by Judith Leger
Determined to ignore the tingles rushing through her, Caitlyn followed the woman to the far side of the store. The clerk pointed out the correct section and left her alone.
After a quick search of Evers’s selections, Caitlyn found three current releases. She hoped they might contain some new information on the illusionist. Satisfied, she made her way around the aisles to the front of the store where a cashier waited.
While checking out, Caitlyn refused to glance at the life-size cutout. The more she tried to ignore it, the more the urge to look increased. Unable to resist, she peered over her shoulder. The grin on his features called to her. She faced the counter again.
“I have a friend who’s crazy about Evers,” she told the cashier with a tilt of her head toward the cardboard figure. “What are you going to do with that? Can I have it to give to my friend?”
The woman lifted her brows. Caitlyn leaned her elbow on the counter, trying her best to act professional while she waited for the girl’s response. After a moment, the clerk smiled and winked. “You want it for a friend? Sure, why not?”
Caitlyn straightened, ignoring the insinuation that she was the one who really wanted the cutout. Unable to stop, she grinned, imagining the shock on Marcy’s face as she carried Evers into her apartment.
The woman went to the back of the store and returned with a plastic-wrapped fold-up. Handing it to Caitlyn, she shrugged and said, “For some reason, the promotions department sent us two of these.”
Caitlyn paid for the videos, trying to keep her excitement under control. On the way out the door, a surge of foolish embarrassment shot through her. She had never done anything like this in her entire life. Not even for a friend. Yet, Marcy would love the life-size picture of Evers. Happy that she’d bring Marcy some joy, she carried the cutout under her arm, holding it tight with one hand.
She couldn’t wait to arrive at Marcy’s apartment and give it to her. Caitlyn hurried through the mall, out into the parking lot. When she reached her car, she unlocked the passenger side door. Setting the cutout of Evers in the front seat, she removed the plastic to study his eyes and face. A gush of heat rushed through her body. He was just too handsome for his own good. The desire flaring within her at the mere sight of his face made her uneasy. She shifted the poster so it would remain sitting upright without getting damaged and pulled around the seatbelt to hold it in place. Once behind the wheel, she headed for Marcy’s.
Caitlyn glanced at her watch. Four-thirty. She had time. As long as the traffic didn’t pile up, she’d reach Marcy’s apartment in a few minutes.
Stopped at a red light, she grinned, ignoring the apprehension flowing to her nerve endings. She’d never been nervous about an upcoming interview, but she had never interviewed someone so famous. She glanced over at the cutout. “You’d better watch out, pretty boy. I plan on uncovering all your secrets. Then I’m going to receive fantastic offers from the major networks. I’ll be on my way to the top.”
At the next light, she continued her one-sided conversation. “I have my life planned out perfectly. There’s no room in it for extra emotions, especially not for famous illusionists, so whatever you’re doing to me, stop it.”
The quiet rumble of her car answered her. She nodded and faced forward, smiling. She took the next right and drove for several minutes, satisfied her little speech had worked on her imagination.
Marcy’s building loomed along the left side of the street. Caitlyn sped up and pulled into the slot next to her friend’s red sports car. An elderly woman, walking toward the parking lot from the apartments, glanced from her to the cardboard picture.
With a grin and a wave at the woman, Caitlyn turned toward the cutout of Evers and froze. The two dimensional lines blurred, then stretched and thickened into a living, breathing man. The air in the car filled with the scent of wildflowers.
She jerked away and pressed back against the door. Staring at the now fully-formed Shay Evers resting his head against the seat, she couldn’t even scream. With relaxed ease, he rolled his head on the headrest to face her. The vein in his neck pulsed with the beat of his heart.
Breathing became impossible, and all she managed was a low croak of protest.
Lyrical words filled the air surrounding her. “Hello, Caitlyn. It’s been a long time.”
“Oh God, I’ve lost it,” she muttered. “You’re not real.” Her right hand gripped the back of her seat while her left hand clutched the steering wheel.
“Am I not?” The alluring Welsh accent permeated her skin, soothing the distressed nerves throughout her body. Lean fingers reached out and brushed her cheek. “Open your heart to me. Let me help you find what you have lost.”
His words, added to the tender, compelling light in his eyes, diminished her shock. A strong but gentle hand cupped her jaw and put just enough pressure to draw her toward him. Unable to resist the temptation, she closed her eyes and allowed the intensity of the moment to sweep her away.
Sharp tapping came from behind her. Caitlyn snapped upright, her gaze bouncing about the interior of her car. The cardboard poster sat in the seat next to her. What had just happened? Her heart pounded, and she couldn’t draw in a deep breath. Glancing over her shoulder, she met the watery eyes of a silver haired woman. Caitlyn didn’t recognize her. The poor woman continued to peer at her through the window, a concerned frown on her aged face.
Heart racing, Caitlyn waved to show she was fine. After the stranger walked away, Caitlyn peeked at the cutout. Still there, only cardboard.
Hands shaking, she clasped them and squeezed, trying to calm her racing pulse. The upcoming meeting with Shay Evers had caused her imagination to overreact. Oh God, if this kept up, she’d be a babbling idiot in front of the illusionist.
She sighed, grabbed her purse and stepped out of her car. Retrieving the cutout, she doubled the layer of plastic over his face, and hurried up the sidewalk leading to Marcy’s apartment. She would not look at the handsome features. Once she finished this assignment, all thoughts of him would disappear. Obviously, this strange new compulsion to touch and do more with the man would vanish after she’d met him in person, and she could live a normal life. Within the next year, she would achieve her dream, and Shay Evers’s shining star would fade from her memory.
* * * *
When Shay opened his eyes, a smile flitted across his lips. He pressed his head against the back of the sofa and turned to the opposite side of the hotel suite toward the terrace doors. He needed the sky to anchor to as old familiar sensations flowed through him. Using his magic to contact and project his physical form to Caitlyn had been so simple, yet the sight and sound of her surprised him. The desire within her gaze had been real. A complication he had not prepared for during his four year search.
A puff of breath escaped his lips in a quiet sigh. He stood. Pacing, he rubbed at his burning eyes. Sleep evaded him during the night, and his days were filled with constant activities, planning and practicing for his performances. Now he had found her, and she wanted him. To make matters worse, he felt the answer to her passion rise inside him.
Rhys would have his head.
Shay’s half-lowered eyelids shielded his gaze from the four men sitting at a round conference table in the hotel suite’s living room. He closed his mind to the human sounds in the room and concentrated on the wind rustling through the trees outside the half-open terrace doors.
Hoping to take his mind off what had happened a few moments ago in Caitlyn’s car, he inhaled. He missed the smell of wild flowers, green grass and the rich earth of the Sidhe. Here, in this place, all he scented was the sterile fragrance from the air conditioning unit and the germ-killing cleanser the maids used. If only he could go home.
Fool. Going home was impossible as long as Caitlyn’s life remained in danger.
He kept his back to the few men who made up his personal entourage. “Everyone, leave. I want to be alone for a while.”
No hint of complaint came from any of them. They
stopped their planning for tonight’s show and bustled out, closing the door behind them.
The room, so cool earlier, turned hot. He needed air. His stride ate the distance between the sofa and the French doors leading to the terrace. He gripped the handles and pulled the portals wide. Cold air, filled with the pungent odors from the human world, coated his body and cleared his head. A few more steps and he grasped the brick balustrade, breathing deep. He ignored the stench of polluted oxygen and raised his face to catch the midday rays of the winter sun.
Caitlyn Reiley. Her name echoed in his mind.
His freedom would cease the moment he brought her home. He would, once more, resume his prison term. He deserved his punishment for the part he had in Caitlyn’s disappearance. He would bring her back for no other reason than to assuage his guilt. Any other option was out of the question. Rhys wanted him punished for how he had assisted in her abduction.
During his search for Caitlyn, freedom had become more than a word to Shay. He valued the ability to move when and where he wished. To return to the Sidhe meant his freedom would end.
Sharp pain sliced through his gut. Imprisonment for twenty years was enough for him, but to Rhys, a thousand was a better punishment for his crime. His sentence would never justify what he had done to Rhys, a friend since childhood.
“Why hasn’t he killed me?” Shay muttered. At least, then his misery would end. Yet, if he died, any hope for Caitlyn would die along with him.
She played the victim in this sordid affair. The fault for her kidnapping lay on the sorceress who’d used him to succeed in her wicked plan. Gwyneth still lived. He knew it. Here, in the human world, she’d made it difficult for anyone from the Sidhe to discover Caitlyn’s location. Somehow, he’d kill the witch and repay the wrong done not only to Caitlyn, but also to Rhys.
Shay gritted his teeth. The skin covering his fingers tightened as they curled into fists. He was her solitary hope for salvation.
Unfamiliar presences brushed against his senses. The hair across the back of his head prickled, and his back tensed. With slow precision, he rotated his head to the right and stared at the potted hibiscus next to the terrace door. Dried leaves stirred in a soft gust of wind. Nestled in its pot on the opposite side of the door, the plant’s twin crackled in response.
He moved closer to the doorway. A slow smile tugged at his mouth. There wasn’t any threat. The dead plants were simply responding to the magic in his blood.
“Rejoice,” he murmured to the dying plants. “Reveal to me your pleasure.”
Seconds slid by. Green leaves sprouted on the hibiscus. Dozens of buds formed and opened in vibrant beauty. The white trumpet flowers curved toward him.
“Rejoice, precious ones, for your princess has been found. Soon she will return and reclaim her crown, and I will be no more,” he whispered into the cold breeze.
The flowers turned their faces to the open balcony doors. Shay stiffened. He raised his gaze to stare into blue eyes.
Leaning against the door jam, Rhys commented, his tone calm and quiet, “You shouldn’t work your magic in the open. A human might see.”
Shay quirked a brow. “I’m an illusionist. Just practicing my art.”
Without answering, Rhys stepped outside and moved to stand beside him. “I don’t care for this cold. It’s out of place here.”
“Gwyneth?”
The blond met Shay’s gaze. “Don’t you think it’s odd you discovered Caitlyn on television in San Francisco yesterday–and today, we arrive in Los Angeles to find her and there’s an unusual, severe cold front to greet us?”
Shay snorted and nodded. “Gwyneth.”
“Of course. She doesn’t want the plants to reveal where she and Caitlyn are located. She can’t control the plants, but she has the capability to destroy their abilities to inform us of the witch’s whereabouts.” Rhys inhaled, his chest expanding with the deep breath. “How can humans live in a world so soiled?”
With a low chuckle, Shay turned, returned to the railing and rested his elbows on the balustrade. “So you prefer the Sidhe?”
A smile fluttered at one corner of Rhys’s mouth. “Don’t you?”
The question sobered Shay. Of course he did, and Rhys knew it. The Sidhe had been his paradise until twenty five years ago. At that time, the place he loved became his prison. Then, four years ago, Rhys had surprised him by giving him a chance to atone for his crime. He had to find Caitlyn and bring her home. During the last four years, Shay had learned to value his freedom with each new day, but he’d also experienced a loss of not being able to travel back and forth to the Sidhe. So now Rhys’s question was double-edged because of his guilt. Shay nodded.
“Are you ready for tonight?” Rhys looked over at him with one pale eyebrow raised.
Shay met his gaze for several moments. “Yes. I have only to gather my magic tighter about me for this work, but otherwise, I’m ready.”
Rhys gusted out a low laugh. “Reminds you of all the times we went to battle, doesn’t it?”
“I suppose. Only then, we had no fear of dying and losing our fellow fighters. There is too much at risk here. I want to make sure all is ready. She has to come willingly or she will be driven insane.”
“True. I will hold you to her safekeeping.”
For a moment, Shay savored those words. His joy at knowing Rhys gave him a measure of trust pleased him. Almost as fast, the past reared its ugly head, and he quirked a brow at the older man. “Trust? Is that what you’re giving me?”
Several seconds ticked off while he waited for Rhys to answer. When he lifted his gaze to meet his, Shay shifted away, the tension becoming a barrier between them. “I gave you my trust for all our lives. You were like a brother to me. Yet in a brief moment, you threw our friendship away because of Gwyneth. I will hold you to your word concerning Caitlyn’s safety. Just know your punishment will be greater if you fail.”
Unable to form words to justify his action, Shay broke eye contact. “I will return her home.”
“Good.”
They stood side-by-side on the balcony. Neither spoke for several more minutes as the quiet of the afternoon surrounded them and eased some of the friction. Rhys released a deep breath and commented. “I sent word to Myrielle. She will be happy to hear her daughter has been found.”
The words, spoken low, belied his own excitement, but Shay sensed it. Guilt reared inside him like one of the wild wolves from years ago that had desired to tear him apart. Without responding, he entered the hotel suite to dress for tonight’s show.
Chapter 5
Arriving at the amphitheater where the show would take place, Caitlyn twitched the gauzy hem on the hip length tunic Marcy had insisted she wear. She tried to figure out what was wrong with the casual burgundy slacks and white sweater she had selected. There was a logical reason why Marcy found her attire inappropriate, but she never thought of her friend as a logical person. Instead, she had allowed Marcy to persuade her into wearing something slinkier, even sexy, for the extravagant magic show and backstage party. The more outfits Marcy had pulled from her closet of stylish clothes, the more skeptical Caitlyn had grown. Once her friend had chosen the right ensemble for her, she had agreed or she’d have hurt Marcy’s feelings.
Deep midnight blue with a flowing flower print, the clingy material of the tunic and pants seemed too soft against her skin. She felt stripped, with nothing between her body and the outside world but the thin gauze. And the shoes were even worse. With each step, the sharp-toed mules with the two-inch heels made her want to hold onto the wall in case she slipped off them.
Caitlyn surveyed the open space of the amphitheater. Row after row of seats brimmed with excited people. Just ahead, Marcy sashayed down one of the side walkways, glancing at the tickets in her hand and then for the corresponding seats. Her skintight red dress accented every curve of her body and the crimson spiked heels added height to the leanness of her model’s build. Thick, waist-length hair piled high on her hea
d with straight strands falling here and there only accentuated Marcy’s classic California looks. Sexy was the only word Caitlyn could think of to describe her beautiful friend.
“Here we go,” Marcy said over her shoulder. “Told you these were great seats.”
Front row. Caitlyn’s heart raced. She’d take this opportunity to study him. Her main goal was to watch his behavior and see the flaws in his performance. Hopefully, after tonight and this interview, her curiosity about the performer would be satisfied.
Marcy eased into her seat with a graceful display of leg and arm. When the bald man next to her friend noticed her and gulped, Caitlyn swallowed the laugh which threatened.
“I’m so glad you came tonight,” Marcy said, sending her a dazzling white smile. “I can’t wait to meet him. Look, chill bumps. I’m so excited. Why didn’t I bring a camera? I’d love to take a picture of you with him. Wouldn’t that be grand?”
“You’re rattling,” Caitlyn remarked, shaking her head over her friend’s enthusiasm.
“Can’t help it.” Marcy glanced past her to the people sitting on the other end of the row before turning her gaze back to Caitlyn, her bright eyes rounding. “Hey, you never did tell me what happened today.”
“With Kramer?”
“Yeah.”
Caitlyn stared at her friend for a moment, trying to decide if she should tell her. Marcy had so many friends in the entertainment world that the temptation for her to tell someone about the assignment could cause problems. The friend part of Caitlyn wanted to shout the news to everyone who would listen, but the journalist in her wanted to keep the information quiet so her report would be a success.
