Darkness Taunts Read Free Page B

to confront him, but he pulled me back into his chest. His arms slid around my wet body and everything began to spin. I couldn’t think, couldn’t react. We traveled through what felt like a vortex. I couldn’t see anything with my eyes scrunched up tight, but the strong wind buffeting my skin gave me the impression of moving at warp speed. Long seconds dragged by when, without warning, the dizzying sensation stopped. Only the grip of his arms kept me from falling forward. The tile underneath my feet returned and the spray of hot water replaced the wind.
    My stomach roiled and my knees threatened to buckle. I had to slump against his chest to keep from losing my balance. It killed me to show any kind of weakness in front of him, but he had to have known the effect his little trick would have on me. I wanted to struggle—to knock him senseless for whatever he’d done, but my body wouldn’t cooperate. My muddled mind couldn’t even process what kind of spell he’d used or how.
    “Lucas, dammit.” The shampoo had run down my face even worse than before. It burned my eyes. “What did you do to me?”
    “Finish your shower, sensor,” he said close to my ear. His arms pulled away, but he left a steadying hand. “We’ll talk soon.”
    He let his warm fingers slide off my shoulder before flashing away. Wherever he’d gone, it was too far for me to sense. My head still spun too much to do more than concentrate on staying on my feet.
    It took a couple more minutes for the disorientation to pass. As soon as it did, I ducked my head under the water only to realize the pressure was higher than before. The direction of the water didn’t feel right either. Backing away, I opened my eyes only to close them again. No, this could not be happening. One lid at a time I reopened them.
    Black tile etched with golden swirls surrounded me on three sides with frosted glass making up the fourth. Triple shower heads jutted from the wall and a large seat took up the opposite one. It was far more extravagant than anything I’d ever been in before and large enough to fit at least three people. How had he brought me here? Lucas could move long distances by “flashing” himself wherever he wanted to go, but I was immune to magic. He shouldn’t have been able to take me anywhere.
    Focusing my senses, I sent them out to search for anyone nearby. Not a single supernatural registered. Humans had to be much closer for me to pick them up, and they had to be feeling strong emotions for me to do even that much. If any of them were around now, I couldn’t detect them.
    I jerked open the glass door to find myself in a luxurious bathroom. It had double sinks and a fancy toilet that would make me feel guilty for sullying it. Black towels hung from a golden bar attached to the wall. I grabbed one and dried my hair off before taking another to wrap around my body. It covered me from my chest to my knees.
    A comb laid by the sink, but I didn’t touch it. Instead I ran my fingers through my long hair until it didn’t stick out all over the place. A bottle of lotion sat on the counter as well. I rubbed that into my arms while thinking furiously. Lucas wouldn’t grab me and dump me here unless he wanted something. What that could be, I didn’t know.
    I decided to do a little exploring to see if I could at least figure out where he’d taken me. Maybe find a weapon while I was at it. He might have finally decided to kill me and just wanted me to sweat it out a little. I wouldn’t put it past him.
    The bathroom turned out to be attached to a bedroom. It was decorated in a completely different style. The bed was large and looked comfortable, but it had a brass frame and a patchwork quilt on it. The armoire and nightstand were antiques with tall legs and hand painted designs. Doilies and floral vases sat on top of them. Not Lucas’ taste at all.
    I sifted through a few dresser drawers and a walk-in closet. They had silk shirts, suits, slacks and other