Free Cursed Kiss (Paranormal Romance) by Helen Scott Taylor Page A

gifted with the talent to control the portal.
    The wall distended towards them. Luka stepped forward, Pablo at his side. Her focus faltered, her gaze darting to Luka, her thoughts willing him to change his mind and stay.
    "Goodbye, Clare. You remain in my heart." He kissed two fingers and blew the kiss her way, then moved into the portal.
    The window bulged as it had before and swallowed the two men. Clare pressed a hand over her mouth and closed her eyes.
    "Clare!"
    Her eyelids opened in surprise. Luka strode back to her. He hadn't gone. Relief surged through her, quickly followed by worry as she noticed Pablo staring at them from the bedroom in Taldom.
    "We can't leave Pablo alone. Quickly, try to send me again," Luka said.
    "Stand right by the portal." Luka stood with his nose almost touching the wall. Clare closed her eyes to focus and imagined him stepping through to join his friend.
    At the sound of Luka's curse, she glanced his way to find the wall was now blank stone again.
    "Blast!" Luka banged a fist against the rocks. "What went wrong?"
    A flash of guilt burned her gut. She might have intended to send Luka, but part of her had wanted him to stay. Her conflicting emotions must have messed with the portal.
    "I can't believe this happened." Luka pulled off his helmet and ran his fingers back through his hair. "We must get Pablo back."
    The blank stone wall in front of them cleared and suddenly Pablo was visible again on the other side of the portal.
    "Quickly, try to send me again." Luka stepped up to the wall and glanced over his shoulder at her.
    The wall bulged towards them like a bubble and she tried to focus, but it was almost impossible. She grabbed a steadying breath and tried again but her thoughts were all over the place.
    "Now, Clare. Now! Before we lose the link."
    Mist crept across the image and she could see it was about to slip away. "No," she whispered in desperation. There was only one thing to do. She would have to go through herself and bring Pablo back.
    As the image faded, she dashed at the wall. The cold nothingness of the portal swirled around her and her vision grayed. Then she stumbled into an old-fashioned bedroom and fell into Pablo's arms.
    ***
    Luka gaped at the blank wall that had swallowed Pablo and now Clare. After a few seconds of shock, he came to his senses and ran after Clare into the shimmering grayness. It dissolved around him and he crashed into the wall.
    He slammed his fist against the stone and cursed.
    How could this have gone so wrong? He was the one who wanted to pass through and he was the only one left behind. He rested his forehead against the cold stone and gathered his thoughts. For some reason Clare hadn't been able to send him, that much was obvious. She must have gone herself at the last minute with the intention of bringing Pablo back.
    His frantic breathing eased, but frustration still tightened a knot in his guts.
    Then another thought intruded on his thoughts, one he hadn't even considered until now. Without Pablo, he had no way of harvesting the psychic energy he needed to survive. If he tried to take it directly from someone, he was likely to take too much and kill them.
    He would not become a killer. He was sure Monique had hoped she could drive him down that path, but he refused to let the evil witch win. He'd rather wither and die alone than steal the life of others to survive.
    Luka yanked off the armor piece by piece and tossed it in a heap against the wall. He ran up the steps and went to his room to don normal clothes. He trusted Clare to get Pablo back and when the call came from one of his properties that they had come through a portal, he wanted to be ready to fetch them if necessary.
    He instructed Madame Rousseau to pack food and drink, and a bag with a change of clothes for each of them. Then he returned to his office and gave instructions for the helicopter to be made ready and brought around to the front lawn.
    With tense, precise movements, he