Chapter 3 CAUGHT SNOOPING

CHAPTER 3

I moved, pushing the sleeping Fae from my body, and removed the skirt, revealing black spandex shorts. It matched the skin-tight tank top I'd allowed him to see. I quickly pulled my hair up and then removed the extra garments, tossing them into a wastebasket, along with the purse, and whispered the word for burn. "Exussum."

"Clara, are you still with us?" Adam's voice was loud inside my ear, but it pushed away the small ripple of fear that was creeping into my stomach at the job I had ahead of me.

"Copy that, Adam. It's raining men," I whispered with a smirk on my ruby red lips.

"Next floor. Twenty minutes on the clock," Adam replied.

"On my way," I whispered, looking at the sleeping Fae. I walked back over and pulled the small, special camera phone from my pocket before opening his eyes and flashing the device silently. "Thanks, Collin. Sorry," I whispered, before moving to the elevator and slapping another vellum onto the door.

"Open, patefacio," I said, adding the Latin to intensify the spell. When I was inside, I quickly kicked from the side of the glass wall and jumped to the top. Luckily, the glass double-pane elevator window didn't cave from my weight. I pushed the top open from where I stood, with two feet pushing against the glass, and removed it before making the small leap and grasping the opening with my hands to pull myself up.

When I was on the top of the elevator, I paused, checking for more cameras. I held my hand up to my ear and relayed to Adam. "Clear; heading up to the vault," I whispered.

"All is quiet outside, Clara. Good luck."

"Who needs luck?" I gave a soft, nervous laugh after the comm had gone silent. I looked around, still kneeling, since the elevator had yet to stop. There was an overhanging ledge from the top floor, which would mark his rooms.

When the elevator had finally gone up close enough that I could jump, I did, sailing through the air with no margin for error. My fingers touched upon the thick metal and held. I inhaled slowly, letting it out even slower. After a brief second, I pulled myself up and used the small picture of Dristan's eye at the sensor to gain entrance into the chamber.

I held my breath and, after a second that seemed to last for an eternity, it finally beeped. The doors slid open, revealing the Dark Prince's personal rooms. These were not warm and neutral as the other room had been. They were masculine shades and vibrant. The walls were a bright shade of red with artistic Celtic designs that seemed to encircle the entire top of the walls where they met the ceiling. Expensive white couches had been strategically placed throughout the room, the longest of which was placed in front of a wall bearing a large, ornate mirror that was actually embedded in it. By the look of it, I had a pretty good idea that it wasn't just for decoration. The elaborate frame held expensive double-pane glass so you could watch those who sat in the entryway without them knowing they were being observed. Shit.

I ripped another piece of vellum from my pocket. This one was designed specifically to look for hidden passageways, and slapped it on the wall bearing the mirror. Quickly whispering the same words, I watched as a small portion of the wall opened up. I quickly stepped back and took a fighting stance.

I didn't hear anyone approaching. I relaxed once I saw it revealed nothing more than a single walkway into the next room. I approached it cautiously, slipping around the large couch, my eyes searching for anything out of place. When I was satisfied that it was only a passage and not an actual portal into their realm, I stepped through. Thick, spelled walls moved, pulsing with a life of their own.

We had suspected that the Fae had brought parts of Faery into our world to bind the two and keep their entrance open, but this was more than we could have imagined. It also indicated that the Dark Prince probably had a Witch working with him.

The spelled walls were a dark blue, with a vibrant green that seemed to be pulsing, moving, and twisting as I walked beside it. It begged to be touched; calling out with a siren's song. I knew better, but even knowing it would probably lock me in place wasn't helping much. When I finally spotted another entrance, I took it.

This one opened up to his bedroom-not exactly where I would have chosen to go. The bed was huge; red silk sheets covered the entire frame snugly. Black pillows that matched the color of the walls were propped at the top of the bed and silver chains had been sewn into a few of them-so the Prince had a dark side. Go figure.

Pathetic. I scanned the room, noting there was only a single camera inside this room and it was aimed at the bed-yup, guy had issues. I left the room without a sound, scanning the few doors that were open to other rooms down the long hallway. I grinned when I finally saw the one I needed.

It was a thick type of wood and would take a few strips of vellum to open it. After I applied it and spoke the words very carefully, the door popped open with a small thump. I entered the room and cussed violently. It was not lost on me, the irony of it all. It had been relatively simple getting to this point.

Before me stood what appeared to be a torture chamber. And if that wasn't bad enough, a medieval obstacle course ran the length of the room up to the vault doors. It wasn't the torture chamber that had my knees shaking, nor was it the wicked looking tools either; it was the course. Whatever Fae had designed it had either spent way too many hours watching bad B-rated movies or had a perverse sense of humor thinking this would deter Humans.

Wicked looking curved blades swung from the wall in a synchronized pattern, while thick twelve-inch axe blades swung from another part and fire blared to life right after those nasty little bits. Of course, it had been crazy easy to get inside. No one in their right mind would try the damn course.

"Clara? How are we looking in there?" Adam's voice vibrated in my ear.

"Peachy," I growled, trying to figure out the pattern of the blades. I wanted to turn tail, go home and eat some chocolate just from looking at the damn thing. I'd live longer. My ass might not like me come morning, but I would be alive for it not to like me.

"Peachy as in smooth or, peachy as in you found something you didn't like?" Adam persisted.

"Hey, tell Larissa she can have my OPI collection if I don't make it out of here," I said, moving up to the course.

"Clara-"

"Enough, Adam. If you don't hear from me in twenty minutes, you need to head in and report to the Guild."

"That doesn't sound good," he said in a small voice.

"I need silence-no noise on the comm, Adam," I growled, trying to make myself grow enough balls to take the first step into the course.

I turned, eyeing the glass walls. What was it with these guys and glass? I noticed my platinum blonde hair looked darker inside the room. My azure eyes looked a little too big with the thick eyeliner covering them. I looked like a mess. My shorts were just that; very short. The tight tank top hugged my size Ds seductively, drawing my eyes to them instead of the star brands on my shoulders.

My mouth was actually quivering, and I was never afraid of anything-except the Fae. I turned away from the mirror, since it wasn't helping me. I needed to do this now, before the Prince returned. I re-pulled my hair back into a tight ponytail and stepped up to the gauntlet.

I inhaled, watching as the blades moved. I bit into my bottom lip and shook my head. There was no way to get past the knives. I was pretty sure the moment you tossed something into their space, more bad things would pop up. I let out a shaky breath and took off from a dead stop that would lock me into the deadly course.

The wicked looking blades shot out the moment I entered their path. One sliced through the small of my back, but it only drew a thin line of blood. Sure enough, as soon as I turned around, wicked looking poles shot up to keep me locked into the course.

"No going back now," I said to myself. I turned and ducked, rolling on my stomach as the blades whizzed past me. I was flat on my back as they swung mere inches from my face. I took a quick breath before I turned my head slowly, watching as the axe blade gouged two inches from the ground next to me.

I was skinny, but not that skinny. I counted and then rolled quickly to the next thing before standing effortlessly and twirling my body through yet more sharp blades and axes. When I had successfully made it past them, I barely avoided the flames that shot from the walls.

"Fire in front of me, water beneath me. Meet." I brought my hands together to give the spell more force without needing the ancient language.

Nothing happened. I hated his Witch, whoever it was-someone had used a lot of blood to ensure those flames were magic proof. "Aqua within, come to me," I whispered, allowing the magic to pulse through me. My body used the water inside to cover my skin, turning it slick and wet enough to quickly step through the flames and up to the vault door. "Take that, Witchy Witch," I growled, already tossing a few pieces of vellum onto the thick metal door. "Patefacio," I said, even as the thought crossed my mind that the course had been a little too easy.

I gave a wicked little grin at my success and stepped through the door-to a gun pointing at my face. I swallowed and looked around, calculating my chances of escape. I met a pair of eyes so golden that it startled me. The face they belonged to was harsh and beautifully masculine. Shit.

"Abort; that's a direct order," I said, with more calm than I was currently feeling.

"Clara?" Adam shouted.

"Run."