Searchlight--By My Light, Book 4 Read online

  My eyes flickered to the mirror and I pursed my lips. "Can she get out?"

  He held up the barrette. "Not so long as I have the primary source of her magic. And speaking of that-" he lifted his eyes to Emery who stood nearby, "-how were you able to capture her magic for so long?"

  Emery pressed the bridge of his glasses against his nose. "I merely turned her own portal against her, sir. So long as her magic was still active any portal she created would remain open until either she willed it shut or lost her power. I am glad the former happened before the latter."

  "So am I, but Bedwyr might think differently," Fox commented as he swept his eyes over the destroyed room.

  "I will speak to him immediately and have the exhibit postponed," Emery promised.

  The doors opened and Bedwyr stepped inside. "There's no need. I watched the whole thing through the security cameras."

  "Then I don't need to tell you that no one is to touch the surface of the glass," Fox returned.

  Bedwyr reached us and nodded. "You have my word."

  "Good. Then let us be off." I yelped when Fox slipped his arms beneath me and lifted me off the floor.

  My hand reached out and grasped his collar. "I can walk!" I argued.

  "That would be quite the feat considering your body is shaking," he commented. His eyes flickered to my hand and his smile widened. "It appears the effects of the dagger have already started."

  I followed his gaze and my eyes widened as I beheld a human hand. I lifted my hand and studied the normal fingers. "No more gloves. . ." I whispered.

  "No, but don't celebrate too soon. You still have to practice controlling your emotions," he warned me.

  I hunkered in his arms and glared at my covered knees. "Way to ruin the good moment." A shiver of cold ran through me.

  He chuckled. "Then I will have Emery light a fire in your room when we reach home," he returned as he strode from the room with me in his arms.

  Emery followed and led us to the nearby parking garage dedicated to the museum visitors. Fox set me inside and slipped in after me before Emery started the car and we drove away from the scene.

  Fox sat close enough beside me that our arms brushed each other. I shifted beneath his heavy coat and felt the leather rub against my bare bottom. "You don't happen to have a superhero outfit laying around that I won't turn to shreds when transforming, do you?"

  He chuckled. "While I am a billionaire I have yet to invent such an outfit."

  My shoulders slumped and took the coat with it. I yelped as the clothing slipped off my upper body. I grabbed the top and yanked it above my assets.

  "Why so shy? It's not like I haven't seen you naked several times," Fox pointed out.

  I glared at him. "Do all billionaire playboys have to be such perverts?"

  "No, but one can't help but admire a beautiful woman's body," he returned.

  I blushed and turned my face away from him. The car ride was longer than the last one, but we finally arrived at the Towers where I deftly slipped into his coat. My legs were strong enough that I could carry my own weight, and we followed the elevator up to the castle.

  We stepped out with Fox in the lead and he turned to Emery and me who stood side-by-side. "If you will excuse me, I have some phone calls to make." He bowed his head to us and left.

  I tightened my grip on the front flaps of his coat and frowned in the direction where he'd gone. "Doesn't he ever switch off longer than a few hours?"

  A ghost of a smile touched Emery's lips. "Rarely, but if you will follow me I will prepare the fire in your room."

  We went up to my humble, albeit chilling, abode and I slipped off the coat and dropped it onto the bed before I changed into clothes my size. Emery knelt beside the large hearth and was in the middle of making a large, warm fire with a few pieces of wood that lay stacked beside the fireplace.

  "Does this place have central heating?" I asked him as I stepped up to the side of the bed.

  "Yes, but Mr. Fox prefers the fireplaces whenever the occasion arises," he replied. A flame jumped to the logs and he stepped back to let the flames burn away. Emery turned to me. "Will there be anything else?"

  I glanced at the coat on my bed. "I guess that needs to go back to Fox. . ."

  "I am sure he wouldn't mind were you to keep it for a little longer," Emery assured me.

  I shook myself and scooped the coat into my arms before I turned to Emery. I held out the coat to him. "Nah, you should take it."

  He accepted the coat and bowed his head. "Very well. Will there be anything else?"

  I shook my head. "No, that's it."

  "Then good morning, Miss Rogers." With his farewell Emery left.

  I wandered over to my favorite window and slipped onto the sill to look out over the sun-soaked world. "All that in a single morning. I thought it lasted longer. . ." I mused.

  Something brushed against my leg. I absently glanced down. My eyes widened. At my foot sat a pearl, and from that pearl emerged a large puddle of water. I yelped as my foot sank into the puddle. A quick yank pulled it out and I climbed onto the sill to avoid its dark depths.

  A face appeared out of the darkness, the hag-face of Ligeia. Her shoulders and face were still covered in boils and her hair clung to her face like a drowned woman. She gnashed her long, sharp teeth at me. "Traitor! I will have you in here with me for eternity!"

  The puddle shot up the wall toward me. I leapt over it and landed on the floor ten feet away and spun around. The water flew down the wall and rushed in my direction.

  I ran to the door and wrenched it open. Another puddle awaited me out in the hall. "Four pearls. . ." I whispered as I backed up.

  My heel splashed into the rear puddle and quickly sank. I grabbed the door knob and pulled myself back onto the floor. The hallway puddle rushed me. I pushed off the floor and swung the door with me. We sailed over the puddle and the door slammed shut behind me as I stumbled into the banister that overlooked the hall.

  "Emery! Fox!" I screamed. Emery appeared from the library with book in hand. "She's trying to-" I heard a noise behind me.

  The puddles, now combined to form a larger pool of water, slithered out from beneath the door. Offshoots stretched out like tendrils and blocked off the right and left paths. I had no choice.

  I climbed onto the banister and jumped. The drop was twenty feet. Not a problem for a werewolf, except that was when the third puddle, and final pearl, appeared from beneath a table. It slipped beneath me a second before I hit solid ground. I splashed into the puddle like it was a deep ocean. Water closed in all around me, blocking off light and air.

  I sank deeper and looked up. The hole through which I'd fallen was growing smaller and smaller. I kicked my feet and slowed my fall, but Emery's words echoed in my mind: there would be no way to escape.

  Something clammy grabbed my ankle. I looked down and found myself staring into Ligeia's hideous vestige. She grinned and grabbed higher up on my leg with her other clawed hand. "Forever," she hissed.

  A noise above me made both of us look up. A shadow of a man swam toward us. Fox. We were both trapped.

  My eyes widened and I shook my head. "No. . ."

  Ligeia narrowed her eyes and hissed at him. "We will have his corpse for company!"

  I whipped my head back to her and glared at the hag. "You leave him alone!"

  With her holding me I could breath, and that meant I had strength. I kicked her in the face. The force knocked her away, freeing me but depriving me of my air. I struggled upward through the water until Fox and I met some thirty feet below the hole.

  I gave him my best glare and shoved him. Fox only smiled and swam back to me where he slipped his arm around my waist. He kicked hard and propelled us both toward the surface. A shrill cackle made me look down.

  Ligeia swam after us, but not so fast that she caught up to us. Her face was split with a wide grin and her eyes glowed a bright blue that lit up her hair like ghostly tendrils. "If you care for one another so mu
ch than I shall grant you both a painful death."

  We reached the hole and I pressed my hand against it. My palm met with an impenetrable surface. I started back when Fox lay his hand over mine. My palm left the surface, but he pressed me back down. I turned to him and blinked.

  Fox smiled at me before he turned his attention to the hole. He clenched his teeth and pushed against my hand. A light caught my attention. A brilliant green glow erupted from his hand and spread over mine. My hand lengthened into a claw and my sharp nails slowly sank into the invisible barrier.

  A shriek behind us made me look back. Ligeia quickened her swimming and barreled down on us. Fox released his hold of my waist and pointed his free hand at her. More green light spilled outward as a column and slammed into her. She was flung backward deeper into the darkness.

  I slipped forward as my hand broke through the barrier. The fine glass barrier appeared and cracked into thousands of tiny pieces. Fox drew me against him and kicked so that we broke through the surface. I gasped as air filled my starving lungs.

  "Quickly!" Fox ordered me as he pushed me against the edge.

  I climbed out on my stomach and he followed me. A pair of shiny black shoes stepped up beside me. I looked up to find Emery smiling down at me with a hairdryer in both his hands.

  "Now, Emery!" Fox shouted.

  Emery pointed both driers at the hole and blasted away. The water shrank and the hole closed. A moment before it disappeared I saw Ligeia's furious face silhouetted against the darkness. She reached out for us, but the last bit of water vanished beneath Emery's onslaught. She was trapped. Again.

  A hand came into my view. I followed it up to Fox's smiling face as he knelt down to help me. "Are you alright?" he asked me.

  I blinked at him. "How did. . .how'd you do that?"

  He grinned. "You didn't think my sister was the only one with abilities, did you?"

  I flung myself at him and wrapped my arms around him in a tight hug. "I'm glad she isn't," I whispered against his chest.

  He returned the embrace and set his cheek against my forehead. "I'm sorry I didn't think of asking you how many pearls were on the necklace she gave you."

  I pulled myself away from him and glared at the man. "I thought she wasn't supposed to be able to leave the mirror!" I snapped at him.

  "So long as her pearls were intact she had access to the world out of the mirror. Now that the oversight is remedied she is most certainly trapped," he assured me.

  Emery cleared his throat close beside us. "Will that be all, sir?"

  Fox helped me to my feet and turned to his servant. "Yes, and might I compliment you on your quick thinking."

  Emery bowed his head. "You're quite welcome, sir, but Miss Rogers's idea in the museum is what made me think to eliminate her magic in much the same way."

  I folded my arms across my chest and grinned. "You guys are still underestimating me, aren't you?"

  Fox looked down at me and smiled. "Perhaps not anymore, Gwen. Perhaps not anymore."

  * * *

  <<<<>>>>

  A note from Mac

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  Continue the adventure

  Now that you’ve finished the book, feel free to check out my website for the rest of the exciting series. Here’s also a little sneak-peek at the next book:

  * * *

  Daylight

  I never thought I would be fighting for the life of William Fox.

  The night began like so many others. The sun set signaling my rise like some vampire of old. At the last rays I peeked my head out from under the covers and inspected the room. Empty and quiet.

  Also, a little cold. The chill from the draft that blew in from the window frames bit at my nose. A sly smile slipped onto my lips. A perfect time to practice my unique skill set.

  It had been a month since the last adventure, the one with the mermaid and me getting stabbed in the heart by Fox. Funny enough, him plunging a dagger into my chest was a relationship booster, at least on my part. It'd shown that, given the first opportunity, he wouldn't outright kill me. Also, he had great aim.

  Because of that aim I was not only alive, but was now able to command my werewolf fur to spring forth from my flesh. In a couple of seconds I wore a fluffy coat. Unfortunately, there was a slight problem as I tumbled out from beneath the sheets. My pajama top and bottoms were tight against my limbs, giving me a swollen appearance and making movement just a little difficult.

  I climbed to my feet as graceful as a person made out of balloons and waddled my way over to the dresser. There were small handles on the drawers with which to open them. I reached for one with both hands.

  A loud ripping sound broke the serene silence. I glanced over my shoulder and my face fell. "Just great. . ."

  The effort-with my werewolf strength-had torn the back of my shirt wide open. The cloth now drifted like a feather to my feet. My upper torso was naked, sort of. I glared at the wounded shirt one last time before I whipped open the drawers and retrieved my clothes.

  I rushed over to the bed only to be rewarded with another ripping noise. A pause at the side of the bed and a look back told me my pants were the latest victims of my brilliant plan. My face fell. Now all I needed to complete my horrible morning was-

  A knock on the door. "Miss Rogers?" came Emery's voice.

  The color drained from my face as I looked down at my furriness. Though in-the-buff was the usual attire of a werewolf I wasn't about to be caught with my pants down, and a few feet away from me. I de-furred and grabbed my pair of pants.

  "Yeah?" I replied as I bounced around trying to put first one leg than the other into the jeans.

  "Mr. Fox would like to invite you to a benefit gala he is putting on this evening," Emery told me.

  "I don't really have anything to wear," I replied as I slipped on my bra.

  "He wishes for you to wear the new evening gown he purchased for you."

  I paused with the shirt over my head. "My what?" came my muffled reply.

  "I took the liberty of hanging it in your armoire while you were asleep," he told me.

  My shirt dropped onto my shoulders and I looked down at my ruffled attire with a frown. "Do I have to?"

  "He would be most honored if you would join him," Emery assured me.

  I walked over to the tall armoire and opened both doors at once. There, hanging by a sturdy wooden hook, hung a low-cut evening gown that shown like the color of a young sun. Slivers of diamonds and other precious jewels were set into the fabric to make it sparkle like sunlight catching on a calm surface of water.

  "Wow. . ." I whispered.

  "May I take that as a 'yes?'" Emery called from the door.

  I removed the dress from its hook and pressed it against my. A perfect-and form flattering-fit. A smile teased the corners of my lips as I lifted my eyes to the door. "Tell him I'll be down in a minute."

  "Very well."

  I hurried out of my clothes, now completely unaware of the cold that still pervaded the room, and slipped into the dress. I found a cardboard box beneath where the dress had hung and inside was a matching pair of high-heeled shoes. A quick slip and my outfit was complete.

  A full length mirror stood near the armoire. I stepped in front of its reflective surface and marveled at the way the dress shimmered like a thousand pieces of glitter, even in the dim light of evening.

  "Not bad. . ." I complemented myself.

  "Miss Rogers?" Emery called from the door.

  "Coming!" I replied.

  I hurried over to the entrance, and the dres
s glided along like it was a part of me. The effect made me feel as light as a feather so that I flung open the door and bounced out into the hall.

  Emery stood nearby and a smile teased the corners of his usually stoic expression. "Might I compliment you on your appearance tonight, Miss Rogers?"

  I grinned. "Compliment away."

  He offered me his arm. "If I may."

  I bowed my head and accepted his arm. He led me down the curve of the stairs to the bottom of the foyer. Fox awaited us there, and he was dressed in a becoming black suit with a white undershirt and black bow tie. His sly smile slipped onto his face as Emery released me in front of him.

  Fox took my hand and pecked a small kiss on the back before his eyes flickered up to mine. "You look magnificent."

  I couldn't stop the blush that appeared on my cheeks. "Y-yeah, not too bad for a bodyguard, is it?"

  He straightened and arched an eyebrow. "'Bodyguard?'"

  "Isn't that why I'm coming along?" I asked him.

  He shook his head. "Quite the contrary. I expect the evening to be quite dull, but I expect your presence to make the gala at least bearable. First, however-" his eyes flickered to Emery behind me, "-we must finish your attire."

  My pulse quickened and I glanced down at the long neckline. "Did I forget a shirt?"

  Movement in front of me forced me to look up. Emery stood beside us and presented a flat velvet box to Fox. Fox opened the lid and revealed a large diamond necklace. Twelve white diamonds, six on each side and all the size of a half-marble, adorned the centerpiece, a large canary-colored gem that was as large as an unshelled walnut, but of such quality that I could see straight through it

  Fox lifted the necklace and slipped behind me to set the necklace against my front. A quick pin and it snuggled into place, a beautiful coldness against my skin. Fox leaned down and his soft breath tingled my ear. "Do you like it?"

  I looked down and brushed my fingers over the center diamond. "It's beautiful," I whispered.