At least everybody was acting like theyad simply been out for a stroll, when they knew d.a.m.n well it was more of a horizontal encounter.

aYou havenat met Jacob and Grant,a Ross said, like they hadnat burst into the bedroom a while ago to protect their mates. aJacob and Renata are married. And Grant and Antonia.a Kenna nodded shyly.

Jacob leaned forward, addressing her. aRenata and I have been to your world. I take dogs there who have been trained to be dangerous. The healers in Sun Acres can cure them. Do you know Sun Acres?a he asked politely.

Kenna shook her head.

aItas a city to the southa"in your world.a aOh.a Talon listened, figuring they were trying to make Kenna feel comfortable. The trouble was, he couldnat really follow the conversation. He didnat know anything about her world. And he certainly hadnat been there.

Kenna glanced at him, then said, aI guess Iad better stop stalling and tell you how I got here, and why.a She swallowed. aI was a free citizen of Breezewood. My father owns a shop that makes sandals and boots, and I went to the school for adepts.a She glanced at Talon. aIn my world, children with psychic talent go to special schools where they . . . learn to use their full potential.a Rinna smiled at her. aI went to a school like that. What is your talent?a aI can move objects with my mind.a She glanced at Talon again. aThatas how I kept the tree from crushing me. And how I helped you lift it off me.a aSo thatas why it got suddenly lighter.a aYes.a She flushed. aAnd thatas why the barbecue grill flew across the patio.a aAh. I thought Iad kicked it.a Her voice grew high and strained. aAnd I broke into a house. Vandar ordered me to bring back things from this world, and I didnat want to steal them from you. So I took them from someone else. Only they disappeared.a aI followed youa"as a wolf. Then I dug them up and took them away,a Talon said. aBut I was too angry to talk to you about it. So I left.a He glanced up, challenging anyone to make something of that, but n.o.body commented.

Kenna dragged in a breath and let it out. aThis time he wanted me to get you to bring me guns. And bullets. He thought youad do it. I knew you wouldnat.a There were exclamations around the room.

aTo start a war in your world?a Ross asked.

aTo give to his soldiers so he can invade this world,a Kenna said in a rush. aThatas why Iam here. He wanted me to spy on you and report back to him, so he can prepare for an invasion. I . . . Iam sorry.a aNot your fault,a Ross answered. aAnd now that youave alerted us, we can stop him.a She gave Ross a desperate look. aYou donat know what youare dealing with. Heas not human. Heas a monster that you canat even imagine. He sends men to raid nearby cities and bring back slaves. A raiding party of his soldiers captured me about three months ago.a She gulped and went on. aWhen he captures you, he decides if he can use you or if youare too strong. If he thinks youare a danger to himself, he kills you right awaya"by drinking your blood.a Again, she heard exclamations from the people in the room.

aHow many slaves does he have?a aI . . . I think about three hundred. He gets them all together to watch him kill.a There were gasps from the women in the room.

aIam betting they would rebel against him if they got the chance,a Ross said.

aTheyad be too afraid.a aWhat if he was . . . disabled?a She flapped her arm in frustration. aYou donat understand how much power he has.a aI felt it. When I went into that dream with you,a Talon said.

Her breath hitched. aThat was a dream. In real life, defying him is instant death. If you even could. I tried, after I came here. I thought maybe he was too far away to reach me, but I was wrong. Remember the migraine headaches I kept getting?a aThatas what you called them. The symptoms didnat quite fit. So I thought it was something else.a aYou were right. They came from the wards he put in my mind. When I tried to tell you about him, the pain made it impossible for me to speak.a aThe b.a.s.t.a.r.d.a aWe saw him, too,a Rinna said softly.

aBut you donat know what he is. Not really. n.o.body can,a she said in a broken voice. aUnless they get close to him. And that means heas enslaved you.a When she shuddered, Talon slung his arm around her shoulder and pulled her against his side. aDonat forget, youare not alone. Weall face this together.a She looked like she could barely breathe, and he thought shead had all she could take for now. aThis is getting kind of intense,a he said. aLetas go outside for a while. Just you and me.a Her grateful look made his heart turn over.

aWeare going to take a few minutes,a he said. Without waiting for any replies, he ushered Kenna toward the door.

Outside, the sun was just setting.

aItas so beautiful here,a she murmured. aHe told me this world had . . . technology and machinery. But Iave never seen so many trees in my life.a aThis is the kind of place a werewolf wants to live. In the woods.a aYou have room to run.a aYeah. And walk. Letas go down toward the river.a Hand in hand, they wandered down the hill.

aDo you swim there?a she asked, gesturing toward the shimmering surface.

aMm-hmm. Thereas a swimming hole.a aAnother term I donat know. But I can guess. That place where the water looks deep?a aYes. We can have some fun down there.a She gave him an apologetic look. aI canat swim.a aItas not real hard. Iall teach you. If you canat float on your own, weall get you a noodle.a Her brow wrinkled. aLike in chicken noodle soup?a He laughed. aNo. A long, thin plastic flotation device. You can pick the color. Do you want pink or purple or yellow?a She smiled. aAny of those.a aYou rest your arms across it, and it holds you up.a She nodded, then looked up at the forest. aWill you teach me the names of the trees?a aSure.a He pointed. aThatas a red oak. And that oneas a tulip poplar.a aYou tell by the shape of the leaves?a aRight. And sometimes the bark, or special things.a He indicated a black locust. aThatas got thorns on the trunk and branches, so donat try to climb it.a aOkay.a aThereas a lot I want to show you.a aYou already have.a He was enjoying the relaxed conversation when he felt a jolt of tension go through her.

aWhat?a aGreat Mother!a aWhatas wrong?a aEvil power,a she gasped.

As she spoke, she started running back the way theyad come. He was right behind her, catching up as she ran toward the house.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR.

AFRAID THAT SHE was too late already, Kenna pounded across the porch and into the living room, feeling the terrible power surging as she entered the confined s.p.a.ce. She expected to find a bunch of people running away in all directions.

Instead, she saw something that confused her for a moment.

Everyone was gathered in a circle, holding hands, around something that glowed green and malevolent in the low light of the room.

The terrible energy Kenna felt was coming off the thing in waves.

Renata looked up as Kenna slammed into the room, followed by Talon.

aYouad better join us,a she said in a strangely calm voice.

aWhat the h.e.l.l is that?a Talon shouted.

aThe talisman,a Kenna gasped. aVandar sent it here with me. You saw it in my knapsack. The green thing. Only now . . . itas grown so much bigger.a aYes.a aItas going to explode,a Renata said in the same matter-of-fact voice. aUnless we stop it.a aRun,a Kenna gasped. aGet out of here.a aWe canat,a Renata answered. aWeare containing it, and we need you and Talon.a Kenna glanced at him, wanting to order him out of the house. Maybe he saw that on her face because he stepped forward and reached for Rinnaas hand, clasping it tightly and leaving a s.p.a.ce for Kenna.

Her chest was so tight she could hardly breathe as she stepped into the circle, between Logan and Talon.

When Talon clasped her hand, it helped ground her.

aHe must have planned to destroy me if I somehow got free of the compulsion to do his bidding,a she whispered.

aYes,a Renata answered. aLucky for us, Antonia felt it stirring. She told us where to find it, and we dug it out of the knapsack.a aWhy did it wait so long?a Rinna murmured.

aMaybe it had to . . . build up enough energy.a Kenna swallowed hard.

aI donat think we can stop it,a Renata said, abut I think you can get it out of here. Youare the one with the telekinetic powers.a She gasped. aMove ita"with my mind?a aYes.a aItas too . . . heavy,a she gasped, although she knew that wasnat quite the right word. It wasnat that large, but the power in its depth weighed it down.

aYou donat have to do it alone. Weall help you,a Renata said.

Kenna wanted to scream that she couldnat pick up the d.a.m.n thing. Not with her mind. And now that she was in the room, she knew it sensed her. It was focusing on her, making her feel weak and helpless.

aThatas what he wants,a Renata said. aDonat let him win.a Kenna clenched her teeth. She had come so far and gained so much, and Vandar still wanted to take it all away from her.

Well, she wouldnat let him win the fight. More importantly, she wouldnat let him hurt all these other people who had come here to help her. If they died because of her, that would be the worst tragedy of all.

Renata gave her an encouraging look, and she felt strength pouring into her from everyone who surrounded the talisman, but she could feel it probing their defenses, preparing to break through.

It was like a bomb she had seen in a movie on television. Only it had a core of intelligence that Vandar had given it.

She had to get it out of here before it detonated. aWhere should I put it?a Talon supplied the answer. aThe swimming hole.a He looked around the group, then inclined his head toward the west. aItas down the hill about an eighth of a mile.a Pretending a calm she didnat feel, Kenna closed her eyes, imagining that she was wrapping her hand around the green glowing talisman. Even though she wasnat really holding it, she felt a burning pain in her palm and fingers, and she knew Talon felt it, too, because he winced.

When she pulled the imaginary hand back, he shook his head. aDo it!a She kept her eyes squeezed tight as she reached out and grasped the evil thing again. As she did, she could feel the others pouring power into her. It was a warming sensation, one she had never experienced before, not even when she had been in school. A team of friends around her all working for a common cause.

But were they strong enough?

Yes, a voice whispered in her mind, and she knew it was Renata, urging her on.

Kenna felt something inside her swell as she wrapped an invisible shield tightly around the talisman. Yet at the same time, she felt the thing churning up energy within itself, burning her flesh as it struggled to burst through the container she had created.

She knew she had to hurry and get it out of the room before it was too late, but at the same time she knew that if she acted too quickly, she wouldnat have the energy she needed from the group.

With a prayer to the Great Mother, she struggled to judge the right moment.

The talisman decided the issue for her. She felt it flare up, and she realized that if she delayed, it would blow up in the middle of the circle.

Ignoring the burning sensation, she tightened her mental grip on the wicked object.

aNow!a she shouted as she tugged on the talisman, pulling it closer to herself, seeing it actually move across the table. The heat surged, and she almost lost her grip. But they were all dead if she let go. Like the baseball pitchers she had seen on television, she wound up the invisible arm that held the thing and hurled it away from her into the darkness outside the house. As she did, in her mindas eye, she focused on the place where the river widened and deepened.

Kennaas vision was filled with bright splotches that made it almost impossible to see the circle of faces staring at her. The buzzing in her ears blocked out sound. And she felt her body trembling violently with the effort to control the power that the others gave her.

But through it all, her mind was steady as she pictured the talisman hurtling through the air, then landing with a tremendous splash in the deepest part of the river where it sank below the surface.

Was that reality or only what she hoped to accomplish?

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE.

THE LODGE SHOOK as a tremendous explosion rocked the ground outside.

Dropping Loganas and Talonas hands, Kenna ran toward the door.

He grabbed for her, but she darted past him and down the hall. Outside, the night was black, but she could see a green glowing plume of water shooting into the air. It fell back to the river, and then there was silence.

aWhat happened?a she whispered as the others cl.u.s.tered around her.

aYou did it,a Renata said in a voice that rang above the buzzing in Kennaas ears.

She opened her mouth to speak, but she was drowned out by the voices of the others congratulating her.

aI . . . I didnat know what I was doing,a she stammered as she thought back over the past few minutes.

Rinna laughed, dispelling the nervous energy. aThat doesnat matter. You got that blasted thing away from us before it killed everyone.a Kenna sucked in a sharp breath, nodding. As she pictured that green jet of water again, her legs wouldnat hold her up, and she was grateful that Talon caught her arm and helped her back down the hall to a sofa.

Sitting beside her, he turned her toward him and held her tightly, stroking his hands over her back and shoulders as she struggled to control her trembling.

aYou were magnificent,a he murmured.

ON the other side of the portal, Vandar felt an icy knife of alarm stab into his chest.

Something had happened. Although he couldnat be sure exactly what, it left him cursing and shaking as he tried to probe for information.

Head made Kenna think that he had an open connection with her from this side of the portal. That was only partly true. He had little direct control over her, but he had planted strong wards inside her head so that she would behave as he wished while she was in the other universe.

On her previous trip, when head sensed her struggling to break away, he had been able to call her back by activating one of his wards.

While shead been here, head doubled the automatic triggers in her mind. And head been satisfied with his control.

But now . . .

He knew something was wrong.

Had she actually broken away?

He gnashed his teeth.

If shead severed her tie with him, then his fail-safe mechanism, the talisman, had done its work, and she was dead. She wouldnat have known what was happening until it was too late. There was no way for her to save herself.

But was she really dead? Or was she simply beyond his reach?

He wanted to believe that the talisman had killed her, and she was no threat to him.

Still, he had lived too long and coped with too many emergencies to bet everything on that a.s.sumption.

After wiping away any visible trace of his uncertainty, he sent out a mental call to Swee, Wendon, and Barthime.

A few minutes later, there was a knock on his door.

aCome in.a His three key men stepped into the chamber. aYes, master?a Swee asked, his voice obsequious.

Vandar wanted to smack the fawning expression off the manas face, but he kept his emotions under control. He had worked with Swee for years. The man was strong, but he was loyal because head long ago had the power to resist driven out of him.

aI want the soldiersa quarters moved near the portal.a aSir?a aI want the entrance to the other universe under constant guard.a aYes, master.a aHalf of the men will be on duty at all times. The rest will be sleeping nearby.a aYes, master.a Before the adepts could leave, he stood and walked toward them, placing a hand on each of their foreheads in turn, checking their ties to him and giving them new instructions.

aYOU are very strong,a Antonia said to Kenna.

aNo, I . . .a aYou donat have to be modest about it. You were strong to survive your time with the monster. No one else has ever escaped from him.a Kenna didnat know how the other woman had come up with that a.s.sessment, but it sounded true.

aItas hard to imagine so many slaves doing his bidding,a Renata muttered.

aMany of them are adeptsa"some much stronger than I am. Swee, Barthime, and Wendon are his three chief men,a Kenna answered. aHeall use them and the others to fight us with their powers at the same time his soldiers are attacking us.a aBut he canat be all-powerful,a Ross said. aTell us his weaknesses.a She shuddered. aI spent months with him, and I couldnat see any.a aBecause he made sure his slaves never saw anything but his strength,a Talon muttered. aAnd if he didnat like something his slaves did, he killed them. No wonder you were scared. Anyone would be.a Hating the whole conversation, Kenna looked down at her hands. aDonat make excuses for me,a she whispered.

aDonat beat yourself up!a Ross replied. aIt was an impossible situation for you. Maybe if you share your experiences with us, youall say something that weall interpret differently.a Before she could speak, Talon jumped into the conversation. aI have shared her experiences,a he said. aWhen the women helped her free herself from Vandar, I was inside her head, and I saw Vandar up close and personal in a way Kenna canat convey with narrative. Heas more ruthless and more powerful than any of you can imagine.a aYeah, then it sounds like weare stuck,a Logan muttered.

Conversation swirled around her as Talon tried to explain the problem theyad face if they went up against Vandar and his adepts.

Kenna hardly listened. Something else was tugging at her, something that shead been too busy to focus on until now.

When she shifted in her seat, Talon looked at her questioningly. aWhat?a She swallowed hard. aNow that I have a little breathing s.p.a.ce, I realize thereas something I havenat told you about.a aOh yeah?a She hated the edge she heard in his voice and hated the way everyone was suddenly staring at her, but she said, aI think there may be . . .a She broke off, wondering how to tell them the news. It could be good or bad. She wished she knew which. aAnother . . . factor.a aWhat?a Logan asked.

aAnother being of power.a aJesus!a Logan shot back.

aI donat know his name, but Iave felt him.a She dragged in a breath and let it out as she looked around the room, hoping that this group of people was open to what she had to say. And hoping again that she hadnat brought another disaster on them.