Finding the Magic (6 page)

The first floor was unlit but the second glowed with soft light from the glass wall fixtures. It was more modern in décor than she had seen on the first floor with wallpaper in a rich cream rather than the wood
paneling
. The lighter
color
softened the red of the carpet. On both sides of the landing, windows looked out of the back of the house along the length of the hall. There were five doors along the opposite wall and another at the end. Mary turned right and stopped at the fourth. “This is yours, it has its own bathroom and you’ll find everything you need in there.” She nodded toward the doors farther along the corridor. “Cameron’s suite is right next to you and the door at the end is his office. I’ll see you at breakfast. Goodnight, dear.”

Jayne watched the housekeeper’s retreating back for a second before opening the bedroom door. She was beginning to have some sympathy for Megan’s experience a few months ago. This was just a little bit surreal. She stepped into the room and her mouth dropped open in surprise.

Wow! Megan would love this.

The
center
of attention was an enormous four-poster bed. It took up most of one wall, its gleaming dark frame draped in what looked like yards of opaque, cream-colored material. The quilt was also cream with little pink flowers embroidered on it and looked as soft and puffy as a cloud. Jayne imagined you could lie down in the middle and never be seen again. The
colors
were echoed on the walls and the lace curtains at windows. The carpet was pale, pale pink and was so soft, her feet sank a good inch into the pile. She pushed the door closed and stood in the
center
of the room, suitcase at her feet, afraid to touch anything before she’d washed her hands.

My god
,
we
’
re not in Kansas anymore
.

She lifted her case onto the top of a chest of drawers and opened it, grabbing her nightshirt and toiletry bag from the top. Unpacking it could definitely wait ‘til morning. The door opposite the foot of the bed led into a bathroom of white and gold. A large glass shower cubicle was fitted into the corner and a bathtub, large enough to fit three people comfortably, took up most of the rest of the space. Scented candles sat around two sides of it, adding a splash of
color
. She started filling the tub and rooted in the bathroom cabinet until she found the promised painkillers. She swallowed two and sat on the toilet seat to strip off her clothes while steam filled the room around her.

Amazing. In the space of one afternoon, she had gone from being a grocery store clerk, who had almost stopped living, to this. Car chases and bad guys, an isolated mansion house and a brooding man. There was no doubt about it, Cameron Murray had brought life screaming back into her life in vivid Technicolor.

Things had begun to change the day she had answered Megan’s call, but who knows how long she would have procrastinated about it if Cam hadn’t shown up on her doorstep. Jayne stood and tested the temperature of the water before turning off the taps. The sudden silence hung in the moist air as she stepped into the tub. She pictured the man downstairs, with his warm, golden skin and the secrets that seemed to hide in his eyes. He was so big. Jayne was tall, so it was unusual to find a man who was so much taller than herself. The kind of man who usually attracted her was also usually slighter in build.
A million years ago
,
when she was still having sex
.

Cameron was anything but slight with his broad shoulders and muscular chest and arms.
I bet he has a six
-
pack
.
She’d never touched a real six-pack before. He was certainly a temptation that any woman would be hard-pressed to resist, let alone one who hadn’t had sex for as long as herself. Judging by the kiss they had shared at the wedding and the incendiary glances he had given her today, that attraction seemed to be returned. However reluctantly. A shiver of anticipation ran through her at the thought, raising goose bumps on her skin. She sank deeper into the warm water and closed her eyes. Cameron Murray had no idea what he was in for.

Hah
.
Yeah
,
right
,
Jayne
.

She grinned and shook her head, it was a nice thought. Cameron Murray was a man, in every sense of the word, and the last time she had tried to seduce anyone, he had definitely been a boy when compared to Cameron. Jayne had a feeling she was playing with fire.

* * * * *

The man punched his code into the keypad and waited for the light to flash green. Heavy steel doors slid open with a hiss and he walked into the hallway beyond. The walls were bright white and the reflection from the fluorescent lights stung his night-adjusted eyes. His boots squeaked on the
gray
vinyl flooring, he winced and shrugged his shoulders uncomfortably. He wished he had been able to change out of the damn uniform before he had answered the summons. He hadn’t dared though. He had delayed his report long enough while he had watched the house in the hope he would be able to salvage the operation. He was no coward, had served and fought for his country with pride. Until his commanding officer had caught wind of his retirement scheme. It’s not like anyone would have missed those guns anyway. Better than leaving them lying to rust where some kid might pick one up and shoot his mate with it. The way he saw it, he was doing a public service. Still, his knees shook as he knocked on the door to the office.

“Come.”

The office was softly lit by a brass lamp on the desk and the vinyl flooring gave way to thick carpeting. A coat stand in one corner held a dark
gray
suit jacket and a white lab coat. The other corner held a single, locked filing cabinet. A slim laptop, closed at the moment, and two security monitors filled a table against the far wall. One screen was flickering through the various surveillance cameras around the building. The other showed a split-screen of the holding facility where several of the inhabitants paced behind the glass walls. Some were human, some were…not.

The man who sat behind the heavy, wooden desk looked up as he entered. He was
fiftyish
and still fit, with broad shoulders and a trim waist and dark hair just beginning to be threaded with silver. His shirt was a pristine white and his tie was precisely knotted. He placed the papers he had been reading on top of the pile in front of him, squaring the edges up neatly with his fingertips. When he spoke, his voice was pleasant, friendly even, but his blue eyes were icy.

“Henry. Explain to me why I am sitting here reading papers instead of in the lab with a new subject.”

“He wasn’t alone, Professor.”

“I see.” He
steepled
his neatly manicured fingers and studied him over them. “And did your surveillance not indicate that he was a largely solitary creature?”

“Yes, sir. However, his routine seems to have changed since Dr. York targeted his friend.”

The professor lowered his hands to the desk where he drummed his fingers on the table. “Then you’re saying the failure of the capture was my fault.”

“No! No, sir!” Cold sweat dampened Henry’s forehead and trickled down his spine. His stomach roiled greasily. “Dr. York’s contributions to the project were invaluable.”

“Very true, though his lack of caution in his hunting methods was lamentable. I hate to waste resources but…he was a necessary sacrifice. I do believe he was quite mad toward the end.”

The fingers on the table stilled and Henry took a shaky breath as he continued his explanation. “Murray had Jayne Davis in the car with him. She helped him escape.”

“Now there’s an interesting twist of fate. Two marked females who are close friends. Coincidence or some kind of biological attraction? It might be interesting to study.” The professor’s eyes narrowed. “Why didn’t you catch them?”

“They made it to Murray House, it has extensive security and we weren’t equipped to take them there.”

“Careless.”

That one word was enough to turn Henry’s knees to water again. The professor’s eyes narrowed. “Has he changed yet?”

“I don’t believe so, sir. We still have him under close surveillance.”

“It’s only a matter of time before he takes her, if he hasn’t already.” He paused. “I hate breaking in a new employee, but I have no use for a head of acquisitions who can’t acquire. One last chance, Henry, make sure you are properly prepared this time. I suggest you and your men move quickly. He’s of less use to me if they bond.”

* * * * *

Cameron groaned as consciousness stole over him. His head pounded in time with his heartbeat and his neck and back ached.
Did someone get the license plate of the truck that ran over me
?
He shifted, trying to find a more comfortable position and nearly fell off the bed. His eyes flew open in surprise and he found himself stretched out on his leather sofa.
What the hell am I doing in the living room
? Memories of the previous night flooded back, from the punch of the needle in his side, to the suffocating effects of the drug as he fought it in a frantic race to reach his estate. He didn’t remember reaching the house, his memories became fuzzy as they approached the access road, then nothing.

Jayne
.
Was she safe
?
No sooner had he thought it, he registered the faint prickle of magic on his skin that signified her presence. Relieved, he closed his eyes again and concentrated his senses on the house around him. He detected her scent mingling with the comforting smells of home and it felt…right. Beneath the ticking of the grandfather clock and the familiar household sounds, he could hear her laughing with Mary in the kitchen at the back of the house.
How did they get to the house
? He knew she couldn’t drive,
could he have driven the final part of the journey and not remembered
?
Unless she had walked. It was a mile of gravel road through a forest, in darkness. He knew enough about her to know that she wouldn’t hesitate if she felt it was the only option. Anger filled him at the thought of her having to put herself at risk like that. Anger at the men who had ambushed them and anger at himself for letting it happen.

Had they used the same ruse with Nick? It was clearly well equipped and practiced. Did Nick have time to be angry at himself for falling for it? The drug they used was powerful and thanks to Jayne’s intervention, he suspected he hadn’t received the full dose. Nick had been alone and outnumbered and that was his fault. Cameron wouldn’t rest until he found the men responsible and made them pay. It was the least he could do for a man who had been like a brother to him.

Wearily, he rolled to his feet and stretched out the kinks the sofa had folded into his long body. He scrubbed a hand over his chin and found that the stubble was fast on the way to becoming a beard. Jayne’s laughter rang out again and he turned toward it, letting her warmth wash over his skin. He should go upstairs and try to put some distance between them but her voice drew him like a siren’s song. He found himself following it until he stood unnoticed in the kitchen doorway surrounded by the energy of the
Ceangal
. The two women were at the sink with their backs toward him, chatting as they washed and dried the delicate china. Their topic of conversation seemed to be movie stars and Cam didn’t know whether to be relieved or irritated that they weren’t talking about him. Or worried that the subject had come and gone and he’d never know what had been said.

Mary had worked for his family for twenty-five of his thirty-three years and had been his only family since he was sixteen. She knew everything about him, it wouldn’t take her long to see the connection between himself and Jayne. She disagreed, intensely, with his decision not to take a mate and would see this as an opportunity to change his mind.

Jayne turned toward him as he stepped into the room and, for endless minutes, he found himself unable to look away. The sound of a throat being cleared jolted him and he scowled and headed for the coffeepot. More shaken than he cared to admit, he kept his back to the women and concentrated on pouring himself some coffee.

Mary broke the silence first, her voice soft with concern. “Are you all right, Cameron, dear? I checked on you in the night and you seemed to be in a more natural sleep so I thought it best to leave you alone.”

He fought the urge to squirm like a teenager in the face of her easy affection in front of Jayne and shrugged. “I’m fine. Just a bit of a headache, that’s all.”

He could feel Jayne’s relief and curiosity and did his best to ignore both as he turned back to face them. Mary took a step toward him but stopped when he glowered at her. He knew she wouldn’t be satisfied until she had poked and prodded at him but he’d be damned if he would let her do it here. He studied his houseguest through narrowed eyes, satisfied that she seemed to be uninjured. She looked well rested. Her hair was pulled back into a high ponytail and her creamy complexion was clear of shadows. He suspected that her lilac sweater and jeans might cover some bruising but she seemed to be unaffected by it.

“How did we get to the house?”

“I drove us.”

A blush crept over her face as he watched and an image flashed through his mind of Jayne sitting between his legs in the front seat of his four-wheel drive. Irritated with his body’s response to the provocative memory, he glared at her.

“I thought you said you
couldnae
drive?”

She frowned at him. “I can’t. I have, however, had some lessons, they were enough to get the car moving and get us here. Mary helped me get you into the house. You should be thanking me, not snarling at me.” She swept out of the room before he could answer and he growled in frustration. Movement caught his eye and he turned see Mary smiling at him. He held up his hand to silence her. “
Dinnae
say a word,
dinnae
even think it. It’s not
goin
’ tae happen.”