Free Priceless by Shannon Mayer Page A

voice and a young man, no older than myself, was suddenly sitting on the passenger seat. Good thing indeed I hadn ’ t brought Alex with me. Doran was an average build . It was hard to distinguish his height while sitting , but I guess ed he was about my height . White blond hair stuck straight up as if magnetized , the tips dyed black . It was a sharp contrast for his dark green eyes that spoke of humour and fun, not magic and wisdom. Two piercings over his left eyebrow and one in the right side of his lower lip made him look a bit like a punk rocker. I had a very hard time seeing him as a shaman.
    I composed myself as fast as I could. “ You must be Doran. ”
    He smiled, a big open grin splitting his face from ear to ear. “ Yes. And those beautiful eyes must make you Rylee. ”
    I b linked, not sure how to react. Most people didn ’ t like my eyes, too many colours to be normal.
    Clearing my throat , I nodded. “ I need help with tracing a kid on the other side of the veil , but I don ’ t know how deep she ’ s been taken or which entry point to use . ”
    Doran shrugged . “ Which one ? I sn ’ t that always the question? ”“ For a price, of course. ” H is eyes darken ed . “ The deep levels on the other side of the veil are not very welcoming right now. Perhaps you ’ d be better off forgetting about this kid. ”
    Deep levels ? What was he talking about? I didn ’ t ask , though , as I knew it would only cost more and it likely didn ’ t matter.
    “ How much? ” I chose to ignore his warning. Shamans were like that, always full of doom and gloom , and in that at least, he was no different .
    “ The price is steep, I ’ m not sure you will be willing to pay it. ” He lifted an eyebrow, the two rings catching the last of the light from the setting sun through the windshield. “ Come in, it ’ s far more cozy in my home. ”
    Leaving the safety and additional weapons in my Jeep, I followed him into his territory after a quick glance around to be sure no one was looking. A shiver of air ripple d around me as I stepped across the veil. It was what separated t he human world from the worlds where many of the supernatural creatures lived, hiding out just under the human ’ s noses.
    A nyone watching would have seen us disappear and , though I was nervous, Doran didn ’ t seemed to be bothered at all. I knew most humans , if they did see something, would shake it off as a trick of the light. That ’ s not to say some humans didn ’ t go looking for the supernatural ; they 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