Night of the Magician Read Online Free PDF

thoughtful expression on his hard face. “Okay, so you need a reasonable excuse for bringing me along. Who else besides us knows what you’re planning?“
    “Just Drake.“
    “How about the man you met outside the restaurant last night?“ Lucian asked quietly, handing her a glass and sipping at his own.
    “Richard?“ Ariana frowned. “No, I don’t think I’ll tell him what’s going on. It would be a little embarrassing to explain.“
    “You mean about having me as a lover?“ he drawled, topaz eyes narrowing assessingly.
    “About Philomena having fallen for a psychic,“ she corrected smoothly. “I’d rather keep this within the family as far as possible.“
    “I gamer from something Drake said last night that he and Philomena and you comprise the total Warfield family, right?“
    “That’s right,“ Ariana agreed evenly, leading the way back to the living room. Enroute she scooped up a silver dish laden with eggs which had been stuffed and decorated with caviar. “Our parents were killed when Drake and I were small. They were botanists. Very brilliant botanists, as a matter of fact. They died on a field trip up the Amazon.“
    Her tone made it clear that she did not want to discuss the matter further.
    Lucian ignored the tone. “Scientists, hmmm?“ He helped himself to several of the stuffed eggs as he sprawled casually on the sofa. “Let’s see. Drake is a highly ingenious and successful inventor, your parents were scientists and Philomena is an interior designer and artist of some renown. Your family seems to have more than the normal share of talent.“
    Ariana shrugged and munched a canape. She had taken a seat across from him with the wide coffee table between them.
    “What talent were you blessed with, Ariana?“ Lucian asked almost silkily.
    “Nothing very exciting or interesting like Drake and Philomena, I’m afraid,“ she tossed back coldly. “The only thing I do with any competence is make and manage money.“
    “Which explains your rather extensive interest in the subject“ He held up a hand as a spark flashed in her smoky blue eyes. “Relax. I’m not going to start another insult-slinging match. I learned my lesson last night,“ he added with a wry smile. “Warfield & Company, Financial Planners, I take it, is just what it sounds like? A comprehensive money management and counseling firm?“
    “That’s correct,“ she replied stiffly, sensing the underlying disapproval in his voice. “We sell a variety of financial services to individuals and businesses. The services are designed to help them make money and control what they do make so that it doesn’t all wind up going to the IRS. What about you, Lucian?“ she demanded firmly, seeking to change the direction of the conversation. “Has magic always been your chief interest?“
    “I’ve loved magic since I was ten years old,“ he said simply.
    Ariana couldn’t help the question which immediately came to her lips. “For heaven’s sake, why?“ Her perplexed expression was totally honest. How could anyone truly love deliberate deception?
    Lucian stared at her for a moment as if trying to ascertain her reasons for asking. “There’s a real beauty in it, Ariana,“ he finally said quietly. “People respond to it in such a unique fashion. They’re charmed by it. It creates a sense of wonder that’s unlike anything else. I enjoy mastering the art that is capable of creating that wonder.“
    Ariana thought about that and then smiled reluctantly. “You sound like Philomena when she discusses a perfect room or Drake when he’s working on something especially clever.“
    “But I don’t sound like you when you’re making money in an especially clever fashion?“ he concluded perceptively.
    She shook her head. “No. I’ve never thought of managing money as an art form. It’s just an ability I have. I don’t go around instilling wonder and appreciation in people, although I do instill a little gratitude when things go