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.Look at him!" She shot a suspicious look the guards."We would certainly cast no such spell without His Majesty's permission," Naois told hercoolly."You are mistaken.""No," Llyr said slowly.He'd stepped nose to nose with Gist, who gazed back at him with blankeyes."He's definitely been bespelled."Diana cursed."The vampire.She must have still been in the house when the police arrived.Canyou break it?"Naois spoke up."Your Majesty, we should search the house.The killer may still be here.Withher powers, the mortals might not even be aware of her."Llyr nodded shortly."Naois, you, Egan, and Kelar search.Bevyn, you remain here."The guards nodded and trooped out.Diana stepped closer, examining the chief's blank face in concern.What if he didn't come back tohimself? What if he was stuck like this? "Llyr, help him.Please.""If I can." The king reached out and cupped the side of Gist's head in his palm.Sparks of energyspilled around his hand.Instantly, Gist's eyes widened and focused.He jerked back in surprise."Whoa.Where did youcome from?" Backing up another wary pace, he tensed, obviously ready to punch Llyr in the teeth."Who the hell are you?"Diana caught him by the shoulder."Bill, it's okay.He's a friend."Gist frowned, staring into Llyr's face."You're that FBI agent, aren't you? What's going on?""We're not sure," Diana explained."You seemed to be in some kind of trance."Bewildered, the chief glanced around, spotted the body, and winced."Damn.I don't understandthis.I've never had blackouts in my life." He smiled dryly."Not without a whole lot of beer being involved, anyway.And I definitely haven't been drinking.""What was the last thing you remember?" Diana asked."I& think I was kneeling in the floor smoking a cigarette.Then& I don't know.You were here.Itwas like you just appeared.""You don't remember us walking in at all?""No."Diana turned toward Llyr."How did he seem when you walked in?"The king shrugged sheepishly."I didn't notice.I was concentrating on the body.""I don't like this." She bit her lip and eyed Gist."I don't like it at all.""Neither do I, but there doesn't seem to be much we can do about it," Llyr said.Gist spoke up."Diana, do you want to walk out to the truck with me? I need to get& Luna.""Bill, Llyr knows what I am.""You told him?""Yeah.Let's see what kind of scents I pick up in here."Diana gathered herself and concentrated.Again, she felt the tingling rush of energy that reshapedmuscle and bone.Then she was once more on all fours.Pausing, she breathed deep, focusing her canine senses.All she could smell was the nauseatingscent of the boy's death.With a low woof of frustration, she dropped her head to the floor andsniffed her way over to the corpse.Nothing.She circled it.The killer's scent should be all over the body it certainly had been with the firstvictim yet she smelled nothing but the boy.Stubbornly, she went on working the room, but therewas no trail at all.Finally Diana transformed again and propped her fists on her hips.Her baton rapped her thighwith the motion."Hell.""What?" Gist demanded."What'd you smell?""Nothing.Our killer somehow erased her scent trail.""That's not possible," Gist protested. Diana met Llyr's grim gaze."I'm afraid it is.""If she could block my power, anything is possible," Llyr agreed.They decided to return to the Mageverse to discuss strategy.Stepping through the gate with Llyr and his guards, Diana found herself in yet another lushlyappointed room in the Sidhe palace.Chairs lined the walls, and the floor was covered with a hugehand-worked rug that practically glittered with magic.Every time she stepped, the image the fibersdepicted changed a hunting party pursuing a dragon; armored men doing battle with demoniccreatures; inhumanly beautiful Sidhe men and women dancing.It made Diana dizzy.She looked around for Llyr and found he'd flung himself onto a massive wooden throne, one leghooked over the arm as he drummed his fingers on the jeweled armrest."It's time to try something different," he told her, frowning in concentration."This vampire is agreat deal more powerful than I anticipated.I'm going to have to move my base to mortal Earth forthe duration of this hunt.""But Your Majesty, that will increase the risk to you," Naois protested."We cannot protect youas effectively there."Llyr looked up at him."But we can't detect this murderer here, and the entire point of this is tofind the killer and stop her.There's so little background magic on Mortal Earth that if she worksany significant spell at all, she'll light up the entire area like a bonfire.I'll sense it, and then we'llhave her.""But what of Ansgar?" Egan protested."If he should attack in force& "Llyr snorted."The minute he opened a gate big enough to bring that many men through, we'd allknow it.Besides, he doesn't dare violate the will that blatantly.Not only would he not gain mykingdom, he'd lose his own.""Where will we make our base, Your Majesty?" Naois asked."The inn Diana bespoke for us.I will increase the number of guards to ten." He gave hisguardsman a sardonic smile."Will that make you feel any better, Naois?"The dark-haired Sidhe smiled tightly."Somewhat, Majesty.""Good.I'd advise you all to get a few hours' sleep.I doubt you'll find those mortal beds ascomfortable.Arrange for your relief shift for the remainder of the night.""As Your Majesty bids." Naois bowed shortly, then he and the others marched from the room.As Diana watched, Llyr rose from his throne and sauntered across the room to a table where apitcher and goblets waited."These additional men of yours," she said, her Burning Moon temper ata simmer."Am I paying for their rooms, too?" Llyr looked up at her."I will repay you, Diana.""Yeah in fairy gold.I wonder how I'm supposed to explain that one to the IRS?" She rested ahand on her gun-belt and glowered at him as he approached her in that slow, tempting walk of his.Llyr handed her a goblet."You're snapping, my she-wolf.""She-wolf? You're pushing it, fairy." She took the drink from him and put it aside on the arm ofthe nearest chair."And you're damn right I'm snapping.I'm sick of the way your people treat mypeople putting spells on them and screwing with their brains every time they get the itch."Llyr sipped from his own goblet, watching her over its golden rim."I'm not responsible for whatthe vampire does, Diana and she is not one of mine, in any case.""Yeah, well, you are responsible for the way you messed with Linda Bryce's head.Not tomention Sandra and her photographer.They could lose their jobs because of your little stunt!"He shrugged, a graceful lift of broad shoulders."If so, 'tis no more than they deserve.They spokeagainst those who lead them.""Llyr, this is America.Speaking out against your leaders when they screw up is practically acivic responsibility."An elegant blond brow lifted [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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