Free Amaryllis by Jayne Castle Page A

looked at him with mute question in her eyes.
    â€œHe stopped focusing,” Lucas said. “Shut down as though someone had thrown a switch.”
    â€œHe?”
    â€œYeah, I’m pretty sure there’s only one person in this room who would be using that kind of talent.”
    Amaryllis’s fine mouth tightened into a disapproving line. “Whoever it was, he burned out his prism.”
    â€œYou think so?”
    â€œYes, I do. He was too strong. They were obviously not properly matched by his focus agency. Obviously, he wasn’t a Psynergy, Inc. client. We would never make a mistake of that sort.”
    â€œOf course not,” Lucas murmured.
    â€œThat poor prism. Won’t be able to work for at least a week, maybe longer. I understand the feeling of losing your ability to hold a focus is extremely unpleasant.”
    â€œIt’s not painful, is it?”
    â€œNo. Not exactly. But most people who’ve been through it describe it as a sense of something missing. As if they’ve lost a part of themselves. They say it feels very unnatural. There is no excuse for that sort of mismatch between prism and talent.”
    â€œUh huh.” Lucas listened to the lecture with only a portion of his attention as he searched for Miranda in the crowd.
    â€œYou said you knew who the talent is?”
    â€œWhat? Oh, yeah, I think so. I’m guessing that because of the sort of talent he was using and the power level heemployed, it was probably—hold on a second.” Lucas broke off as Miranda Locking abruptly turned away from Merrick Beech and went down a darkened hall. “There she goes. Wonder what she’s up to now.”
    â€œWho? Miss Locking?” Amaryllis followed his gaze. She frowned when she caught sight of Miranda. “She looks very upset.”
    â€œMaybe Beech isn’t willing to pay her what she thinks Lodestar information is worth,” Lucas muttered. “This whole thing has been a waste of time and money. I shouldn’t have bothered to figure out why she was doing it. I should have just fired her and been done with it.”
    â€œShe’s headed toward the corridor that leads to the ladies’ room.” Amaryllis set down her glass. “I’ve got an idea. I’m going to follow her.”
    â€œWhat the hell do you think you’re doing?”
    â€œMiss Locking appears to be extremely anxious about something. I’m a prism, remember? That means I’m intuitive by nature.”
    â€œI’ve always felt that the theory that prisms are naturally more intuitive than other people was a myth,” Lucas said dryly.
    â€œWell, it’s not. I’ll follow Miss Locking into the rest-room.”
    â€œWhy?”
    â€œIn her present condition she might want to talk to another woman.”
    â€œYou think she’ll bare her soul to you? Forget it. That’s the dumbest idea I’ve heard in a month.”
    Amaryllis met his eyes. “You want answers, don’t you? I might be able to get them for you if I move quickly enough.”
    â€œDamn it, I don’t want you getting involved in this.”
    â€œI already am involved. And I’m the only one who can follow Miss Locking into the restroom.” Amaryllis whirled about and hurried off through the throng.
    â€œJust a damn minute. Come back here. I’m in charge of this fiasco.” Lucas realized that he was talking to himself. Never a good sign.
    He swore silently as he watched Amaryllis make her way along the fringes of the crowd.
    He had known it would be a mistake to work with a full-spectrum prism. Amaryllis was probably trying to prove how clever she was. Overcompensating for her lack of real talent, no doubt.
    Typical prism. Headstrong, difficult, and unpredictable.
    Unable to think of anything else to do, Lucas went after her.

Chapter
4

    Amaryllis’s hands were still trembling with reaction. She could not believe what had