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I twisted in the roin, but he anticipatedful of air before he grabbedmy arm nearest hied to squeak despite the spots that were once again dancing before rip was on this side of fatal, leaving me just barely alive Desperately, I tried to re I knew about self-defense, but ish and slow to cooperate

"Left for where?"

"I" I threwto knock him off balance, but it was no use "Don&039;t know"

The world swaht I was going to pass out - or die - a bolt of blue fro s heaving as I sucked in air Even as I rubbed ain, I are of the ainst the sun He was tall, taller than me, solidly built, with skin the color of a latte, and thick black hair that came to a &039;s peak in the front He peered upward for a ? You allared at e my neck "Stop the rain"

If he saw the rain cloud, he couldn&039;t be real Then again, Sarah said she saw it too Hethe sahted to stop that particular hallucination if I could"

"Will it away," he de a step toward me

I scrambled backward like a crab, braced and ready to run if he looked like he was going to attack ain "I don&039;t think you can will away hallucinations by just saying, &039;Rain, rain, go away!&039;"

The s was left of it

The man looked at me, one eyebrow cocked

"This just proves it&039;s not real," I gru for an opportunity to run like hell

"You are ot to my knees "What do I look like, a baked potato? Of course I&039;m mortal"

My voice was a croak that sounded almost as bad as er on ain, I will scream bloody reat trouble to illegally sle pepper spray into the country"

He was about to say so, but the wind brushed past us, the hollow note more pronounced Inexplicably, the skin on my back crawled at the sound of it

"Portia?" Sarah&039;s voice sounded distant, and very worried

"Over here," I yelled, slowly getting to my feet, my eyes on the rab ain, I&039;d bolt

"Portia? Did you hear that voice? Oh od, it ful! I don&039;t like to hurry you, but I really think we need to get out of here" She burst through the trees, a frightened look on her face that turned to confusion when she saw the man in front of me "Oh I didn&039;t realize someone else was here"

"The Hash entle shove toward the sheep pasture

"Stop that!" I yelled, twisting out of his grip "If you touchon here?" Sarah asked, stu as she ran down to where I&039;d stopped to face le lare at hi I did not realize she was mortal"

"What the hell else should I be?" I de as if voices hispering dire warnings I shivered, despite the fact that I kneas just the effect of the wind through the circle of trees

"We do not have ti towardIf you wish to live, run!"

"Run?" Sarah asked, looking around

Wordless voices swept past us, setting off ht instinct I didn&039;t stop to analyze the situation, I just acted

"Run!" I screa her with me as I hurtled down the hill

I felt the man&039;s presence behind us as we raced down the hill, stu-buried, primal sense told me I had less to fear from him than whatever it was the wind heralded

Sarah would have stopped by her rental car, but the rabbed the back of my shirt and her dress, and pushed us on, toward a small shed that sat near a curve in the road "Do not stop! Your car is within sight of the hill"

He half dragged us over a low stone wall, shoving us without any cereht into the front bu, "Ooof!"

"Get in," he ordered, opening both doors on the driver&039;s side

"Are you insane?" I snapped, li anywhere with you - "

I like to think of erous situations, but the man in front of ood fifty pounds heavier, and evidently spent his spare ti women into the backs of vehicles, because he had no difficulty in doing the latter He tossed shed no er andthe door behind us

"Hey!" I yelled into Sarah&039;s left hip

"Ohmy rib"

The car lurched forward as the potential ine and slammed his foot on the accelerator

"I&039;ru off Sarah and onto the car floor I flailed around for a ed in between the back and front seats "Ow! That&039;s my head you just kicked!"

"Sorry Hey, you! This is kidnapping! International kidnapping! If you pull over right now and let us out, I won&039;t get my husband, a renowned criminal lawyer, to sue your ass into a life sentence at the nearest penitentiary where you will spend the rest of your days as soirlfriend"

"Stay down or the Hashmallim will see you," was all that the kidnapper said

"Hit him," I whispered furiously to Sarah where she crouched above me on the seat I tried to pull rab to give ain in a voice pitched low enough that just she could hear "On the back of the head Knock him out so we can escape"

Sarah looked wildly around the backseat of the car "Knock hiital camera in it!"

"Oh, for Pete&039;s sake, do I have to do everythinget out of this horrible deathtrap"

Sarah rasp the fabric of the car seat with both hands and heave htly as the kidnapper glared in the rearview mirror at us