(Arcane Society #3) Sizzle and Burn by Amanda Quick

Author:Amanda Quick [Quick, Amanda]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781405686525
Publisher: Putnam Adult
Published: 2007-01-01T23:00:00+00:00

“You will prepare a new batch,” he said, “without the additional enhancement capabilities. I want to return to the original version, the one that jacks up only my hunter talents. Do you understand, Dr. Hulsey?”

Hulsey did not look up from his microscope. “Of course I understand. You can’t handle the other talents.”

Nash forced himself to leave the lab without giving in to the urge to slit Hulsey’s throat.

For the time being he needed Hulsey but eventually that would change. No one was irreplaceable, not even Dr. Humphrey Hulsey.

Thirty

Zack stopped on the sidewalk outside Incognito and studied the window displays. On the other side of the glass were two mannequins dressed in Victorian-era attire, an astronaut, a pirate and a familiar superhero. An array of elegant and fanciful masks dangled on long ribbons secured to the ceiling.

“No offense,” he said to Raine, “but I would never have guessed there’s a large market for costumes except at Halloween.”

“Halloween has become a major adult party night,” she said. “People spend small fortunes on their costumes.”

He pushed open the door for her. “That’s just one day a year.”

“Add to that the annual Oriana charity fund-raiser, which is traditionally an old-fashioned costume ball, a variety of kids’ parties during the year, several high-end private bashes and events, contracts with some regional theater groups and an online site and you’ve got a viable business.”

He smiled. “Okay, I’ll take your word for it.” He followed her into the shop. “Got to tell you, though, I find it hard to believe that anyone over the age of ten would want to put on a costume.”

“Aunt Vella used to say that everyone wears a mask.”

The sales floor of the shop was not large. It was dramatically decorated in vivid colors and lit with theatrical lighting. There were several more costumes on display, including a mannequin dressed in a tutu and one wearing an elaborate gown that reminded him vaguely of the big, ornate dresses worn by women in the eighteenth century.

A series of paintings in sleek, modern frames hung on the walls. Each one featured a haunting image of a mask.

“Aunt Vella did them,” Raine said. “Painting was one of the few things that calmed her. She could lose herself in a picture for hours and days at a time. I could only hang so many of them here in the shop. Most are stored in the Shelbyville house.”

“You don’t have any hanging in your condo.”

She gave him an enigmatic look. “Would you want any of those masks on your walls at home?”

He studied the nearest painting. He was a good three feet away from it but he could sense the faint, disturbing energy.

“No,” he said.

“Luckily most of my customers don’t notice the bad vibes,” she said quietly. “People think the pictures are fascinating. I’ve had several offers for them.”

“Ever sold any?”

“No,” Raine said. “They’re all I have left of Aunt Vella.”

There was a sales counter to the right and an opening draped in red velvet set in the far wall.

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