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  Darci would never forget the look on the woman’s face when she realized that she was going to die. It was surprise more than anything else. She had begun to think that she couldn’t be defeated; she’d begun to think she was immortal.

  In the last second, the witch opened her arms as though to embrace all the hate that she had caused, and the spirits around her clasped her to them, covering her, making her human body part of their bodiless spirits.

  Darci thought she was used to spirits and what other people thought was strange, but even Darci’s eyes widened when she saw the spirits pull the witch’s soul from her body and lift it out. They took it away to a place that Darci didn’t want to see, and when the spirit was gone, the witch’s old body collapsed to the floor, dead.

  For a moment, Darci opened her eyes and looked around her. It was quiet in the tunnels. To her right was the cage full of children, sleeping now, their auras once again with them, auras that were now blue and green, one creative little fellow’s yellow, one daredevil’s aura pink and red.

  Smiling, Darci thought how good it was to see them well and healthy once again. She also thought how good she felt, a bit tired but not much. Turning slowly, she looked at the black end of the tunnel where she’d seen the angel. Or had she? Had she really and truly seen an angel? The angel? And what was it he’d said? At the moment she couldn’t remember.

  I must find Adam, she thought, then turned as though she meant to walk away. But she didn’t take a step before she collapsed on the floor, and that’s where Adam found her hours later.

  When she awoke, she was in a hospital and Adam and many of his family were there. Even her mother was there, which surprised her more than everything else that had happened. Seeing an angel was more normal than seeing her beautiful mother at her bedside. And Darci was told that her mother had risked her life to save her.

  Now, smiling, Darci came out of her trance of memory and was horrified to realize that she hadn’t been protecting Jack. The man stalking him was very close to him. Jack! she said in her mind, wanting to warn him, but now that Millie’s spirit was no longer around him she couldn’t talk to him with her mind. Not directly anyway, not with words, and not quickly. She knew that if she took her time she could send him thoughts, but the ability to actually talk between minds was something she shared only with her husband. And she couldn’t paralyze the man, for he was too far away.

  She knew that there was only one way to help Jack and that was the human way. Standing up, she put her head back and gave a scream that she knew would carry through the forest.

  She felt Jack turn, felt that he had stopped his assailant, but in the next minute a shot rang out. Darci felt a burning pain in her shoulder and thought, My goodness, I’ve been shot.

  In the next second she couldn’t see or hear anything.

  “Don’t die on me now, baby sister,” Jack said as he bent over her, gently smacking her cheeks. “Wake up, honey.”

  “I’m all right. I’m sorry. I didn’t do what I was supposed to do.”

  “As far as I know, you haven’t done what you were supposed to do since the day I met you. Tell me, in your whole life, have you ever done what you were supposed to do?”

  She tried to sit up, but Jack pushed her back down to the damp ground. “Where are they?” she asked.

  “Don’t you know? I was hoping you’d be able to tell me. I took two of them out, but there’s another one around. Tell me where they are.”

  “I don’t know,” Darci said, holding onto the front of Jack’s leather jacket. “I can’t feel anything. This can’t be happening to me again. What year is it?”

  “Ssssh,” Jack said, ducking down to lie flat beside her. “I heard something.”

  For a moment they lay in silence, listening, but there was nothing they could hear over the gentle rain.

  “Listen to me and don’t argue. I’ve got to get both of us out of this. There’s something really wrong about all of this and I mean to find out what it is.”

  “Jack,” Darci said softly, “are you hurt?”

  “Just a little. Probably less than you are, but it’s enough that I’d like to get out of here.”

  “Help me up and we’ll go to the car.”

  “Can’t. They took it. I saw them drive off in it about thirty minutes ago.”

  “How long was I out?”

  “About an hour. I didn’t want to wake you as long as you were dry, but the rain has seeped in under even this monster tree, so we’ve got to move.”

  “Jack, contact the FBI. Greg would be here in minutes.”

  He acted as though she hadn’t spoken. “I haven’t heard anything since they took off in my car. Listen to me and this time I want you to obey me. I’m going to carry you to a shed that’s behind the cabin and leave you there.”

  “Leave me! Then what do you do?”

  “What I came here to do: Find my father.”

  When Darci moved, she felt the pain in her shoulder, but she didn’t want to look at the wound. If it was bad she feared she wouldn’t have the courage to go on. “I’m going with you. There’s someone else here. I can feel him.”

  “Sure it’s a ‘him’?”

  “Yes. Very male and powerful energy.”

  “That’s got to be dear ol’ dad,” Jack said with a smile that held a trace of pride in it. “Can you stand up? I’m going to put you over my shoulder and carry you that way. I’m afraid that my left arm is out of commission for the moment.”

  “Jack, please…” Darci began as he helped her stand. “I can walk. I can—”

  She broke off when Jack knelt and put his shoulder into her stomach. The next second she was being carried through the forest. Since she was touching him, she could feel some of what he’d just been through when fighting off the three men. Without any help from me, Darci thought in disgust.

  “Jack, I really am sorry,” she said against his back.

  “Save it for later.” Moments later he stopped at a little toolshed in the back of the cabin she’d only seen from a distance.

  “There’s only one man in there,” she said as he set her down. “And he’s in no danger. And I no longer feel any danger around here. Not to you and certainly not to the man inside.”

  “Nice try, Mrs. Montgomery,” Jack said, “but I think I’ll do it my way.”

  “Okay,” Darci said, looking at him hard and willing him to not be aware that she was going to be right behind him. “I’ll just wait for you to come back and get me,” she said demurely, again willing him to believe her. She’d let him down once, so she wasn’t going to let him down again.

  Jack set off toward the back of the cabin, through tall weeds and piles of winter logs. Not far behind him, Darci walked slowly, being careful not to move her arm. It hurt, but she willed herself to ignore the pain.

  When Jack reached the back door to the cabin, he plastered himself against the wall, gun drawn, then grimaced when he saw Darci across from him. He pointed at her, meaning for her to stay where she was.

  Jack silently tried the latch of the door; it was unlocked. Raising his fingers to Darci, he counted to three, then grabbed the latch and flung the door open. A yard behind him was Darci.

  Inside, it was an ordinary-looking cabin, with the requisite pine furniture and a stone fireplace on the far wall. Sitting in the middle of the room was a man with a newspaper before him. They could see his profile and he didn’t look up when Jack burst in with his gun drawn.

  “There’s hot coffee in the kitchen,” the man said in a deep voice. “And hot chocolate. Help yourself.”

  “Mr. Hallbrooke,” Jack said in a very official voice. “I’m FBI agent Jack Ainsley, and I have come here to rescue you.”

  The man turned a page of his newspaper, but he didn’t look at Jack. “Don’t be ridiculous, John. You’re my son and I brought you here.”

  Before Jack could reply, Darci said, “There’s a car coming.”

  The man turned another page of the newspaper