“When did the Preserve go into private hands?”

“Good question. Shortly after the Era of Discord, a corporation called Amber Sea Trading Company claimed most of Rainshadow under the old Exploration Laws that were established to encourage private exploration and development.”

“When did the legal entity called the Rainshadow Preserve Foundation come into existence?”

“A few years after staking a claim to the island, Amber Sea Trading established the Foundation to govern the Preserve. It’s been under the control of the Foundation ever since. Halstead left a phone number to call in the event that anyone else gets lost inside the Preserve. The Foundation will send out a search-and-rescue team.”

“Why do you think you can go into the Preserve without getting lost?” Charlotte asked, very thoughtful now.

“Damned if I know. I have to assume it’s got something to do with my talent.” Or what’s left of it, he added silently.

“There must have been at least a few similar hunter-talents on some of the early expeditions.”

“Which may explain why some of the teams were able to get at least partway into the Preserve,” he said. “But evidently that kind of talent wasn’t sufficient to allow full exploration of the island.”

“Have you encountered anything inside that stops you?”

“Not yet. The night canyons are the most serious obstacle I’ve come across so far. And I sure as hell wouldn’t go swimming in any of the ponds or lakes now. But thus far I haven’t experienced the extreme disorientation that the survivors who have been pulled out by the Foundation’s search-and-rescue teams have reported. I’ve only gone in twice in the past week, though. I haven’t had a chance to do much looking around.”

“Planning on going in again anytime soon?”

He was amused. “You want to go in, don’t you?”

“I’ve never forgotten that first visit.” Her voice turned wistful. “I’ve even dreamed about it from time to time over the years.”

“I’ve had a few dreams about the Preserve, myself,” he admitted. “I’ll take you back inside.”

“Okay,” she said. “I’d like that.”

“But not tonight.”

There was a faint rustling in the undergrowth at the side of the road. Rex went very still on Slade’s shoulder. He sleeked out and his second set of eyes, the amber pair that he used for hunting, snapped open. He bounded down to the pavement and vanished into the woods.

“Ugh,” Charlotte said. “Nature in the raw.”

“What do you expect? Dust bunnies are omnivorous and they are predators.”

“That may be true, but as far as I’m concerned, there’s a reason why grocery stores were invented. Makes things ever so much tidier.” She glanced toward the night-shrouded woods where Rex had disappeared. “I take it he doesn’t have any trouble navigating the Preserve with you?”

“As far as I can tell Rex has no problem at all inside. But dust bunnies get around in the Underworld just fine, too. They seem to be well-adapted to heavy psi environments.”

He stopped. Charlotte stopped, too.

“Something wrong?” she asked.

He aimed the beam of the flashlight at the graveled lane that intersected the road. “This is your driveway.”

She smiled. “Good thing you noticed. It’s so dark out here, I didn’t even see it. If I’d been on my own, I would have kept walking.”

They followed the narrow, rutted drive through the trees and into a clearing. With the canopy of overhanging branches gone, the starry night sky sparkled and glittered in all its glory.

Charlotte looked up. “It’s incredible, isn’t it?”

He watched her face, fascinated. He could have watched her all night long, he thought. In spite of the control he was exerting over his senses, he went a little hotter.

“Yes,” he said. “Incredible.”

“This was one of the things I have always loved about the island,” she said. She headed toward the front steps, fishing her key out of her purse. “Back in Frequency the city lights combined with the glow of the ruins make it impossible to see anything but the moon and the brightest stars. But here the night sky is always an amazing sight.”

He followed her up the steps, wishing he could think of a way to make the night last longer.

Charlotte’s cottage was set on a bluff overlooking a rocky cove and a handful of small, neighboring islands. Unlike his own spartan cabin, her place had a quaint, cozy look. Small and compact, it consisted of two floors, a gabled roof, and a wraparound porch. Baskets of flowers hung from the eaves of the wide, overhanging roof.

He studied the scene for a couple of seconds, trying to understand why Charlotte’s cottage looked so different from his own. It wasn’t just the flowers, he thought. There was something else about the place. Then it came to him. It looks like a home, he thought.

Charlotte was just about to unlock the door when the vast waves of eerie green light flooded across the heavens. The night lit up as though it had been ignited by supernatural energy. She gave a small shriek and jumped. The key clanged on the wooden porch.

“What in the world?” she gasped. “Oh, my goodness, look, an aurora. You can see them only a few times a year here on the island. Atmospheric conditions have to be just right.”

“I remember seeing an aurora the summer I worked at the marina,” he said. “This is the first time I’ve seen one since then.”

She laughed. “Maybe it’s a good omen, hmm?”

“It’s a natural atmospheric phenomenon,” he said. “Not an omen.”

“Give me a break. Surely a man who can come up with a phrase like canyons of night can allow me a little poetic license here.”

He smiled. “You’re right. Maybe this is an omen.”

He switched off the flashlight and guided her down the steps to get a better view of the spectacular display.

“Talk about special effects,” Charlotte breathed.

“No movie studio could produce a light show like this.”

The brilliant green lights crashed and cascaded endlessly across the night sky, creating an otherworldly effect that dazzled all of the senses.

Energy heightened in the atmosphere. Slade realized that Charlotte had jacked up her talent a few degrees in order to savor the full effects of the aurora. His own senses responded, not to the rippling, glowing lights in the sky but to Charlotte’s energy.

He knew then that he had miscalculated badly. He had told himself that sex with Charlotte did not have to be complicated, just a simple case of two adults who were attracted to each other acting on that attraction. But he had been wrong. Sex was going to be very complicated. In that moment, however, entranced by Charlotte’s upturned face and the air of wonder and fascination that shimmered around her, he did not give a damn about the potential complications.

He put his arm around her shoulders, acutely conscious of the delicate, feminine body beneath the light sweater she wore. Her scent stirred the banked fires deep inside. He turned her toward him. She did not resist.

“Charlotte,” he said. And stopped because he could not think of what to say next.

“I know, I know,” she said, her voice a little husky now. “You’re not long for this island. You’ve got plans for the future that don’t involve hanging around here. We’re just two talents passing in the night, blah, blah, blah.”

“I may have said blah, blah, blah, but don’t think I actually said that we’re just two talents passing in the night.”

She put her hands on his shoulders and smiled up at him. Her eyes were luminous pools of mystery.

“How about two talents who happen to find themselves stranded together on an island,” she said.

He pulled her closer. “I don’t think I said that, either.”

“No, I did.”

“That works.”

He brought his mouth down on hers and kissed her beneath the radiant green night skies. Heat and energy flashed in the atmosphere. Charlotte made a small sighing sound and melted against his chest. Slowly, he reminded himself. You don’t want to screw this up by running too hot.

But the fires of passion were already flaring and getting hotter by the heartbeat. Against his better judgment he deepened the kiss. It was okay. He could handle this. He was in control. It was just a kiss.

Charlotte’s mouth softened and opened under his. He felt her fingers tighten on his shoulders. A shiver swept through her. The knowledge that she was responding to him was making him reckless.

He eased his hands down her sleek back until his palms rested on the enticing curve of her hips. He cradled her snugly against his thighs. He heard Charlotte’s sharp breath when she felt his erection through the fabric of his jeans.

“What’s the matter?” he asked into her ear. “Didn’t you realize how much I want you?”

Her fingers clenched tighter around his shoulders. “It’s not that,” she said tightly. “It’s just . . . never mind.”

She kissed his throat and then he felt her teeth on his earlobe. There was a sense of urgency about her now, as if she was suddenly desperate to leap off an unseen cliff. He almost laughed.

“It’s okay,” he said. “We’ve got all night.”

“No,” she said. “We don’t. We need to do this now. Before I—Never mind.”

“Before you what?”

“It’s not important now.”

“Whatever you say. Maybe we should find a bed, first?”

“There’s one in my cottage.”

He scooped her into his arms and carried her up the front porch steps. She managed to find the key where she’d dropped it, fumbled, got the lock opened, and then they were inside.

“The lights,” she whispered. “On the wall.”