He stood up himself, felt his head start to throb harder, and guessed Kendall had gotten the pain worse than he had. “Sorry,” he repeated. “It won’t happen again, I swear.”
“It better not,” she grumbled, but he knew she wasn’t mad anymore. Moving carefully, she retrieved her bag and hitched it on her shoulder. “How do we get out of here?”
Wyatt looked around, but didn’t know for sure. The room was perfectly square, each wall identical. The boxes of alien goods were gone and the place was barren. “I think the entrance is to my left.” At least the opening had been on his left when he’d taken the hit. If they’d moved him after he’d gone down, then all bets were off.
Hours later, after feeling around the wall, trying to find some gizmo to open the damn thing, Wyatt conceded he could be wrong. Maybe it wasn’t this wall. Or maybe the only trigger was on the outside. He slammed the heel of his hand against the stone in lieu of cursing.
Kendall was on her knees to his right, patting around near the floor, and she stood when she heard the slap of skin against rock. She smiled at him and he felt his frustration melt away.
“Maybe we’ll be stuck in here for a while,” she said, sounding like the bubbly cheerleader she’d been accused of being, “but we’ll get out in time to sound the alert, and at least we won’t have to worry about hunger or thirst. Not right away. I still have my lunch and some water in my bag.”
“Food and water aren’t the top two items on my list of concerns.” He’d tried to keep the grimness out of his voice, but when he saw her smile fade, he knew he hadn’t succeeded.
“What are the top two worries?”
For an instant, he thought about lying. But Bug was tough enough to handle the truth. “My number one concern is they’ll realize how stupid it was not to kill us and come back to finish the job.”
“And your number two worry?”
“That they won’t.” She looked confused and he moved to pull her into his arms. “I’m beginning to wonder if the room is airtight. If it is, they don’t have to return. The lack of oxygen will kill us without leaving any evidence of foul play.”
Paranormal Romance by Patti O'Shea
The Light Warriors Series
Blood Feud World Stories
Crimson City Stories by Patti O’Shea
Through a Crimson Veil
— A Crimson City Novel
When a sexy half demon asks Conor McCabe for protection, he can’t say no and he doesn’t understand why. He hates demons. He doesn’t want to help her. He doesn’t want to want her, but every minute he spends with her strengthens his need to keep her safe—and intensifies the desire burning between them.
Mika Noguchi sought out Conor to steal the key that can free all demons imprisoned in Orcus. She quickly regrets her mission—Conor is her destined mate and he’ll view her theft as betrayal—but she gave her word to the council and the penalty for breaking it is severe.
Other demons are loose in Crimson City, however, and they have their own plans. They’re not about to let anyone stand in the way. Not Conor. Not Mika. They’ll do anything it takes to advance their agendas—even kill. (2006 Booksellers Best Award Winner — Best Paranormal)
Kimi Noguchi is working as an advertising agency intern and being trained in her magical powers. To her surprise, she’s learned she’s a kijo, a witch. Having talent is cool, but her magic attracts the attention of a power hungry Bak-Faru demon and she's forced to call on another demon, Nicodemus, for help.
Nic made a promise to stay away from Kimi for her own good, but now that she’s summoned him, all bets are off. She’s his vishtau mate, a bond held in reverence by all demons, and he’s not about to let this opportunity pass him by. Nic plans to protect, woo, and win his woman. (2008 More Than Magic Finalist—Best Novella)
Table of Contents
Dedication and Acknowledgements