Vision of Seduction (31 page)

How are we going to get through without them seeing us?"

The maid continued forward but answered over her shoulder. "This portal

isn't in common use. In fact, there are only a few people who know about

it." She held a branch back to let Katelyn pass. "They rerouted parts of the

maze when my parents were young—it's done every sixty years or so to

keep it fresh and interesting. This portal was inside one of the new walls of

the maze, but my father kept the path trimmed and used it like a private

doorway to Earth."

For some reason Katelyn hadn't imagined the mousy little maid with

parents and a family. Ridiculous, she knew, but the woman had seemed to

blend into the background until tonight. What other things had she missed

because she hadn't bothered to pay attention?

Grayson….Her mind had to add.

Damnit! Why hadn't she asked more questions? She was a reasonably

smart and savvy woman, but she had walked into this situation blindly

and gotten comfortable. And, worse than that, she'd grown to care for him.

She abruptly closed off that train of thought as her throat tightened. Rita

was in danger, and that's what she needed to concentrate on right now.

Aedan had to have targeted Rita just to stay close to the needed Seer. "I'll

emasculate the bastard if he hurts her," she mumbled under her breath.

Wasn't there anyone besides Rita who didn't want Katelyn only because

she'd been born with this gift that had been both a blessing and a curse all

her life?

Katelyn took a deep breath and willed her mind back to the issue at hand.

"How will we find Rita? Can you control where the portal opens on Earth?"

"Only to a point, Seer. They are at specific points here on Tador, but they

can be opened to most places on Earth as long as we don't let the humans

see. Unfortunately, coming back from Earth isn't as easy." Holly stopped at

a dead end in the hedge and drew a circle in the air with her open palm. A

shimmery circle formed and then grew until it was an oval large enough

for them to step through. "Brace yourself, Seer. The between is

uncomfortable even to those who have been through many times. Keep

moving, no matter what. It sucks at your energy, and if you stop, you will

die."

"Terrific." Katelyn wondered what she had gotten herself into. But

thoughts of saving Rita pushed her forward after Holly.

A bone-deep cold closed around Katelyn, stealing her breath. The taste of

dank mold sat heavy on the back of her tongue as she pushed forward

through the still air. With each step, her energy leached out into the void,

and a quiver of panic started deep in her gut and slowly traveled up her

throat.

Katelyn clamped her lips together, refusing to give in to the impulse to

scream. That would waste energy, and she wanted to ensure she had

plenty of reserves to get out of this awful place. Obviously, the Klatch used

this mode of travel quite often, and they'd grown used to it. Even though

she was a mere human and not a Klatch witch, she was determined to

make it through without incident.

She trudged after the maid, forcing one foot in front of the other for what

seemed like hours. Small spots began to dance in front of her eyes, and she

felt light-headed.

Holly stopped and waved her open palm in a circle, again forming the

shimmery oval that grew until it was large enough for them to walk

through.

Katelyn wasted no more time and nearly dove through the portal, landing

on her hands and knees against hard ceramic tile just behind the maid. She

sucked in lungfuls of air as warmth slowly returned to her limbs.

"Please forgive me, my lady." Holly's voice was filled with genuine regret.

"I did what I thought best for my home world." Holly backed away and

disappeared inside the portal.

Katelyn's head snapped up, and only then did she notice she was

surrounded by nearly a dozen pale blond men and one woman. Icy fingers

danced down her spine.

"Welcome, Seer." The woman's voice slid over Katelyn like an oily caress—

all condescension and sex. "My name is Sela, Queen of the Cunts. Welcome

to my home."

***

"She's vanished along with her lady's maid, my lord."

Grayson's gut clenched as the guard told him what he had suspected for

the past several hours. Grayson cursed and paced away, looking for

something to throw or break. "Have you rechecked all the portals?"

"Yes, my lord." The guard's weathered face looked as grim as Grayson felt.

"All the portals are guarded, and no one was seen entering or leaving who

wasn't known to the guards."

Grayson fisted his hands at his sides as fear wormed its way through him.

Somehow, he knew his Seer had gotten herself into trouble. He only

wished he knew where she was so he could bring her back safely.

Shouting sounded beyond the doors to the throne room, and then the

heavy doors banged open to reveal four guards dragging Valen and Holly

forward. Sasha, Queen Alyssandra's lady's maid, brought up the rear.

Valen's chin was held at a proud angle, while Holly refused to meet

anyone's gaze.

The king and queen chose that moment to rush into the throne room

through the side door, probably having heard the noise. "What's

happened?" they asked together.

"I'm about to find out." Grayson strode forward and towered over Holly,

which made the young maid cower. "What have you done with Katelyn?"

His voice boomed through the room, and she winced.

The woman squeaked and then stared up at him, wide-eyed, her mouth

opening and closing, but no sound emerging.

"She did what any loyal Klatch would do," Valen offered in a quiet voice.

A few steps took Grayson inside Valen's personal space, but the smaller

man didn't back down. "And just what, in your warped opinion, would

that be, Valen?"

"What I warned the queen we would do. Stop the triangle. And we have."

"My lord," one of the guards spoke up. "We noticed Valen sneaking around

the grounds, and we followed him to a path that has been cut into one of

the maze hedges. There's an old portal hidden there. Apparently, Holly

told the Seer about the triangle and the fact that her friend is engaged to the

Cunt, which made her run. Sela has the Seer."

Grayson's gut churned, and he turned to see Stone and Alyssandra looking

pale and grave.

"We'll gather some guards and get her out of there," Stone said

immediately.

"We don't know where they're holding her," Grayson reminded the King.

He thought about dragging Holly back with them, but concentration was

needed to set a portal destination, and she could very well lead them into a

trap, or worse yet—a portal with no exit.

Alyssandra stepped forward to lay a comforting hand on Grayson's arm.

"From reports, we know Sela no longer uses the house I grew up in, but I

know of several other places they could've gone. Don't forget, I lived with

her for the past two decades."

"It's too dangerous," Grayson said, only to be interrupted by Stone, who

said, "Absolutely not."

The queen rounded on both of them, her anger causing her hair to float and

spark around her like a living thing as the energy in the room increased

until it was hard to breathe. "We don't have much time to waste. I'm going,

and that's final. Gather your guards or stay behind."

She whirled toward Valen and Holly and stalked forward with murder in

her eyes. "You will be tried as a terrorist and put to death, just as I

promised, Valen. Make no mistake."

"No!" Holly struggled against the guards. "Let Valen live. I told the Seer

everything, and I delivered her to the Cunts."

Alyssa glowered at Holly. "Believe me, I understand the things a woman

will do for love. But betraying your people and endangering the well being

of us all is way over the line." She leaned forward until she was nose to

nose with the little woman. "Don't worry, Holly, you'll be tried and put to

death together." Without taking her eyes off Holly, she said to the guards,

"Lock them up separately. I don't know if this place even has a dungeon,

but if we don't, we need one."

"Alyssandra." The king's voice was low with warning, and Grayson took a

step back. He didn't blame Stone for being protective—he would've done

the same. But this wasn't his woman—and besides, she was a damned

powerful witch who could knock him on his ass, pregnant or no.

She turned, her eyes still blazing fire. "This planet is my responsibility,

Stone, and I'm the only one who knows enough about the Cunt property

holdings to give us a starting place to look."

Stone's jaw clenched, and he threw a glance at Valen that promised pain

and agony if anything happened to his wife. In the end, Stone nodded.

"Once we find where they are holding her, you stay back and let the guards

do their jobs."

Rather than answering, Alyssandra raised one eyebrow and walked out

through the open throne-room doors.

"Witch," whispered Stone, the affection and grudging respect obvious in

that one word.

***

"You were supposed to pick me up, Aedan." Rita gripped her cell phone so

hard she was surprised it didn't crack in her hand.

"It can't be helped, darling." His voice sounded normal, but Rita got the

distinct impression he was lying through his teeth. "Why don't you just

grab a cab and meet me at the following address." He rattled off an address

that would take her at least an hour cab ride to get to—after she called one.

Phoenix wasn't like New York or Boston. There wasn't a cab sitting on

every corner waiting to take you where you wanted to go. Things were so

spread out in Phoenix, everyone needed their own car—or a reliable fiance

who remembered he told you he would pick you up!

Rita rummaged for a pad of paper and a pencil in the cubby behind the

display case and scribbled down the address. "You still haven't told me

why we are going way out there. There's nothing but farmland and private

homes out that far."

"You'll have to trust me, love."

Was that a woman she heard in the background? Her gut twisted, and she

had a sudden irrational desire to run home and lock the door.

What the hell?

"I promise you, Rita, it will be worth it."

Click.

Rita's eyes widened as she realized he had hung up on her. She flung her

cell phone on the counter with a curse, glad she hadn't broken the thick

glass of the display case.

One of the three dark-haired male hunks Detective Damien had left to

watch her—if he even was a detective—glanced over at her, and she

ground her teeth.

She had called the Phoenix police department to check on Damien and had

received reassurances that he was legitimate, but something still didn't feel

right.

Did everyone in her life right now think she was an idiot, or was she truly

losing her mind? Her patience had run out.

She closed her eyes and sighed. "Damn, I'm turning into Katelyn, trusting

gut feelings rather than logic."

"Using a balance of both has always served me best," said a deep voice.

Rita started, and her eyes flew open to see Detective Damien standing in

front of her. His long hair had been pulled back and fastened at the back of

his neck, and his strange purple eyes held amusement.

"You scared the crap out of me!" she said.

He didn't smile, but there was definite amusement in his eyes. "My

apologies. That was not my intention." He gave a sharp nod, which once

again reminded her of something out of regency England rather than

modern day. "Are you all right? I think your cell phone is repentant for

whatever it has done." He picked up the phone, tracing one long finger

across the crack that had blossomed in the faceplate.

His calm, slightly amused voice irritated her somehow. "I'm just frustrated

with all the people lately I know aren't telling me the entire truth." She

fixed him with an intense glare. "But who'd expect me to accept what they

tell me without question."

Now he did smile, just a slight curving of the lips that made his handsome

face devastating and nearly stole her breath. "I'm sure you can't be referring

to me, because you already checked my credentials." He raised his

eyebrows in question and then shook his head. "I see." His amusement only

seemed to increase. "You do need to keep in mind that detectives are

secretive by nature."

Rita crossed her arms, enjoying the banter despite her anger and

suspicions. "Uh-huh. I think there's more to it than that, but I have other

men to worry about right now who confuse me much more than you do."

"I couldn't help but overhear. It sounds like he's left you without a ride."

He rubbed his fingers over his chin, where the faintest shadow of dark

stubble had begun to appear, and glanced at the pad of paper on which

she'd scribbled the address Aedan had given her. "I would be more than

happy to give you a ride. I live out that way."

Rita was surprised to find she wanted to accept, though she wasn't so sure

she wanted to see Aedan tonight. Her gut roiled at the thought of meeting