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that Aurora’s training can wait for a few weeks.”

“Training? I don’t understand your meaning, Grandmother.”

“Did Aurora not tell you?”

Leon shook his head, and then glared at Aurora. “No. I think Aurora is still quite shy

around me.”

“Shyness is an endearing trait, Leon. Do not be mad at her for it. Well, go ahead tell him,

Aurora.”

Aurora licked her lips. “I....” She looked over at The Matriarch. She couldn’t tell him.

She’d never told anyone. She wasn’t about to start with Leon.

“Aurora is gifted in the same way I am. But I suspect her power might even surpass my

own with the proper training. None of my children or grandchildren was born gifted, so I decided

to get Rory for you. It runs like wildfire in her family. Each child has abilities though some are

not as gifted as others. Johanna Mallory has a keen intelligence and fast reflexes. Samantha and

Charlotte each possess several supernatural abilities and they are the strongest of the siblings.

Quinn is able to glimpse into the future from time to time and his heightened senses make him a

formidable foe. Jessica…I do not know her abilities yet, but if she survives I will. It has been

passed on through Rory’s grandmother’s line for countless generations. I have full confidence

that it will pass on down to your children, thus ensuring The Anasazi Legacy. But I have said

enough. I shall leave you two lovebirds in peace.”

The Matriarch left them without any further words. Rory looked over at Leon.

“So, I’m marrying a witch, am I?”

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“I don’t know why I let you drag me into this. I hate being out in public with you when I

have to stare at Tyler with Charlotte,” she muttered to Devlin under her breath.

“I thought you’d like to be around your family right now. Winter isn’t exactly the big bad

wolf you know. We need to have a strategizing session as well. The next time we go up against

The Triad we have to make sure we get out alive, and with Rory.”

Samantha shifted in her seat. Her back was still a bit sore from where the nerve gun had

blasted her. Johanna gave her a worried gaze. Samantha forced a reassuring smile across her

face. They were seated at a long genuine mahogany dining table. Candles lined the linen runner

that went down the center of the table. The ambiance was perfect for a formal evening. Classical

music played in the background. It was so subtle that some people wouldn’t have even heard it.

But Samantha had finely tuned senses. She never missed a thing.

She still didn’t know why she hadn’t sensed the danger behind her, when she’d been on

the bus. She’d allowed her guard to falter for an instant and it had cost her Rory. Now, to find

out that the man who’d murdered their father was a member of The Triad…well, it made her

want to scream! She couldn’t wait until she could take The Triad down from the inside out. She

wouldn’t rest until her father’s killer was dust. Devlin sat on her right and Charlotte had settled

herself in the chair to her left while Tyler sat next to Charlotte. Johanna sat across from her

surrounded by Dylan and Veronica. Veronica actually looked healthier. Samantha knew that

Veronica was just as eager to take down The Triad as Samantha was.

“So, when are we going to eat anyway?”

Charlotte gave her a slight nudge. “Patience is a virtue, Samantha.”

“Yeah. So they keep telling me.” Samantha reached for her glass of water. All eyes

turned to the front of the room when the doors whooshed open to reveal Winter’s grand entrance.

Looking at Devlin beside her she tried not to lose her head. He’d been cleaned up and dressed in

one of his favorite designer suits. She took a gulp of her water trying not to salivate at the sight

of Devlin looking so handsome. Her heart pounded, the walls seemed to be closing in. Fight it,

Samantha. Push it out of your mind and battle your heart. No matter what you must fight fate.

Samantha didn’t know what to make of Devlin’s daughter, but so far Winter seemed

tolerable enough. Winter looked like a princess. Samantha had to give her that. Even though

Devlin and Samantha didn’t see eye to eye on a number of things they did seem to be in

agreement on one subject. They both wanted to get Rory back.

“Welcome to the
Snow Queen.
I hope that everyone will enjoy their time spent on my

ship.” Winter’s voice was soft and almost sweet. Yep, Winter was a far cry from Lord Devlin.

“I’ve done my research and I had my chefs prepare the type of food that you all enjoy.”

Samantha looked in awe at the platters that were being deposited on the table. The smell

of glorious food wafted over to her. She licked her lips, and immediately felt guilty.

Her niece was down in Hell Central on The Triad ships and they were having a feast fit

for royalty.

“Nothing can be done for Rory right now,” Charlotte whispered. “You need to eat and

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keep your strength up. But before you go to bed tonight I need you to help me with something.”

Samantha turned her head. “What would you need my help for?”

“Quinn.”

Samantha’s jaw dropped. That summed it all up. “What has he done now?”

“He didn’t do anything recently. It’s what he did in the past that has me concerned. The

consequences of his actions have snowballed into something that no one can contain. He needs to

come clean with us, if he doesn’t we don’t have a chance of getting back Rory.”

“Of course we will. Rory is so close to us I can almost feel her.”

“Well, I can feel her. And for now, Rory is safe. But we can’t go rushing into our next

rescue attempt with the blinders on.”

“Fine. I’ll help you to get the truth out of him. Can I hit him if he starts to get difficult?”

“Shush.” Charlotte looked up and rested her eyes on Quinn. He stood behind Winter and

now that Samantha thought about it, he looked a little under the weather. Was there something

eating him up inside? What had he done that was now weighing heavily on his conscience?

“Samantha?” Devlin whispered. Startled, she locked gazes with him.

“Do you ever have that feeling of dread where you know something bad is about to go

down and yet you can’t do anything to stop it?”

“Yeah. Why?” He touched her hand. She hesitated before drawing her hand away from

his.

“I have that feeling really bad, right now.”

Concern lingered in Devlin’s eyes long after her confession. Normally, she’d be feeling

overly confidant on the eve of the final showdown, but something was niggling at the back of her

mind. Foreboding seemed to seep into her very psyche. She was happy that Charlotte had joined

them. They were venturing into unknown territory. The Triad seemed to have amassed even

more power than Samantha had originally thought. They were close to taking over the part of the

galaxy that wasn’t Earth Run. If they could just get Rory back and kill the psycho that had

murdered her father than she would be a happy woman. As for The Triad…well, she’d take them

down eventually.

Samantha ate her dinner without really tasting it. She kept darting her gaze between

Charlotte and Quinn. Electricity crackled in the air. Quinn knew he was in trouble…and he

didn’t seem anxious to get out of his punishment.

“What’s going on between you and Quinn?” Devlin asked softly.

“Nothing.” She smiled at Dev. He frowned back.

“You’re on edge, Samantha. Something has you rattled. Tell me what it is!”

“I will, after I take care of the problem. Don’t worry, it doesn’t concern you or involve

you. Just trust me, okay?”

“I trust you. However based on my past dealings with Quinn I know he can go either way

when it comes to putting your faith in him—I didn’t think he would do anything stupid though

when Rory’s life is on the line!”

“I know. But since he is Rory’s father, I can’t believe that he’d intentionally do anything

that could cause her harm.”

“What about unintentionally? Quinn can be fairly reckless. He’s even more reckless than

you, and that’s saying something. From what I’ve seen, Quinn’s driven by two things, and these

things could corrupt him.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Quinn is driven by glory and money.”

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“I know.” Her heart rattled in her chest. “I think we’ll just have to hope that he remains

stalwart in his love for Rory.”

“Take a look at Quinn right now, do you think he could have gotten Rory mixed up in all

of this because he needed funds?”

“No. Quinn isn’t that shallow,” Samantha muttered.

“Not that shallow? Really? Are you sure? I thought he took off on your family and

absconded with the family dough when he left. Quinn robbed you of everything!”

“He did. But that was a long time ago.”

“Yeah? How long?”

“Over ten years ago.”

“And did he have Rory for all of that time?”

Samantha felt something slam into her gut. It was almost as if an anchor had lodged in

her intestine. “No. Rory’s mother was alive, then. She lived with us on Earth. Or rather she lived

most of the time with mom and Jessica. Johanna and I were occupied with trying to earn enough

money to keep the family going.”

“And what happened to Rory’s mother?”

Samantha blinked. “Ruby was in an accident. When Quinn heard of his wife’s death, he

came back to take Rory away from us. We couldn’t stop him. Ruby had never made a will....”

Samantha suddenly felt strapped for air. She gripped onto Devlin’s hand. She couldn’t think of

Quinn in the dark light of being the man who’d gotten Rory taken by The Triad. Hadn’t Quinn

said that The Triad had shot him? So, of course it had to be all a misunderstanding. Obviously, if

The Triad had shot Quinn he had put up one hell of a fight to keep Rory from being abducted. Or

had he?

She shook her head. Pain exploded behind her eyeballs. Spearing her chocolate cake with

her fork, she shoveled a large bite into her mouth. Devlin had fallen silent but she could tell that

the wheels were still turning in his mind. Devlin wouldn’t give it up…not until his mind had

been put to rest.

“Samantha, I’m surprised that you have not commented on our conversation yet,” Winter

murmured.

“Not to worry, Winter, the Cat has caught Samantha’s tongue,” Devlin said silkily,

staring at her with dancing eyes. She felt like smacking him.

Samantha looked up and met Devlin’s amused gaze. “No, but I wish it would come and

tear yours out.”

“Touché. That is the Samantha I’ve grown accustomed to interacting with.” Devlin

turned to raise his champagne flute to her and then sipped at the bubbly liquid. His dark eyes

sparkled merrily at her. If she wasn’t mistaken their verbal intercourse turned him on. Her eyes

flared wide open. A giddy sensation erupted in the pit of her stomach. Steady, Samantha.

“My helmsman has informed me that The Triad ships have set a course for the Ordara

System.” Winter smiled at all of them. “We should have an easy time of getting past their

defenses to rescue Aurora.”

Samantha dropped her fork. “Wasn’t the Ordara System the last outpost of the War Lord

Ferdinand?”

“I hadn’t realized that you knew so much about that part of our history.” Devlin smiled.

“Yes, indeed, it was his last outpost.”

“What if The Triad is leading us into a trap?” Johanna asked.

“Highly unlikely. New Britain Intelligence tells me that the Ordara System has been

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abandoned for many years,” Devlin said smoothly, a tone of dismissal in his voice.

“They could be wrong.” Tyler’s voice had a dangerous edge to it.

“I think not.” Winter laughed.

“I think so.” Tyler slammed his fist down on the table. “Whatever your so-called

intelligence has reported, they’re way off base. When Dylan and I were back....” Tyler coughed

and never finished his sentence. Samantha gave him a questioning look. He gave her a ‘don't ask

look’ in return.

“Yes, daddy. Now I can see what you mean. Tyler Cassidy can be a rather irritating man.

But I must say, you nearly made a colossal mistake when you sentenced him to hang. I will take

what you have said into consideration, Tyler. Alas, I would believe my father over you any day

of the week.” Her eyes hardened toward Tyler and she finished giving him a scathing glare

before diverting her attention.

“If you’re anything like your father, that’s a lie, he makes his living off of lying to

people,” Tyler muttered.

Samantha stood up. Charlotte had given her the high sign. Now was there time to act.

Quinn looked about ready to leave the dining table. They had to catch him when he was alone.

“I have to go now. Don’t try to follow me, Devlin,” she ordered. She looked toward

Tyler; she only hoped that Charlotte was savvy enough to tell him not to follow them.

Devlin was about to protest, when Samantha put a hand on his shoulder. “Loathe as I am

to admit it, Dev, I know you too well. Just wait. I might be inclined to share my findings with

you, later on tonight.” She bent toward him. “I doubt I’ll be returning to my own quarters with