Page 130 of Dark Seduction

Her vision blurred, she saw a beautiful, elegant lady from high society, dressed very much the way the British royals did. She wore a sleeveless print dress, white gloves, high heels and a beautiful large-brimmed white straw hat trimmed with flowers.

And Claire looked at her face.

Her heart slammed to a stop.

The woman was herself.

AMY SMILED uncertainly at her as she came into Claire’s store. Claire hugged her hard. “Let’s go into the kitchen,” she said breathlessly.

Amy was wary. Then her cousin saw the small duffel bag near the stairs. In it were two pairs of Claire’s favorite jeans, a dozen thongs and bras, her sexiest little red cocktail dress with her Manolo Blahnicks, and five super-warm sweaters. Her laptop was in it, too, along with eight batteries.

“What’s this?” Amy asked very quietly, as if she already knew.

Claire took her hand. “I told the cops the truth. I really did go to Scotland.”

Amy stared. “I know. Who is he, Claire?”

Claire smiled. Amy thought she’d had a rendezvous in the present. “Malcolm of Dunroch, the laird of Dunroch.”

Amy’s eyes went wide. “You fell in love with the man you were fascinated with from the start?”

“Yes, I did. And he loves me.” Claire trembled. “I have to go back.”

“Of course you do. John and I were talking about it last night and wondering when you’d tell us the truth and why you left the love of your life.” Amy seemed relieved, but the last had been a question.

Claire said, “You should sit down.”

Amy followed Claire into the kitchen and sat. “I’m so happy for you.” She reached for her hand and grasped it.

Claire inhaled. “Amy, I meant it when I said I told the truth. I went to Scotland, but not the Scotland you are thinking of. I went to medieval Scotland, to the fifteenth century, and landed in the middle of a battle between good and evil. That’s where I fell in love with Malcolm.”

Amy didn’t bat an eye.

“Amy? Why aren’t you surprised?” But now, an inkling began. Hadn’t she always suspected that Amy knew more than she’d let on?

Amy covered her hand. “John doesn’t work for the Bureau’s counterterrorism unit,” she said. “He works for CDA.”

“I don’t get it,” Claire said slowly. “I’ve never heard of CDA.”

“It’s the Center for Demonic Activity. It’s top secret, a-need-to-know-only organization. He’s an agent there.”

Claire wasn’t that surprised. She thought of all of her cousin’s references to evil. Amy had known it all.

“He hunts evil, Claire, with some very sophisticated equipment, and he’s followed demons into past centuries three times.” She paled. “I hate it when he does that. I’m so afraid he won’t come back!”

“You know, when I learned about the demons and the Masters, I figured I wasn’t the only one who knew the truth. The odds were that world leaders and the government knew.”

“They do know. The DNA left at the scene of pleasure crimes isn’t human.”

Of course it’s not, Claire thought. “I guess the government’s afraid to come clean.”

“They’re afraid of mass hysteria! The demons are so strong. Every century, it has gotten worse. In CDA, there’s a department called HCU, which stands for Historical Crimes Unit. They research the crimes of the past and crunch numbers on the crime trends. Do you know that Stalin had aberrant DNA? This has been going on forever. It’s scary.”

“Is John a Master?” Claire asked bluntly.

Amy started. “The Masters are a myth—aren’t they? I mean, there are whispers and rumors of these old-world super knights—and I do mean super, as in supernaturally endowed with power—but no one has ever seen one. They’ve never been documented. It’s legend, it’s folklore, it’s fantasy. But we can hope, can’t we? It would be great if such a superhero really did exist.”

Claire hesitated. “They do exist. I’ve met them.”