here like a virgin sacrifice, his anger seemed the least of her worries. She stared at her reflection in me window. Darkness had fallen, and the skin of her exposed throat and shoulders looked shockingly pale in the dim room. Trapped in this spooky dream world, the thought of Seth was a lifeline to reality.
Currents of air whispered across her shoulders. She sensed the library door opening, though it made no sound. Her senses had dilated, like eyes opening. There would be no more jumping and squealing in surprise. She knew exactly who had just come in the door.
She stood in the center of the blood-red vortex of the carpet's strange pattern and waited quietly, staring at her grandmother's image. Victor's reflection moved closer. He placed his hand on her shoulder for a moment, then removed it.
He gestured towards the portrait, “You're very like her, you know.”
She let out a long, silent sigh. He knew who she was, he had always known; and the awareness of his knowledge had crept up upon her so gradually, it had no power to jolt or alarm her.
The world shifted and settled quietly, like a garment fluttering down around her. She turned to him. “Am I? People keep telling me I look exactly like my mother.”
Victor dismissed her mother with a casual flick of his hand. “Superficially,” he said. “Your complexion is like Alix's, but your bone structure is much more pronounced and delicate.
Your lips are fuller. And your eyes and eyebrows are pure Lazar. Look at her.”
They stared up at the portrait for several moments.
“You share more than just her name “ Victor said. “May I call you Katya? It would give me great pleasure.”
Her automatic desire to be accommodating and agreeable crashed up against this new, solid woman planted in the center of a red vortex. The new woman won the struggle with surprising ease. “I would prefer to be called Raine,” she said. “My life is chaotic. I wish to maintain as many lines of continuity as possible. Otherwise I'll lose myself.”
Displeasure flickered in his eyes. 'That disappoints me. I had hoped that your grandmother's name would be carried into the future.”
Raine held her ground. “We can't always get what we want.”
Victor's mouth twitched. “Now that, my dear, is God's own truth.” He offered her his arm. “Come. It won't be long before our guests arrive.”
“Guests?” She lifted her chin, and did not take his proffered arm.
His smile radiated warmth and approval. “I take too much for granted, eh? Since we had not formally established your status as my beloved, long-lost niece, I could not discuss my plans with you. It is a relief, no? To finally be who you are?”
“Yes,” she said, meaning it with all her heart “And your guests?”
“Ah. My guests. It is just a gathering of friends and business associates for dinner. The original idea was to host a simple meeting of my collectors club, for dinner and drinks, and a showing of some recent odd acquisitions of mine. I am a collector of art and antiquities, you see. But once you arrived, the idea of the party became more grandiose.”
“I see “ she murmured, still baffled “But why all this? The dress, the hair. Why do you want me at your dinner party?”
“Isn't it obvious?”
“I'm afraid not”
Victor smiled, and brushed his knuckles across her cheek, a light, glancing touch. “Vanity, I suppose. I'm a childless man. I can't resist the opportunity to present a beautiful, cultured, intriguing young woman to my friends and associates as my niece. Think of it as your debut” She stared at him.
“I know it's foolish,” he said with a shrug. “But I am growing older. One must seize these opportunities while one can.” She swallowed over the lump that was growing in her throat “How long have you known about me?”
Her heart twisted at how similar his smile was to her father's. The high cheekbones, the deep smile lines, the sharp, sculptured cut of his jaw. “I've known where you were since the day your mother took you from this place. I never lost you for so much as a day.”
She could barely breathe. “All that running,” she whispered. “All those fake identities. AH for nothing.”
“Alix always did have a tendency to overdramatize. It was my responsibility to keep an eye on you, as I did not trust Alix to do so. She is ... well, self-absorbed would be a charitable way to put it”
Raine winced at the casual contempt that Victor's tone revealed.
He went on. “I set up red flags in the Lazar Import & Export computer system to alert me if anyone using any of your aliases ever made a move to contact me. Imagine my pleasure when I logged on one morning and saw the automatic message in my inbox. Raine Cameron had sent her resume to my personnel department How fascinating.”
“I suppose you wondered why I didn't just contact you directly,” she said cautiously.
“Lazars tend to be subtle and devious,” he said with a winsome smile. “It's a family trait. Naturally, I assumed that you wished to learn more about the events of that terrible summer when Peter died.”
Her stomach clenched. Victor's smiling face revealed absolutely nothing. “You're not angry?”
He shook his head. “Not at all. It's a tribute to my brother that you care enough to look for the truth. I'm proud that my only niece is courageous and enterprising.”
Her mouth was so dry it was sealed closed. She stared at his smile, probing with all her senses for the trap that had to be hidden beneath his gentle, approving words.
He took a step towards her. “I'm grateful to finally have a chance to say this to you, face-to-face, my
The words vibrated between them, low and impassioned.
Raine's throat began to quiver. She wiped away tears carefully with her fingertips, locked in an inward struggle to cling to the message of her dream, to Bill Haley's words.
He gave her a crooked smile. “You are not convinced.”
She did not answer, and he began to laugh. “Honesty is so rare in my life these days. Like a splash of icy water. Refreshing. Well, my dear, whether you believe me or not, can you put your doubts aside long enough to enjoy a pleasant evening with my friends?”
“If you'll excuse me, I need to make a phone call first.”
He gestured towards the phone on the table. “Be my guest”
She paused. This was not a conversation he could overhear.
He smiled at her hesitation. “You wish to call your young man, I take it? To reassure him that you have not been lured into some salacious orgy? I have anticipated you, my dear. I have already invited Mr. Mackey to this gathering.”
His eyes gleamed at her stunned expression. “He jumped at the chance when he heard that you would be a member of the party. He is the jealous, possessive type, no? Think of it You, out here overnight, subject to who knows what depraved appetites. Ah, dreadful. It was sure to drive such a young hotblood into a jealous frenzy. So I told him to come to dinner, to put his mind at ease. I hope I did well. That he will not bother you.”
“Oh, no. Not at all,” she assured him. “I'm very glad he'll be here.”
Her knees were practically rubbery with relief. Seth would be furious when she was introduced to him as Victor's niece, but he would understand once she explained the circumstances. And he was powerful enough to keep her from being sucked under Victor's spell. He would keep her warm, grounded and real. She would be as safe as it was possible to be in this uncanny place, with Seth at her side.
Victor's gaze swept over her, and he nodded in approval. “It will be amusing to see his reaction when he sees you like this.” He made a sweeping gesture at her. “You are breathtaking, my dear.”
She blushed. “Thank you.”
'That reminds me.” He turned to the wall and removed an antique Japanese scroll, revealing a safe beneath. He keyed in a series of numbers, waited, keyed in a second series. The lock clicked open.
He opened it, rummaging through several items, and drew out a flat black velvet box. “Your mother always
