Page 74 of Killing Time

“Then you must come inside, of course,” she said. “Follow me.”

Even in mid-November, flowers bloomed in colorful pots on all sides, sweet and fragrant reminders that winters were much gentler here in the south. A fountain splashed cheerfully in thecenter of the tiled courtyard, and Seth thought it might be the sort of place where he could happily sit down with a book and while away a few hours.

Not that he would have the luxury to do so any time soon.

The floors inside were tile as well, a warm, reddish hue that went well with the stark white walls and the dark beamed ceilings overhead. But even in here, the impression was one of light and airiness, thanks to the tall, arched windows on either side and French doors that opened both onto the courtyard and into the gardens to the rear of the sprawling house.

Maya led them to a room where a woman who appeared to be in her late forties or thereabouts was sitting in a chair, nimble fingers busy with what looked to be some sort of crocheted scarf. Seth wasn’t sure whether anyone in the woman’s clan would need such a thing when winters in Phoenix were so mild, but he supposed there must be more mountainous areas in their territory where more traditional winter gear might be necessary.

As soon as they approached, however, she set the scarf and her crochet hook in the basket that rested on the floor next to her and gazed at them with lively dark eyes. She and her daughter shared many of the same features — the longish, delicate nose, the emphatic and elegant brows, a full, rosy mouth that had no need of lipstick.

“I am Anna de la Paz,” the woman said as she rose to her feet. “I recognize you, Ruby McAllister, but I do not know who this is.”

“Seth McAllister,” he supplied.

“My cousin,” Ruby added, probably unnecessarily, since all McAllisters were cousins of some sort.

“They said it was a problem with the Wilcoxes,” Maya chimed in, and theprima’sbrows rose.

“What have they done now?”

“Jasper Wilcox kidnapped me,” Ruby replied, clearly deciding there wasn’t much point in mincing words. “Seth was able to rescue me with the help of several Wilcoxes who didn’t agree with what theirprimushad done, but unfortunately, the woman who was assisting us seems to have fallen into their hands.”

The two de la Paz witches exchanged a glance, one that made it obvious they were less than thrilled to hear this information.

“Why would Jasper Wilcox kidnap you?” Anna asked, then added quickly so she wouldn’t seem dismissive of her guest’s ordeal, “But I am very glad to see you were able to escape without harm.”

“He thought by forcing me to bond with him, he would be able to break the curse that has hung over his clan for decades,” Ruby said. “We have our doubts that his wild scheme would have even worked, but that’s not the issue at hand right now.”

“No, that would be Jasper Wilcox’s brazen defiance of the laws we have all agreed to abide by,” Maya said. Unlike her mother, who did not appear either shocked or worried by what theprimushad done, theprima-in-waiting was visibly upset, petite form almost stiff with rage.

“It is a terrible thing,” her mother agreed, although her expression remained almost too serene, given the situation. “But since your clan was able to rescue you, Ruby, I am not sure what you expect us to do.”

Now Ruby sent Seth a worried look, as though she hadn’t been anticipating this sort of reaction from theprimaand didn’t know how she should respond.

He didn’t know for sure, either, but he thought he had better step in. “We were hoping you might provide some assistance. Jasper moved against the McAllisters this time, but there’s no saying that he might not try the same thing with your clan at some point.”

“I very much doubt that,” Anna de la Paz said. She still appeared mostly unmoved by their story, despite ramifications that Seth thought should be obvious. “Our territories don’t border one another’s, and he would be a fool to do anything to provoke us when he cannot easily retreat to his own lands. Also,” she added, now smiling slightly, “he would have no reason to do the same thing to my Maya here, for she has been married these past two years.”

Yes, that was a wide gold band on theprima-in-waiting’s tiny hand, looking almost too big for her slender finger.

A bonded and marriedprima-in-waiting certainly wouldn’t work for Jasper’s supposed needs.

“But he’s still holding my friend captive,” Seth protested. While he thought “friend” was far too casual a word to describe his relationship with Devynn, he wasn’t quite brave enough to say “lover”…and “girlfriend” sounded oddly juvenile and far too insipid a word for the connection they shared.

Whatever term he used, he knew he would do whatever he must to set her free.

“That is terrible,” Anna agreed. “However, if she was not his prey, I doubt he will do anything except keep her for a while and then let her go. Even Jasper Wilcox knows better than to attract the attention of the authorities by holding a woman hostage in his home…or worse.”

Seth wished he could believe that. But he’d seen Jasper’s house for himself, had seen how big it was, how it sat on almost an acre and was surrounded by trees, so it would be difficult for anyone except the nosiest neighbor to see what was happening inside.

And although he couldn’t say he knew anything about how the Wilcoxes interacted with the local police, he had to believe the authorities generally looked the other way when it came to any skullduggery the clan might be up to. They possessed far toomuch power and money to be held to the same rules as the rest of the population.

These arguments flashed through his mind, but, looking at Anna de la Paz’s calm but also implacable expression, he realized with a sinking sensation in his gut that saying them out loud wouldn’t do any good. Theprimaknew she and her own were safe from the depredations of the Wilcoxes — McAllister lands made a sort of buffer zone in between the clans — and besides, the de la Pazes were far larger and stronger than the McAllisters, and not a clan Jasper would want to face in a head-on confrontation.

“Mama, Jasper Wilcox is holding a woman against her will,” Maya said, her voice now pleading. “We can’t just stand by and do nothing.”

Now the older woman’s full lips pressed together. “It is unfortunate,” she replied. “And I can speak to some of our clan’s elder members, just to see what advice they might offer. But I fear they will have the same view of the situation. What has happened to your friend is terrible, and yet I think they also will not want to drag our entire clan into a dispute that has nothing to do with us.”

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