TALON LOOKED AT Kennaas pinched features. She was afraid to tell him the truth about herself.

Fighting to keep his voice even, he asked, aI donat suppose you know anything about a box buried in the woods?a The quick change of subject left her looking genuinely confused. She had secrets she wasnat willing to share, but from her reaction he was pretty sure they didnat have anything to do with the money head turned over to the state police.

Relief flooded through him. She wasnat here to spy on him. Or was he seeing what he wanted to see on her face?

Remembering why they were standing in the dining room, he looked down at the table where her belongings were spread out. Quietly, he began to stuff everything back into the knapsack. When he was finished, he said, aLetas go have breakfast.a She scuffed her sandal against the rug. aDoes that mean youare going to let me stay?a aYeah,a he answered, watching the hope bloom on her face. aWeall work out a barter system. Room and board in exchange for work.a He didnat mention that the gold beads could easily have paid for her room and board. What the h.e.l.l would he do with gold beads?

aYes. I want to pay my way.a aAfter breakfast, you can help me do some laundry. I had a group here last week, and I left the sheets and towels for later.a aJust show me where to find the washtub,a she answered, then looked toward the window. aAnd I didnat see your clotheslines. Do you put it out each time?a aWashing machine and clothes dryer,a he corrected, struck once again by her lack of familiarity with the simplest accoutrements of the modern world. What the h.e.l.l kind of community did she come from? Apparently, one where cheap manual labor took the place of modern conveniences. When was she going to tell him about it? He started for the kitchen, weighing the advantages of turning the meal preparation into a cooking lesson.

TRYING not to be too greedy, Kenna ate scrambled eggs, bacon, and the toasted bread that Vandar had asked her about. Back then shead thought the idea was weird. Now she realized you could get used to the stuff, particularly when it was slathered with b.u.t.ter and something called blackberry jam.

Talon had taken the slices out of the freezer and put them into the toaster thing.

Head showed her how to do everything, and she was hoping she could accomplish it by herself next time.

He ate only a bit of eggs and a lot of the bacon, but she didnat ask about his expensive dietary habits.

Then he took her to the laundry room and showed her how to use the washing machine and the dryer. If machines like that had existed in her world, an adept with psychic talent would have run them with mind power. Here, the power came from electricity.

It could do a lot of things. But it was dangerous, too. Talon had showed her where the metal p.r.o.ngs on the end of the cords plugged into the wall and warned her not to poke anything in there.

The morning set the pattern for the next few days. Polite interactions, work a.s.signments, lessons on life in his world, and more leisure time than shead expected.

Shead pictured herself sweeping his floors with a broom. Instead, he pulled a vacuum cleaner out of a closet. Another machine. It picked up a lot of dirt, but it was clumsy to drag around.

He had a special brush to scrub the toilets. And another brush for the shower and the sink. And cleaner that came out of a bottle when you pumped the top.

When she wasnat working, Kenna spent hours watching and learning from the television and reading the magazines that were stacked around the house.

And Talona"she was getting comfortable calling him aTalonaa"didnat confine her to the house. In the afternoons, she started taking long walks in the woods where she discovered there were several other dwellings within a mile of Talonas lodge, although none was as nice as his.

Their days settled into a routine. Talon was outside most mornings, using a loud kind of saw to cut up the fallen tree and maybe going off in his pickup truck for food or other supplies. He brought back frozen food he thought shead like. Something called twice-baked potatoes was wonderful. So were pizza and apple pie with vanilla ice cream. You baked the pie, then put the ice cream on top.

In the afternoons, he did office work at his computer and on the telephone, ordering supplies and talking to clients. She gathered that he had a trip coming up, and he was finalizing the details.

TALON stepped out of his office and walked down the hall, checking the rooms. Head thought he heard Kenna go out half an hour ago, but he wanted to make sure she wasnat around.

When he established that he was alone in the house, he consulted his phone book and found the name of Ross Marshall. He hardly knew the guy, but head decided it was time for a call.

Still, his chest tightened as his fingers hovered over the phone b.u.t.tons.

aEither make the call or forget it,a he muttered to himself. Finally, he pressed the b.u.t.tons, then stood up and looked out the window so head see Kenna if she came back. Because the back door was locked, the only way she could get in was through the front door. Which meant head have plenty of time to terminate the call if he needed to.

ah.e.l.lo?a He took a breath and said, aThis is your cousin, Talon Marshall.a The voice on the other end of the line was enthusiastic. aItas good to hear from you!a aYouare probably wondering why Iam calling out of the blue.a Ross waited a beat before saying, aNo. I figure youare looking for a private detective who will understand your unique situation.a aYeah. Something like that.a aYou live up in Pennsylvania, right? Bedford County.a aYeah,a Talon answered, thinking that his cousin probably knew exactly where to find his den.

aWhat can I do for you?a aA woman showed up at my house last week, and I canat figure out who she is.a Ross was silent on the other end of the line.

aShe may be hiding out from a closed community up in the hills. She doesnat have a driveras license. She doesnat know much about modern conveniences, like washing machines and toasters.a aYou looked her up on the Internet?a aYeah, but I canat even be sure she gave me her real name.a aWhat is it?a aKenna Thomas.a aHow did you meet her?a aUnder rather strange circ.u.mstances.a Talon recounted his meeting with Kenna in the storm, pretty sure that Ross was taking notes.

aYou may know my wife owns a medical lab. Iad like her to do a DNA test.a aOn what?a aCan you mail me a sample of Kennaas hair? Preferably with a hair follicle attached.a aI can do that,a he said thinking about the comb Kenna had left on the bathroom sink.

Ross gave the address of the lab, then asked, aDoes she show any psychic abilities?a The question took him by surprise, but he thought back over the time head spent with Kenna. aI . . . donat think so,a he murmured. aWhy do you ask?a aYou made me wonder about her,a Ross answered.

Talon hadnat said much, and he waited for his cousin to make some crack about werewolves and bonding. When Ross remained silent, Talon asked carefully, aWondered about what?a aIad rather not speculate until I have more information.a aYou like being mysterious?a aThere are some cases that have come up,a his cousin said. aAnd she could fit the pattern. But I donat want to suggest anything that turns out to be leading in the wrong direction.a aOkay.a Talon didnat press.

aAnything else I can do for you?a Ross asked.

Talon thought about it for a moment, then told him about the box of money head found in the woods, the visit from the cops, and the guy whoad taken a shot at him a week ago.

aDid you talk to the authorities about the shooting incident?a aNo.a aWhy not?a aFirst place, the guy was shooting at a wolf. Second, I donat want the cops messing in my business,a he snapped, then wished head kept his voice under control.

They spoke for a few more minutes, with Ross asking more questions both about Kenna and the box of money.

When Talon hung up, he stood at the window, wondering if there was more to his houseguest than head imagined.

Ross had mentioned psychic abilities. Talon had said that Kenna didnat have them, but that had been a knee-jerk reaction. Had he spoken too quickly?

What abilities, exactly?

Staring off into s.p.a.ce, he thought of the time he and Kenna had spent together. Had she read his mind?

He didnat think so. If she could, wouldnat she have picked up clues to modern life from him?

Could she predict the future?

Again, he couldnat find any evidence. Shead been worried about his letting her stay here, which meant she hadnat known what he was going to decide.

Another power was the ability to make someone follow a course of action that they hadnat thought of for themselves. That possibility made the back of his neck p.r.i.c.kle. Was he keeping her here because shead compelled him to do it?

He shook his head. He was acting out of character, all right. But he was pretty sure she wasnat compelling him to do it. Not by mind control.

He got off that track and focused on another psychic talent.

What about shape-shifting? She certainly hadnat changed to some other form, not in front of him. Of course, he hadnat done it in front of her, either.

She was going for long walks in the woods. Could she be turning into a bobcat when she was out of his sight?

Somehow, he didnat think so. Okay, why?

For one thing, she seemed to have only normal human senses while he had a heightened sense of smell, for example, even as a human.

As he stood staring through the window, he ran through other talents she might have, but he couldnat come up with anything that made sense.

KENNA walked through the woods near the lodge, thinking about Talon. As shead watched him in his normal routine, her admiration for him had grown.

If she had to give him a familiar label, shead say he was like someone who was highborn back in her own world. A man who was his own boss. A man who knew what he wanted and got it without asking permission from anyone else. And he had a confidence shead rarely seen in Breezewood. When something went wrong, he fixed it on his own and moved briskly on to the next task.

If he had any doubts about a course of action head selected, she couldnat detect them. But he wasnat interested in power over other people. Back home, a man like him would have been on the city council, if only to protect his own interests. Here, Talon didnat worry about that kind of security.

One thing shead noted was his self-control. On the surface, things between them seemed calm, but every moment they were alone in this house, she felt the tension between them. They were both being careful not to touch, not to delve into the deeply felt needs that had bloomed from a simple kiss.

But it wasnat just the physical relationship that he kept under control. He had to be curious about her background. Who wouldnat wonder about the strange woman who knew so little about ordinary life?

Even so, he didnat bombard her with questions. Instead, he seemed to be waiting until she trusted him enough to tell him the truth.

She wanted to do it. So much. Not just for him, but because living in this world had given her a taste of freedom she hadnat known in months.

But the freedom was just an illusion unless she could break away from the monster that held her captive.

She moved her arms, trying to dispel the restless feeling that tightened her chest. Her life had taken on the unreality of a waking dream, but she knew the dream had to end. She wanted to stay here. With Talon. She wanted to change the equation between them into something real. But the only way to do it was to free herself from the compulsion Vandar had laid on her.

If she had the courage to do it.

Her hands squeezed. She couldnat go on like this. And she had been trying to solve the problem.

Sitting down, she pressed her back against a tree trunk, breathing in the scents of the foresta"the vegetation, the earth, and the dried leaves. And the air that now seemed normal to her.

Everything here was so different from any place in her own world, and the reality of this new environment helped separate her from the other universe.

Once she felt mentally grounded, she went back to what shead been practicing over the past few daysa"putting up a wall in her mind to shield her from Vandar. If she could make the wall strong enough, she could get out from under the spell head placed on her.

In school, shead taken cla.s.ses in erecting a barrier against a strong psychic threat, usually provided by the instructor. She hadnat been the best student, but shead been fairly successful, and shead always had good feedback from her teachers.

She grimaced as she reminded herself that her biggest failure had been when Vandar had initiated her into his cadre of slaves, and her defenses against him had crumbled. But head been right there in the ceremonial chamber with her, his dark eyes boring into hers as his mind sent out its deadly tentacles.

She looked up at the tree branches above her. She was miles away from Vandar in another world. Surely, that gave her the separation she needed to break his hold on her.

Once again, she worked on a mental image of building a stone wall, block by block, like the solid walls of Talonas house.

Then she added layers to the back and front, so that it felt like her mind was inside a fortress so strong that nothing could crack through.

Was that an illusion? She hoped not. She wished she could practice with one of her teachers, but in this universe, there was only one way to test her mental handiwork.

Standing up, she looked at the shadows filtering through the leaves above her. It was getting late, but her practice session had made her nervous. Instead of heading directly back to the house, she walked down to the small river that ran through the forest. She liked wandering along its banks, stopping at a place where the water ran deep. It looked like she could swim there if she knew how. But that was a skill they didnat teach in Breezewood.

She also liked looking at some of the other houses that backed on to it. None of them was as nice as Talonas lodge, but they were all large and st.u.r.dy compared to the average house back in her own world.

As she walked, she silently debated the course of action she was contemplating.

Could she really sever Vandaras control? Or was she going to end up with her mind fried and her body lying on the floor like a dead husk?

The image was all too real, and she shuddered. Feeling pulled in one direction and then the other, she kept walking. Finally, she knew she couldnat stay out any longer. She was usually home by now, and Talon would wonder why she was out so long.

Retracing her steps, she hurried back toward the lodge. When she stepped out of the woods, she spotted Talon. He was standing on the brick paved area that he called the patio, in front of some kind of round table that shead seen out there. It had shiny metal legs and a black body. When shead pa.s.sed it before, it had been covered by a black dome with a handle in the center.

This afternoon, the dome was sitting by itself on a built-in bench.

Wondering what Talon was doing, she kept walking toward him. He had a rectangular can in his hand, and he pointed it downward, shooting a stream of liquid into the curved bottom of the table. Even at this distance, the liquid gave off a sharp smell that she didnat like.

Curious, she came closer, just as he pulled a box out of his pocket and dragged something across the edge. A small flame sprang up, and he held it toward the table.

As she stared in horror, a great ma.s.s of fire leaped into the air.

aTalon!a At the sound of her voice, he spun toward her, but he was still so close to the flames that she knew his clothing was going to catch on fire.

CHAPTER TWELVE.

KENNAaS HEART BLOCKED her windpipe as she took in the terrifying scene. It flashed through her mind that she could use her talent to shove Talon away from the fire, but he was still fifty feet away, and at that distance, he was much too heavy for her to push him to safety.

The table was much lighter. Gathering her mental forces, she sent a wave of energy toward it, pitching it over so that the flames shot away from Talon. The table landed on its side, the black pieces scattering across the patio surface.

aWhat the h.e.l.l?a When she saw Talonas foot moving toward the still-burning pieces, she leaped at him, trying to throw him to the ground. But even with her arms around him, she couldnat bring him down.

Holding on to him, she struggled to speak. aStay away from it.a aItas okay.a His arms came up to cradle her rea.s.suringly.

aAre you all right?a she whispered.

aYes.a He stayed where he was but looked over his shoulder at the overturned table. aWhat just happened?a aI . . . I donat know,a she answered in a shaky voice. aThe fire was going to burn you.a He shook his head. aIt was just the starter fluid for the barbecue grill.a From the quizzical tone of his voice, she suspected that he hadnat been in danger at all. Shead simply misinterpreted another innocent event from his world.

He turned his head and stared at the barbecue grill where it lay on the ground.

Although desperation had made her throw the thing away from him and fling the burning black pieces across the patio, she couldnat admit that she had done it. All she could do was hold on to him, because it felt like the universe was tipping under her, and he was the only stable thing she could grasp.

Or maybe she just wanted the excuse for the close contact. Shead thought that she was grateful he was keeping his distance. Now she understood that shead been lying to herself.

And lying to him by her silence. She wanted to change the rules between them, and the only way she could do it was by telling him the truth about herself. Maybe he would be angry. Maybe he would send her away, but at least that was better than the shame of lying to him.

Making a sudden decision, she said, aI have to tell you . . . something important.a aYouare finally ready to come clean with me?a aYes.a She swallowed hard. aI come from . . .a She was prepared to tell him the truth, but before she could finish the sentence, a bolt of lightning struck inside her head, sending a shock wave of pain through her skull.

She screamed, and her knees buckled. She thought she had built a fortress around her thoughts, walling her off from Vandaras reach. She had, and the pain came from inside the wall, reverberating off the insides of the safety zone she had built.

Another scream bubbled in her throat. As she gasped and jerked in his arms, he tightened his grip on her.

aKenna?a Above the pain, she heard the urgency and the fear in his voice. aKenna, whatas happening to you? Whatas wrong?a Her lips moved, but no words came out. She was incapable of speech. All she could do was fight the agonizing sensation of hot needles drilling into the fibers of her brain.

She had practiced protecting herself. She thought she had put up barriers against the monster who held her in his grip. He was far away. Out of her sight. In a different universe. But shead been wrong. He didnat need to be here to punish her act of rebellion. The trigger was already in her head, put there before she left home.

The pain held her captive, robbed her of speech, and crushed the air from her lungs. She was going to drown, like a fish tossed onto the deck of a boat.

Talon had laid her gently on the ground. Above her, through wide, staring eyes, she saw his face wavering in her vision. He looked frightened and confounded as he stared down at her. When she tried to force his name past her lips, she found her muscles were no longer under her command.

She heard him curse as he crouched over her. aI should get help. But I donat want to leave you,a he muttered.