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He stood "I’ll be fine" He walked over to Brendal, who held the front door open for hiht attack him helped dull his unnatural fascination with her

Thohost disappeared from view the moment Aden stepped from the porch For some reason, he was only visible--and aware--in the ranch and bunkhouse, not outside in the ele at his skin Should have accepted that jacket The moon was partially obscured by clouds, and there were no stars to be seen The insects were eerily silent

"We’ll begin our tour in the far pasture," she said

Ah, a tour That he could do "I’m not sure why you’d want to see a barn, horses and cows this late in the evening, but coet Aden alone "I’ll show you the way" He uttered a quiet prayer that Victoria wouldn’t follow

Ten bucks says the woood way! Caleb said

You don’t have ten bucks, Julian re the ranch had been oal," Brendal said as they started forward, "I would have chosen one of the other boys"

"I guessed as ry, Victoria had told hins of their oer Aden exhibited signs of power Had she sensed theured out who he was and what he’d done?

No She probably felt the draw of hiht now Without Mary Ann nearby, they all did, all the creatures of this otherworld Soged without regard And because he’d possessed Thomas’s body, Aden no cold fairies were inside Deadly cold Yet, when Thoht Riley, he’d draarmth into him Delicious warmth Was that why they craved power? Did power equal waruessed, and yet you came with me anyway"

"I’e of the pasture, where a wood and wire fence blocked the ani, despite the darkness, because Brendal noed What the hell? She must have sed the sun

"Do you knohat I a any hint of e and white, soirls probably wore to the beach to cover their swi around her ankles "You haven’t remarked on my radiance"

To lie or not? Why not tell the truth? he thought next In this, at least He knew better than most how hard it was to tell truth from lies when the tere intertwined "I know," he said, and settled atop the top post of the fence, as if he were relaxed, as if this conversation was no big deal Casual disregard--rather than fear--would throw her off

Was Victoria nearby? He couldn’t see her

Brendal nodded with satisfaction "Good We can skip the formalities My brother’s final report said that you were the reason ere here That you were the one who summoned us So here we are Why? Why did you want us here?"

Careful A warning from all the souls

"I didn’t, I don’t," he said "It was an accident, su you"

She arched the perfect line of a brow "Yet that accident summoned many others, as well Our eneue that vah They fed off humans, yes, but humans fed off ani himself an animal It was simply the circle of life

"Did you hope to start a war? We have not been together in centuries, and the last tinificantly"

"I swear to you, I don’t want a war to erupt Especially here But I can’t help what I am and what I can do any more than you can"

Her head tilted to the side, and she peered at hi stare--and her unemotional tone, he realized--was familiar Renant idea sprang up Was the doctor a fairy, too?

"What exactly can you do?" Brendal asked

He gave a falsely negligent shrug "I draw creatures, like you said Just not with a pen and paper"

"And that is all?"

"Yes"

"Then you must die," she said simply "Only when you’re dead will the pull to you cease"

He didn’t hop off the fence, didn’t try to run away One, he didn’t knohat she could do, ability-wise And two, he didn’t want her to know she’d spooked hiain

"You won’t kill me," he said with more bravado than sense Or certainty

"No, I won’t," she replied, surprising him "Yet Where is my brother, Aden? And do not lie to me I have lived for more centuries than you could comprehend I knohen my huerous territory

Tread carefully, Elijah suggested Your next words are highly iht be his last? Yeah, he’d surmised that For all he knew, Brendal could teleport hi Elijah’s vision of Aden’s final h, isn’t she? Caleb continued