Briannas Prophecy (14 page)

Niklas winced.
Ooh, that had to hurt.
Even though he loved a good practical joke, he almost felt bad for letting the thing scare her. Almost.

“Ouch!” Minra screamed. The dog barked, and she screamed again.

He ran into the room and scooped up the dog with a huge smile. “Really, Minra, you have to get a grip on yourself. If you scream every time you see an animal, you are bound to draw too much attention to yourself.”

Minra, her face white as a sheet, sat on the floor glaring at him. “You did that on purpose, didn’t you? You knew that, that
thing
,” she gestured, her arms moving wildly, “was going to scare the
drak
out of me.” She sat on the floor, staring daggers at him, still quivering.

Niklas loved it when he could get the crew to forget who he was and treat him like they would anyone else. Grinning, he patted the dog on the head and left the room whistling.

Minra glared after him. “Why am I the one always stuck with him and his pranks? I’d bet all of the
conque
I have, that the rest of them aren’t up there using the discs like they are supposed to. I bet every one of them is enjoying the vacation they are getting from his pranks.” She fumed. “Now I wonder if he put that cat in here to scare me as well.”

Niklas stuck his head around the corner and grinned. “No, Minra. I didn’t put the cat in here for you to find. I do wonder though, do you recall anything on the discs about something called a snake?”

Minra looked up sharply. “What about them?”

Chapter Eight

Brianna finished her breakfast, walked to the sink, and rinsed off her dishes. She refilled her cup and headed back to the table, prepared to enjoy more of the steaming hot brew. “It’s awfully quiet out there.” She frowned. It was very uncharacteristic of Killer to be quiet while outside.

Hurrying to the backdoor, Brianna stuck her head out and whistled. “Killer, come on, baby,” she called through the open door. When he didn’t come to her, she stepped outside and looked around the yard. He was nowhere to be seen.
Where in the world is he? I’ve looked everywhere.

Finally, when she was ready to give up, Brianna saw a hole in the ground near the edge of the fence. It led into her new neighbor’s backyard. “Oh, no,” she breathed. “Oh, my Goddess, I hope he hasn’t bitten anyone.” Brianna rushed back inside, changed into a pair of jeans and a blouse then rushed out to see exactly what sort of havoc Killer wreaked on her new neighbor’s yard.

Brianna didn’t know what to expect when she knocked on the ornate, intricately carved, mahogany door, but she certainly hadn’t expected a beautiful brunette to answer. She was extremely disappointed. What woman wouldn’t be let down to find out a handsome man like Niklas was already married to someone like this beauty before her? The woman gave Brianna an inquiring look.

“Can I help you?”

Brianna wrung her hands together. “Yes. I seem to have lost my dog. You haven’t seen him by any chance, have you? He got out of my yard by digging a hole under the fence into your backyard.” Brianna danced from one foot to the other, trying not to invade their privacy by peeking around her and into the house.

The woman opened the door wider and stepped aside. “Come in, please, he’s in here. Niklas found him in the back yard and brought him in to meet me. He’s really adorable. What kind of dog is he?”

She had the same accent Niklas did. Brianna wondered where they were from. Hopefully there were more there just like Niklas. Maybe he had a brother.
For that I just might take a trip.
“He’s a Yorkshire Terrier.”

“Oh. I didn’t know.” The woman glided into the living room, her hips gently swaying. It wasn’t any wonder Niklas was with her. She was gorgeous!

Brianna followed and closed the door behind her. The interior of the house was cool, no old broken-down air conditioner here. She wanted to stay here forever. Or at least until
her
air conditioner was repaired. She shook her head when what the woman said, finally sank in. Her Killer, adorable? There was absolutely no way they could be talking about the same dog, Brianna thought, right up until he ran out of the kitchen and bounded around her feet yapping to be picked up.

She was so relieved. She didn’t scold him at all. She picked him up and hugged him to her, cooing to him like a baby. She gave Minra a smile. “Thank you so much for keeping an eye on him for me. I do try to make sure he stays in our yard, but sometimes he just does as he pleases.” She smiled apologetically. “Please thank your husband for me.” Brianna turned to leave.

The woman laughed, “Niklas isn’t my husband. He’s my—”

“Brother,” Niklas interrupted.

She’s his sister? Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Brianna looked up to see him descending the stairs, a smile on his handsome face. She blinked. He was even more devastating in the daylight. He looked surprised, delighted even. He had a look in his eyes which almost made Brianna want to run screaming back to her house and lock her doors. It was almost as if he was a predatory animal on the hunt, and she was…well, lunch.

“How do you do? I am Niklas Voortag. I have just moved to this area.” He held out his hand. The look he gave her was unsettling to say the least. “I do not think we have met. I know I would have remembered your beautiful hair.” His eyes raked over her hungrily. “Yet you seem so familiar to me. Do you have a sister who lives near here, one with long black hair?”

He gave her an inquiring look, raising one brow in a way that made him look so sexy Brianna wanted to either faint or throw herself at his feet pledging eternal sexual servitude. She covered a nervous laugh with a cough as she shuffled from foot to foot. “No, I don’t have a sister. If you’re referring to the other night, that was me.” She blushed. She actually felt the heat of it crawl up her neck to her face. “I was in costume for Halloween. I forgot to remove my makeup before I left my house.”

He smiled, his perfect white teeth nearly blinding. Brianna was nearing a sensory overload.
What in the world is wrong with me? I have never reacted to a man like this in my life!
Whenever she looked at him, she thought of hot nights, sweaty sex, and the decadent feel of satin sheets and …Niklas, against her bare skin. She rubbed her suddenly moist palms on her jeans.

Did he look relieved or was that just her imagination? Maybe the man was just glad he didn’t live next door to a hag with a wart of gigantic proportions. Or maybe, if she was lucky, he was attracted to her.

“Brianna O’Neill, nice to meet you. In the daylight that is.”

She held out her hand and laughed self-consciously.
Minus the wig and hairy wart, with clean teeth…The list could go on.
Brianna’s gaze darted around the room. She tried to look anywhere besides his too handsome face. The last thing she wanted to do was make a fool of herself. The only problem was, she was afraid it was already too late.
What were you thinking? That he’s going to fall at your feet, begging to take you out? Yeah right!

Niklas stepped closer, took her hand in his much larger one.

She reveled in the slide of her skin against his, felt the slight tingling sensation of her energy mingling with his as it traveled up her arm.

He bent slightly at the waist and briefly pressed the warmth of his lips against the back of her hand. “I am pleased to meet you once again, Brianna. Would you do me the honor of accompanying me to lunch?” His eyes, the darkest, most amazing shade of brown, never left hers. It was almost as if he didn’t want to let her out of his sight.

Brianna couldn’t shake the feeling that he wanted to be with her for something other than lunch. Her skin tingled, and goosebumps rose on her flesh. She felt uncomfortable under his constant scrutiny. His formality and his invitation had taken her completely off guard.

“I-well, I don’t know,” she hedged.
What, are you stupid? Say yes!
She raged at herself
. You know you want to. Who wouldn’t? He is the best looking man on the planet. He even had to be imported. Say yes, you idiot!

Brianna looked around for support and realized it wasn’t forthcoming from Minra. She just stood quietly behind her brother and smiled brightly at her. Even Killer liked him, which was strange. Killer hated everybody, or at least he used to.
So now you’re going to complain because Killer likes him? Sheesh! Get a grip, Brianna.

Niklas’s gaze held hers. He had such compelling eyes, the color of dark chocolate. She found herself agreeing before she even knew she was going to. “I…ah. Well, I guess I’d better go home and get ready then,” Brianna said, just before she bolted. She’d always loved chocolate.

Brianna nearly ran back to her house. Cold water or not, she needed a shower. Hurrying through her ablutions, she pondered the whimsical twists of fate that brought people together. In the middle of brushing her teeth, she paused.
Wait a minute, what if it was the spell?
She
had
met him on the twenty-eighth day. Blinking, she stared in the mirror, shocked that she hadn’t thought about that before. Never in her wildest dreams had she ever thought to attract a man like him. She returned to brushing her teeth furiously.

Brianna dropped a shaking hand from her hair. “This is too good to be true. You’re plain, Brianna, why would Niklas, the epitome of tall, dark and handsome be so interested in you?” She looked into the mirror, trying to see what it was he’d seen in her.

Had her spell really worked? Had the faeries
really
helped her cast her spell and she’d
really
met Larin and Morgaine? She smiled. It didn’t matter, did it? “What does matter is that he is a very nice guy.”

He was just so much more…likeable than most good looking men she’d met before. What spoiled most of them was that they
knew
they looked good. Niklas was devastating, but he took it all for granted. Either he didn’t know how handsome he was, or he didn’t care. In fact, it didn’t matter one way or the other. It gave him an endearing quality that he otherwise would not have had.

“Thank you for bringing me here,” Brianna said before they entered the restaurant. She couldn’t believe he’d taken her to one of the best restaurants in town. “Do you know the story behind the decorations?

He shook his head. “I have no idea. I thought it looked like a good place to eat.”

She was only too happy to fill him in on one of her favorite haunts. “The Sand Bar is owned by a retired Navy veteran and boasts most things nautical in its decorations. You’ll see when we get inside.”

He helped her out of his large SUV and escorted her into the restaurant. He waited until she was comfortable in her seat, then sat across from her, his gaze never leaving her face. He didn’t even check the menu, just stared at her in fascination.

“Can I help you?” the waiter asked, looking at them expectantly.

He glanced at the cover of the menu. “I’d like a pepperoni pizza please.”

The waiter tried to hide an impatient look. “We don’t serve pizza here, sir. This is a fine dining establishment,” he said, his nose in the air.

Niklas opened his menu, then looked up at Brianna. “What do you suggest?”

Brianna tilted her head for a moment. “You look like a meat and potatoes man to me. You should probably get the steak and baked potato.” She looked down at her own menu. “And I think I’ll have the fish and chips.” Brianna glanced at Niklas. “It’s the house specialty.”

The waiter brought their salads first. He tripped over a woman’s purse that had fallen off the back of a chair. It was lying on the floor, a trip hazard for the wait staff and anyone else walking near her table. Brianna’s salad landed in her lap.

“I’m so sorry, ma’am!” The waiter was beside himself. “I swear this has never happened to me before.” He dipped a napkin in a glass of water on a table nearby and started to wipe the front of her suit. “Please let me help you clean this up.”

Brianna grabbed the napkin from him as he brushed it across the front of the jacket. He meant well, but he was only making it worse.

“Thank you. Really, it’s fine. It’s an old suit anyway. Don’t worry about it.” She was just about ready to cry. It wasn’t an old suit. It was the first time she’d ever had the occasion to wear it and now it was ruined. She closed her eyes.
Please don’t let anything else go wrong.

“I’ll just go get you another salad.”

“Don’t bother. It’s all right, really.” Brianna smiled weakly. It would just sit in front of her, mocking her, because she’d never be able to eat it anyway. What had ever made her think she could ever have a normal date? She sighed. The only thing left to do was to hope the worst was over and stick it out to the end.

Don’t cry, don’t cry,
Brianna chanted to herself an hour later. Like it or not, the tears were coming. Nothing she could do or say would ever stop the flood waiting on the cusp of her control. She could only hope to hold them at bay until she got home.