I woke up a few hours later to him nuzzling my shoulder. I moaned and went to wiggle on my side to face him. We both froze when we heard a thump outside. Loud; too loud to be random.

Finn sprang up and grabbed his knife from the table. Shouts rang out. There was another thump. The building rocked. Finn ran outside, bare-assed, holding his knife. As the door swung shut behind him, he called out, “Bar the door.”

I tugged on my leathers and rushed to the door. If the killer wanted me, he could have me. No more kids were going to die. I darted outside. And it was damn dark. I could barely make out my hand in front of my face. No moon, but a couple of large stars, much larger than at home, dominated the night. There were no guards in sight.

I heard a commotion to my right and ran toward the sound. A voice snarled, and there was a thump. The air started to chill as I peered around the corner of the next home. A lone cloaked figure stood silhouetted against the night sky. Faint laughter tinkled in the air as the figure turned and saw me.

I knew that laughter. This was an Imani. Blood pounded in my ears; I heard ringing as my hands curled into fists. The figure slithered in my direction. My teeth gritted while my insides quaked in fear.

Finn slammed past me, his knife arching toward the figure. The knife got stuck in the air surrounding the man. It went in an inch or so toward him, then stopped. What was up with the shield?

He caught Finn’s arm, but the Imani’s gaze remained focused on me. The air grew even colder. The figure laughed again. Finn kicked hard into the Imani’s knee, knocking him over.

“Are you stupid? Beta, get inside. Now!” Finn shrieked at me as he hammered blow after blow down on the figure. Another guard joined him.

Shaken, I bounded back to my room and barred the door. Then I moved so I’d be behind the door if the murderer burst through. I grabbed a random bottle from Ute’s shelves and waited.

For some reason, seeing the Imani made it more real. I couldn’t fight this guy. He had some weird shield, and I saw how easily he held Finn off.

Blood filled my mouth, and I realized I’d bitten my tongue. The taste reminded me of home, the accident, the copper on the wind. It reminded me of what the Imani had done to my world.

Finn and another man shouted outside. Crazy ass laughter rang out. Fear shot down my spine. My heart raced.

Thud.

Thud.

Voices approached. My breath frosted the air. I centered and could feel him breathing. The killer was right outside my door. I knew it. Before, the cold made me want to run, but I wasn’t going to run anymore. I went into the fighting stance Hana showed me. Heat pooled, combating the chill. I started to lean down to unbar the door as it rattled in its frame.

The killer laughed, fingers scratching down the wood. His voice, high and light, flat without the echo of the Fost, murmured, “Elizabeth? Do you remember me, Elizabeth? I remember you…I cannot wait to renew our acquaintance.”

He slammed his fist against the door once.

I jumped back, bottle raised. The cold gradually receded, but I couldn’t relax. I stumbled back to sit at the table. A few minutes later, Finn blasted inside.

“It was him. Lands be damned; it was him. We had him.” He raged around the room, knocking over books, kicking chairs. He slapped his fists on the table.

Finn was still naked; he had a cut at the corner of his mouth, and blood dripped down his face. A large bruise stained his side, blending with his marks.

I watched him vent; my mind reeled. The Imani were here for me. Did I bring them here, or were they already coming?

“And you, what were you doing out of your room? I told you to bar the door.” He loomed over me. His brows beetled. “What is wrong?”

“Nothing.”

He leaned forward “What happened?”

I glanced down with a specific look and turned my eyes away.

He put on pants with a muttered expletive. “Tell me what happened.”

“He knows me. He told me he wanted to renew our acquaintance. This is about me. He’s here because of me.” The murderer’s voice echoed in my head, like the laughter. I knew it. I knew him. His eyes flashed across my mind. Those white eyes I kept seeing. Was that the murderer?

Finn pointed at me. “He will never have you. That I promise you.”

“Those kids are dead because of me!” I cried.

“No, no, none of that now.” He knelt in front of me, hands on my waist. “They are dead because of him and him alone, no one else. He chose to hurt them. He enjoys hurting them. There is no remorse. He did not have to kill them; he could have run. He did not. You did not cause this. You did not bring him here; more than likely he brought you here. You are not from this planet.” He took in a deep breath. “He is our enemy, and we will kill him for this.”

His mouth captured mine, once, twice. I was sitting there, my forehead braced against his as he knelt before me when Marin entered.

“What happened?” Marin asked, straight to the point.

“He attacked her guards. Luc is dead, Berin wounded. We were awake and heard the commotion. I had assigned more guards after the second murder, so there were four of us. He still managed to get around us to the door. The door was barred, or he would have had her. More guards came and he ran off. He headed toward the entrance to the valley. I have not heard from the guards there.” Finn never moved his forehead from mine.

“He talked to me,” I added, my head rising. “Through the door. He said knew me, and he could not wait to renew our acquaintance. He’s definitely after me.”

Marin strode up and lifted my chin. “We will not let him have you.”

Finn growled agreement, hands tightening on my waist.

Marin gazed at me, ignoring Finn. Sparks ran beneath my skin where he touched. His thumb grazed my lip.

I blinked up at him. Whoa.

Finn knocked his hand away.

The door opened again as Ute and Torrin entered. “What happened?”

The room was getting way too crowded for cuddling. I got to my feet and washed my hands in the basin, as Finn repeated the story.

Marin stood in the middle of the room. “Elizabeth cannot stay here now. We need a plan.”

“What do you mean, I can’t stay here?” I twirled to face him.

Finn moved in front of me. “She is not going anywhere.”

Marin held up his hands in a “peace” gesture.

“I meant here, here.” He pointed around the room. “Everyone knows where she has been staying. The Imani knows where she is now. We know he is after her. And as we saw, one of our people is helping him. We cannot defend her here. This is the middle of town, too many possible casualties, and too many places to hide. We need a better place to keep her. Without Finn and the extra guards, we would have had many more bodies out there tonight, hers included.” Marin let that settle in.

“For now, Finn, see what you can smell. Ute, Torrin, help him. I want to know if anyone was nearby who should not be. I am having all the people stay in their homes, except for guards. We need to find him and whoever is helping him.”

Finn tromped out, Ute and Torrin in tow.

Marin approached me and rubbed my shoulders.

I put my hands on the washstand and let my head drop forward.

“How are you?”

Whirling, I wrapped my arms around him and let out a breath. I wanted contact. I needed someone to hold me right now.

He wound his arms around me and rested his cheek on my hair.

“I’m okay.” I wasn’t okay but I didn’t want to talk. I needed to know what was going on, which was fast becoming my mantra.

Tears swam across my vision, but I couldn’t cry. I didn’t know if I could stop once I started. No. I wouldn’t let this bastard make me cry. I tightened my arms around Marin.

His hands drifted lower, pulling me close.

Whoa again. I looked up and I knew it was deliberate, that motion. His savage intelligence gleamed at me, along with something else. I was secure in the knowledge that this man would protect me. I never doubted that, from the second I saw him in the clearing. It just now occurred to me he might want something more as well, which was stupid, because he’d come damn close to kissing me by the lake. I’d tried to forget that. Not sure why.

He inched closer; his breath mingled with mine. I breathed out as he breathed in. I felt heat gather in the pit of my stomach and lightning race along my skin. His lips curved. His head dipped. I burrowed my head in his neck at the last second. His hands formed a fist at my back.

God, I just slept with Finn and here I was, almost kissing Marin; guilt crashed through me in a sick wave. Juggling two men wasn’t for me.

I untangled myself and moved to the table. I brushed my hair back and took a deep breath. “You hungry?”

Marin’s eyebrow rose.

“For food,” I clarified, flushing.

He ran his hands down my face. “I am hungry for a lot of things. As I think you are now aware.” With a smile, he relented. “But I can have the guards bring food.”

“Better bring enough for all of us.”