Haven shrieked louder when she was whirled around so her back was pressed against her attacker’s chest. The man’s hand reached for her face. His sweaty palm clamped over her mouth, stifling her cries for help.

She squirmed in his grasp, but her efforts only made him squeeze her tighter.

“Stop fighting,” the man said.

Calmness washed over her. It was the same kind of feeling that overcame her when she’d fight with Stephen. Magic. He’d used magic on her. Her attacker was using it right now.

“I’m going to enjoy killing you, even if you are a pretty little thing,” the man said. She struggled against his hold, but it only made him tighten his grip. “Shhh, don’t fret. I’m not going to kill you yet. Only Darius knows how to harness the bloodline magic.”

Haven forced a breath in through her nose. It was time to focus. She was a witch. Surely she could find a way to fight him, but how? There was a small bubbling sensation in her stomach. It too, was usually there when she fought with Stephen. Maybe that was her magic? Now, to harness it.

Haven drew in a deep breath and closed her eyes. Everything in her wanted to keep fighting, but she forced her limbs to stop struggling. Focusing on the bubbling energy inside her, she coaxed it. The energy grew brighter, hotter, inside of her. She continued to focus on it.

“That’s a good girl, no more fighting,” the man said. He released her mouth and smoothed his hand down her cheek to brush hair out of her face.

The energy she was trying to harness faltered inside her. Nausea curdled in her belly at the touch. Why was he doing this? Why play with her before killing her? Who cared? It gave her a chance to harness her magic. Focus.

Haven licked her lips and focused on the energy swirling inside her again. She coaxed it forward, hoping it wouldn’t always be this difficult. It grew stronger and hotter. Now she needed to figure out how to use it.

Her attention went to the man’s arm, still snugly wrapped around her. He started to speak to her again, but she ignored his words. She glared at his arm waiting for something—anything—to happen.

She closed her eyes and gritted her teeth. Come on, already. She opened her eyes when the man behind her hollered.

His hands were gone. She was free of him. She spun around to defend herself from further attack, but froze. Her attacker was nowhere in sight. She whirled around in a circle, searching for him.

He was gone. It was like the other night, one minute she was one place, the next somewhere else entirely. Could she teleport? It was the only explanation for how she kept ending up in different places when she was in trouble. That was a pretty cool power. She just needed to learn how to control it. Maybe she could poof herself back to Essex’s house and let him know there were people near Emerick.

“Haven,” a man said from behind her.

Haven twisted and stumbled. She tried to catch herself but ended up on her butt. The rock she landed on jabbed the back of her leg, and she grunted from the pain.

This wasn’t the same man from earlier. It was someone different. He wore a long black coat that almost seemed to float around him. His long black hair was slicked back, and his beard went all the way down to his chest.

He held out his hands, as if gesturing to her that he meant her no harm. Yeah, right. People who didn’t mean you harm didn’t pop up in the middle of the woods like a creeper.

“Relax, Haven. I don’t want to hurt you.” He took a few steps forward, but stopped when she scooted backward across the ground.

The action caused the rock to rub against her leg, scratching it. If her leggings weren’t ripped yet, they were now. Pain exploded over her leg, causing her to whimper.

She kept her gaze on the man, watching, waiting for him to do something. If he tried anything, she was going to... What? What would she do? She didn’t have control of her magic. The first chance she got she was learning every spell, incantation, and anything else to help her use her active magic.

“Haven, do you know who I am?” the man asked.

She narrowed her eyes.

“The man that is trying to kill me,” she said with a growl.

He frowned and took a step forward. She shot her hands up and glared. “Don’t come any closer.”

The man froze. “Haven,” he said, his voice dropping low. “I’m not here to hurt you.”

She snorted. “Yeah, right.”

“Please, Haven, come with me. I just want to talk to you. I want to help you.”

Temptation to give in and follow him pressed against her conscience. She shook her head, forcing the thought away. There was no way in hell she was going anywhere with him.

“Haven.” He said her name again as he reached out to touch her.

“No!” she screamed. She thrust her hands out. Energy raced through them, sending the man flying backward. His back hit a tree. The trunk crackled and the tree swayed violently but stayed upright, even as the man slipped to the ground.

Howls bellowed in the distance. Haven didn’t wait to see what the man would do; she shoved herself to her feet and took off through the woods.

Her heart beat frantically in her chest, her breath coming in uneven pants while her thighs burned. Still, she pressed on, forcing her aching limbs and lungs to keep moving. She had no plans to die today. All she had to do was make it back to Essex. He would keep her safe. She couldn’t explain why she felt that way, but it was an overwhelming feeling that she couldn’t shake.

The howls grew louder. It was more than just Essex looking for her. A lot more than just him. She didn’t know how many wolves there were, but there were a lot. Their barks grew louder.

“Essex,” she cried out. She gasped and drew in a deep breath and called out again. “Over here.” She wheezed and coughed, but still continued to run.

A wolf was in the distance. She waved her arms in the air. It must have seen her, because it howled and made a beeline for her.

The wolf sniffed her and rubbed its head against her leg before darting off into the woods in the direction of her second attacker.

More wolves followed after him. Haven put her hand over her heart, it was still beating a mile a minute, and she collapsed on a fallen log.

She was safe. Her eyes trailed over the path to where the wolves had gone. Would they be okay? Would the man hurt any of them? She swallowed hard. If they were injured because of her, she’d never forgive herself.

Angry tears pricked her eyes. She’d been tricked. There had never been a child in the woods. The bastards had lured her out there. She was such an idiot.

She swiped a stray tear away and stood up, glancing around. A woman was marching up the trail. Her auburn hair was swept up and her blue eyes landed on Haven.

The woman offered a smile and a wave. “Hi.”

Haven drew in a deep breath and went to meet the woman. “Hi.”

“I didn’t get to meet you yesterday, I’m Maggie, Lucas’ wife and mate.”

“Haven,” she said lamely.

The woman held out her hand and Haven took it, shaking it before letting it go. She looked over her shoulder to the woods where the wolves had disappeared.

“Don’t worry about them. They’re fine.”

Haven frowned at the woman. “How can you be sure?”

“They’d howl if there was a problem. My guess is they’ve just scared off whoever was out there.”

“I didn’t mean to stray off the trail. I thought I heard a child crying.” It sounded lame now that she was saying it out loud.

“Don’t beat yourself up. It could’ve happened to anyone.” Maggie put a hand on her shoulder. “Why don’t you walk back with me? Essex and Lucas will join us once they finish sweeping the woods.”

“Essex is out there?” Her heart skipped a beat. The men were after him, too.

Maggie patted her shoulder. “Essex is a skilled fighter, and the other wolves won’t let anyone get the slip on him. He’ll be fine. Promise.”

Haven stared at the trees for a long moment, but eventually gave in when Maggie put her hand on her elbow and tugged her along.

“You don’t seem surprised by the wolves. I’m guessing Essex spoke with you.” Maggie glanced Haven’s way. When Haven only nodded, she continued, “It’s a lot to take in, I remember how overwhelming it was when I first learned about it.”

“It answered some questions I’ve had for a long time. I guess I’ve always suspected there was something more in the world,” Haven admitted.

“Well, at least you have that. I’m human. I grew up blissfully unaware until a vampire started stalking me.”

“You were stalked by a vampire?” Haven asked.

Maggie nodded. “My sister fell in with the wrong crowd. She started dating a guy... a vampire. He got rough with her, so she left and came home to our town. He found her and killed her on accident, or so he said. When he found out she had a twin sister, he became fixated on me... like it was his second chance with my sister.” She shuddered and hugged herself.

“I’m sorry. That sounds horrible.”

Maggie nodded. “It was. I was terrified. Thankfully MYTHS found me and brought me here.”

“MYTHS?” she asked.

“It’s a super secret magical society, more or less.” Maggie shrugged.

“And Emerick is a protected town,” she said, remembering what Essex had told her.

“Exactly. By the time MYTHS hunted down and detained my stalker, I’d fallen in love with Lucas. I can’t imagine leaving here. I never thought true love was real, but the moment I saw Lucas, I knew I was a goner.”

“So, he’s your mate? What does that mean?”

“I’m sure someone else could probably give you a better explanation, but it’s just a feeling that starts the second you meet the other person. The more you’re around them, the more you crave their touch and affection, the more you want to get to know them. Once the mating is completed... I’m not sure I could describe it to you. A hundred good looking men could be in a room, but the only one who would matter would be Lucas. The two of us have a connection, too. I can sense his feelings and know when he’s happy, sad, scared. He’s the love of my life.”

“That sounds nice.” It was too bad she didn’t believe in all that nonsense. Some of it even reminded her of the butterflies she got around Essex, but she wasn’t naïve enough to think it was real. It was just the craziness of the past few days playing with her.

“It is. I can’t imagine being with anyone else or living anywhere else. I’m truly happy here.” Maggie stopped and grasped Haven’s hand. “I hope you’ll be happy here, too.”

Haven smiled at the young woman. It wasn’t until she looked over Maggie’s shoulder that she noticed they were back in town and standing in front of Essex’s house.

“I have an appointment in a few minutes, or I’d stay and chat. If you ever want anyone to talk to or have questions, stop by my place. I’d be happy to talk with you. Oh, and tomorrow night is the first full moon of summer. We have a huge bonfire and celebration. You should come out and join us.”

“Thanks. I’ll do that.” She wasn’t much of a social person, but from what she’d seen of the town, it was tiny. If she didn’t do something, she might go crazy.

Maggie waved to a woman who was standing on the front porch of Maggie’s home. “I’m the town’s doctor.”

“Really?” Haven asked. Maggie looked really young. She had to be fresh out of med school.

Maggie nodded. “So I’ll see you tomorrow night, right?” She shuffled backward toward her house with a smile.

“Sure,” Haven said.

Maggie clapped her hands once and then hurried to her house and greeted the waiting woman with open arms. The two spoke for a few moments before disappearing inside.

Haven went to Essex’s, sighing as she opened the door. The house was empty, not that she should expect him back anyway. How long would she have to wait for him to return? She wasn’t sure she could rest until he was back safe and sound.

The need to see him safe for herself was overwhelming. It was more than wanting to make sure he was okay because he’d chased a psychopath into the woods. It was... well, she didn’t know what it was.

She plopped down on the couch and tucked her knees to her chest. She hoped Essex showed up soon.