McAllister fixed his gaze on Elle. He blinked, once, twice. Then he turned his attention back to Kat. Elle flushed and looked from one to the other as if suddenly confused.
“Um, yes, right…Kassian, this is my friend, Katrina Shephard…oh, I guess I told you that already…Kat this is Kassian McAllister.” Beautiful, eloquent, always in control, Elle was nearly babbling. “Kassian is…oh, right, you know who Kassian is……okay, gotta run…later, gator.” She smacked an air kiss in the vicinity of Kat’s cheek and squeezed her hand in encouragement, or maybe apology?
Kassian raised Elle’s fingertips to his lips, gazing directly into her eyes. “Miss Gates, it has been a pleasure. The book is outstanding. As usual, you’ve done both yourself and McAllister Publishing proud.”
His voice was low and hypnotic, as dark and smooth as warm, melted chocolate. Kat couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but she sensed he was saying far more than the gallant words tumbling off of his tongue indicated. Elle appeared caught in a spell. As he released her hand, Elle mumbled something that might have been thank you but sounded more like “take me” and beat a hasty retreat to the bar at the far side of the room. Thanks a million, pal, Kat thought sourly. You are so going to hear about this. She noticed McAllister’s lips twitch and wondered if he’d caught her thought.
The heat in the room felt suddenly oppressive and Kat found her heart racing far too fast. A flock of butterflies seemed to have taken flight somewhere in the region of her stomach and quickly rose to clog her throat with furiously beating wings, stealing her breath. She instinctively took a step back, but the wall brought her up short. McAllister moved forward at the same time, bringing her nose-to-incredibly-well-muscled-chest with him, and forcing her to tilt her neck back painfully to meet his gaze. Kat’s few awkward and painful forays into the world of men could never have prepared her for Kassian McAllister. She guessed he didn’t spend an awful lot of time languishing behind a desk. He exuded power and a dark, volatile appeal that was impossible to ignore. Kat knew in a single heartbeat that she was out of her element. She sensed darkness in him, not evil, but more a weary resignation. His features appeared cool, controlled, and expressionless, and she recognized so much more simmering below the surface, but she couldn’t quite touch it no matter how hard she tried. She wanted to ignore the width of his shoulders; the thickly bunched biceps moving under his sleeves, and the flat plane of his stomach accentuated by the tight black tee he wore under his jacket, and concentrate on wondering why his mind remained a blank test pattern to her. But she found the total package difficult to ignore and totally mesmerizing. When he quirked a dark brow and his very defined, very masculine lips curled in amusement, she wondered if he had caught that thought, too. The mortification was just enough to penetrate her momentary stupor. For the love of Pete, she needed to get a grip! Appalled to realize she was standing there in a room filled with people, press, and professionals ogling the man like some half-witted groupie, she glanced around nervously. More than one person was fixated on their exchange and McAllister had no way of knowing how completely out of character this behavior was for her.
“Was that really necessary?” She licked her lips and nodded toward Elle who watched from across the room, still looking a bit foggy. Kassian followed her gaze, and then looked back to her, his expression unchanged.
He arched a dark brow. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Oh, please.” Kat rolled her eyes. “If you knew Elle, and believe me, I do, she doesn’t rattle easily…and she doesn’t babble, ever, so I am guessing that little display was your, um, influence?” She arched a delicately winged brow, proud that her voice remained cool and firm, as though she encountered psychics with mind control abilities every day.
He assumed a look of feigned innocence and shrugged slightly. Her gray eyes narrowed suspiciously. He was lying. Why? Lying was careless, and he didn’t have a reputation as a careless man. He must realize that she was nervous. She supposed she should be nervous after her amateurish attempt to read him. She wondered if he was having any success trying to read her as clearly he was capable of it. Still, it didn’t look like he was going to admit to anything. She maintained eye contact and waited impatiently for his response. She suspected there weren’t many people who could stand toe to toe with him and stare him down without flinching. Well, she might be wary, she was definitely curious, but unlike the rest of the women in the room, she wasn’t in awe.
****
Kassian’s attendance tonight was purely selfish. He had arrived at the party fully expecting to be bored; bored was his baseline, occasionally punctuated by rage, regret, and remorse. But he’d been curious to know how Elle Gates had managed to find details about the murders that had managed to elude every Ripper researcher and aficionado to date. Before he could fully engage her and steer the conversation around to it, he felt the light, curious, and totally unexpected push at his mind. And now he found the answer gazing up at him with worried gray eyes; Elle Gates had used a psychic research assistant. Bingo! Oh, this woman was psychic all right, but she also recognized his ability and was trying to block him, and that was even more unexpected. What people said and what they thought were two entirely different things, and he found the latter to be far more useful. He suddenly found his boredom dissipating; this evening might turn out to be much more interesting than he had anticipated.
People falling all over him got really old, really fast. This Katrina Shephard was a decided improvement. Of average height, her head fell a few inches below his chin even in heels. She was slim, but with generous curves and gorgeous legs. Her wide gray eyes were heavily fringed, her lips lush and sexy. Thick, champagne-colored hair swept away from her face and piled in an intricate knot, emphasizing her long graceful neck and classic bone structure. Her attire was simple, yet elegant. Unlike her friend, she apparently didn’t dress to call attention to herself, but it did nothing to disguise her allure. Certain he hadn’t met her before, he couldn’t shake the feeling there was something oddly familiar about her.
“Mr. McAllister,” she continued quietly, “please get out of Elle’s head. Just because you can do something, doesn’t necessarily mean you should.”
“You don’t beat around the bush, do you?” he murmured. “It might surprise you to know that some people find me a little…intimidating. And they generally don’t tell me what I can and can’t do.” He was satisfied to see she had the grace to flush.
“But, you’re right…and I wasn’t intruding on her privacy, only sending her away for a few minutes so that we could talk.” He frowned. Now where the hell had that come from? Since when had he bothered to explain himself? It had been a long time since he cared about what anyone thought.
He grabbed a glass from a passing tray and quirked an enquiring brow. She shook her head, smiling a little to take the bite out of her refusal. He wondered if she was worried about keeping her wits intact without the added distraction of alcohol. It wasn’t a problem he ever needed to consider.
“I’m sorry…I don’t know what you could possibly want to talk to me about that wouldn’t include Elle? After all, it’s her book…oh, fudge, the advance,” she muttered under her breath as though a thought suddenly occurred to her. Kassian touched her mind and had no difficulty discerning exactly what was running through it. She’d requested advance payment on a design project she’d been working on for McAllister Publishing which wasn’t what she’d agreed to in her contract. The young clerk in accounting had not been at all happy about it, but he had a thing for Elle Gates, who had turned on exactly enough charm to get him to agree by making a few vague promises, none of which she intended to keep. It had obviously played on Kat Shephard’s conscience, but Kassian could hardly get worked up about a figure that didn’t even cover his pocket change.
“I’m sorry, Mr. McAllister, the opportunity to go to London with Elle came up so suddenly and I’d had some unexpected expenses at home. I know it’s out of the ordinary, but
I did make arrangements to get all of the work completed before I left…I see now that it might have been presumptuous of me…I take full responsibility; Elle had nothing to do…”
He held up a hand in mock defense. Damn, she was a hyper little thing.
“Whoa! First of all, I have people to handle that sort of thing…so unless you embezzled enormous amounts of company money or attempted to plant a bomb in the ladies’ powder room, I doubt I would hear about it. Secondly, Miss Gates tells me your help was invaluable to her research. I’ve read the book. If it cost McAllister a few dollars to send you along, I would say it was money well spent. If anyone gives you grief, let me know and I’ll take care of it.”
“Let you know and you’ll take care of it?” Kat echoed faintly. “Just out of curiosity, how exactly would I go about that? Letting you know, I mean. To be honest, I’ve done freelance work for McAllister for almost three years and was pretty much convinced you were a figment of someone’s overactive imagination; you know, like unicorns and leprechauns. Accessibility isn’t exactly your middle name.”
Suddenly he smiled, really smiled, causing more than one female heart in the room to stutter and trip. He didn’t genuinely smile very often, at least not in a way that reached his eyes as he knew it did now. He found little reason to do so. He was completely disinterested in the fact that the sight of it was nearly lethal to the fairer sex.
“Touché, Miss Shephard. I guess I should have seen that coming.”
“Well, hello, you’re standing there reading my mind!”
At that, Kassian laughed right out loud, resulting in even more heads swiveling in their direction, further decreasing the chances that their encounter would go unobserved.
“And let’s be clear,” she continued in a low voice tinged with indignation. “My trip did not cost McAllister anything. I completed the work I contracted for. I earned the money. I only asked for it up front so I could confirm my travel plans, which in retrospect, I guess was a little unorthodox.”
“Look, I’ll make a deal with you.” He knew they were attracting more attention than he’d intended, but Kassian found it inordinately refreshing to have a woman up in his face instead of falling at his feet. “You stop trying to get into my head and I’ll stop trying to get into yours and we’ll just agree to have a nice, normal conversation.”
“Why?” She regarded him with narrowed eyes.
“Why? What do you mean, why?” Had she looked in a mirror recently? Why would she think he was any different than the next poor schmuck? Not to mention the telepathy thing and the fact that she’d actually tried to read him; that would have guaranteed his interest even if she looked like Janet Reno. She was obviously uncomfortable with her abilities. He found himself not only moderately entertained, but unwillingly curious.
“I mean, why would you want to have a nice, normal conversation with me? There are plenty of people here tripping all over themselves to get your attention. You don’t even know me. I’m sorry if I’m being rude, but honestly, I was getting ready to leave when you came over. Did you want something?”
His eyes did a quick once-over, missing nothing. Hell, yeah, he wanted something, but he knew instinctively that she wasn’t the anonymous-quickie-in-a-bathroom-stall type. He could have any woman in the room. That wasn’t conceit talking, it was just a fact, a fact about as impressive to him as dry toast. And the only woman in the room he found remotely interesting was wishing she was anywhere but here with him. She wasn’t flirting or making any effort to impress him. He suspected she would be more relieved than disappointed if he walked away right now. It was a completely new experience for him. And given his extensive experience that was saying something. She rubbed her forehead as though she was in pain. He wondered if trying to hold her shields securely while engaging in verbal repartee with him in a crowd was causing her discomfort. Maybe he should tell her to relax? She really wasn’t blocking him very well anyway.
“Why were you leaving? Do you have to be somewhere?”
He surreptitiously glanced at her left hand. Katrina Shephard had piqued more than his physical interest, although she certainly was no slouch in that area. He couldn’t remember the last time a woman had done that. He wasn’t quite ready to relinquish her company to whoever might be waiting for her at home. After all, they were simply conversing in a public place; it should be harmless enough.
“No,” she replied levelly, “and please don’t take it personally, I don’t really care for crowds. I only came for Elle’s sake, and only planned to stay for a short time.”
Kat rubbed her forehead again. He hadn’t intended to make her uncomfortable; well, not physically at any rate. He was about to withdraw when he hesitated. Her mind suddenly descended into turmoil, her thoughts becoming increasingly scattered and disjointed. He realized it was more than trading banter with him, more than the crowd. Something was wrong.
****
Kat’s unease increased in waves. Her eyes darted nervously around the room for the source of her discomfort, momentarily forgetting Kassian McAllister’s presence completely. Everyone else in the room appeared oblivious to the threat; they were busy enjoying themselves, drinking, talking, and laughing. No one else seemed to notice how the air had thickened. A cold draft seemed to snake along the floor and creep around her limbs, bringing with it the unmistakable taint of evil. She felt sweat beading on her forehead and trickling down the valley between her breasts. Her stomach tightened in revulsion and her whole body suddenly seemed to rebel. The air around her felt heavy, suffocating, and her breath came in short, labored gasps. Her eyes widened in fear and she blindly grasped at McAllister’s lapel, barely aware she had done so. Kat felt herself drowning in the overwhelming presence of a dark malevolence unlike anything she could ever have imagined. It crawled over her skin and crept through her body like a living thing. Her walls crumbled against the intensity of the assault and terror invaded her thoughts, mocking and insistent.
She felt McAllister’s arms close around her as her mind spiraled out of control and her knees started to buckle. She was so cold and physically felt the color leave her face in a rush. She sensed McAllister probing deeper into her mind, trying to make sense of her sudden fear and horror. Her lips moved soundlessly as she tried to explain. Suddenly his eyes opened wide and he stared at her; right before her eyes rolled back and she doubled over, one hand clutching at her throat and the other wrapped around her middle with a silent scream of agony. His face was the last thing she saw; darkness overcame her as her mind succumbed to a sharp command which sent her into a deep sleep.
****
Kassian hooked an arm beneath her knees and swept her up, cradling her face against his broad chest. His driver lingered near the exit and he nodded once to indicate that he should bring the car. Elle elbowed a frantic path across the room to Kat’s side.
“What did you do?” she demanded. Elle’s lips trembled and her eyes were wide with alarm. Kassian sighed. He tried to be offended that she thought it was his fault. He really was used to a great deal more deference than he had gotten tonight from either of these women. “What is it? What happened?”
Kassian leaned in close so he wouldn’t be overheard. “She’s an empath, isn’t she?”
“How did you….”she began, then bit her lip at his expression and nodded quickly. “Yes, among other things. It’s why she has such a difficult time in crowds. This is my fault, she didn’t want to come tonight…she did it for me.” He didn’t have time to deal with her self-recrimination at the moment. He nodded shortly and began to move toward the door.
“Wait…where are you going? Are you taking her to the hospital? Shouldn’t we call 911?”
“I’ve got this,” he replied quietly. “She’ll be okay…I think she picked up on something she shouldn’t have. Trust me.”
Elle looked as if she wanted to say more, much more. Something in his eyes must have convinced her that he was sincere. Before the crowd around them became impassable, Elle
quickly dug through her sequined clutch and stuffed her card in his pocket. She pulled the lapel of Kassian’s jacket forward to shield Kat’s pale face from the photographers who were already sighting down their lenses in her direction and coming in for the kill.
“Promise you’ll have her call me?”
“I promise…now, can you handle things here? Say whatever you’re comfortable with that makes sense and won’t cause her any embarrassment. Convince everyone this is not a big deal. Can you handle it?”
“Yes, yes, of course…” she replied in a shaky voice. Her eyes never left Katrina who remained still and pale. Elle was obviously distraught, and Kassian hoped his cool composure would provide her with some degree of reassurance. There would be fewer questions that way. She pushed ahead of him, clearing a path through the crowd to the rear exit.
“Did Miss Shephard come with you tonight?” Kassian asked.
“What? Oh, no, I took a cab… Kat drove in from her place, why?”
“She did? Why?” Friday night city traffic was hell, and parking was worse. No one in their right mind drove in it if they didn’t have to.
“Kat doesn’t live in the city, she was crashing at my place tonight,” Elle replied moving closer to McAllister, further thwarting the more rabid photographers from getting a shot.
“I’d like you to wait for my driver …I’ll send Jerry back to take you home.” She opened her mouth as though she would protest, but he cut her off with a tight smile. “I insist. I’m afraid I’ll have to ask you to trust me again.”
Undiscovered Angel Page 2
