Circle of Fire (Damask Circle 1)

“Get rid of it.”

She opened the door and threw the arrow out into the night. Cold air rushed in, swirling around him. He struggled upright, fighting the lethargy taking hold of his body.

“Thank you,” he said, as she slammed the door shut.

She smiled wryly. “I’d say you’re welcome, but it’s not something I’d ever like to do again.”

“If I had more time, I’d take you out to dinner or something.” It sounded cold, even to him. But the cat was out there somewhere. Even if he couldn’t find it tonight, he still had to go back to the inn and retrieve the stuff he’d left there. It might have been easier to stay in Madeline’s company, but he couldn’t involve her more deeply. She said her nephew was safe. Let that be the end of it. Better she thought the worst of him. He grabbed the door handle and pulled it back. “I guess we’ll just have to take a rain check, sweetheart.”

He saw her eyes widen before he let the magic take him.

* * *

MADDIE STARED AT JON. FOR CHRIST’S SAKE, SHE WAS still covered in his blood and hers, and here he was giving her a casual brush-off! “Don’t you dare leave just yet—”

But she was speaking to the night.

Maddie blinked. How could an injured man move so fast? She scrambled out of the truck and ran to the passenger side. He was nowhere to be seen. She bit her lip and studied the darkness. He could barely walk ten minutes ago; surely he couldn’t be too far away. She grabbed the flashlight and swept the bright beam across the road. The undergrowth beneath the trees didn’t look as if it had been disturbed recently. So where in the hell had he gone, if not through there?

“Damn you, Jon! Come back here.”

The keen of the wind through the treetops was her only answer. She shivered and watched the shadows uneasily. Something didn’t feel right. A twig snapped suddenly, and she swung the flashlight’s beam across the thick stand of trees to her right. The undergrowth stirred, and out of the shadows stepped a dark-colored cat, its eyes like green fire in the darkness. Not just any cat but a big, black panther.

Something in the creature’s jewel-like gaze made Maddie’s soul tremble.

She edged backward, feeling for the truck’s door. The creature snarled silently, revealing teeth that were long and white. Maddie jumped into the truck and slammed the door shut. The engine started the first time she twisted the ignition, and she shifted into gear. Then she hesitated, eyeing the darkness beyond the headlights.

Jon was still out there, injured and alone, with a panther stalking the area. Would the cat smell his blood and hunt him down? Maybe she should report the panther’s presence—only who would believe her? Panthers weren’t exactly native to this area, and unless someone had reported that one escaped, they’d probably think she was nuts.

Or drunk.

If only. She took a deep breath and tried to calm the irrational rush of anger. She knew it stemmed more from her need to find Evan than Jon’s casual gratitude and sudden disappearance, but she wished he’d had the decency to stick around, even if it was just long enough to refuse to help her.

He never promised to help me, though. It’s my fault I’m here, running from shadows and cats. Not his.

And she couldn’t leave until Evan was safe.

She drove the truck back onto the road and quickly headed toward the inn.

Rain was pelting across the windshield by the time she reached it. She switched off the engine, then glanced across at the inn. The light peeking past the edges of the curtains indicated someone was still up, despite the fact that it was after eleven. But the night manager had said he’d wait and let her in. So why was she suddenly wary?

Maybe her encounter with the cat had scared her more than she’d thought. Or maybe it was the way the shadows crowded the building and gave the appearance of skeletal hands creeping across the outer edges of the light. Or maybe she was simply tired and needed to rest. She glanced down at her palm, which had finally stopped bleeding, then at the rest of her bloodied clothing. How was she going to explain this away if anyone was awake? Fortunately her jacket, when she found it, was relatively free of blood on the outside, though the lining was stained where it had rested against Jon’s wound. She shrugged it on and found that it covered some of the damage. But what of the rest?

Then she remembered the old rain poncho she kept in the truck for emergencies. She threw that on, too, and was relieved to note that whatever was not hidden by the jacket was now covered by the poncho. Thus armored, she exited the vehicle and ran across the lawn to the front

steps.

The bell chimed brightly as she closed the door behind her. Maddie grimaced and shook the rain off her poncho. No one came to greet her, and she drew a grateful breath. The last thing she needed was company—especially if that company was the night manager with the creepy eyes.

Warmth surrounded her as she headed quietly toward the stairs. A woman was talking softly in the parlor to her right, her voice mellow and deep, but beyond that, there was no other sound.

Then the sudden shattering of glass made her stop and glance upward. Had a tree branch gone through one of the upstairs windows? Footsteps sounded behind her, and she whirled around. The night manager had stopped in the parlor doorway and was leaning casually against the door frame.

“Hello again. Enjoy the drive?”

“Yes, thanks,” she said, hoping that the poncho had done its trick. His voice held nothing beyond polite interest, but there was still something about him that made her uneasy. Maybe it was just the smug half-smile that touched his thin lips, or the way his gaze roamed her body.

Please, don’t let him see any blood …