Devyn drew the goggles back over his eyes, focusing just behind Dallas. Once again, there were two slashes of red, indicating two people. One seemed to be inside the wall.
Again, he tore the goggles off. Again, only Dallas was visible. Another invisible Schön? No, couldn't be. They couldn't become part of an object. Could they?
He was afraid to freeze whoever it was, afraid the man—or woman?—would be killed or stuck in the wall for twenty-four hours, and Devyn would have to wait to get to him. Or her. More than that, a dead person couldn't answer questions, and Devyn suddenly had a million.
More than losing, he hated mysteries.
"No matter what I do, keep your attention on Nolan. Also, move away from the wall," he told Dallas quietly. "You've got a shadow."
"Need cover?" Dallas inched to a stand and eased to the center of the alley. "Please."
"Let's talk about this, Nolan," his friend said to the otherworlder to mask Devyn's actions. "Surely we can work something out."
"Yeah, like my death."
"You're the one who escaped."
"I told you. It was that or die. I'm not ready to die, damn it!"
With Dallas out of the way and approaching Nolan, Devyn inched toward the wall. Strangely enough, the red light seemed to be coming toward him, as well. Keeping his gun trained with one hand, he once again shoved his goggles out of the way with the other. Sure enough, the wall was moving.
Then a woman's shape began to take form, though her skin was the exact pattern of the red brick behind her. Even her hair boasted that dusty red as it fluttered in the breeze. His eyes widened, and his breathing quickened. Bride. Here she was, right in front of him, blending into her surroundings like a chameleon. He hadn't known such a thing was possible, had never seen it done before.
Slowly the bricklike pattern faded, leaving the pale nakedness he thought he'd glimpsed this morning but had convinced himself was nothing more than a mind trick. How wrong he'd been. She had indeed been following him, watching him. Idiot. Fool. You pride yourself on your knowledge of the opposite sex. You should have figured out the truth.
"Told you I'd find you," she said smugly. She rubbed between those magnificent br**sts, as if something pained her. "Lucky you, I caught sight of you this morning, talking to a group of models leaving a photo shoot. Big surprise. Moment I heard there were models in the area, I knew you'd be nearby."
Knew him so well, did she? Well, he might have heard about the model shoot himself, and that might have been why he'd gone to that side of town, but he'd been asking those women about Nolan, not screwing them blind. So there. You are indeed a fool.
"Come on," she said with a laugh and darted around the corner, away from the action. "Let's play."
Devyn followed, calling, "Stop." He hated leaving Dallas alone with Nolan, but it couldn't be helped. Bride had trailed him all day. Had heard his conversations about Nolan. She now knew things she wasn't supposed to know. Things the public couldn't know.
Thankfully, she stopped, faced him. Her skin and hair were now silver, the color of the stone behind her.
"What? You're eager to talk now?" she asked, and this time her voice was as smooth as silk.
"It is my lucky day, pet," he said, because he didn't know what else to say. Shock was pounding through him, sharp and potent. Shock ... and desire. She was here, and she was naked. "We're together again at last. Did you dream of me?"
"If by dreams you mean night terrors, then yes."
He should stun her, he thought, brain finally kicking into gear. Yes, stun. Hello, Dev. He doubted AIR would mind if he froze her and chained her to his bed. As long as she wouldn't be spilling secrets, they'd be happy.
Without alerting her to his intentions, he aimed, squeezed the trigger. Blue beams illuminated the front of the building.
Like Nolan, she dodged out of the way. Damn it! How were they doing that? Clearly, Devyn needed to learn how to do it so that he could combat it when others did it.
A sexy chuckle escaped her. "I've evaded more pyre-fire over the long years than you can possibly imagine."
"Oh, really?" He fired again, even as his mind latched on to all the energy inside her. He'd controlled her body once; he could control it again. "A naughty girl, were we?
Again, she dodged. Again, she laughed. Until ... he paralyzed that energy, and thereby her body, and she ceased moving. Dear God, the power inside her ... it was a beacon to him, a shimmering drug of light and dominance.
For a moment, he simply luxuriated in all that electric strength, letting it wash through him, intoxicating him, making him feel invincible. There was just so much of it, each particle more astounding than the last. Surely it was enough to win ten thousand wars without breaking a sweat. And yet, he already craved more. Hungered for it.
Never had another person's energy affected him like this. Not even a vampire's. Bride had to be something more. But what?
"Think you've got me now, do you?" she said, drawing his attention. Now was not the time to bask or ponder. "Think? Silly girl. I know so."
"You should have taken me to the women, like I asked. Now you're going to give me the answers I sought, and a whole lot more, or you'll never see the otherworlder again."
An empty boast, but cute all the same. "I do like your spirit.”
“Then you should love this."
Before his eyes, her body seemed to explode, to break apart, a black mist shooting from where she'd stood. He lost his hold on her and wanted to sob.
"Bride," he called, but the thick mist was moving ... faster ... faster ... swirling together and heading back around the corner.
Once again, Devyn followed her. "Dallas, man, duck!" he shouted, when he saw that she meant to slam into his friend, who was still engaged with Nolan.
As before, Dallas obeyed without hesitation. The mist soared over him. Rather than stop, turn, and go back for him, the mist continued to move forward, surrounding Nolan. Still swirling, now thickening. Dallas fired his weapon, but the beams darted straight through and hit the back wall.
Made sense. There was nothing to absorb it.
"Bride, don't touch him. He's infected. You could die. Bride!" The mist never ceased whirling. Never even slowed. Wind velocity increased, dancing his hair around his head. With it came a desperation he didn't understand, a fury he did, and a sense of excitement he couldn't deny.
Nolan tried to beat his way free, but the mist held tight, raising him up, a tornado that couldn't be stopped, and freezing him as Devyn and Dallas had been unable.