man gave a pained sound of relief as he collapsed beneath her. Breathing a heavy sigh, he pushed up from the dust and stepped back, rubbing his wrist with a contrite expression.
Seth placed his hand lightly on her back.
"Little breeze might help," he suggested, turning her toward the open desert and leading her away from the dispersing group of onlookers.
"You alright?" he asked softly.
"You shouldn't be here, Seth," she said under her breath. "These people aren't what they seem."
"Maybe you should leave with me."
"I can't."
"Why is that?"
"Because I can't. They've done something, something to me, and there are others. You don't understand."
He shook his head. "Miranda—"
"You have to stay away from them, and from me."
"You expect me to just walk away?"
"You don't know me. And I don't know you."
He nodded, squinting into the hot sunlight, his black hair shining thickly under the brim of his hat. "You might be underestimating me a bit."
"Your involvement?"
"My character," he replied, looking down at her.
She shook her head. "You think just because of what happened last night, there's something between us? Can't you see that's what they want you to believe? You're being manipulated. It's not just me they want."
He frowned, concern surfacing in his eyes.
"Goddess!" Julie approached her, breathless. "I am so sorry. You must need rest. The Necromancer will be furious with me for having exhausted you. Please, we'll go back right away. You'll have plenty of time to prepare for the party tonight. He'll be so angry with me if you don't feel well enough to attend."
Miranda struggled for composure, knowing that she couldn't afford to distance the younger woman now. She had to play her part. She had to force it, hold it together.
She cut her gaze away from Seth, walking past him toward the litter. "Take me back. I want to go back now."
"What about Seth?" Julie asked, looking confused. "Surely he will come too. Or tonight, he can—"
"I'm choosing a new one."
"What?" Julie sounded horrified. "You can't!"
"Can't what?" Miranda asked, climbing back into her litter and settling herself on the cushions. "He's not the one."
Julie looked from Miranda to Seth, her expression pained.
"Come," Miranda commanded. "We will not see him again."
Her bearers raised the litter with a quick heave and turned in the direction of their camp. Julie kept pace anxiously beside them as they marched toward a line of bicyclers. Miranda glanced back at Seth as they drifted away from him.
He stood in place, his large shoulders held straight and tanned under the sun, his hands on his hips and his gaze angled thoughtfully under the brim of his hat.
Chapter Five
S eth released a long breath through his teeth, watching as Miranda's captors carried her away across the desert. He wanted nothing more than to stop them in their tracks, drag her down from that ridiculous litter and take her to safety. The only thing standing in the way of it was Miranda herself.
It was obvious that she was the fighting type, a woman who believed that her only recourse, in any situation, was to assume control and attack. She didn't seem to recognize that she needed help. Maybe she didn't want to. Maybe she was afraid to. Either way, he couldn't reach her if she shut him out.
They've done something to me.
He glowered in the heat. What, baby girl? What have they done to you? How can I make you trust me? How can I convince you to talk to me?
"Wow," Pete's grizzled voice issued from behind a gold tinted astronaut's helmet. "You really know how to get in harm's way, don't ya, sport?"
Seth swore under his breath.
The FBI agent was dressed in a cumbersome white astronaut suit, complete with a fan disguised as a jet pack. The surreal horizon of the playa was reflected in the shine of the helmet, the faded line of pale sand and blue sky interrupted by bicycling silhouettes.
"Still my Miranda," Pete said.
" Your Miranda?"
"Those redheads. Tenacious as hell. I knew
Seth placed his hand lightly on her back.
"Little breeze might help," he suggested, turning her toward the open desert and leading her away from the dispersing group of onlookers.
"You alright?" he asked softly.
"You shouldn't be here, Seth," she said under her breath. "These people aren't what they seem."
"Maybe you should leave with me."
"I can't."
"Why is that?"
"Because I can't. They've done something, something to me, and there are others. You don't understand."
He shook his head. "Miranda—"
"You have to stay away from them, and from me."
"You expect me to just walk away?"
"You don't know me. And I don't know you."
He nodded, squinting into the hot sunlight, his black hair shining thickly under the brim of his hat. "You might be underestimating me a bit."
"Your involvement?"
"My character," he replied, looking down at her.
She shook her head. "You think just because of what happened last night, there's something between us? Can't you see that's what they want you to believe? You're being manipulated. It's not just me they want."
He frowned, concern surfacing in his eyes.
"Goddess!" Julie approached her, breathless. "I am so sorry. You must need rest. The Necromancer will be furious with me for having exhausted you. Please, we'll go back right away. You'll have plenty of time to prepare for the party tonight. He'll be so angry with me if you don't feel well enough to attend."
Miranda struggled for composure, knowing that she couldn't afford to distance the younger woman now. She had to play her part. She had to force it, hold it together.
She cut her gaze away from Seth, walking past him toward the litter. "Take me back. I want to go back now."
"What about Seth?" Julie asked, looking confused. "Surely he will come too. Or tonight, he can—"
"I'm choosing a new one."
"What?" Julie sounded horrified. "You can't!"
"Can't what?" Miranda asked, climbing back into her litter and settling herself on the cushions. "He's not the one."
Julie looked from Miranda to Seth, her expression pained.
"Come," Miranda commanded. "We will not see him again."
Her bearers raised the litter with a quick heave and turned in the direction of their camp. Julie kept pace anxiously beside them as they marched toward a line of bicyclers. Miranda glanced back at Seth as they drifted away from him.
He stood in place, his large shoulders held straight and tanned under the sun, his hands on his hips and his gaze angled thoughtfully under the brim of his hat.
Chapter Five
S eth released a long breath through his teeth, watching as Miranda's captors carried her away across the desert. He wanted nothing more than to stop them in their tracks, drag her down from that ridiculous litter and take her to safety. The only thing standing in the way of it was Miranda herself.
It was obvious that she was the fighting type, a woman who believed that her only recourse, in any situation, was to assume control and attack. She didn't seem to recognize that she needed help. Maybe she didn't want to. Maybe she was afraid to. Either way, he couldn't reach her if she shut him out.
They've done something to me.
He glowered in the heat. What, baby girl? What have they done to you? How can I make you trust me? How can I convince you to talk to me?
"Wow," Pete's grizzled voice issued from behind a gold tinted astronaut's helmet. "You really know how to get in harm's way, don't ya, sport?"
Seth swore under his breath.
The FBI agent was dressed in a cumbersome white astronaut suit, complete with a fan disguised as a jet pack. The surreal horizon of the playa was reflected in the shine of the helmet, the faded line of pale sand and blue sky interrupted by bicycling silhouettes.
"Still my Miranda," Pete said.
" Your Miranda?"
"Those redheads. Tenacious as hell. I knew
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