Enchanted (13 page)

Grasping the skirt, she hurried forward, determined to find him. There, straight ahead, a beacon shone bright. She laughed out loud, eager to see him. Ripples in the void circled her feet and flowed from her with each running step.

She blinked. In a second, she stood motionless in front of a tree. Tall and slender, the black bark glistened in the starlight. White flowers, their petals thick and waxy, covered the branches and limbs. She frowned, disappointed Shay wasn’t there. She looked around but still she couldn’t see him.

“Caitlyn.”

His deep voice came from the tree. She leaned nearer, raising a hand to touch him, but when he continued, hesitated, “Do you trust me?”

A smile quivered at the corners of her mouth. “This is my dream. You should ask if you trust me.”

“Do you believe in me?”

She raised her chin and stared at the tree, her smile widening. “I do in this place. Come to me. I want you here with me. Come now.”

The tree blurred, mingling black with white. Shay stepped forward. Caitlyn tilted her head back and laughed.

He traced one finger across her collar bone. She released a shaky gasp, and gazed at him through half-lowered lids. “This is my dream.”

Unable to resist, she caressed his cheeks, sliding her fingers through his silky hair and pulling him closer. She grazed his lips with hers. Inhaling his clean scent, she sealed their mouths, dipping into his with her tongue, savoring the cinnamon flavor she found there.

Gentle hands glided past her shoulders, down her back, and tugged her hips snug against his. She moaned, heat pooling between her thighs.

Slanting her head, he held her still for a moment, breaking away to mutter against her lips, “This is your dream. Do you wish it to continue?”

“Yes,” she murmured, groaning softly.

“Open your heart, and find what you lost. The magic is yours. I know you will find it. Open your heart,” he said. He covered her mouth and delved deep while his hands spread wide over her hips, holding her firm against the solid ridge pressed to her belly.

“I don’t know how to,” she cried as she twisted her face away and gasped for breath. The warmth increased, adding to the throbbing need in her lower region.

He kissed and sucked in slow spirals over her jaw and down her neck. “You must believe...believe...believe...”

Caitlyn jerked. She sat up and stared wildly around her. The beautiful guest room swayed, then came into blurred focus. Hands trembling, she swiped her brow, trying to calm her reaction to the dream. The fire in her veins continued for several moments. She waited for her blood to cool and wondered why she’d dreamed of Shay. She wasn’t interested in him. The interview was the important factor in her life. Once her assignment ended, she would never see him again.

Another dream, that’s all it’d been. Even as she thought that, in the same motion she’d made in the dream, she slid her legs over the side of the bed. She picked up her glasses from the bedside table. After she slipped them on, she stumbled to the other door in the room. The bathroom shone with startling brightness, and she inhaled the fresh floral fragrance from the air freshener the servants had used after they’d cleaned. With a twist of her wrist, cold water gushed from the faucet. Two handfuls helped bring her from the heated daze.

Too tired. That’s the only reason behind the dream. She’d pushed her body and mind too far the last couple of days. When her mental and physical exhaustion disappeared, the dreams would vanish.

The phone on the bedside table buzzed twice. She hurried over and grabbed the receiver. “Hello.”

A masculine voice came from the other end. “Ms. Reiley, would you care for supper in your room or do you wish to dine downstairs this evening?”

“What time is it?”

“Five thirty, miss.”

She didn’t care to see the object of her weird dreams just yet. She needed time to come to terms with them. “I’ll dine here this evening.

“Very well, miss. A tray will be brought up shortly,” the strange man answered.

A dial tone sounded over the line. Caitlyn set the phone on the hook and faced the room. The drapes were closed. Her bags were stacked against the entrance.

Someone had entered her room while she slept. She hoped it was the servants.
Please, tell me it wasn’t Shay.
The idea of having to face him brought heat to her cheeks. The dream reappeared in her mind. No one knew about what had happened, and no one would ever find out.

Chapter 13

Shay reclined, pressing his back against an ancient oak. His eyes remained closed while he savored the memory of Caitlyn’s kiss. She thought she’d dreamed. Good, he wanted her to believe that until their last day in this dimension.

Evening shadows widened and spread over the forest. He winced at the idea of returning to the castle. Dread filled him. The dangerous game he played to awaken her magic threatened to backfire on him. He must stay focused. When he’d met her in the void, the rampant desire rushing through his veins made him forget his purpose.

So sweet, so tender, her taste lingered in his mind. He shook his head. He must not allow this to affect him. Making love and charming women had, over his lifetime, been an unattached frivolous activity for him. A means to release sexual tension. Yet, with her, he hungered for more. So much more.

He groaned, pushed down with one hand on the damp moss-coated soil and stood. At least Rhys had not bothered him. He hoped the older man had no idea what had occurred moments earlier.

Shay stretched, relieving some of the tension from the knotted muscles between his shoulder blades. After two slaps against the seat of his jeans, he meandered through the darkening woods. The castle loomed ahead, its turrets and towers reminding him of a place in Los Angeles. The amusement park with its faery tale castle. He chuckled. If the humans only knew. The power behind Tylwyth Teg magic was greater than they realized. Much stronger than a child’s story.

The words and notes from the music he performed in this dimension did not come from him but from the suggestions he sent to the songwriters who worked for him. Performing his true music made him capable of mighty destruction as well as great healing, depending on how he chose to use it.

He halted at the forest’s edge. Standing with his feet apart and hands stuffed in his pockets, he surveyed the landscape. The gardens stretched out before him. The peaceful evening enfolded him in its embrace. A lazy tranquility took control of his body and mind for a few moments. Dusk gathered and the plants darkened. A slight wind whirled past him, bringing with it a pungent smell. Shay froze as he scanned the gloom behind him.

Wolves. Their strong scent worried him. Magic brought them here. Local beasts were long gone, yet he well-recalled the wet, musky odor. A thousand years before, several had attacked him. But for Rhys, they would have torn him apart. To this day, he still remembered the rank, sour aroma of wild wolf.

Twigs snapped nearby on his right. Easing from the tree, he leapt back into the forest. Fear no longer controlled him where the wolves were concerned. He had nothing to fear. His life would mean absolutely zero after he helped Caitlyn. He couldn’t die before though. Rhys and Myrielle would never find a way to help her. Caitlyn, whether she knew or not, needed his help to return home. Reaching up, he grasped a branch and swung onto a low limb. He squatted among the leaves, waiting.

Bushes rustled. A burst of movement erupted from a thicket to his right. Four rangy wolves loped forward. They stopped at the edge of the woods and sniffed at the spot where he had stood only moments before. He waited for them to find him.

Their yellow gazes whipped up and met his. With vicious snarls and fangs flashing, the wolves sprang against the side of the tree. He grinned and released a shrill, sharp whistle. There was still too much daylight out. He didn’t want to chance a human witnessing his power. There were other ways of dealing with this problem.

Deep, low howls poured from the back of the castle. Gray streaks flashed across the garden. Three wolfhounds’ long legs ate the distance between the building and the forest. Unerringly, they bounded forward. The wolves, driven by instinct, fled with their tails tucked.

Shay laughed. Soon, Gwyneth would stop sending her minions. He wanted her to come in person. The desire to crush her throat between his hands burned in him. She must be worried, to try to kill him so soon.

He jumped down and called the hounds to him. Rubbing their necks and sides, he spoke low, praising them for their worthiness. “Come, boys. Time to go home.”

Turning, he stepped from the black shadow of the forest onto the cool grass. He strode forward, the hounds prancing at his side. Without realizing, his glanced at Caitlin’s windows. She stood there, staring at him, her hair trailing over her shoulder. He halted, returning her stare. So beautiful, so sweet, so not for him. Raising a hand he saluted her, and continued to the back entrance. He needed a stiff bracer of brandy.

Chapter 14

After a dreamless night, Caitlyn rose early. She dressed and hurried down the back staircase. A short hallway led to a swinging door. She gave the wood a gentle push, and the door swung open into the room beyond.

The kitchen, wide and spacious, appeared on the other side. A long rectangular table sat in the center. To her surprise, Shay sat at the far end, facing her.

He held a filled spoon midway to his mouth. One brow cocked at her, then he grinned before he popped the rounded end of the spoon between his lips. Images from her previous dream raced through her mind of what those lips did to her. Heat flared in her face.

She wished the real man wasn’t more attractive than the one in her dream. The white cotton shirt clung to his wide shoulders. His hair curled in wild abandon about his head. As he looked at her, his amethyst eyes deepened in hue. She tried to steady her accelerated breathing.

With slow steps, she moved to his right side and sat. “Good morning,” she murmured, embarrassed by her memories.

“It’s a beautiful one.” He took another bite, chewed and swallowed. “We’ll get started as soon as you eat. What would you like?”

She shrugged. “Toast and juice?”

Right now, she didn’t care what she ate. Excitement started to overshadow her self-consciousness.

“That’s all?” The dark brow arched up again. “No wonder you’re so thin. Maybe, while you’re here I can fatten you up.” He grinned and winked. He called over his shoulder for Fred. The man who’d taken her and Blake through the house appeared at another open doorway.

“Ms. Reiley wishes toast and juice,” Shay informed him.

Fred nodded, went to the stove and lifted a covered platter. He placed it on the table. When he removed the cover, she saw a full breakfast of eggs, bacon, and toast on a plate. He took the plate and set it in front of her.

Shay spoke between bites. “Eat, Caitlyn. You need your strength for this interview.”

She eyed the plate before glancing at his bowl. Curious, she studied the thick mixture. “What’s that?” she asked, nodding toward it.

“Custard.”

So, Shay had a sweet tooth. This surprised her. He was lean and appeared in the best of shape. She tore a corner off a slice of toast and ate it. Fred set a glass of orange juice by her plate. She glanced up at him and smiled. The older man bowed his head and ambled out the door.

“Do you have a sweet tooth?” She dipped a fork into the fluffy eggs and tasted them. Delicious.

He chuckled. “A tiny bit of one. Of course, I consider this dessert. I’ve already had the full works. Even managed to stuff some sweet oats down. Grazelda cooks the best sweet oats in the world.”

She smiled and tucked into her meal. After the first taste, she realized she was hungrier than she’d thought. She ate fast, and when she finished, Grazelda bustled in and shooed them out so she could clean the dishes.

Shay led her to the back sitting room where she’d first seen him yesterday. He produced a tablet and pen from a cabinet and handed them to her. Seated across from him on the sofa, she opened it to the first page.

“What part of Wales are you from?” Caitlyn glanced down at the blank sheet, pen poised, waiting for him to answer.

“Here and there.”

“No, I mean where were you born?” She released a low laugh, angling a glance at him over the rim of her glasses.

“To the east.” He grinned at her and winked.

“East Wales?”

“No. Further.” He shook his head.

“You weren’t born in Wales?” She frowned, wondering about his short abrupt answers.

“No.”

“Then where in the east? England, Russia?”

“No. Further.”

Her temper, never a tolerant aspect of her personality, started to rise. “Look, Evers, I don’t like playing games. Can’t you answer my questions in a normal civilized manner?”

“Of course. All right, I will tell you. I was born far away in a distant galaxy. I am an elf of the Tylwyth Teg clan. A muse of the royal court.” He finished speaking, giving her a firm nod.

Caitlyn stiffened. Her temper flared and she bit out, “What kind of drugs do you take?”