Masked Attraction by Mary Hughes Page A

“You stole it.” The shock in his eyes as he dug at the black satin was almost comical.
    “I certainly did. It’s golden. ”
    Zeus’ eyes in his ripped mask narrowed dangerously. He drove a hand into his jacket pocket. Summoning his wand no doubt, but it was far too late. Golden had locked the key in Daniel’s pocket. Zeus couldn’t steal it back, at least not via magic. Daniel gave the wizard a triumphant grin. Not as good as punching him in the nose, but he’d won.
    Giddiness rushed hot in his veins. He had the key, the means to take the parchment now in his grasp. All he had to do was seduce Zoe’s permission…
    The very thought chilled him.
    Zeus’ next words chilled him even more.
    “You think you’ve won. But I’ll make her hand over the Quatrain.” The brutal-faced mage stalked to the nearest table and set a hand on a silver chafing dish.
    Or, more specifically, cupped the small flame beneath it. Fire. He was going to cast a fire spell. He’d have to conceal it from mundanes or risk the Council’s headsman, so it couldn’t be too destructive.
    Unless he was just that pissed off.
    For himself, Daniel didn’t care. He could counter anything the bastard could throw. But if he wasn’t fast enough to protect Zoe…
    Heart thudding, he laced fingers through hers. “We have to get out of here.”
    She resisted. “The key—”
    “I have it.”
    “Well, all right then.”
    She shocked him with a delighted laugh. Shocked him even more when she took the lead, pulling him into motion so hard he nearly lost his feet.
    “This way.”
    He stumbled after her as she dodged guests munching near the tables, and headed for a small, almost invisible doorway near the corner, not the one they’d used to get to the prep room.
    “You really pissed him off, getting the key,” she said as she zig-zagged. “He wants to murder you.”
    “Not literally?”
    “Yep. Or at least severely maim you.” Her lustrous hair swayed as she zipped around a knot of people admiring the parchment. “Believe me. I can smell it coming off him. Um, I mean practically smell it.”
    Daniel smiled. She wasn’t aware he knew she was a shifter.
    But she was right. When he glanced back, Zeus thundered after them, death in his eyes. It didn’t take a shifter to read his intent—hurt Daniel, capture Zoe. Which meant getting out of his line of fire as fast as possible.
    “Where are we going?” Despite being chased by an evil wizard, Daniel liked the feel of Zoe’s hand in his. Liked the wicked feel of getting away with something together. This was almost fun.
    As if she shared his delight, she tossed a grin over her shoulder. “You’ll see. Damn, he’s catching up. Can you do something to distract him?”
    “A smoke screen? Sure.” He glanced around. Witnesses here prevented him from dusting Zeus with pure power. But Daniel had combat training, knew how to use his environment. He’d nudge natural things to help him, with the mundanes none the wiser.
    As Zoe turned front, Daniel touched his wand then swept a finger at a row of tea-candle-lit chafing dishes and muttered under his breath, “Smolder.”
    Smoke belched from the flames, charring the dishes’ metal to black. The back of the room filled with a thick, billowing haze. The caterers scrambled for fire extinguishers, although the magical smoke would dissipate as soon as Zoe and Daniel were gone.
    She flashed him a startled glance. “Wow. When you say smoke screen, you really mean it. How did you do that?”
    “Umm…”
    He was saved from having to think of a reply when, as they sprinted and dodged the final yards for the door, Zeus practically crowd-surfed to lunge for them.
    Daniel spun, skidding to a stop. His brain shuffled facts. The mage bursting down on them. No overt magic, not with witnesses. One option leaped to mind. The fact I’ve been itching to do this? Bonus.
    He made a fist and, on an arm as rigid as a flag pole, raised it to Zeus’ nose level. The evil