spoil the line of his clothes when he needed that. A wizard thing.
With a flick of his wrist, he drew the blue flame onto the wand. Successive flicks wrapped it around the wand like cotton candy on a stick.
A fling sailed an arc of blue fire into the air and down into the pan.
Napkin, water, and blood all lit with a foomph . He mentally touched his power and spoke the catalyst word, “ Find. ”
The flames began to dance and swirl, ghostly waltzers on a ballroom floor.
One spot pulsed red. The where —the back of the ballroom.
The swirling blue flame coalesced into that spot, like water spiraling down a drain. It flared orange-red and formed a brutal face in a ripped mask. The who —the handsy Zeus. Daniel’s blood surged with triumph. Now for the why…
The fire spat, flares of purple shooting out like bursting rockets—then turned totally black.
Black fire .
Daniel tore off his tux jacket and smashed it over the pan, smothering the magefire. His chest was pumping like a bellows.
Stars and moon. This was a disaster. Sophia said the color of the flames would tell him intent. The orange-red flare said greed, the purple sparks said magic—Zeus was definitely a wizard and could trace the spell back to Daniel, but that didn’t matter now, not with that fire.
Black. Evil intent.
Daniel snatched up his jacket and, despite the half-charred lining, threw it on as he ran out of the room. Heart pounding, he raced for the ballroom, pulling down his mask on the way. Only one way for a wizard to get that parchment—make the Queen of Hearts give it to him.
An evil wizard now knew he’d been found out, and the clock was ticking.
Zoe was in danger.
Chapter Five
Normally as hostess, Zoe would have led the first waltz. But until her identity was revealed at midnight, the Queen of Hearts had to remain masked, so Zoe had a discreet word with the orchestra director.
As she was finishing her instructions, her wolf growled. She spun.
Headed straight for her, face brutal in his ripped masked, was the handsy Zeus.
Handsy. By her paws and claws. Had his groping been a cover for light-fingering her key? Her wolf’s growl deepened. It certainly thought he had, and it wanted immediate revenge, of the bloodiest kind.
But her human counseled caution. First, she didn’t want to make a scene in front of her elegant guests. But second, if Zeus had already gotten the key, what more could he want from her? She needed to delay, a chance to figure out his game.
Then she’d let her wolf have its confrontation.
As the first strains of the “Blue Danube” began, she trotted for the corner buffet table, full of cheese and chatting couples. Let Zeus try his shenanigans when she was among people, and ready for him.
Sure enough, he followed. But as he swept in on her like a thunderstorm, his dark glower dispersed her cover of couples.
“Lady Mystery,” he rasped. “Kismet brings us together again.”
“Or your clumsy attempts to corner me,” she murmured.
“What?” he asked sharply.
“Nothing.” She smiled coyly and fluttered her eyelashes at him.
Her wolf snorted in disgust, but her flirting must have appeased him because he smiled, too, though in his ripped mask it came off as more of a leer.
Flirt, she reprimanded herself. Tease out his plans…and maybe even get the key back. “Cheese?”
“Let’s go somewhere we can get romantic.” He clapped a hand on her shoulder.
She staggered, but kept her smile plastered on her face. “Nonsense.” Fluttering eyelashes like a power fan, she yanked loose. “Nothing is more romantic than cheese.”
“Being alone together is. C’mon, honey.”
Zeus grabbed her wrist and tried to tug her toward the side service door. He was smiling, but the reek of angry testosterone coming off him scared her. She resisted, got dragged a few inches, and had to let her wolf out to add strength.
On the plus side, she broke loose.
Huge minus, he glared suspiciously at her. She didn’t
With a flick of his wrist, he drew the blue flame onto the wand. Successive flicks wrapped it around the wand like cotton candy on a stick.
A fling sailed an arc of blue fire into the air and down into the pan.
Napkin, water, and blood all lit with a foomph . He mentally touched his power and spoke the catalyst word, “ Find. ”
The flames began to dance and swirl, ghostly waltzers on a ballroom floor.
One spot pulsed red. The where —the back of the ballroom.
The swirling blue flame coalesced into that spot, like water spiraling down a drain. It flared orange-red and formed a brutal face in a ripped mask. The who —the handsy Zeus. Daniel’s blood surged with triumph. Now for the why…
The fire spat, flares of purple shooting out like bursting rockets—then turned totally black.
Black fire .
Daniel tore off his tux jacket and smashed it over the pan, smothering the magefire. His chest was pumping like a bellows.
Stars and moon. This was a disaster. Sophia said the color of the flames would tell him intent. The orange-red flare said greed, the purple sparks said magic—Zeus was definitely a wizard and could trace the spell back to Daniel, but that didn’t matter now, not with that fire.
Black. Evil intent.
Daniel snatched up his jacket and, despite the half-charred lining, threw it on as he ran out of the room. Heart pounding, he raced for the ballroom, pulling down his mask on the way. Only one way for a wizard to get that parchment—make the Queen of Hearts give it to him.
An evil wizard now knew he’d been found out, and the clock was ticking.
Zoe was in danger.
Chapter Five
Normally as hostess, Zoe would have led the first waltz. But until her identity was revealed at midnight, the Queen of Hearts had to remain masked, so Zoe had a discreet word with the orchestra director.
As she was finishing her instructions, her wolf growled. She spun.
Headed straight for her, face brutal in his ripped masked, was the handsy Zeus.
Handsy. By her paws and claws. Had his groping been a cover for light-fingering her key? Her wolf’s growl deepened. It certainly thought he had, and it wanted immediate revenge, of the bloodiest kind.
But her human counseled caution. First, she didn’t want to make a scene in front of her elegant guests. But second, if Zeus had already gotten the key, what more could he want from her? She needed to delay, a chance to figure out his game.
Then she’d let her wolf have its confrontation.
As the first strains of the “Blue Danube” began, she trotted for the corner buffet table, full of cheese and chatting couples. Let Zeus try his shenanigans when she was among people, and ready for him.
Sure enough, he followed. But as he swept in on her like a thunderstorm, his dark glower dispersed her cover of couples.
“Lady Mystery,” he rasped. “Kismet brings us together again.”
“Or your clumsy attempts to corner me,” she murmured.
“What?” he asked sharply.
“Nothing.” She smiled coyly and fluttered her eyelashes at him.
Her wolf snorted in disgust, but her flirting must have appeased him because he smiled, too, though in his ripped mask it came off as more of a leer.
Flirt, she reprimanded herself. Tease out his plans…and maybe even get the key back. “Cheese?”
“Let’s go somewhere we can get romantic.” He clapped a hand on her shoulder.
She staggered, but kept her smile plastered on her face. “Nonsense.” Fluttering eyelashes like a power fan, she yanked loose. “Nothing is more romantic than cheese.”
“Being alone together is. C’mon, honey.”
Zeus grabbed her wrist and tried to tug her toward the side service door. He was smiling, but the reek of angry testosterone coming off him scared her. She resisted, got dragged a few inches, and had to let her wolf out to add strength.
On the plus side, she broke loose.
Huge minus, he glared suspiciously at her. She didn’t
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