Page 25

“I don’t have anywhere to go.”

“I’ll get you a hotel room.”

“But … I have no way to pay you back.”

“It isn’t necessary.”

She looked up at him, her expression wary. Why was he being so nice to her? What did he expect in return?

“Listen. Just believe me when I say we’re friends. You don’t have to pay me for dinner or anything else. I expect nothing in return. I’m just helping out a good friend who I’ve known for a long time.”

“You’re very kind.”

Kind? It took all his self-control not to laugh.

“You said I used to live in California. Was I living there when I got sick?”

Saintcrow swore under his breath. So many questions he wasn’t prepared to answer. “No. You’d moved to Wyoming by then.”

“Can you take me there?”

“I’m afraid your place has been rented to someone else.” Another lie, he thought glumly.

“Oh. And my things?”

“I don’t know.” Trying to explain where they were and why they were in his house was just too complicated at the moment.

Kadie protested when he insisted on taking her shopping. “Really, I can’t let you …”

“I’m afraid you can’t stop me,” he said, taking her hand in his. “You need something to wear and I’m going to buy it, so you might as well come along and pick out what you want.”

There was no arguing with the man, she decided, as they entered the mall.

It was like Christmas morning and her birthday all rolled into one as he insisted on buying her a dozen new outfits, a robe and a couple of nightgowns, shoes and boots and slippers.

She couldn’t help blushing as she picked out a few changes of underwear, with Saintcrow standing behind her.

He also bought her a cell phone and added his number. “Call me,” he said. “Any time, day or night, if you need anything.”

They were loaded down with packages when they left the mall. Finding a hotel room was their next priority, and he found her a suite in the best hotel in New Orleans and paid for a month in advance.

“What are you?” Kadie asked, as they took the elevator to the third floor. “A millionaire?”

“Close enough.”

The room was lovely, all done in mauve and white with pale green accents.

Kadie followed Saintcrow into the bedroom, stood in the doorway, watching, as he dropped her bags on the king-size bed. When he turned to face her, an image of the two of them on the mattress, locked in each other’s arms, flashed across her mind.

“I’m tired,” she said, faking a yawn. “I’d like to get some sleep. It’s been an unusual day. I’m afraid I’m still reeling from everything that’s happened.”

Saintcrow nodded. “If you need anything from the hotel, just charge it to the room.”

“Thank you.”

“My pleasure.” He clenched his hands to keep from reaching for her. “Remember, if you need anything, call me.”

“I will.”

She had never been a good liar, he thought, as he left the hotel. And she hadn’t gotten any better at it.

Saintcrow had no sooner stepped outside than Eleni appeared beside him. “We have a deal,” she said, her voice laced with steel. “I think it’s time to consummate it.”

“I think it’s time to cancel it.”

“Cancel it? Why would I do that?”

“Because you violated our agreement. I promised you one night after you healed Kadie. You didn’t.”

“I provided the means.”

“That’s not the same thing.” An oath escaped Saintcrow’s lips as Eleni unleashed her power on him, driving him to his knees.

A young couple passing by grinned.

“Look,” the man exclaimed. “He’s proposing right in front of a hotel!”

“I guess they can’t wait for the honeymoon,” the woman said, with a laugh.

Eleni forced a smile until the couple were out of sight. “Stand up, you fool.”

A wave of her hand forced him to his feet as a fresh wave of pain rocked him. “You know I’m right,” he hissed through clenched teeth.

“In this case, might makes right,” Eleni replied. “How convenient that we’re so close to a hotel. Let’s go get a room.”

He had no choice but to follow her into the lobby. He stood there like a mindless robot as she asked for the bridal suite. Inside the elevator, she took his hand in hers.

“Are you gonna release me?” he asked.

“Of course.” A wave of her hand freed him from her thrall. “I want you to be able to move around as you see fit. Here we are,” she said when they reached the suite on the top floor.

“Alone at last.” A word opened the door.

Saintcrow followed her inside, stripped off his shirt and threw it on the floor. “Let’s do it.”

“Is that your idea of romance?” she asked, an icy edge to her voice.

“This isn’t romance, it’s blackmail,” he retorted. “Get undressed and let’s get this farce over with.”

Eleni glared at him, and he glared back.

And then his eyes narrowed. Dammit, he’d hurt her feelings when he would have bet Morgan Creek and everything he owned that she didn’t have any.

“I’m sorry,” he said, with a sigh. “But I can’t do it.

Do your worst. Destroy me if you have to.

But Kadie is my wife. I can’t betray her, not for you or anyone else. ”

Eleni turned her back on him, her hands fisted at her sides. Her power moved through the room like a tornado, breaking the lamps and the TV, shredding the curtains, crushing the coffee table. But it didn’t strike Saintcrow. “Go on,” she said. “Get out.”

“What about Kadie? You won’t …?”

“Get out!” She screamed the words at him, her fury shattering the mirror over the fireplace and everything else that hadn’t already been destroyed.

He wisely left the hotel before she changed her mind, but not before he checked Kadie’s room to make sure the wards he had set earlier were still strong and in place. They might not keep Eleni out, but they would warn him if she tried to cross them.