Free Priceless by Shannon Mayer Page A

just didn’t know what they were looking at most of the time.
    The fountain splashed merrily and the koi swam to the surface as we passed. “Little beggars,” Doran muttered, tossing them some small crumbs from his pocket. They gulped at the pieces, their mouths opening wide and showing flashes of silver and gold as they jostled for the bits of food.
    Inside the adobe house, the air was warm, and a large open fire pit in the middle of the structure roared upward, keeping the chill autumn air at bay.
    “Sit, we will discuss your needs . . . and mine,” he said, motioning to a plush cushion on the edge of the fire.
    A worm of unease began to crawl through the base of my spine, making its way upward. I didn’t know this shaman and I’d walked in here like it was safe. What had I been thinking? “I’ll stand. You know what I need, name your price.”
    Doran stared at me across the flames, his gaze travelling the length of my body twice before resting on my face. Slowly, he smiled. “Perhaps you can guess at my price for the knowledge you seek.”
    For the second time that day I blushed, the heat from the flames was nothing compared to the heat in my face. My jaw clenched at what he was implying. “I think you’d better just spit it out. I don’t like guessing games.”
    He grinned at me, white teeth almost sparkling. My eyes narrowed; I didn’t like this, but he was the only chance I had at finding India in time. Almost without thinking, I reached for her and was surprised when she reached back, just the faintest brush of her mind at the very edges of my own.
    “Help, please.”
    Stunned, I saw Doran’s mouth moving but heard nothing. Not one kid had ever reached for me, had ever felt I was going to try and help them. “I’m coming, just hang on,” I whispered under my breath, not sure if I could speak to her mind to mind.
    “What was that?”
    I waved my hand at him to continue and tried to piece together what he’d already said.
    “You see, I have some very particular needs,” he said, a smile tipping up the corners of his mouth. “I have very refined tastes, and quite frankly, the people around here just aren’t satisfying them.”
    Jaw tight, I held very still. It was the first time I’d ever dealt with a male shaman. I didn’t know if he was bluffing or if he truly wanted to get in my pants. “I’m not that kind of girl.” I bit out.
    “Not even to save a child? A little girl?” Doran spread his hands across his knees and rubbed his thighs. “Isn’t she about the same age as your sister was when she went missing?”
    Ice formed around my spine and heart. Maybe he thought I’d buckle under the mention of my lost family. “No, actually. Berget was younger by a few years.” Stepping around the fire I leaned down until our noses almost touched. “Try to use her for bait again, Doran, and it will be you that will go missing next.” By the end, my words were a bare whisper, only just audible above the crackle of the fire.
    “Oh, Rylee, how I wish I’d met you years ago.” He whispered back, as if I hadn’t just threatened his life. “A pint of blood will do, I suppose. Though I’d much prefer it to be taken by my mouth, I suspect you’ll insist on a blade?”
    I snapped backwards as if he’d slapped me. Blood. If he wanted blood, then . . . “You’re a daywalker?”
    Steepling his fingers under his chin, he laughed softly. “What did you think? That any old shaman could step in and replace all those women?”
    Daywalker. Vampire. They were the same thing, only one roamed the night, and the other roamed the day. Why hadn’t Dox warned me about this? Likely he didn’t know.
    I started to sweat, old fears surfacing. I’d faced down a daywalker once, to save a child. The end result was the daywalker was dead, and the kid safe, but I still had nightmares. Not to mention a few deep tissue scars that would never fade. The one in my lower back, just above my tailbone, started to throb as