his physical form to Caitlyn had been so simple, yet the sight and sound of her surprised him. The desire within her gaze had been real. A complication he had not prepared for during his four year search.
A puff of breath escaped his lips in a quiet sigh. He stood. Pacing, he rubbed at his burning eyes. Sleep evaded him during the night, and his days were filled with constant activities, planning and practicing for his performances. Now he had found her, and she wanted him. To make matters worse, he felt the answer to her passion rise inside him.
Rhys would have his head.
Shay’s half-lowered eyelids shielded his gaze from the four men sitting at a round conference table in the hotel suite’s living room. He closed his mind to the human sounds in the room and concentrated on the wind rustling through the trees outside the half-open terrace doors.
Hoping to take his mind off what had happened a few moments ago in Caitlyn’s car, he inhaled. He missed the smell of wild flowers, green grass and the rich earth of the Sidhe. Here, in this place, all he scented was the sterile fragrance from the air conditioning unit and the germ-killing cleanser the maids used. If only he could go home.
Fool. Going home was impossible as long as Caitlyn’s life remained in danger.
He kept his back to the few men who made up his personal entourage. “Everyone, leave. I want to be alone for a while.”
No hint of complaint came from any of them. They stopped their planning for tonight’s show and bustled out, closing the door behind them.
The room, so cool earlier, turned hot. He needed air. His stride ate the distance between the sofa and the French doors leading to the terrace. He gripped the handles and pulled the portals wide. Cold air, filled with the pungent odors from the human world, coated his body and cleared his head. A few more steps and he grasped the brick balustrade, breathing deep. He ignored the stench of polluted oxygen and raised his face to catch the midday rays of the winter sun.
Caitlyn Reiley. Her name echoed in his mind.
His freedom would cease the moment he brought her home. He would, once more, resume his prison term. He deserved his punishment for the part he had in Caitlyn’s disappearance. He would bring her back for no other reason than to assuage his guilt. Any other option was out of the question. Rhys wanted him punished for how he had assisted in her abduction.
During his search for Caitlyn, freedom had become more than a word to Shay. He valued the ability to move when and where he wished. To return to the Sidhe meant his freedom would end.
Sharp pain sliced through his gut. Imprisonment for twenty years was enough for him, but to Rhys, a thousand was a better punishment for his crime. His sentence would never justify what he had done to Rhys, a friend since childhood.
“Why hasn’t he killed me?” Shay muttered. At least, then his misery would end. Yet, if he died, any hope for Caitlyn would die along with him.
She played the victim in this sordid affair. The fault for her kidnapping lay on the sorceress who’d used him to succeed in her wicked plan. Gwyneth still lived. He knew it. Here, in the human world, she’d made it difficult for anyone from the Sidhe to discover Caitlyn’s location. Somehow, he’d kill the witch and repay the wrong done not only to Caitlyn, but also to Rhys.
Shay gritted his teeth. The skin covering his fingers tightened as they curled into fists. He was her solitary hope for salvation.
Unfamiliar presences brushed against his senses. The hair across the back of his head prickled, and his back tensed. With slow precision, he rotated his head to the right and stared at the potted hibiscus next to the terrace door. Dried leaves stirred in a soft gust of wind. Nestled in its pot on the opposite side of the door, the plant’s twin crackled in response.
He moved closer to the doorway. A slow smile tugged at his mouth. There wasn’t any threat. The dead plants were simply responding to the magic in his blood.
“Rejoice,” he murmured to the dying plants. “Reveal to me your pleasure.”
Seconds slid by. Green leaves sprouted on the hibiscus. Dozens of buds formed and opened in vibrant beauty. The white trumpet flowers curved toward him.
“Rejoice, precious ones, for your princess has been found. Soon she will return and reclaim her crown, and I will be no more,” he whispered into the cold breeze.
The flowers turned their faces to the open balcony doors. Shay stiffened. He raised his gaze to stare into blue eyes.
Leaning against the door jam, Rhys commented, his tone calm and quiet, “You shouldn’t work your magic in the open. A human might see.”
Shay quirked a brow. “I’m an illusionist. Just practicing my art.”
Without answering, Rhys stepped outside and moved to stand beside him. “I don’t care for this cold. It’s out of place here.”
“Gwyneth?”
The blond met Shay’s gaze. “Don’t you think it’s odd you discovered Caitlyn on television in San Francisco yesterday–and today, we arrive in Los Angeles to find her and there’s an unusual, severe cold front to greet us?”
Shay snorted and nodded. “Gwyneth.”
“Of course. She doesn’t want the plants to reveal where she and Caitlyn are located. She can’t control the plants, but she has the capability to destroy their abilities to inform us of the witch’s whereabouts.” Rhys inhaled, his chest expanding with the deep breath. “How can humans live in a world so soiled?”
With a low chuckle, Shay turned, returned to the railing and rested his elbows on the balustrade. “So you prefer the Sidhe?”
A smile fluttered at one corner of Rhys’s mouth. “Don’t you?”
The question sobered Shay. Of course he did, and Rhys knew it. The Sidhe had been his paradise until twenty five years ago. At that time, the place he loved became his prison. Then, four years ago, Rhys had surprised him by giving him a chance to atone for his crime. He had to find Caitlyn and bring her home. During the last four years, Shay had learned to value his freedom with each new day, but he’d also experienced a loss of not being able to travel back and forth to the Sidhe. So now Rhys’s question was double-edged because of his guilt. Shay nodded.
“Are you ready for tonight?” Rhys looked over at him with one pale eyebrow raised.
Shay met his gaze for several moments. “Yes. I have only to gather my magic tighter about me for this work, but otherwise, I’m ready.”
Rhys gusted out a low laugh. “Reminds you of all the times we went to battle, doesn’t it?”
“I suppose. Only then, we had no fear of dying and losing our fellow fighters. There is too much at risk here. I want to make sure all is ready. She has to come willingly or she will be driven insane.”
“True. I will hold you to her safekeeping.”
For a moment, Shay savored those words. His joy at knowing Rhys gave him a measure of trust pleased him. Almost as fast, the past reared its ugly head, and he quirked a brow at the older man. “Trust? Is that what you’re giving me?”
Several seconds ticked off while he waited for Rhys to answer. When he lifted his gaze to meet his, Shay shifted away, the tension becoming a barrier between them. “I gave you my trust for all our lives. You were like a brother to me. Yet in a brief moment, you threw our friendship away because of Gwyneth. I will hold you to your word concerning Caitlyn’s safety. Just know your punishment will be greater if you fail.”
Unable to form words to justify his action, Shay broke eye contact. “I will return her home.”
“Good.”
They stood side-by-side on the balcony. Neither spoke for several more minutes as the quiet of the afternoon surrounded them and eased some of the friction. Rhys released a deep breath and commented. “I sent word to Myrielle. She will be happy to hear her daughter