Dealers of Light by Lara Nance

where Cara sat, the hairs stood up on the back of her neck, and she caught a whiff of his cologne—something dark, musky and exotic. Was that warmth coming from him?
    Amber returned and stood beside the sofa before he completed his search. Cara made rolling eye gestures toward the strange man behind her. She mouthed, “Do you know him?” Amber shook her head, frowning.
    The man reached the end of the bookcase and whirled about so abruptly Amber jumped.
    “H—h—hello. M—m—may I help you with anything?” Amber retreated a step.
    H is brows came together over those cold eyes. He stared at her for a moment, angular features and high cheek bones highlighted by his slanting black brows. Then his grimace smoothed into a smile, lips a thin, sensual curved line. “I was wondering if you had any books about—” His blue eyes focused on Cara. “—crystals?”
    Cara’s fingers closed on the book beside her. What game was he playing? “This is a good one.” She rose and took a few steps, stretching her arm to hand the book to him, but, at the last moment, she dropped the book and gasped, backing up. Even from a few feet away she felt the heat of a powerful Dealer emanating from him. Hotter even than Alistair, the oldest of them all. She clasped her hand against her chest.
    The man’s s mile vanished. He bent slowly, keeping his eyes on hers, and retrieved the book from the floor. “Ah, yes. Thank you,” he said without glancing at it.
    “Who are you?” Cara asked, breathless. Obviously, the man was a Light-dealer but one of enormous power. He must sense her as one, too. His presence here fascinated and terrified her at the same time. She’d never met anyone like him.
    “Please , accept my apologies. My name is Rolf Van Harding.” His smile broadened and his icy gaze softened. His gaze traveled over Cara, leaving her body a tingling mess.
    “You’ve never been here before .” Amber glanced between him and Cara.
    “No, I’m new in town. And you are?”
    “Well, um, my name is Amber . I own this store. This is my friend Cara.”
    “Very pleased to meet you both.” He gave a small bow, clicking his heels together. He turned the book over in his hands, scanning the cover. “Oh, this is not what I’m searching for. Sorry.” He handed it back to Cara and this time there was no radiating heat. “Forgive me for interrupting.” He executed another of his formal half-bows, and strode out the door.
    She and Amber turned to each other with mouths open then to the door where he’d departed. “What the—”
    “He’s a Light-dealer !” Amber put a hand over her mouth.
    “No kidding .” Cara ran her hands over her arms, now chilled with the absence of his heat. “He almost incinerated me from three feet.”
    Amber crossed to the door with Cara beside her and peered out, eyes scanning the parking lot. “He’s gone. Just gone. No car, nothing.”
    “He came here for something and didn’t expect to find other Light-dealers. He was startled when he saw me.” Cara scanned the front yard again. In the parking lot she saw only two cars, a bicycle and a tall telephone pole at the edge whose broken street light flickered on and off despite the bright sunshine.
    “I ’m calling Tor.” Amber hurried to the checkout counter for her phone.
    Cara returned to the seating area . She flopped on the seat with an “ Oof .” Her heartbeat raced and she put a hand to her chest. “Holy moly,” she said under her breath, taking slow, deep breaths to calm her pulse.
    A powerful Dealer and wow , what an extraordinarily handsome man. But there was something else—an electric disturbance of the atmosphere surrounding him. A disturbance exuding both danger and power which left her breathless.
    Amber returned after several minutes on the phone with Tor, her face pale, her green eyes wide. “There’s been another one.”
    “What?” Cara blinked, breaking out of Rolf’s spell. “What happened?”
    “To r was on a call