Finders Keepers (Paranormal Mates Society 1)

Finders Keepers (Paranormal Mates Society)
2nd Edition
Lacey Savage
All rights reserved.
Copyright ©2006 Lacey Savage

"Mirror, mirror, on the wall… who's the fairest of them all?"

Claudia Foster stifled a groan and tugged the thin scrap of cloth tighter over the polished surface of the bronze-gilded mirror. "Can't you be quiet for longer than two minutes? I have work to do."

The mirror went on as though she hadn't spoken. Its voice practically dripped with honeyed, well-practiced flattery. "Why, you are, your majesty. You're the fairest woman in all the land."

"Shut up!" Gripping one edge of the mirror, she shook it briefly, hoping to threaten it into submission.

The mirror wouldn't let itself be so easily silenced. "Mirror, mirror --"

"Enough!" She wrapped the cloth securely around the garrulous object before shoving it into her backpack. It fit snugly between a thin-leafed tome Claudia hadn't had a chance to peruse and a wooden jewelry box she believed had been carved more than eight-hundred years earlier. She also thought the plain-looking container had the ability to turn ordinary metal trinkets into gold, but that was another experiment that would have to wait… at least until after she got rid of the mirror.

The backpack muffled the low baritone, but Claudia could still hear the incessant buzzing of its continued chatter. She took a quick glance around, then beamed a smile at three men huddled at a nearby table. They glared her way and spoke in hushed, urgent voices. She could feel the weight of their accusing stares and the disapproval radiating from them. Worse yet, she didn't even need her talent to do it.

Sighing, Claudia flipped her laptop open. Although she'd been in Cairo for three months and frequented the Desert Wind coffee shop a few times a week, the regular patrons still hadn't gotten used to the presence of an unescorted woman in their midst. At least they'd stopped hitting on her, though she'd preferred that kind of attention to the hostile glares being thrown at her these days. Flattery and charm she could deal with, especially since her half-telepath abilities came in handy when trying to distinguish real interest from macho bluster.

Of course, it probably didn't help that she talked to more than her share of inanimate objects. She'd hoped the men simply thought she talked to herself, but right then, Claudia didn't know which was worse.

A few button clicks later, Claudia's laptop boasted a solid Internet connection through the wireless hotspot provided by the Desert Wind coffee shop. Located in an open-air square ringed by merchants selling everything from coffee beans to handcrafted knick-knacks, the Desert Wind mirrored a hundred other such establishments sprinkled along Cairo's busy streets. Still, this place drew her like no other.

She told herself she kept coming back because they served the best sahlab in the region. The sweet, thick, milk concoction did wonders for her state of mind after a long day of digging through archeological sites in the desert. Somewhere deep inside, though, she knew better. She kept coming back because of him.

"You're early."

The familiar voice startled her. Claudia jerked her gaze up from the laptop screen to stare into a pair of dark eyes. Flecks of tarnished gold danced within the depths of those bottomless orbs, yet she couldn't hide a twinge of disappointment.

"Expecting someone else?" Ra'ees Bayar asked as he slid his muscled frame into the chair across from her.

"Of course not." Hoping was entirely different than expecting, wasn't it?

Ra'ees crossed his arms over his chest and watched her with a bemused expression. "Whatever you say. That dreamy stare certainly wasn't intended for me."

"Dreamy?" Claudia frowned. She didn't do dreamy, infatuated, love-struck or any of a thousand other romantic notions. Especially not while she was working. "That's impossible."

Ra'ees grinned, flashing white teeth against his tanned face. "Whatever you say. Do you have it?"

Claudia returned the smile. "Did you doubt I would?"

"Never."

She narrowed her eyes, trying to read him. Being the offspring of a clairvoyant mother and a telepathic father had its advantages, but it had a great deal more disadvantages. She'd inherited a little of both talents, which meant she wasn't very good at either. Now, squinting at Ra'ees, Claudia wished for the thousandth time she could have had one gift or the other. Jack of all trades, master of none. That's me.

Forcing a smile onto her features, she dug into her backpack and gripped the mirror. Keeping her palm plastered to what she hoped was its mouth, she pulled the object out of the bag and slid it across the smooth surface of the table.

"It's authentic?"

"Now you're insulting me."

Ra'ees held up his hands. "Just asking."

"You can find out for yourself, just not here. I haven't been able to get it to be quiet for longer than a few minutes. The damn thing craves attention."

Ra'ees raised an eyebrow but didn't try to remove the cloth covering, having apparently decided she was serious. "What about the lamp?"

Claudia's chin jutted out as she prepared for yet another argument. "I told you, these things take time. I have a few leads on the Aladdin lamp, but nothing concrete yet."

"It's been three months."

"I know how long it's been." She blew out a breath before continuing. "And I also know how much you're paying me, though you're obviously getting your money's worth. I've brought you more than a few priceless artifacts since we began working together."

As she braced herself for the onslaught of argumentative banter she knew was coming, Claudia instinctively slid her hand inside the pocket of her jeans. She found the lighter and twirled it between thumb and forefinger, a nervous habit she'd picked up years ago, back when she still smoked. It had been almost a decade since she'd lit a cigarette, but the lighter remained. "I'll find the lamp, Ra'ees. I swear it."