

Awaken

The Awakener Series

## BY

R.E.S. Tidmore

Awaken: Book 1 (The Awakener Series)

Copyright © 2013 R.E.S. Tidmore

All rights reserved

Published by R.E.S. Tidmore at Smashwords

Third Edition

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior permission of the Author. This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

ISBN: 0989524310

ISBN: 9780989524315

Cover Design by Ruth Spickelmire

Book formatting by R. W. Publishing

Library of Congress Control Number: 2013914248

LCCN Imprint Name: Ruthless Writers Publishing

Other Titles

Book 1 of The Verbecks of Idaho

Midnight's Dream

Book 2 of The Verbecks of Idaho

Delicate Dream

Book 1 of Managing Mayhem

Bliss

Coming Soon

Book 2 of The Awakener Series

Oblivion

Dedication

To my husband Jason, thank you for all the love and support you have shown me over the years. Without you, I could have never reached the stars. You are my light in the darkness and my rock in the raging river that is life. To my son William, you're a rock star. The glass is always half full in your eyes. Thanks for making me see it too. To my mom, thanks for putting up with me and always being there to talk out the kinks in my stories.

Thank You
CONTENTS

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

About the Author
CHAPTER One

Driving down Idaho Highway 55, Lily McMaster stared at the steep Salmon River Mountains through the front windshield of her Highlander, and cursed. She quickly opened the driver's side window and the crisp evening breeze wrestled with her untamed hair. She managed to pull fresh air deep into her lungs, but still choked. Covering her mouth, she held in check the stomach acid that burned the back of her throat. _Who knew you could get car sick while driving yourself?_ She sagged miserably in her seat and cringed at the next curve along the highway. This was turning out to be a long day.

An image of her best friend took root in her mind. Rachel, huddled in the corner of her padded room, frantically describing yet another delusion. Lily couldn't believe that in a single month she'd watched her best friend's mental health deteriorate so severely. Nine times out of ten, Rachel didn't even recognize her. Rachel kept calling her the light. It was unsettling.

Tears welled up in her eyes. She was losing the one person she loved, the one person who had touched her heart and showed her that she could truly live if she put the past behind her.

Lily remembered the first time she'd seen Rachel. A broad smile stretched across her round face, her brown eyes were full of laughter, and she had thick gold hair. Rachel was a cheerful person, always smiling as widely as the span of a mainsail, twenty-four-seven. Lily had tried to steer clear of her. Yet how do you avoid your assistant? Thinking back, Lily didn't know exactly when Rachel had stopped being her assistant and started being her friend. She sniffled. Perhaps their friendship had bloomed sometime during late night hours of working together, or as a result of frequent and much-appreciated coffee runs.

Rachel was Lily's link to the present, the "now" she wanted to live in. And she would do anything to keep that connection.

She fingered the leather notebook wedged between her seat and the center console. All the notes she'd taken while counseling and analyzing her best friend were safely tucked inside. Every hallucination, every flicker of an image was there. Dr. Altice, her colleague, had advised her not to work with Rachel while she was in the psychiatric hospital, that it was a conflict of interest since they were such close friends. Professionalism be damned. She had never cared for Altice. Whenever his gray eyes locked onto her, she felt her medical competence was under attack.

One tear found its way down her cheek and she wiped it away, irritated with herself for getting emotional. There was no room for tears in her life; not anymore.

One particular delusion Rachel had often described during their sessions sparked a strange feeling inside Lily, like a strong wind of remembrance blowing through her. Giving Rachel the benefit of the doubt, Lily had done some research and had discovered the hallucination Rachel described had been a real event, a fire near the small town of Kaloosh, Idaho, called the Wood Creek Fire. Rachel had described it so many times, in such detail, that Lily just knew it had to be a significant factor in what was happening to her friend. Lily felt compelled to explore the full details of the fire. She needed more than the limited information the Internet had yielded; she had a feeling there was more to it. She'd called the town hall and library, and had discovered while there was some information regarding the fire in their archives, they didn't have the personnel to help her over the phone. So she'd decided it was time for a road trip.

Foot to the floor, Lily pushed past her nausea and shelved her emotions. She sniffled one more time and made one last pass with the back of her hand to her damp cheeks. Lily straightened her spine in resolve. She wouldn't let her friend down.

Within a quarter-mile of the small town of Kaloosh, the speed limit dropped to a sedate twenty-five mph, giving her time to study the area. A large, half-moon-shaped metal hangar came into view first, with a sign that read "Antiques." Behind it lay a small airstrip, flanked by a dozen or so small planes. Down the highway on the right sat a pond and a football field. Amber and rust-colored bushes sprouted at the banks of the pond. Lily wiggled in her seat, anticipating the coming of fall. In San Diego, trees had gorgeous green leaves one day and the next, the leaves became a little pile on the ground. Trees in the city took fall literally.

Spotting a Chevron gas station up ahead, Lily surveyed her gas gauge. She was down to a quarter of a tank. Time to fill up.

Bouncing roughly through a parking lot filled with potholes, Lily pulled up to a pump and stopped. She leaned forward, peering through her windshield. _So this is Kaloosh._ It looked bigger than a "one blink and it's gone" kind of town. If she had to make a guess, she'd say it was a "three blink" town.

Lifting the door handle, Lily pushed the door open, only to have a gust of wind rip it from her fingertips and slam it back against its hinge. The wind assaulted her. _Damn._

Flipping up the collar of her thin Under Armour jacket, Lily shivered against the frigid wind. Cautiously she measured her step and climbed out of the vehicle. Her red hair whipped in front of her eyes and she frowned up at the dark gray clouds, which seemed to have followed her from San Diego. Another gust of wind pushed at her. She stood firm and brushed her hair from her eyes. Tall evergreens kissed the edges of the parking lot. They didn't bend to the will of the wind; the treetops swayed with ease.

Walking to the rear of her vehicle, she swiped her credit card at the pump and flipped open the gas tank cover. As she squeezed the nozzle lever, she peeked up from under her lashes and saw a number of people buzzing in and out of the mini-mart. No one gave her a second glance. She tried to relax, but her stomach grumbled unhappily. After a few minutes, she finished pumping and decided to grab a snack before heading to Bea's Inn, which was about a mile down the road, according to her GPS.

With her shoulders hunched, Lily shoved her hands into her pockets and hurried over to the mini-mart. Leaning her back against the door, she pushed it open and was met by the clattering sound of a cowbell, along with the delicious aroma of pizza. She inhaled deeply and her eyes fluttered closed for a brief moment of appreciation. When she opened them, she scanned the store with hawk eyes. There were three aisles full of tempting goodies, along with drink refrigerators tightly packed against the outer walls. In the back corner she spotted a little deli, the source of the heavenly pizza smell. Lily's eyes lingered there for a second, but then she spotted the chocolate. It called to her and she veered down the center row. _There is a God._ She snatched a Snickers and a Twix off the second shelf. Then she zipped toward the cashier. She stood there and gawked at the pizza once more. _What fun is a road trip if you don't get to eat junk food?_ She lunged for the deli, plucked a pepperoni pizza off the heated rack, and stepped up to the counter once more. _I can go for a run tomorrow and burn it all off_. It was official; Rachel had rubbed off on her. On every coffee run they'd made together, Rachel pumped hers full of caramel and chocolate syrup. Lily didn't think the contents of Rachel's could be classified as coffee. Then Rachel would add a chocolate muffin. Lily smiled to herself. Perhaps that's where Rachel got her happiness--from all the sugar. A laugh tried to bubble up from inside her, seeing Rachel's silly drunken coffee-sugar-face in her mind. Lily's laugh never passed her lips. She placed her items on the counter, sobered by the thought of why she was here. A weathered-looking woman peered at the chocolate, then at Lily.

"Is this all for you, honey?" the woman asked in a high, cheerful tone.

"Yes, thank you," said Lily, tucking a chunk of unruly hair behind her ear. She liked to think of it as her lion's mane.

"That'll be eight fifty-two."

Lily plunked the money on the counter, thanked the cashier, then shoved the candy into her front pocket and picked up her pizza. Pivoting around to bolt, she smacked right into a beast of a man. The box flew out of her hand and hit the floor. A blast of heat struck her that radiated from him and wrapped around her, taking her breath away. A heavy scent of metal and paint filled the air. Lily hated to look up, but did anyway. Her heart flat-lined. 'Beast' was the appropriate term for the monstrous frame looming over her with menace. He was spine-chillingly still.

Dread curled in her stomach. The beast's right cheek was gnarled, rough and layered with scar tissue. It looked as though something had imbedded itself in his cheek and had been ripped out. One finger of a scar ran from the top of his ear to the corner of his mouth, pulling it up slightly. His dark eyes stared into her lighter ones. They were unnaturally frozen in place. Terror snaked around her, enclosing her in an iron grip, squeezing the breath out of her. He was too close. Her personal demon slinked out from the deepest, darkest corner of her mind. _Run. He'll hurt you. Get away from him._ As the voice grew to a deafening pitch, she mentally seized hold of it and locked it away. She wasn't the girl hiding in the attic anymore. She was a woman.

The heat radiating from the beast slithered under her skin and her blood temperature climbed. A cry sprang to her lips. She bit the inside of her cheek. In her head, a roar sounded, crippling all thoughts. Her blood grew hotter, her veins surging into an inferno of pain. She quaked. Clenching her teeth, Lily combated the pain, numbing herself to it. The beast never moved.

As quickly as the fire ignited, it extinguished, leaving her disoriented.

"Next customer, please," said the worn-looking female.

Lily elevated her chin. She wouldn't submit to her fear of men, nor to the painful heat roused within her by the beast. She was in charge of her mind and her body.

With her back pressed to the checkout counter, Lily edged past him with as much dignity as she could muster. She bent and collected her pizza from the floor, then threw open the door to hightail it out of the mini-mart.

_Get away. Get away._ After two rushing strides forward, an unexplainable, invisible grip halted her. The urge to go back cut through her need for escape. Lily glanced over her shoulder at the beast, bewildered. _Why would I want to go back?_ She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth. He remained motionless in front of her as she studied him. Something stirred inside her, an ache in her chest; desire laced with acid. She didn't understand how such feelings could be provoked.

Lily rushed to her Highlander and climbed in. She slammed the lock button down and anxiously waited for the man to exit the mini-mart so she could get a better look at him from a safe distance. A minute passed and he emerged from the building with a commanding air of self-confidence she could only wish to have. She wrinkled her nose at him. There, in the back of her mind, came a grating sensation. As if something wanted to escape. Lily's head began to throb.

A second before the beast moved out of her sight, he paused and looked briefly over his shoulder. His eyes were flat, hard, passionless orbs. It was her turn to become unnaturally still, a deer caught in the headlights. Her heart drummed in her ears and the blood drained from her face. After the beast vanished around the corner, she squeaked at having been caught spying, turned over the engine of her vehicle, and threw it into drive. _I am so out of here._ She peeled out of the parking lot and onto the main road cutting through the heart of the town.

Suddenly charged with more energy than she knew what to do with, she cast a glance up the road at some red buildings scattered on the right. Next, came some white condos on the left dusted with an array of flowers at the base. More buildings passed. Lily couldn't focus on the town; the strange encounter at the mini-mart was sucking up all her brain space. _Why had the man stood there like a statue?_ Normal people asked if you were okay when you rammed into them, or yelled at you to watch out, _something_. She exhaled, dropping her head back against her seat for a second. She couldn't believe the way her body had reacted to that stranger. No one had ever made her feel like she was on fire before. She shook off the strange feelings and focused on driving.

Giving the buildings the once-over, she was surprised to spy a movie theater, a car dealership and several small cafes. Kaloosh was bigger than she original thought.

Spotting a large pink sign that read Bea's Inn in white lettering, Lily flipped her blinker on and made a right into the parking lot. Trees were nicely placed throughout the lot with patches of well-manicured grass.

Pulling into a parking spot near the entrance, she turned off her car and looked at the inn. It reminded her of a less grand version of the Hotel Del Coronado. The excitement she felt earlier on arriving into town started to come to life again. Lily had never stayed at the Hotel Del Coronado. She hoped Bea's Inn would be a good substitute.

Before sliding out of the truck, Lily grabbed her leather notebook and strolled to the passenger door. She collected her duffle bag and her pizza, locked the truck, then went inside.

Once past the entrance, ancient wallpaper and garish colors assaulted her from all sides. Instinctively, she flipped a U-turn and walked out. _Wow. Talk about happy._ Before she made it three feet, she heard the snapping of fingers. Halted by the sound, Lily shot a look over her shoulder in the direction of the noise.

"Don't even think about it. Get over here right now," said an old man from behind a large maple desk.

Lily frowned at the old man. _Did he really just snap his fingers at me?_

"Don't look so grumpy at me. I can't chase you down now can I? I'm too old. You must be . . ." The old man bent close to a paper on the desk. "Miss McMaster. Your room is ready and waiting for you."

Lily headed for the desk. She could tell there was no getting out of staying here.

"Yes, I'm Lily McMaster."

"Please to meet you. I have your card on file from your online reservation. If you need anything, just call down to the front desk; it will be charged to your room. Here're your keys."

Lily took the plastic card keys from the old man.

"Room 201, second floor, take a right, room's toward the end," said the old man, giving her a wink from behind his glasses.

Lily returned his wink with a weary smile and walked over to the curved staircase. Scaling the stairs, she tried to absorb the décor. As she reached the second floor, Lily stopped, turned right, and headed down the hall.

Shoving the key card into the electronic lock to her room, she looked down the hallway cautiously. Empty. The entire place seemed empty. She had to be the only person in the whole inn. The lock flashed green and she stepped inside.

With a thud, her green duffel bag hit the floor and she tossed her notebook on top of it. She sagged against the door and slithered to the floor with her pizza. The heavy perfumed scent of rose and lilac caused her nose to wrinkle. She looked around, taking in the room. It was larger than she'd expected, with a king-sized bed in the center and a nightstand on either side of the bed. In the corner, across from a large cupboard, sat a small desk, all in matching golden oak. Her brows stitched together. The room looked happy. She sighed. She didn't do happy. Still, it was a pleasant room.

Running a hand through her hair, she looked at her watch. Six p.m. Her stomach grumbled. She pulled out the Snickers bar, tore it open, and took a bite. It was heaven in a wrapper. She couldn't remember the last time she'd allowed herself to have one. She chewed slowly, waiting for the sugar to reach her bloodstream. It took only until she finished the bar to experience the exhilarating impact of the sugar high. She savored it for a long while.

The beast of a man from the mini-mart entered her mind yet again. He reminded her of someone . . . felt familiar . . . like a hazy dream that had been forgotten. Fear and intrigue mixed together. How could such a dangerous-looking man feel familiar? And why in the world had she wanted to go back to him? She typically steered clear of large, dangerous and scary-looking men. She mentally noted the peculiarity of the event but gazed at her pizza box longingly. Her candy bar wasn't going to cut it.

Opening the pizza box, Lily lifted a slice to her mouth, but just as she was about to take a bite, she stopped. Her stomach turned sour. She grimaced and dropped the pizza back into the box, saddened. _So much for pizza. That's what I get for going with the sugar first._

She closed the lid and tossed it next to her duffle bag. Lily bounced her crisscrossed knees. _Sugar._ Sitting still wasn't an option at the moment, so she pushed to her feet, wanting to check out the rest of the room.

Leaning in around the doorframe of the bathroom, she flipped on the light. A large, oval, off-white tub, big enough for two, greeted her. Chocolate and a bath; she could almost forget what she was doing in the small town. Almost.

She cruised over to the large window on the far side of the room. Pulling the sheer curtains back, she gawked at the roofs of quirky-looking businesses and homes. A large shop two blocks off Main Street snagged her attention.

Cocking her head to the side, she squinted at a liquid blue glow emanating from the shop. It lured her closer to the window, her toes banging against the wall. Her breath fogged the glass. Her heart began to thump like an old dog's hind leg working up a decent scratch. She rubbed her breastbone absently. It felt as if an unseen thread was being pulled at the center of her chest. Her blood warmed. A heady, drunken feeling rolled up her legs, along her spine. She needed to go to the light.

A bellowing wind howled past the window. Her eyes grew round and the warm feeling drained from her. The wind seemed ominous. As the sun had set, the chill in the autumn air had increased noticeably. She reached out to touch the glass. Barely an inch away, a rampaging wind roared past once more, rattling the window. Lily jumped back. The invisible thread pulling her chest forward snapped.

Feeling weak, she staggered over and collapsed onto the plush bed. She blinked several times, trying to work past sudden tunnel vision. Maybe she was having some sort of reaction to the sugar. Lily tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

After a few minutes, the episode passed and Lily felt in control of herself. She thought about the local library and the archives in City Hall. She peered at her watch, blinking; it was nearly seven. How had she lost an hour? She spun toward the door. She had just been sitting and eating five minutes ago. She closed her eyes and pressed a palm to her temple. She needed to get some sleep. Glancing at her watch again, she was sure the library and city hall would be closed by now.

She kicked off her shoes and crawled up the large bed. Pulling down the inviting comforter, Lily scooted under the covers. Since Rachel's admittance to the psychiatric ward, Lily had eaten and slept in her office, not wanting to be far from her best friend. Lily brought the comforter up to her chin. Staring at the window thinking about Rachel, exhaustion finally pulled her into a dreamless sleep.

Morning greeted Lily as rays of sunlight warmed her face. She snuggled deeper under the covers and rolled away from the sun. She didn't want to get up. She wanted to stay in bed forever. Curling into a tight ball, she looked sideways at rose wallpaper. She perked up, almost forgetting where she was. Uncurling herself, Lily tossed back the covers and lumbered into the bathroom. Flipping on the light, she blinked at her sad little coffee maker and sighed. She mechanically made coffee, such as it was. Half-awake, she spotted her pizza box on the floor. Walking over, she flopped down beside it. One of the reasons she loved pizza so much was it tasted just as good cold as it did hot. She opened the box and grabbed a slice. Five minute later the pizza was devoured and her coffee was done brewing. She picked up her leather notebook on her way to pour a cup of coffee.

Cup in hand, she wandered over to sit at the small desk. Taking a sip, she looked at the alarm clock. It was almost ten a.m. Apparently she needed more rest than she thought, because she never slept in past seven. Setting her coffee cup down, Lily pulled her knees to her chest and skimmed the back section of her notebook, where she'd written down all the information on Rachel's recurring hallucination.

She couldn't hold back the creepy shiver that came over her every time she thought about the fact that the fire had taken place a year before Rachel was born. There must be a reasonable explanation for Rachel seeing the fire in her hallucination. She could have seen something about it somewhere when she was younger. At least that's what Lily told herself.

None of her notes revealed any new insight, so she closed it and pulled out her phone.

She dialed the nurses' station of the hospital, wanting to check on Rachel.

"Sherry, speaking, how can I help you?"

"Hi Sherry, this is Lily," she said.

"Hey, girl, what's up? Where you at? Why haven't I seen you today?"

Lily smiled. Nurse Sherry was something special; she always got straight to the point, as though there was no time to waste.

"I had to make a trip out of town for about a week. Dr. Altice is supposed to be working with my patients while I am gone."

"Girl, why you go and do that for? You know he's just going to up their meds."

Lily bit the inside of her cheek, heart beating faster.

"Don't say that. You'll give me a hole in my stomach while I'm gone. I was just calling to see how Rachel was doing this morning."

"Oh girl, she's fine for bein' in the crazy house."

"Sherry . . ."

A chuckle sounded in Lily's ear.

"I'm messing with you, boss. She is good, been real quiet."

Lily drew a breath and let it out. "Good. Call me if anything changes."

"Will do, boss lady. Have a good vacation."

"It's not a vac—"

The line went dead. Lily stared at the phone for a second then put it on the desk. At least Rachel was okay for now. Lily took another sip of coffee and gazed out the window. It was time to get moving. Since today was Saturday, she didn't think city hall and the library would be open for more than half the day.

Quickly she dressed in fresh clothes, tucking the notebook safely into her pocket. Lily grabbed her room key and stuffed it into her jeans. She'd made it down two flights of stairs and into the lobby when she realized she didn't have a clue where the library was. She swung around and addressed the old man who had checked her in.

"Excuse me, sir. Do you know where the town library is? Is it open?"

The man peered over his spectacles, which barely hung on to the end of his nose.

"Yes and yes," he said, gray eyes twinkling mischievously.

"Umm . . . could you tell me which way to go?" she asked, not sure if the man was teasing her.

"Yes."

A smile threatened to stretch her cheek muscles. How to phrase her next sentence . . .

"Which way to the town library?" she asked.

"That a girl. Main Street, left, quarter mile, brown, one story." He squinted at his watch. "Got until noon before they close."

"Thank you, Mr. . ."

"Cross, but for you, Joe."

"Thank you, Mr. Cross," she said, turning toward the door.

"Joe, call me Joe," he called after her.

Lily walked past the library twice before she found the front door. It was small and quiet. The only person in the library was a woman whom Lily assumed was the librarian. She bustled back and forth shoving books onto many different shelves. The woman must have been doing this for years because all she did was glance at the spine, and the book found a home thirty seconds later.

Lily cleared her throat loudly. The plump little woman shrieked, and her handful of books went tumbling to the floor as she clutched her chest.

"Crap," Lily mumbled, "I scared her." She rushed over to the terrified woman.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to startle you," Lily said, reaching down to pick up the books.

The woman blinked at her then burst out laughing. It was a light, fluttery sound.

"Oh, honey, it's not you. I just had the whole Michel clan in here terrorizing my lovely books." She gently patted Lily on the shoulder. "I thought they had come back."

Lily didn't know the Michels yet, but based on the look of horror on the librarian's face, she made a mental note to stay clear.

"I'm Rose. How can I help you?" she asked, taking two books out of Lily's hands and putting them on a nearby table.

"I'm looking for information on the Wood Creek Fire. I called the city hall a few days ago, and they said there was information available here."

"Oh, yes, downstairs. Why do you want to know about that? It's very sad." Rose's eyes narrowed suspiciously.

Lily swallowed hard and stuck as close to the truth as she could. She wasn't the trusting kind, even with nice-looking older women. It was safer that way. "I'm doing research for a friend in San Diego." That sounded reasonable.

"You from San Diego, I take it?"

Lily nodded.

"I wouldn't go around telling anybody that."

Confused, Lily asked, "What? That I'm doing research?"

Rose chuckled. "No, not that, the being from San Diego. Around here, folks get fired up when a tree hugger rolls in. This is a logging town. You won't get any complaints from me though. My grand-babies live in San Diego. Not their fault where they were born." Rose nudged Lily's elbow. "Come on, honey, I'll take you downstairs."

Lily followed Rose silently to the back of the library and down a flight of squeaky old stairs. The air grew cold and thick as they descended. The musty smell caused Lily to sneeze.

When they reached the bottom, Lily blinked hard. The room was big, with about fifty wooden archive cabinets lined up in rows, back to back. Atop them, lamps burned bright in all shapes and sizes. She would have never guessed all this was down here.

"Let me see, Wood Creek . . ." Rose walked between two rows in the back, pulling out drawers here and there, mumbling to herself.

"Here it is. This entire drawer is on the fire. Feel free to pull anything out. But please put it back. The microfiche machine is over there." She pointed to the only table in the room. "Do you know how to use it?"

"Umm . . . yes. It has been a while though. Haven't had to use one since college. I'm sure I can figure it out," Lily said, walking toward Rose, who took off, back the way they had come.

"You have an hour and a half to find what you want. I have books to shelve and a stack of paperwork to fill out, but then it's lights out. You'll have to come back on Monday. Sunday we're closed."

"Thank you," said Lily, watching Rose bustle up the stairs. Lily eyed the drawer. Did she really want to know more about this fire? People had died in it, and her best friend was having hallucinations about it. Creepy couldn't describe the feeling it gave her.

She thought about Rachel. What was she doing right now? Was she with Dr. Altice or in her room, mumbling frantically to herself? Or was she roaming the hospital ward, desperate to find someone to listen to her ramblings?

Lily felt tears burning the back of her eyes. She wasn't going to let Rachel down. Peering into the small drawer Rose had pulled out for her, she looked for microfiche from September 25, 1992, give or take a day. Spying two film rolls with the exact date, she strolled over to the machine, sat, and slid in the first film roll.

The image of skeleton trees reaching their charred limbs to the sky caused her stomach to flip-flop.

Retrieving the notebook from her pocket, she rifled through it, searching for the first time Rachel had mentioned seeing the fire. There it was. Entry twelve, day fifteen. Hallucinations 4, Fire.

Running a finger over the page, she looked back at the photo. She read the headline. _Wood Creek Fire Kills Family of Four. September 25, 1992._ Lily sat back for a moment. In two days, it would be the twenty-fifth anniversary of the fire.

She went to the following article and photo. In the center of the photo was a half-burned two-story cabin. She studied it for a moment, and then her eyes flicked to the notebook. Her pulse sped up rapidly. The cabin was exactly as Rachel had described it. Suddenly, the temperature in the basement plummeted ten degrees. Her breath came out in puffs of smoke. Her skin felt as if spiders walked across it. The air became thicker, making it hard to breathe. An eerie feeling settled over Lily.

"Rose, I think there's something wrong with the heater down here," she called, staring at the stairs leading out of the basement. There was no answer. Maybe Rose couldn't hear her. Lily bit her lip and swept a glance around the room. She turned back to the film and scrolled to the next image.

She blinked. Photos of family members that had died in the fire came into focus; a man and a woman, a boy, and a young girl.

She gasped in disbelief. The little girl had wild fire-red hair and big pale blue eyes. She was looking at herself as a child. She read the caption beneath the photo. _Leora Marks dies at age three. Burned to death in fire._

Lightheaded, Lily felt the basement close in on her. Gripping the table as her mind down-shifted into evaluation mode, she tried to anchor herself. It didn't work. _Don't freak out. Okay, freak out, but only a little._

She went to the next image, not wanting to see it, but unable to stop herself. The next image was of a helicopter dowsing the area with water. Smoke rose from the cabin. There was nothing unusual about the image, until she noticed a figure standing at the edge of the open space, just within the tree line. Lily leaned closer to the screen, squinting. The figure was smaller than a man, yet not quite a boy. Half of the body was hidden by the shadow of the trees. She couldn't help but wonder why the person was there. But by the way he was hiding in the shadow, it was obvious he didn't want to be seen.

Lily bit her lip until it throbbed like her pulse. She had a sinking feeling in her gut and she glanced at her watch. Thirty minutes had passed. As much as she wanted to abandon her post, Lily continued scanning the news clips. Tomorrow was Sunday. The library would be closed. She had to get as much info as she could. The remainder of the roll contained interviews of people from town who had spotted the smoke. Nothing that could help her. She threaded the next roll, fidgeting in her seat. Lily could feel every second pass as if it were a rope being pulled from her hands and Rachel was on the other end. She turned to the first image on the new roll. Again, an image of the cabin came into focus. Lily went to the next, and the next. They were the same. _Well that is odd_. _Why would they have that?_ The thought barely crossed her mind before another followed.

Lily tuned the knob faster this time and watched the images began to move. It was a small film. Lily peered around. There were no projectors anywhere. Not that people just left them lying around. But she was getting the feeling Kaloosh was old school. She went in search of Rose. Lily found her behind a large desk surrounded by books.

As she approached, Rose broke into a wide open smile.

"What can I do you for?"

"Umm . . . this roll is movie film. Is there a way you could get it to run on a projector for me?"

"Hand it here and let me have a look."

Lily handed the film over to Rose.

Rose inspected it and clenched her jaw, her eyes narrowing slightly. "Pam . . . I will wring that girl's neck. That is what I get for having a teen helping me. Can't tell what anything is unless it is downloadable. Stay here. I will get it set up for you downstairs." As Rose got up, she thrust a pile of books into Lily's hands. "Put these over there on that shelf." Rose pointed to a small bookcase full of odd sized books then hurried off. Lily got the distinct impression Rose did everything in high speed.

Lily strolled over to the small bookcase and gazed at the top book in her hands. It was a _Fancy Nancy_ book. She knelt down and forced a few books to the side, making room for the ones in her hands. Perusing the books on the shelf, Lily pulled one halfway out. The Witch in the Wardrobe. Lily pulled it free and thumbed through the pages. This had been one of her favorites as a girl. She had often thought if she believed hard enough, she would be able to escape to somewhere new through her own closet. No door to another existence had ever appeared. Lily sighed and placed the book back on to the shelf.

Rose reappeared a minute later. "It is ready. The black switch on the back, push it down and turn off the lights. You'll see it on the wall down there."

"Thank you."

"No worries. You have a hour," said Rose, hurrying off.

Lily made her way back downstairs. At the bottom of the stairway, an old projector toast facing the wall just beyond where she had been sitting earlier. She turned it on and turned off the lights. The film began to play. The volume was low, but Lily could make it out. A reporter rambled on about the fire. Lily listened absently as the reporter stated facts she was so familiar with. She walked closer to the image projecting on the wall. Her eyes were drawn to the area where she'd seen the figure of the youth in the trees. As she watched, Lily spotted the face spying out from behind the same tree she'd seen in the photo. She reached out and touched the wall lightly, then gasped. _What was the person doing?_ The person's face disappeared, then reappeared. The expression on his face was hard to read from a distance, but she got the sense he was scared. _Why?_ _What was he afraid of?_

Lily heard the reporter signing off. She trailed her hand down the wall, wavering. Toward the base of the tree where she had spied the figure, something caught her eye. Another face appeared. Another child. Lily couldn't be certain because the image had been fleeting. In the split second the face had appeared, Lily noticed the child had _red hair_. The little girl had survived.

Lily broke into a cold sweat. Her leg muscles tightened, ready to run. Lily sprinted out of the archive, cramming her notebook into her back pocket as she went. The room was closing in on her. She couldn't breathe. She ran out of the library. Everything was spinning. She looked around, but she didn't know where she was going. She stumbled into the street and a car swerved to miss her. She stood in the street, breathing heavily, Lily bent over with her hands on her knees and stared at the ground. She vomited and staggered out of the street. She leaned against a pole. _What the hell was going on?_ She pulled in one breath and let it out. She held the next, then let it out. Desperately she jerked herself together.

She closed her eyes. First, why hadn't she found the picture of the family when she'd done her preliminary investigation on the Internet? Second, why did that little girl so strongly resemble her? And third, why had the youth, been hiding in the trees? Not to mention, the papers said the three year old girl _Leora_ had died, yet Lily has seen her in the woods with the youth. It would be illogical for her to see there was more to the fire. But what that _more_ was, Lily couldn't begin to process. Why, oh why did she have this terrible feeling she was coming undone?

Sluggishly, she convinced her heart and her stomach that everything was fine. Some of the tension left her shoulders. Opening her eyes, Lily noticed two people across the street were pointing at her. She straightened and her weak knees almost gave out on her. She did her best to smile and wave them off.

"You okay?" blurted one of the men.

"I'm fine. I tripped. Sorry to have caused a commotion." The other man nodded and the two men walked on.

Lily walked slowly back to the inn. The sun had vanished behind thick dark clouds. The wind whipped around her. It was almost noon. She flipped up her hood, fighting the nippy air that made her shudder. Lily shoved her shaking hands into her pockets.
Chapter Two

Sleep never found Lily. She spent the whole night sitting at the desk, with her knees to her chest and her shirt pulled over them, cocooning herself as though the shirt offered safety. What was she supposed to do? She could wait and go to City Hall Monday and see what records they had on file regarding the Marks family, maybe read some police reports. Lily rested her chin on her knees. She didn't understand it, but she knew it wouldn't help. After seeing the file, her intuition was telling her she needed to go to the site. See where the fire took place. She pulled at her hair in frustration. She exhaled, leaning back in her chair to stare out the window. The image of the little girl continued to recycle in her mind. There was an odd connection between the little girl and her own life.

She'd been abandoned, left at San Diego State University hospital, when she was _three_. A nurse had found her wandering the hall crying for _DD_ or at least that is what she learned from social services when she got older. They had no records of her existence. This, if you asked her, was weird. No missing child poster, no birth record, no fingerprints. Nothing. She'd grown up in foster care not knowing anything about herself.

Shoving against the desk, she spun her chair around. It appeared she had questions about her own identity to answer, and they all tied into the fire. Abruptly, she shot a hand out and clasped the desk, stopping her spin. The paper said the girl had died, burned in the fire. Lily had seen her, she was sure of it. That hair, it was a rich flaming red. Lily had seen few that could get close to matching it. She knew first-hand. Pulling a grumpy curl down in front of her eyes, she studied it for the ten-thousandth time. She let go, spinning herself again. With her head back staring at the ceiling, her thoughts rammed one into another.

The little girl appeared after the fire was out so it was clear she hadn't died in the blaze as the news-paper report claimed. _Did something else happen? Something the town wanted to conceal? Maybe an accident? And then they said she died in the fire to cover it up?_ _Come on, that is a reach_. She wrinkled her nose. _Okay, now I am sounding as disturbed as Rachel._ She had to let it go. It was just an old photo, and cameras back in the nineties sucked.

A soft rapping sounded at the door, pulling Lily from her thoughts. She looked at her watch. Seven-thirty a.m. Who could it be?

Walking to the door, she opened it the width of the safety chain and looked out. Mr. Cross was holding a small plate with a giant blueberry muffin. The sweet smell made her mouth water. _Food_.

Determining Mr. Cross wasn't a threat, she unlatched the chain and opened the door wide.

"Rise and shine. This is your wake-up call," said Mr. Cross, thrusting the muffin at her.

"I didn't ask for a wake-up call," she said, taking the plate, confused.

"I know, but you're too young to sleep your life away. That's for old people." He gave her a wink and turned on his heel to scoot down the hall.

"Wait, Mr. Cross," she said, smiling at him. For some unknown reason, she liked him and got the distinct impression that he could be trusted.

"Joe, call me Joe," he said, turning to face her again, his brows hitched high on his forehead.

"Is there anyone in town who knows how to get to the site of the Wood Creek Fire?"

He studied her, just as Rose had done yesterday. Did the town know something about the Wood Creek Fire they didn't want to share?

"Why do you want to go there?" he asked.

She picked at the corner of the muffin, pulled a piece off, and plopped it into her mouth, trying to look unconcerned. "Research for a friend. I need to look around and take some photos."

"You'd best stay clear of that place."

"Why?"

"People died there. It's no good to be poking around where people died violently. Haven't you ever seen those ghost hunter shows? Tragic deaths, sometimes sprits stay behind."

"No. I haven't." Lily understood now; the people in the town thought the area was haunted. She shrugged to herself. Couldn't blame them. Good thing she didn't believe in ghosts. "I'll be fine. I just want to see it. Get some pictures is all." She picked another chunk of the muffin and chewed the fluffy morsel.

It was Mr. Cross' turn to regard her for a moment **;** he rubbed his chin, appearing deep in thought, mumbling names she couldn't make out. Suddenly, he snapped his old fingers. "Gavin Jones. He works over at Maverick's Auto Repair. He always camps in that area. Bet he would help you."

"Thanks." She studied Mr. Cross. She had a feeling he knew everyone in this town. Possibly even the family that died. "Have you lived in this town long?" she asked, leaning against the door frame, continuing to pick at the muffin. It was a good distraction from her growing nervousness about prying. Funny how she could fire off question after question to her patients, but pull her from her hiding place and she was a wreck, heart beating frantically.

"Lived here my whole life." Again he winked and smiled.

"Did you know the family that died in the fire?"

Mr. Cross' old eyes became glossy and bright.

"That I did, sweetie," he said, his voice cracking.

Lily went rigid, heart beating faster.

"I'm sorry to upset you. I didn't mean to." Lily's eyes burned.

Mr. Cross patted her on the shoulder and then touched her hair.

"Bryan was a good man. He kept his family away, said it was better that way. I didn't see the others more than once or twice. My heart broke when I got the news."

Lily handed the muffin back to Mr. Cross.

"Suddenly I'm not so hungry."

He took the plate and blinked at her. "You be careful if you go out there. Some things are better left alone."

Lily watched Mr. Cross scoot down the hall and descend the stairs. She closed the door. Mr. Cross' concern for her touched her heart, but she wouldn't let it go to her head.

The building was large and worn. An enormous single glass window spanned the front, emblazoned with the words, "Maverick's Auto Repair Shop," painted in fire-engine red with gold trim. Lily stared at it for five minutes before it even occurred to her to enter. It was the same shop where she'd seen that peculiar blue light the night before last.

Scratching at her arms, she noted the strange blood-heat she'd felt at the mini-mart yesterday had once more ignited as she made her approach to the shop. However, the burning was tolerable and easily ignored. _Could be the altitude?_ _Maybe I'm sensitive to the change._

Tilting her head to the side, Lily had a sudden desire to run around to the side of the building. Her eyes narrowed. She didn't act on unexplained whims. She had always been able to control her curiosity and impulsive nature. Nevertheless, before she had time to analyze the urge, she'd taken several steps to the side of the building. She cursed. It felt as though a line had been cast, hooked in her heart and was reeling her in, pulling her from the chest forward. Not being able to quell that impulse disturbed her.

The minimart, the window the other night, and now this. She didn't like it. _The chocolate and pizza didn't count. That was just hunger winning out over good judgment._

Lily thought about Rachel, scared and alone. She buried her concerns for herself and straightened. As she took one step forward, the shop door swung open.

"You going to stand out there all day or you going to come inside, lady?" said a man from under a layer of grease, wiping his hands on a rag.

She cleared her throat, embarrassed to have been seen lingering. "Is there a Gavin Jones who works here?" she asked.

"Doesn't work here," said the man, tossing the dirty cloth onto his shoulder.

Lily cursed under her breath.

"He rents one of my garages. He likes to weld. Just walk around the building to the back. You can't miss him."

The hair on her arms rose. _Around to the back._ _Seriously_. Her instinct was trying to tell her something.

Gavin felt the seductive power of the Awakener slide over him and stroke his skin in a lover's caress, inviting him, enticing him to go to her before she even strolled into his shop. Every cell in his body heated and clamored to seek her out. He closed his eyes and clenched his jaw. It was an invitation to reopen their _bond_. Gavin could feel it. No other soul could ignite a blood-heat within him.

Instinct had brought her to him, an instinct that had been forged because of a bond that should have never been.

He scowled, his mind flashing back to dark memories that constantly threatened to pull him under. It meant only one thing; for her to be here, her awakening approached. Her power was growing.

Gavin knew her soul slept like all the other souls that were born and reborn into this world. He tossed a piece of melt off his bench, aggravated that she was here.

This poor creature didn't know she was the Awakener or that she was special, as was the same for all her Advisors, who helped protect her.

He could feel her coming closer. Gavin regretted that her normal life, which was such a gift, was coming to a close for the Awakener. He wondered if her powers had grown strong enough for the flickering images of their past lives to reveal themselves in her mind. If they had, she was vulnerable.

Gavin heard the gravel crunch under her slight weight. His heart drummed in his chest, and he barely refrained from cursing.

For three hundred years, he'd protected the Awakener, a woman who had been given the power to reach into _souls._ As her power touched a soul, images of that soul's past lives would flash within her mind's eye, and she could sense the current, the purpose of the soul's existence. She brought enlightenment and purpose back into the souls; she gifted them with exceptional clarity of their destiny in the world.

Gavin was honored and forsaken through the bond. A beast from the first day he was born, he'd fought to the death in many lifetimes to protect the Awakener, and had the scars branded on him by the Hound. Gavin's scars stayed with him through every reincarnation, but he didn't care. That was what it meant to be a protector, but he had failed to protect the Awakener from himself. Anger and shame filled him. This life would be different. He would plague the Awakener's existence no more.

He kept his back to her, giving her a moment to digest his size. Most women shied away from him over the centuries, yet he'd never cared. He stilled and, for the briefest of moments, he honored the Awakener and all that she was.

"Are you Gavin Jones?" she asked. The moment passed. Beneath his welder's mask, Gavin pulled in a shallow breath, flipped on his torch, and went back to work.

"Mr. Cross sent me," she continued, louder this time. "Umm . . . He said you could help me."

"Go away, I'm busy," he said, an edge in his voice.

"I need someone to take me to the site of the Wood Creek Fire."

He hissed. She wasn't leaving. "I don't have time to go traipsing around the countryside. I have work to do. Go find someone else," he replied.

Her seductive power morphed into a stinging slap on his skin. He'd pissed her off. _Good,_ _maybe she'll leave me alone._

The slapping sting faded, leaving the space between them an empty void. She had left. _Finally._

Next thing he knew, she was beside him.

"I'll pay you," she said, her face expressionless except for the trace of fear that flicked in the depths of her eyes.

Gavin admired her inner strength for approaching such a brute as him. As the seconds passed in silence, she ran a hand through her hair, a red fiery mane that set off her blue eyes. Her chin quivered. He had to resist the urge to capture it between his fingers and tip it so she would meet his stare. She was a beautiful creature he could not have.

He exhaled loudly. Revealing himself to her would not be pleasant. _For her._

He tugged off his mask, tossed it on the hood of the truck he was working on, and scowled down at her. How had she snuck up on him like that? She'd dropped off his radar altogether. He hadn't felt her energy signature at all for several seconds. Damn awakenings. The constant flux of her power made her unstable. She would have to awaken to her past lives and seize her power from the Council of Souls before her power would stabilize.

Her eyes widened, meeting his stare dead-on. He popped his jaw, trying to relax against an onslaught of his own aggression that threatened to overtake him. He hadn't gotten the reaction he'd expected. No shriek. No retreat. Gavin sized her up, much the same way he had the day at the mini-mart.

Disbelief skirted through her eyes, yet her facial expression remained unchanged. Her chin rose. She recognized him. How could she not, even with his hood covering most of his face.

He gave her a grunt, and his nostrils flared. He could see from the twitching of her muscles that she wanted to take a step back, but the set of her jaw indicated pride prevented her from acting. She was scared, and she had good reason to be. He wasn't an attractive man.

"Why would Cross send you to me?" he said, tang-ling a hand through his chin-length hair, frustration mounting because he couldn't take his eyes off the beauty of her slim, wild body.

"He said you were familiar with the area."

Her eyes searched his face as she took a cautious step closer.

He stilled, his body so tight the muscles seemed to lift off his bones. "Why would you want to go there?" he asked.

She wrinkled her nose scrutinizing him. "Is everyone afraid of that place?"

"The smart ones are," he said, his damaged cheek twitching. He turned away from her.

He heard her sigh, but it sounded more like a growl. "I'm doing research."

Gavin peered over her shoulder at the dark, cloudy sky. He fisted his hands. Out of nowhere, lightning splintered across the sky, followed by a powerful rumble that shook the ground they stood on. His nostrils flared. The Council knew she was gaining her power. He smirked because theirs was growing weaker.

His eyes cut back to the Awakener. "What's your name?" he asked, unsure what her adopted name was.

"Lily McMaster."

He glanced at the sky once more, anger building in his chest. He couldn't tell her no. The Hound would come for her, and, not yet awakened, she could be killed easily.

"Fine. Meet me at five o'clock in the park. Bring me dinner, and we can talk."

"Five, the park, dinner. Got it," she repeated, brows stitching together, eyes turning a deeper blue. She strolled out of the shop. All he could do was watch her go. Before she disappeared, she called back to him. "What do you want to eat?"

He blinked hard. "Food is food. I don't care," he said, irritated that she was concerned.

She shrugged. "Okay, fine then. You get what you get." And she was gone.

The anger that built in his chest exploded, traveling fast. Blue flames ignited over his forearms down to his palms. He shoved the truck five feet from where it rested before he calmed himself. The blue flames extinguished and he ran a hand through his hair. He couldn't watch her die again. He _couldn't_ , but if he didn't help her, she surely would.

He left, needing to escape what was to befall him. Slamming the shop door closed and locking it, he headed for the tree line and disappeared into the shadows.

Lily walked toward Main Street, her blood-heat diminishing. A horde of emotions bombarded her: a stab of fear, morbid awe, and feminine curiosity for the man she'd just left behind. She turned and looked the way she'd just come. _What is going on?_

She continued on. Every time she tried not to think about Gavin Jones, it seemed she could think of nothing else. She said his name in her head over and over, to see if it sparked a response. _Gavin. Gavin. Gavin._ Nothing.

When he'd turned to face her, she hadn't been surprised. The unnatural way he froze had recalled the image from the mini-mart. The beast. When their eyes locked, the heat in her blood had increased to an almost unbearable peak. Somehow, she'd managed to get through the meeting. Lily couldn't shake the feeling that this wasn't their first meeting. He was recognizable to her on some other level.

Lily groaned out loud. This was becoming more frustrating than one of her patients, who was always thinking she was his wife and wanting to take her home.

_That's it. Enough. Stay focused on_ _Rachel. Obtaining a guide to the fire site is the most crucial thing. I know the area holds answers to helping Rachel; I just know it. I'll figure out the rest later._

Biting a nail, her thoughts once more turned to Gavin. She couldn't believe how badly scarred he was, though it did not detract from his beauty. He radiated masculinity. The way his sharp-angled jaw clenched as he peered over his straight nose at her had caused her breath to hitch. She'd never had a man affect her so swiftly. It wasn't fear that gave her pause, but desire. It was not a feeling she associated with men. Desire to be successful, desire to make a better life; that is what pushed her. Never desire for a man. To want a man like this was unacceptable.

She ran her fingers through her hair and twisted it, unable to stop the nervous energy that seemed to increase the more she thought about Gavin. The dark cowardly voice started to rattle in her mind. For a split second, warmth seeped into her and her personal demon couldn't take root. Gavin had suffered through something terrible. She felt connected to him on some higher level. Not everyone knew what it meant to suffer physically or mentally from the hard experiences life dealt certain individuals.

The voice eased, quieting. Lily stopped mid-stride. The voice never quieted unless forced to submit to her will. She swallowed. Why? What was different in this moment that could cause her personal demon to shut up completely? Could he help her overcome her fear? It didn't seem logical that a man so _damaged_ and _big_ could save her from herself. The idea was tantalizing though. She licked her lips, remembering his narrow hips and broad shoulders, which tapered down to his chiseled biceps. Her blood started to heat once more, but this time it was by her own doing.

"Enough," she yelled at herself. This wasn't about her. This was about Rachel, and she was going to keep it that way. Feeling a vague throbbing growing behind her forehead, Lily rubbed her temple and pondered. What do you feed someone like Gavin? More than likely he would require _man food_ , steak, cheese, potatoes, fried vegetables, and buttered bread.

As she had no place to cook, she looked up and down Main Street, searching. She thought about purchasing food from one of the local restaurants, but which was his favorite? Pressing her lips, Lily considered a picnic-style dinner. She could get everything from the store and wouldn't have to worry about cooking. She fidgeted with her shirt. She had to make a decision. At least if she prepared the food, she had a little control over the outcome. Picnic, it was. She made her way to the grocery store.

Lily spent two hours that afternoon in the grocery store pouring over every label of deli meat, cheese, and bread. She hoped that if she could fill Gavin's belly with scrumptious food, it could, by some miracle, persuade him to accept her plea for help.

Having found everything she could think of for the picnic, Lily went back to the inn. As she passed through the lobby hauling four bags of groceries, Mr. Cross watched her.

"You need some help?" he called, shuffling out from behind the check-in counter.

"No, Mr. Cross, I have it. Please don't . . ."

He pried two of the bags out of her arms.

Mr. Cross smiled at her over the bags. Lily sighed, resigned. She let him have them without a fuss. He shuffled to the elevator and pushed the UP button. He was watching her closely. Lily smiled weakly, suddenly unsure about this whole thing. She was going to meet an abnormally large man in the park, one who looked like he'd been in a blade fight and lost.

"Don't look so worried. He'll love you," Mr. Cross said, stepping inside the elevator.

Lily's jaw dropped.

"Come, come. I don't have all day," he said, holding the door open with his foot.

Lily hurried in beside him and tried not to stare.

"I see Gavin said yes. You getting supplies for the hike?"

Lily studied the items in the bags she was holding. "No. He wants me to meet him at five in the park and bring him dinner. Then we'll talk more about it."

"I see. Gavin is being difficult as always. Young men these days. Always thinking with their stomach, amongst other things, never their head." He winked at her.

A smile took up her whole face. It felt good to smile. "Mr. Cross," Lily said, half-laughing.

The elevator dinged, and the door slid open. They popped out and headed toward her room.

"What happened to him?" she asked, not seriously expecting an answer.

"You mean how did Gavin become scarred? I'm not sure. He came to live in Kaloosh when he was about sixteen if I remember right. He was already scarred. Whatever happened to him, it was before he arrived."

"How very sad for him." Lily slipped her plastic key into the lock-slot, which flashed green, and she went inside. Mr. Cross stopped in the doorway and held out the bags to her.

"Easy, child. Never let him hear you saying anything like that. He doesn't like sympathy. Doll yourself up real good, and he'll be putty in your hands. Any warm-blooded man would be."

Lily blushed thoroughly, set her two bags on the floor and took the two bags from Mr. Cross' arms. "Thank you for the help. I'll see you later."

Mr. Cross waved and shuffled off the way he'd come. She took his words to heart. It couldn't hurt to take a shower, get control of her hair, and put on some makeup. A spark of hope flickered to life, along with the thrill of a challenge. Lily closed the door and sprang into action. Stripping off her clothes, she rushed into the bathroom to run a shower.

Lily prowled the short perimeter of the park for five minutes looking for the perfect spot. She settled for a nice patch of green grass under a large plum tree. She loved the purple leaves. The dark rich color always fascinated her.

Quickly she set down her things. From under her arm she grabbed a tan velvety blanket she'd commandeered from the closet of the inn. She tossed it out over the ground, spreading it neatly. Then she began setting all the picnic items onto the blanket. Turning the plates, utensils, napkins, chips, salad, dressing, and sandwiches this way and that, she found herself unsatisfied with the results, crossing her arms across her chest, her lips pouting. _Seriously, they are plates and food; get over yourself._ Realizing she was getting a little compulsive, Lily focused on fixing herself. She bit her bottom lip and brushed a strand of hair off her face. _How should I do this?_

Lily sat back, extending her legs in front of her and crossing them at the ankles. She swept her long and currently silky curls, over her right shoulder. Gazing down at her blue fitted button-down cardigan, she started to unbutton the top two buttons, exposing the tops of her round, full breasts, and then she faltered. Her demon piped in. _What are you doing?_ _That is the last thing you want a man to be looking at._ Her fingers released the button she held. _Never mind. Bad idea._

She leaned back, trying her best to look relaxed and hide her anxiety. She couldn't manage to stay still for very long. Her leg started to twitch. She checked her watch. Four-fifty. She exhaled, then scooted over to her purse and dug for her mirror.

She flipped it open and studied her face. Eyeliner smooth, check; lipstick perfect, check; hair like silk, check; cheeks−she pinched them a few times—check; as appetizing as it's going to get, check. She shoved the mirror back into her purse and scooted back to her chosen location and posed. _This had to work._
Chapter Three

Gavin watched Lily from the mill as she fussed over what he assumed would be a picnic. She was still desperate for things to be perfect. It was one of the traits she hadn't managed to shake for hundreds of years.

His body hardened. She looked stunning and she didn't even know it. He could see by the way she hesitated here and there that she wasn't one hundred percent confident in herself. He frowned. There were always reasons behind a woman's insecurities, and they weren't good.

Gavin pushed his hair out of his face and stepped from behind the building. He'd thought to be late and make her sweat, but he found he couldn't do that. He wasn't cruel.

With his hands jammed into his jeans pockets and his shoulders hunched, the high collar of Gavin's dark fleece jacket covered most of his face. He made his way over to Lily as she posed for a second time.

He was halfway across the park when she spotted him. Her eyes clung to him. A gentle breeze carried her scent to his nose. He inhaled deeply. Wildflowers. It was confirmation that her awakening was on the horizon. Her growing power always caused her to have a perfumed essence, no matter what lifetime.

Stopping at the edge of the blanket, Gavin peered down at her. She tilted her head back and hit him with a hard stare.

"So what's for dinner?" he asked, trying his best for a friendly tone. While he'd been in the forest, desperately tamping down his anger, he had reminded himself of the most crucial thing about the Awakener. She couldn't remember the past lives she'd lived or shared with him. Her soul slumbered, surrounded by a host of memories best forgotten. Not until her power overtook her and drowned her in those memories could she to awaken souls. It would give him time. He could help her to the site, leave her, and never look back. She didn't know what she was or who she would soon become. He could still save her from his own desires.

She nervously sat up, curls spilling over her shoulder, and wrinkled her nose.

"Sandwiches, chips, and salad," she said, holding up a sandwich to him. As he took it from her hand, his rough fingers slid over hers. She frowned at his hand and he nodded his thanks, oblivious to her discomfort.

Her energy poured into him like warm honey. He leeched some of her power, working to stop the pulse-waves she subconsciously sent out while her power grew stronger. He grimaced to himself. _Damn biggest beacon in the world._ If he didn't keep it tamped down, the Council would sense her and send the Hound, if they hadn't already. How the Creator allowed such men as those of the Council of Souls to oversee the souls of this world tested his faith in the Creator. Angels, muses. No, devils; that's what they were and the Hound was their pet. Gavin couldn't believe how the Council had grown bored with their duty as set forth by the Creator, to lead souls toward their purpose in the physical world. That they'd become so corrupt, poisoned by the need to control those souls they were intended to help.

Gavin glanced at the sky. The clouds were lower and darker than earlier. It wasn't a good sign. Sitting down on the blanket across from her, he peeled the plastic wrap from his sandwich. The sandwich was utterly stuffed: lettuce, onions, pickles, tomatoes, turkey, ham, Swiss cheese, American cheese, mayo, and mustard. She had been particularly thorough. He was not surprised, knowing her as he did. He stretched his mouth wide and took a bite.

"How is it?" she asked tentatively.

He chewed and swallowed. "Best thing I've tasted all week."

"Good." She grabbed a sandwich that was only half the size of his and took a bite of her own. She gazed out at the mountains. Quiet. Still.

When she was halfway finished with her sandwich, she peered at him from under dark lashes and caused him to stiffen.

"Have some chips. Take a soda," she said, leaning over to toss a bag of Ruffles in his lap.

"This is a truly beautiful town. Did you grow up here?" She settled back down.

"Yes and no," he said, taking another mouthful and then opening the bag of chips. He swallowed.

"How long are you going to be in town, Ms. McMaster?"

"Until I'm done with my research," she replied, "and please, call me Lily." Her brows arched.

Trying to avoid the personal get-to-know-you crap he felt coming on, Gavin cut to the chase, wanting to know why she thought she was here.

"What are you going to do at the site of the fire? There is nothing but a torched cabin and dead trees."

She didn't look at him. She picked at the blanket and ran a slender hand over it. She appeared as if her thoughts were far away. "I want to look around. Take some pictures. See if I can find something to help my friend."

"Why?" he probed.

Her gaze shot up and locked on him, holding him hostage.

"Does it really matter why?" She rose to her knees, cheeks heating. "Are you going to help me? Yes or no?"

Her pale eyes, for a split second, inked black completely. It was as if watching a single drop of ink dropped into a glass of water, slow, and wispy, the black consumed all it touched. He stopped siphoning the pulse-waves of energy she sent out and stared in disbelief. Holding her energy within his chest, Gavin had worked to stabilize her for the past twenty minutes. It was a fruitless attempt, for it seemed she evoked such a bloodheat that it scorched every emotion within her, inking her eyes black. If her power continued unchecked by her awakening, it could crush her soul and erase every part of who she was as the Awakener. She could fracture. He was going to have to stay close.

His brows drew together. "I wouldn't have come if I wasn't going to help you," he said in a hard tone, his irritation once more obvious.

Lily's mouth rounded into an O of surprise. She tugged her hair behind an ear and chewed her bottom lip. She looked disoriented.

He stretched his legs out and lay on his side, a hand holding his head up, trying to relax. "When do you want to go?" he asked.

"As soon as possible. I don't have a lot of time," she said. "My friend is waiting for me to return."

"I can collect my supplies and camping gear tonight. I can be ready in the morning. Did you bring any equipment for a hike?" he asked, watching her pull and tug at her fingers.

"No. Nothing. I thought it would be a short hike. A day at the most."

Gavin threw his head back and laughed dryly. "Why would you think that?"

Her face scrunched, and then she rolled her eyes. "I did research on the fire; the site isn't that far from here."

"No, it isn't far, but it is in one of the most inaccessible spots in this entire area," he said.

"Well, excuse me. Google didn't have any info on that." She crossed her arms and gazed into the distance.

The irritation on her face matched his own, yet he felt the corner of his mouth wanting to twitch into a smile. "We will have to camp at least two nights to get there and two nights to get back. How do you feel about that? Still want to go?" He studied her, trying to gauge her determination to make the trip with an ugly stranger.

Her lips puckered with annoyance. "Yes."

He rose to his feet. "Well then, get some sleep in your nice warm bed because you will be freezing your ass off come tomorrow night. You're staying at Bea's Inn, right?"

"Yes."

"I'll call your room when I'm packed. I have enough gear for both of us. That is, as long as you're not afraid to be in the same tent as me."

She tilted her head to the side. "Why would I be? Is there something I should know?"

"Only that this trip will cost you five hundred bucks, since I have to provide all the supplies and take time away from my work." He turned and started off. He didn't need the money or want it, yet this was business. It had to be.

"Thanks for the food. Sleep tight." Gavin heard her growling at his back, followed by soft curses under her breath. The corner of his damaged mouth twitched up.

Lily's fingers were shaking so badly she could barely get the plastic room key into the slot. When it finally granted her admission, she hurried into the room and tossed the remnants of her unusual picnic to the floor. She had to lie down. The bloodheat, which had surged to life at the picnic at the touch of Gavin's fingers to hers, had increased and turned painful when he'd left her.

Halfway to the bed, her legs buckled, and she dropped to the floor. It felt as though acid had been poured into her veins and was now eating away at her body. Lily grimaced with each and every rise and fall of her chest. She wanted to scream until the pain stopped. She clenched her jaw, locking the compulsion deep within her, desperate to stay in control.

She hugged herself and looked around the room for something to focus on, something that might distract her from the pain. There, on the nightstand. Her attention fastened upon her leather notebook. She stared at it.

_No, no_ . . . Lily remembered Rachel screaming in her empty room as she tried to force her nails up her arms to scratch at her flesh. _Is this what Rachel had been experiencing?_ Lily gulped hard, rigidly holding her tears in check, and prayed it wasn't. But deep down, she knew. Now, whatever had been happening to her best friend was also happening to _her._

Tendrils of pain coiled inside her. She closed her eyes and was met with a flickering image of a man bathed in blood. The image tried to materialize completely within her mind's eye. She resisted as much as she could, working to force the image from her head. The more she resisted, the tighter the coiling pain twisted. With a gasp, Lily contorted unnaturally on the floor. A vision flowed relentlessly past her mind's eye, a sea of green grass rose, high upon a hill. The blood-soaked man, a warrior, swung his mighty sword, hacking away at a misty gray fog that resembled a man.

Lily needed a moment to orient herself with the vision. Why was such a strong, massive man battling a _fog_?

The sweeping motion of a dress snagged Lily's attention. Behind the warrior stood a woman with long black hair wearing a flowing red dress. Somehow, Lily recognized something familiar in her. Blood splattered across her pale face and fresh tears mixed with it. The warrior before her rained down blow upon blow against the fog man. The woman turned her head away. Agony ripped through Lily, as though she'd lost all hope, that she had been broken in some irreparable way. So much misery, such grief. Lily couldn't contain it. A cry of despair pushed past her lips and she curled into a ball on the floor, praying the illusion would stop. It didn't.

The warrior swung and turned, cutting off the head of the fog person. Blood gushed from the body as it fell. The fog vanished and she saw it was human. The woman sprang forward as if to help the decapitated attacker but was shoved back protectively by the warrior as another foggy figure approached the hill covered in a black mist.

"Stop. Please stop," the woman in red begged, seeming to accept her fate.

"Run," the warrior said, acting as a shield to the woman, preparing for the approaching enemy. The woman didn't run; she only reached her slender fingers out and clasped the warrior's bicep.

"Let it be what it is," the woman said, turning the warrior to face her. His face was stone, but in his dark eyes, Lily saw affection for the woman. Lily felt a spark of longing, a craving she didn't understand. The two stood staring into one another's eyes. Lily's bloodheat quieted and turned to a warm, rich, silky sensation filling the holes and mending her tattered heart. A sense of everlasting peace and contentment washed over her. She was complete.

Then the aggressor, shrouded in a black mist, reached the top of the hill and dragged the warrior away from the woman. The warm, silky heat within Lily turned once more into burning acid. The warrior fought to stay at the woman's side, but then the strangest thing happened. The woman gave the warrior a slight nod and something unspoken passed between them.

"We shall find each other again," the woman said, and he went extraordinarily still. Next came a glint of silver high in the air, and the woman slit her own throat. The enemy who had been dragging at the warrior roared in fury, and the fog disappeared from around him. The attacker stood over the woman's body, tall and dangerous-looking. His eyes held no trace of white, though a tint of red dotted the center. A growl rumbled from him, then he seized the warrior by the neck. The creature with dark eyes pulled out a knife and carved the warrior's chest with it. The blade glowed red hot. The warrior hissed, but never cried out in pain.

"Let this be a reminder that I will always find you. This little sacrificial game will end sooner or later. I _will_ strip her power." He tossed the warrior onto the ground. As the warrior rose on shaking legs, his evil opponent rushed him. The small dagger-like knife elongated to a sword, swept back and severed the warrior's head from his shoulders.

A banging noise came from somewhere. Lily was confused, working to distinguish between what she was seeing in her mind and what was happening around her. A second later, she was being lifted into muscular arms. The image of the warrior's lifeless body faded from her mind.

"Breathe," came a gruff voice.

The bloodheat roared loud within her. Overwhelmed, she yielded to the compulsive sob that shook her. The arms around her tightened, holding her closer, restrained and plagued by the experience of the hallucination, Lily was unable to hold off the cyclone of despair sweeping through her. She sank into the arms holding her. She'd watched a suicide and a murder. She buried her face against a hard chest.

"Breathe."

"It was terrible and so real," she sobbed. A hand stroked her back gingerly. The anger of her bloodheat cooled to a seductive rippling in her veins.

"The sensations. The feelings, they were not mine," Lily breathed, clutching the person holding her.

What was she blubbering about and why was she blubbering to this person?

She suspected her emotions were influenced by those of the woman she'd seen in her hallucination. Lily's thoughts went to Rachel and how she had been suffering through episodes like this for weeks. "Rachel," she sobbed, heartbroken for her friend. No wonder Rachel cowered in the corner of her room, eyes clenched shut, mumbling to herself. She had been desperately trying to get through similar episodes as this.

Sucking in a breath, Lily searched for the place within herself where she numbed her pain, her fears, and buried her doubts. It was the only thing she could do. If she didn't, she would find herself in a very dark place and she couldn't allow that to happen. Rachel needed her. But what was happening to them? It all felt like a far way dream.

_Deep breath in. Deep breath out._ After a moment, she sat up. The man who held her was Gavin. Her tense body relaxed into him. She experienced a gamut of perplexing emotions, her mind wanting her to run while her body wanted to move closer. She blinked at the arms that gently cradled her. How could someone so rough, strong, and dangerous-seeming be so careful with her? As much as she knew she should move away, she held fast to Gavin, her skin tingling where he touched her.

Peering up at him, she searched his damaged face, trying to interpret it. "What are you doing here?" she said in a broken voice.

"I followed you. I wanted to make sure you got back to your room," he said, his expression hard.

_Oh, why did he have to say that?_ Feeling nausea settle in her gut, she scooted slowly out of Gavin's grasp, needing to put distance between them. She had to stay in control. She wasn't that scared little girl in the attic. Pushing back a curl, Lily pulled in a breath and composed herself, running her fingers threw her hair, and pulling at her sweater.

"You followed me," she said, wiping tears from her cheeks with the back of her hand. "Why would you follow me? I hardly know you."

Gavin became rigid. "I see putting others' wellbeing before my own is not important to you." He rose to his full height and looked down at her. She gulped air, begging to tremble. She was certainly overreacting. She should be grateful. Then a thought dropped like a brick onto her head.

"How did you get in my room?"

"The door was open," he said, glancing over his shoulder. Lily followed his gaze.

"Open?"

An icy fear slid over her, forcing the bloodheat to withdraw completely. Lily rubbed a hand over her face. How could she have been so careless? What if it hadn't been Gavin? What if it had been someone else to enter her room?

She climbed up on unsteady legs. Gavin shot out an arm to help her. She refused it. Anger and fear clutched one another. She fisted her hands by her sides, angry with herself. Her emotions whirled like a cyclone and a memory of Greasy Pig Boy ghosted through her thoughts. She had to make Gavin leave before she crumbled to pieces. She didn't want him to see what she really was.

"Thank you for watching out for me. Please excuse my irrational behavior. I'm afraid I must ask you to go." She swayed on her feet.

She staggered back, a whimper breaking past her pressed lips. _Not now. Not here. Not because of him._ And just like that, she tripped back through time and landed back in the attic, and the dark voice in her head broke free.

Memories overtook her. A filthy, germ-infested hand smothering her mouth in the dark attic of the foster home. Greasy, unkempt brown hair skimming her forehead and cheeks. Stinking breath poisoning the air as he huffed with his efforts to keep her still. She couldn't breathe. She _wouldn't_ breathe. The scent of her foster brother would make her vomit.

_You are a weak, pathetic nothing; you deserve to be hurt,_ came the voice. Self-hate and despair slinked in and around the thin thread of her self-control.

I won't let it beat me. I can prevent this. I'm in control.

She seized her fear and shoved the nightmare back from where it came. Then she stumbled back to the present.

She shook her head and bit the inside of her cheek.

Gavin wasn't going to hurt her. He had come to help her. She clutched her head. She hoped. She had to believe he wouldn't hurt her or she would dissolve.

"Get out," she said.

Gavin flexed the muscle in his jaw, causing the scars on his face to rise, making him look more menacing. He came closer. She refused to acknowledge the apprehension that choked her. Gavin was a breath away. Heat rolled off him and radiated into her. His attention moved from her eyes to her lips. His breath brushed the skin on her neck and her lashes fluttered closed. The throbbing in her head became stronger and her body hummed. Her breasts tingled against the soft fabric of her sweater. Her stomach quivered. She held her ground, pride concealing her inner turmoil.

Carefully he placed a finger under her chin and lifted her face to his. His dark eyes studied her. Lily felt some unspoken secret pass behind them and her body betrayed her. Something inside her broke free and immediately flooded her with unwanted lust. Pleasure and pain wrapped around her muscles.

"Get out," she choked. Misery bled from her voice, but she didn't care. She wasn't as strong as she pretended to be. Pride and stubbornness were imperfect tools.

An inexplicable look of withdrawal came over Gavin's face. He released her chin and stalked out of the room.

Lily's heart beat so fast she began to feel lightheaded. She placed a hand on the bed to steady herself. _Slow deep breath in, slow release out._ She could work through her anxiety. She just had to stay calm. Gavin wasn't Greasy Pig Boy, and when she'd asked him to leave, he'd gone. Her stomach clenched, and she doubled over from the intensity of it. It was no use. No matter how she tried to fight it, any image of Greasy Pig Boy, imagined or real, would cause her to be sick. She dashed for the bathroom and hugged the toilet. Ten minutes later, sweating and shaking, she walked out of the bathroom. Lily acknowledge her past as a stepping stone to who she was today. Though keeping the shame of it buried was exhausting at times.

She looked at the entry to her room, shoulders sagging. She couldn't believe she'd left the door open. Lily gripped the door and pushed it to and fro. The hinges were fine. She glanced into the hall to be sure Gavin had gone. Glancing first one way and then the next, Lily satisfied herself that he was gone.

Closing the door, she grabbed the wooden chair next to the closet, tipped it back on two feet, and shoved it under the handle.

Tucking a chunk of hair behind her ear, she crossed her arms over her chest. The chair was a good back-up for a faulty door lock. How odd for a hotel, but maybe not for a hotel in a small town where nothing every happenes?

Rubbing her neck, Lily felt exhausted and sadly defeated. As much as the illusion had freaked her out, it was the crippling fear that was invoked every time a man touched her that made her want to cry, scream, and punch something. She hadn't had an incident like that in years. Her skin crawled as she remembered Greasy Pig Boy. A knot formed in her throat, and she choked on a sob of self-pity. _Stop it. The past is the past. Leave it there,_ she told herself.

As she made her way to the bed, she felt compelled to go to the window. Once there, she drew the curtains back and peered out. Gavin stood next to her car, gazing up at her. He didn't move; he just stood there, staring. Lily was starting to get the feeling his stillness was a gesture of some kind. She wanted him to leave. Yet she wasn't in any condition to make him. She backed up and allowed the curtains to close.

Lily crawled into bed and curled into a ball. She wondered if Gavin would still take her to the site after what just happened. She wasn't confident he would or that she even wanted him to take her.

Tomorrow she would talk to Mr. Cross and see if there was someone else who could act as her guide.

Staring at the rose-striped wallpaper, her thoughts turned to Rachel. Everyone believed she was mentally ill, that working in a psych hospital had pushed her over the edge. And now it appeared Lily was staring over the same precipice. How long did she have before she was as inconsolable as Rachel? A week? A month? She could only hope she had enough time to help Rachel, because if she could help Rachel maybe she could find a way to help herself. Rachel was the only person she cared about. She couldn't let her suffer. Lily would stick to her plan, push aside what was happening to her, and focus on getting to the site. It was all she could do to keep from falling to pieces on the inside.

Gavin gazed at Lily. Pain still flickered in the depths of her eyes. Her misery was like a two-ton weight on his chest. He waited. The temperature had dropped into the thirties as the cover of night blanketed the sky. Wearing only his fleece jacket, jeans, and no thermals, it wasn't long before his extremities began to tingle with cold.

After some time passed, he sent a strand of his power out toward Lily's room. She wasn't asleep yet. He sensed she was upset and he popped his jaw. What had he been thinking following her? All he had to do was babysit until Darron showed up, and Darron always showed up. There was no need to call him. Gavin couldn't get emotionally involved. He set his jaw as darkness shuttered his thoughts. He turned his back on her and walked to the shop. Time was all he needed.
Chapter Four

Lily blinked hard at the door in front of her, tilting her head this way and that. Distracted by thoughts of what had happened to her the prior night, she couldn't remember how she'd gotten here, or even where here was. She'd left the inn to walk to the general store. She rubbed her breastbone. Had the odd pulling sensation in her chest brought her here? Lily felt control over the past events was being driven by something much bigger than herself. She didn't like it one bit. She needed to be in control.

She looked around the small porch. It was white with a quaint-looking swing to her left. It fit perfectly with the gray-and-white-trimmed country house. The house was set on the back edge of a tree lined, up a small hill just a few blocks off Main Street. She had always longed for such a property. In San Diego, country-style homes were hard to come by, and out of her price range.

She heaved a sigh, devoured by envy. The sigh came out in a foggy breath. She zipped her jacket up to her chin. A heavy fog filled in every visible space within and around Kaloosh this morning.

Lily had the odd feeling this is where she was supposed to be. Compelled by a peculiar need, her knuckles rapped against the wood door.

There it was again, an impulse she couldn't check. She very much wanted to take off running out into the fog, but she'd already knocked. It would be juvenile and rude to start a game of ding-dong-ditch.

She tugged at her hair, which was expanding in the damp air, trying to keep it presentable. She didn't know what to expect.

With the click of a lock, the door swung open to reveal a nicely sculpted torso with rippling abs and badly scarred, tanned skin. Gavin leaned toward her. Her mouth hinged open, and she stood there, stupefied.

"Didn't expect to see you again after last night. How'd you find out where I lived?" he asked in an aggravated tone.

Her eyes raked over his body, unchecked. Was there a single part of him that wasn't marked? _I want to mark him._ Lily blinked. Had she really just thought that? What the heck.

He stepped out onto the porch. She sucked in a breath at him being only inches away. _Why does he always get so damn close?_ It felt like he was pushing her to react.

He looked at her hard and pressed his lips together. She tipped her head to the side and studied his rough face. She didn't know what to do with this man. Beat the crap out of him for coming into her room last night or thank him for trying to help her through the hallucination?

Gavin peered down at her. Something flickered in his eyes and her inside jangled with excitement. She frowned. Why would he excite her? She didn't like strange men.

"You're not frightened by my disfigurement?" he asked.

Her heart hurt with the word disfigurement. Is that how he viewed himself, as being disfigured? Gavin had survived something tragic; surely he could see the beauty in that? Lily looked at the ground for a second. _So had she._ Her gaze met his and compassion washed through her.

"No," she said, a little breathless. "The scars are beautiful," she blurted out, mortified. It was one thing to think it; another to say it. It was bad word vomit.

He appraised her and gave a nod.

"People do not see the beauty in a face like mine." His voice was sharp. "Come inside. We should talk."

She followed him halfway down the hall and frowned at his back. Was she seriously going to follow him? Her heart rate opened full throttle. Her blood heated. Her face scrunched up; she wanted to go with him, to be just a girl talking with a guy.

_Get it together!_ She yelled at herself. _You work in a hospital with mentally ill people that can attack you at any moment. You had more than one reason to take self-defense classes._ Lifting her chin higher, again she trailed behind Gavin. _It will be fine. I'm overreacting._

Gavin marched into the house, fisting his hands bone-breaking tightly at his sides. He was fully aware of Lily's body moving behind him. She perfumed the air. Today the scent of wildflowers was heavier and lingered in the air. Lily pulsed with power. Leeching her now would risk reopening the bond. He cursed. If he didn't leech some of it off her, the Council would be here within a day, and she would be dead.

After passing the stairs leading to the second floor and the kitchen, he stopped in the living room warmed by a fire. Lily stepped out from behind him, brushing his arm. His body tightened.

"Oh my god. I want your house. It's perfect." She walked over and stared at the five-point elk antlers mounted above his flat-screen TV. She touched a spike, and pressed her lips together.

"Did you kill that?"

"Fed me for six months," he said pointedly, not moving into the room, making sure to distance himself from her. After the way she had reacted to him last night, he didn't want to freak her out. Again.

She turned a light shade of green and swallowed several times.

"Oh, right. I guess everyone kills elk and deer around here . . . for the meat. Sorry. The closest I've come to killing anything is cutting lettuce from my garden." She gave a shrug.

_That's what she thinks,_ Gavin mused. She'd done her share of killing. All the Advisors had. There was no other way to survive.

She doused his annoyance with her casual conversation. It was strange to think of Lily as a city girl. In many past lives, she'd hated the city. Often, it shifted her ability to awaken souls to their purpose into overdrive. Quickly, he leeched some of her power and tapped it down into his storage tank.

"You want coffee?" he said, disappearing from view down the hall.

"Yes, please. That would be perfect," she called back to him.

He grabbed two mugs off a bar and poured coffee. He watched her from just past the corner. He paused a second as she unzipped her jacket and pulled it off. She wore a black thermal top and fitted jeans. He could see all of her curves. He looked away.

Putting sugar, cream, and a spoon on a tray with the coffee, he walked out to the living room. Lily sat like a child right in front of the fireplace. A look of pure bliss captured her features, and he paused. The pain of seeing her like that felt as if an axe had cleaved his chest. The last time she'd looked like that . . . He wouldn't think about the past; it was gone.

Again he leeched another pulse-wave off of her. If he didn't connect to her for too long, the bond would remain closed. He entered the room and set the tray down on the handmade coffee table next to her.

"This is so adorable. Do you have a fire every day, I mean when it's cold?"

Gavin handed her a mug.

"Most days, yes. Some days I'm too tired and just go to bed under five layers of blankets. Sugar? Cream?"

She waved him off.

"No. Black."

Well, that hadn't changed.

Gavin shoved two sleeping bags off his recliner and sat down. Then he snatched his own mug, allowing the heat to seep into his hands.

"What is it you do over at Maverick's? A guy there said you rented the space from him, and I saw you welding." She peered at him, scooting around to see him better. He gazed at the fire, deciding it was a safe place to look.

"I make and weld whatever people need. But mostly I create sculptures."

"No . . ."

Gavin's gaze drifted to Lily. The corners of her mouth tilted up.

"Really . . . I must say that is extremely cool." She took a sip of coffee.

Gavin smiled, pleased with her approval. Some believed what he did was odd. It was an outlet for him to express himself, to allow some of his locked away emotions to seep out a little at a time. He made a decent living, so he didn't care what others in the town thought of his work.

He eyed Lily. He knew getting to know her in this life would make things harder for him to walk away and leave her to Darron, but he was quite curious about her in the now.

Sitting forward in the chair, Gavin asked, "What's your day job?"

Lily hesitated. "I'm a psychiatrist."

"Really?" he said, rubbing his chin. The Awakener of Souls a psychiatrist. Fitting.

Lily's cheeks turned rosy. "I work in a psychiatric ward." Lily diverted her eyes and picked at her jeans.

"Why psychiatry?" he found himself asking.

She frowned. "People ask me that all the time. They always seem to think it's because I want to fix people, pick their brains or something, but the truth is I just want to know what is wrong with me."

Gavin didn't like the way her voice trailed off.

Setting down her coffee, she pulled her knees to her chest and gazed into the fire. A dark feeling poked at him. What had happened to make her wonder such a thing about herself? It was a mystery so profound that she'd made a career out of discovering the answer. Gavin clenched his mug. Lily was an old soul with many tragic events surrounding her past lives. Even now, not yet awakened, he wondered if she sensed the heartbreak in her history. Should he tell her what she was? What she was meant to do? Could he help her? He looked away. She wasn't ready. He had to wait for Darron.

Not liking the course of his own thoughts, Gavin decided it would be wise to test her. If they were going to venture into the mountains and enter the scared circle, he had to be sure she could at least react instinctively to a threat.

The power the sacred circle held was a void, a hole in time, a place no other could see or feel. Lily had been hidden there as a child. Her parents had hoped she would awaken within the circle undetected by the Council. They hoped she would strip the Council of their power and again restore the balance she was meant to bring to this world.

He stared at her for a moment and felt a trace of guilt for what he was about to do.

He reached out toward her discreetly, focusing the heat of his energy down his arm and out the center of his palm. The flames in the fire at which Lily stared blankly compressed in on themselves and then blazed brighter. He hoped Lily didn't notice. His power spilled out, wagging like a tongue licking at the air. Instead of draining some of her power, he would give her a nudge; jack her energy up a bit. After all, he was an amplifier. That's why the Council always tried to kill him. He could make others stronger.

His power slid over the cool skin of her neck, coming to rest in the center. He pushed his power into her spinal cord, plugging her into his storage tank. She twitched. He felt her heart rate jump. He sent one pulse-wave to the core of her mind and severed the connection carefully.

A wave of heat smashed into his chest, throwing him back into his chair. His lungs deflated. He blinked in disbelief. She twisted around and stared at him through ink-black eyes. Her instincts as the Awakener were definitely springing into action. Unsure of what she would do to him, Gavin shot a thread of energy out and around her whole body to restrain her. Instantly he regretted what he'd just done.

A strong pressure wrapped around his neck like invisible fingers. He slowly released her, but not before jacking her up again. He tried to invoke a memory from the past to distract her from his probing, hoping to throw her off.

He pulled in what could be his last breath and held it. She was the strongest she'd ever been. For the first time in a hundred years, excitement swelled in his body and mind.

The pressure tightened around his neck. His lungs burned. As his current life force faded around him, he shrugged to himself. _Maybe next time._
Chapter Five

Warmth skimmed her neck and Lily's stomach muscles locked, causing her blood pressure to rise. She couldn't breathe. She concentrated on the fire, not wanting Gavin to notice her sudden discomfort. She saw the fire shrink, and then expand, burning brighter and hotter than before. She blinked, waiting for what, she couldn't say. Over the last day or so, she'd been questioning her sanity.

Out of nowhere, a stinging sensation shot through the back of her neck, and her veins ignited from a wave of heat that fixed in her brain. Her heart stopped, and then rocked. The fire tunneled within her; she wanted to scream, but the pain fastened her lips. Closing her eyes, Lily willed the burning to stop. It didn't.

Something inside her shattered to pieces, scattering throughout her body. It was the strangest sensation of tingling and twisting. Next, the pieces seemed to pull back together, only this time they were rearranged and on fire. Rage locked on to the turmoil within her; a great heat rolled out from inside her body.

She whipped around and her eyes locked on Gavin. Fury coiled with the heart of her veins. He went still, but he never said a word, only stared at her.

Her vision blurred and pain knifed her eardrums. Fear sank its nails into her anger and dark memories flooded her mind. Once more she traveled to the attic where darkness was born.

His nails scraped her skin while he struggled to pull down her pants and underwear. She screamed and screamed, but he muffled them with his rough, dirty hands. Hot tears rushed to her cheeks as hopelessness tore her to pieces. Fiberglass insulation imbedded itself into her legs and backside, along with the splinters of the plywood. Not again, not again. She withdrew, deeper and deeper within herself.

Fighting the memory, her blood raged like a wildfire. She was becoming accustomed to the terrible, yet exquisite sensation. She focused on Gavin. The intense burning was hardly bearable. Hot tears burned her face.

Gavin slumped over in the recliner. His coffee spilled onto the floor. _What the hell just happened? Shit._

Lily crawled over and squatted in front of him, her heart drumming against her ribs. She smacked his cheek then gave his massive shoulders a push. He didn't move. She placed two fingers against his jugular. It was hammering.

Something was seriously wrong here and she had the feeling it had to do with her. Running a hand over her hair, she bit her lip. Lily tried to think. _What had started first?_ The stabbing sensation had pierced her neck. She ran her fingers over the delicate bones just beneath her hairline. Then her blood had heated. _Shit, shit._ It had to be the bloodheat. _How to rein it in?_ It had to have a source. If she could only tap into it somehow. She felt Gavin's pulse again. It was slowing. _Stay calm and think._ The thought of meditating popped into her head. It wasn't much, but it was something. Taking in a deep breath, Lily focused on her blood. She imagined her blood slowing and cooling. She did it again and again. Just when she was about to give into hysteria, Gavin choked and coughed, and his eyes popped opened.

Lily rocked back on her heels to withdraw, feeling sick once more. At this rate, she was going to have a hole in her stomach before she got home.

"Are you all right?" she asked. The realization that she had somehow almost killed him rattled through her brain. What was happening to her?

He leaned forward, rubbing his throat. "I'm fine. Just fine," he said gruffly, peering at her, smiling. A full-blown, take-up-your-whole-face smile. What was he smiling about? _Damn it,_ she thought. She'd done so well being close to Gavin up until now. But that smile; it caused her to shiver and without warning, the memory of Greasy Pig Boy was back.

She was in over her head, and crazy was lined up and wrapping around the block.

"I have to go." She leaped to her feet, seized her jacket from the floor, and whirled around. She rushed to the front door.

"Wait. Let me explain." He tried to grab her arm.

"Forget it. The whole deal is off," she cried, bursting from the house in a sprint. The chilly morning air slapped her in the face. She couldn't think, and the fog had thickened while she was indoors with Gavin.

She zipped down the hill away from the house, never once looking back. Heavy footsteps closed in behind her. Gavin was barefoot and half-naked. She knew it wouldn't take much to shake him. She flipped her turbo switch and pulled away, opening her stride.

"God damn it. Don't leave," he yelled after her. "It wasn't your fault."

She couldn't see more than ten feet in front of her, yet Lily didn't stop running until she came upon a building with jet skis and boats for rent and ducked behind it. Collecting herself for a moment, she stole a look around the corner. No sign of Gavin. She turned back and sank to the ground. Her thoughts raced in all directions at once. Tears blurred her vision.

Frightened, she tucked her knees to her chest and made herself as small as she could. She wrapped her arms around her legs and rested her forehead against them. What was happening to her, to Rachel? It wasn't right. Had she really just choked Gavin with her . . . bloodheat? Rachel had never done that. She sucked in a shaky breath. Or Rachel had never done that to her. Lily would phone, see if anything like that had happened since she had been gone.

She buried her face in her hands. She was twenty-eight years old. She wasn't supposed to fall apart. She was a psychiatrist. She was supposed to keep her shit together. She'd done more crying in the last few days than she had over the past five years.

The thing was, the hallucinations, the bloodheat, the pain, none of it freaked her out more than Gavin. He made her feel . . . like a woman. Not some deranged rape victim. She shook her head. None of it made any sense. She was a psychological mess with an inexplicable feeling of emptiness.

Gavin invoked a desire within her, one she was reluctant to accept. Old fears were given new life when he got too close. She didn't have time to deal with her suppressed memories. If she undoubtedly was experiencing the same things as Rachel, her time was ticking away, and soon she might be in a hospital room next to her best friend. As much as Lily wished she had time to work through her emotional issues, now wasn't the time. She had to block it out, to prioritize. What was most important to her? Time passed slowly in the silence of the small town.

Climbing to her feet, she made her decision. She couldn't be around Gavin. Although somewhere deep inside she secretly wished she could, she knew she couldn't. She wasn't strong enough to face her fear of men just yet. But Gavin wasn't why she was here. She was here because her best friend was slipping away from her. And she was wasting valuable time.

Lily glanced at her watch. Nine o'clock. The general store was open. Originally she had wanted to buy only hiking boots and get some snacks, but now she needed everything for a four-day hike. She wiped away her tears and shoved her hands into her coat pockets. She headed down the road.

"See you in a few days. Hold my room for me," Lily said, finding she had grown fond of Mr. Cross.

"Yeah, yeah. Don't go getting lost in those mountains. I'm too old to come looking for you," said Mr. Cross.

Lily slammed the back hatch of her Highlander. Pleased with herself, she'd turned "want to" into "going to." Who needed a guide? There were these things called maps, and she had five of them.

Lily climbed into her vehicle and pulled out one of the maps she'd bought earlier. _I will do this._ Then she highlighted the best route to the Wood Creek site. Once she was satisfied, she started the car and pulled out of the inn parking lot, heading south down Main Street. She zigzagged through the southern part of town toward Casey Lake.

She spotted a recreational area with a few parking spots and pulled in. Peering through the windshield at the towering pine trees that hugged the shoreline, Lily noticed most of the homes around the lake were mostly concealed. She pulled in a deep breath and climbed out.

Marching to the rear of her car, Lily popped open the back. She pulled out her fancy blue backpack and slung it over her shoulder. The unbalanced weight of improperly packed supplies tugged her off her feet. With a small shriek, she hit the ground, knocking the wind out of herself. She leaned back on her pack, staring at the sky. Maybe she'd just dug a hole she couldn't climb out of.

Awkwardly, she got to her feet and steadied herself. Then she pulled her primary map from her jean pocket. She studied it for a long while, feeling her chest tighten. She pinpointed her location and ran a finger over the map, and then peered around. To her left, she saw a well-used track. She put the map away and started for the trail, hesitating only a second to glance at her watch. Noon. She had about five or six hours until dark. She would set herself a steady pace and pray she could make decent time.

Once she was on the trail, dry pine needles crunched beneath her feet, and she gazed between the trees out toward the lake. The scent of pine permeated the air. She heard squirrels arguing in the distance. She smiled to herself. It was impossible not to be awestruck by the beauty of the landscape around her, the mountains, and the brilliant shades of green that stretched for as far as the eye could see. She had dreamt about taking a get-away vacation just like this for a long time. She kicked a rock, sending it rolling down toward the lake.

People accused her of working too hard. Lily laughed at that thought. Work camouflaged what she was hiding from. Life. That was what she did. Hide from everyone and everything except Rachel. If she could only talk to her for just a minute Lily wouldn't be so scared.

Lily studied the trail in the distance. She had a long way to go. Though the area was beautiful, Lily wasn't fool enough to ignore the danger she was putting herself in. With the hallucinations and the bloodheat, she was vulnerable to animal predators and getting lost. She was walking a thin line between determination and desperation.

Lily grabbed her cell phone and dialed Dr. Altice. She wanted to check on Rachel before she lost the signal. To see if anything had changed with her mental health. The phone rang three times before Dr. Altice's discontented voice reached her ear.

"Altice . . ." silence on the line.

"Doctor, this is Lily McMaster. I was calling to check on Rachel. How is she doing?" Lily tried to keep her distaste for this man out of her tone.

"Rachel has been heavily medicated as a result of recent hysterical outbursts." he said, dryly. "She has been ranting about a dog coming for the light. Clearly, she has lost touch with reality. If you were not so involved with the girl you would have seen that. I have transferred her to the fourth floor."

Lily halted on the path and her heart fell to her feet. Rachel called her the light. Was she trying to tell her something? No . . . that was silly.

"The fourth floor. That's for people who are violent. She's not a threat to anyone but herself."

"So you say; yesterday she attacked me. Tried to strangle me and scratched at my eyes." He cleared his throat. "Barely made it out with my life."

Was he trying to say Rachel had tried to kill him? She didn't believe it. Something was off. Lily's stomach knotted. The image of Gavin slumped over in his recliner filled Lily's mind. She swallowed hard **,** then she shivered.

"Has she gotten violent with any of the other doctors?" she asked. Rachel didn't care for Altice; she claimed he spied on her. Lily hadn't thought much about Rachel's attitude, since she didn't like him either. Maybe something else was going on that she didn't know about.

"No. No one. None of the other doctors will go near her." Altice used his clinical tone, a tone he only used when he'd checked off any hope of a patient recovering.

"Why won't anyone else work with her?" Panic was setting in and Lily heard it in her voice.

"She has been telling the other doctors things about their private lives. She has gotten them all spooked."

Lily didn't know what to say to that. She felt Rachel slipping away. She had to get to the site, to find something that would help Rachel stay in the here and now. She had to. Something about the site was important to Rachel.

"Thank you for the update. I will call again in a few days . . . Please take care of her."

"I will do my best." His words seemed worn, thin and hollow, the tone used so often by hopeless men.

The line went dead. She took the phone from her ear. She wanted to turn around, go back to her car and drive as fast as she could to California. But she didn't. She knew there was nothing that she could do for Rachel there; all she could do was provide counseling and medication, and others were already doing that. Yet there was something here that Rachel needed. Lily could feel it.

Lily hiked the trail for another hour. It wound around the far side of the lake and climbed up into thicker vegetation. As the climb steepened, Lily's bloodheat roused. Her eyes swept the area. Only she and the trees and . . . it was then she stopped and listened. Nothing . . . she realized that she'd heard nothing at all since leaving the Highlander. No branches wrestling with the wind, no birds, no crickets, only the sound of her breathing and her boots against the ground.

Spooked, she swallowed hard and continued to climb with more motivation than before. More dark clouds were rolling in from the west, pushing the lighter gray ones out of the way, yet there was no wind. That was an unsettling thing. _How can clouds move without wind?_

Lily didn't want to freak herself out so she focused on putting one foot in front of the other. The higher she climbed and the farther she got away from civilization, the heavier her breathing became, until finally she was forced to stop. It felt as though the forest was trying to repel her. Each step took all of her energy. In the last hour she'd made little progress.

Panting, Lily decided to take a break and find a place to rest. A short distance ahead, she spotted a boulder with a flat top, the perfect place for a snack and a drink. She would have a spectacular view of the area and would take another look at her map.

Halfway to the rock, a stabbing white-hot pain hit her between the eyes. She lost all peripheral vision and her ears rang like church bells. Disoriented, Lily shuffled forward, tripped and fell, landing with a pained gasp. A rib cracked as her elbow shoved into her side along with a rock. She couldn't breathe. Black spots winked in and out of her tunnel vision. Her injured side screamed. Closing her eyes for a long while, she didn't move. Now she was in trouble. She had only two, maybe three hours of light left, and it had taken her two hours just to get this far. Lily gathered her strength and rolled onto her back. She wouldn't make it back to the Highlander before dark, not like this. A sob caught in her throat. _I'm so stupid._ _This is what I get for running off without a guide . . ._ Lily held her fear at bay. She wasn't going to spaz out. It was just a rib and it was just a long walk back. She could do it.

"Going by yourself somewhere you shouldn't be? Gavin's voice came from above her.

Her eyes popped open.

A large shadow hovered over her. Gavin's brows were drawn down. The stubborn part of her was pissed to see him while the scared part of her was relieved she wasn't alone.

"Something you want to tell me?" he said, cocking an eyebrow.

Rising to an elbow, only to fall back down, she squeaked out, "No."

Lily stared at him, trying to blink away her tunnel vision. It didn't work.

Gavin gathered her into his arms as if she weighed no more than a rag doll. She hissed with pain. The tight pressure of his strong arms securing her against his granite chest was too much. She tried to wriggle free. The pain left her breathless and crushed any hope of resistance.

"Be still, woman," he said, walking over to the exact spot to which she'd been making her way. He climbed the boulder with easy grace, and then, unexpectedly, he plopped down cross-legged with her in his lap.

"Tell me what is going on," he said, tugging at the side of her coat.

"What are you doing?" she snapped, clasping the hem of her coat in a death grip, eyeing him with outrage.

"I only want to have a look at your side." His voice was gentle this time. She tensed, her bloodheat worked up to a simmer. She didn't like that he could cause her blood to do that. Somehow it didn't seem fair. Clearly she had pissed him off, and she didn't know why.

Stubbornly, she turned away. It seemed the cells in her body became energized by his closeness. She was literally vibrating in his lap. She prayed he wouldn't notice.

He pulled off her backpack, making it easier to hold her. "Tell me what just happened."

"No, not until you let me go."

Gavin arched a brow and was steadfast.

She tried again in a softer, kinder tone she only used on Rachel. "Please Gavin, let me go."

She felt him stiffen. His breath hitched in his massive chest, but he did as she asked. Slowly he eased his legs out from under her, careful not to shake her too much, and scooted back. He allowed her a moment to adjust and regain her balance. Threads of pain shot from her rib and wrapped around her middle. She focused on the clouds in the distance instead of the pain. They seemed to be moving fast, only five or six miles out, yet still there was no breeze. Her brows stitched together at this oddity.

She heard Gavin unzip something and then rummage around. Her gaze swept out over the trees. She hadn't realized how high she had climbed. She peered at the spot where she'd fallen. From the looks of it, she was lucky she hadn't tumbled down the slope.

"Lift up your coat and shirt," he said in a monotone voice.

"What?" She looked back at him.

"Lift up your clothes. I have to wrap your ribs. If I don't, you won't make it back to the car."

"Back to the car? I'm not going back."

He stared at her, his face a mask that she couldn't read.

"You need to go back to town."

"No," she said, "I can't go back, not until after I've seen the site."

"What's so crucial? You know it's a two-day hike and two overnight camps to get there."

"I don't care," she said stubbornly. "I have to go. My friend is waiting for me."

"Fine. Coat. Shirt. Now."

Lily lifted her chin and hissed as she leaned back.

"Stand up. It will be easier for me to wrap."

The thought of a man touching her made her stomach sour. This wasn't just a man, this was Gavin, and Gavin made her feel . . . things.

He helped her up and bent to one knee. He shot her a sharp look. She could take only small pulls of air. Gavin was right. This wasn't going to be fun at all. She would survive though. She'd been through much worse than a single broke rib.

Lily growled in annoyance and tugged up her coat and shirt. Soon the voice in her head would start howling at her. Gavin held up a roll of ACE bandage, ready to wrap her up. But when she tugged her clothes clear, he didn't move. Lily twisted to see. Gavin held a hand up to stop her.

"No. Don't look."

_What?_ She unzipped her coat and tugged the shirt up over her bra and smashed her breast out of the way so she could see her side. Her eyes grew round.

"Shit. What did I do?"

Her ribs were covered in gruesome greenish-red and purple. She hadn't seen an injury like that in years. A wave of nausea had her turning just in time to avoid throwing up on Gavin.

"Damn it. This is my fault." Gavin stood up and held on to her so she didn't fall off the rock as she continued to be sick. He even held her hair back.

Every heave was agony. She didn't know what was worse, seeing what she'd done to herself or how awful it felt to have done it. Lightheaded, she could barely stand. Strong hands held her fast. For a second time today, Gavin scooped her up in his muscular arms as he crossed his legs and sat down again.
Chapter Six

Gavin wanted to wring Lily's pretty neck or perhaps slit his own wrists. Why did she have to be so damn stubborn? And why did he always fail to protect her? Especially from something as simple as this. He'd felt her power spike as she began to climb the mountain, so why hadn't he followed closer? He knew why. Being close to her made him want things he needed to forget. That's why.

"Lily. Please, when I say don't look, it's for your own good." He scowled, scrutinizing her. She was a light shade of green and lifeless in his arms. The pulse-waves of power she had been radiating out into the trees were gone.

He wanted to plug her into his own power and help ease her pain but he knew the risk was too great. And after this morning, he knew she wouldn't respond favorably.

He studied the mountainside, mentally mapping out how far it would be to the clearing just over the first saddle of the ridge. It would be two, maybe three miles before they could make camp for the night.

Gavin stole a glance at Lily, her head resting in the crook of his arm. Her eyes were closed and her face was etched with pain. Her pale cheeks seemed hollowed. Despite her current appearance, she looked soft and sweetly feminine with her hair tumbling in loose curls around her shoulders and skimming his arm. He reached out to touch one of the curls but stopped and fisted his hand. Dark angry threads of pain, regret, and sorrow laced through his chest, and he looked away from her.

He brushed a strand of hair out of her face, and her dark lashes fluttered open. Her shoulders rose tensely and then went slack. She was doing her best not to get sick. Her pale eyes were glazed over. He grabbed the ACE bandage and lifted her shirt slowly, so as not to draw her from the faraway place where she'd retreated. He wrapped the bandage tightly around her ribs, jostling her only a small amount. His fingers slid over her firm stomach muscle. She didn't move.

His fingers lingered. Their past lives together had been a tragedy from the start, yet for short periods of time, they had found comfort in each other.

Gavin looked up. She was staring at him with a question mark stamped on her face. He pulled his hand away.

"Why are you here? Why are you helping me? I told you the deal was off." She reached an arm around his neck to sit up a little more. Lily's pupils enlarged.

Gavin cleared his throat, and Lily released his neck. He didn't think she was ready for the truth, so he lied.

"I'm not going to let some city-slicker go stomping about in the mountains unsupervised."

"Really?" she said.

"Yes, really."

She looked at him hard. "I think you're full of shit, Gavin Jones."

She closed her eyes, her features tightening. She pinched the bridge of her nose, then rubbed her forehead.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his chest tightening.

"My head is being cleaved in two, I cracked a rib, and I have a bruise from hell. Does that sound like I'm okay?"

He pulled out a bottle of water and handed it to her. Next he unzipped a small pocket in front of his backpack and pulled out a small white bottle. He popped the top, then shook out two pills and handed them to her.

"Thanks," she said, then tossed them into her mouth and took a swig of water.

He looked at his watch. They didn't have much time to get to the clearing and pitch camp. They had to get going, either back down to the cars or up the mountain.

"We have to go. Do you think you can walk or do you want me to carry you?"

Gavin closed his pack, grabbed Lily's, and then slid off the rock with her in his arms. He set her on her feet gingerly, sliding her over his body. He watched her hesitate to release him. Her lashes fluttered, and her plump lips pressed firmly together.

"Thank you. I got it from here."

He let her walk away, cutting their connection.

Lily was shaky at first, but he didn't come to her aid. Her chin was lifted to its highest level. There would be no more helping her today.

"I still think you should walk back to the car. We can come back in a day or two. Give you time to adjust to the cracked rib."

"No, I don't have time. I must get to the site."

Every bone ached and every muscle twitched with fatigue by the time Lily broke through the tree line and wandered out into a large clearing of tall grass. She froze. Gavin stepped up beside her. They both took in the landscape. The last remaining rays of sunlight popped out through the dark clouds. Suddenly a gust of wind rose up and welcomed her. It was the first breeze she'd felt all day. When Gavin placed a hand on her shoulder, her heart tugged and her blood hummed. Every time he touched her, he awakened something deep inside her. She glanced at his hand, wanting to rest her own on top of his, but she didn't.

"I will make camp. You stay here. When I'm done, we must talk."

Lily nodded, too tired to argue.

Gavin had the campsite set up in about thirty minutes. A chill had settled over the area and it cut to the bone. Gavin had a four-person tent erected just within the tree line. In front of it was a small fire with what looked like a pot sitting near the flames.

She walked over. Her teeth chattered as she sat on a rock adjacent to Gavin. She hissed, biting back the pain she felt with every movement. She saw the skin on his damaged face was pulled tight.

"I'm sorry I didn't help set up camp. But to be honest, I don't know if I would have been any help."

His dark gaze flipped up to meet hers. Every inch of him emitted power.

"When did the visions begin to invade your mind?" he began in a harsh voice that caused her to flinch. How did he know about that? She opened her mouth to speak but quickly shut it. _The inn._ What should she say?

He grabbed a tin cup from his pack, poured a cup of something hot, and handed it to her. "Coffee. It will help you warm up."

"Thank you." Next, he ducked inside the tent and immediately popped back out holding a blanket, which he draped over her shoulders.

"No, please, I can get my own." She started to rise.

He gently placed a restraining hand on her shoulder, giving her that pointed look again. Awkwardly, she pulled the blanket tighter around herself. Pausing, she briefly inhaled his scent from the blanket. She brushed her cheek against it, forgetting Gavin was watching her. She gave a weak smile, wiping a hand over her cheek, pretending she had hair stuck to her face. She stared into her cup. Gavin was sweet in a rough kind of way.

She sipped the strong, bitter coffee. Energy in a cup; just what she needed. Gavin stood, waiting for a reply.

What did she have to lose? He didn't know about Rachel, so it was only her reputation on the line.

"The visions, Lily . . . when?" he said, studying her with intense eyes.

"When I arrived in town, my blood . . ." She paused and looked blankly at the ground. "My blood seemed to heat . . . when I ran into you . . . then again, when I came to your shop, and after you left from our meeting in the park." _It was connected to him. Her bloodheat. Why?_ She kept this to herself and continued. "By the time I got to the room, my head felt as though it was being torn open. I was having a hallucination when you broke into my room."

Gavin paced and his brows drew together, creating an agonized expression. The scars on his face darkened, making him look more intimidating. He mumbled to himself. Gavin moved his neck and shoulders in a familiar way.

Uneasy, she shifted on the rock, trying her best to remain composed and ignore his brooding. She watched his every move. Gavin went eerily still. The grating returned in the back of her mind. She closed her eyes, wanting it to stop.

"You said you were here doing research. For what? What brought you to Idaho?"

"I told you. I'm doing research on the fire for a friend. That's what brought me here. I need to check it out." That sounded a little weird. _Oh, and talking about your blood heating didn't?_ She opened her eyes.

"Has anything else happened? I mean, besides the vision . . . and the bloodheat?" he asked over his shoulder.

Why did he keep calling it a vision? That made it sound like foresight or something, not the hallucinations of a mentally ill person.

"Why?" she found herself asking.

"Just answer the question," he ordered.

Lily scowled at him. "No."

"What else? I know there is more. I can hear the hesitation in your voice. You are hiding something."

_Shit._ Now she was pissed and scared. How could he know she was holding anything back? She thought about what had happened in Gavin's house only this morning and chewed the inside of her cheek. It was time for a few questions of her own.

"There's a picture of a girl in the archives in town who looks like me. An article that says this girl died in the Wood Creek Fire. How is it connected to me? I feel it is."

He spun around and stalked over to her. "It's connected to you because it _is_ you. Because as far as the rest of the world knows, you did die. We hid you from the Council of Souls. We had to make them think they had killed you, to buy Darron and me some time to regroup."

"Council. Souls. What are you talking about?"

He stared at her so intently that she wanted to hide.

"There is a council that governs the souls of this world. They are the oldest among us. We are talking as old as Adam and Eve. They are powerful as a whole, but not individually . . . You are stronger than any of them. You are the Light, the Awakener."

Nausea hit and panic flooded her so fast she didn't even know she had stood up, hadn't even felt the pain of doing so. She backed away from Gavin.

Oddly enough, her reaction wasn't from what he'd just told her. She blinked, confused for a second. The sickness came from the way he'd just moved . . . like . . . Greasy Pig Boy. Dark heavy thoughts stormed through the corridors of her mind. She'd been wrong to think she could find a way to be near Gavin. She was perched; ready to run.

He gritted his teeth.

"Lily." He held up his hands. "I didn't mean to startle you. I'm here to help you."

Her senses were on high alert. Could she get away from him with her rib broken? She wasn't sure, but she was about to find out. He took one tentative step toward her and he seemed to know he'd miscalculated.

She closed her eyes and spun so quickly Gavin caught only the edge of the blanket. She dashed into the clearing. As she rushed straight across the clearing, the evening sky grew darker, making it difficult to see. It looked like it was a half mile to the other side of the clearing. She ran until her lungs caught fire, then she pushed herself until a cramp strangled her side. But even then she pushed through her pain. The voice was back, her demon. _You won't make it. He will get you, and he will take you. Let him. You are nothing. Stained, ruined. No man will ever want you. You are incompetent; you will never find love._

"Shut up, shut up," she cried, running faster. She would make it. She had to.

Hitting the tree line on the other side, Lily was filled with relief. She'd made it, panting and hissing with pain. She'd made it, but from the sounds coming from behind her, Gavin wasn't far.

Swiftly she weaved through the trees. A cold draft swirled around her, thick with moisture and the crisp scent of an approaching storm. Forcing her breathing to a whisper, Lily suffered the agony in silence. There, a few yards ahead, she spied a tree large enough to hide behind the trunk.

She hurried forward and tucked herself away. Twigs snapped, loud in the chilly night air. Lily knew Gavin was near. She remained silent. Feeling anger and contempt for herself, Lily closed her eyes tight, transported to a past best forgotten, once again forced to relive her ordeal.

Somehow she managed to slip her foot free and kick Greasy Pig Boy in the gut, thrusting him into the nails spread across the attic roof. His cry was not that of pain but of frustration because she was making things difficult for him. She rolled to her stomach and tried to scramble away. He lunged, throwing his smelly body over hers. He landed on her hard, cracking two ribs. Then he smashed her head into the attic floor. Her vision blurred. A dirty hand wrenched her head back once again, silencing her. She wished she was dead.

Gavin called to her. "Lily."

He sounded desperate. A sob caught in her throat as she hurtled back to reality. A small part of her wanted to go to him. Her demon wouldn't allow her to move. _Don't move. Stay put. We are safe here. Alone we are safe. Hidden._

"Shut up, shut up," she whispered, banging her head against the tree. She just wanted to forget, to move on, but why did this keep happening? Her anguish ripped and rolled in her gut, turning to anger. She exhaled, heat rising in her blood. She was sick and tired of the voice and the flashback to her teen years. She was done with both. She wanted to be with a man because she desired him, and she wasn't going to listen to all the bad shit that lived inside her. She was better and worth more than how the voice made her feel.

A figure stepped in front of her from out of nowhere. The man's eyes were pale blue, and he smiled down at her wickedly.

Every fear her childhood had given birth to tore from her throat in her scream. Plastering herself against the tree, the bark was rough against her skin as she pushed herself up its length. The stranger reached out to clasp her wrist. _Not again._ Crazed, Lily was rocked to her core like a seven-point-five earthquake. No one would ever again touch her against her will. She twisted out of his reach, and on rotation, she shifted her weight enough that all the force she created shot up her arm. She smashed her palm into his nose, thrusting upwards. At the last second, she held back just enough to keep from killing him. The crunching of cartilage caused the man to yelp in pain, and grab his face. In the next moment, Gavin barreled into him, tackling him to the ground.

He pounded his fists into the intruder's torso.

"You son of a bitch. Where have you been?" Gavin cursed and slammed a fist into the guy's jaw.

"You're the son of a bitch, you old fart," the man retorted. He speared Gavin's throat with his fingers, causing him to choke, but Gavin never stopped pounding.

Lily's adrenaline was so high it took several seconds to process what she was seeing. Gavin had come to her rescue. She stared at the two fighters. A cry of relief lodged in her throat. Gavin was protecting her. The cry broke from her lips. It was difficult for Lily to consider that Gavin cared enough about her to inflict bodily harm on another. She stepped carefully over one of the exposed tree roots, trembling violently. Though she felt relief and was grateful for Gavin's protection, it was fleeting. Instinct again drove her. She edged away from the combatants. Casting a glance back at them, Lily pushed away from the tree, not making a sound.

"I've been tracking. What the hell is your problem? Get off of me," the other said as Gavin dragged him to his feet, only to punch him in the stomach and let him fall to the ground.

The man was panting and groaned as he moved to sit up.

Lily had placed a good distance between her and the other two. The stranger who had grabbed her called out, "Shit, Leora, you didn't have to break my fucking nose. Damn." In the dark he turned his head toward her as if he knew exactly where she was the entire time. She stopped.

In the silence, Lily heard the guy crack his nose back into place. _Gross._

"Don't talk to her like that, or I'll break it again," Gavin croaked, holding a hand out to the man and tugging him up. Then he smashed a fist into the stranger's face once more. The guy hit the ground again and stayed there. Gavin toed the man with his boot. He gave a nod of satisfaction. His eyes found hers and narrowed speculatively. He lifted his hands so that she could see them. Cautiously, he made his way over to her. Lily ached with an inner pain she hadn't felt since meeting Rachel. Shame. To see Gavin resort to such behavior to protect her was regretful. Though, gazing into Gavin's honey gold eyes, Lily felt there was still a chance to grow whole again. She lifted her chin **;** courage and determination were like rocks inside her. She moved toward Gavin, keeping an eye on the person lying lifelessly on the ground.

"Are you okay?" Gavin asked, lowering his hands.

"Yes," she replied, feeling a burning sensation begin at the back of her eyes. She wanted to explain why she had ran, yet the words wouldn't come.

He gave her a nod.

"Who is that? Is it someone you know?" she asked, eyeing the man warily, noting a twitch or two. He was beginning to stir.

"Yes, I know him, as do you."

"What? I don't know that guy."

Gavin rested a hand on her shoulder. He peered into her eyes. "Lily, he is Darron . . . your brother."

Her mouth dropped open. Lily wanted to argue with him and tell him he was wrong, but she didn't because the truth was, she didn't know if she had a brother. And after everything Gavin had said back at camp she wasn't so sure arguing would even be worth it.

"If I'm the girl in that photo from the fire, my brother died," she said, trying to sound logical about something that was not.

A moan rose from the man Gavin called Darron. He sat up. Crunching cartilage filled her ears. Lily grimaced as her stomach rolled.

"If I remember correctly, sweetheart, you died too," mocked Darron.

The ground dropped out from under her. And the world she thought she knew was gone. What had Rachel gotten her into?
Chapter Seven

Lily shared a rock with Gavin, sipping coffee, stealing glances at this Darron person talking to Gavin from across the camp fire. She tried to pay attention to what they were saying, but it was all about hunting, guns, and camping gear. She cast a glance at Gavin, irritated with him for threatening to tie her up if she ran off again. _Tie me up. I'd like to see him try._ A small smile touched her lips. In his shoes, she probably would make a similar threat.

It was easier now to be near Gavin after witnessing him beat the crap out of Darron on her behalf. She promised herself she would not make Gavin angry with her again, or cause him to have that panicked look on his face. She owed him that much at least.

She was suddenly more wary of Darron than of Gavin. After all she had signed on to deal with Gavin, not this Darron person. She scooted an inch closer to Gavin.

Abruptly Darron laughed and drew her attention. Darron had auburn hair, curly on top, shaved down to the skin on the back and sides. After watching the way he'd fought with Gavin, she'd bet money he was military. Her gaze swept to Gavin and then back again to Darron. He was as tall as Gavin but not as broad. He was lean and cut. He fidgeted with his coffee cup. His right leg constantly twitched, and his colorless eyes scanned the area countless times. _Can you say ADD?_ Perhaps he was slightly paranoid.

Lily just wanted the day to be over. She tightened her grip on the blanket Gavin had wrapped her in. She listened and Darron continued to talk. Gavin nodded in all the right places, giving the impression he was listening, yet she knew all his attention was on her. He scooted an inch or two closer to her. She straightened. He leaned in, inviting her to come closer. Slowly, she shook her head no. He shrugged and went back to talking with Darron.

The cold crept through the layers of clothing and into her bones. Gavin rose and threw three good-sized pieces of wood on the fire. Lily was surprised Gavin could read her so well **;** they had only spent a day together. When he sat back down, his tight butt skimmed her thigh, and he leaned his back against her shoulder. Her blood heated, and the need to touch him overwhelmed her. Why did he affect her so strongly and so swiftly? Casually, she molded her side against the hard muscles of his back, stealing his heat. For just a moment, she wanted to know what it would be like to touch him. He made her want to wrap her arms around his waist and melt against him completely.

Without thinking, she pressed her cheek against his shoulder blade. A sigh of contentment slipped from her lips. _What the hell was that?_ Before she could analyze her actions, Gavin gently placed a hand on her knee. Lily's cheeks burned. Could he sense her avoidance? Was he showing her it was okay with this small gesture? Lily swallowed and released the breath she'd been holding. She stood, not wanting to push her luck and have another Greasy Pig Boy episode. "Holy cow." She'd forgotten about her battered body, too busy thinking about the dangerous man beside her. Gavin's hand fell away, and both men turned and stared.

"I'm exhausted. Where do you want me to sleep?" she said quickly.

Gavin looked her over closely. "In the tent. Your sleeping bag is next to mine." He waited for her to complain.

She bit down her anxiety and nodded. "Good night."

Both men watched her climb into the tent and zip it. She slipped off her hiking boots, tossed Gavin's blanket on his sleeping bag, and took off her coat. Pulling out her favorite SDSU sweatshirt from her pack, she tugged it over her head one-handed. She climbed into her sleeping bag. She thought about the day and all its events. Exhausting, that's what it had been. Lily thought about the things Gavin had said to her earlier. She couldn't process any of it. Her eyes were so heavy. She had to close them for a moment. In the next second, the world slipped away.

Lily had no sooner zipped the tent flap than Gavin's blood pumped so hard he feared a vein would spring a leak.

"Where have you been? I could kill you where you stand. Twenty-five years and not a word," Gavin said, trying to suppress his irritation at Darron's late arrival.

Gavin didn't trust him to be around Lily. Darron was a moody, easily bored pain in the ass. His instinct to hunt souls kept him on edge, always idling. Gavin had seen the toll that idling took from him. Gavin scowled. _Get over it._ _Protecting Lily is Darron's job. Not mine._

"No, you can't, and I know why, Leecher." A thin-lipped smile stretched over Darron's face.

Darron was trying to get a rise out of him. Darron knew he wasn't merely a Leecher. He had other abilities, more than simply draining. There was no reason to let Lily's brother get under his skin.

"I've been watching you. It's intriguing that you don't want to reopen the bond with my sister. So you can't summon all your power, and to kill me, you will need it all," Darron warned.

Gavin searched Darron's face. He mused that Darron could be stronger now than when they were children, though probably not by much. Their power struggle had always resulted in a stalemate, so they had chosen a more physical relationship in their youth, pounding each other's faces in when the occasion called for it.

Darron stood. "Tsk, tsk, a shame really. I was so looking forward to flexing my powers."

Gavin could see Darron kept checking the perimeter of the camp. Gavin pivoted on his rock and peered into the clearing. Not a single blade of grass moved. He searched the sky which was blanketed with heavy unmoving clouds. He sniffed the air. Trouble.

Gavin turned back to Darron, who now rested against one of the nearby trees, seemingly satisfied with his visual sweep of the area. "I would never guess you wouldn't reopen the bond," said Darron. "For that alone, I should gut you. You know the bond stabilizes her power as she gets closer to her awakening."

Gavin's eyes cut into Darron. It was true. He put Lily at risk by not bonding. But it was his decision and he would stand by it. He'd waited for Darron to show up so he could leave and give her a chance. But after today he didn't think he could. He didn't think Darron could get her safely to the circle. It was apparent to him Lily had things she needed to work through. So Gavin would protect her until she reached the sacred place and see her awakened. No more, no less. Then he was gone.

Darron raised his eyebrows. "I must say I've never before seen any hesitation from you regarding my sister. It makes me wonder what has changed."

He gave Darron a cold stare. Darron crossed over to his own rock, and sank onto its rough surface. Gavin could still feel the warm, even pulse of energy that Lily emitted. He was sure Darron could sense it too. Lily was deep asleep.

"I will not watch again while she takes her own life because of me, nor watch the Hound kill her."

Darron's pale eyes raked over him. "If that is true, why is it I find you here with my sister in the middle of the woods only a few miles from the circle and yet you never summoned me?"

"She came to me looking for a guide, though she doesn't know about the circle. She said she needs pictures of the Wood Creek Fire site to bring to a friend."

"And because of that you whisked her up the mountainside and didn't even bother to let me know?" Darron retrieved his coffee cup.

"No, I didn't. She took off on her own and I couldn't wait for you. I knew you would show, and if you haven't already sensed it, she is close to awakening. For things to be different, changes must be made." His voice was firm. "She has never awakened with me by her side." Gavin raised his chin. "I can't help her along the path as the Awakener. It is time for the connection between us to be no more. She may be drawn to me, but that doesn't mean I have to open the bond."

Darron's eyes widened and then turned to slits. He placed his coffee cup on the rock next to him and applauded mockingly. "Bravo, bravo. It has taken three hundred years for you to see we all make mistakes. We are no different from all the other souls in the world, Leecher. We just know what is really going on." He shrugged. "Bonding is overrated. I've tried to figure out through the centuries, which is the best way to go: bond to protect the one you love or bond and have a business partner, someone who can help you to strengthen your gift."

Gavin ignored Darron.

"I have to say, I'm quite impressed. You were always so gung-ho to lock onto my sister's affections that I was confused when I came back to town and couldn't feel the bond. Yet I easily sensed you were both together." Darron rose and poured another cup of coffee for himself, staring with open interest at Gavin. "I thought you were too stubborn to let her go. But it seems I was wrong." Darron sipped his coffee.

Gavin had an uneasy feeling. There was a hint of black fog forming around Darron, which only spelled trouble. Gavin reached within himself, tapping into as much power as he could without opening himself to Lily, ready for Darron.

"There's one small problem. She can't awaken without your ability to jack her up, to amplify her power. If you don't reopen the bond, you can't tap into all your power. She can't awaken. So please enlighten me on how she'll take her place on the Council without the two of you bonded."

Gavin frowned. "There is no time for me to get hung up on the past. The Council has begun to manipulate the cycle of rebirth. Souls that have fulfilled their purpose here on earth, who should return to the Creator, are being forced to be reborn," Gavin said.

"So what the hell does that mean? The Council's fucking with the cycle?" Darron said, tossing his coffee into the fire. "And what does that have to do with your bonding to Leora?"

"It means no new souls make it into this world. Everyone goes mad in time, fifty years, two hundred, who knows? The Council will eventually rule over this world."

Darron shook in front of Gavin. "Well, hell, you just gave me the creeps. So how is Leora going to take her place over the Council and not get killed this time if you will not bond with her?"

"By doing things differently. Ever since we bonded, she has become too reliant on me. She relied only on herself before that . . . and on you. She must do so again. She will take her place on the Council as she did before we bonded. I am not the complement to her power, you are," Gavin said, his heart exploding in his chest.

Darron went rigid. "What the hell are you trying to say?" He stormed over to Gavin. The air between them crackled and sizzled. Gavin glared at Darron. Both were ready to throw down.

Darron poked him in the chest with a finger. "Only her Advisors can protect her better than you, and right now it is not established. So, if you think I can magically keep her alive when you can't, you really are as dumb as a rock. Here I was thinking you actually had a brain." Darron shoved Gavin; he didn't budge. Darron circled and walked out into the clearing, staring into the darkness.

Gavin ran his hand through his hair and growled in frustration. "I have felt the Seer from time to time over the past months. But I have yet to lock in on her energy signature. Have you located her?" Gavin asked, wanting the talk of bonding to end.

Darron was silent for a long while. "No, however, I know where the Elapsed Seer is. It will not be easy to get to him. But I think we must."

Gavin didn't like the distant tone in Darron's voice.

"Lily is stronger than you think," Gavin said, putting his hands in his pockets. "She will surprise us. Give her a day. See what happens. She will awaken on her own. That is how it was always meant to be."

Darron peered over his shoulder at the tent. Gavin stared at him for a moment. Then Darron walked off into the clearing and was swallowed by darkness.

Bolting upright, Lily screamed at the top of her lungs into the cold night air. Darkness closed in on her. She couldn't breathe. She fumbled with the collar of her sweatshirt. She yanked it over her head, wiped her sweaty forehead, and then tossed the sweatshirt to the ground. Her whole body shook. She fisted her hands, nails digging into her palms. For a moment, she didn't remember where she was. With the darkness surrounding her and a chill in the air, she thought she was that girl back in the _attic_. Her gaze darted this way and that. _A tent,_ _she was in a tent_. Gradually, memories of the past few days surfaced in her mind. She was trying to help Rachel. Her pulse quieted and breathing came easier. Then her heart stopped as a set of dark eyes pinned her to the spot. She tried to scramble out of her sleeping bag, but it was useless. She was a tangled mess.

"Calm down, Lily. Everything is okay. You're fine. It's me . . . Gavin," he said, putting his hands into the air, where she could see their rough outline. She'd done it again. Gavin's expression was hard. Worry lines kissed the corners of his eyes.

His voice stroked her like a lover's caress. Her bloodheat roused in response. How did he do that to her with just his voice? It was seriously starting to piss her off that her bloodheat "liked him." Could it be trying to tell her something? _No . . . maybe . . . no._

"What did you see?" he asked, tentatively pulling her sleeping bag closer to him.

She was still and hammered down her fear, knowing all her issues had little to do with him and everything to do with her. _Baggage sucks._ Would she ever be able to trust a man? For the first time, she realized how big a project her fear was. She had to make it smaller, more manageable, something she could control. She only had to trust Gavin.

She blinked at him through the darkness, exhausted. Gavin took her hand. The feel of it was suddenly almost unbearable in its tenderness. A brief shiver surged through her.

This man haunted her every thought; everything about him was appealing. Could she shut the door to the dark memories of the past? She didn't know, but she wanted to try. It was time for her to recognize her own needs.

Lily inhaled the heavy, masculine scent of him, drawing closer to the warmth that surrounded him. She laced her fingers with his. They were large and calloused. Working hands. She rubbed the pad of her thumb against the side of his index finger. Testing herself. She examined her emotional state. _Okay, I'm intimidated, a little anxious, and . . . aroused._ He lifted their laced fingers and pressed her hand to his heart. A thrill twisted down her spine, and at the edge of her mind, a secret brushed past. This was significant. She softened in a way she didn't understand. A knife slash of possessiveness cut deep. _Mine._

She placed her hand on the corded muscles of his chest. Warm soft skin met her palm. _No shirt_. His muscles tensed under her fingertips. She bit her lip as he pulled her even closer. Tipping her chin up, their lips were only a brush away. Her heart seemed to rush to the spot he touched. She was shocked at her own eager response.

"Lily, what did you see?" he said, his voice low and seductive. Her breath snagged and he released her chin. A stab of disappointment caught her off guard. She cleared her throat. _Oh Lord._ She couldn't put two thoughts together.

Gavin brushed his lips over the back of her knuckles encouragingly, sending shock waves through her. She didn't know exactly where to begin. All she could think about was him. Concentrating on the dream that had awoken her was a struggle.

"People were all around me, too many to count, pleading for help. Some were crying on their knees, others were angry and shouting. But all of them . . ." she shivered. "Their eyes . . ."

Gavin pulled her into his side. She fit perfectly against his granite body. She didn't pull away. She focused on the dream. "They were weak, like their lives had been sucked dry. I was so scared for them. I rushed to an elderly woman, overwhelmed by the urge to touch her face. When I reached her and gathered her face between my hands, the bloodheat surged to life and consumed me. It felt as if I was being burned alive. The heat grew, and I couldn't hold on to it. The bloodheat rushed down my arms and into the woman."

Tears slowly found their way down Lily's cheeks.

"What happened next? What did you see?" he asked, wrapping an arm around her. She rested her head in the crook of his neck. Her heart pumped faster as a delicious heat began to rise from within her chest. The heat grew insistent, working into a frantic buzzing that spread through her veins. A delicate thread began to develop between them. Understanding.

She continued to rest against him. "Nothing. I saw nothing when my bloodheat reached her. The woman curled into a ball. I can't explain it, but I knew I'd lost her, that I was too late somehow."

"What of the others?"

"They left, just walked away from me. It was as if their joy and hope had been sucked out, not just from me but from them all. Hopelessness. That was what was left . . ." She shook her head. "They were just normal people, Gavin . . . but they needed something from me."

He ran his knuckles over her cheek. She felt his sadness for her. She quivered, and her core tightened. She closed her eyes.

"I am sorry, Lily." He held her, comforting her. She didn't want him to let her go. Holding her tight, he slowly leaned back, resting on the sleeping bags. Gavin kept her nestled against his side, her cheek now on his chest. The steady rhythm of his heart had almost lulled her to sleep when Gavin asked, "Why did you run from me earlier, before Darron came? Do I frighten you so much that you would go off blindly into the woods rather than be near me?"

The hurt in his voice squeezed her heart. She didn't want him to think it was him, because it wasn't.

"Gavin . . . I'm . . ." Tears collected in her eyes. "I didn't mean to." She couldn't tell him about her past. It was too terrible, and it shamed her that she hadn't been able to stop Greasy Pig Boy.

"It wasn't you. I swear. There are things that cause a hair-trigger reaction within me sometimes."

He pulled away from her. The cold air rushed in and seized the warmth their bodies had created. Their eyes locked. A storm of emotion rode the black of his eyes. She didn't know what to do. She knew only that she didn't like seeing him look so wounded because of her.

"Gavin, I'm sorry I hurt you. I didn't mean to." She cupped his face in both her hands and tenderly drew him down to her lips.
Chapter Eight

Gavin was coiled so tightly he could barely move. He couldn't believe Lily wanted to soothe him. It was not what he'd intended. He never would have expected it after what had transpired between them today.

He drew her nearer, blood pounding through his veins like soldiers going into battle. He inhaled her scent. From the first time a year ago when he'd sensed her power growing, he'd fought his possessive instincts, his desire to find her and claim her as his own. He had remained steadfast in his decision for things to be different this time.

It was dangerous straddling the fence when it came to Lily. His control and restraint would be tested. His head told him to stop. However, with her firm curves pressed tightly to him, his body throbbed with yearning to go forward.

Fighting with himself, he hovered just out of her reach. The prolonged anticipation was almost unbearable. He waited, challenging her to make a move. He needed to see how far she could push past her fear.

When her lips found his in a soft caress, he stopped breathing. Her full lips burned him deeply, setting him ablaze. He understood Lily needed this. He'd passed off her first reaction to him as being due to his size and scarring, but with Darron, he'd seen the big picture. She was frightened of men in general. Someone had misused her. He didn't want to think of what could have caused her to respond with such blinding fear because it would destroy him.

Gavin claimed her lips with more passion than he intended, his body melting into hers. His tongue explored her mouth, tenderly coaxing her to part her lips.

"Gavin. I'm . . ." her whisper trailed off. The uncertainty in her voice caused him to stop. He'd gone too far. She wasn't ready for this.

"I want this, but . . ."

He pulled back. "I didn't mean for this to happen. Remember, I will never hurt you." He brushed his lips against hers one last time. Then he tore himself away, determined to keep his distance.

"Gavin . . ."

He grabbed his sleeping bag and exited the tent, cursing under his breath.

He'd left. Lily felt a tremendous void. Running a hand through her hair, she tried not to fall to pieces. He'd rejected her. _Wait, had he?_ She swallowed hard. Or had she rejected him? She was filled with disappointment. Running a finger over her lips, she almost cried. Gavin had given her a small gift—her first real kiss—and she'd ruined it. She zipped her sleeping bag, suddenly chilled to the bone. She buried her head, blocking out the world. Lily reminded herself that she was here for Rachel, to figure out a way to end the crippling delusions plaguing her best friend. More was going on than a brooding, masculine man stomping around acting mysterious. She lifted her quivering chin and tried to go back to sleep. Her eyes filled with tears of frustration.

By morning, Lily was a tangled ball of nerves. As quickly as she was able with her cracked rib, she changed and repacked her bag and put it in the corner. Girding herself with resolve, she stepped out of the tent, only to be met by pale colorless eyes. She jumped, caught off guard. What was he still doing here?

"Sleep good?" Darron asked with a crooked smile. He leaned against a low branch, scratching his back from side to side.

Dawn was gray and gloomy, much the same as her mood. She frowned until she spied Gavin sitting, staring into the fire. The delicious aroma of coffee met her nose and she inhaled for a moment before she released her breath.

"Fine. I slept fine, and yourself?" she asked, trying to be cordial but making sure a fair amount of space existed between herself and Darron.

"Like a baby until some strange animal started shrieking. Have any idea what it was?" Darron questioned. His lips pulled in at the corners, causing an odd smirk.

"I didn't hear a thing," she said, marching over to Gavin.

He rose and peered down at her, his face an unreadable mask. She wasn't going to let him intimidate her. She was in control. She was going to kick her fears right in the face.

Gavin was the first one on the list. When his fingers brushed through her hair, heat flooded her veins. Her eyes locked to his. He liked to touch her hair and she liked it when he did. Her cheeks heated and she turned her attention to the fire.

Next he was beside her, his head low. He pulled in a deep breath. Had he just _smelled_ her? Lily felt a spark of pleasure float up within her and settle in a field of weed-infested despair. It smoldered, about to go out, and then a gust of hope swept through her and set the spark aflame. How could such a small thing please her so much? She would take it and be grateful.

She turned toward the fire, hands out. Gavin chuckled at her then walked away.

After a few minutes she turned to warm her backside. Heat soaked in. She looked into the clearing. An unnatural gray fog crept over the ground, eating up the area around the camp, yet oddly, it never crept in on them. She couldn't help but stare because she felt as if someone was staring at her. She shivered despite the heat of the fire. A minor throb in her head distracted her from her surroundings. She thumbed her temples for relief. No such luck.

"So what's the schedule for today?" asked Darron, breaking the silence. "Let me guess, hiking and more hiking."

"You're coming with us?" Lily questioned.

"Don't sound so excited. If you think I'm leaving you with that guy," Darron pointed at Gavin, "you're crazy, Sis."

Lily peered at Darron. "I'm not your sister. I have no family." The tone of her voice was harder than she'd intended. She blamed it on the headache.

"And who may I ask told you that? Please enlighten me," said Darron, throwing his elbows over the branch he'd been scratching on.

She leveled him with a don't-fuck-with-me glare. It only made him smile. _What was with this guy?_

"I grew up in foster care if you must know."

Darron shot Gavin a dark glare.

Gavin stepped in front of her. She peered at his broad shoulders. She sidestepped him and walked to the other side of the fire. She gave Gavin a smirk and his nostrils flared. It made him look so like a beast that she cringed, but she stood her ground.

"You said she'd be adopted," Darron yelled at Gavin. "I should never have listened to you."

"Not me, Darron, your father. I didn't tell you to leave her. Remember that?"

"What do you two have to do with my past?" she asked.

"Everything. Nothing. All at the same time," Darron spat, storming over to her.

Darron planted himself beside her, crossed his arms over his chest, and spread his legs apart, glaring at Gavin.

She blinked at him. There, again, at the edge of her mind, another secret brushed past. She tried to capture it this time, but it skirted just out of reach.

"Come, come. Gavin, tell my beautiful sister what we . . . meaning you and I . . . have to do with her past. Well, not me, because I'm her brother. You, on the other hand, are another story."

She stared at them. He nudged her elbow with his own.

"I've been waiting years to hear this one. Let's see how he does. Especially now that he will not open the bond."

This was ridiculous. She wanted to tell them they were both deranged; however, she remained silent. It couldn't hurt to hear what they had to say.

"You will pay for this, Darron, just you wait."

Every muscle in Darron's body flexed, and a black fog thickened around him. She blinked as panic spiked her blood like a shot of Patrón Tequila. The fog was just like what she'd seen in her hallucination. She'd taken two steps back when Gavin's commanding voice caused her to stop in her tracks.

"Lily, don't move. Don't even breathe."

His eyes were razor-sharp and cut across her to Darron. "You want to throw down? I'm ready. I will hold nothing back. I will reopen the bond, and nothing will change."

The fog around Darron was so thick she couldn't see him. It expanded and contracted with every constricted breath she heard him take. None of it made sense, but one thing shoved its way to the front of her colliding thoughts: she wasn't freaked out. That confused her more than what she was actually seeing. It all seemed _normal_. It was official. _Crazy had won._

"Don't you threaten me," Darron said, his voice so tight she could hardly make out the words.

The throbbing in her head couldn't be ignored any longer. She stopped thinking. Her bloodheat spiked, from the low simmer she seemed to maintain when Gavin was within ten feet of her, to a rolling boil throughout her body. Her vision blurred. She wanted to rip her skin off and split open her skull. The crippling pain caused her to sway on her feet.

"Gavin," she stammered, reaching out for him and stumbling forward. She went down. A knifing pain stabbed her side. She gasped. Her rib. Again she'd been too distracted with Gavin to remember to be careful.

Her head screamed, then everything vanished. She stood in a field, the sun beating down on her. A woman in a buckskin dress adorned with beads sat with her shoulders hunched forward as though she cradled something. Her long raven hair swung as she rocked back and forth, her slender legs tucked to the side. She hummed a sad melody that was hauntingly familiar.

Lily drew closer, compelled to see what the woman held. She peered over the woman's shoulder and down into her arms and immediately recoiled. She couldn't breathe. A knot formed in her throat. The woman was hugging her pregnant belly, which was coated with blood. She saw a knife in the woman's hand. Desperate to understand, Lily stepped around in front of the woman.

Tears stained the woman's white cheeks, eyes focused on her belly. Lily's heart stopped. Two long cuts ran up the woman's arms. The lifeblood ran freely from her body. _Suicide. Why would someone in her condition do that?_ It was terrible.

"What's wrong with you? Don't do this. Think of the baby—give it a chance to live," she pleaded, heartbreak knifing through her. The hallucination began to fade and Lily knew the episode was ending. But as the vision grayed, the woman's gaze rose up to meet hers.

An electric charge hit Lily like lightning. The woman's eyes were sky-blue, like her own. Lily called out to the woman. "Why? Why are you doing that to yourself?"

The woman's voice was a whisper. Lily strained to hear, and as the picture darkened, she heard, "Because I cannot live without him."

The woman pointed to a spot a few yards away. A large man lay lifeless on the blood-soaked ground. How had she not seen him before? The man had been gutted. An overwhelming need to see the man overrode her horror at the gruesomeness of the scene. Lily took several steps toward the body, but not close enough to see the man's face. Then everything blinked out.

Another suicide . . . why were these hallucinations plagued with tragedy? Lily's stomach flip-flopped; she raised a hand to shield her eyes as she squinted up at the face hovering over her.

"Thank God, Leora, you almost made me piss my pants. Don't do that again, or at least warn me or something, will you?" Darron's face was scrunched up and cranky-looking. Lily was too exhausted by the painful experience even to sneer at him. Where the heck had the sun come from? Her eyes swept the area slowly. Her head was in Darron's lap, and they were smack-dab in the middle of the clearing. Her jacket, boots and socks were gone, and her jeans had been rolled up. She didn't know what to think. "Where's Gavin?" she asked, unable to hide her concern. She tried to rise to her elbow then collapsed again, her world spinning.

"He's not far." Darron pointed off to the edge of the clearing. Her eyes followed. Gavin leaned against a tree, picking at the tall grass that brushed his knees.

Relief was all she felt. He hadn't left her. He was still there. But why hadn't he helped her?

"You two are pathetic. I'm sure when I bond it will be strictly business, no emotion involved."

"How sad," she said, not paying much attention to her own words. All she cared about was putting her clothes back on and hauling her butt over to Gavin. She trusted him way more than Darron.

"Here, let me help." Darron leaned her forward gently.

She tried to disregard the stabbing pain in her side. Distracting herself from Gavin and the pain, Lily asked, "Why are we out here? And why did you take off my clothes?"

"The sun helps . . ." he said then looked thoughtful for a moment. "Well, it has helped in the past, I should say."

"Helps what and how? And don't call me Leora. I heard you say it yesterday as well." She'd seen the name under the photo of the little girl in the archives of the library. She wasn't a believer in everything Gavin and Darron had told her, but calling her by that name struck a chord within her she didn't know she was yet ready to accept. Because if she did, everything in her life would change.

Darron lifted a brow and helped her put on her socks and shoes while she did the same with her jacket. Even there, sitting in the warm sun, a chill rode the air. How long had she been unconscious?

She shot him a cutting glare but remained silent, studying him. It seemed odd to see a man like him carefully slipping on her socks and shoes. She decided to take a chance on Darron. Maybe he would actually tell her something.

"Leora is my birth name?" She gave Darron a sideways glance, waiting for him to finish tying her shoe. She wasn't going to be embarrassed about it. Truth was, with her side hurting, she'd barely been able to manage it earlier in the tent.

Darron's eyes locked on hers. His face was a mask, much the same as Gavin's, yet he couldn't keep the surprise from his eyes.

"Yes, your name was chosen by the Creator. It means 'light,' or 'shining light.'"

Lily's eyes widened. The light is what Rachel had called her over and over while in the hospital.

Darron laughed, and the sound danced in the air. The tension in her shoulders lessened. He wasn't as scary as she'd thought, come to think of it. Everything he'd said and done had been in a teasing manner; playful, in an awkward kind of way. She gave him a sideways glance.

She caught sight of Gavin straightening, fists at his side. His face was set in grim lines.

Darron helped her up. A warm feeling twisted in her chest, causing an ache. She closed her eyes. A sense of home filled her. _I can't take any more oddities._

Quietly, Darron spoke. "I have not introduced myself properly. Please forgive me. I am Darron Marks. Hunter of Souls for the Awakener, brother to the kindest, most beautiful woman I have ever known."

Tears stung her eyes. Frustration and heartache melted into one. Why was she going to cry? None of this made sense. Why would Darron feel like home to her? She'd never had one or belonged to anyone. Growing up all she had owned was loneliness, fear, and pain. She didn't want kindness from anyone, nor affection from Gavin, nor soothing words from Darron. All Lily wanted was to get to the site of the Wood Creek Fire.

Lily was lost. The darkness inside reached up and swiftly dragged her under. She didn't want any of this: freak-out episodes of Greasy Pig Boy raping her, hallucinations of suicides, this bloodheat that filled her veins, Gavin, Darron, Rachel in the hospital, being abandoned as a child by the people that were supposed to love her. Her life had been a tragedy from the start. And this . . . this feeling of home, created by a stranger, was her limit.

Lily studied Darron's face through blurry eyes. His expression was pained. What was hurting him?

"Your name is Leora Marks. You are the Awakener of Souls. Our parents were killed trying to protect you and me." Darron's voice cracked. "Before our father was killed by the Council of Souls, he told me to hide you from them." Darron glanced at the ground and then back at her. "Gavin helped me."

"I don't understand any of this," she whispered.

He placed his hands on her shoulders and peered at her.

"Gavin and I cloaked your power and traveled—by foot, by train, hitching with anyone who would give us a ride—to California. We left you in a hospital and came back here to hide any trace of your existence." Darron ran a hand over her tangled hair. "You are my sister as I am your brother."

She shook her head closing her eyes.

Darron tighten his grip on her shoulders. "Look at me Leora. Really look at me."

Her eyes opened and the tears spilled over. She didn't want to accept the things Darron was saying, but how could he know that about her. About the hospital. She'd never told anyone. Her gaze locked on his face and she noted the similarities to hers. Darron's auburn hair was darker than hers, yet it was still red, and his eyes . . . they were a shade paler then hers but, again, still blue. Her face softened as she lightly touched the sharp planes of his male features, noting his thin brows, the set of his eyes, his high cheekbones. She swallowed hard. Slowly her hand found her own cheek. Darron really could be who he claimed. She forced herself to recall the photo in the basement of the library and the boy who was said to have also died in the fire. She focused hard; her head throbbed with her efforts.

It wasn't the photo that surfaced in her mind but the film. As she stared at Darron, her mind's eye saw the boy hidden behind the tree. Lily gasped, her hand covering her mouth. Many emotions rushed through her. She didn't know which ones to keep or which ones to rip to shreds.

"You were small. I didn't know what to do. I'm so sorry, Leora. I'm sorry I left you. But it was the last thing Father said to do. I couldn't disobey his last wish. Please, find a way to forgive me." She didn't reply. She couldn't.

"You will understand everything when you awaken. When you remember."

Suddenly Lily was terrified because she _believed._
Chapter Nine

Gavin shoved away from the tree, pacing with his hands behind his back. He shot a glance into the clearing. Lily was up, talking to Darron. He had to allow Darron to reconnect to Lily. He had to step back and let Darron take on a more protective role in her life. Gavin had kept Darron at a distance from Lily for a long time. He didn't even know if it was because he didn't trust Darron's instability, because he was jealous of the blood connection they shared as siblings, or because Darron was an Advisor.

The heavy scent of wildflowers assaulted Gavin's nose, causing him to choke. He stopped in his tracks as a ripple of energy hit him, shoving him back. " _No_." He bolted out from the cover of the trees.

"Get away from her," he bellowed, rushing toward them, summoning some of his power, ready to blast Darron back if he didn't listen.

"She's on fire. Get away from her."

Darron looked up, alarmed, but it was too late. She'd already scorched him. Gavin could smell the cooked flesh. Lily stumbled back.

"Lily, look at me. Look at me _._ " He came toward her slowly.

Her mouth hung open as she stared, horrified, at her arms and hands. Blue flames danced over her skin. After a moment, she lifted her eyes from her limbs. "What is this?" She held her arms open wide. The ends of her hair lifted. Desire flooded him.

"Hell." He didn't have the heart to tell her she was naked or that the blue flames covered her entire body. He tore his eyes from her and stared Darron down.

"What did you say to her?" he barked. Darron appeared too shocked to react, much less defend himself. Yeah, she'd scorched him good. His shirt was gone and so was the skin from his arms and chest. It was nothing but exposed muscle. Gavin snapped his fingers in Darron's face. His lashes fluttered, and he was back to reality.

"She got you good this time." Gavin said.

Shaking his head a little, Darron looked down. "Man. She did, didn't she? I forgot she could do that." Darron lifted a finger and touched the blackened skin on his arm. "Aw, shit. Thank God I can regenerate, but damn it, that was my favorite shirt."

"You got her upset. That'll be a reminder of whom and what you are dealing with. Right now, she isn't awakened. She is unstable."

"I'm right here you know. What do I do to make it stop?" Lily asked, prancing around, waving her arms in the air, as if trying to throw the flames off her pale skin.

Darron and Gavin exchanged a look.

"Stop, drop, and roll. Peace out," Darron said, hobbling toward camp, a grimace of pure agony on his smooth face. "One thing about getting fried . . . not much blood loss. I'm going to go meditate and see how much of this I can fix."

"Do that," Gavin directed, turning his attention to Lily. She was there, rolling through the tall grass, trying to put out the blue flames. Dear God, she was the most beautiful creature alive. He could have watched her naked body rolling around like that all day if it weren't for the fear etched on her face.

"For starters, stop rolling around. You're only going to light the clearing on fire." He laughed, unable to trap his amusement inside.

Instantly she restricted all movement. He couldn't believe she hadn't noticed she'd burned off her clothes. He gave it about five, four, three, two, one . . .

On cue, she shrieked and rolled to her belly, trying to hide her body. "Don't look at me. Get away from me."

He peeled off his fleece jacket as well as his shirt and tossed them beside her. When she reached for them, he kicked them away. "You have to calm down first. Inhale."

"Gavin," she said in a frustrated whine.

"Do it. You will burn them up too if you don't calm down."

She did as instructed.

The flames diminished across the top of her shoulders, and after a minute, they went out.

He backed up, his heart thumping erratically. His body was so fraught with longing he had to get away from her. Her scent was drowning him.

As soon as she clutched the jacket he turned and struck out to the east. He thought about the hot spring just under a mile away. He could find escape and force his lust for this woman to fade.

Where was he going? Lily tugged his shirt and jacket over her head. They hung loosely, pooling around her sensitive skin. The cotton scraped like sand paper, causing her nipples to harden as she took in Gavin's exposed back and shoulders.

He wasn't actually going to leave her in the clearing half-naked after she'd burst into blue flames, was he? This had to be some disturbing joke. She watched Gavin move farther away. Lily ran a hand through her hair. _Follow him or go back to camp?_ The idea of being there with Darron meditating because she'd fried him like KFC chicken wings wasn't as terrible an idea as it would have been a day ago, but she wanted to talk to Gavin about what was happening to her. And she wanted to explain about last night.

Lightly she touched her lips. The memory of their kiss lingered in her mind.

If she ran back to camp to get clothes, she would lose sight of Gavin. If she was going to do this, she would be doing it half-naked. Lily looked down at her legs; the jacket hung to mid-thigh. She cursed. Making her decision, she quickly beat feet after Gavin, staying far enough away that she hoped he wouldn't realize she was following him, but close enough that she wouldn't lose him either.

Bare feet made the hike—to where, she didn't have a clue—a tad difficult. Luckily, the skin on the bottom of her feet was tough.

It was twenty minutes before Gavin stopped. She squatted behind a decaying tree and almost popped back up from the pain in her side. It ached badly from exertion. She lifted the jacket to take a look at her bruised side. She flinched. Dark purple bled into varying shades of blues and greens. She got lightheaded for a moment then let the jacket drop and took a deep breath. Her bandage was gone. And rolling around on the ground like an idiot probably hadn't helped her rib at all. Why had she actually listened to Darron? She'd let her guard down for like two seconds, _and he'd . . . he'd acted like . . . a brother_. She pushed the thought away. She wasn't ready to unzip her emotional baggage filled with abandonment issues.

She managed to stay crouched. Not once did Gavin look in her direction.

He stood at the edge of a small pond. She squinted. Steam glided over the surface of the water. Excitement bubbled in her chest. It was a hot spring. She'd read about them while doing research on the fire. They were everywhere in Idaho. The thought of a warm dip almost made her reveal herself to Gavin. But when she saw him unbutton the fly of his jeans, a delicious shiver heated her body. She admired his beautifully proportioned body. He was so compelling—his magnetism so potent—she hadn't realized she'd walked out from behind the tree and was standing only ten feet behind him.

She held perfectly still, not daring to breathe. She watched as he let his jeans drop and pool at his ankles, then stepped out of them. No boxers. She almost crumpled as her body began to quiver with liquid fire. Gavin consumed her thoughts. Lily closed her eyes a moment, trying to slow her galloping heartbeat. He was naked. She was thrilled and frightened. Unable to resist, she opened her eyes and saw only his hard, well-sculpted chest. Gavin faced her, and her breath caressed his skin. She'd closed her eyes for only a few seconds. _How had he silently_ _gotten so close?_

Gavin made a throaty sound. He tipped her chin up. Every time his gaze met hers, her heart pounded in response.

"Would you like to go for a swim with me?" he asked, his voice low and sensual.

He skimmed her lips with the pad of his thumb. The touch was almost unbearable in its tenderness. No one had ever touched her like that. She'd never let anyone get close enough, never trusted herself enough.

He gently led her to the edge of the hot spring. His eyes never left hers. As they reached the steaming pool of water, he ran his strong hand down her side and lifted the hem of the jacket and shirt. He skimmed his knuckles over her sensitive skin. She closed her eyes. She began to shake. She waited for the voice in her mind to start screaming for her to get away from him. It didn't come.

"Look at me, Lily. It's just me and you; push past your fear."

She wanted only to be with him. She pressed her lips shut so the word "no" wouldn't burst out. He stepped closer. Gingerly, he continued to raise the fabric, his hand caressing the planes of her stomach. Her eyes fluttered closed, aware of his strength and the warmth of his flesh. As her breasts were exposed, she grabbed Gavin's hand. Never before had she been naked with a man of her own choosing. When her eyes met his, she lifted her arms as best she could with a cracked rib. He went rigid, then pulled the shirt and jacket over her head. She felt her body flush. He tossed the clothes away and gently gathered her into his arms. Her heart was pounding.

"I want you," he said in a gruff voice.

She slid a hand up his chest and paused at the scar that ran the span of it. She softly ran a finger over it. It was silver and smooth. _The hallucination, the warrior . . ._ She studied Gavin's face for a moment. He didn't look like the warrior she'd seen, but the scar . . . He took her hand from the old injury and placed a kiss on her palm. All thoughts of the scar vanished as she cupped his jaw, savoring the feel of him beneath her fingers. His brows stitched together, and his jaw pressed against her palm. She felt his muscles flex. He was going to pull away, just like last night. She could feel it. He was going to walk away. She had to do something. She wasn't going to let go, not this time, not after he'd distracted her so well that her demon hadn't been roused by him being so near.

"It's only you and me. No one else," she replied, thinking fast. Then she pressed her body firmly against his. A little gasp passed her lips. His warm skin was heaven. Her body tingled all over. She licked her lips with anticipation and she slowly wrapped her arms around his neck. She studied his appearance, trying to decipher if she was making the right moves, but there was no reaction. Her heart heavy, she released his neck and stepped back. Just as disappointment had begun to cool her blood, Gavin's rough hands clasped her hips firmly, drawing her back to him. She couldn't hold back the tide of pleasure she felt. She gave him her best smile as she pressed against him once more. He lifted one of her arms and placed it behind his neck. She skimmed her other hand, feather soft, up his side, across his chest, and into his black wavy hair.

He didn't move. But Lily was determined to get a reaction out of him. Finally she touched his lips in a whisper of a kiss, and it brought a delicious sensation over her. She tilted her head to deepen the kiss. His control shattered and his lips parted as he bent to her will. His mouth covered hers hungrily. His hands explored the lines of her back, her waist, and her hips. He gently cupped her buttocks and pressed the length of his hard shaft against her stomach. Lily gasped. So many sensations shot through her. Hot. She was getting so hot. A moan escaped her lips and her knees weakened as his mouth descended to her taut nipples, rousing a melting sweetness within her.

"Gavin," she whispered breathlessly into his ear.

He paused, lifting his head. "Say it again."

She did as he commanded. "Gavin," she said, running both her hands through his hair while he kissed her breasts softly. Painfully slow, he trailed kisses across her collarbone and up her neck. She melted in his arms. He kissed her ear and then took her hand, leading her into the water until it reached her chest. Lily stretched her arms out, trying not to flinch from the pain of her rib. Her breasts lifted above the surface. Gavin's eyes gazed hungrily at her. Tendrils of pleasure skipped through her.

"You better be careful. It seems my self-control is stretched thin these days."

She blushed and found herself smiling wildly at him. So, he'd gotten her to smile again. She hoped it looked as good as it felt.

She tried to swim away from him. He tugged her close and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"I didn't say you could go."

Again she blushed like a schoolgirl. It seemed odd that Gavin invoked such a passion within her, because her illusions and youthful dreams had turned to dust years ago. His hand slid from her waist to her hips, and he pressed his hard shaft against the soft curls between her legs.

Her core coiled tight and began to throb. Then to her dismay, Gavin released her hips, extended his strong arms behind him, and floated away from her.

Well, that sucks.

She watched him disappear under the water and she felt a tightening of frustration. He didn't resurface. She looked around, concern shooting through her. After what seemed an eternity, he popped up halfway to the other side of the hot spring. He shook his hair, sending water spraying out around him. His face was relaxed, and his eyes were closed. He looked ten years younger and his scars seemed softer, taking away his dangerous edge.

She couldn't take her eyes off him. As he swam around, steam rose from his tanned skin. She sighed. He was beautiful. That's all there was to it.
Chapter Ten

Sinking low in the water, Lily twirled around, hair sticking to her face. She'd never skinny-dipped before. She splashed around, feeling light and airy. Hope and possibilities breathed into her. Maybe she could free herself from the terrors of her past once and for all.

She swam around the liquid heat of the spring, bathing in the golden rays of the sun that peeked in and out from behind the clouds. Floating, she tried to backstroke to the edge of the spring, but her rib protested.

This rib was getting tiresome. She stopped and placed her feet on the bottom of the pond. She would ask Darron if he could fix it. Yes, the crazy had won. _Seriously . . . powers._ She scowled. She could blame that on a hallucination or some emotional break, but then she'd seen the healing results on Darron. Okay, so there was stuff going on in this world that she'd never suspected. Or perhaps she'd always known there was more. Maybe subconsciously that had driven her to make her career choice.

Gavin rested against a large boulder on the other side of the pool. She didn't mind that he'd chosen to relax away from her. She was contented simply to have him near. He made her happy. It felt foreign. Her happiness veered off its brightly lit path into dark, shady woods. Happiness was a rare commodity in her life. Rachel had been the first person to bring her joy, and she would do anything to keep it. She smiled over at Gavin. She wasn't going to over-think it. She would allow it to be what it was, lovely for the moment.

The heat from the hot spring relaxed her aching muscles. She ran a hand delicately over the angry-looking bruise on her side, massaging the clotted blood from under her skin with the warm water. _Blue flames. I was covered in blue flames and I didn't get burned; only Darron was burned._ She sighed and her chest tightened. _I have a brother._ She sniffled. _And he gave me away._

Completely lost in her thoughts, she hadn't noticed Gavin had made his way back to her.

"What are you thinking about?"

"What? . . . oh nothing," she lied, covering her breasts, suddenly embarrassed by her nakedness. The water was crystal clear, making it impossible to hide her body.

A wicked smile pulled tightly at his damaged cheek. "Were you thinking about me?" he asked.

She narrowed her eyes and splashed water at him. "No, should I be?"

He frowned, suddenly serious. "Yes."

She couldn't help herself. She burst out laughing. His look of dismay was that of a disgruntled child. It suited him quite well.

"What then?" he pressed, reaching out to take her hips.

Her core heated as she gazed at his naked physique and found it exciting. A strong urge to move closer to him tempted her to lean forward, but she stayed put, her eyes narrowing to slits. There was something inside her that wanted Gavin, and she was beginning to understand this _something._ She didn't totally have control over it.

"I was thinking about Darron," she replied, hiding her smile.

He scowled. His full lips went paper thin, and his body flexed.

"Why?" he demanded, giving her a slight shake.

The corners of her mouth tipped up. She could be imagining things, but Gavin seemed irritated that she wasn't thinking about him. She wanted to tease him. But she just didn't have it in her. She decided to find out what he thought about Darron.

"Is Darron honestly my brother? I mean we have similarities in our looks."

Gavin grunted. "I don't want to talk about him." Then he pulled her against his body. Externally, she didn't resist or respond. However, inside, she was reeling. Her heart slammed against her chest. And, once more, the hard length of his shaft pressed against her. She peered up at him.

"What do you want to talk about then?" she asked.

"I don't wish to talk at all." His eyes lowered to her breasts. After a moment, he released her abruptly. It was clear he was fighting a battle within himself.

He cursed. "Yes, he is your brother. Though I do wish, at times, I could say otherwise."

"Why? Don't you like him? Aren't you friends?" she asked.

He dipped below the surface of the water and popped back up, then he ran his hands through his hair. All she wanted was to hold him. It was annoying.

"Yes and no," he said, wiping the water off his face. "Darron and I have had our share of disagreements. We differ in our approaches to handling circumstances."

"By circumstances, do you mean me?"

He studied her.

She fidgeted with a strand of hair under his critical gaze.

"Circumstance doesn't even begin to explain what we have to deal with." He pointed to the rock where their clothes were. "You wipe off and get dressed. We will talk on our way back to camp. I will try to help you understand what is happening," he said.

She pressed her lips, holding back a smile. He was sexy when he bossed her around. She uncovered her breasts and walked out of the water to their clothes. She kept an eye on him. His brows stitched together, and his eyes clung to her. She almost grinned.

After the water from her arms, chest, and stomach was gone, she squatted down and grabbed Gavin's shirt. She hissed. Though most of the soreness in her muscles was gone, the sharp pain in her side persisted. From over her shoulder, she gave him a smirk as he watched her shimmy his shirt over her head, breasts, and hips. He wasn't the only one who could be a tease.

He matched her smirk with one of his own and strolled out of the water like a peacock.

She blinked, her eyes fixed on his hard shaft. She didn't want to play the minx anymore. Gavin had won hands-down, and he was way more confident.

Tearing her eyes away from him, she quickly wrung out her hair, brushed it with her fingers, and wound it into a loose braid. A minute later, a strong hard body was pressing into her back. She turned her head to peek up at Gavin. He was already dressed. She half-smiled, nerves misfiring. He gently took her hand and led her into the woods.

"I have to admit I'm surprised that catching on fire and scorching Darron hasn't upset you," Gavin began.

She lifted her chin. "It hasn't sunk in yet. I must be in shock."

He glanced at her from the corner of his eye, squeezing her hand. "Or perhaps you were distracted."

Her cheeks heated. She didn't look at him. Again he squeezed her hand reassuringly. There wasn't anything to be embarrassed or ashamed about. Yes, a well-put-together man had stolen her thoughts, and by God, it was about time she let someone do that. School, work . . . She'd have smothered herself in both if it hadn't been for Rachel dragging her out every now and then. Her heart ached. She missed Rachel, wished she could talk to her about everything that had happened . . . but she couldn't.

"Why did I catch fire and hurt Darron? Why did he not seem to mind? I mean shouldn't he see a doctor? Why isn't it freaking me out?"

He jockeyed around a tangle of underbrush, scanning the perimeter before answering her.

"You caught on fire because Darron upset you, and he wasn't upset with you because you've done it before. He should have known better. He doesn't need a doctor because he is one, sort of."

"Wait . . ." She tugged her hand free. "You're talking like it's no big deal that I erupted in flames. Normal people don't catch fire when they get upset, and I've never done anything like that before."

Okay, now she was starting to freak out.

Gavin brushed a stray hair off her cheek and took her shoulders. He stared into her eyes. "It is common for you. You just don't know it yet. Please, let's not jump too far ahead. What is the most important thing that you want to understand right now, this moment?"

The concern in his tone undid her. Tears pooled in her eyes. "The visions . . . they're memories, aren't they?"

Gavin's face went blank. "Yes," he answered.

She bit the inside of her cheek, "Are they mine?"

Gavin didn't respond. He stood waiting. Lily shook her head, pulled free, and walked away from him. _They are mine. They are my memories._ She shuddered.

Gavin recognized Lily's vulnerability, standing there half-naked with her long braid draped over her shoulder with understanding blossoming in her blue eyes. And he was afraid.

Taking a breath, he scanned the trees. _Think of a way to direct the conversation away from that question._ "Let me start at the beginning. It will be easier to understand." Gavin rubbed his unshaved chin. Stress lines appeared around her mouth and eyes. She didn't challenge the change in topic. She was too curious not to collect as much information as possible. Again, it was a trait she had always retained and one he'd learned to manipulate from time to time.

He walked up to her and collected her hand in his. They strolled through the trees, the clouds once more hiding the sun. The darkness gave the forest a sense of foreboding Gavin didn't like.

"The beginning?" she said, shaking his arm like child. He smiled and her blues eyes shined up at him.

He cleared his throat. "Yes, let me see . . . Every soul is born to this world knowing what its life will entail in a general sense. There is something the soul wishes to experience, but when it is born into its physical body, the soul forgets. Life gets in the way of living, so to speak. Some forget their purpose. When their bodies age and turn to dust, each soul is reborn, trying yet again to fulfill its purpose." He peered down at her. "Does that seem believable enough for you?"

She bobbed her head around a moment then shrugged. "Sure. I've never been opposed to the idea of reincarnation. To be honest, nothing ever surprises me or feels new. It's like I've done it all before."

Gavin stopped and lifted her chin, running his thumb over her bottom lip. She leaned into him. Her fears were diminishing.

"It is no surprise you feel that way. You're a very old soul. It takes an aware person to notice that about themselves." He kissed her softly.

"But what does reincarnation have to do with my head trying to split in two or my blood turning white-hot with pain?"

Gavin frowned. Concern wrapped his chest like barbwire. There had been two lifetimes that Gavin could remember the Awakener dying because the pain of her awakening was too much. He ignored her question, not able to admit the possibility of her death. He squeezed her hand and began walking once more.

"A person may be born many times before they find and fulfill their purpose on this earth, but that can only last so long. The further a soul moves away from its purpose, the more lost it becomes. These souls wander hopelessly through their lives, never feeling they have a meaning. They start to go mad."

Speechless, her brows squeezed together and he saw her reasoning mind digest what he'd told her. In that moment, he saw Leora and his chest ached.

"Many souls were driven into darkness in the beginning of creation. As a result, the Council of Souls was established by the Creator. They helped the souls find their paths and return to the heavens, fulfilled. But over the millennia, the Council became corrupt. The Creator stripped most of their power and made the Awakener. You."

"The power to awaken souls," she whispered. "My dream . . . the people wanted me to help them find their purpose in life."

"You need physical contact with the soul. Heat gathers in your blood. Sometimes the feeling is temporary because the soul that needs you to awaken them is near. Other times the feeling can build for weeks. Then Darron hunts the soul that needs to awaken, and he brings it to you, or you go there."

"But the woman in my dream . . . she didn't awaken. She . . ." Lily pushed away from him, and the sky darkened. "She . . . she was lost . . . I was too late."

He spoke softly. "Yes, there is a window of time in which a soul must be awakened. In the past, you have been late for some, and too early for others." He stepped closer to her.

"What?" she whispered. The whites of her eyes vanished as did all color in her iris, tuning inked black once more. "I have hurt people? _Will_ hurt people?" She sank to the forest floor. Rain began to fall.

He knelt before her. Her shoulders sagged, her tears mixing with the rain; she peered at him with such intensity that he waited for the alluring blue flames to reappear over her skin. They didn't come.

"How do I know if I'm too late?" she asked him. Her gaze hit the ground and she began to mutter under her breath. "I can't be too late. I can't. What will I do? I can't lose her." Gavin didn't understand.

"What if I say no? What if I say I don't believe you? What happens then?"

He cupped her chin in his hands and tipped her face to his. Her eyes remained black. She was a mask of stone. He sighed.

"It is not a matter of believing. It _is_ and _will be what must happen._ "

"I can't lose her," she sobbed, banging a fist into the ground.

"Who will you lose, Lily?" he asked in a gentle tone, certain she was hiding something from him. What would he have to do to get her to trust him?

"Please, Lily. It's okay to tell me. I am here to help you."

"No one." She wiped her face. "I'm sorry."

Her breathing was deep. He knew she was struggling to gain control of her emotions. Gradually the black faded from her eyes. Slowly, he gathered her into his arms. There was no hesitation, no fear from her. She molded against him and his skin heated, not from the lust she invoked within him, but from her power. Energy poured out of her, causing the air to become heavy. She was suffocating the land, driving out all the animals. Another memory would grip her soon.

Brushing his lips to hers, Gavin sent a strand of his power out and encircled her. A soft moan escaped her splendid mouth. The strong scent of wildflowers hung in the air around them. He pulled it deep into his lungs. Her power was on the edge of spilling over.

He caressed her with his own power, trying to soothe and calm her subconscious, which was on the verge of shattering. They needed to get Darron and head for the circle.

After placing two feather-soft kisses on her lips, he scooped her up. Draping her arms around his neck, she nuzzled him. He trotted the remaining mile to camp with his world cradled peacefully in his arms. He struggled to ignore her as she traced his exposed scars in a heart-breaking caress. Several times he stopped breathing. How he wished things could be different.

Stepping into the clearing on the side opposite the camp, Gavin stopped. Darron stepped in front of them with their packs. Gavin released Lily's legs and she slid down the length of his body.

Darron thrust a bundle of clothes into her arms.

"Get dressed. We have to go. Now."

Lily grabbed the clothes and rushed off toward a large pine about a stone's throw away.

"What's happened?" Gavin asked.

"What do you think?"

"He's here." Gavin's eyes locked on the tree where Lily changed.

"He's always been close. You know that. Why so surprised?" Darron eyed him.

"I'm not," he growled at Darron. "How long do we have?"

Darron closed his eyes. He looked surprisingly well considering that Lily had fried him an hour ago. Meditation. Maybe Gavin would give it a try during one of his lifetimes. Darron bounced back faster than any of the Advisors. Healing was a decent power, one Gavin wished he had.

Suddenly Darron's eyes popped open. "Two days at the most. He will continue to the circle. We must get there first and force her awakening. Not that I think I have to push all that hard. She's like a damn beacon of power."

"Heal me," Lily cut in, sneaking up on both men.

They jumped. Gavin scowled. They would all be killed if he didn't pay more attention. But then again, it seemed only Lily could sneak past him.

Lily straightened to her full height, looking as regal as a queen. "I will be able to move faster if my rib is healed."

Her eyes locked on Gavin.

Darron crossed his arms over his chest and raised an eyebrow.

"Please," she said, rolling her eyes.

"Stubbornly enduring will get you nowhere, my love. I always hated that about you," Darron strode over to her. He tugged her shirt up. She recoiled, and Darron scowled at her but said nothing. He placed a hand on her nasty bruise, and the next thing Gavin knew, she'd grabbed her backpack out of his hand, slung it over her shoulder, dragged in a deep breath, and headed northwest. Gavin was impressed. He stared at Darron.

Darron raised his hands in the air. "Not even a thank you? Man. Family. They use you and abuse you, and then they lose you," he said, smiling ear to ear.

Gavin grabbed his backpack and followed Lily—or perhaps now she was Leora—up the mountainside.
Chapter Eleven

Darron didn't like it one fucking bit. He could feel the Hound closing in on them. Man, he wanted to kick that guy's ass. The Hound had killed Leora over a hundred fucking times. They had to get to the sacred circle soon or they were screwed. He fisted his hands at his sides, pulling in deep, full breaths. His eyes threw daggers at Gavin's back. Gavin not wanting to be Leora's protector was driving Darron crazy. As much as he hated Gavin for messing shit up from time to time, he hadn't done much better, so why should Gavin be the one to pull back because of failure?

Darron raked a hand over his face and pulled at the short curly hairs on the top of his head. Hours . . . they had been walking and climbing for hours in complete silence. Man, someone just needed to kill him and get it over with. He couldn't take it. They had a ton of shit to talk about, but no one wanted to talk. The silence pissed him off. He stopped and plopped down between two evergreens, shrugged off his pack, and leaned against the rough trunk of the pine tree. His eyes narrowed. He wondered how long it would take Gavin and Leora to realize he wasn't following them. Hours probably.

Here he was, AWOL, a Navy SEAL, the brother of the Awakener, and her damn personal hunter. They were hiking back to the exact location where all hell had broken loose twenty-five years ago. He could still hear the screams of his mother as she burned alive. His head fell back and he closed his eyes. He held in a wave of sadness. He still didn't know how the Hound had blocked his mother from seeing the attack; she was a damn Seer.

Leora hadn't had more than a five-minute conversation with him since he'd arrived. What was that all about? And to top that, she'd fried him like a mackerel. Whatever, that was life. You got burned every now and then. He chuckled to himself and stretched out, scraping his boots on the ground. She would come around. From the look in her eyes, it wouldn't be until after she was awakened to her past lives. Gavin was right. She'd been traumatized by someone or something. But even after she awakened, he didn't think she would want to be around him. Her current life would still influence her actions, even with power and memories.

Leora and Gavin grew smaller in the distance, and he just watched, not making a sound. Then he had an idea that would get his frustrations out and eliminate his boredom.

Gavin was clearly rusty at this protector gig, so why not knock some of the rust off? He rubbed his hands together. This was going to be fun. He hadn't messed with Gavin in years. He had to make up for lost time.

The sun snuck quick looks through the clouds like a child squinting at a stranger from behind its mother's skirt. They had traversed the next saddle of the mountain ridge an hour ago, and they were heading deeper into the backcountry of northern Idaho.

Gavin estimated they had about two miles of flat land before they would descend into the mouth of the valley where Lily would find her family's burned cabin, and unknowingly enter into the sacred circle.

He sensed Darron's frustration in the way he stomped grumpily as he followed them. He was a ticking bomb on the verge of doing something stupid. Gavin groaned inwardly. He had enough to worry about.

A thud reached his ears from behind as they hiked through the thick vegetation of the woods. He peered over his shoulder. Darron had flopped to the ground and was glaring. Gavin didn't slow his pace. A dark mist clung to Darron. He needed to get Lily away from Darron's bad mood.

He glanced at her. She hadn't sensed Darron's anger. She kept her focus forward. He closed his eyes for a moment and cast a web of his power around her, producing a shield. She didn't react. Her energy levels were in flux; she didn't sense his shield.

He focused his power on her, even though it would leave him open to Darron's childish assault which he felt was sure to follow.

No sooner were they out of Darron's line of sight then a white-hot pain speared Gavin square between the shoulders, causing his heart to snag. He grunted with the effort to remain standing. Darron may have sharpened his striking capabilities, but Gavin was a Leecher and a Gateway.

He strained, forcing the power Darron shot at him into his chest. He struggled to breathe. After a moment of intense pain, he managed to turn the energy out as his own, strengthening the shield surrounding Lily. His blood boiled. Never had he absorbed energy levels this high from anyone other than the Awakener. The pain subsided, irritatingly slow. Every muscle was taut, brittle, and ready to bust, yet he continued to follow Lily.

A minute or so later, pain speared him again, in the lower back this time. His legs buckled. Barely keeping himself upright, he staggered forward. Riddled with pain, he once more pulled the power deep into his chest. His blood now feeling like molten lava, he pushed the power out and over Lily. It would not be long before he weakened. He passed the pain into his chest again and again.

Lily stared at her leather notebook. She thought about what Gavin had said. She was seeing memories of the past. Of her past or the past in general, she wasn't sure. She would have to ask later. She thought about Rachel. Is this what was happening to her friend? It seemed like a possibility. Although wrapping her head around the whole reincarnation-and-losing-sight-of-one's-purpose-in-this-world thing was a bit of an overload, it made sense. There were documented cases of people being hypnotized and talking about their life a hundred years prior, where psychologists had done research on the things they had said and found records of their existence. It had always fascinated her.

She flipped a few pages of her notes. She couldn't shake the feeling she was missing something fundamental about Rachel's case. She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth as she sidestepped a rock. Shaking her head, she slowed and peered at the gray sky. Her vision fogged, and she swayed, suddenly dizzy. Pulling in a breath, she waited for the dizziness to pass. Her legs twitched as she stood motionless. Her stomach growled. She blinked and squinted at the trees. How long had she been hiking? Looking over her shoulder, she saw Gavin's scarred face scrunched tight. White lines pressed the corners of his mouth. He was trembling.

"Gavin . . ." she shrieked. Dropping her notebook, she rushed to him. He was drenched in sweat. She pressed a hand to his cheek as she searched his eyes. They were filled with pain. She glanced around. A sick feeling punched her in the gut, and her chest heated unexpectedly. She had to do something, but what? Heat burned in her veins. It rose to unbearable heights. Then it shot down her legs, hitting the earth like a bomb. A shockwave radiated out and around her at break-neck speed. Gavin collapsed to his knees. She gasped and stooped in front of him. He teetered, then collided with her. She took his weight and eased him down onto his back. Lily placed Gavin's head in her lap and panic welled up. What had she done? He looked exhausted, like he was hanging on by a thread.

"What's wrong?" She stroked his raven hair, hoping to help him calm his erratic breaths.

After a few minutes had passed, he groaned, trying to sit up. "I'm going to kill him."

She shoved him back down. He collapsed into her lap and stayed there.

"Who are you going to kill?" she asked.

"Darron."

"What?" She straightened and looked back at the path. Darron was nowhere to be seen.

Gavin took her chin with a trembling hand and forced her to look at him. "Don't worry, that's my job. Let me rest and then I'll make camp for the night. We'll be at the cabin tomorrow."

He sounded so tired her heart ached. She cared about him.

She took Gavin's hand from her chin and placed it on her cheek. She kissed his palm softly. His eyes fluttered closed. Relief softened his features.

"Where's Darron?"

"He fell back about an hour ago, but I didn't stop for him. He has been mounting an attack, so to speak."

"How? He's not even here."

He stared at her. "After everything that's happened, you think that matters? He can send out his power for up to two miles. He can hurt a person and never be seen. That's why he's such a good Navy SEAL."

She blinked at him. "I didn't know that." Her mouth went dry. "Why would he do that?"

"There's a lot about your brother you don't know. He thinks my ability to protect you is slipping, so he was testing me."

"That's terrible. Why didn't you say anything? We could've stopped." Her voice cracked, and she knew tears certainly would follow if she didn't pull herself together quickly.

He sighed, and his hand dropped. "I would give my life to keep you safe. As for your brother, it is his right to test me whenever he wishes."

"Don't say that." She already held Rachel's life in her hands. She didn't want another.

Taking the sleeve of her shirt, she wiped the sweat from his brow. Gently, she traced his damaged cheek with her fingers. Beneath Gavin's scars and his poor moods, Lily saw a playful, gentle giant. He didn't smile all that much, but neither did she. But when she was upset, he was always there to comfort her. She wanted to do the same for him.

"Thank you," he said.

"For what? I didn't do anything."

Gavin pulled in a breath and stopped shaking.

"For stopping Darron. You probably knocked him on his ass, or unconscious." He chuckled roughly. It was comforting to hear. He so rarely expressed emotion. "Just now, when you touched me, didn't you feel your bloodheat?"

"Yes . . ."

"You sent some of your power out as a shock wave. You knocked me down." He rose into a sitting position beside her.

She'd sent out power. How? That was impressive, in a we're-all-nuts sort of way. She felt stronger, more capable of controlling what happened around her. Not a victim.

"Lily," he snapped.

She blinked, lost for a moment.

"Don't worry." He took her hand and squeezed it. He did that a lot and she found it enjoyable.

Gavin's eyes shifted around the trees. The hair on the back of her neck rose. Gavin sniffed the air and turned toward the path. Out of nowhere, her blood began to simmer. An angry feeling raked over her skin like sharp finger nails, and she shot to her feet. Gavin did too. As she launched forward, he clasped her shoulder, holding her in place.

"Breathe."

She heard him, yet her attention was honed razor-sharp on the path behind them. She concentrated and sniffed the air. Her five senses were so sensitive she could hear Darron's boots pounding the ground from about a half a mile away. She could hear his hard pulls for breath. She could smell the sweat running down his body. He was moving fast. She sniffed the air again. Fear rode his blood. For a second, she pondered why a man like him could be afraid. She smirked as the thought formed in her mind. He was afraid of her.

Anger roared to life. The beast within her blood thrashed to be released. He would pay for testing Gavin. _Mine._ She pulled against Gavin's hold. He held fast. Her eyes raked over his scarred hand up his arm and to his face.

"Lily . . ."

She didn't understand, but Gavin's fingers dug into her shoulder muscles.

He tried again. "Leora. Leave him. I'm fine. Cool your blood before you do something you will regret. You're going to fracture."

Her blood chilled at once. _Fracture_. That is what the sensation was. When her blood boiled and the memories overtook her. She felt as though she was on the verge of fracturing. She pulled in a sharp breath. She spun away from him.

"I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me." All her remaining energy zapped.

"I do." He brushed his knuckles softly down her cheek. A light flickered in his eyes.

She was overwhelmed with affection for him, but she didn't know what to do about it. She had been prepared to inflict harm on Darron for hurting Gavin. What was wrong with her? She didn't hurt people. She helped them.

He let her go and she walked to a dirt patch large enough for his tent and a fire ring. Needing a distraction from her feelings, she asked, "Where do you want to make camp? It's getting dark."

She dropped her backpack, ran her fingers through her hair, and peered over her shoulder. He remained where she'd left him. He only stared.

"Here," he said, tossing his backpack at her feet as he jogged off.

"Where are you going?" she asked, gazing at the mass of muscle jogging away.

He didn't answer, and with the shadow of gloom creeping in on them, he disappeared with ease.

She was mad at herself for allowing her intriguing new ability to override her personal ethics. She had tried to hurt her brother. It was too much. Darron might have abandoned her upon order of a father she didn't know, but she wouldn't hurt her family. She didn't have the energy to chase Gavin, so she went to work making camp.
Chapter Twelve

The unnatural fog rolled in once more, hovering just outside the area Lily had claimed as her own. The tent was standing, Gavin's bed and hers were made, and dinner heated on a rock in the center of a small, contained fire. Lily glanced at her watch. Six o'clock. Gavin had been gone an hour.

She shifted her weight uncomfortably, surveying the trees. Not a single pine needle swayed. The silence of the forest was starting to make her edgy. It was as though all the animals had vanished. Animals had excellent instincts. They knew things she didn't. She couldn't think about it. She would start to freak out, sitting in the middle of nowhere alone.

She gazed into the fire. Her eyelids were heavy. The only thing keeping her awake was the smell of Progresso chicken noodle soup. Thank you, Gavin. She'd rummaged through his pack and come out on top. He had everything you could think of in that pack. Knives, rope, wire, a first aid kit, water, canned soups, clothes, a flint striker, a small radio, walkie-talkies . . . and that was only half of it. She honestly didn't know how he'd fit it all in there.

Trying to keep from crawling into bed, she tore open a bag of the teriyaki beef jerky she'd brought. She elevated the jerky bag to her nose and inhaled the sweet, delicious smell. She grabbed the second-to-largest piece. The biggest was for Gavin. She didn't know how he survived. She hadn't seen him eat a thing in two days. And he was a burly guy. Surely all that hard packed muscle required food.

Taking a bite of jerky, she savored the taste and texture as it slid over her tongue. Her head fell back in delight. She moaned. Heaven in a bag.

The memory of Gavin standing in the pool at the hot spring, steam dancing off the water behind him, naked with all those exposed scars, lingered in her mind. The way he'd kissed her with such passion had made her toes curl, and when she thought of the feel of his hard body pressed against hers, Lily had to fan herself.

Over the past four years, there had been only one coworker who caused her to delay in front of the mirror. Yet when the time had come to go on a date with him, old fears overwhelmed her, and she'd called it off. She shook her head. Again a stabbing pulse anchored in the center of her mind. She closed her eyes. There was no mistaking it. A memory was about to surface. Swiftly, the throb turned into white-hot pain and tore her mind in two.

"Not again . . ." Frightened, she swallowed her last bite of jerky and shoved the bag away. Standing up, Lily was hit with a wave of dizziness. Her stomach rolled. The mind throb turned into a clattering against the walls of her skull.

With an arm wrapped around her middle and her head low, she made her way to the tent and flopped onto her sleeping bag, face down. Hair across her face, she groaned. Where was Gavin? Her mind's eye flickered like a flame as a spearing pain cut into every muscle. She bit down on her bottom lip, locking back a scream. Tears burned her eyes; she wanted Gavin.

She rolled onto her back, blinking tears away. _Where was he?_ She could feel he was close. Curling to her side, riddled with pain, Lily shoved a clutch of curls out of her face then tucked her hands into her sweatshirt pockets. She pulled her knees as close to her chest as they would go. She prepared herself as best she could for what was to come. Her bloodheat rose rapidly to a fever-like temperature. Heat poured from her chest and chased away the chill of the night air. It enveloped her, licking at her skin. She blinked hard as a horrible thought surfaced. She yanked her hand free and held it up in the firelight. There were no blue flames. Her head dropped to the sleeping bag.

The pain in her body grew to a roar. Everything else was drowned out. Tears glided over her cheeks, only to disappear within a second of release.

"Gavin," she cried before surrendering to the inevitable.

The world she knew started to fade away. She stared at the opening of the tent, praying Gavin would magically appear. Fear wouldn't let her eyes close. Something didn't feel right. As hopelessness wrapped its fingers around Lily's heart, she saw a tall figure standing at the flap of the tent. She reached out. "Gavin," she said in a quaking voice.

He didn't move.

Why wasn't he coming to comfort her like he had at the inn? She blinked past her watery tears, but the darkening of her vision made it difficult to see clearly. She groaned in misery. So much pain twisted inside her that Lily didn't know how long she could hold on before the memory overtook her mind. She tried again to extend her hand out to the figure. The person crouched at the opening of the tent, staying just out of her reach.

"Gavin, is that you?" she tried again.

The Hound seethed. She was right there, the Awakener, in the thrall of a past memory. How exciting to see her in such pain. The bitch deserved every bit of suffering this life could yield. And, he thought gleefully, he'd be the one to inflict much of it. He sneered at her hand as she stretched it toward him.

"Gavin, is that you?" the Awakener asked.

He clenched his jaw at the mention of the Leecher. Gavin's time would come, but for now, he had her alone. He crouched, moving into the tent, licking his lips. Her body had matured nicely. He skimmed the tent wall with his back, staying out of her grasp. He watched her for a short while as she contorted and gasped with pain. It was heaven. Her energy tumbled out of her as though she were a fountain, an endless source of power, and soon it would be his. He inched beside her. Her red hair was in disarray. He liked it when it stuck to her face with sweat. He shuddered with remembrance. Running a hand over the silky fibers, he became aroused; he weaved his fingers through her hair and yanked it.

She cried out. Oh, but that wasn't enough. He wanted her to scream.

He dragged her to him, his black eyes boring into her glazed eyes. He wanted to see the fear overtake her, to see it creep into every muscle on her perfect little round face and see her body tense with terror.

"What, don't you remember me? And here I thought we had such a bond," he said, hissing into her ear. She quivered against his lips. He inhaled the heady scent of her fear that tainted the perfume of wildflowers like poison. He licked her neck, tasting her. The air around him thickened. He felt the bloodheat, deep under her skin. Soon, frightfully soon, she would awaken, and he would take everything she loved. She would pay.

He placed his hand at the base of her skull and he unleashed his power. A scream of sheer, black terror ripped from her throat. He knew the Leecher would come, so he waited. The Hound seared the very skull beneath her skin. She would be marked in a way only he would ever know. He clenched her tight with eagerness. Her lips quivered, yet her eyes remained closed. It was a look he was familiar with. She had retreated to that place where she so often hid when he came to her. With his mark she could never hide from him again. In every life he would find her.

Gavin heard her cry out his name, and he peered into the thick, unmoving fog that had swallowed the forest as night descended.

"Leora . . ."

Gavin broke into a sprint, casting a web of power out into the forest, one that would seek Lily and shield her. It would guide his senses while he dodged bushes, rocks, and trees with limited vision. He had caught a whiff of the Hound's energy signature a mile or so to the west.

He'd left her for too long while he and Darron searched the area for the Hound, then he'd sent Darron ahead to investigate and secure the sacred circle. Whatever was happening to Lily, he was on his own.

A fallen tree branch snagged Gavin's right boot. He tumbled forward and hit his knees with a thud. He growled in frustration and slammed his fists into the ground. He was making poor progress even with the web.

Before he could get to his feet, Lily screamed a scream of a thousand deaths. Sorrow and grief spilled into the night. He halted. At the edge of his power, Gavin felt _him_ move into his web and cut the threads of his power. His heart drummed loudly in his chest and dread seeped from every pore. The Hound was with Lily.

Adrenaline was injected into Gavin's veins, and he rushed into action. What would the Hound do to her?

He pushed himself hard. He must reach her at all cost. He feared what he would find when he reached the camp. Through the fog, he plunged forward, tore through brush, slammed into trees, and tripped. He got back up and rushed on. His lungs burned, and his muscles screamed with pain as he burst into camp and skidded to a stop. Where was she? He looked around, spotting her in the tent. There next to her was the Hound, fingers gripping her hair. Gavin rushed for him. The Hound smiled crookedly, and just as Gavin was about to make contact he vanished. He left behind only the sound of his sinister, high-pitched laughter.

Gavin spun around to find Lily contorted. He tried to gather her into his arms. The second he touched her skin, the heat bit back at him and forced him to release her. What had the Hound done to her? Gavin wondered if he was too late. Quickly, he wrapped his power over her skin and tried to sense what was happening inside her. He absorbed some of the power that tumbled from her body. Lungs burning, Gavin realized he'd been holding his breath. He exhaled and coughed, choked by the scent of wildflowers. The fear that had squeezed his heart loosened. She was only overtaken by a memory. The Hound hadn't had time to hurt her, or so he believed. He studied her face, riddled with pain. He moved closer, hovering. Lily's body seized and her back arched, then dropped hard.

"Damn it, Leora, just let go. Don't fight it. Let the memory take you. I'm right here. Please, Leora."

He couldn't help her. He raked his fingers into his hair. Frustration and grief shattered him. "Damn it, damn it all to hell." Gavin sat back on his haunches. What life was she seeing? He prayed it was one without him. He knew it was just a matter of time and she would connect the dots that separated them.

It was dusk, or perhaps dawn. Lily wasn't sure. A large parking lot reached out to touch the rolling, sandy dunes before her. She glanced around. There was a small blonde-haired girl pressed tight against the wall, breathing hard. She didn't move, her blue eyes locked on two fierce-looking goons in black suits. They flanked a man who dangled between them, held in their grip.

Lily didn't know what was happening. She glanced at the girl. Tears streamed down her cheeks. Lily's attention snapped back to the trio in the parking lot.

Light brown hair curtained the face of the dangling man. He didn't move. Lily felt compelled forward, but didn't want to leave the girl. She could see blood dripping from the suffering man's chest or face.

"Where is the Awakener?" asked a third person, who materialized from thin air. Girl clasped a hand over her mouth, smothering a cry. The two brutes violently shook their victim. She heard him groan.

"I don't have time for this," the third man said, glaring down at the dangling man.

In one fluid motion, the newcomer clutched the hanging man by the throat, lifting him high into the air. The two suits stepped away, making it clear the third person was the boss.

"Where is she? Where have you hidden her? I know she's close." The tormentor's mouth was set in a cruel smirk. "You two are never far from one another," growled the boss. "And to think all those years ago it was me you wanted to protect."

"Go to hell," choked the hanging man.

"I grow tired of this game. Bring her to us, and we will let her live. We want only for her ability to stay in the control of the Council."

The hanging man gripped his adversary's hand, trying to work it off his throat.

"You know what will happen to you if you don't talk."

The injured man growled like a caged animal and struck out. Before Lily realized what was happening, he had smashed his boot heel into his tormentor's balls. The boss howled in pain, immediately releasing his victim's throat, allowing him to crash onto the pavement.

The torturer bent over, clutching his groin. Everything went eerily still. The memory freeze-framed. The two goons didn't touch the man on the ground. They only watched him with their hands behind their backs.

Time sped back up. The aggressor straightened, seemingly recovered. His eyes were black as tar, making him look alien. Lily shivered as an image of Greasy Pig Boy rooted in her mind, and she shook it off. Lily observed the girl who no longer watched any of the men. Her face was buried in her hands.

"When you're dead, she'll again take her life. Strange how a bond forged from fear could turn to love."

Lily flashed back to the morning's episode with the Native American woman. Her words echoed off the walls of Lily's mind. "Because I cannot live without him."

"Fuck you, Marcus."

Lily waited in dread for what was likely to happen next.

The man on the ground glanced over his broad shoulder and rose to his feet.

Lily gasped. The man's face was mangled. It hadn't been his chest dripping with blood. It had been his face. All she could do was stare at the meaty, torn flesh.

"When you kill me the Awakener will die. You will have won nothing."

"Oh, but you misunderstand. I always win _time_ , and that's all the Council needs. When she's reborn, it will be years before she awakens. The Council will retain their power, and they will see that she is disposed of again."

"So Marcus, you are the Hound," said the man with the mangled face, squaring his shoulders and lengthening his spine.

This Marcus strolled up to him. They were an even match in height and build. Lily saw a resemblance between the two.

"I am the working hand of the Council."

"Why?" growled the man.

"Wealth, power, revenge . . . who could resist? After all, what do I have to lose? A brother who betrayed me."

"Marcus, please."

"She will never have a life without pain. I'll see to that."

Marcus snapped his fingers. The two goons stepped up beside the bloody man. A glint of silver caught Lily's eye. One held a knife which he used, reaching across and driving the blade deep into the victim's side, ripping it across his middle, and slashing open his abdomen. The man fell to the ground, holding his guts, blood soaking his clothes and hands. The small blonde whimpered in the shadow of the building.

Next thing Lily knew, the girl was being dragged away by her hair. The one called Marcus had her.

"Well, that was easy. You're a stupid girl. When will you learn love is a weakness?"

"Let me go," she screamed, suddenly breaking away. She ran to the dead man on the ground and sank down beside him. The girl fumbled with the man's boot, pulling out a gun. She pointed it at the two goons. They didn't move.

The one called Marcus started to laugh, the laughter slapping Lily in the face. She knew that laugh. Greasy Pig Boy.

"This is going to be fun," said Marcus.

"That's what you think, asshole." Without a pause, the girl put the gun in her mouth and pulled the trigger. She slumped over, dead.

Lily blinked and everything grayed to black. If these were her memories, she didn't want them.
Chapter Thirteen

Lily blinked her eyes open, rocketing back to the present. She glanced around, hearing something move beside her. She leaped toward the sound, slamming all her weight into the person's chest and knocking the body into the ground. She blinked the shadows from her vision. She caught a glimpse of blue flames dancing across her skin. She reached back, fisted her hand, summoned all her strength, and socked the individual square in the jaw. The person's head snapped to the side. It didn't cool her blood. She wasn't letting whoever had yanked her hair before she went under get his hands on her again.

As her vision cleared, she watched Gavin reach up and grip both her wrists. Blue flames danced over his hands. She shrieked, afraid she'd burn him as she'd burned Darron. She blinked hard and fought against his hold. He only tightened it further. His nostrils flared. In one swift, efficient movement, Lily was on her back, and Gavin held her still. Shit, she'd hurt him and pissed him off.

"Get off of me . . . I didn't know it was you. I thought it was him," she croaked.

"Calm down, Leora. He's gone," he said, pinning her wrists above her head. He appeared to be unmarked by her flames.

She went still, realizing for the second time today that she was naked. She had again burned off all her clothes. The blue flames on her skin extinguished, as if someone had thrown a bucket of ice water at her.

Gavin didn't move, only studied her. His eyes moved slowly to her shoulders and then to her breasts.

She wiggled beneath him, her distress intensifying. She was exposed and vulnerable. Lily took a breath, closed her eyes, and slapped down her rising panic. _Gavin won't hurt me. Remember, I want to run my hands all over him._

When she opened her eyes again, she felt herself smile. He continued to watch her.

"Please let me go," she muttered.

He didn't say a word, only stared. He closed his eyes and a throaty male noise filled her ears. Frustration.

She raised her hips and pushed her feet against the cold ground, trying to force him off. The skin of her stomach and legs slid against Gavin's without resistance. Her eyes grew round. He was naked too.

He'd had clothes on when she'd launched herself at him and socked him in the face. She growled and rolled her eyes. She hadn't burned him, but she must have turned his clothes to ash. This whole blue-flame thing was playing havoc with her wardrobe. At this rate, she'd be walking the forest naked trying to get back to town.

She gazed around the tent. It wasn't on fire, yet she felt exposed soil and rock against her back.

"Stop moving," he ordered, quickly capturing her attention.

"Let me go," she pleaded, forcing herself to calm down. "I'm in control."

"I can't."

"Why the hell not?" She dropped her head back.

"Because I am not," he exclaimed.

She stared at him. His jaw was clenched, and the vein in his neck hammered.

"Did he try to hurt you?" Gavin's dark brows pinched together. His lips turned down, stretching and pulling the damaged skin of his cheek.

"No, he yanked my hair and talked crazy . . . and he licked me. Then a memory invaded my consciousness."

He sighed loudly. "Thank god. I don't know what I would have done if I had been too late."

All the fight drained out of her. "Gavin . . ." she whispered, touched by his concern.

He released her wrists but didn't lift his body. With the blue flames gone, the cool September air blanketed them. She gingerly touched her neck. _Why did he do that?_

Lily peered at Gavin and his features hardened, becoming an unreadable mask. His gaze was so intense she almost looked away. She didn't. Gavin raised a hand to her cheek and she nuzzled it. Her lashes closed. She was unafraid to take what kindness he would give her. He leaned into her, his breath hot against her ear. Her breath hitched in her chest.

His lips skimmed her neck and collarbone. Then he placed a kiss on the pulsing hollow at the base of her throat. The kiss struck a vibrant chord in her. Instantly her core heated. She wrapped her arms around his neck. There was something simple and perfect about his weight. The thought was utterly arousing.

Gently his lips brushed her ear, causing her to shiver. His spicy male scent enveloped her. She cupped his face and forced him to look at her. She gazed into his eyes, and her body burned. No man had ever looked at her with such all-consuming hunger, possessiveness, and reverence, all at the same time.

He slid a hand down her leg and lifted her knee. Instinctively she opened her legs, allowing Gavin's hips to sink between them. He paused for a moment, unsure, and then he pressed against her most private spot. He was hard and ready for her. It pleased her in a way she couldn't describe to have such a man want her. It was pride in herself.

She tipped her hips up and then back against Gavin's shaft. He hissed, and then his mouth covered hers hungrily. Gripping her hips, he slid firmly between her legs. She was wet and ready for him. Her senses reeled. He was stoking a passion she'd never before encountered. Her pulse leaped with excitement.

His kisses hardened, and he claimed her breasts. His tongue caressed her swollen nipples. She gasped as liquid heat gathered between her legs. She ran her fingers into his black mane. She could not hold back. She needed to feel him, to feel all of him. Reaching between her legs, she wrapped her fingers around his length. He sucked her nipples harder, and her head spun. She wanted to give him as much pleasure as he was giving her. She began to stroke the length of him in the steady rhythm of her beating heart. One of his hands glided down her side, sending ripples of excitement through her. Her core coiled tighter and tighter. Gavin began to quake above her. She slid the tip of his rod against her opening, needing more of him. She began to push her hips against him.

Abruptly Gavin jerked away, rising to his knees, panting. Beads of sweat dotted his skin. She set up on her elbows, confused.

"Did I do something wrong?"

"No. Not at all." He ran his large hand over her thigh. Lily wiggled and sat up in front of him. Hair cascaded over her shoulders. Could he sense that she was damaged goods, ruined? She had to tell him about her past. It was only fair that he knew what he was dealing with.

"Gavin . . . the other night, when we kissed . . . I'm sorry." She took a deep breath. "It is hard for me to be around men. When I was sixteen—"

Gavin placed a finger over her lips. Lily closed her eyes, hardening her heart. When her emotions were contained, she gazed at him.

"You don't have to explain anything to me," he said, wrapping an arm around her waist and pressing his lips to hers.

When his lips touched hers, all thought stopped, and Gavin focused only on the feel of her body. This wasn't for him, he told himself; this was for her. He groaned against her mouth, savoring the exquisite softness of her, the sweet taste of her . . . God, it had been too long. He kissed her harder, clasping her against him as his tongue delved deep into the warm recesses of her mouth. She opened against him, taking him deeper, returning the thrust of his tongue with her own, her response every bit as carnal as his. The little sounds of pleasure escaping from her lips urged him on.

He buried his hands into her thick hair. He explored the hollows of her back, cupping her bottom. She was heaven. He never wanted to let her go.

Pushing her scorched sleeping bag aside, he stretched for his. Holding her, he unzipped it and flipped it open. He eased her back down. For a moment he sat back and gazed at her. The dying firelight cast a soft glow upon Lily. Her sky-blue eyes were dark, her long hair draped over her shoulder, as she leaned on an elbow, waiting for him to take her in his arms once more. He gazed at her exposed breast and her ivory skin. He wasted no time collecting her. Rolling to his back, he saddled her across his hips. He pulled her down. Her hair skimmed his chest, and her breasts pressed against him. He didn't know how long he could hold back from taking her. For this woman, he would do anything to please her.

He took her lips and caressed them with his own. He cupped her buttocks and she sat up, revealing her perfect silhouette. She looked down at him with a sultry kind of smile. Slowly, she ran a hand up her side and scooped up some of her hair. It was the sexiest thing he'd ever seen. She stroked her wet core over his shaft.

"Lily, if you do that, I will not last long."

"Good," she said, a smile in her voice.

He tried to keep her hips still. She pushed his hands off, rose up a few inches on her knees, wrapped her fingers around him, and placed his tip to her entrance. He didn't move. He wanted to drive deep into her, but he held back. She needed to be in charge, and he was more than happy to oblige. Softly, he cupped her breast and thumbed her nipple. She gasped. He loved that. Her body lowered, easing down onto him. As he filled her, her tight walls strained against his size. He was afraid he was hurting her, even though she didn't make a sound.

"Lily," he began but was met with a purring sound as he filled her to the hilt. She rocked slowly, adjusting to him. _Dear God._

He sat up, wrapping an arm around her waist, urging her on. He licked and sucked her breast. She moved faster. Her eyes were shut, and she chewed her bottom lip, lost in the moment. This would be the first and last time he would make love to Lily.

It wasn't more than a minute after entering Lily that he felt her power reaching into his chest, wrapping around his heart, working to reopen their bond. He blocked her power and redirected it to her. He wouldn't bond. He knew he was playing with fire. Yet he'd risk it to help her overcome her fear of being with a man. In this, he would not fail her.

Lily deepened the stroke of her hips craving more of him. He groaned and began to quake beneath her. He met her stroke with a thrust. She leaned into him, brushing her breasts against his chest. The contact caused the threads of her yearning to thicken, growing stronger. He kissed her neck, pushing her closer to the edge of her release. His pace quickened.

He pressed her hips firm against his with each thrust. She gasped. He captured a hard nipple with his lips. His tongue circled it and sucked. She ran her fingers through his hair. His hand glided up her back and into her hair. She shuddered.

He released her breast, and he searched out her lips, parting them with his tongue. They kissed long and deep. She melted against him. Gavin held her hips and rolled her to her back, not skipping a beat. He drove hard into her. She gasped, loving the feel of him inside her. Her hands clasped his back, nails digging into his skin.

Gavin pounded into her. With one sharp thrust of his powerful hips, she tumbled over the edge with her release. "Gavin," she cried, loving the sound of his name on her lips.

Another powerful thrust and Gavin found his own release, roaring loudly as his seed filled her.

Gavin collapsed. They lay there in the cold mountain air, panting. _Wow. I want to do that again,_ Lily thought _._
Chapter Fourteen

Gavin rolled them over, and once again, Lily pressed to his massive chest. She rested her head on him and listened to the steady rhythm of his heart. Closing her eyes, she was proud and content. She'd stolen a moment and let herself go. Maybe she would keep Gavin around. He made it easy to forget what she'd suffered.

Lily wondered about her parents. She didn't remember them. Had they been happy? Had they loved each other? As a foster child, she hadn't allowed such thoughts to surface because all they would do was cause pain. Life was hard enough when no one wanted you.

"How is it that I came to be?" she asked, running her finger over the smooth scar on his chest.

Looking at her from under the arm draped across his forehead he asked, "You believe then?"

She shrugged. "Not like I have much of a choice, since I exploded in flames twice."

"True." He raised an eyebrow, running his fingers through her hair.

"And seeing Darron's exposed muscle tissue helped convinced you."

She wrinkled her nose. "Yeah, that was gross. It made my head spin. Then someone distracted me." She raised her own brow now.

Gavin smiled, as if pleased with himself.

She tipped her head to the side, thoughtful for a moment. "When I saw you in pain because of Darron, my bloodheat raged, and when I sent it out, I knew."

"What, Lily, what did you know?" He asked, his voice a soft caress.

She pulled in a turbulent breath and gazed at Gavin's dark eyes. "That the heat in my blood was power."

He rubbed the pad of his thumb over her cheek.

"How did I get this power?" She forced Gavin to look at her. His scarred features were strained. She didn't like to see him like this. She wiggled up Gavin's chest just a bit. She placed a soft kiss on his lips. His arm laced around her middle, and he returned the kiss hungrily. _Wow_ , was all she thought. Her blood immediately heated. After a minute, when she broke free, he growled at her. She blushed and shied away from him a bit.

"You were about to say . . ." she murmured, smiling. She was pleased to see his features were once more relaxed.

"Your mother, Gillian, looked into the future. Your father, Bryan, reviewed history, but not as you do. He could not see the undercurrent of purpose that flows within it." He ran his fingers over her back. She snuggled closer to him.

"What do you mean by the undercurrent of purpose?"

"You can decipher what a soul has been working to achieve from their very first incarnation."

She listened to his heartbeat, and she thought about what he was saying. "So what is my purpose?" She rose up on to her elbows and looked at Gavin.

"You are the Awakener," he said, brushing his knuckles over her cheek.

"No, earlier today you said a soul comes here to experience something."

"Yes. I did say that. But you are different, as are all your Advisors. You create change, hold influence over fate. These Advisors I speak of are your Council. Each member has an ability that can cause change on a large scale."

"What ability of change do you have?" she asked, smiling at him, but Gavin looked away and didn't reply. Dread slashed through her. She'd assumed . . . and making assumptions was never wise. Wasn't he part of this Advisor group? Suddenly she didn't want to talk about any of this. She could feel the intimacy between them slipping away.

"Did my parents love each other?" she blurted out. _Where the heck did that come from?_

He turned back to her and smiled. Her heart sped up. She wished she could see him smile more often.

He swept her hair off her back and rested a hand on her bottom. She raised a brow. He shrugged. "You started it. They loved each other deeply."

"Were they forced to be together?" she continued, ignoring the butt massage she was receiving.

His face hardened. "I am not sure. But if they were forced by the Creator, they grew to love each other."

She stretched out over him like a lazy cat and nuzzled his chest with her cheek. She lay there, listening to the beating of his heart and fell asleep.

Draped over Gavin's chest, Lily slowly awoke and eyed the tent opening. A wall of fog greeted her, thick and gray. At the foot of the opening, it slinked across the ground like a serpent. Lily shivered. She still got the feeling something in the fog was watching her. All the hair on her arms spiked. She shivered against Gavin's massive body. She gazed at him. With his arm wrapped possessively around her waist and the sleeping bag zipped closed, Lily could almost forget the eerie feeling the fog brought her. She rested her cheek on his chest, listening to his strong heartbeat. The dark memories of the past didn't seem so dark when she was with him, though in the beginning she wouldn't have believed she could care for this man.

A twig snapped and she heard the shuffle of boots. Before she could speak, Gavin had slipped her off his chest and was standing in front of the tent's opening, naked. He was a feast for her eyes. Her blood heated.

"What is it?" she whispered, yanking out her last pair of clean jeans and shoving her legs into them and then tugging a shirt on over her head.

Gavin didn't move or say a word.

She crept up beside him and listened. The booted feet moved closer to the tent. Suddenly Darron appeared from out of the fog. "Who the hell is this book about?" he yelled at her, waving her leather notebook into the air. Confused, she shot a glance at her backpack. Her notes. How did he get them?

She scowled to herself remembering she'd dropped the notebook yesterday when she'd helped Gavin. Her jaw clenched. How had she forgotten about it? She stared at Gavin. Talk about a distraction.

"Who is this?" he snarled. Darron grabbed her shoulders, shaking her hard.

Gavin shoved him back four feet. "Do not touch her."

"Tell me now," said Darron, shooting a hand out to clasp her wrist.

Gavin took him down and her notebook flew out of Darron's hand. Fists went flying.

Turning quickly, she snatched her boots and socks from the tent and got out. Darron tried to grab her ankle, only to be caught and dragged off by Gavin.

She hurried to where Darron had dropped the leather notebook. She picked it up and dusted it off. Finding a safe spot on a fallen tree away from the fight, Lily sat down. Thumbing through her notes, she noticed several pages were missing. Her journal jumped from day twenty to twenty-five. She tried to remember what had happened within those five days that would cause Darron to rip the pages out.

Setting the notebook down, she brushed off her feet, put on her socks and hiking boots, and racked her brain, struggling to concentrate. The back of Lily's skull ached. She touched the skin softly, but felt nothing. She'd forgotten about the pain. Staring at Gavin, her cheeks heated. She had had other things on her mind last night.

"What is the matter with you?" Gavin blasted, a fist colliding with Darron's jaw, snapping his head back.

"She's hiding things from us."

"So? We are doing the same to her," Gavin said, wrapping his fingers around Darron's throat.

_What did he mean by that?_ Lily stood up.

"The book. Look at it. It's the Seer. I know it," said Darron, spitting blood at Gavin's face.

Gavin grimaced and closed his eyes. His fingers gripped Darron's throat even tighter. It was clear Gavin was using all his self-control to keep from killing Darron. "I don't care what is in the book. You keep your hands away from her when you're mad."

Darron growled and twisted out of Gavin's reach, only to swing behind him and wrap an arm around Gavin's throat and head.

Lily stepped forward to help Gavin. He raised a hand to stop her. She obeyed, wanting to acknowledge that she would stay out of it.

"I will keep my hands off and away from my sister if you do the same. She's not yours anymore, or have you forgotten so easily?" Darron squeezed Gavin's throat. Lily watched him turn red and tug at Darron's arm.

Darron's pale eyes locked on her. Her stomach rolled, ready to be sick.

"Please let him go," she pleaded.

"Not until I'm ready," he said, loosening his grip a fraction.

Her heart was pounding so hard she feared she might break another rib. A tornado of emotions swirled inside her. Was this some kind of test to see how she would react? She would not give Darron the satisfaction of a reaction. She swallowed hard and lifted her chin.

Something dark crossed Darron's face. He shoved Gavin in the back of the head and got up, panting and bloody. Gavin pulled in a breath and wiped at the blood running down his chin.

Darron walked over to his backpack, which was hanging from a broken branch.

Gavin watched him, rubbing his neck, then disappeared into the tent to dress.

Lily picked up the notebook. She pressed it to her heart. They both knew about Rachel.

A minute later, Gavin emerged from the tent in a dark green shirt and jeans low on his hips. A wave of excitement tumbled through her. Lily's heart ached just then, and a lump formed in her throat. She wasn't going to delude herself and think Gavin cared about her. Yes, she was attracted to him, and that was a monumental step for her, but was that enough?

"Who are all those notes written about? Gavin may baby you, but I will do no such thing," said Darron, digging a handkerchief out of his back pocket. After rummaging in his pack, he pulled out a bottle of water. He dumped some on the cloth and scrubbed the blood off his face. The energy around him darkened, and the air grew thick, making it difficult to breathe.

Gavin stepped up beside her again, placing himself between her and Darron. She gawked at him and shoved him aside. He didn't move easily.

"Her name is Rachel Perry."

"Who is she to you?" Gavin asked.

"She's my best friend."

"Is she the reason why you came here?" Darron asked, done mopping up his face. His pale blue eyes faded to white and he stomped closer to her, agitated. Though his eyes were white, she felt the heat of his stare.

She shifted. That was the creepiest thing she'd seen yet. She lifted her chin. "Yes, she was my assistant at the hospital where I work. We have been friends for the past two years. She's sick."

"She's not sick. She needs to be awakened. Are there others where you work who are having these _symptoms_ , as you like to call them in your journal?"

"No, only her."

"And . . . ?" he pushed.

"Me," she answered strength and determination pumping into her voice. It was hard to talk about Rachel. Lily felt as though she had to protect her, but she would acknowledge her own role in this.

"It started slowly with Rachel, about two months ago. We would be working, and she would check out, so to speak. Her eyes would be open, but no one was home. Then she started getting jumpy and panicked over little things, someone touching her or a patient asking her if she was okay. After a week or two, she wouldn't leave my office, said she was scared. Said the visions would find her, and that the pain would come. I didn't know what to do. A week later she was admitted to the hospital as a patient."

Gavin laced his fingers with hers. She peered at them, conflicted. Could she allow this? She didn't think so. She freed her fingers and walked away from him.

"What happened after she was admitted to the hospital? Did they drug her up?" asked Darron, studying her closely.

"No, they tried, but I wouldn't let them. I tried to work with her. See if I could figure out what was going on in her mind. I started to take notes. I asked her many questions about the hallucinations."

"They're not hallucinations. They're memories," Darron cut in. "Didn't Gavin tell you that?"

"Yes, but I'm still a doctor. Forgive me if I use the language of my profession."

Darron crunched up his face at her. Then he shook his head back and forth, appearing to be having some sort of unspoken conversation with himself. Lily smirked. She would kill him with kindness.

"I told her about the Council."

"Did you tell her about the memories, about her power?" Darron asked.

Gavin said nothing.

"That's what I thought."

Gavin growled at Darron.

Lily ignored them and continued, wanting to put everything out there concerning Rachel. "She described a cabin in the center of a clearing and a terrible fire. She described it several times in such detail I could picture it in my mind. I had a feeling it meant something, so I did some research. It took a while, but I found a small clip on the Wood Creek Fire and knew this was the place. The thing that didn't make sense was that it occurred before Rachel was born."

Darron began to pace.

"Do you believe me now, Gavin? And to think they have been friends for over two years and they didn't stimulate one another to awaken sooner." Darron's clipped voice caused her to pause.

"What are you talking about?"

Darron spun on his heels. "Your friend. The one you want to save is our mother."

"What?"

Rachel tied all the pieces of this little adventure together. Rachel needed to be awakened. Lily was relieved because now she knew what was wrong with Rachel, but Gavin had said there was only a limited window of opportunity to save her before she went insane. Was she already too late? She prayed she wasn't.

"She died in the fire. She has been reborn. She found you," Darron said, stopping in front of her.

Gavin walked over and took the leather notebook from Lily. He skimmed it and then held up the book to Darron.

"Why are there pages missing?"

"Yes, why did you tear out days twenty-one through twenty-five?"

"I didn't rip anything out. It was like that when I found it on the path."

Lily straightened, as did Gavin. They shared a glance.

"The Hound," Gavin said. "Last night while you were scouting, he found her."

"Damn it, don't you think that is something I should have been told about as soon as I showed up?" Darron grumbled.

"Was that before or after your little rant and fight?" Lily asked, challenging his growing moodiness.

Again he shook his head back and forth as he grumbled and kicked a rock, sending it flying. He walked over to his pack, swinging it over his shoulders and stomped over to her.

"Let's go."

Lily touched the back of her head again. The pain burned. It was different from her bloodheat. It didn't feel right.
Chapter Fifteen

Lily played over in her mind the recent conversations she'd had and put the pieces into place. She had to claim her power from the Council in order to become the Awakener. If she wanted to save Rachel, she had to embrace what was happening to her.

While preparing to leave their campsite, Lily stumbled. Darron paused mid-stride next to her. She felt as though an arrow had been shot through her heart. She gasped. Pain clamped every cell in her body and yanked her forward a few steps.

"What's happening?" she cried, looking at Gavin. He pressed his lips and frowned.

"The Hound summons us," said Gavin.

"We have to get to the circle," Darron said, raking his hands along the sides of his shaved head.

Again, she was yanked forward, stumbling off her feet and onto her knees. All she wanted to do was get up and run into the fog as fast as her feet would carry her. Unconsciously, she knew the pain would ease if she could go into the fog and into the forest away from Darron and Gavin. She battled within herself. _No. I have to help Rachel. I must stay with them. I want to stay with them._ She stared at the heavy, unnatural fog and resisted. The pain in her chest deepened, causing Lily to scream. The urge grew stronger and she felt helpless. _I have to leave. I have to go now._

An iron grip stole around her wrist. She peered at Gavin. "Let me go."

"No," he said in a calm voice. "Focus on me," he said, turning her toward him.

"But . . ." She tugged and pointed into the distance. She frowned, tipping her head to the side, puzzled. Fear gripped its harsh fingers around her heart.

"Gavin . . ." she said, her lip quivering, "how do I make it stop?"

He stood in front of her. "Look at me. I'll not fail you," he said, determination in his voice.

She searched his damaged face. A spark of hope and a flame of desire mixed together, creating some-thing much stronger in his eyes. She wanted to name it but feared that if she did, it would change everything. She didn't know if she was ready.

Gradually, the pull in her chest eased enough that it could be resisted, though every movement was an act of rebellion. She hurried into the tent to gather her things. Two sets of clothes had turned to ash, and she saw a charred sleeping bag and holes in Gavin's tent floor. She sighed, guilt trying to surface, and then she shrugged to herself. There was nothing she could do about it.

Her mind filled with the memory of her night spent with Gavin. Heat tumbled through her, a moment of happiness settled, then she turned her back on the memory and stepped out of the tent.

Darron and Gavin quickly broke down the tent and packed up camp.

"How long will it take to reach the circle?" she asked, not bothering to call it the Wood Creek site any longer. Pulling her sweatshirt over her head, she tugged her heavy tresses into a high ponytail.

"A few hours," Darron announced, holding out a Power Bar to her.

Lily pointed to the swollen bruises on his high cheekbone, as well as at the corner of his mouth. "Why don't you heal those? They look ugly."

Darron lifted a single auburn brow. "Why don't you?"

She snatched the Power Bar out of his hand and peeled off the wrapping. Her stomach grumbled. Was he messing with her? She didn't know why, but Darron was a tough read. Being a psychiatrist, Lily prided herself on reading people. He challenged her.

Squeezing past her pride, she asked, "Can I do that?"

"No. Only I can."

Jerk.

Tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear, Lily watched Gavin strap his backpack on and then shove his hands into his pocket. Her heartbeat sped up. She started walking in the opposite direction from where the pulling in her chest tugged at her to go.

"How do you know the Hound tore the pages from my notebook? Couldn't a deer have eaten them or something?" she asked of no one in particular, taking a bite of her Power Bar.

"Have you seen any animals since you entered the forest? A bird, squirrel, anything?" asked Darron, holding onto his backpack straps.

She eyed him. "No."

"That, my dear, is because your power oozes out of you constantly. How about you try to put a cap on it? It may buy us some time."

She wrinkled her nose at him. _How the hell do I do that?_ She took inventory of herself. Emotionally stable . . . somewhat, check; physically . . . her blood was heated a bit. She stole a look at Gavin, and her blood steamed hotter. So not checked. She sighed then took another mouthful of her Power Bar. It didn't look as though she was going to be able to cap anything as long as Gavin was around. Darron would have to live with her oozing.

"Can you remember what was on those pages?" Darron asked, bringing Lily back to the conversation.

She pulled the book out of her pack and scanned a few pages before and after the missing ones.

"It was her twentieth day after being admitted to the hospital. I think it was a hallucination . . . a vision . . . a memory . . ." Frustrated, she stopped and crossed her arms over her chest. "What am I supposed to call them so I don't get spoken to like a child?"

Darron shrugged. "Depends. If this is the Seer, it could be a vision of the future or a memory from the past. Awakening has been difficult for her because of her gift."

"Great. Thanks for the info. I will go with _she saw_ . . . better?"

Darron smirked, while Gavin was silent. She put the book back in her backpack and zipped it up.

"Rachel saw a man on the ground bleeding out. Trees and a larger boulder were near him. But the trees were dead and blackened. She described him as being about her age with eyes like emeralds. She always talked about the man's eyes as though they haunted her."

"Did she see this only once or multiple times?" Gavin finally chimed in. The lines around his mouth and eyes deepened and his damaged cheek pulled.

"Once."

"What was in the other missing pages?" Darron pressed.

Her eyes rolled back as she thought. "I think it was all about this one thing."

"Did it cause her pain, physically, when she was seeing this?" Darron questioned.

"I don't think so, not like when she saw the cabin."

Gavin started walking again.

"It was a prophecy of the future," Darron said. A dark mist began to form around him.

Taking the last bite of her bar, she discreetly ran her finger through the mist, making it appear as though she was fiddling with her pack. _Didn't feel a thing. Interesting._

While she was working her way through a cluster of boulders, Gavin placed a hand on hers. All her muscles locked. He was making this difficult. Why didn't he keep his hands to himself? She paused and stared at him. His lips curved into a smile. Her heart ached. She looked at Darron. He was scowling at them. She pulled her hand back and slid down the side of the rock she had just climbed over.

"Why do you think he would take those pages?" Lily asked. "Why summon us?"

Neither Gavin nor Darron answered her. They weren't difficult questions, so why the silence?

The black fog clinging to Darron thickened, hiding him. He was an angry black cloud, like a swarm of bees, skimming the ground.

Lily blinked at Darron and then at Gavin. Gavin looked past her to Darron as he slipped a finger into her back belt loop and pulled her closer to his side.

Boots stomped off. Was Darron even aware of the inky fog?

"Let him go. We will stay at a distance until he calms down."

"What did I do this time?"

He lifted her chin and kissed her nose.

"Nothing."

When Darron was hidden from view, Gavin began walking, gently urging her forward. He laced his fingers with hers. She stared at their interlocked fingers. She was so conflicted. She gazed into his black eyes and fell into step beside to him.

"Will Darron be okay?" It bothered her that she cared, but she didn't like upsetting people.

"Hard to say. Things have been trying for him, for me. This life has presented many challenges. And now your Rachel has been thrown into the mix."

"She's not in danger, is she?" Lily's heart jumped and her throat started to close.

Gavin eyed her. "She is safe for now. But once you awaken we must go to her."

Her heart ached. "How have things been difficult for you?"

He eyed her again and pressed his lips together. Deep lines formed around his mouth and there was sadness in his eyes.

She didn't like it. Ignoring her better judgment, she paused, stretched on her tiptoes and brushed a kiss over his lips. Her core heated every time they touched. Just holding Gavin's hand caused Lily's blood to simmer.

"Do it again," he rasped out, tugging her against his hard body. "Please."

She couldn't think; her senses were overwhelmed with the scent and the feel of him. _How could a girl say no to that?_ She placed her hands behind his head, savoring his warmth and the silky feel of his hair. His mouth was on hers, intense and demanding. She opened against his determined onslaught, taking him deeper and deeper.

He groaned as she liquefied against him, the flames of her desire growing hotter. She'd been afraid this would happen. She would finally give her body over to a man willingly and then become attached.

He ran his fingers up her arms and pulled her hands away from his neck. Jaw clenched, he released her. "We must keep moving."

Exasperated, she stared at him. He was the one who'd wanted her to kiss him, so why did she feel as though she was in trouble? Now he was pissing her off, his face once more an unreadable mask. She seriously hated that look. He did have a point though. They needed to make it to the circle as fast as possible.

"So what is remarkable about where the fire was? Now that you know about Rachel, I need answers," she said, getting away from Gavin. Far away. Pretending the kiss hadn't happened.

"It is where you draw in the power held by the Council of Souls. Your father thought there could be no better place for you to grow up, so he built your home there."

"How could that be safe?" she asked, ducking a branch.

"Your father began to suspect three lifetimes ago that the Council could not sense you while you were in the circle, and he put his theory to the test in this lifetime."

"But it didn't work," she said, her voice breaking.

Darron stared at the valley below, where life had been seared from the land. It seemed the Hound had done this intentionally to remind them of what had happened here. As if they could forget.

The mountains surrounding the circle kept it hidden from the world. In the center sat a half-burned cabin.

Dragging a callused hand over his face, Darron roared in frustration as he scanned the mountainside for the easiest route down. Much of the mountainside was bare and steep making for a treacherous descent to the valley floor.

As he continued to survey the land, Darron heard a forgotten hum of energy. He peered at the larger boulders creating the sacred circle. He smiled. The stones could sense his presence and awaited his arrival. As a boy he'd spent a lot of his time meditating on the stones, working to recover from his injuries acquired during training. He had given the stones as much energy as they had given him. They were old friends.

He shot a single strand of energy into the air as far as he could before casting a net. He held his breath. His eyes scanned every inch of the mountains. He saw nothing.

As his web blanketed the valley below, he pulled in a slow, controlled breath, and closed his eyes. His senses kicked into overdrive and he dragged in every energy signature with which his net came into contact. As he cataloged each signature within his mind, he puzzled over one. His eyes opened and again he searched the area.

The puzzling energy signature had almost been forgotten. His pulse started to race. It couldn't be. There was nothing. He saw nothing. He took a few steps down the side of the mountain, holding on to a nearby evergreen. He sharpened his gaze, scanning the cabin. Just as his eyes began to move to the sacred stones, a small movement snagged his attention. There, on the first floor near the front window, Darron saw the shadow of a man.

"No fucking way." Darron fought the urge to race down the mountainside.

"It could be a trap," he told himself. He would throw another web and wait for Lily and Gavin.

Lily knew something wasn't right when she reached Darron. He didn't look at her; he only scanned the area. His brows were stitched together and his jaw was set in a sharp line. Back straight, muscles taut, legs shoulder-width apart, he looked fierce.

A cold breath of foreboding spiraled down her spine. She looked at Gavin, yet made no move toward him.

"We don't have a lot of time," Darron said harshly. Without another word of explanation, he started to make a path diagonally down the mountainside, sitting low in his stance, hanging on to trees and rocks for support.

Lily swallowed hard and looked down the mountainside.

"Come," Gavin said, and she noted the edge of uneasiness in his tone. He marched over and took her hand. She followed without protest.

It was slow going for Lily. With a loose rock here and a hole there, she spent most of the downward climb on her butt.

Thirty minutes into the descent, sharp, jarring stabs seared her forehead. Her vision winked in and out with a blinding white light. She was becoming accustomed to the black spots showing up before a memory seized her mind, but this felt different.

She shook it off, working hard to walk in the same exact spots as Gavin. If the earth could hold up his massive size, she figured she would be safe. Doing so, her progress was much better. She and Gavin were only ten yards behind Darron.

Lily held Gavin's hand and was looking down, ready to step into his footprint, when white light blinded her entirely. Pain gripped every muscle. Unseeing, she gripped Gavin, practically shoving him face-first down the mountain. He managed to stay upright.

"Careful," he said, turning.

She collapsed to the ground. Digging her heels in, she stopped herself from tumbling down the slope. She felt Gavin beside her. His hand ran over her cheek. Her breathing was strangled. A burning in her head swiftly moved down her neck and spine. She hissed as her muscles screamed. Her mind was a violent tornado, taking every thought, every emotion, and smashing them against each other. It sucked her most hidden thoughts from the darkest corners of her mind.

"Darron, help me. It's begun," Gavin shouted.

She didn't like the sound of that, but she was helpless. Unable to hold the growing pain at bay, she leaned forward and vomited. She was so hot. She tried to take off her shirt but was met with resistance.

Hair stuck to her face. She wiped at it. Her stomach clenched. Tears filled her eyes. She heard a crunching sound as heavy boots rushed forward.

"Fuck, I thought we had more time."

A hand brushed her irritating hair out of her face. She blinked hard, trying to see past the light. All at once the tornado within her mind stilled. For what came next, she could never have been prepared. She felt a smashing blow to the head. Her eyes slammed shut. She was unable to hang on to the outside world. An undeniable and dreadful truth anchored in her mind. She was out of time. And she was going to awaken.
Chapter Sixteen

The boiling in Lily's veins caused her to scream. Her body was slashed with shards of broken glass. Up her stomach, across her chest, and down both arms, they dug deep. Her eyes flew open. She blinked and rubbed them hard, able to see again. Where was she? Mountains, Darron, and Gavin, all were gone.

She lay on the floor of . . . what? Sitting up, she swept her gaze around what looked like a room, but that didn't seem right. A space. That was it. A space that stretched everywhere all at once. Lily felt something creeping over her skin. She glanced down at her body. She was naked, and a charcoal gray cloud drifted over her lower body. She ran her fingers through it. It caused a chill to walk over her skin and she shivered. Was she dead?

She rubbed a hand over the back of her neck, and she slowly rose to her feet. After a moment, a blue glowing light appeared and covered her bare feet. It skimmed over her exposed legs, causing every cell in her body to hum. She tried to move away from the light. It continued to climb her legs. She wiped at it. Nothing. Soon it cloaked her stomach and breasts. As the light reached her face, it came to life, igniting into flames. She screamed and fell to her knees, frightened. She was on fire. The ends of her hair lifted with the sweeping of the flames. She searched for a logical explanation for what was taking place. There was only one thought that surfaced. This was her Awakening.

As Lily processed what was happening to her, the gray fog crawling over the ground also ignited into blue flames. Lily stared out at the space. It was now only a flickering blue flame like her. It wrapped her like a cocoon. Warmth filled her. It was spellbinding. There before her, an image appeared in the flames. A girl with black hair, in a deerskin dress, sat beneath a large willow tree. Lily reached out and tried to touch the girl. Her fingers found nothing. The image grew larger, becoming life-size.

She was afraid it was the memory she'd seen yesterday. She didn't move, but the image shifted closer to her. She braced herself.

The girl held out a knife and then plunged it deep into her belly. Lily recoiled at the horror of it. Yet, she couldn't look away. After the shock had settled, Lily realized there was no round stomach this time. The woman's eyes rose to Lily's. Remembrance blew through her like a Santa Ana wind. This was a past life that had ended badly. Abruptly Lily was hit with an onslaught of overwhelming emotions: hatred for those who were evil; contempt for herself and what she was doing. It choked her.

"They killed him," the girl said in a hoarse voice as she bled out. "I cannot live without him. I will try again." The woman fell over, and her breathing became shallow.

The image faded within the blue flames, causing them to move more frantically, creating a sucking feeling all around her. Pain tore open her mind. She began to scream once more. Lily dropped her head and her body began to vibrate. A new image appeared within the flames, causing them to turn dark blue. A sense of foreboding filled her. She struggled to stay alert.

A strong man rocked back and forth, sobbing and choking on his tears. He held a woman in his arms; her eyes open wide in death. Again the eyes matched her own. She forced herself to look away, but not before she saw the man take his own life. Another past life ended in disaster. The memory didn't linger as the other had. It faded and was gone. Tears rushed to her eyes. She went limp and yet the flames continued to wisp over her, growing hotter, moving faster. Their color changed to a deep purple. The next thing Lily knew, a dozen images appeared within the flames, the same as before, only this time, they pressed in on her. Trapping her. Pain, loss, and despair were the undercurrent, the past lives lost to heartbreak. She didn't know how many flickered before her, around her, or within her. She felt each life more than she saw it. The images were jumbled, filled with chaos.

This was wrong, all wrong. Every life couldn't be like this. There was something more to all of this suffering. She pulled in a breath and focused on the source of the bloodheat that radiated from her. Finding enough resolve within herself, she stopped the images from appearing within the flames. The frantic rushing sound of the flames quieted, as did the flames themselves. The dark purple diminished, and the flames returned to a light blue color. Lily inhaled once more. The flames shrank and became the gray mist again. She peered around the area with new awareness. While she was deep within herself, she decided to look around.

She walked forever in a straight line. Gazing out into the space, she saw the flick of a veil or curtain, as if a light breeze had pushed it from the other side. She rushed forward. Her fingers lightly touched the veil. Then, without fear, she wrapped her fingers around it, tugged it aside and stepped in behind it.

She was met with the colors of a morning sunrise. They raced around her, as if excited at her arrival. The vivid colors kissed her skin and stirred her hair; she couldn't help but smile. It was the oddest but most impressive thing she'd ever seen. Feeling light and at peace, she wondered what part of her mind this was. Were these her happy thoughts? The concept was a bit intriguing. Yet, as the colors zipped around, stopping for brief seconds before her, a black wall in the distance seemed to be beckoning.

Lily moved toward it, realizing it was another veil. When she stood a few feet away from the veil, the brilliant colors worked into a frenzy. They darted over her skin, leaving nasty red lines. She got the impression they didn't want her near the black veil.

She paused. _What would she find behind it?_

Closing her fingers around its edge, she pulled the veil aside and quickly stepped beyond it. Instantly, she was hit with crippling anxiety. She looked around. She couldn't see a thing. Darkness overpowered her sight; it reached into her, saturating every fiber of her being. Sadness, pain, grief, and anger engulfed her.

She had to escape. She turned and reached to open the veil. It was gone. Combating a wave of dread, she broke into a run. There had to be another veil to slip behind. As she ran, painful, dark memories laughed and hissed around her. A voice echoed in the shadows. Her skin grew clammy and nausea knotted in her gut. Still she ran.

"Lily . . . I know you are here. Have you missed me, Lily? I've missed you."

"You come near me and I'll kill you," she cried into the darkness. She started to feel weak, as though this place was sucking her strength. She slowed. Walking now, she continued to move in what she prayed was a straight line. Could she make it out of this place? She hoped so.

Pain, grief, sorrow . . . They were drowning her. She sank to her knees. Trying to focus, she searched the shadows as the weight of anguish seemed to crush her. Before her, a shimmer of light suddenly appeared. She reached up. Her fingers glided over a cool, silky veil. She sighed with relief.

Clasping the edge of the veil, she rose to her feet. Pulling the veil aside, Lily was blinded by an orb hovering in the air. The light was so intense it reached out into every part of her soul. Her own private sun. Her own star. She was safe.

Then, without warning, Lily was hurled back, her fingers torn from the veil. Into shadows she flew, doomed to dwell in the darkness once more.

Darron watched the horror spread over Gavin's face and knew they were fucked. If Lily awakened on the mountainside and not in the circle she would receive no power and she would go crazy.

"Get out of my way," Darron commanded as he reached down to scoop up his sister. He wouldn't yield. Not to the Council, not to fate. He was done getting screwed. Mother and father dead, reborn; a sister he'd abandoned who hated him, not to mention the Council of Souls trying to kill them every fucking lifetime. He had had enough. _Shit would change today._

Moving with sure, steady feet, Darron rushed at an angle toward the valley floor, Gavin at his heels. They made progress, but Darron felt Lily's power growing weaker by the minute.

"Shit. How far is she under?" Darron stopped, sliding Lily off his shoulder, cradling her so Gavin could examine her.

Gavin closed his eyes, bowed his head, and rested a hand on Lily's forehead. After a moment, his eyes opened and he pulled in a ragged breath. "The first veil," he replied.

Darron tossed his sister over his shoulder like a sack of spuds.

Gavin scowled at his rough handling of Lily.

"Sorry." He shrugged. "She'll live, I hope."

He broke into a sprint, tapping into his ability to help sustain his speed. His legs burned. The muscles in his thighs felt as though they would tear at any second. Only a few more feet and he would be on flat ground.

"Check her again," he yelled a few minutes later, suddenly not able to sense her energy at all.

Gavin reached out and touched her back. "She's at the third veil."

A knot formed in his throat. He couldn't lose her. She was all he had. Moving again, Darron made it ten steps and lost his footing. He slid the remaining distance of the slope on his ass and came to a stop at the base. "Fuck, why is it happening so fast?"

Gavin stopped and collected Lily in his arms.

"What are you doing? We have to keep going. We can make it. We have to," Darron said.

"Shut up. She's stronger than ever before. That is why it's happening so fast. I'm going to try to leech some of her power, pull her back. To give us time."

Darron rose to his knees and watched Gavin cup Lily's face and press his forehead to hers. Gavin closed his eyes.

Lily's body was unnaturally stiff. He saw every muscle flex. He reached out and touched her forearm. It was as hard as his bicep after an hour of push-ups. Darron sat back and felt every precious second tick by. He ran his hand down his face and clutched his chest. He watched as the veins in Gavin's neck rose and hammered. His scars pulled so tight that one started to tear. Blood trickled down his cheek. Darron was on the verge of yanking Gavin away from Lily when Gavin released her and fell back on his elbows.

Gavin cupped Lily's chin, touched his forehead to hers, and forced his ability to leech deep into her mind. He knew he would cause her pain, but there was no other way. Time was not on his side. He felt his way through the outbreak of past lives, under the first veil, then to the next. He felt her at the last veil. She was moving toward the essence of her power. _I'm sorry, my love._

Gavin laced his energy around her subconscious mind and yanked her away from her power. He felt her despair and confusion. He released her and prayed the second veil was far enough.

Falling back, Gavin pulled in clipped breaths.

"We have ten minutes, then she will be back to the second veil," he said.

"Ten minutes is more than enough," said Darron, tossing his sister over his shoulder once more, running for his life−and for hers.

Gavin stopped at the edge of the circle. There were few places to hide with the trees blackened and dead, skeletons of what once had been a beautiful place. But Darron had hid as best he could while carrying Lily.

Gavin had to make sure the Council wasn't here yet. They had come too far to be careless.

Once in the circle, Lily wouldn't be sensed until she seized her power from the Council, leaving them weaker for it. The Hound would try and reclaim what was not meant to be the Council's.

Taking in the infertile ground, Gavin was not surprised that twenty-five years had elapsed and not a single blade of grass had grown past the ancient boulders forming the sacred circle.

He swept a critical eye over what had been Lily's home. All that remained was a corner of the second story and a patchwork of floor. Most of what remained had caved in and was barely standing.

Taking no chances, Gavin looked past the circle and sent out several threads of power. They snaked over the land. With a flick of his wrist, they returned. The place was clean, yet something still didn't feel right. The hair on his body rose, fell, and then rose again. He thought it was Lily, though he couldn't be certain.

Gavin signaled to Darron and stepped out to survey the area. Darron was covered in sweat and was shaking slightly. Gavin attributed it to the extraordinary effort he'd made to reach the circle. Darron stepped soundlessly over the charred ground. Gavin noted that his eyes never left the cabin.

Gavin narrowed his gaze. He wanted to move into the ring and inspect the cabin, but he couldn't. Only Darron and Lily could enter the circle. It was their blood-right. Gavin had only entered twice in a hundred lifetimes, when the blood-right had been breached--because of the unborn child growing in the belly of the Awakener. His jaw clenched and his chest ached as he shelved the memories of their past.

Darron stepped next to him, Lily cradled in his arms. Her hair brushed Gavin's arm. He ran a hand over the cold, pale skin of her cheek.

"Set her down just within the circle. Stay close. Something is not right," he said to Darron.

"Man, if you only knew."

Darron entered the circle.

Stepping forward, Gavin was met with a blow that sent him flying ten feet back. He hit the ground, knocking the air from his lungs. Every muscle was taut. He couldn't move. All he could do was watch as Darron turned and looked at him, then carried Lily toward the cabin. Panic broke free of the barrier he had built around his emotions and his heart.

Then, as Darron moved closer to the cabin, Gavin saw it. A small movement near the window. When Darron reached what had once been the front door of the cabin, a young man came out to meet him.

Ice-cold horror seized every cell in Gavin's blood. The Hound had beaten them and was inside the circle.
Chapter Seventeen

Madness crept from the corners of her subconscious mind. In the darkness, Lily felt it brush against her. Laughing, calling her name. Confused and lost, she tried to find the veil through which she could leave this place. With her arms outstretched in front of her, she prayed she could find it once more.

Something cold brushed her leg and then her arm. She recoiled. _Get it together. This isn't the attic. And Greasy Pig Boy isn't here. I'm trapped somewhere inside myself. If I want to move forward in my life, there is no time like the present. I've been lost in this darkness before and I made my way out. I can do it again._ She inched forward, trying to keep moving. She wouldn't fall to pieces, not now; never again. She paused, pulled in a breath, and focused on her bloodheat. She circled in the dark. She knew it was there. She just had to concentrate.

Lily took a few steps. _Please, please._ She didn't know how much longer she could carry on in this place. One, two, three steps. She stopped and made a quarter turn, then rushed forward. Ten, twenty seconds ticked by. She halted, then reached out. Her fingers met with a cool, silky veil. A sob escaped her lips. Wrapping her fingers once more around the edge of the veil, she pulled it back, thinking only to escape the darkness.

Stepping behind the third veil and once again blinded by the light, Lily filled with relief.

A shimmering golden orb hovered in the center of another endless space. Eagerly, she rushed forward. The orb expanded as she came closer. Lily paused. The light erupted into a brilliant white. Expecting to be blinded, she averted her eyes, but then, risking a peek, she found it had no impact on her. She gazed at the sphere in total amazement. To think this had been hidden deep within her, her whole life.

Unable to resist, she dipped her fingers inside the orb and wiggled them. Liquid light. Lily pulled her fingers back. The liquid light clung to them and moved steadily up her arm, covering her skin. It was warm satin. The scent of wildflowers radiated from the liquid. Every cell hummed. Inch by inch, it cocooned her, just as the blue light had earlier. She inhaled. A sense of security filled her that she hadn't felt since she was a child.

Images played out in the space around her. There was no pain, no love; only time. Lily blinked. The liquid light heated and seeped into her, disappearing.

Countless images moved into a line. There was no turmoil within the essence of her power. All the images and memories of the past converged and rushed past her. A wind rose up and danced against her bare skin. She twisted around; she was moving through time. Farther and farther back she went. She closed her eyes, remembering everything she'd ever learned. Her mother, her father, Darron, Gavin, the Hound Marcus, the Council of Souls, and all the souls she'd led to their purpose. The bringer of light. This is what she was, everything to all. The Awakener. Her head fell back, and white light exploded from her. She was Awakened and Leora once more.

When her eyelids parted, she expected to be back with Gavin and Darron. But she remained deep inside herself. The images and memories zipped past faster. Leora was confused. Her awakening had never happened this way before. Something was off.

A memory began to unfold before her. A large man was on his knees. His shirt hung loose and mud clung to the cuffs of his pants. The man's long raven-black hair stuck to his face. An aged stone house with a wood door and one small window stood behind him. The roof was made of thick layers of straw. Just behind the stone house were square patches of land. A woman stood before him. Lily knew it was a past life but couldn't recall this event. Why couldn't she place it? She focused and pulled the memory closer to her. It blurred and faded out for a second. Lily glanced at the sphere of her power. It dimmed noticeably. The memory flickered once more, like a scratch on a DVD. It tried to play again. She began to feel heavy and felt the need to sink to the ground. She didn't know how long she concentrated on the image of the woman. The memory began to play.

She watched the woman kneel beside the individual and sensed the woman contained her spirit. She touched the man's face with the tips of her fingers. Her pulse sped up. The woman had been there to awaken or collect a soul. She sensed a strong energy, a powerful soul in turmoil, but it wasn't this man. Leora was confused. She studied the woman's face−her face. Something was off. She looked disappointed.

Leora watched as the woman walked past the man in the mud, saying nothing. As she scanned the area, a wrestling sound came from behind the stone cottage. She swiftly followed the sound. A young boy of about six stumbled around the corner and fell. She helped the frightened boy up and dusted him off.

"It's okay. I won't hurt you. I've come to help," she heard herself say.

"You keep your hands off the boy," growled the man in the mud, lifting his head.

Leora gasped. She knew that voice. It was Gavin. This didn't make sense. The boy twisted out of her hands and rushed to Gavin, clinging to him. She could see they loved each other deeply.

"I can help the boy."

"He doesn't need help from you."

"He doesn't?"

"Leave," he ordered, pushing to his feet.

"He's the Record Keeper. He must come with me. He's meant to be an Advisor," she said in a seductive voice.

"No," Leora cried. _How could Marcus be the Record Keeper?_ Every awakening she'd managed, she'd seen all her past lives, but she didn't remember this moment at all. _Why was this hidden?_ Many unanswered questions surfaced. Understanding dawned within her. Now, this day, this memory was the first time she would awaken since meeting Gavin.

Leora understood why Marcus was so strong. He never slept like the other souls. He was forced to remain awake for eternity. He didn't need to be awakened; he remembered everything from all his lives. A sob worked into her throat, yet clogged it. The boy's eyes were black as night. She couldn't begin to understand the frustration this soul would suffer. At each reincarnation to be born into a body of an infant and have the knowledge of hundreds of years, to be smarter than your parents, than anyone around you, to have the power to record time. He not only remembered his lives but everything that happened in the world.

"He will come with me, or you will die."

Leora blinked. _Did she seriously just hear herself threaten Gavin?_ She remembered that little scared her when she held all of her power, but this wasn't like her. The memory blurred again, then skipped ahead. Leora hissed at the incomprehensible thing she saw next. Energy built around Leora of the memory, forming a pale blue haze. Leora didn't understand why she was doing this. The haze blanketed Gavin as the boy stood beside him.

Suddenly, Leora was hit with a wave of uncertainty and fear that was not her own. The emotions were Gavin's. His past lives swept through her, and she saw his purpose; felt it in her bones. The power that blanketed them glowed brighter. Gavin's purpose was to protect Marcus. Gavin was a Gateway and a Leecher to balance Marcus' power, to help him remain in control of his gift so that he could fulfill his purpose as the Record Keeper. The truth suffocated her.

Next, a crack of lightning shot through both their hearts, anchoring them together. The lightning bolt faded.

She'd watched them set the bond for the first time. Leora screamed and screamed. She'd forced Gavin to bond to her. She'd stolen his will, his ability to choose. And no one knew as she did what that was like.

Darron's words drifted around her. _"He is not for you." Did he know what she'd done? Had he been trying to tell her?_ The pain and the grief she'd suffered was the price for the act of stealing a soul's will or the right to choose. There had been moments when she and Gavin had found happiness. But it was not love. How could it have been, when he hadn't had a choice? Her heart turned to sand. Because of that bond, he would never seek another.

She felt broken in a way that couldn't be repaired. The memory faded, and the orb of her essence, the light, went out. _This life will be different_ , she told herself.

The ground was hard and the air smelled of burned wood. Two voices argued. They were familiar. Sensing great power emanating from the men who argued, Leora shuffled through thousands of lifetimes, breathing a sigh of relief. She still remembered everything. Power pulsed through her veins. It felt terrific to remember. To have understanding. To not be afraid.

Gavin. Where was Gavin? Leora didn't open her eyes. She lay perfectly still and listened to the voices.

"Where is he, you piece of shit? What did you do with my father? I know he's here."

"Now, now. Do you think you are in a position to try and negotiate with me? You were always the most ignorant of the Advisors."

A sting of energy had Leora peering cautiously toward the voices. Her breath hitched in her chest. Darron had Marcus by the throat, choking him with his power. _Gavin's brother. Shit._ The Record Keeper was the Hound.

Barely awakened and she found herself in the mother of all hornets' nests. This needed to stop. However, she fought back a smile. She was awakened, which meant she had all her power at her disposal. The Council was weakened for the first time in centuries. She did a little dance in her head. If she'd had fairy dust, that would have been her happy thought.

Leora focused on Marcus. _What was he doing in the circle?_ Darron had said 'father.' Awareness reverberated off the walls in her mind like a bell. Marcus must have used her father's blood to breach the circle. Her heart stopped, then sped back up again ten times faster. Her father.

Locked in a tug-of-war for power, Darron and Marcus hadn't yet noticed she was awake in the physical and the spiritual sense. Tapping into her power, she sent threads of energy out around her.

After a few seconds, she felt Gavin stalking the perimeter of the circle. She didn't have a lot of time before Darron and Marcus felt her power. It was now or never.

She sprang to her feet, swept her gaze around the circle, and dashed in the direction she felt Gavin. She spotted him, but before she could make it another step, she was yanked back by her hair. She heard a roar of frustration come from outside the circle.

Stumbling back, she shrieked.

"Don't touch my sister, you−"

Darron's voice was cut off, as he was lifted high into the air with a flick of Marcus' wrist. A black haze encircled his neck. Marcus was here to do the Council's bidding, as usual. There was a reason they called him the Hound. He was a ruthless tracker.

The bitter taste of revenge soured her mouth. He would pay. Hate brought her bloodheat to a boil. A thread of energy coiled around Marcus' legs, tethering them together. She blasted him with energy before she laid the old feelings aside and put herself in check.

Instantly, he released Darron and crashed to the ground, unconscious. She didn't know how much time that bought her, but she wasn't going to waste it. She rushed to Darron, who was panting.

"Darron, are you okay?" She shook him hard.

Rubbing his throat, Darron's eyes locked on hers. She helped him to his feet.

"You're back," he rasped out.

"Yes, you pain in the ass."

"Seriously. You awaken, and this asshole," Darron kicked Marcus in the side, "tries to kill me again." He shook his head, a smile taking up his face.

"I missed you so much," Darron said, eyes filling with emotion.

She shouldered his weight and turned toward Gavin.

"I missed you too. Now let's get out of here. I'm awakened. I have my power from the Council, but if Marcus fails to strip it away, they will come for us. Maybe not today, but they will come."

"They would be stupid to come up against you," Darron said.

Leora raised a brow at him. "I didn't say they were smart, but the Council is far from dumb." She knew they would try to kill Darron, and Gavin. Then it would be back to square one, and she was tired of square one.

"What about him?" asked Darron as they moved away from Marcus.

"Leave him. He will have the Council to deal with. There are other things I have to worry about right now."

"Like what?" Darron scoffed.

She didn't have time to explain. She'd made it five feet from Marcus when the thread of energy holding him snapped.

"Run, go to Gavin," she screamed and spun around.

Darron hesitated. "No, Leora."

Gavin was on her right, just outside the circle. His eyes locked onto hers. Sorrow blended with her feelings of love for the man. Though she was awakened with all her memories, her current life impacted her emotions, and the new insight she'd gained changed everything. Tears filled her eyes. She looked away.

"Go, now," she commanded Darron.

"But. . ." Darron was cut off, struck in the center of his back by a black ball of energy. He bulleted forward and smacked his head against one of the boulders forming the circle.

Leora followed its source. Marcus stood, arms across his broad chest, a wicked glint in his black eyes.

She swallowed down her fear. Gavin screamed her name. She couldn't think about him. She blocked him out and focused on the battle to come.

"What do you want?" she asked, making her way closer to the man who'd ruined numerous lives. She would show him no fear. She'd been waiting for this day. If she got closer, she would get more bang for her buck. Marcus had never gone against her once she'd awakened. She smirked. Combating her instincts to kick this guy's ass, she tried to understand him.

"What I have always wanted," Marcus snarled.

"My power, to be the Awakener?" she said, tossing a hip out to the side, looking at her nails, pretending to be bored. She found her rediscovered confidence a bit alarming and intriguing.

"No. I want you," he said in a dangerously low voice. "You and your little circle have been so focused on the Council over the years you haven't seen what I was really after." He strolled toward her.

She flinched from the pop and crackle their energies made when they scraped against each other. She rolled her eyes, continuing to act unimpressed and bored.

She glanced over her shoulder. Darron remained motionless by the boulder. Gavin was launching blue flames at . . . what? She couldn't see anything. She squinted and shifted the focus of her eyes. With just the right light from the sun and one of Gavin's fire blasts, she saw a shield. Odd, it had only ever been the blood-right to pass into the circle that kept Gavin out. So why did he need a shield? Dread cartwheeled down her spine.

She growled low in her throat. She had to do this her way. All Gavin and Darron ever did was create a pissing match that got them all killed. Not today. Not this time.

"Me? Why would you want me? You hate me," she said, continuing to stare at her nails as she held them up to the sun.

He circled like a hawk waiting to dive for its prey. Finally, she met his scrutinizing stare with one of her own.

He laughed dryly, coming to rest in front of her. "If that were only the case with you, _my flower_."

All the blood drained out of her body with those two little words. _My flower._ She didn't say a word. There was no way Marcus could know about her life before now. Unless . . .

Vomit rose to the back of her throat. She fought to keep it down. It had to be a coincidence that he'd called her by the name Greasy Pig Boy used for her.

He laughed, this time in a high, eerie tone. Then he leaned toward her. "Have you missed me? I've missed you."

_Shit._ "Why would I miss you?" she said, squeaking out a tight laugh of her own. She tried to relax. He was messing with her head.

He began circling once more. She closed her eyes, took a breath, tapped into her power, and flexed it around her, forcing him back a few inches.

He hesitated. Good, even Marcus could be unsettled. It was a step in the right direction.

"Oh, I don't know . . . All those sweaty nights in the attic with you trying to scurry away as I pounded inside you?"

She stopped breathing as her mind went into overdrive and started to smoke.

He stopped again. One second, he was dark and dangerous and the next, he morphed into the disgusting Greasy Pig Boy.

She clenched her jaw. When did the Hound learn to shape-shift? Leora's veins felt as though spiders were making a home in them. Fight or flight kicked in, as it always had with Greasy Pig Boy. It didn't matter to her if it was Marcus or not. This time was different. She was the Awakener. She was strong and powerful. She would fight. She wasn't some wilted Lily in the corner anymore.

He stepped up to her, inches away, his foul, greasy pig breath on her. Black eyes narrowed at her, and then she struck, not with her power, but with one efficient movement. She slammed her forehead into the bridge of his nose. Marcus fell back on his ass. She wasn't going to use her power on him. She didn't want to give him the chance to harness and strip it. It was the right of the Record Keeper to strip her of her power if he deemed her incapable of fulfilling her purpose. That is why the Council had wanted him as an ally so badly and sent her to collect him.

Uncontrolled tremors rocked her body. She didn't run. She watched him on the ground, holding his face. A black mist thickened around him. "You bitch."

He would pay for what he'd done to her. He'd ruined years of this life . . . for what? _What had he been trying to do?_

"Why? Why would you do that to me? What do you have to gain by raping a girl who wasn't even aware she had a gift?"

Hysterical laugher filled the air. He stood up once more, the mist evaporated, and he began to clap.

"Bravo, bravo, if you had only been strong enough back then. Maybe if you had fought me harder . . ." He closed the distance between them in two strides. He grabbed her shoulders and crushed her body against his. "I would have thought twice about my plan."

She kicked and punched like a wild woman.

He squeezed her tight. Two ribs snapped. Her lungs were set on fire. A knifing pain came with every breath. He pressed his lips to her ear. Nausea hit her hard.

"Why would I do that to you? Why do you think?" He swung around to Gavin.

"To create fear, a fear so deep in you, even he couldn't save you from it." He let go and she slumped to the ground, trying to breathe.

Get control, calm down, I can do this.

Small breath in, small breath out. Focusing on her ribs. She quickly pushed her energy there. A moment later, she pulled in a huge breath, and the pain was gone.

Looking up, she glared at Marcus, then peered at Gavin. He was perfectly still, a statue of a Greek god. An unreadable stone mask.

"That doesn't make sense."

"It's not hard to understand if you paid attention. Once I had a brother . . ." He lifted his gaze from her to Gavin.

She was so aware of the energy flowing around her that she felt it the second Marcus' and Gavin's energy collided. Fireworks sparked. She didn't look at Gavin. All her attention was on Marcus. She sensed Gavin was fine and kept her anxiety in check.

"He abandoned me, choosing a woman over his own blood." Marcus rushed her, took a fistful of her hair, and wrenched it back painfully. She didn't resist. She knew what he was capable of, and she was much wiser now than she had been when he'd turned her world to ash.

"You tethered him so tight in your bonding he forgot me." Rage seeped from his pores. The black in his eyes began to twist and roll with a red glow. He pulled her head back harder. The bones in her neck ground against each other. Much more force and he would break her neck. She dragged in a strangled breath. Hot tears of pain burned her eyes.

"I'm sorry."

"You could have had anyone in the Council, willingly."

Tears ran freely down the sides of her face as she blinked up at him. Marcus wrapped his fingers around her throat and squeezed. She held her breath, preparing for her death, but then he released her.

"So, because of that, you choose to punish me for countless lifetimes? Killing even Gavin with your rage when he had no choice but to protect me and reopen the bond?"

"He had to pay for his betrayal. We had a bloodbond, and still he forgot me."

Leora sagged forward. Rubbing her neck, she exhaled. _Where was this going?_ It still didn't make sense, and she was tired of waiting to find out. Flames ignited over her hands and arms. "What will the price be to end this cycle of death?
Chapter Eighteen

Gavin was desperate to get to her. There had to be a way to breach the blood-right. Marcus had gotten in; so could he.

Making his way around to the other side of the circle, he saw someone lying on the ground in blood-soaked clothes, just within the circle. He edged closer. The person was a few feet away, and was still breathing.

Bryan. Gavin couldn't believe it. This was a younger version of the man he remembered from time he'd spent training with Darron. Marcus had found him and used his blood to breach the circle. The notebook. Gavin hissed. Marcus had stolen the pages so they wouldn't know that he had Bryan. Bastard.

Gavin couldn't see how bad the injury was from where he stood. And based on the amount of blood pooling around him, it was clear Bryan didn't have much time.

Gavin summoned all of his power. Blue flames gathered in his palm to the size of a basketball. Every muscle strained to keep the power contained. Then he shot it at the circle, trying to get to Bryan. It bounced off something and shot back at him. Gavin dove to the ground just in time, as the flames blasted through the trees behind him. Dead branches and rubble rained down on him. He peered over his shoulder as the fire exploded into the mountainside. He slammed his fists into the ground and sprang to his feet. It was no use. He couldn't help. Marcus had put up a shield as an extra precaution.

Making his way back to Leora, Gavin crouched behind a rock and watched what was happening in the circle. Leora was strong. He had to believe she could defeat his brother, or he would go mad.

She was on her feet again, facing off with Marcus. Blue flames danced up her arms. He blinked hard. She was in control. She must have awakened before Marcus got to her. Hope surged in him like a live wire but was quickly shut down when he saw Marcus' glowing red eyes and the thickening black cloud blanketing him. How long could she continue battling him?

He strained to hear what they were saying.

"What will the price be to end this cycle of death?" Leora asked, blue flames darkening to purple.

"Half the debt has been paid, my flower. For the first time in hundreds of years, I sensed Gavin grow weary of life with you. I knew he wouldn't reopen the bond in this life. Me hurting you was my insurance. I created fear of men in you so that when you began to awaken and were drawn to Gavin, you would be afraid to get close to him, giving me more time. My plan worked pretty well. Now you will bond with me."

Gavin leaped forward, stopping an inch from the circle. Leora caught sight of him. Her flames paled in color and shrank as the seconds ticked by.

_What had he done by not reopening the bond?_ He'd only wanted her to have a shot at a better life, a life without suffering. His chest ached so badly he couldn't breathe. He dropped to his knees. Now her suffering would only begin.

Did Gavin know their bond had been forced? That his rightful place was beside his brother, that there had been no love between them in their bonding? He had to.

Leora thought about when she and Gavin had met in town and how he'd clearly wanted little to do with her. How, just the other day, he had been reluctant to sleep with her, but most importantly, he hadn't reestablished their bond, as he had in every other life. Her chest tore open and her blackened, lifeless heart fell to the ground like a stone. She had been as cruel as the man standing in front of her, and she couldn't live with that.

She stared at Gavin, tall, dangerous, and beautiful. The fire inside her died, leaving her cold and alone. She turned to Marcus. To prevent the deaths and the pain of the ones she loved, she would bond to a man who made her want to curl up inside and hide. His eyes were black once again and the black mist vanished. Like Darron had said in the clearing, when he bonded, it would be all business, no emotions involved. Marcus would make her stronger than ever before. She would be untouchable.

"So be it. I will bond with you as long as you promise never to hurt Gavin and my family again. And that you will help me awaken the souls of this world as I was created to do." She lifted her chin as she saw Gavin drop to his knees.

A cruel smile stole over Marcus' face.

"Nothing would please me more than to have you bond willingly." He shot a glance at Gavin. "Hear that, brother? She will bond to me willingly. I don't have to force her." The words were acid in Leora's ears. He stepped up to her and placed an arm around her waist, slowly drawing her near. He didn't look at her; he only stared at Gavin. She couldn't look or she would fall to pieces. This was the last payment for her damaged moral compass all those years ago.

Marcus grabbed her face with one hand and kissed her hard. Then he gripped her hips painfully and ground against her. Shoving his tongue into her mouth, he slid it over hers and sucked on it. He released her lips and lowered his head, lifting her off her feet to suck and bite the tops of her breasts.

Tears fell like rain from her chin and her head dipped back. She stared at Gavin. Tears stained his checks. To keep him safe from the vengeance of his brother, she would give him her body and soul, but she would never give him her heart, because it would always belong to Gavin. No matter how their relationship had come about, she would love only him. And, because of this, she would set him free.

Locked in that moment together with Gavin, she watched him rise and go unnaturally still. A sob choked her. She didn't deserve his show of honor. But she would always remember it. Next he unleashed his energy toward her and Marcus like a cracking whip. It hit the barrier.

Marcus glanced up and smiled. "Does it bother you, brother, that I can take her from you?" He laughed.

Gavin sent another thread out. It popped and crackled.

Marcus frowned. "We will bond now," he said to her.

In an instant, the energy between them mounted. Her blood boiled, and a dark blue mist swallowed them. Marcus crushed her waist. She could barely breathe, but she didn't care. If she died, at least it was for something she loved. A bolt of lightning struck through her chest. Blue flame roared over her skin. She felt the chaos within Marcus' energy reaching into her, trying to capture a part of her it could not find. She screamed as his power tore through her chest and torched her veins. Something was wrong. The bond wasn't forming. Suddenly, they both hit the ground. The lightning bolt still connected them together.

He was gasping. "What are you doing?" The blue mist still blanketed them. She couldn't see anything other than Marcus.

"I'm not doing anything. Bond already," she ground out between clenched teeth.

A surge of energy knotted her back, slamming her head into the ground. She couldn't hold a single thought. A blinding pain was squeezing the life out of her.

A cracking boom sounded from a distance and Marcus cursed.

Leora began to shake as the tearing pain in her chest grew stronger. Her chest was tugged upward as if her heart were being ripped from her chest. Her lungs were set ablaze. Every muscle was tight, almost rising off the bone. Leora was dying; she could feel it. Then gradually there was a kindling of something stronger than anything she'd ever felt before growing in her belly. An eruption of heat rocked through her. She pulled in a breath. The pain in her body stopped. She heard footsteps rushing toward her.

"Leora, if you touch him now, you can strip his soul," she heard Gavin yell.

The mist was gone, and Gavin was beside her. How had he breached the blood-right?

"Now." Gavin ran a hand over her cheek and across her lips. Tears filled her eyes.

"I'm sorry," she rasped out.

He lifted her up enough to see what he wanted her to do.

"Touch him."

Leora gaped at Gavin as realization settled. Gavin wanted her to destroy Marcus' soul. But that was his brother. Why would he want such a thing?

She stared at Marcus, unconscious next to her. She reached out to him, her fingers about to touch his arm. At the last moment she curled them back into a fist.

"It is okay, Leora. We can end this."

She studied Gavin. The lines on his face were deep. She saw the determination in him.

She uncurled her fingers and reached out once more. All she had to do was pretend she hadn't seen the memory of the scared, frantic child tugging on Gavin's arm as she forced their bonding. She skimmed the hair on Marcus' arm. Her power heated and flooded her, waiting to be released.

She couldn't do it. She was to blame for Marcus acting the way he did. She'd stolen his brother from him. If someone did that to Darron . . .

"No. I will not destroy a soul. That is not what I'm meant to do. I will make him sleep until we can find a way to help him."

Determination was still etched on Gavin's face; however, his eyes filled with relief. She knew he did not want to destroy his brother's soul. She gripped Marcus' arm. Her heat reached into him and sought the sphere of his power. When she found it, she wrapped her energy around it and sealed it from use within him. In a way, she was putting Marcus into a coma. This would give his mind time to reboot. Slowly she withdrew her power and removed her hand.

Leora's breathing had become strangled with her efforts to lock away Marcus' power. Tremors rocked her body.

Gavin helped her on to shaky feet. "Where's Darron?" she asked, looking over his shoulder.

Gavin turned. "Quick, this way."

He took her hand and led her to the back side of the cabin.

As they rounded the corner, she spotted Darron next to a person covered in blood. She rushed to him. Tears fell from his cheeks. Leora peered at the young man on the ground.

"Darron, who is it?" She placed a hand on his back, kneeling beside him.

"I felt him. Before we came down the mountainside, I sent out a web of energy, but I didn't want to believe it."

She searched the young face and placed a hand over her mouth, shocked. It was a younger version of her father. Marcus had found him and used his blood-right to pass into the circle.

"Heal him, Darron," she said.

"I can't. I've tried. It's too late," he whispered.

"Let's try together, all of us." She motioned to Gavin and he knelt down on the other side.

All three of them reached out and placed a hand on the young man. Leora closed her eyes and stoked the fire within her chest. Once it was strong enough, she sent the heat into the man. Not only did she move her energy, she sent her love.

After a few minutes, she felt a heartbeat beneath her fingertips and a moment later, a gasp met her ears. Her eyes popped open.

The young man slowly looked around then sat up.

Leora held back, not wanting to scare the man who was her father. Darron also held back, realizing that their father may not be awakened, and sat silently.

Darron shot to his feet, sniffing and wiping his face. She watched Darron for a minute while he collected himself. How easy it was to forget that, even with the powers they all held, their minds needed time to reboot and awaken.

"It's okay. We found you bleeding and helped you," she said.

The young man stared at her a second, trying to get his bearings. She gave him a weak smile. Then, unexpectedly, the young man reached up and pinched her chin and gave her cheek a small slap.

"You look so much like your mother it hurts to look at you."

Her mouth dropped open and a smile spread over her face. Gavin squeezed her shoulder.

"Bryan?" she said, not daring to believe her ears, happiness slashing through her.

"It is Chad now. Yes. I'm awakened. Where is your mother?" he said, peering with deep emerald eyes first at her and then at Darron. He reached a hand up to Darron. They locked onto each other's forearms and Darron pulled him to his feet.

Leora didn't know how to answer his question because she knew it would only hurt him to know Rachel was in a mental hospital.

Darron looked at her sadly and changed the subject. "How did you get here?" he asked his voice rough with emotion.

"That asshole snatched me right off base in the middle of sniper practice. Didn't even see him coming. I awakened on our trip here. I felt your power and it sparked the awakening. I'm sorry it has taken me so long to find you. Usually, by the time I'm about sixteen I can awaken myself and find your mother, but it didn't happen this time. I am sorry."

He slapped Darron on the back. "Come on, let's get out of here before the Council shows up." Her father threw an arm over Darron's shoulder and they started talking. She watched them, overwhelmed. They were together. They had found each other, just as they always did.

She thought about Rachel and how she needed to get back to her. She was waiting to be awakened; when she was, their family would be complete.

With tears running down her face, she stared at Gavin. He didn't say a word, and she was glad. She didn't know what to say, or if there was anything at all to say. He must have read the emotion in her eyes because he stood up and held out his hand.

Taking a deep breath, pulling all of the emotions from the last week deep within herself, she closed the door on them. When she was ready, she would open that door and sort through them.

Taking Gavin's hand, she stood up. Their eyes locked and held for a long moment. His held a storm she didn't want to see. She turned to follow her father and brother. Gavin stopped her. She looked back at him, unsure what he wanted from her. Then he let her go. His hand dropped to his side. She walked off and left Gavin behind. Again Darron's words walked through her mind: _"He's not for you."_ And he was right. Gavin was free.
Chapter Nineteen

It took two days to get back to Kaloosh and Leora had never been so happy to see her car in her life. Digging her keys out of her pack, she clicked the unlock button.

Technology was great.

They'd passed the time on their trek back talking about what each of them did for a living, where they lived, and what strange things had started to occur before they awakened. Gavin didn't say much, merely asking for assistance carrying Marcus, taking turns with Chad and Darron.

It still blew her mind to think that she, Darron, and Chad had all lived in San Diego and had not found each other until now.

Opening the door to her Highlander, she tossed her backpack onto the passenger seat. Her chest ached with the thought of saying good-bye.

"Okay, so you're going to stay with Darron, and I'll see you in a day or two after we all get some sleep, right? And then we will head to San Diego to help Rachel," she said to her much-too-young father, who happened to be AWOL, just like Darron. She didn't want to think about how they were going to remedy that one.

A knot worked its way up her throat. Tears welled up in her eyes. Allowing her innermost thoughts to emerge, she realized she'd lived hundreds of lives and stored thousands of memories, yet none influenced her as the present did. She'd never had anyone to say good-bye to before.

"Don't cry. You can stay in the cabin Darron has rented. You're the one who wanted to go back to the inn," her father said, wrapping her in his embrace, filling her with his love.

"I know. After everything that has happened, it's hard to leave you." She sniffled.

"For the love of God. Can we go get a shower? We all smell disgusting," Darron complained loudly, shoving his dad out of the way, giving her a bear hug, and then spinning her around. "So glad you're back, Sis. I forget how hard it is when we're not all awakened. I'm sorry I was a dick."

She smiled. "Yeah, I know. I'm sorry I set you on fire." She tried to suppress a giggle, feeling very much like the little sister she once had been.

"I'd forgive you anything. Well, my truck's down the road a half a mile. Got it hidden real good. See you later, Sis. I'll call you tomorrow."

He kissed her on the forehead and walked over to Gavin, who stood, Marcus draped unconscious over his shoulder, silently watching them all interact. Darron slapped him on the back.

"See you later, dick-wad," he said, pulling Gavin in close.

She couldn't hear what else Darron said, but she could imagine.

"Please be careful," she continued, talking to her dad.

Chad gave her a smile then a wink. "Will do."

Chad and Darron sauntered off together like best friends. Leora was glad Darron had Chad to stay with him. She needed time to sort her thoughts out.

She looked at Gavin, then quickly climbed into the Highlander, feeling too exhausted to deal with him. Lily tried to close the door, but Gavin stopped her, holding it open.

"You can stay with me," he said, moving closer to the driver's seat.

His voice, warm and seductive as he stood over her, sent a ripple of awareness through her that she struggled to ignore. His hard body was an inch away from hers. A vaguely sensuous signal passed between them.

They had hardly spoken since leaving the circle. She'd tried several times over the past two days to recall the memory of Gavin being forced to bond to her all those lifetimes ago. There were too many voids to understand all the events that surrounded the bonding. It was too fuzzy, like something had tampered with the memory. She rubbed her head. She didn't have the brainpower right now to glue the broken pieces back together. It didn't matter. She wouldn't re-bond with Gavin ever again.

"No, I want to go to the inn. I told Mr. Cross I would be back in a few days. I don't want him to worry."

"I understand," he said, stepping back so she could close the door. His face was bleak with sorrow.

She pointed at the body hanging over his shoulder. "You better get him home before someone sees him like that." She closed the door, threw her Highlander in reverse, and didn't look back. Heaviness settled in her chest.

As the view of the Highlander disappeared down the road, Gavin couldn't help but think she must hate him. The thought tore at his insides, but he didn't blame her. He hated himself. She'd been so distant the past two days that it was killing him.

He'd fucked up royally, as Darron, just before leaving with Chad, had been so kind to remind him.

He would give her a day to come to him, or he would go to her. That's all there was to it. He had to find a way to fix things. To explain why he hadn't reopened the bond.

Shouldering his brother, Gavin strolled over to his truck on the other side of the parking area. He opened the door and tossed Marcus into the cab. _Just one big happy family._ He reached over and strapped Marcus' seat belt, staring at him for a minute. He didn't want to admit it to himself, but Marcus had been right. He had been forgotten. Gavin had to find a way to get his brother back, but he wasn't sure if he could.

Leora had the water burning hot, yet she stubbornly danced under the shower head without adjusting the temperature. Hot water was a commodity she wouldn't live without again unless absolutely necessary. After scrubbing her hair and body at an accelerated speed, she turned off the water. Her skin was beet red. Securing a towel around her chest, she stepped out of the shower.

Suddenly a wave of dizziness overwhelmed her and she swayed on her feet. Placing a hand on the bathroom wall, she steadied herself. At the same time, her stomach rolled like a rock down a riverbank.

She rushed to the toilet and bent over the rim. She heaved her guts out, gasping for breath between heaves. Water dripped off her face as she sagged to the floor. After lying next to the toilet for five minutes, Leora crawled out of the bathroom and into her bed, too tired to think.

Leora's stomach grumbled so loudly it actually woke her up. Confused, she eyed the room. Cocooned in a thick down comforter, she had to shovel her way through the fog of her mind. Where was she? The rose wallpaper sparked her memory. Bea's Inn.

Not wanting to move an inch, she shot a hand out and fumbled for the alarm clock on the nightstand next to the bed. It read two p.m. She tried to remember when she'd gotten back. It had been about ten a.m., and then she had taken a shower. Four hours. Only four hours. Her body didn't feel as though she'd been sleeping for four hours. What day was it? She picked up the phone and dialed the front desk. An elderly voice greeted her.

"Mr. Cross, is that you?" she asked the voice.

"Joe, I told you to call me Joe."

"Joe, what day is it?"

"Thursday, September twenty-seventh."

"Thanks." She hung up.

Twenty-eight hours. If she wasn't so hungry, she'd be impressed with herself.

Snuggling deeper into the comforter, she paused. What was that smell? Lifting her nose, she sniffed the air. Her stomach rolled.

Tossing off the comforter, she bounced on her bottom once, twice, and was off the king-sized bed, her towel still wrapped around her. She flew to the bathroom, and draped over the side of the toilet, she groaned miserably. As her body spewed out every bit of strength she'd managed to recover during her sleep-a-thon, an idea sprouted in her mind and her jaw dropped. Draped over the rim of the toilet, Leora tapped into her power and found her senses were already heightened. She could hear Mr. Cross on the phone three floors below her. She shifted, anxiety growing in her chest. The plush towel was sandpaper against her skin. Her nose wrinkled. Her body was out of whack. Crawling out of the bathroom again, she made her way to the bed, a turtle speeding through peanut butter, that was her. Stopping her progression to the bed, she sat and allowed her power to fill her. She waited, adjusting to the silky warmth of it. As it filled her, it collected in her lower abdomen. It burned hotter than the rest of her. Leora became confused. She wasn't the one creating the heat in that part of her body. It was _someone_ _else_.

_No way. No stinking way._ She pulled away her towel and stared at her naked body in shock. She closed her eyes and concentrated on her lower abdomen. She slowed her blood and blocked out every sound. Holding her breath, she waited. She heard it . . . tears filled her eyes . . . a heartbeat that was not her own. She climbed back into bed. This was all that mind-numbingly beautiful, rock-hard body's fault. That's how Gavin had breached the blood-right when Marcus' shield went down as he tried to bond. Gavin could have entered the circle from the beginning if it had not been for Marcus' shield.

A hot tear trickled down the side of her face. That is why Marcus' attempted bonding had backfired. She sniffled. By planting Gavin's seed deep within her, he'd created a bloodbond no other in the Council or any one of her Advisors could violate. It was a law passed down from the heavens to protect the birth of Leora to her parents. And it seemed to protect her and her own child. But a heartbeat already. _How was that possible?_ It had only been days since Gavin and she had been together. Leora accessed her old memories and recalled that because of her power and her awakening, her gestational period was half that of a normal woman. Leora believed that too was a protection set forth by the Creator.

_What am I supposed to do now?_ Placing a hand on her belly she thought about Gavin. She'd trapped Gavin again. _Maybe I can hide it for a month or so. Give me time to figure it all out. No, now is not the time to hide anything, especially carrying a child._

This was not going to be fun. She hadn't thought about what she was going to say or do with Gavin before this little surprise; now she really had no clue. She could see it in her head: _"Hi Gavin, nice to see you. Oh, you know how in the past, our bonding was forced? You didn't really want to be with me. I coerced you. To make up for that, I will not bond you to me again. Isn't that nice?"_ She could see the relief on his face to be free of her. Then she would strike it down. _"By the way, I am pregnant."_ She could see herself fleeing from the room with Gavin's expressionless face staring after her. _What a mess._ Like getting to Rachel in time before she went mad wasn't enough stress, and let's not forget figuring out what to do with Marcus. Now she had to add being knocked-up to the list of things to worry about. She reached out and grabbed the phone. She dialed the front desk. Perhaps she could slather her worries with some Ben and Jerry's and make everything better.

"Hello, Mr. Cross I need room service. Can I get two pints of Ben and Jerry's Chocolate Fudge Brownie please? And one spoon. Five minutes? That's fine. Thank you."

Gavin worked off his excess energy by pacing his small living room. The fire grumbled at him, popping and crackling as he moved. He hadn't slept since he and Leora had parted ways. He was giving her five more minutes. That was it. Then he was going to track her down and drag her back to his house where she belonged, with him.

He was so amped up that when Maverick called this morning about some guy needing work done on a truck he'd jumped all over him and hung up.

He growled in frustration and ran a hand over his face. What if she didn't want him? He felt as though he would explode any minute. She hadn't talked to him much after her awakening. She had stayed at a distance and made sure never to be alone with him. He pondered whether she knew the truth about him and his brother. He pulled in a breath. Leora was not his. He never had the right to claim her. If she wanted him, it had to be her choice to claim him. He owed her that.

A weak rapping against the door drew his attention. Gavin pivoted on the heel of his boot and stomped toward the door. If Maverick was here to yell at him, Gavin was ready and willing to fight.

Ripping the front door open, Gavin expected to see his greasy friend, but instead found a pale ghost of a woman swaying on her feet. Leora. He swept out and pulled her roughly, almost violently, to him, fear driving him.

"What's wrong?"

She groaned and placed a hand over her mouth. Pushing him away from her, she staggered into the house. He followed, confused. After making it down the narrow hall to the bathroom, Leora slammed the door in his face and locked it.

With his hands braced against the doorframe, Gavin waited and listened. The toilet lid banged against the porcelain and then he heard her vomit. After a minute of intense anxiety, he tapped on the door softly.

"What wrong?" he tried again.

"Ben & Jerry's is the devil," she squeezed out before he heard her vomit a second time.

"Do you want some water . . . crackers?"

"No thanks," she replied in a hoarse voice. "A toothbrush would be nice."

Placing his forehead against the door, he was relieved to hear her voice and knew she was okay. She didn't come out. He wanted to break the door down, yet the bathroom was too small. He would hurt her. Instead he did as she asked. He dashed up the stairs to his bathroom and fumbled for an extra toothbrush under the sink. Spotting one behind the mouthwash, he grabbed them both and hurried back down the stairs.

He banged on the door. "Let me in. I have what you want. Tell me what's wrong," he pleaded sadly.

"No, slide the toothbrush under the door−" Her words were cut off by another bout of heaving.

Gritting his teeth, he did as she asked and shoved the packaged toothbrush under the door. He waited and listened. He heard her open the package, followed by the sound of sink water running.

"Leora, please tell me what is happening."

"You really don't want to know," she slurred.

He slapped his hands against the frame and took off for the kitchen. Yanking open his junk drawer, he rummaged for a screwdriver. A moment later, he was popping the pins out of the hinges and sliding the door along the wall in the hall.

Leora didn't flinch or even look up. Her cheek was pressed to the seat cover and she had an arm draped over the other side, her toothbrush in her hand.

His heart squeezed and ached terribly in his chest. She looked exhausted. Gently he scooped her up into his arms. She didn't protest, but simply rested her head in the crook of his neck. He inhaled deeply. Wildflowers filled his lungs. She was safe. Pressing a kiss to her forehead, he made his way down the hall and climbed the stairs to his room.

As he passed the first bedroom, Leora's broken voice caused him to stop.

"How is Marcus doing?" she asked, turning her head to peek at him lying motionless on the small twin bed.

He was surprised by her calm reaction. After everything he had done to her in this life and countless others, her concern for his brother touched his heart in a way he could never express. Her kindness was undeserved. He didn't even know if he could forgive Marcus. But if she could forgive Marcus, there was hope she could forgive him.

"I hooked him up to an IV and a feeding tube I stole from the clinic in town. He will live."

Their eyes met. His heart jolted and his pulse pounded. Her eyes were a deep blue; she was pleased. He continued on to his room.

Kicking the door wide, he stepped in. When he peered at her, he noticed she wasn't even looking around. Her eyes were closed but her full lips were tipped up in the corners. She pulled in a deep breath and released it. A sigh of contentment met his ears. He gazed at her a moment, letting the sound sink into his bones.

Walking over to the bed, he stepped on the heel of his left boot with the other and tugged his foot free, then repeated the maneuver for his right foot. He didn't put her down. He was afraid if he severed their connection he would never get to hold her again. And that thought scared him more than the Council finding him. With Leora awakened and Marcus secured in the room down the hall, the Council would come for him.

He crawled on his knees to the center of the bed with Leora tight in his arms, rested his back on the headboard and slowly shimmied down. Releasing her legs, he draped her over his body with her head on his chest. He took her toothbrush and placed it on the night stand next to his bed. With a little skill on his part, a minute later, he had the quilt from the bottom of the bed spread over her. The whole time she hadn't made a sound or movement.

Running his hands through her amazing, silky curls, he spread them out around her. His heart stopped. He pulled her in tighter, never wanting to let her go. Not sure if she was asleep, he skimmed a knuckle over her cheek.

"You awake?"

"Yes," she said in a quiet voice.

"Should I be worried about you?" said Gavin, stroking her hair. She froze for a second, then relaxed again.

"No. I need to ask you something."

It was his turn to stiffen. "What?"

Her eyes went hard, as though preparing for something he couldn't comprehend.

"Why did I force you to bond with me?"

Gavin stared at her, not sure he could produce the words.

"I can't remember why I did it," she continued. "When I awakened, the memory was fuzzy, as though something happened to it. I need you to help me understand."

He looked away, not willing to see in her eyes the pain he was about to bring her.

"You didn't force the bonding . . . I did." This is what he had been waiting for, for hundreds of years. For her to see the truth about him.

"What?" she said, forcing him to look back at her.

"Marcus told me that he was the Record Keeper to the Advisors. He told me you would come for him. He didn't want to go. He found a way to manipulate his own power and force my own awakening before it was time. If we had not been blood, I don't think I would have survived. I wanted to keep him safe. I was born to be his guardian, and he was so small." He paused, allowing her time to process what he was telling her.

Her brows pulled down and she frowned, scooting away from him. He stopped her. If this was his last moment with her, he had to fight for it.

"You were stronger than me, but I am a Leecher, so I drained your power when you arrived and used it to force the bonding. I thought if I bonded to you, you would be forced to take me with you as your bonded and I could stay close to Marcus."

Leora sat up, and her eyes were larger. "But I saw your past lives."

"When I forced the bond, Marcus became upset. He went wild, but it was too late. I couldn't stop him. He tried to tear us apart, but couldn't. He used his power to scribe within the fabric of time to try and force us apart. All he managed to do was damage the memory of our bonding."

"I still don't understand."

Gavin pulled her back into his arms. "When I bonded to you, I broke the bloodbond to Marcus as his protector. I didn't know. After that, he was never the same. He was always on the edge of insanity. He blamed you, even though it was my fault. The Council took him in to help him, but once they got their hands on him, they turned him into their own personal assassin. Filling his mind with hate for you and sent him after you. All I could do was protect you from the Council. To try somehow to help you get stronger, hoping that someday I could fix it all." He searched her face, needing to see her thoughts. He'd laid it all out on the line so she could make a choice.

"You didn't want to bond to me in this life," she said. "Why?"

His arms fell away from her and he pulled in a deep breath and closed his eyes. "Because I couldn't watch you get killed again. I knew Marcus would never stop. I wanted you to have a better life."

Leora was silent for a long time. And her heart drummed against his chest. What was she going to do?

"Why would you care if I died? We didn't bond because we loved each other." Her face was blank.

Gavin frowned at her. He leaned forward and brushed his lips over hers. He watched her shudder and knew she still wanted him, or that her body wanted him. He was wise enough to know the difference. He was pleased because at least there was that. Desire was a powerful emotion. Gavin placed a soft kiss on her lips and his blood heated. She drove him wild. He knew what had to be done if there was any hope of having her in his life.

"Because I do love you." He searched her eyes, waiting for her to come to a decision. His blood rushed through his veins like a high-powered water slide.

She turned away from him. He held his breath then asked, "Are you okay?"

She shrugged. "Have you thought at all about how you entered the circle?" she whispered.

"No . . ."
Chapter Twenty

Leora didn't move. He'd said he loved her, but she was afraid to believe him.

Gavin held the key to the door behind which she'd safely placed her heart. The thought of that door opening had seemed never to be an option in this life. Now here she was, scared to death he would open it. Tears welled up in her eyes, yet she held them at bay and lifted her chin.

Without a word, Gavin took her and laid her on the bed. Then he rolled on top of her, careful to suspend most of his weight on his arms. How she loved the way his body sculpted to hers. With a hand on each side of her head, he gazed down at her, black shaggy hair skimming his neck and cheeks, black eyes changing to rich amber.

His face radiated with understanding. Emotion softened all the beautiful scars on his damaged face. A sob escaped.

He swiftly seized her lips in a thieving kiss. He smiled so brilliantly at her that a single tear squeezed passed her lashes.

"A child−I am going to be a father," he exclaimed.

Excitement and joy oozed from him. Her heart swelled, yet the agony of uncertainty caused her to hesitate. "Are you pleased with yourself then?" she asked.

"Who wouldn't be? I thought it possible, but didn't dare to hope."

"You wanted this?"

A knee slid between her legs. He shifted his weight and slid the other leg in between as well. "You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. What man wouldn't want to have you as the mother of his child?"

She melted a little. "Did you know that if we created a life I could not bond to another?"

Gavin went still. "No, I did not."

His brows drew down into a scowl, and his lips pressed together. He pushed away from her and sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the floor, broad shoulders sagging.

Confusion and panic rose inside her. She sat up and stared at his back. What had she said? Not wanting the moment to be shattered, she cautiously came up behind him, needing to feel his warmth.

He didn't move. She draped one arm over his shoulder and the other scooped under his arm and around his stomach. Pressing her cheek to his back, she couldn't hold back her tears any longer.

"The baby saved you from bonding to Marcus, but has tethered you to me even without us bonding?"

Why did it sound like a terrible thing when he said it like that? "Yes."

"Then I am sorry."

"Why?" she choked out.

He got up, turned around, and gripped her shoulders in both hands. His eyes were black once more. "I wanted you to have a choice. I needed to know that if you had a choice, after all our time together, you would still choose me."

"But . . ." She blinked hard. He was frightened too.

"I will never know now." He let her go.

She clutched his arm. "Don't . . . don't do this to me. Don't doubt me."

He stared at her behind a stony mask of indifference.

It sparked her anger. Here she was tired, sick and emotionally raw, and he was going to crawl back into his hole of numbness. Hell no. It had taken too much to make him vulnerable. She sprang to her feet on the bed, towering over him and pointing her finger at him.

"Listen here, you stubborn man. I'm sick as hell, but I'm happy. So our baby saved me, big deal. So you're stuck with me. Deal with it. We are further in this life than we have been in hundreds of years. Think about it. I'm awakened. I have all my power back from the Council, and we almost have all of my Advisors together. And we have started our family. So don't take this away from me. You have been my one happy thought, my one ray of light in the darkness in every past life. And you have done it again. I'm the happiest I've ever been. Don't you see? Without you, there is only darkness."

Gavin continued to stare at her as he moved to the edge of the bed. "You're happy?"

She dropped to her knees. "Yes. I haven't been this happy ever." She cupped his face and watched his eyes come alive. Right then, she understood that it wasn't him she was waiting on to open the door to her heart. She needed to open it herself. "I love you, Gavin. I have loved you from the beginning."

She pressed her lips to his. She drank in the sweetness of his mouth. He moaned against her mouth, cupping her buttocks in his hands and dragging her against him. He deepened the kiss, sucking the tip of her tongue and her lips. Fire ignited in her.

Supporting her, Gavin laid her on the bed, covering her once more with his body. He nudged her legs apart, and she easily complied. Sinking his hips against hers, she let out a sigh of pleasure. Even with the barrier of their clothes, she felt the hard pressure of his throbbing member. Breathing hard, Gavin released her lips. He searched her eyes and caressed her flushed cheek. "I love you. I will always love you. There will never be another."

Tears ran from her eyes unchecked. She'd never been happier. He wiped a tear with the pad of his thumb and kissed the tears away. Slowly he pulled off her jacket and then her shirt. Her breasts were freed. Leora was still. The need to cover herself never came. Only the opposite happened. She wiggled beneath Gavin and raised her breasts up to him in offering. Without hesitation, he took what she gave. Softly he pressed kisses to the delicate skin around her breasts, making a path of fire up to her neck. The thrilling sensation made her tremble in his arms. Her core coiled tight.

Lily wanted to touch all of him. She clasped the hem of his shirt and tugged it over his head. Taking in his perfectly sculpted body littered with scars, she saw them for what they truly were, symbols of his devotion and love for her. Trailing a finger up the rippled muscles of his stomach, she smiled as his skin turned to goose flesh. She rose to her elbows and kissed the throbbing pulse at his neck. He growled at her. She giggled.

Jumping to his feet, he unbuttoned his jeans and pushed down his boxers. She licked her lips as his manhood was released. He stood there for a moment. She knew he was allowing her to admire him.

She started to unbutton her own jeans. Gavin's eyes took in every movement, the color of his eyes growing lighter and lighter. He was exceedingly aroused. She took pride in the fact that she'd done this to him, made him hungry with need.

After shimmying her pants over her hips, she tucked her thumbs into the top of her panties and pulled them down with her jeans then tossed them to the floor. She was wet and ready for him.

In a rough voice, Gavin said, "You are so beautiful."

She blushed, and Gavin climbed onto the bed to claim her. The touch of his hands along her overly sensitive skin caused her to moan. The anticipation of him entering her had her on the edge.

Lily spread her thighs apart, and he slid in between. The head of his shaft pressed at her opening. His skin was hot. Then a thought broke through her lust-filled mind.

"What if I catch on fire?"

He licked her right nipple then her left, sucking it. She moaned again and pressed more firmly against his shaft, needing him inside her.

"Gavin . . ."

"Burn, baby, burn. You can't hurt me."

Her hands slid over his back and down to his butt. Gripping it tight, she pulled him to her and lifted her hips. He sank deep inside her. Unable to stop herself, she rocked her hips instinctively, needing to release the tight coil inside her.

"That's my girl. Damn, I've missed you."

A laugh exploded from her throat. She loved this man.

Claiming her lips in a passionate kiss, he began to pump into her. In and out; the pace was slow at first, then grew faster and harder. She rose to meet him in a moment of uncontrolled passion. She was desperate for her release. With his next thrust, she began to tumble over the edge into ecstasy, but not before the energy in the room grew thick and heavy. It crackled and popped. Then, between them, a light jetted into both their chests, locking them together, pulling them closer and closer. The light exploded into a thousand pieces, then rushed back to soak them in light. The light seeped into every pore and vanished. It felt like warm honey in her veins. Her walls pulsed with her release. She pulled him over the edge with her. His seed filled her once more. Then he sagged against her, panting.

As she lay there, she felt the hysteria of joy rising inside her. They'd bonded. She did a little dance in her head.

Not able to resist, she slapped Gavin on the ass. "You're stuck with me."

Gavin peeked at her, sweat dotting his brow. "On to more serious things," he said, reaching over to pull out the drawer of his nightstand.

Leora couldn't see what he was getting, but she didn't like the tone.

Resting beside her, he held up a white-gold ring with three diamonds, the largest in the center. It glistened in the dying sunlight, bathing the room in gold and orange.

"Do we have to get legally married, or can I just give you this and we call it good?" He took her hand and placed it on her finger.

She smiled so big and wide that the muscles in her face started to hurt. Holding up her hand in the light, she replied, "This is good. Weddings are overrated."

Gavin laughed and gathered her back into his arms, where he made love to her again.

Rachel cowered in the corner of her white padded room, staring at the small glass porthole in the metal door. Tears stained her cheeks. With her arms anchored down around her stomach, all she could do was hit her head against the wall.

The throbbing in her head was back. She didn't have long before the visions would take hold of her mind, and the pain would begin. Tremors gripped her body like the fingers of death.

She tried to find a memory that was hers to hold on to, but they were slipping away, pieces of her lost in oblivion.

She screamed and screamed. No one came. Not anymore. She wondered if she even existed, or if this was even real.

Tired of the stinging pain that followed the throbbing of her mind, Rachel grew agitated with its approach, screaming and hitting her back against the padded wall. The throbbing grew to an unbearable level. She screamed and screamed as the flickering of a vision pushed into her mind's eye. Tears fell. She sobbed and screamed. Crouching on her knees, she watched the vision play out. Then something strange flooded her veins like heroin. The pain faded, replaced by a pulling in her chest. She closed her eyes. A smile spread across her face. Lily was once more Leora. Hope flooded her veins and caused her skin to tingle. Leora would be her light in the darkness. Soon the pain would stop.

Rachel laughed hysterically. Leora would come. She had to.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR

R.E.S. Tidmore has been writing fiction for ten years. However, finding many of her life events as a child lacked zing; she has been telling stories since she was a young girl. Let's just say it landed her in the principal's office more times than she can count. Twenty years later, she is using her imagination to create great stories.

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Note

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