“Fine,” she muttered, trying to pretend the thought of watching him walking into the house alone wasn’t making her heart pound with panic.
Without warning, he leaned to the side and captured her lips in a brief, searing kiss. Heat curled through the pit of her stomach, easing her fear, although it did nothing to slow her thundering heart.
“Lock the doors,” he commanded before slipping out of the SUV and melting into the shadows.
She instinctively reached to hit the lock button, her hands curling in her lap as she nervously kept her gaze focused on the house.
“Please, be careful,” she whispered softly, unable to bear the thought he might be hurt.
It wasn’t that she cared. It was just that . . . Molly would be heartbroken.
The minutes slowly passed, the darkness thickening until she could see nothing beyond the nearby fence. At the same time, her sense of unease continued to deepen.
Dammit. What was taking so long?
Bas had blazing speed. He could have run to Paris and back by now.
Myst grimaced. Okay. That might be an exaggeration.
But jeez, how long did it take to look through one medium-sized farmhouse?
She was on the point of going to search for him when the unmistakable sound of gunfire exploded the silence. Oh God. She reached to open the door, desperate to reach Bas and make sure he wasn’t hurt.
But before she could do more than grab the handle the windshield shattered, several stray pieces of glass slicing through her cheek.
Stunned by the unexpected attack, Myst lunged to the side, trying to get out of the path of the flying bullets. But even as she hit the leather seat, she heard more shots and felt a blow to her shoulder.
She gave a low grunt, sharp pain piercing through her.
Oh hell. She’d been shot.
Weirdly it hurt, but not as much as the cuts on her face. She awkwardly turned her head, glancing down at the small piece of metal sticking out of her skin.
Oh. She hadn’t been shot with a bullet. It was a tranq dart.
Her mind went fuzzy even as she heard the door to the SUV being pulled open. Fingers dug into her hair, roughly jerking her head up so a flashlight could be shoved in front of her face.
“Hello, freak,” a male voice taunted, his foul breath nearly choking her. “We’ve been waiting for you.”
Chapter Eight
Bas heard the buzzing in the back of his head. He groaned, trying to block out the aggravating noise.
“Bas,” a female voice spoke directly in his ear. “Wake up.”
With an effort, Bas turned his head to gaze through the cloaking shadows. Was he in his bedroom? Why was it so dark?
His fuzzy thoughts were distracted as he caught sight of the tall, dark-haired witch who was standing just a few feet away wearing a sleeveless jade sweater and jeans that clung to her long, slender legs.
“Lana?” Bas frowned. He could see her, but he couldn’t actually sense her presence. The knowledge disturbed him. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“I’m not there.” Her voice was edged with impatience. “I’m speaking to you telepathically.”
Well, that would explain why he hadn’t known she was sneaking up on him. He glared at her pale, perfect face.
No doubt any number of males would be happy to have their dreams interrupted by this gorgeous witch. Hell, they’d probably be eager to weave her into their fantasies.
Bas, however, had no interest in any woman beyond his silver-haired clairvoyant.
“Hasn’t anyone told you that it’s rude to intrude into a person’s mind?”
Her lips twitched. “On several occasions.”
“Then go away.”
A shocking blast of power slammed into him without warning as Lana’s voice vibrated through his brain with painful intensity.
“Wake up.”
Bas winced. Christ. What was wrong with the woman?
“Why?”
“I think Myst is in danger.”
“Myst?” Bas sucked in a sharp breath, a sudden fear squeezing his heart. “Where is she?”
“I hope she’s with you,” Lana said. “What happened to you?”
“Shit.”
Bas fought against the sleep clouding his mind, belatedly realizing he wasn’t safely tucked in his bed at home.
So where was he?
Grimly ignoring the panic that fluttered at the edge of his fuzzy mind, Bas forced himself to reconstruct his memories with cold precision.
Right now, emotions were the enemy.
If Myst needed him, he had to be able to think clearly.
He conjured the image of traveling to the monastery with Myst and Kaede and then arriving in France. They’d had dinner. Soup and crusty bread, right? Yes. Then they’d had to wait for several hours before they’d finally left for the meeting with Boggs.
He remembered the feeling that something wasn’t right when they’d arrived at the remote farmhouse. A strange sense of foreboding that had thickened the air until he could taste it on his tongue.
So what’d happened after they arrived?
His thoughts went blank for a second, struggling against the fog that continued to cloud his mind.
Then abruptly he had a vivid image of creeping up the dark staircase, scouting for the hidden source of danger. He’d been on the upper landing when he’d felt a pinprick on the back of his neck.
Less than a half a heartbeat later he’d been tumbling onto his face, his body shutting down just before his mind had gone blank.
“I’ve been drugged,” he abruptly growled.
Lana nodded, clearly already having suspected what’d happened to him.
“Do you have the magic to burn it out of your system?”
“We’re about to find out,” he muttered, concentrating his energy on one powerful blast that seared through his veins, cleansing it of any lingering toxin.
A gasp was wrenched from his lips as the heat nearly boiled his blood. Damn. It was rare that he had to use his magic on himself. He’d forgotten how much it could hurt.
The last of the heat reached his toes, and slowly Bas battled his way through the clinging darkness.
He was lying face down on a nasty carpet that reeked of stale tobacco and thick dust. Unfortunately, his body wasn’t yet on board with actually moving, so he was forced to try and use his senses to ensure there was nothing near that was about to attack.
“Bas?” Lana sharply broke into his focused search. She no longer looked as if she was standing directly in front of him, but instead he could see she was seated at her desk in Valhalla. Lana was the only telepath he had ever met who could implant her image in another’s mind. It was as unnerving as hell. “Are you awake?”
“I’m conscious,” he muttered, concentrating on regaining command of his limbs.
“Where are you?” she demanded.
“The farmhouse where we were supposed to meet Boggs.”
“Were you attacked?”
“Yeah.” He managed to move his arms far enough to plant his palms on the carpet. “It must have been a tranq gun.”
Lana frowned, her slender fingers tapping on the glossy top of her desk.
“You didn’t sense them?”
“Only an overall feeling of . . .” Bas searched for the words to explain what he’d felt the minute they’d arrived at the farmhouse. “I don’t know . . . wrongness.”
The Mave gave a slow nod. “It could be some sort of human technology. I’ve heard the Brotherhood has been seeking weapons that can disrupt our powers.”
“Great,” he muttered.
That’s all he needed. Humans who could cloak their presence.
Lana grimaced. “Is Myst with you?”
“No.” Desperation clawed at him, even as he tried to straighten his arms. “I made her wait in the vehicle.” He managed to shove himself onto his knees before he swayed to the side and crashed into the nearby banister. “God dammit.”
/> “Easy, Bas,” Lana tried to soothe.
He reached to grasp the heavy wooden balustrade that edged the upper foyer, ignoring the sweat that beaded his upper lip as he ruthlessly pulled himself to his feet.
“I have to get to her,” he growled between clenched teeth.
“You’re not going to do her any good if you collapse,” Lana warned.
Bas muttered a curse, clinging to the smooth wood as his knees refused to hold his weight.
“Does Wolfe know how annoying you can be?” he snarled.
Lana arched a brow. “You only think I’m annoying when I’m right.”
True. In the past they’d usually gotten along well.
It was only a silver-haired, dark-eyed minx who set off his temper.
“Why did you contact me?” he demanded, relieved when he managed to regain his balance.
He glanced around the empty house, taking in the peeling plaster and dust that covered the forgotten furnishings like a funeral shroud.
He couldn’t detect anyone nearby, but he no longer trusted his senses.
“Your enforcer was worried when he couldn’t get ahold of you,” Lana explained.
Bas felt a stab of surprise. The younger male hated anything connected to Valhalla. Bas had never asked why.
A man’s secrets were his own.
“Kaede called you?”
“Yes.” A hint of amusement flickered over Lana’s face. As if she was aware of Kaede’s revulsion toward her authority. “He managed to infiltrate the Brotherhood in Wyoming.”
Bas smiled wryly, inching his way toward the stairs. At least something had gone right.
“Did he discover anything?”
She nodded. “That the new leader claims to have some way of knowing where Myst is going to be.”
Bas came to an abrupt halt, shock reverberating through his body.
They’d walked into a trap?
“How?” He asked the obvious question.
“The female says she’s talking with God, but Kaede is convinced she’s getting her intel from a less holy source,” Lana said in dry tones. “He’s working to figure it out.”
Bas might have been astounded by the news that the idiotic group had a female leader if he hadn’t been so infuriated that someone had passed along information that’d put Myst in danger.
“The Brotherhood has to have a spy in Valhalla,” he snapped, forcing himself back into motion.
“We’re looking into it,” Lana promised, her beautiful face smoothed of emotions. “But it’s extremely unlikely the leak came from here.”
He headed down the staircase, one painful step at a time.
“Of course not,” he muttered. He didn’t think Lana could be entirely unbiased when it came to her beloved Valhalla.
He heard her heave an exasperated sigh. “Think, Bas. The Brotherhood isn’t large enough to have their followers based in every city. How could they have time to set up a trap and get it in place when none of us knew the coordinates until Boggs contacted me?” she said.
He scowled. “Maybe we were followed from the abbey.”
“Only Wolfe and I knew you were traveling to France.”
Shit. She had a point.
He didn’t believe for a second that Lana or Wolfe would betray them.
He reached the bottom of the stairs and weaved his way across the small foyer like a drunken human.
“Could Boggs have set us up?” he asked, managing to reach the door without collapsing.
Grasping the handle, he held onto it with a death grip, his breath a loud rasp.
Christ. He felt as weak as a newborn pup.
What the hell had they shot into him?
“Doubtful,” Lana murmured, her brow furrowing as she considered the question. “He’s unpredictable, but he’s fiercely loyal. I don’t think he’s a traitor.”
Neither did Bas.
Which meant he had to hope Kaede could discover how the Brotherhood had gotten their information.
Accepting that it was a question he’d have to deal with later, Bas pulled open the door and stepped out of the house. It was dark, the front garden bathed in shadows, but Bas had the ability to easily see at night. Which meant he was still several feet away from the SUV parked at the gate when he realized the front window had been shattered and Myst was no longer in her seat.
An icy fear clutched his heart, his mouth dry as he stumbled forward.
“Shit,” he breathed in horror.
In his mind, Lana shoved herself to her feet, the feel of her magic a tangible force.
“What’s going on, Bas?”
“She’s gone,” he rasped.
“Wait there and I’ll send hunters from the monastery to help you search for her,” she commanded.
“Screw that.”
Bas didn’t hesitate to slam her out of his brain. Lana wasn’t the only one with power. And if she thought for a second he was going to wait around for backup, she didn’t know him at all.
Moving toward the SUV, Bas paused long enough to retrieve the gun he’d hidden beneath the seat and to lock on to Myst’s scent.
“Hold on, cara, I’m coming,” he whispered softly, heading down the narrow path with a lethal determination.
* * *
Kaede had been forced to wait until dinner was being served in the main bunkhouse before he could at last slip away from his new bestie.
Hester had refused to leave his side as they’d finished up at the training center and taken a tour of the abandoned mines now known as the “pit.” For a while Kaede thought he might have to scrape the man off like a barnacle. Or he might just kill him and dump his body in one of the deep shafts where they’d left Myst when she was barely more than a baby.
The idea had poetic justice.
Unfortunately he couldn’t risk attracting unwanted attention, so he’d bided his time, waiting for Hester to grab a tray and get in line before he silently slid out a side door.
From there he’d casually strolled toward the A-frame house, taking careful note of the various guards who stood on duty, as well as the number of doors into the private residence. His only intention had been to get a feel for the security that surrounded the house and the easiest point of entrance. But he’d been passing along the back edge of the swimming pool that looked grossly out of place in the barren landscape when he realized he was being watched.
He’d deliberately dropped his phone, giving him the opportunity to covertly glance toward the outdoor bar near the back of the house.
Lying on a recliner was a woman with long auburn hair and a lush body shown to advantage in a red halter top and white shorts. Her gaze had followed him from the time he’d stepped around the house.
At first he’d sensed her burst of fury. No doubt she preferred to keep her loyal followers from realizing she lay around the luxurious pool sipping a glass of wine and enjoying a private meal while they stood in line for some slop tossed on a plate.
But as he’d slowed his pace to a leisurely stroll, he’d instantly realized the second her anger had transformed to a sharp-edged interest. He hid his small smile as he straightened and deliberately flexed his muscles.
Yeah, it was cheesy, but it worked.
With a slow, sinuous movement the female rose from the recliner and sashayed her way around the pool.
“Are you lost?” she demanded in a voice that had been trained to sound like a low, sensuous invitation.
It went perfectly with her whole sex-kitten image.
Kaede turned to meet the dark blue gaze, casually leaning against the wrought iron gate that was clearly intended to keep out the riffraff.
“Just getting familiar with my new home,” he murmured, discreetly allowing his heat to fill the air.
As a human she would be susceptible to the pheromones he’d been trained to use as a weapon.
“Your home is on the other side of the property,” she informed him, waving her hand toward the side of the house even as her nose flare
d and her eyes darkened with excitement. “This area is off-limits to recruits.”
“I can see why.” He deliberately took a slow, thorough survey of her lush curves. “The Brothers would never get anything done if they had you as a distraction.”
She lifted a mocking brow. “Does that actually work?”
Kaede shrugged, his gaze returning to her heart-shaped face, which was flushed with an awareness she was trying to disguise.
He leaned forward, lifting his hand to trail a lazy finger down her heated cheek.
“Sometimes.”
She licked her lips, unconsciously swaying forward. “Let me give you a clue.... Your technique is lame.”
Kaede chuckled, his fingers grasping her chin so he could tilt back her head.
“You prefer a more direct approach?” he demanded. “I can do that.”
Leaning down he took her lips in a rough, demanding kiss. She gave a low moan, the scent of her fierce arousal spicing the air before she was placing her hands against his chest.
“Brute. Let me go,” she muttered, making no actual effort to push him away.
Kaede allowed his fingers to skim down her neck, resting them over the pulse at the base of her throat.
“Your heart is racing.”
“Because I’m pissed off,” she tried to bluster out. No doubt she was accustomed to being the one using sex as a weapon.
“I don’t think so.” He wrapped his arm around her waist, yanking her against him. “I know when a woman is hungry for a man.”
She released a shaky breath, her body softening as she leaned against his chest.
“Who are you?” she rasped.
He tightened his grip, watching her eyes dilate. The female liked an edge of pain.
He could do that.
“Kaede,” he readily answered.
“Where did you come from, Kaede?”
He gave a lift of one shoulder. “I started in Hawaii, then moved to Vegas, then to Dallas, and now here.” He dipped his head down to nip her lower lip. “I like it here.”
She hissed in pleasure, her nipples hardening to tiny pebbles.
“Stop.”
“Say it like you mean it, sweetheart,” he taunted, kissing her with expertise if not enjoyment. He sincerely hoped he was going to be able to lure her into the privacy of her home without having to do the actual deed. He wasn’t sure he could muster the enthusiasm to actually have sex with the bitch. “We need to take this someplace more comfortable,” he muttered as her hands began to run an impatient path up and down his back.