Free Obsidian Prey by Jayne Castle Page B

to seize the opportunity to imprint himself on her forever.
    But he managed, somehow, to let her go. He took a step back out into the hall. For a moment she just looked at him, her eyes sultry and a little unfocused with desire. Her lips were full and slightly parted. She blinked a couple of times, and then she was back in command of herself and the situation.
    “You always were a really good kisser,” she said softly.
    He was not sure how to take that, but he could not afford to be choosy. Any kind of wanting on her part was better than total rejection.
    “Will you let me take you out to dinner tonight?” he said. “We’ll make it an early evening, since you’re not going to get much sleep this morning.”
    “I’ll think about it. I’m too tired to make a decision now. Call me this afternoon.”
    She closed the door very gently but firmly in his face.
    He stood looking at the closed door for a while, wondering if she was setting him up for a refusal later. When he realized he could not decide, he went back downstairs and headed home.

Chapter 6

    FOUR HOURS LATER SHE DRESSED FOR HER HARMONIC Meditation class in the uniform that signified her beginner’s status: baggy gray trousers and a loose-fitting, wide- sleeved gray shirt secured with a plain gray sash. She was still a little groggy in spite of two large mugs of strong coffee.
    When she opened the door of her apartment, she woke up fast. Her own face stared back at her from the front page of the Herald . She was not alone in the photo. Vincent was on her shoulder, looking like an adorable ball of badly wrapped yarn in a red beret. Cruz was also in the picture. He looked like he always did, the chief hit man in charge.
    “Looks like we’re famous, again, Vincent. Just like the old days when we sued Amber Inc.”
    Vincent made chirpy sounds and peered out of the partially unzipped gym bag that she used to carry her meditation gear. He showed no interest in the newspaper.
    She scanned the headline and read the story with a rising sense of unease.
    CRISIS DRAWS NEW AI SECURITY CEO
    An emergency at a recently discovered alien ruin in the underground rain forest brought the new CEO of Amber Inc.’s security division to the scene. Cruz Sweetwater was accompanied by Lyra Dore, who recently dropped a lawsuit she had brought against Amber Inc.
    A spokesperson for AI indicated that Miss Dore was an antiquities consultant who catered to an exclusive clientele. He stated that she possessed the unique skills required to rescue five members of a research team who were trapped in the ruin known as the Amethyst Chamber. The precise nature of the problem was described as a “technical malfunction.” The team emerged, unharmed.
    Mr. Sweetwater and Miss Dore left the scene together, leading observers to question whether Dore’s lawsuit had been dropped because the pair was involved in a personal relationship.
    “Well, I suppose the speculation was inevitable,” Lyra said to Vincent. “There will be a lot more of the same if I’m seen having dinner with Cruz tonight. But, hey, they called me an antiquities consultant who caters to an exclusive clientele . That’s a step up from three months ago when the press implied that I was a low-end tuner who dabbled in the shady side of the relics trade.”
    She tossed the newspaper onto the hall table and continued downstairs. A glance at her watch informed her that she was going to have to hurry to get to the morning class on time. Fortunately, Master Quinn’s studio was only a few blocks away.
    The waking nightmare struck half a block later. Between one step and the next she suddenly found herself in a twisted, horribly distorted version of reality. The familiar street coiled like an infinitely long snake ahead of her, the head vanishing into dark infinity. The old Colonial-era buildings on either side of her loomed, impossibly high and strangely narrowed, over her head. Windows glittered like the eyes of great insects.
    “Oh,