on the pretty sundress in a pale shade of lavender. There were also slip-on flats in butter-soft leather, and delicate undies that fit her to perfection.
With her composure restored, she stepped out of the bathroom and managed to meet Bas’s searching gaze with a tight smile.
“Ready?”
He grimaced. “As ready as I’ll ever be,” he muttered, moving to join her as she headed determinedly toward the door.
He’d changed into a pair of gray slacks and a crisp white cotton shirt that was left open at the throat, the sleeves rolled up to expose his forearms. With his pale, elegant features that contrasted with his silky ebony hair, he looked like he’d just stepped off the front of a fashion magazine.
At least until she caught sight of the bronze eyes that blazed with a power that could only belong to a warrior.
She shivered, wondering if there’d ever been a female who hadn’t looked at this male and been consumed with lust.
In silence they snuck out of the small hotel, walking along the bank of the river. At a glance they no doubt looked like a young couple simply out for a stroll on such a fine, sunny day. Up close, however, the air prickled with Bas’s magic as he kept his lean body close enough that she felt singed by his power.
She didn’t doubt he would rip apart anything that crossed their path.
The town disappeared, to be replaced by rolling vineyards with only a handful of distant cottages. The peace should have eased the tension that clenched her muscles, but she couldn’t shake the sensation of a ticking time bomb.
At last, they turned away from the river to head up a narrow path. In the distance she could see the top spire of the cathedral, but without warning Bas reached out to grasp her arm, bringing her to a sharp halt.
“He’s here,” he muttered.
Myst sent her companion a startled glance. “Here?”
Bas gave a slow nod, his expression wary. “Just ahead.”
Her gaze scanned the nearby fields, seeing nothing beyond the grapevines and a few birds that circled overhead. Had Bas made a mistake? Boggs was supposed to be waiting for them at the cathedral, not in the middle of the road.
“I don’t see him,” she admitted.
Bas nodded toward a small thatch of pine trees near the edge of the road.
“There.”
“Very good, assassin,” a disembodied male voice floated through the air.
Bas moved to stand directly in front of her, his vibrating energy stirring the dust beneath their feet.
“Show yourself,” he commanded.
An electric surge of magic clashed against Bas’s power, making the hair on the back of Myst’s neck stand upright.
Damn. She took a step back. She felt as if she was going to get fried.
“Not until I’m sure you weren’t followed,” the unseen male responded. “The last time you brought the enemy to my favorite lair.”
“We didn’t know the Brotherhood was able to find us,” Bas said, a bite in his voice.
“Which is why I tried to alter the place of our meeting at the last second,” Boggs retorted.
Myst grimaced. That explained why Boggs wasn’t waiting for them at the cathedral.
Bas muttered a curse, pausing to glance around the empty countryside.
“There’s no one near.” He gave an impatient gesture with his hand. “Let’s get this over with.”
“Very well.”
There was a faint rustle in the shadow of the trees before a tall, lean man walked down the road.
“Oh . . . Lord.” Her stomach twisted with shock.
She’d never seen anything like the Keeper of Tales.
His features were barely formed and his eyes glowed with white power. He was a pale, hairless creature that looked more like a larva than a man.
At the moment, his body was covered in a dull brown robe that covered him from his neck to his toes. Something she was deeply thankful for. She was fairly certain she didn’t want to see what was beneath the thick wool.
“Bothered, sweet Myst?” Boggs asked in a singsong voice. “I can make myself more appealing if you want.”
Myst made a sound of shock as the creature moved closer, his features smoothly transforming until he was an exact duplicate of Bas, except for the eyes, which remained a pure white.
A doppelganger.
She’d heard of them, but she’d never seen anything so . . . unnerving.
Bas hissed in anger, his body stiff as he clenched his hands at his sides.
“We’re here for answers, not parlor tricks.”
The creature shrugged, releasing his magic. Instantly he returned to his larva state.
“I have answers,” he taunted, “but do you know the