Remembering the startling glow present in Ronan's gorgeous eyes, she wasn't surprised by Jared's confession. Sure enough, a subtle glow started in the men's eyes and in Micky's gaze almost immediately.

They left the car and went through the gates. The rescue party headed straight to where Clarissa had seen Ronan in her dreams.

While crusted snow broke under her booted feet, she was once again grateful for her hat and gloves. Her breath frosted as freezing air touched her. An uncanny sensation crawled its way up her spine, forcing Clarissa to take a deep breath to control her nerves. She could do this. For Ronan she would search this graveyard tooth and nail.

A crow cackled from a nearby tree and she started. A breeze ruffled through the trees, icy and almost as strange as the bird's call. The wind seemed to whisper to her.

Wearehereweareherewearehere.

Micky stopped cold and Jared put his arm around her shoulders.

"What is it?" Jared asked.

Micky smiled. "I heard the shadows. The ones that protect me."

Amazed, Clarissa said without hesitation, "I heard them, too. They said they are here."

As she turned toward Clarissa, Micky's eyes widened. "You heard them?"

"There are a lot of strange things I can see and hear," Clarissa said as she stepped forward and they renewed the pace toward the crypt on the hill.

"This is happy news," Sorley said, "that the good shadows are here."

His sardonic tone made her glare at him, and when he turned those yellowish eyes on her, a shiver rolled up her spine. He might be on the side of good, but the fact he could drink people's blood gave her second thoughts about trusting him.

The crypt, outlined in the smallest light from the moon, loomed up before them.

Standing stark and framed by the leafless trees, it looked as ominous as a monster movie set. She had to remember reality. Everyone hesitated at the bottom of the hill and stared at the monstrosity. Night seemed to speak with murmurs and guttural obscenities. She shivered as slithering dread radiated up and down her body like a mild earthquake.

"This place." Clarissa rubbed her arms, her coat no longer keeping her warm. "It's infected by that evil. The one that comes from the tunnel and tried to harm Micky. I feel it in my gut."

Sorley and Lachlan insisted on walking ahead, while Jared took up the rear behind the women. Sorley went inside the crypt first. After he gave an all clear, they stepped inside one by one. Clarissa allowed her flashlight beam to illuminate the structure and the hole in the middle gaped like the maw of some great, awful monster. Her throat felt tight with anticipation, with panic that they'd find the worst.

Sorley said, "I'm going scouting now we're here. I'll be back in a flash."

He popped out of their sight and a rush of wind accompanied his departure. Dust floated up from the floor.

"Damn him," Lachlan said. "I told him we should stick together."

As they waited in the crypt, Clarissa felt a strange sensation she hadn't experienced in some time. Her vision started to dim.

Oh, damn.Unlike her dreams, a vision could strike her at any moment and the physical consequences could be either mild or violent. When she'd seen what she believed to be Ronan's past lives, she'd had no physical reaction to the event.

This time, regrettably, that didn't seem to be the case. The flashlight started to slip from her fingers, so she tightened her grip. Her breathing quickened as a sickening wave of nausea punched her in the stomach.

She placed one hand over her midsection. "Oh, great."

She felt a hand gripping her arm and then Erin's voice near her right side. "What's wrong?"

Clarissa's eyes fluttered shut.

The vision hit full force.

She saw the gargoyle-headed creature. He walked Main Street, passing by several women who walked together for protection. He grinned at them and they all gawked at the tall man with the ugly mask and huge cape fluttering around him almost like bat wings.

"No," Clarissa said, her hands going out, the flashlight slipping from her hand and crashing to the floor. "Don't get near him."

"What's happening?" she heard Jared ask.

Then the ancient one kept walking, leaving the women alone. Weakness swept into Clarissa as she watched him traverse the street, passing by unsuspecting people who believed he wore a mask.

"The ancient one walks the streets of Pine Forest in full view of others," Clarissa said through her aching throat. "He has no fear any longer. He just passed a group of several women walking down Main Street and even though they saw him he didn't seem worried about it. The women sensed something wasn't right, but they don't understand he's evil.

They just think he's dressed up for the holiday."

Before she could see where the ancient one planned to go next, the vision snapped to the group of women. They started bickering. They stopped in front of a bar and argued, their voices rising in a miasma of sudden hate and uncontrollable emotions.

"The women are fighting. Their emotions are out of control." The vision blinked out.

Clarissa felt her knees tremble as she opened her eyes. "It's gone. The vision is gone."

"Damn it," Lachlan said harshly. "He's getting bold and it means he's fully recovered.

The women are feeling the effects of evil. We've got to find Ronan."

"Why would you have the vision now?" Micky asked.

Clarissa explained. "It's not predictable how or when I'll get the visions or why I even have them. They just come or they don't. I have no control over them."

Not a minute went by before Sorley popped back into the crypt, his eyes wide and his words jumbling together. "Hurry! Ronan is lyin' there at the end of the tunnel, and he's white as mortal death. I swear to all that's holy, he actually looks dead!"

Fear slammed Clarissa. Tears spilled into her eyes as she put a hand to her chest.

"Oh,God. Please no."

She couldn't even glance around to see everyone's reaction to the stunning news. She'd feared this from the moment she had the dream.

Ronan could be dead right now because of that stupid camera. Dead.

She felt Erin pressing her shoulder. "He'll be all right."

"Come on," Jared said. "Let's get down there."

Sorley popped out of sight again.

Slowly, one by one, they traversed the rope down through the hole and into the tunnel.

As Clarissa shimmied down through the aperture, she felt out of breath with anxiety for Ronan, a staggering recognition that she cared about the vampire far more than she could have imagined on short acquaintance. While she once wanted to kick his ass into the stratosphere, now she couldn't wait to put her arms around him.

Please, oh please, let him be alive.

They headed down the tunnel. It didn't take long to see a pair of glowing eyes at the end of one tunnel. Lachlan came to a dead stop and Erin almost ran into the back of him.

"Is that Sorley?" Erin asked.

"Aye, I think it must be," Lachlan said.