©Merlin's Chosen Book 8 Programmed *published work*

Chapter 1 First Impressions

The figure crept across the lawn as if it was built from the shadows. A magical creature carved from the darkness that surrounded it. It darted in and out of the light and dark, appearing then vanishing so quickly it appeared to be a trick of the light. There was no one to track its progress as it crept closer to the house and swiftly climbed to the second-floor balcony and dropped over the rail. The figure was clad in black, it remained crouched for a moment after it dropped onto the balcony before it stood and jimmied the lock on the screen door open.

It tipped its head and then shook it. The man was an imbecile to sleep with the door open. It was an invitation for someone to break in, even if it was on the second floor. The locks on screen doors were useless. The door glided open silently, allowing the figure to slip inside. It paused to glance at the man sleeping blissfully across the room. The silent intruder moved through the darkness as if it and the shadows were old friends. It slipped out the door into the hallway beyond.

The shadow was unaware that the moment it glided from the room, the man rolled silently from his bed, he wasn't as oblivious to the invasion as he had seemed.

Treavor slipped from the room to follow the home invader down the darkened corridor. He knew it was only a matter of time before a thief showed up. Many of his programs were important. Whoever the thief was would be in for a shock when they turned whichever program they stole over to their employer. All the real programs were carefully locked away, the computer he left out in case of an intruder held only useless, false programs. He moved up beside the office door to peer around the doorjamb into the room.

Whoever sent this person had made certain they hired a pro, the guy was working only by the dim light of the computer screen. The desk chair had been pushed across the room so it remained out of the thief's way. The intruder was crouched behind the desk so he had no idea how big the guy was. It didn't matter because he would let the man get away with whatever he'd come to steal. There was no point in creating the false programs if he didn't let them get away with it. All of the false programs contained hidden code that would allow him to track them and find the culprits who had stolen it. The computer's screen went dark. The guy worked quickly. He was about to leave and hurry back to his room when the intruder stood and moved out from behind the desk. When he caught sight of the intruder's silhouette he had a sudden interest in finding out who she was. A wicked grin pulled his lips up and he pressed back against the wall. When she slipped from the room he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her back against his chest.

"Something tells me that you don't belong here, honey."

"Shit." She slammed an elbow back into his stomach and then stomped down on his foot.

He released her with a painted shout. "Idiot," he muttered. He'd underestimated her because she was a female, stupid move. He ignored the pain in his foot as well as the fact he was supposed to let her get away and chased her down the hallway. He tackled her as she darted through the door into his room. They fell and she scrambled away from him, twisted around, and kicked out at him nearly catching him in the groin. He wrestled her to the floor and pinned her wrists above her head. He wrapped one of his legs over hers when she tried to kick him. He grinned at her.

Her eyes flicked around the bedroom. He figured she was trying to find some way to escape him. She'd been very close to getting away and she looked very disappointed that he'd caught her.

"Let me go, I only have a few minutes to get the hell out of here! If I'm late then he'll kill them! Please, you have to let me leave!"

That was an interesting tactic. She was playing the sympathy card to get him to release her. "You'll go when I say you can go."

Her glare was filled with anger. "I will go now! Propulso!"

He flew away from her with a curse. Damn repulsion spell. He should have been prepared in case she was a sorcerer but he hadn't been thinking straight. He rolled, jumped to his feet, and pursued her out onto the balcony. She was gone, vanished into the black night as if she'd never been. He slapped the railing with a curse.