Open right now! The picture was vivid in her mind, and the command was strong. Still, she was totally shocked when the earth above her parted and she could see the floorboards of the cabin.
Excited, Shea climbed out of the chamber and resealed the entrance with another sharp command. Feeling proud of her newfound powers, she entered the cabin using the trapdoor. She needed the human act of taking a shower to give her the illusion of normalcy. She doubted she would ever be able to give up her human ways entirely.
Far away, Jacques lifted his head in alarm. Blood gushed in a warm trail down the hunter’s neck to his shoulder. Cursing, Jacques bent once more to feed. How had Shea woken without his permission? Was she really so strong that she could resist his commands? She should still be asleep, yet she was outside the protection of the chamber. He had to hurry.
Shea stepped off the front porch dressed in clean clothes, her hair still damp. It was impossible to find a sign of the life-and-death struggle that had taken place the morning before. She could only conclude that Gregori and Jacques had cleaned things up. It occurred to her that the Carpathians had been doing so for hundreds of years and were probably experts at it.
The thought turned her stomach, and she wandered out under the trees. The leaves collected raindrops and dumped them on her head, but she didn’t mind. It made her feel a part of nature. She didn’t want to go too far in case Raven needed her protection, so she walked along the pathway to her herb garden. She bent to touch a leaf, battered and bruised by the pounding storm. A shadow crossed her mind, dark and sinister. She found herself shivering uncontrollably. She straightened quickly and whirled to face the tall, pale stranger as he emerged from the forest.
He was physically beautiful, breathtaking. Shea had never seen a more handsome man. His eyes were deep set and sad, magnetic. It was impossible to tell his age. His smile held sorrow. “I am sorry I startled you. I can hear your heart beating.”
Shea took an involuntary step backward, mainly because she wanted to step closer to him. His pull was strong, and she felt caught in a spell. “Who are you?” Her voice was a whisper of wonder.
“Do you not know me? I have searched the length of the world for you. Why did you not answer my call?” His words were mild, but they held a hiss of anger.
Shea held her ground, but her mouth had gone dry. “I’m sorry, I don’t know you. I’ve never seen you before in my life.”
“You woke to my call. You came here to me. You are my beloved Maggie. If your desire was to punish me with your silence, you have done so thoroughly. Now you must forgive me and come away from this place and from the one whose stench is all over you.” This time, his voice dropped to a low snarl.
Shea fought down the desire to call for Jacques. “Are you Rand?”
He stepped closer to her, and her stomach lurched in protest. “How is it you do not know me? Were you injured? Has the dark one destroyed your memories and planted his own?”
Shea pressed a hand into her protesting stomach and took another step into the forest to put distance between them. “I don’t understand. Why do you call Jacques the dark one? I thought that expression was reserved solely for the healer.”
The hiss was deadly. “He is evil, Maggie. He and his brother tried to destroy us. I thought they had taken you from me and I was right. The crazy one plotted his revenge, and he lured you to his place of death, and now you are trapped in their web of lies.” He advanced again, and, like a macabre dance partner, Shea retreated.
Was this her father? Was this Rand? Had he really been searching for Maggie, believing her alive all this time? He seemed so tormented, so sincere, she wanted to comfort him, wanted to put her arms around him and hold him, yet something held her back. “I think you’re confusing me with my mother. I am Shea O’Halloran. If you are Rand, then you are my father.”