He didnat know. But he did understand one thing in the fevered depths of his brain. He couldnat allow her to leave him, no matter what was going on with her.

Stepping into the woods, he wound his way down a trail through the hardwood forest toward the river that ran through his property.

His heart stopped, then started up again in double-time when he spotted her through the foliage. She was sitting on a rock, her shoulders hunched, and her arms slung around her knees. She was rocking back and forth, and as he approached, he heard her moaning.

The sound propelled him forward.

When she looked up in alarm, he stopped in his tracks as the realization struck him. He was a wolf, not a man. What the h.e.l.l was he going to do now?

And what would she do?

She had seen the wolf before. Now it was facing her, only a few feet away.

He tensed, expecting her to jump up and run. Instead, she stared at him with reddened eyes, her features taking on a look of wonder.

aTalon?a The fur on his back bristled as he heard her speak his name. She recognized him?

aTalon, itas you, isnat it? The wolf is you. I should have figured it out. But I just couldnat see it until now. Is it because I know you better?a He had no way to answer. Maybe shead realized who he was because she was his life mate. Was that the way it worked?

Her voice drew him forward until he stood inches from her knee. When she reached for him, he crept forward, laying his head in her lap.

She stroked his head tenderly, scratched the soft places at the base of his ears.

aI didnat know they had werewolves here,a she whispered. aHow is that possible?a He couldnat ask what she meant by ahere.a For the time being, all he could do was keep up the contact with her, marveling that she had accepted him as a wolf.

Never in a million years would he have imagined this situation. It sounded like she came from a place where werewolves were part of the landscape.

Where the h.e.l.l would that be?

She bent to gently stroke her lips against the top of his head, and he made a low sound of pleasure.

aA wolf canat talk,a she murmured.

He nodded against her lap.

aThat first time, when I was caught by the tree, you came and found me.a Again he nodded.

aAnd when that man tried to burn down the lodge, you chased him away.a Once more he acknowledged the truth of her words.

She started speaking again in a voice so low that he had to strain to catch the words.

aNow I know your secret. And you donat know mine.a When she hitched a little sob, he raised his head so that he could meet her gaze.

He could see tears glistening in her eyes. aIam so sorry.a He felt as though he were poised on the edge of a sharp blade.

aI want to tell you, so much. I tried to tell you. I canat say it, but I tried to write it down,a she whispered.

He nodded, thinking about the sheets of paper on her dresser. She had written some words. But he had no way of connecting them. Not unless she gave him some clues.

She continued to stroke him, and now he felt her hand shaking.

aVandar wonat let me,a she said, her voice thick with the tears.

Vandar. She had said that name before.

He saw the track of moisture slipping down her cheeks.

Delicately, he stretched out his tongue and wiped them away.

aOh, Talon. Oh. Youare so strong, and yet you can be so gentle.a He stood before her, wishing he could ask the question that burned in his throat. Vandar? Was he the leader of the group where she lived? Or the head of a secret project? He wanted to tell her she was his life mate, and they would get through this together, but speech was denied him.

aHe . . .a Every cell of his body strained to catch the rest of what she was poised to say.

But before she could utter another syllable, her whole body began to shake.

Kenna, what is it? Kenna, he shouted inside his head, the words emerging from his mouth as a series of strangled growls.

She grabbed her head with both hands and screamed, aG.o.ds!a As he watched in horror, she fell off the rock and lay shaking on the ground.

CHAPTER TWENTY.

A THICK, CHOKING fear engulfed Talon as he crouched beside Kenna. Oh G.o.d, itas happening again. The same thing that head seen before. Shead said she was having a migraine to cover the trutha"that an attack seized her whenever she tried to talk to him about herself.

Kenna, Iam so sorry, he silently shouted, then moaned in frustration. This time he was getting her to the hospital. But he couldnat do it as a wolf.

He had to change, then get her into the car.

Or would she die while he was making the transformation?

Whatever happened, he couldnat stay a wolf. He was about to say the chant when he heard footsteps pounding down the trail head just taken.

Christ! Was the guy with the gas back? This time with his gun? Head thought head scared the b.a.s.t.a.r.d away for a while.

Stopping in his tracks, he turned to face the enemy and blinked as he tried to make sense of what he was seeing: a dark-haired man, a wolf, and a pet.i.te woman running toward him.

Head seen the man a long time ago. It was his cousin Ross Marshall, who had come to tell him that the Marshalls had started getting togethera"and would he like to join them for a family gathering? He hadnat wanted to hear about it then. He didnat want to hear it now.

The wolf must be another Marshall.

If he could have spoken he would have shouted at them. Ross must have understood the look on his face because he stopped to catch his breath. aSorry. When I phoned you, I wasnat far away,a he called out. aLogan changed and tracked you. I canat let this go. I have to talk to you about Kenna.a The woman gasped when she saw Kenna lying on the ground. aSheas hurt.a Sprinting around him, she knelt beside the crumpled figure.

aWhat happened to her?a I donat f.u.c.king know! Talon shouted inside his head.

Ross kept his voice even. aIave brought your cousin Logan and his wife, Rinna. Rinna is from the same place as Kenna. I think she can help you.a Talon goggled at the man.

When Ross pulled a knapsack off his shoulder, Talon growled and bared his teeth.

Ross held up his free hand, palm out. aOkay, I know we invaded your territory. I know thatas a breach of werewolf protocol as far as youare concerned. But Iam hoping you wonat attack us. This is urgent. You need to hear me out. Rinna and Kenna are from an alternate universe, and we need to know the reason why sheas here. Itas not an accident. Somethingas going on.a He felt as though the ground had tipped under him, and he had to fight to stay on his feet.

He wanted to shout that Ross was talking garbage, yet too many strange things had happened with Kenna for him to simply dismiss his cousinas words.

aThereas a world that runs parallel to this one. Itas similar but different. Rinna came through a portal to this universe a couple of years ago.a The word aportala stopped him. It was one of the words Kenna had written on the pieces of paper.

aSheas having some kind of attack,a Rinna called out. aShe needs help.a Talon swung toward his life mate, pawing the ground in frustration. What the h.e.l.l could he do in wolf form?

aI carry clothes with me,a Ross said, leaning over so that he could toss the pack gently on the ground. aGo change and put them on, so you can help her.a Talon hesitated, then s.n.a.t.c.hed up the pack in his teeth and dashed into the underbrush, where he silently pushed through the chant of transformation. As soon as he had hands to do it, he pulled out a pair of sweatpants and dragged them on along with a T-shirt, then ran barefoot back to the stream. While head changed, the other wolf had, too.

They eyed each other with barely checked hostility.

Talon pushed through the crowd and knelt beside his life mate. Her eyes were open and fixed on him.

aThank G.o.d. Are you all right?a aYes, now,a she whispered.

Rinna was holding her hand. aItas okay,a she said in a steady voice. aMy name is Rinna. Iam from your world.a Kennaas eyes widened in shock. aHow?a aItas a long story. I was running away from a man who was a strong adept, a man who wanted to control me. Head come through the portal and set a trap that would catch a shape-shifter. It caught Logan. Thatas how I met him. Heas my life mate and my husband now.a Talon was still struggling with the concept of another universe. He wanted to demand proof, but for the time being head just have to accept this crazy situation.

Kennaas gaze darted from Rinna to Talon and back again. aI saw Talon as a wolf. You are, too?a aYes. And Logan and Ross. Theyare Talonas cousins. All the men in the Marshall family are werewolves.a aI thought that herea"a She stopped abruptly and winced.

aI can sense that you have your own talent. What is it?a Rinna asked Kenna.

Fear and pain clouded Kennaas eyes.

aBut you canat talk about it,a Rinna said.

aI want to,a Kenna answered, then cried out as her face contorted.

aSomeoneas preventing it?a aY-yes,a Kenna gasped.

aIt hurts her,a Talon shouted. aLeave her alone.a He scooped her up in his arms and started back toward the lodge. Without looking over his shoulder, he knew the others were following.

He could send them away. That was his right, but he knew he was facing something that he couldnat deal with on his own. Questions swirled in his mind. Questions and things that Kenna had said and done. Head already started thinking something pretty strange was going on with her. It sounded like it was worse than he could have imagined. So he let the others follow him up the trail.

They stopped outside the lodge, and he bent to open the door, then stepped inside with Kenna in his arms, leaving them standing in the driveway.

Quickly, he strode down the hall, where he laid Kenna on her bed, then eased down so he was sitting beside her.

aHow are you?a he whispered.

aOkay.a He knew it was a lie. Taking her in his arms, he held her as tightly as he dared and whispered, aSweetheart, Iam so sorry.a aFor what?a aFor not trusting you.a She moved her head against his shoulder. aYou . . . shouldnat.a aWe can talk about it . . .a aNo.a She reached to press her fingers against his mouth. aFinally, thereas a way out of this for me.a Her gaze shot to the pile of papers. aI couldnat tell you . . .a She stopped and started again. aBut I figured out that maybe I could write it down. One word at a time. Then I could fill in the little words and put the whole thing in order.a aThat was clever of you.a aWeall see,a she said in a thin voice. aTake them to . . . to Rinna.a aWhat?a aTake them to her,a she repeated. aPlease. Talk to her. I think she might understand. But you canat do it here.a aI donat want to leave you.a aI donat want you to leave,a she said in a thin voice. aBut you have to go. I . . . I canat do it.a As she spoke, she gave him a look that twisted his heart, and he understood that if they tried to discuss this with her, head only trigger the pain in her head again. With a low sound, he swept the papers into a pile, picked them up, and went back down the hall. Outside, he found his visitors still standing awkwardly in the driveway.

ALONE in the bedroom, Kenna tried to calm the jumble of emotions surging through her. In the s.p.a.ce of a few minutes, everything had changed.

Talon was a werewolf!

His cousins were werewolves. One was married to a werewolfa"from Kennaas world.

She wanted to leap up and run back to the group of people who had come here without Talonas asking.

Would he send them away? Or would he let them help? And what could they do?

Hardly daring to hope, she turned on her side and hugged her knees, waiting to learn the outcome of the discussion they would be having.

Talon had been so tender with her. Shead wanted to stay in his arms. But she knew they had to settle this. And she knew that when he understood the full extent of her lies, he might end up hating her.

TALON studied the three people standing awkwardly outside. Ross seemed pretty calm. Logan, the other cousin, folded his arms across his chest.

Talon sensed that he was a hothead. Could he send him away? Maybe, but then the woman would leave, too. And Kenna needed her.

After a long moment, he muttered, aI guess you can come in.a He probably didnat sound like a gracious host. But that had never been the way with the men in the Marshall family. They were each the alpha male of their own pack, and that created problems with werewolf social relations.

When they followed him inside, he led them to the living room, then turned to Rinna. aKenna sent me to you,a he said, abecause it hurts her to talk about it. Whatever aita is.a aYes.a aYou might as well sit down,a Talon said.

They sat, and he continued to study them as he rolled up the papers Kenna had given him into a tube and twisted them in his hand. None of his visitors looked exactly comfortable. Good.

He swung back toward the hall, wishing that Kenna were part of this conversation because it felt like they were going to talk behind her back, but he understood that she couldnat be here. With a low sound, he took a seat facing the three people who had invaded his property without being invited.

aOkay, I want some answers,a he growled.

Ross nodded. aOf course.a aHow do you know that Kenna was from an . . . uh . . . alternate universe?a he asked.

aYou were trying to figure out who she was, and you gave me genetic material,a Ross replied.

aYes, I mailed it to you week before last when I was in town getting supplies.a aMy wife, Megan, is a physician who owns a bio lab in the D.C. area. When she tested it, she recognized a marker that she had seen in Rinnaas DNA.a aWhat kind of marker?a aItas a long story. But the short version is that their universe was like ours until the Worldas Fair of 1893, when a man named Eric Carfoli set up an exhibit. He claimed he could give people psychic powers.a aAnd?a aAnd over there, it worked. A lot of people can tell the future, read minds, change to an animal shape, do remote viewing, speak to the dead, move objects with their minds.a aYou expect me to believe that?a Talon snapped.

aItas true,a Rinna answered. aIn our world, we cultivate those talents. We send children to special schools to increase their powers.a As she spoke, she reached for her husbandas hand and gripped it tightly, then closed her eyes. Over on the side of the room, a circle began to waver in the air, shimmering with a light that came from within.

Talon stared at the shimmering air, then at the strained look on Rinnaas face. aWhat the h.e.l.l are you doing?a The air abruptly returned to normal, and Rinna opened her eyes, looking like shead just run a long race.

aThatas the beginning of a portal between the worlds,a she said between deep drafts of air. aI canat open one by myself or even with Loganas help. But if there were more people with talents, we could do it.a She kept her gaze on Talon. aI could change to the form of a white bird, if you want to see me do that. But wead just be wasting time.a aYou can do that?a aYeah,a Logan answered for his wife. aLike she said, there are a lot of people with special talents in the other universe. And their DNA is different because Eric Carfoli changed it.a Talon tensed as another question popped into his head. aWhat about religion in the other universe?a he asked, addressing Rinna.

aWe have many religions. Many G.o.ds,a He nodded, remembering that Kenna had said aG.o.ds,a not aG.o.d.a Ross gestured toward the papers that Talon had rolled into a tube and was twisting in his hand. aWhat are those?a He looked down at them, feeling like he was holding a bomb that was about to explode. aSomething Kenna wrote. Just a few words. One of them was aportal.a a Talon looked at Rinna. aShe told me to give them to you.a Slowly, he unrolled the papers, then reached across the coffee table and laid them down, smoothing them out.

His gaze stayed on Rinna. As she shuffled through them, she gasped.

aWhat?a aShe wrote aslave.a a aWhich means what?a She shifted in her seat. aIn my world, we have slaves. I was born one. I think she was trying to tell you that is her status.a aNo!a aI understand why you donat want to believe it,a she said gently. aBut life is different there. You have fewer choices. Less freedom.a aAnd no modern conveniences,a he said, reluctantly bolstering their case.

aYes. I guess you noticed that she didnat know how things worked here.a aI thought she came from some primitive community up in the hills.a aYes.a Rinna shuffled the papers. When she came to the last page, she looked up at him with rounded eyes. aSheas telling you her master sent her here as a spy. And I think she was trying to say aanother universe.a But she didnat get that far.a He stood up, reached across the table, and s.n.a.t.c.hed the pages away. Because he simply didnat want to believe how bad the news was, he shouted, aI donat have to listen to this.a aYeah, you do,a Ross said in a hard voice.

Outrage bubbled from the depths of Talonas werewolf soul.

aThis is my den,a he answered in a dangerously calm voice, reaching for the hem of the borrowed shirt he was wearing.

If Ross wanted to fight, they would do it in wolf form.