also brood and rant, his declaration that he wouldn’t kill her as he’d killed the others.

She felt Missy’s fear and powerlessness and fury as if those emotions were her own. Emotions that beat at her soul, roiled her stomach, seized her lungs, and overworked her heart.

When Piper finally withdrew from the memory, she realized she was shaking. Strong hands snatched her from the floor, and then Levi was holding her tightly to him. And God help her, she didn’t fight him. She leaned against him while Missy’s emotions bled from her system. Fucking hell that had been brutal.

“Did you see his face?” asked Missy.

Finally pulling back—which wasn’t easy to do, because Levi wasn’t inclined to release her—Piper gave a slow shake of the head. “He was a blur the whole time, I’m sorry.” Unsurprised by the disappointment thickening the air, she added, “He kept whistling a tune. I don’t recognize it.” Piper hummed it aloud.

“I know it,” said Knox. “‘Dreamers Dream.’ What else can you tell us?”

“He once ranted about a witch who apparently held him responsible for a crime he didn’t commit,” replied Piper. “She was convinced he’d raped and murdered her sister.”

Knox pursed his lips. “In that case, I wouldn’t be surprised if it was she who cursed him.”

A question plaguing his mind, Levi telepathically reached out to Piper and asked, Did he rape Missy during one of the times she withdrew into her mind?

No, Piper told him. He never once touched her sexually. “His demon surfaced at one point.”

Missy jerked back. “It did?”

Piper nodded. “It laughed. Not at you, at him. It regards him as weak because he won’t admit to himself that he likes to kill; that he likes the control he’s able to wield over others.”

“He does seem to view himself as a victim,” mused Harper.

“Agreed,” said Piper. “He holds the witch responsible for what he’s been ‘forced’ to do to ‘emotionally survive.’”

Missy’s eyes flared. “The only person who was forced to do anything was me.”

“Indeed,” said Levi. “So I’d have to side with his demon on one thing—the bastard’s weak.”

After Piper relayed other details that Missy hadn’t reported—all of which seemed inconsequential—Knox announced it was time for them all to let Missy rest more.

As they walked down the front yard toward the cars, Harper gently nudged Piper. “You okay? You don’t look good.”

Piper shrugged. “Comes with the territory. I’ll be fine in an hour or so.”

Levi felt his mouth tighten. It was one thing to accept that there was a cost to using her ability, it was another to dismiss her own emotional reaction as if it had no relevance.

She licked her lips as she ran her gaze along everyone. “There was something else he said. Something I didn’t think you’d want me to say in front of Missy and Lois.”

Knox’s gaze sharpened. “And that is?”

Piper looked at Levi. “He mentioned you. Said you’re not as worked up about the murders as he thought you’d be.”

Levi went very still, his stomach dropping.

“Also … I’m sorry to tell you this, but … he killed your aunt,” she went on. “He talked about her. Said her mind was very dark—something he hadn’t expected—and that he doubted you’d be the man you are today if you’d grown up with her as your guardian. He seemed to take pride in who you are. As if making you an orphan means he can take the credit and …” She studied his face. “You don’t look surprised by any of it. You were already aware of it.”

He winced and opened his mouth to speak.

Piper lifted a hand. “It was a need-to-know thing. I didn’t need to know, I get it.”

She didn’t seem upset or offended, but Levi still felt like a sack of shit. There’d been several times when he’d come close to telling her what she’d now learned for herself, but he’d always held back. And now he wished he hadn’t.

“Thank you for your help today, Piper,” said Knox.

She grimaced. “I don’t feel like I did help much.”

“You should,” Knox insisted, taking the words from Levi’s mouth. “We now know he literally is cursed. We know he truly is the man who murdered Levi’s aunt—we assumed he was, of course, but we couldn’t be one hundred percent sure until now. And we can be positive that he is in fact a demon, since his entity surfaced.”

“I wasn’t able to do what I came here to do, though. I wasn’t able to get a glimpse of his face.”

“No one thought you would. It was a long shot.” Knox dipped his chin. “Again, thank you for your assistance.”

Harper gave her arm a little squeeze. “Go home, eat, rest, maybe take a bath or something so you can relax. You can’t go back to work in this state. You’re still trembling, and you’re white as a sheet.”

Piper nodded. “I’ll see you tomorrow, then.”

“Tomorrow,” she agreed.

After goodbyes were exchanged, Levi led her to his car. Inside it, he sighed. “I was going to tell you at some point that the recent killings could be linked to my aunt’s murder—”

“It’s okay, Levi,” Piper assured him. It hurt that he’d kept her firmly out of the loop, but he was probably only permitted to speak plainly about the killer to very few people. “It’s not like I didn’t already know you’re holding things back that you clearly don’t want to talk about.”

“I kept meaning to tell you, but there never seemed to be a right time. And at the moment, my past is all tangled up in the present shit fest. You’ve been my only bright spot, and I wanted to enjoy that.”

Oh no, her heart didn’t just squeeze.

“Selfish, I know, but there it is.”

“Really, I’m not angry that you didn’t tell me. Especially since it’s sentinel stuff, and I doubt you would have gotten permission from Knox to share it with me anyway.”

“You say that, but I know you’re mad.”

“Yes, I’m mad. I’m mad that a serial killer apparently killed your aunt. I’m angry that he’s back on the scene and seems to believe he did you a fucking favor by making you an orphan. I’m mad because I saw what that motherfucker put Missy through, and I hate that he’s on the loose.” It all made her blood boil.

Levi laid his hand on her thigh, and the touch was so unexpected she almost flinched. “He’ll be caught and stopped, Piper. I promise you that.”

She didn’t doubt him for a second.

Back in his apartment, he ushered her into the kitchen. “You need to eat.”

She exhaled heavily, her shoulders sagging. “I’m tired, Levi.”

“I know. But we need to talk.”

“We don’t. Truly. I’d never expect you to rip open old wounds for me.” She’d never judge or be angry with someone for not wanting to share their personal pain.

“I want to tell you. Also, I don’t want you to be alone. You can sleep once you’ve eaten. No, don’t argue.” He set his hands on her shoulders. “I know what you did today takes a lot out of you. I also know there’s no fucking way it wasn’t hard for you to see what Missy went through. I’m not going to ignore that you’re feeling raw right now.

“Yeah, as you like to remind me, you’re used to it. You’re also used to turning inward and not leaning on anyone. Fuck that, Piper. You’re not alone anymore. I’m here now. And just as you’d want me to turn to you if I was feeling like shit, I want you to turn to me.”

Her chest going tight, she bit back the urge to snark that being her anchor didn’t mean he had the right to expect her to rely on him … because it would have been an out-and-out lie. It did give him that right. Psi-mates were supposed to be there for each other. That was how it worked.

He doesn’t see who you are butwhat you are.

Fuck if those words wouldn’t stop poking at her. Piper had earlier made the decision to establish some emotional distance between her and Levi. Confiding in him here and now wouldn’t exactly help with that. But he was right, if the situation had been reversed she’d have expected him to offload on her, and she’d have been hurt if he pushed her away.

Plus, he clearly wanted to get some stuff off his chest. She’d be a total bitch if she walked away from him. That wasn’t who she was. So Piper sighed and said, “All right.”

He let out a long breath. “Okay.”

“But my stomach won’t be able to handle anything heavier than a sandwich.”

“A sandwich it is.” He gave her shoulders a light squeeze. “Sit.”

Taking a seat at the island, she watched as he pulled out bread, meat, and various condiments. It felt … weird to have someone insist on being at her side when she was feeling low. Not that her mother or Olive or Joe wouldn’t have been there for her if they’d thought she needed them. But she rarely allowed people to see when she felt low.

“I can’t promise I’ll always come to you,” she told him. “You’re right, I pull inward. It’s … automatic. Not a habit I’ll easily break out of.”

“It’s too ingrained in you, I see that,” he said. “And I suspect you made it a habit to hold in your feelings because Celeste enjoyed trampling on them. I’ll bear that in mind, and I’ll ask you to bear in mind that I won’t stay away if I think you shouldn’t be alone.”

Fair enough. “I really am okay. Missy’s emotions have bled from my system.”

“And what about your emotions?”

“It was Missy who suffered, not me. I simply saw what happened.”

He planted his palms on the island and leaned forward slightly. “It isn’t that simple. You effectively witnessed a brutal crime—that’s hard on anyone. You also felt what she felt, which will have only made it harder on you. My guess is you play down how it affects you because you feel that you don’t have the right to be upset when it didn’t physically happen to you.”

She looked away, not liking how well he read her. “Okay, so it’s hard to experience painful things that others went through. Having those images in my head is a motherfucker. Feeling their agony makes me feel sick inside. And, yes, it makes me feel raw and vulnerable and plain drained. But that’s just how it goes. I don’t dwell on any of it because I like that I’m able to help people this way—the trade-off is worth it.”

“There,” he said, a note of satisfaction in his voice. “Sharing isn’t so hard, is it?”

She rolled her eyes. “Your turn.”

He waited until he’d placed her sandwich in front of her before he spoke. “As I’ve told you before, my mother and aunt were stray demons. From what I learned, Moira did love my mother. I suspect it was for that reason alone that she took me in after Blanche died. But Moira never parented me. I was a hindrance. She often left me alone or with neighbors while she went off to do whatever she did. A few people described her as self-destructive. She had more of an addictive personality than most demons. Drugs, cheap thrills, sex—they seemed to be the only things that made her feel alive.”

“I’ve met demons like that before.” Piper bit into her sandwich. “They rarely snap out of that mental state.”

Levi inclined his head. “But she deserved to have the chance to see if she could. He robbed her of that. Robbed her of her life.”

“And he robbed you of the only person you had left,” she said with a pointed look, letting Levi know she wouldn’t let him get away with discounting his own emotions just as he hadn’t allowed her to dismiss her own.

He swallowed. “Yeah. I’m guessing he did to her exactly what he did to Missy, only he didn’t allow her to live. I don’t know for sure, because I don’t remember any of it.”

“Wait, you were there?”

Levi nodded. “He had to have been the one to dump me at the orphanage—part of his MO is to parent the children alone for a short time and then place them outside somewhere that shelters demonic orphans. And yes, it sickens me to know that the bastard probably cuddled and played with me, not to mention fed me and changed my clothes.”

Jesus, her heart went out to him. How much of a mind fuck would that be? He might have had centuries to get used to it, but it wouldn’t make it any easier to bear.

Levi flexed his fingers. “I don’t have any recollection of what happened to Moira or of him.”

Piper figured that the latter wasn’t such a terrible thing, because he’d have otherwise been haunted by the sort of nightmares that would forever taunt Missy. But Piper could understand why he’d lament having no memory of such a pivotal time in his life.

“From what I witnessed through Missy’s memories, it’s like he wants to create the perfect family for himself,” said Piper before taking another bite of her sandwich. “But I don’t think he truly saw Missy or her sister. Not as people. They were more like objects to him. Toys he moved around like it was a game that he needed to control every aspect of. But then he resented that it wasn’t real, that Missy wasn’t willing, that everything wasn’t falling into place the way he wanted, and that she wasn’t who he truly wanted.”

“I agree, they’re more like toys to him. Dolls, even. For him, they’re there to fulfill his fantasies. They have only the personality, wants, and motivations that he assigns them. He discards them when they don’t prove fun to play with anymore. But in Missy’s case, he didn’t blame her for his disappointment in the game, he blamed himself for targeting sisters instead of a mother and daughter.”

“Killers tend to have pathological minds. They can be obsessive about every minute aspect of how they follow whatever compulsions they have. They generally don’t like to deviate from their habits and routines, though they can evolve over time.”

Levi nodded. “His tastes appear to have evolved. Personality wise, Moira was nothing like Emma, Diem, or Missy. My aunt apparently had a bad attitude and a foul temper. She bore no physical similarities to them either. All that links them is their lack of an adequate support system and that they were single mothers—or, in my aunt’s case, single guardian. That could actually be all he looks for in a potential victim, I don’t know.”

Piper bit her lip. “There’ll be more victims out there.”

“Yeah,” said Levi, his jaw hardening. “When I looked into Moira’s death, I discovered there were three similar cases. I tried hunting him but had too little to go on. For years I kept a metaphorical eye out for repeats of such crimes but there were none. I thought he was likely dead, since killers generally don’t simply stop.” A muscle in his cheek flexed. “I was wrong.”

Piper narrowed her eyes. “You’d better not be feeling responsible for any subsequent crimes he committed or I will punch you in the dick.”

One corner of his mouth twitched ever so slightly. “Yeah?”

“Yeah. I would have reached the same conclusion as you. I’ll bet Knox and the other sentinels did too. The only person at fault for any of the lives this killer took is him.”

“I know. I just wish I’d continued to watch for signs he was still out there.”

“In my opinion, it’s unlikely he stopped killing for a long period of time. He probably just got better at hiding his kills. Probably also made a point of targeting women who wouldn’t be missed. And since his pattern of leaving children outside foster homes and orphanages doesn’t seem to have earned much notice, it might be that he moved around a lot.”

“Probably.” Levi sighed and cricked his neck. “My life is good. Despite everything, I don’t wish it played out differently. But it wasn’t his right to put me in a situation where it happened this way.”

Piper nodded. “And you’ll drive that point home when you get your hands on the bastard, which you will.”

“Yeah. Yeah, I will.”

Once she’d finished her sandwich, she thanked him for it and went to wash her plate. He took it from her, insisting he’d take care of it and that she needed to go rest. He even offered to run her a bath.

Dammit, could he not be an asshole to make it easier for her to erect a barrier between them? Apparently not.

She’d slam up that barrier somehow. She would. She just wasn’t yet sure how.