by Amber Carew
Randalph shook his head. "No, not me. Damn it, she’s in danger."
Nyte scowled. "Do you expect me to believe she’s not here?"
Randalph flung his arm in a gesture indicating the room around him. "Do you feel her presence in this house?"
Nyte concentrated on Lucinda and couldn’t feel her presence nearby. He focused on the bond between them and, where he should feel the connection to his love, instead he felt an open channel draining to nowhere. The feeling of emptiness, the cold pouring through him, chilled his frantically beating heart.
Wherever she was, she’d been cut off from him completely. No one on Earth had enough power to form such a barrier between two people connected by a Love Bond.
No one on Earth.
Alarm buzzed through him as he realized just how much danger she might be in.
"Randalph, I need your help."
Randalph’s fists clenched tightly at his side. "Why would I even consider helping you?"
"Because you care deeply for Lucinda. I know you will put our differences aside long enough to find her."
Randalph jabbed his finger toward Nyte. "Why do you, the greatest of all wizards, need my help?"
"Because we are not facing an ordinary wizard. The one who has kidnapped Lucinda has power that at least rivals, or even surpasses, my own."
Randalph stared for a long moment, stroking the grey bristle on his jaw, then nodded. "All right. On one condition."
Nyte folded his arms across his chest. "You demand conditions when Lucinda’s safety is at stake?"
"I ask that after this is over, you explain two things to me. One, what happened between you and Clarissa, and...."
"What else?"
"I want to know your secret. Where you came from. And why you are so much more powerful than the rest of us."
Nyte nodded solemnly. It was a secret too long kept. He would enlighten Randalph, as he should have done--would have done if he had not been killed--long ago.
"Agreed."
He swung toward the door. "Now let us go. We must find Lucinda."
* * * *
Lucinda’s head throbbed with a dull ache. Her eyelids fluttered open but she immediately closed them to block out the illumination that started an explosion of pain in her skull, like a shaken can of cola when the tab is snapped off.
She pressed her fingers to her temples and rubbed.
The last thing she remembered was Nyte’s arms around her. The man she had formed a Love Bond with, yet the one she most feared loving because not only was he more powerful than her, and knew it, but he had proven he wouldn’t hesitate to use that power to bend her to his will.
Except that her foggy brain told her he’d promised he wouldn’t do so again.
And he hadn’t forced her to do anything she didn’t want to do.
Like make love to him.
He had wanted to from the first moment he’d met her, or so it seemed to her. And, if she’d let herself admit it, she’d wanted to as well.
He had made his intent clear, but he hadn’t pressured her in any other way. As long as she didn’t count his being incredibly sexy and throwing her whole hormone system into an imbalance every time he came near. In fact, he’d stopped her when she’d thrown herself into his arms and started to carry them both towards paradise.
If only she could accept her feelings for him. Overwhelming feelings. Feelings that could bring her to her knees, or long for Nyte to go to his--to propose.
Super feelings. Faster than her frantically beating heart could race. More powerful than an intense craving for chocolate. Able to leap emotional barriers with a single touch.
A single touch. Oh, how she longed for his touch now. She longed for his arms around her and his lips caressing hers. She longed for his body stretched the length of hers, the two of them locked in an intimate embrace.
Damn, she loved Nyte and there was nothing she could do about it.
Nyte. His name slid through her brain like a strip of thick, black velvet, caressing her with soothing sweetness. Was it so bad to be in love with Nyte? He had promised he would never overpower her again. If she could depend on that promise and believe that he would respect her needs and wants, did it matter that he could overpower her? It all seemed to boil down to trust.
A noise jerked her from the hazy blackness she’d been using as a canvas for her thoughts. Slowly, she opened her eyes. This time her head didn’t protest too much and she allowed the dim light to burn away the fog around the edges of her vision. Someone stood several meters away, his back to her, his long black hair hanging loose to his waist.
Nyte?
Instead of his usual black, he now wore blue jeans and an emerald green, cable-knit sweater. But of course it would be Nyte.
She must have blacked out and he laid her down on this--what was she lying on? She glanced around and realized she was no longer in Nyte’s house by the ocean. Nor was she at her own house. She was lying on a soft, black velvet couch under a fluffy blanket. Grey with black cats around the border.
She stretched, wishing Nyte would come join her under the soft cover.
"Nyte?" She spoke his name softly, with just a hint of seduction.
He turned around and Lucinda’s breath caught in her throat. The man was a complete stranger.
He smiled. The smile of the devil himself. "Afraid not."
Her heart began a staccato beat as she pushed herself to a sitting position. "Who are you?"
He bowed slightly at the waist. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Remlin."
As in gremlin? The way he stared at her with eyes the color of peridot that glittered with a roguish quality--and a knowing gleam that set her insides churning--made her wonder.
Something about those eyes seemed disturbingly familiar. And as for the rest of him... tall. Muscular build. Rugged features. If his eyes had been dark grey instead of intense green, he would have looked disturbingly like Nyte.
"Remlin who?"
He shrugged. "I don’t bother with a last name."
"I see."
She tightened her fingers around the edge of the blanket, trying to cling to her composure. She had to find out more about this Remlin. She had never seen him before, but she could sense a powerful aura of magic around him.
He must be the one who had blocked her and Rand from the past. The one drawing energy from the Oracle.
"I assume you’re a wizard and you brought me here." She glanced around. "Wherever here is."
He grabbed a log from a large, brass bin. "Be careful what assumptions you make."
She angled her eyebrows in a questioning slant. "You didn’t bring me here?"
He tossed the log on the fire and it sparked and flared for a moment. "I didn’t say that."
"You aren’t a wizard?"
He brushed his hands against each other as he strolled away from the fireplace toward a large bookshelf. "I didn’t say that, either."
Great. Just what she needed. A mysterious wizard giving her words of wisdom with no apparent meaning.
She dragged her hand across her forehead. This conversation was making her head ache again. If she had to be kidnapped by some stranger, why couldn’t he simply speak in a straightforward manner so she didn’t have to think so hard.
Kidnap. The word rattled around her brain triggering an uneasiness she wasn’t prepared to cope with right now.
"If you’re a wizard, why haven’t I met you before?"
"You have."
She had never seen this man before in her life, of that she was quite certain. Why, then, couldn’t she convince herself he was lying?
She tipped her head in a questioning tilt. "Where exactly did we meet?"
He crossed his arms and leaned against the bookshelf behind him. "About three years ago, in a rainstorm. You invited me into your home to dry off." He grinned, a devilish twinkle in his eye. "You were really quite friendly, too. I’d never been held in someone’s arms with quite so much enthusiasm before
."
Lucinda felt her cheeks flush warmly.
She folded her arms across her chest. "I think I would have remembered that."
His smile broadened. "I would think so, too."
He turned around and reached for a book on the top shelf and she glared at his back.
No matter what her senses told her, he must be lying, probably to throw her off balance. Unless....
She linked her fingers together and stared at them. There was that time the day after her birthday a couple of years back, she had decided to try a little of the exotic liqueur Rand had given her as a present. She had sat down with a good book and wound up finishing half the bottle without even realizing it. It had been smooth. She’d woken up the next morning sprawled on the couch with Merlin lapping at her face.
Hadn’t it been raining that evening? Could this Remlin have come to the door and she’d....
No. She was certain she would remember inviting a strange man into her house and... and... holding him. Whatever exactly he meant by that.
Wouldn’t she?
The inside of her head felt like a top spinning out of control.
Damn, he was playing games with her.
And she was getting exceedingly tired of this one. She tossed the blanket aside and pushed herself to her feet.
"Look, whoever you are--"
Her knees buckled and she groaned as she crumpled onto the couch. Damn, she couldn’t even stand on her own two feet and now her head throbbed worse than ever.
Remlin turned and strode toward her, his devil-may-care expression fading to one of concern. For her as a person, or for fear of losing a valuable pawn, she wasn’t sure. He planted his large hands on her shoulders and steered her into a reclining position, then tucked the blanket around her.
"Lucinda, stay put. You spent all your strength trying to break free of Nyte’s force field and now you’re drained. You have to rest. Stop trying to gallivant around like you usually do."
Like she usually did? How well did this guy know her? Or think he did?
She didn’t like the fact he knew her name, what she’d been doing, and that she was in a weakened state.
He loomed over her like a giant shadow, staring at her face intently. Making her nervous. Why didn’t he just go away?
"Let me do something about that headache of yours." He opened his hand and a small vial sat on his palm. He offered it to her. "If I give you a potion, will you take it?"
A potion? Was he nuts? She had no idea what it would do to her.
"I didn’t think so." He flicked his hand in a circle and the vial disappeared.
He dragged an ottoman from a nearby chair and sat in front of her. She held herself rigid as he placed his hands on her forehead. A few seconds after the initial contact, however, she found herself relaxing. Warm, soothing energy flowed through her, sweeping her headache away.
He withdrew his hands. "Feel better?"
Reluctantly, she nodded.
"Good. Now just relax and maybe it won’t come back."
Relax? Sure, while she was being held prisoner by some unknown wizard. That wasn’t likely to happen.
He pushed the ottoman back to its original position and stood up.
"You know, you really aren’t in any danger from me. It’s too bad you don’t believe that."
Darned right she didn’t. Anyone who would steal her away and lock her up somewhere couldn’t be trusted.
Like Nyte had?
She pushed that thought aside, knowing she’d have to deal with it later.
She had to find some way to get out of here. She had to come up with some kind of plan. It would help to know where on Earth they were.
She glanced around, hoping to catch a glimpse of the view outside. One of Remlin’s dark, finely cultivated eyebrows arched up.
"Looking for something?"
"I was just wondering where we are."
He sat down in a large armchair by the fire as he gestured behind her. "This is my little winter place."
She turned to see a spectacular view of a flat, snow-covered landscape through a large picture window. Jagged rocks of ice glittered in bright sunshine, and the expanse of white ground and blue sky stretched away to the horizon. She could see no sign of a tree, plant, or any living thing.
Wisps of powdery snow raced across the ground on a sudden puff of wind. Chills coursed through her at the thought of the sub-zero temperature held outside by the thin barrier of glass. She tugged the blanket more firmly around herself.
Well, she sure wouldn’t be attempting to walk home.
"Why have you brought me here?"
He leaned back in his chair and crossed his legs. "Because, Lucinda, you are part of my well-laid plan."
"Plan to do what?"
"Now if I were to tell you that, it would ruin the suspense, wouldn’t it?"
She crossed her arms, her lips compressing in a sullen frown. "I think the entertainment value of suspense is highly overrated."
Chapter 16
Nyte breathed in the fresh spring air as he concentrated, trying to sense some trace of Lucinda. Randalph stood behind him in a small clearing in the woods outside Randalph’s home. The scent of pine and cedar hung heavy in the air, blending with the pungent smell of damp earth and new growing things.
As Nyte extended himself into the ether, reaching as far as he could, trying to grasp any hint of Lucinda’s whereabouts, a deep emptiness pounded through him.
"I can’t feel her presence anywhere." He gripped his hands into tight fists at his sides.
The pain of losing the connection he’d so recently formed with her during their lovemaking--the joining of their psychic energies as well as physical bodies--ached like a hole torn through the center of his heart. The feelings he’d had toward her before the actual bond had formed had been significant, but nothing had prepared him for the intensity of emotions he felt now.
The desperation to protect her from danger. The urgency to find her and feel her energy mingle with his. The longing to hold her securely in the circle of his arms. The frustration at not being able to do any of these things.
He leaned against a large maple tree and allowed its peaceful energy to seep into him. The delicate babble of a nearby brook helped calm his nerves.
A blue jay glided from one of the trees to perch on the edge of a stone well which stood across the clearing. Stone seats circled the wall of the well and a wooden bench stood nearby. It would be a tranquil place to sit and think.
Randalph stepped toward him and his jagged gaze tore across Nyte’s face. "While you had Lucinda locked away, did you... His jaw twitched slightly and he seemed to search for words. "Did you seduce her?"
Irritation sliced through him. "No, I didn’t."
The twist of Randalph’s mouth showed his skepticism. "Really?"
"I made love with her, thus realizing our bond, but I did not seduce her. It was her decision."
Randalph scowled.
"Come now, Randalph. The kiss you shared with Lucinda must have convinced you that Lucinda is meant to be my partner, not yours."
Randalph’s eyebrows arched upwards. "You know about that?"
"Of course, and I don’t appreciate you going after my woman."
"She deserves better than you."
"That may be true, but she’s stuck with me. And I plan to make the best of it." By making her as happy as he could.
Randalph’s fists clenched and he stared at Nyte as though he’d like to throttle him.
"Maybe Lucinda and I are meant to be no more than friends, but we are very close friends." He glared at Nyte. "If you ever hurt her--"
With so many combustible emotions swirling within him, Nyte’s anger flared. "You’ll do what? Kill me again?"
The color drained from Rand’s face and his eyes faded to an almost translucent blue. His reaction doused Nyte’s anger like water thrown on a flame and he instantly regretted the comment.
He held out his hand, palm upward. "
Randalph...."
He didn’t know what words to say, but it didn’t matter. Randalph turned away and started pacing.
"Since you have completed the bond with her, it should be impossible for anyone to block the connection and hide Lucinda from you."
"That’s true with the limited magic you know, but there are greater forces in the universe than you have experienced."
Randalph’s sharp gaze met Nyte’s. "Damn it, why won’t you tell me what and whom we are dealing with here?"
He didn’t have time to explain everything to Randalph, but he had to give him an idea of the force working against them. "You know my power is greater than any other wizard on Earth."
"Yes." Rand nodded absently, the look of melancholy on his face leaving his features drawn and tired-looking. He slumped onto the wide trunk of a fallen oak. "I had thought I, too, would approach your abilities, in time. That you would teach me. But once you were gone...."
Nyte stepped to his side and placed a hand on Randalph’s shoulder, the first real physical contact they had shared in centuries. He wanted to offer assurances, to point out that Randalph had not failed the other wizards of Earth, but until Nyte understood what had driven Randalph to do what he had done, the words would be empty.