A low rumble and change in motion woke Magna from her restless slumber. She blinked several times and frowned when she tried to remember where she was. Her body, while still wracked with pain, felt lighter – almost empty. For a moment, fear choked her as she did an internal inventory of herself. She did not feel the pressure that had plagued her since the alien took over her body.

Tears blurred her vision, then slowly trailed down from the corners of her eyes. It was gone. The creature was finally gone.

Rolling onto her side, she let the sobs of relief wash through her, cleansing away the pain of her long imprisonment. She held her left arm close to her body as she buried her face in the pillow. After several minutes, she finally felt more in control, of herself and she took a deep, shuddering breath.

A startled hiccup escaped her when she caught the musky scent of a man. Carefully pushing herself into a sitting position, she blinked several times to clear her vision when the world suddenly tilted. She stared blindly down at the pillow for several seconds before everything came back into focus.

Turning her head, she carefully surveyed her surroundings. A frown furrowed her brow as she scanned the strange room. It was different from any ship’s room that she had ever seen before. For one thing, it was cramped and noisy.

Her breath caught when the sound level decreased before disappearing altogether. Tilting her head to the side, she waited until she felt a gentle bump. When she didn’t feel any more movement except the gentle rocking of the boat on the water, she decided it was time to plan her escape. She would slip over the side while the crew was busy. She could return to the deep abyss that had become her home and live out her days in its darkness.

She pushed aside the coarse blanket covering her and slid her legs over the side of the bed. Grabbing a long railing attached to the wall, she struggled to a standing position. Her knees trembled, threatening to give out. She leaned against the wall, sliding her right hand along the surface to stay upright while she cradled her left arm against her body. A soft whimper slipped out when she accidently jarred her injured arm. She closed her eyes as a wave of pain washed through her.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” a deep voice demanded.

Her eyes snapped open to stare at the man. She gasped when her trembling legs gave out beneath her. A low, painful cry burst from her lips when she instinctively reached out with her left hand to steady herself. She felt the edge of darkness threatening to swallow her again.

“Aw, shit,” the man exclaimed, wrapping one arm around her waist and the other under her knees. “Stupid woman. You’ve got no business standing up. What the hell were you thinking?”

Magna let her head fall back against his shoulder as he tenderly cradled her in his arms. A scowl creased her brow at his words and she glared at him through the tears in her eyes. Her lips were tightly pinched together to keep any more sounds from escaping, but his comment had rubbed her the wrong way.

She raised her head. “I am NOT stupid,” she declared, blinking rapidly to dispel her tears before she warily laid her head against his shoulder again.

Clamping her lips together, she refused to say anything else. It wouldn’t matter anyway. The man would probably call her things much worse than stupid once it dawned on him who she was. If he was from the Isle of Pirates, she’d be lucky if he only left her in a cage hanging above the water to die a slow death.

That would indeed be a cruel way to die, so close to her beloved water, yet unable to touch it. Once again, waves of grief and despair flooded her. If only she could slip beneath the surface of the water. She would find a place no other creature would ever venture and claim it for herself.

A Few Minutes Ago:

---

Gabe shut off the engines to the trawler. Glancing upward, he saw Kane watching from the deck of his house. He quickly tied off the bow and stern lines before turning back to the lower galley. It would take Kane a few minutes to get down to the dock.

Impatient to see how his ‘catch’ was doing, he descended the steps two at a time. He hoped the woman hadn’t bled out all over his bunk. A movement in the shadows took him by surprise. The last thing he would have expected was to find the half-dead woman not only standing up but, from the looks of it, trying to escape.

A loud curse burst from his lips when he saw her startle. He didn’t mean to scare her, but he was so alarmed to see her up that the curse slipped out. He reached out, barely catching her as she collapsed. He carefully lifted her in his arms, trying not to hurt her unnecessarily. Any movement was likely to be painful, which was why she should have stayed in bed as long as she could.

“I am NOT stupid,” she defiantly mumbled, laying her head against his shoulder.

He grunted, not wanting to debate their differences of opinion until Kane at least took a look at her. Still, he couldn’t quite keep from smiling in amusement at her defiance. Shaking his head, he turned on his heel and gingerly retraced his steps back up to the top deck.

He was almost to the stern of the main deck when he saw Kane stepping onto the dock and heading toward them with a sour expression on his face. Gabe stepped from the boat onto the dock. He glanced down when he felt the woman in his arms stiffen, but she didn’t complain. Her face was paler than before, and her eyes were now closed. His jaw tightened when he saw the lines of pain etched around her mouth.

“Sorry,” he muttered, before turning his attention to Kane. “She’s got a bullet hole in her left shoulder. I didn’t see an exit wound, so I think it’s still in there. She’s in a hell of a lot of pain.”

“I thought you were out on the boat all day. Where the hell did you find a woman with a bullet in her?” Kane demanded, taking in the situation in one glance.

“I was. I fished her out of the ocean,” Gabe retorted, pushing past Kane and heading toward the trail that led up to his house.

He could feel Kane’s eyes burning a hole between his shoulder blades as he walked up the path. It was quite a hike up the side of the cliff, but he was used to it. Climbing the staircase, he silently made his way up to the back deck. He strode across the stained faux-wood decking and pulled open the sliding glass door.

“Stay!” he ordered, glaring at the two Huskies that raced into the family room. “Damn it, Buck! Will you move your big ass?” Gabe snapped. “Wilson! Kane, grab that damn hairball.”

“Wilson, stay!” Kane demanded as he slipped through the door and closed it before the hundred-pound Husky pup could dart out. “Get your nose out of my crotch, dog. Damn, Gabe, why can’t you get a normal pet?”

A soft, strained chuckle escaped the woman in his arms. Gabe glanced down and almost tripped on the hall rug when he saw amusement mixed with pain in her vivid green eyes. He grunted an apology when she hissed at the sudden movement.

He turned into the guest bedroom and crossed to the bed, stepping over and ignoring the prancing dogs who kept darting in his path and brushing against his legs. He gently lowered her to the soft covers. It was impossible to ignore how thin she was as he placed her on the bedspread. She felt like she was about to fade away in his arms. When he saw the bright red blood seeping through the bandage he had taped to her shoulder, concern about the bullet wound made his voice sound harsher than he meant.

“Kane!” Gabe barked out, starting to turn.

“I’m here,” Kane said with a raised eyebrow. “Go fix some food for us, I haven’t eaten all day. I’ll take care of her.”

Gabe opened his mouth to protest, but the look on Kane’s face warned him that now wasn’t the time to argue. With a grunt, he looked at the woman’s pale face before he nodded. Walking past Kane, he paused to look at his friend.

“Thanks,” he muttered.

Kane returned his intense stare with a crooked smile. “I want salmon, grilled, with shrimp, and a salad,” Kane replied with an easy grin. “Soup for our patient. I’ll see if she is allergic to anything and let you know.”

Gabe nodded, glancing over his shoulder one last time before he ushered the dogs out of the bedroom and closed the door. He leaned back against the polished wood paneling and listened to Kane quickly asking the woman if she was allergic to anything. Her softly spoken ‘no’ barely carried through the door. Pushing away, he decided he would make her a bowl of cream of chicken soup.

“Come on, boys,” Gabe ordered in a soft voice. “I’m starving. Let’s go make some dinner.”

Buck and Wilson gave low rumbles of approval and wagged their tails. He followed the two gray and white Huskies as they hurried into the kitchen, then pulled out the pans he would need, and reached into the freezer to pull out some fish. He would have preferred fresh, but beggars couldn’t be choosers.

Magna stared up at the male named Kane. Her gaze flickered to the black bag he carried in his right hand. He sat down on the bed next to her and placed the bag beside him. He studied her for a moment before he opened the bag.

“What will you do to me?” she asked in a barely audible voice.

“I’m going to take a look at that wound in your shoulder,” he responded in an easy voice, giving her a reassuring smile.

She watched as he pulled items out of the bag and carefully laid them on the small bedside table. She waited in tense silence as he worked. Clearing her throat, she pushed past her fear and asked the question that had been brewing as she’d taken in the details of the unusual dwelling.

“What kingdom is this? I have been to all of them but the home of the giants. Is this it?” she asked.

Kane paused for a moment before he shook his head. “The only giants that I know of live in New York. Are you allergic to any medications or have any medical issues that I should know about other than a gunshot wound to your shoulder?” he asked.

Magna grimaced as she glanced down at her shoulder. “No.” If they weren’t in the Isle of Giants, where was she? And where was New York?

Kane nodded and tapped on a clear vial. Magna watched as he inserted a small, metal needle into the vial. Panic gripped her when he pulled some of the clear liquid into the narrow tube.

“What are you going to do?” she whispered in a tight voice. “I… This… liquid, do you plan to strike me dead with it?”

Kane looked at Magna in surprise. “Of course not,” he said with a scowl. “I’m going to numb the area around the wound so that it doesn’t hurt. You really should be at the hospital for this. Do you know who shot you?”

Magna frowned. “It was the first time I had seen a male of his species. I’d only seen the woman who married my cousin. He came to my world because I brought Carly Tate to Drago, but you and the other male, Gabe, are of the same species as they are…” she said in a quivering voice as he picked up a pair of scissors. “Why do you help me? It is dangerous for your kingdom. Surely your king knows of my misdeeds and would order you to destroy me.” She took in a hiccupping breath. “I will not fight you. I hoped….” She wearily shook her head. “Drago should have finished the deed that Orion could not.”

Kane paused and looked down at her with a frown. “So…it wasn’t Drago or Orion…?” he asked.

She blinked in confusion. “Of course not. Drago and Orion have no need for such weapons as the one Mike Hallbrook used on me,” she said.

Kane froze. “Mike Hallbrook? As in Detective Mike Hallbrook of the police department? The one who disappeared?” he asked with a stunned expression.

Magna frowned. “I do not know. He said his name was Mike Hallbrook before I warned him to escape. The spell… it would have killed them,” she whispered, growing silent at the memory.

Kane shook his head and focused on her wound.

She kept her gaze on his face while he carefully cut off the blood-soaked bandage covering her wound. An unexpected rush of feelings washed through her that had nothing to do with the questions he had asked her and everything to do with the two men.

This one seemed to be the exact opposite of the other one in both coloring and mannerisms. Gabe was darker, harder, and rougher. Kane, on the other hand, was lighter in color with dark-blond hair that reminded her of the sun-kissed sand along one of the beaches off the coast of the Isle of Monsters. Although Gabe had been surprisingly gentle with her, his touch was far different from that of the man touching her now. Kane’s touch was light and efficient, though his fingers lingered against the flesh near her shoulder.

She winced when he pulled the bandage back. He frowned as he studied the damaged skin, then gently pulled the bandage off and set it and the scissors on the table before he picked up the long, thin needle again.

“Spells? Species? Kingdom? That’s a new one. Sounds like something out of a fairytale. I haven’t been spoken of like that before. By the way, what is your name?” Kane asked as he numbed the skin around the hole in her shoulder.

Magna’s eyes widened. “You do not know who I am? Surely you have heard of me?” she whispered in shock, wincing with each sting of the sharp needle.

He studied her face intently for several seconds before he shook his head. “Nope,” he replied with an apologetic smile. “Now lay still while I see where this bullet is. If I can’t get to it easily, I’m afraid I’ll have to insist that you go to the hospital.”

Magna’s eyes widened even further when she saw him reach for a long, metal device with teeth. Realizing what he intended to do, she shuddered. She could heal the wound much better without the barbaric methods of torture this man intended to inflict on her.

“Wait,” she whispered, closing her eyes and licking her lips as she drew on the small amount of energy she had regained. She opened her eyes and stared up at him. “I will remove the metal from my body, but I will not have the strength to close the wound. You will have to use your skills to do that.”

“You’ll… Listen,” Kane began. He lifted his hand to prevent her from harming herself, then paused when he saw the center of her palm begin to glow with a supernatural light. His mouth dropped open when she raised her right hand, held it over her left shoulder, and wispy silver threads emanated from her palm into the wound “What the….?”

She whispered the incantation for a binding spell and concentrated on the silvery threads forming in the palm of her right hand. Sweat beaded on her brow as she focused on the image in her head. The silver threads flew down into the wound in her shoulder and grasped the metal bullet. Her fingers shook as the energy it took to cast the spell drained her limited strength. She panted as the strands wrapped around the metal. Even with the numbness from Kane’s injection, she could still feel the slide of the metal against her torn flesh as it moved upward.

She raggedly cried out and arched her back as it pulled free. She could feel fresh warm blood pour from the wound. Grasping the bloody metal in her right hand, she held it out to the pale man sitting beside her.

“I… must… sleep,” she whispered, her eyelids fluttering as she released the metal into his upturned palm.

“Who the hell are you? What the hell are you?” Kane asked in a hoarse voice.

For a moment, Magna fought against the sleep threatening to overwhelm her. Opening her eyes, she looked up at Kane with a sad look of resignation. Once he knew who she was, perhaps he would be merciful and take her life while she slept.

“I am… Magna,” she forced out as her eyelids lowered again. “I am… the Sea Witch.”

Kane studied the woman’s face. It was thin, and dark shadows made the areas under her eyes look almost bruised. Although she looked very young, the faint lines near the corner of her eyes and mouth showed that she was older than he had first thought.

He softly cursed when he saw the red stain spreading across the remnants of her white gown. The physician in him kicked into high gear, efficiently depositing the bullet on the sterilized disposable instrument tray he’d brought with him. He picked up some gauze and staunched the flow of her blood. Rinsing the area with a saline solution, he made sure there was no foreign debris in the wound, and then he sutured it.

Once he was finished, he cleaned up the supplies. His mind raced through what he knew about Magna – the Sea Witch. If he were honest with himself, he would admit that he was still shaken by what she’d done to remove the bullet. His eyes moved to the lead bullet on the tray, to her shoulder, then to her hand. Reaching down, he picked up her right hand and turned it over. He ran his thumb across her palm and froze, his eyes locked on the thin webbing between each of her fingers.

He replaced her hand at her side and began a thorough examination, mentally noting each detail and storing it in his memory. Her hair was long, black, and thick, but there was something about it that was bothering his sensibilities. Picking up a handful, he was surprised at how soft it was. Normally, if someone had been in the saltwater as long as she had been, their hair would feel stiff and grainy.

Her skin was soft as well, devoid of any salt crystals. He traced a path down her neck and then paused. Bending closer, he tilted his head and studied a two-inch vertical line on the left side of her neck. Blue markings in the shape of scales were clustered along the line.

Fascinated, he ran his fingers over the scales. They were smooth and warm. He quickly pulled his fingers away when they changed colors, rippling a darker blue with black and silver threads. The combination reminded him of the ocean.

He didn’t know what was going on, but Gabe – and this woman – had a lot of explaining to do. After all, it was the least they could do, considering he’d just put his medical license on the line. He continued his examination, trying to keep his touch as impersonal as possible, despite the heat warming his blood every time he touched Magna. With any other patient, he wouldn’t have thought twice about it. However, his blood and body were literally growing warmer and it had nothing to do with the room temperature or his clothing.

Kane frowned when he touched Magna’s side and felt her ribs. She was extremely thin, as if she had been starved. He added that information to his mental list of observations along with the dark shadows under her eyes, the lines of exhaustion around her mouth, and the gunshot wound. Memories of his own time in a war zone came back to him. He had seen his share of men who went through hell and returned as only a shell of who they had been when they first arrived.

He finished his exam and pulled up the duvet from the foot of the bed to cover her. A soft sigh slipped from her at the added warmth. He silently cursed himself. Between the chill in the room and her injuries, he should have realized she would be cold.

“Some doctor I am,” he muttered in self-disgust.

Compelled to touch her once more, he tenderly ran his fingers along her pale cheek. His breath caught when she turned her head and rubbed her cheek against his palm. Muttering a curse, he pulled his hand away and stood up. It was time that he and Gabe had a very serious talk.