Blood Lust - Alexandra Ivy Page 0,106

the doorway.

The four of them turned in unison to discover the Keeper of Tales standing just inside the office, his odd body covered by an ivory robe and his eyes shimmering pure white in the overhead lights.

“Shit, how do you do that?” Wolfe ground out between clenched teeth, his gun pointed at the doppelganger’s head.

“‘There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy,’” Boggs quoted with a twist of his lips.

“I’m going to staple a cowbell to your fucking ass,” Wolfe muttered, grudgingly lowering his gun. “That will keep you from sneaking up on me.”

Boggs clicked his tongue. “Always so testy, Tagos.”

“He’s not wrong,” Lana murmured, stepping around the bristling Wolfe to stand directly in front of Boggs. “I hope you’re here to help, Master?”

Boggs turned his head, his blind gaze resting on Myst. She shivered. Could he see her or did he have some other ability to sense she was near?

“I did foresee my skills would be needed when I met with the clairvoyant,” he murmured.

Myst frowned. She had a vague memory of him telling her his role had yet to be played, but she’d dismissed it as a way to get rid of them.

Now she studied him in confusion.

“What skills?”

The male moved forward, ignoring warning glares from both Bas and Wolfe as he stopped directly in front of her.

“My talent for this.”

There was a tingle of energy as the doppelganger abruptly shifted his appearance to look exactly like her.

Myst’s breath tangled in her throat. Good . . . Lord. He’d even created the raspberry sundress she’d pulled on after her quick shower.

It was Lana who realized precisely what the strange creature was implying.

“You’re suggesting that you pretend to be Myst?”

Boggs reverted back to his larvalike appearance, smoothing his hands down the front of his robe as he turned toward the Mave.

“So long as I can cover my eyes, the woman won’t be able to tell the difference,” he promised.

Myst allowed herself a brief flare of hope before Bas was giving a sharp shake of his head.

“That’s great, but it’s not going to do a damned thing if you can’t get past the layers of magic,” he snapped, clearly reaching the edge of his patience.

“I can get through,” Boggs assured him without hesitation.

Lana made a sound of shock. Clearly this was the first time she’d heard that someone might be able to get through one of her spells.

“How?”

Something that might have been a smile touched Boggs’s unformed face.

“My power to travel will allow me to pass through.”

Lana stepped forward, clearly intent on questioning him on his traveling ability, but Bas didn’t give her time to speak.

“I thought you needed to be close to the person for you to take their shape?” he pointed out, his clever brain searching out each problem.

He was too much a master tactician to accept any rescue plan that might put their daughter at risk.

Thank God.

“I do,” Boggs agreed, his confidence never faltering. “We need the woman who is holding the child to be near a door.”

Myst didn’t question how the creature knew that Stella had Molly as her hostage. Or that they needed him at this precise moment. He’d obviously seen something when they’d been together in France that had told him what was going to happen and where he needed to be.

A damned shame he hadn’t shared his vision.

“I can’t go through the spells,” she reminded him, growing increasingly restless.

Every minute that passed meant Molly was at the mercy of a woman without conscience or morals.

“No, but as long as you’re near the door, I can capture your essence.”

She frowned. It was possible for her to remain in the stairwell next to the locked door while Boggs traveled through the barrier. Stella might have gained powers, but she had no way of sensing that there were two “Mysts,” one inside and one hidden on the other side of the wall.

“I . . .” She gave a slow nod. “Okay.”

Her hesitant agreement hung in the air before Lana and Wolfe were surging into movement. Together they moved to push aside a panel on the wall, revealing a large map of Valhalla, softly arguing before they came to a mutual decision.

Glancing back at Myst, Lana pointed toward a stairwell at the north edge of the fifth floor.

“We need to get you here,” she said. “I can contact Stella on the intercom and show her your image standing at the door waiting for her. Once she’s sure you’re there