Vision of Seduction (32 page)

him, and yet she wanted to get to the bottom of whatever he was hiding

from her. If she might murder someone, who better to take along than a

cop? She nearly laughed.

"I'm perfectly safe, you know." He grabbed his badge off his belt and held it

up. "Detective. Cop. Good guy." He grinned, and she smiled back before

she could stop herself.

"Doesn't driving me around go against department regulations or

something?"

His expression turned sheepish. "Technically. But I am off duty. I was just

checking in on my way home." He cocked his head to one side, which

made him seem more approachable somehow. "So are you in?"

She did laugh this time. "All right. I'd appreciate it," she said before she

could change her mind.

"Great. Have you found anything else missing from your shop?"

Her brow furrowed as her thoughts turned back toward the break-in.

"Nothing from the shop. And I can't say for sure about anything inside

Katelyn's apartment until she returns."

"Let me know."

A friendly yet awkward silence fell between them until they both laughed.

Rita ripped the page with the address from the notepad to give her hands

something to do. "Give me about fifteen minutes to take care of some

things and get one of the cashiers to lock up for me?"

"I'll be waiting in the cafe. I have to feed my caffeine addiction." His deep

purple gaze bore into hers, and her heart did a funny little jump as she

looked back at him.

She dropped her eyes and instantly felt the loss. "We have great gourmet

coffees. Oh, and you might want to let your guys know they can leave.

Though I have to say, having some tall, dark, and hunky men around has

really raised the frequency of our female business."

Damien glanced over his shoulder at the nearest dark hunk, who had four

attractive women all trying to catch his eye.

"Pretty rough duty." He turned back to her. "But I prefer mine right now."

Heat flared into her cheeks and also between her thighs. Aedan never

made her feel like he could eat her for dessert in the middle of a roomful of

people. Maybe there was something to this gut-feeling thing after all.

18

Katelyn pushed to her feet, her knees and palms still stinging from landing

so hard on the tile at the Cunt queen's feet.

She might have been stupid and allowed herself to get into this situation,

but she would face it standing tall. "What the hell do you want from me?"

A quick glance around the room at what looked like a holding cell and

some type of kinky-looking S and M device didn't calm her at all. Neither

did the half dozen mean-looking guards stationed around the room

looking at her like she was their new toy.

Sela tsked as she looked Katelyn up and down. "Such a nice body to waste

on fucking one of those Klatch bastards—even the royal ones. You're curvy

rather than fat like that ungrateful cow I raised. I'm sure you'll soon

appreciate the superiority of the Cunts in that arena."

Cold marched up the back of Katelyn's neck. This was the woman who had

raised Alyssa? She still remembered the look of anger and hatred that had

burned in the queen's eyes when she had spoken of this woman.

Goddess help me….

Was she going to be raped? She bit back her fear and instead let her anger

shine in her eyes. "I have no intention of fucking anyone I don't choose to.

You obviously wanted me for something, because evidently you paid off

the lady's maid to bring me here. So what do you want?"

Sela circled her, and Katelyn turned to keep the woman in her line of sight.

Sela may be the queen here, but to Katelyn she looked like Malibu Barbie—

but with evil glittering in her clear blue eyes.

Psycho Malibu Barbie takes on Freddie Kruger in a cage match. Katelyn couldn't

even muster a smile at her own joke. Although she felt sorry for Freddie in

that match up.

"I only want you to fulfill your purpose, Seer." Sela spread manicured

hands wide, showing off very tasteful but expensive gold rings. "We'll help

you complete your coming-of-age ceremony, and then you and your

business partner will help us perform our own triangle ceremony that will

give us power over our home planet."

"I would rather die than help you take over Tador." Katelyn suppressed a

shudder at these people having rule over the planet that had brought her

so many happy memories.

Sela ran a manicured nail down the side of Katelyn's cheek, and Katelyn

flinched. "You mistakenly think we are asking your opinion. You will help

us one way or another—and then you'll die."

Fear snaked through Katelyn.

She had no idea how to answer that, so she kept silent.

"Besides," Sela continued, "you had your chance to be part of the triangle

on Tador and stay with those weaklings who hold my planet. Obviously,

you ran away of your own free will."

Katelyn scowled because she couldn't dispute this. Damnit! Why hadn't

Grayson been straight with her and explained the triangle earlier?

She acknowledged she would've run fast and far, but who knows? After

she'd had a chance to think it through, she might have chosen to help.

But he hadn't given her the chance.

If Katelyn had it to do over again, she would confront Grayson with

Holly's information and hash it out.

In hindsight, she knew he wouldn't have left Rita on Earth if he'd thought

she was in danger. Katelyn remembered the guards he'd said were

watching Rita and the shop and wanted to smack herself in the head.

If she ever got a hold of Holly, she would rip the little manipulative bitch

limb from limb.

It was ironic, now that she saw the situation clearly and wanted a chance to

fix it. Now she might not ever get to.

Her hair fell into her face, and she brushed it away. "What does Rita have

to do with this?"

"My lovely fiancée has been chosen to be your blood sacrifice." A tall, pale

man she recognized from the attack at her shop stepped into the room.

Katelyn's blood chilled further. Clammy moisture dampened her palms

and her forehead. Blood sacrifice? A quick flash of the crudely painted red

symbols in her vision made her pause.

The symbols were painted in blood….

"I don't believe we've met." The man smiled, revealing even, white teeth.

"I'm Aedan, Rita's fiancé. Though, due to current circumstances, she won't

be alive long enough to plan a wedding."

***

Damien glanced over at the woman in the passenger's seat and couldn't

help but smile. The setting sun shone off her short brown hair and made

her blue eyes shine.

This was one of the easiest favors he had ever done for the Klatch.

He was only half Klatch, but he'd grown up listening to his mother tell

stories about her home. He hoped one day to visit, but there was a definite

bigotry against non-full bloods, even though there were a lot of Klatch half

breeds walking the streets of Earth.

However, Damien's mother had several friends and relatives within the

Klatch Royal Guard, and once he joined the police force, he often did

favors for the guard to help keep the Klatch activities off the human radar,

so to speak. He knew they only told him what was necessary and no more,

but if his mother were alive, this would have made her happy.

"I really appreciate you driving me out here."

"I told you I live out this way anyway." Sort of—as in, the totally opposite

direction. His Klatch favor only entailed keeping an eye on Rita and

making sure no Cunts returned to her shop, but something about this

situation told him there was more, and he couldn't help but dig deeper. He

wasn't sure if it was cop instinct or infatuation with the woman sitting next

to him—or both.

Her brown hair was cut into a short bob that made her look like a pixie.

Large blue eyes almost too big for her face, and Cupid's bow lips,

fascinated him. Damien's cock hardened as he thought about exploring

those enticing lips.

Normally he wouldn't allow himself such thoughts about an engaged

woman, but for some reason he couldn't get this woman out of his mind.

"So how long have you been engaged?"

Her expression darkened, and she sucked her bottom lip inside her mouth

as she glanced down at the diamond ring on her left hand.

"Only a few days." She shook her head. "I was so excited to get engaged,

but now ..." She turned to look out the window as if the passing scenery

held some answers. "It seems like once I said yes, Aedan turned into a

different person. Distant, secretive. I can't explain it, but it's just not right."

She huffed out a breath and rolled her eyes. "Sorry. Didn't mean to unload

on you there."

"No problem. You should always listen to your gut—it's saved my life

more times than I can count." He sped up to make it through a yellow light.

"Cops aren't exactly bartenders, but I like it when I don't have to beat

confessions out of people."

She laughed as he'd hoped. "What about you? Are you married?"

He shook his head. "No. I've had several long-term relationships, but none

of the women want to share me with my job, so the relationships haven't

lasted."

Rita nodded. "I hope you find someone. You're too much of a nice guy to

be alone."

Damien's brow furrowed, and he passed a slow-moving SUV before he

turned to look at her. "How do you know I'm a nice guy?

"Well, all the hotties you stationed at my store respect you, and they've told

me several stories to back that up. Also, not many men would drive an

hour in the opposite direction from where they live to take me out to

Arizona farming country." She grinned. "But I do appreciate it."

He laughed. "Busted."

The "hotties" were actually full-blood Kktch guards, so it meant a lot to him

to hear he had earned their respect. "How did you know?"

"I plied the guards with brownies and coffee when they first arrived, and

they told me about you." She grinned. "I wasn't going to get into a car with

a complete stranger—even if he is good-looking."

Damien winked over at her. "So …you think I'm good-looking. I think

that's a good start."

She laughed. "Where were you a few weeks ago before I got engaged?"

He slowed and turned into the neighborhood the address indicated. "Look

at it this way. Maybe I'm the temptation put before you to test if you made

the right decision or not." He glanced over at her again. "I'd looove to help

you decide."

"I'll just bet you would." She faced forward, but there was a wide grin on

her face.

He stopped at a four-way stop and gazed out over the cotton fields thick

with greenery. It always amazed him that just a short drive out of the city

there were lush farmlands and pastures. The houses this far out tended to

be fewer and farther between, due to the fields or horse property, and

several of the roads weren't paved.

He waved a Toyota 4x4 through the intersection and then turned left,

wincing as the now-dirt road kicked up gravel against the bottom of his

car. "Should be just past these next fields on the right."

A large, yellow, two-story farmhouse stood in a crisply manicured yard,

which seemed totally out of place with the rest of the houses in the area. Six

cars of varying makes sat in the driveway and in the side yard, and

Damien noted some serious surveillance equipment on the roof—cameras,

floodlights, motion sensors, etc.

He slowed as they neared the house, flipped open the phone on his belt,

and hit speed dial for one of the Klatch still guarding the shop.

Rita's brow furrowed, but she remained silent.

Zack picked up on the first ring. "Damien."

"My internal cop alarms are going off like crazy. This farmhouse out in

Litchfield? It looks out of place, with some extremely high-tech

surveillance equipment. I want someone to know where we're at in case

there's a problem."

"I'm sending two men, just to be sure," came the gruff voice on the other

end.

Damien gave Zack the address and hung up as he pulled into the long

cement driveway—another rarity in a neighborhood with gravel

driveways. "You sure you want to go in there?"

Rita must've felt the bad vibes, too, because she shook her head. She stared

up at the house and rubbed her hands up and down her arms as though

cold. "No. This doesn't feel right at all."

Damien put the car in reverse just as a sizzling blue bolt of energy cracked

against the hood.

Sparks flew inside the car as systems shorted, and the car died.

Rita screamed, and Damien reached for his Ruger while hitting REDIAL on

his phone and then dropping it to the floor. At least Zack would know to

hurry.

Blue beams hit from several directions, and the smell of burning wires rose

around them.

The car's window shattered, shards of the safety glass flying. Damien

lunged over Rita to shield her the best he could.

When the worst of the explosion of glass passed, he sat up, bringing his

Ruger into firing position and looking for a target.

Another energy beam snaked out and connected with the barrel of his

weapon. The electricity surged through the firearm and singed his fingers.