Enchanted (9 page)

An angry voice broke through her lustful haze.

“Shay.”

The voice reminded her of Rhys’s. He repeated Shay’s name twice. Caitlyn opened her eyes, gasping. Her loft apartment sprawled about her.

She looked around in an attempt to explain what had occurred. Nothing helped as she sat there, stunned at her loss of memory over the last few moments.

The clock on the DVD player told her a little over an hour had passed since she’d sat down, yet it seemed longer. She tried to understand what her dream meant, but found no logical reason why Evers walked through her mind. The whole incident had been so real. Her fingertips tingled from the feel of his skin and her lips throbbed from the touch of his.

Heat raced to her face. The confines of her apartment threatened to smother her. She needed cool air. She stood and stumbled to the terrace door. One tug down on the handle opened the door, and she stepped out into the cold night. Two steps more and she grasped the banister. The metal chilled her palms as she curled her fingers about it.

She pulled in several deep breaths, trying to wash away the heat accumulated from her dream. Imagination, she thought. Meeting him tonight was messing with her mind. She was positive the concerned way he’d spoken to her at the party, and his kiss, triggered his appearance in her sleep.

The depth of desire Shay had stirred in her brought the blood to her face and warm tingling throughout her body. She had wanted him in a way she’d never wanted another man. Didn’t think she’d ever want a man. The slow throbbing between her legs brought a moan to her lips. She squeezed her eyes shut, fighting to regain control.

All the other men in her life were either father figures or business associates. There had never been time for any type of relationship. Until now, she hadn’t realized she possessed an ounce of passion. But if her reaction to the dream was any sign, well, she definitely had an overabundance of the emotion.

Several minutes passed before calmness came to her. Her gaze wandered over the building’s facade across the street. She searched for something, anything to distract her thoughts. Her foster mother had often made her count to not only control her temper but also to help her focus. She concentrated on the building in front of her. Following a line of windows, she counted the frames to the bottom floor.

It didn’t help.

She didn’t care for the location of her apartment but her foster parents, Bill and Annie Reynolds, had sold it to her for an excellent price. They were good to her, and she missed seeing their loving faces every day. Both had died instantly in an automobile crash a couple of years ago.

Since counting was useless, she wondered what advice Annie would give her about Shay. Caitlyn smiled, imaging her foster mother’s gentle, caring voice warning her to be careful around strangers. Annie had warned they might take advantage of her. At the memory of her foster parents, Caitlyn relaxed, rested her forearms on the banister and looked up at the sky. No stars tonight. The ever-present haze over Los Angeles prevented the light from shining through.

Yes, she needed to be careful around Evers. She had to keep that in mind during the interview. Determination pulled back her shoulders. She would succeed and move forward with her life. She’d promised Bill and Annie that they didn’t need to worry about her. She intended to fulfill her promise.

Faint music floated on the night air, bringing her gaze to the street corner. There, a man leaned against the lamppost. Dark hair fell around his broad shoulder; his slim build was hidden under a black overcoat. The sight of him shot a tingle through her stomach. Something about him seemed familiar.

Loose-limbed, he moved away from the corner to a sleek black sports car parked at the curb. He strode around the front of the car, opened the door and slipped in. The engine ignited, and the car took off.

Her gaze stayed riveted on the vehicle until it disappeared down the street. She sagged once it sped out of sight.

Rest. She needed rest. Her imagination was running away with her. The man reminded her of Shay with his shape and the way he moved, but that didn’t mean the stranger with the car was the illusionist. Right now, Evers was on board his jet, hours away from here, heading for Wales. There wasn’t any way he was still in Los Angeles, much less outside her apartment. Besides, he didn’t know where she lived.

Determined to unwind before Kramer arrived, she headed inside and grabbed the remote. She glanced at the television and froze.

On the screen, Shay Evers sat behind the wheel of a black sports car. The door opened, and he stepped out wearing a long dark coat. He stared at the camera for a second, then he grinned and winked.

The remote fell from her numb fingers, and she was unable to stop staring at the screen as the edges of the room narrowed under the onslaught of darkness.

Chapter 10

“Don’t play games with her.”

Shay shifted and opened his eyes. He stretched his legs and propped his feet on the seat across from him in an attempt to keep his body relaxed. Damn Rhys. He knew what Shay had been doing, and he had the gall to interrupt. Determined not to let the older man sense his tension, he rolled his head against the seat.

Caitlyn.

Guilt seared him. He glanced at Rhys. The tall blond radiated anger as he continued to speak, pacing back and forth in the plane’s luxurious interior.

“First the tale about the tree, and now you’re seducing her along with frightening her. Do not make the mistake of pushing me too far, my boy. I could cause the thorns to grow inward on you. I don’t believe you would care for that.” His tone sent a chill down Shay’s back. Deadly sincerity edged each word.

“You forget whose help you need,” Shay murmured. Exhausted from the constant pouring of magic into his music and illusions, he didn’t need the added distraction of Rhys’s demands. “Do your worst, it doesn’t matter. You can’t hurt me any more than I already hurt. Just remember, you need me. How else are you going to bring her home?”

Rhys crossed the distance between them in a second, gripped the sides of Shay’s chair and leaned in close. In that second, he realized he’d pushed him too far this time.

The older man spoke through clenched teeth. “My worst? You could not imagine my worst. You stole my daughter. My child. Your sentence is light compared to what I truly wished to enforce, but Myrielle insisted you were repentant for your part in Caitlyn’s kidnapping. I never believed it was true. You may have fooled my wife, but I have no doubt you were aware of your actions.”

“How many times do I have to tell you, I didn’t know what Gwyneth was going to do–”

Rhys cut him off with a foul curse. “
Liar. Enough.
No matter what you say, I will never believe you. I trusted you like a brother, but you betrayed me.”

He straightened, his features cooling into the royal mask he often wore, and took a step backward. “Right now, I have ordered you to perform the simple task of opening Caitlyn’s magic enough to allow her entry into our home dimension. This does not include frightening her, nor does it give you the right to seduce her. You take the chance of closing her heart completely, and we will never reach her. Do you wish that?”

Shay eyed his old friend. The pain still remained in his blue gaze. Rhys would never forgive him, and the agony caused by the loss of such a lasting friendship coursed through Shay. The older man had been the same as a brother to him.

“No. I want to bring her home, even if it means I will spend eternity within the confines of the blackthorn. I have to do this as penance for my conscience.”

“I suggest you open her awareness slowly. The dream was all right until you allowed her to kiss you. I don’t want her falling in love with you. Her heart will be broken once she is delivered from the curse. Also, the game you played afterward was foolish and dangerous. Don’t make that mistake again.”

Shay refused to respond. Caitlyn wasn’t a fool. He had sensed a realistic attitude in her, and this added strength to her disbelief. A little mental anguish on her part would be worthwhile if she was to believe in magic. Her system needed jarring, either through fear or seduction, which emotion it took didn’t matter to him as long as her power was awakened. It was obvious Rhys would never agree to him seducing her, yet the older man didn’t seem to understand there were cracks in the spell surrounding her. He doubted Rhys would change his mind if he told him.

He glanced at his watch. Two weeks. All the time she had left in this and every other world. He had to make headway with her so she could cope once she returned to her home dimension in the Sidhe.

Time. He needed more time, yet there was no more. Unless he found a better way to reveal the magic in her, she would die. The spell the bitch had placed on the newborn had a limit to it. If Caitlyn didn’t return to the Sidhe and solve a riddle by her twenty-fifth birthday, she would fade into oblivion. He refused to allow that to happen. He silently went through a windstorm of melodies and lyrics in an effort to find a surer way to save her.

Shay cut a glance at the blond who now sat at the other end of the plane. Rhys had told him not to allow her to fall in love with him. Perhaps, passion was the key to unlock the magic in her heart. He allowed the conscious level of his mind to speed through his music, while his darker consciousness planned a method of seducing Caitlyn. He just hoped he didn’t fall under the same spell he wove for her.

* * * *

Hammering vibrated in Caitlyn’s head. She forced a crack in her eyelids and stared at the fabric strands in the area rug under her sofa. The pounding increased in volume and someone shouted her name.

Disoriented, groaning, she rose up on one arm and shook her head, trying to clear her mind. Was her foster father building something again?

The noise continued. She glanced at the door. In a second, the present snapped into place. Kramer beat on her door, not Bill Reynolds, her last foster father, but her boss. The clock on the DVD player displayed three thirty. She was late. Legs trembling, she stood and crossed the room to fight with the bolts and lock. Constraints gone, the door opened without a sound.

“You overslept.” Kramer’s frowning face wavered in front of her for a bare second. She blinked to clear her vision and stepped out of the way to let her boss enter.

“Sorry,” she muttered. “I couldn’t sleep earlier. I must have dozed off. Give me a few minutes to get ready.”

“Hurry up. The plane’s ready to leave at four thirty. You don’t want to screw this up by being late. It’s a good thing I told Blake to meet us there. That’ll save some time.” Kramer propelled her away from the door. He shut it before heading into the kitchen, while she climbed to her bedroom loft.

The stairs swam before her eyes. She gripped the handrail and forced her body up, too tired to race to the second floor like usual.

A suitcase lay open on the full size bed in the same spot she’d left it last night. Only a few minor items and she could close the lid. The deep green linen pantsuit she decided last night to wear lay next to the suitcase.

She looked around the room. She fought to weave through the sleep-induced haze in her mind, trying to understand what had happened last night. Her memory after she’d sat down to watch the DVD no longer came to her. The time prior to her waking up remained a void, much like dreamless sleep.

The sight of her dark trench coat draped over the back of a nearby chair stopped her. Memories flooded through her.

Shay Evers.

In an instant, the image of his tall figure dressed in the dark overcoat appeared. He grinned. And the memory of his touch, the kiss–heat rushed to her face.

Had she imagined the man or had it been nothing but a dream? She rubbed her temple with trembling fingers. What was happening to her? Doubts poured through her. Was this interview really a good idea?

“Hurry up, Reiley.” Kramer’s commanding voice held a steely note.

She couldn’t let him down, let the station down. Everyone there needed the financial and emotional boost this interview promised. No one, especially Kramer, would ever understand about a small problem like her unstable sanity.

It was just her imagination. She repeated the word under her breath while she dressed and finished packing. Calmer now, she grabbed the coat and suitcase. She refused to believe the events of the night before. She wouldn’t allow anything to affect her decision to continue with the interview. Head up and jaw clenched, she hurried down the stairs.

“You ready?” Kramer stood on the other side of the counter separating the living area from the kitchen. Steam escaped the cup he cradled in his hand.

“Just about. Pour me one, will you? I have to grab my computer and extra thumb drives.”

Relieved her voice didn’t reveal any signs of the tension occupying her thoughts, Caitlyn set the bag next to the door. She glanced at the television and hesitated. She wasn’t sure if she should take the DVDs with her. They were supposed to help her understand Shay as an illusionist. Most artists allowed their emotions and inner desires to seep through their work, which was why she’d tried to watch one last night. Her throat constricted with unease at the idea of viewing them again.

She needed to watch and listen to them without a repeat of last night. This needed to stop. All of it was her imagination. She steeled her muscles and strode to the player, pressed the button, removed the DVD, and snatched the other two off the player.