Vivienne woke after a dreamless night, safe and sound, back in her hut, thanks to Quick’s help.

A dreamless night was a blessing after hearing Quick’s story last evening. That was enough of an emotional rollercoaster to last her years.

He was a good guy with a heart big enough to do the right thing, even knowing the consequences would be deadly.

Her heart went out to him.

A noise on the back porch had her sitting up in bed.

Sounded like a chair scraping the decking as if being scooted from the table. Was someone on her porch? She glanced at the digital clock on the bedside table.

Six in the morning? She groaned. The sun was barely up.

A knock sounded at the back door of her suite. The only person likely to be up and knocking on her door had to be Quick.

Was there more to the story than he’d shared with her last night? More to him? She was eager to hear t.

She grabbed a robe and hurried down the short hall, throwing it on as she unlocked and opened the door.

Nobody was there.

Did he change his mind and leave? Maybe he was on his way around to the front door. She hurried to the side of the deck and leaned over the rail to look down the side of the bungalow.

Nothing.

A foot step came from behind her. What? How’d Quick get behind her? She turned around with a smile on her face.

Ricardo’s fierce glowing eyes met hers.

Her smile vanished. She opened her mouth to scream, but not a single sound had a chance to come out.

Ricardo’s fist slammed against her head.

The world spun and her knees buckled as pain shot through her jaw.

“Did you really think you could hide from me here?” He grabbed her by the arms and dragged her toward the jungle.

She tried to fight him, but she could barely focus, much less control her limbs.

Slowly, her vision cleared, but a searing ache stabbed her head with every jarring step he forced her to take.

She tried to form the words, and finally pushed past the pain and wrapped her tongue around them. “How did you get here? You can’t get on the island—”

He laughed, then dropped her to the ground.

She landed on her back, air forced from her lungs in a whoosh.

“You are so stupid. You really have no idea how powerful I am, do you? With Adriana gone, your fledging powers could do little to keep me away. As soon as you opened the portal, I knew exactly where you were.” He kicked her.

Agony seared her thigh where his boot caught her flesh.

He raised his foot again.

She rolled away, trying to lessen the brunt of his kicks.

“Get up. Let’s go. We have business to take care of.”

When she didn’t move fast enough for him, he grabbed her hair and yanked. The new source of pain ripped a scream from her lips.

He slapped a hand over her mouth and lowered his mouth to her ear. “If you make another sound, I will slit your throat and let the wild animals eat your insides while they’re still warm.”

Fear and pain doubled her over, dry heaving.

Ricardo grabbed her upper arm and dragged her along.

She tried to keep up, but couldn’t. Her foot snagged a tree root, tearing her from his grip, sending her face first to the muddy ground.

She bit her lip to keep from crying out. Her ankle throbbed, blood trickled from numberous scratches.

He lifted her with a jerk, tearing her robe and nightgown on thorns, leaving more gouges on her flesh. “Let’s get to the cave.”

With barely a whisper, she asked, “The cave?”

“Why, yes, my dear,” he said, plowing through the bushes and twiggy limbs. “We are going to have Adriana turn the island over to me.”

He would destroy the island. She knew it.

Survival instincts kicked in, turning her wild. She clawed at his face, scraping out deep grooves.

He yelled and threw her to the ground.

Her ribs smashed onto rocks, the impact making her screech in agony.

“What did I tell you about making noise?” He glanced around then stepped forward and kicked her. “You know what’s ironic,” he said as he kicked her again, “I’ve been tracking you so I could bring you here, and you were already waiting for me.” He kicked once more. “I couldn’t have planned this any better.”

Leaves crackled nearby.

Ricardo whirled toward the sound.

Vivienne tried to see what had made the noise.

“You can thank me, then asshole.” Quick’s tone was laced with steel. “After I kill you.”

Tears of relief flowed down her cheeks at the sound of Quick’s voice.

Bones crackling filled the air, just like in her dream when Quick shifted from a wolf to human form. Was he shifting into his animal?

A ground shaking howl tore through the early morning air.

Ricardo laughed. “Stupid ass shifter. You think you can injure me?” He raised his hands and a bolt of lightning flew from his fingertips.

Quick dove forward, sliding under the oncoming electricity, then swiped at Ricardo.

Ricardo lunged backward, but Quick’s fangs still raked his leg. Ricardo yelled, his face turning red to match the bloom of blood on his khaki pants.

Another deadly bolt shot toward Quick’s wolf, this time hitting him in the chest, sending him flying back, slamming into a tree.

Quick slid down, then slumped to the side.

“No! Quick.” She tried to pull herself off the ground, but pain shot through her body, slowing her down.

Ricardo glanced at Vivienne and laughed. “You are so pathetic.” He turned back to the unconscious Quick, still in his wolf form. “Now to finish this, and finally have the island for myself.” He raised his hands over his head.

Vivienne had to do something. For the first time, she regretted not having the magic to fight. If she made it through this, she swore to learn the gifts she’d been granted.

Ricardo mumbled, chanted.

The air around her became oppressive. She didn’t need to know skills to know what he was doing.

He was conjuring a death spell to kill Quick and his wolf.

She couldn’t let that happen. She had to do something. But what?

She concentrated, called on Adriana in silent prayer, begging her to help her save Quick.

Then she raised her hand and snapped her wrist.

A sapling behind Ricardo bent backward, then whipped forward, catching Ricardo in his knees. He fell with a yelp, his head bouncing off a tree trunk.

And then he was motionless.

Could this be it. Was he dead?

No, she didn’t trust it to be.

She concentrated again, called on Adriana once more to help her, and pulled a tree on top of Ricardo.

Then another.

If he was alive that might not keep him tied up forever, but it would keep him busy while she checked on Quick and maybe could get some help out here.

She looked toward Quick. His chest raised with a breath.

Tears of relief sprang to her eyes. Using the foliage and rocks, she dragged herself to her feet and limped toward Quick. Every step shot agonizing pain through her. She fought to stay conscious, refusing the easy escape her mind promised if she only let herself sink into oblivion.

Stretching toward him, her hand landed on his paw. She squeezed with her last bit of strength to bring him reassurance. To make sure he held on.

Movement in her peripheral vision caught her attention.

Ricardo moaned, and the trees flew off him with a swish of his fingers. He put his hand to his head, and it came back bloody. His eyes fixed on her.

Fury like she’d never seen, rolled through Ricardo.

He crawled out of the foliage. “This ends now.” His fisted hand reached forward, ready to fling a spell.

Drained from casting without the developed mana that witches who were trained would have, she had nothing left to use to fight him.

With her hand on the fur of one man who held her heart, a resigned sigh left her.

A bright light flashed, blinding Vivienne.

“Get off my island.” Adriana’s voice was menacing.

He gasped. “But you’re dead. They said you were.”

“Sorry to disappoint you. Now leave. And never return.”

Vivienne tried to process this. How did Adriana manage to cross the veil? She’d have to ask her. Or Quick.

Quick! She glanced at the wolf next to her. He was still unmoving.

Please let him be all right. Her heart ached thinking he might be gone from her life.

“In your dreams, witch. This island will be mine. With its immense latent power, I will control the planet and every witch and wizard on it. All will bow to me. Starting with you.”

He flung his hands outward.

A dozen lightning bolts shot toward Adriana.

Before the bolts could make impact, a translucent shield appeared in front of Adriana, reflecting the deadly daggers back to Ricardo.

His eyes popped wide. His arms flew up to protect himself as he cowered against a tree.

With a flash that blinded Vivienne, Ricardo was gone.

She couldn’t have said later if it was the lightning bolts that annihilated him or if he vanished just before they struck him.

She turned to look at Adriana, but the spot where she’d been was empty.

Vivienne glanced down at Quick. A single shallow breath told her he was still hanging on, though it seemed a tiny thread kept him alive.

The sounds of leaves rustling in the trees made her flinch.

Now what?

She swallowed hard.

She could hardly breathe from the pain with which each breath wracked her body, and the light was fading, everything drawing to a darkness.