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Completely gone.
And yet I'd seen or heard no movement and his car was still parked up the road.
How could he leave without me catching some hint of it? He may have vampire speed, but even if he'd moved faster than a speeding bullet, I still should have caught some hint of it. Should have seen the disappearing flare of his life force.
Frowning, I scanned the area with infrared, looking for some sign of him. Why would he wait all this time for Maisie, then run off? It made no sense at all.
Then I caught the familiar scent of sandalwood and masculinity on the air. Quinn's scent.
He was still here, even if I couldn't see him.
I raised my nose, drawing in the scent, trying to find direction. It was coming from high above me. Not from the rooftops, but from the sky itself.
My gaze went to the night and the stars, but there was nothing to be seen beyond the gathering clouds and the brightly shining moon.
What the hell was going on? Vampires couldn't fly - not unless they were bird-shifters in their pre-vampire life, anyway. And whatever else he was, Quinn wasn't a shifter. Of that, I was sure.
Then something he'd said a few months ago came back to me. I'd asked him how he'd gotten into Starr's compound without Rhoan or anyone else seeing him, and he'd said, I simply ceased to exist in any term the human mind recognizes.
Shame he'd forgotten to mention the same damn talent allowed him to fly.
My gaze went back to Maisie. She'd reached the front door and was searching through her bag. Obviously, she didn't keep her door keys on the same tag as her car keys. For a powerful mage, she was kinda dumb.
Quinn's scent sharpened, and I had a sudden sense of movement through the air, though there was still nothing to be seen.
At the last possible moment, Maisie seemed to sense the same thing, because she swung around and gasped. A hand formed out of thin air, chopping down hard. Maisie dropped to the steps like a stone.
Quinn's form seemed to merge from the night as he drifted down the steps, landing neatly and lightly next to Maisie's body. He studied her for a moment, then looked around, his gaze skimming past my hidey-hole with nary a pause of concern. Then he bent, picked Maisie up, and walked down the steps toward his car. He placed her in the passenger seat, then climbed into the driver's seat, started the engine, and zoomed off. I watched the car disappear, then backed out of my hiding spot and shifted shape. The compulsion and the moon heat leapt into focus, but one was now stronger than the other.
Maybe shifting into wolf shape several times had finally muted the strength of Quinn's order. Which was good, because I needed to go to the club and do some serious ache-easing.
As my steps echoed across the still night, I pressed the com-link in my ear and said, "Hello, hello, anyone tuned in?"
"I'm always tuned-in, unlike some former liaisons who shall go unmentioned."
Oh joy. The caramel cow. "And a good evening to you, too, Sal."
"What do you want, Riley?"
Pleasantry, which I was never going to get talking to her. But I guess I wasn't overly generous with it myself, so I was hardly in a position to bitch.
Which had never stopped me before.
"Jack around anywhere?"
"One moment, please."
The sound of heels clicking came through the earpiece, meaning Jack was somewhere other than his desk. "Riley?" he said, after a moment. "Did you take care of our mage?"
"Not exactly."
"What happened?"
"Quinn happened." And just mentioning his name had the barely settled anger rising again.
Jack sighed. "What's he done this time?"
"He's just kidnapped our little mage."
