Half-expecting Finn to end his attack when she got involved, she held steady, meeting each powerful press of power with one of her own.He wouldn’t hurt her, of that she was confident. She had no intention of harming him either. This was a training exercise. A demonstration. A damn test.Finn had a point to prove.But if he wouldn’t stop, she was prepared to make him.“End this,” Pearl warned, just as her feet left the ground, her body Levitating a few inches in the air.“I already told you, Princess. You’ll have to make me.”Shadows danced from her fingertips, twinning down the bolts of Light like vines. At first, the two facets of herself mixed like oil and water. Then, finally, the dark, inky ether consumed the Light. Spreading to Finn’s magic, the Shadows eclipsed his power—the moon blocking the sun—until there was nothing left.Threat demolished, her power rebounded back into her, snapping with a forcefulness that made her stumble as she crashed back to the mat, just barely keepi

She was moving for the door when he said, "Wait. I had a question for you: "Aren't you that cop?She lowered her head, grabbed the box, and made a hasty exit from the store.When two of her neighbors pretended they didn't notice her, the short distance to her flat on the fringes of the "cool" neighborhood where the old houses were still being repaired seemed to take an eternity. Though guilt gnawed at her, Pearl reminded herself, as the shrink had advised her, that they weren't acting that way because they believed she was responsible for her partner's murder during a botched heist at a liquor shop. Like the majority of her friends and family, they just ran out of things to say because Benz had been dead for months and she was still acting as if her closest friend had passed away.Except that he had. And it was her fault. Not because she’d done anything wrong, but because she hadn’t done anything. She'd gone cold. simply stood there as a drug addict on his third strike started firing.

Instead, Finn headed for the small log cabin he’d built near the standing stones, zipping his jacket and shoving his hands in his pockets as he hiked along the two-mile path. The blood moon lit the night with the eerie blue-white light that was almost as bright as day, though monochromatic. By the time his cabin came into view, the air already carried a chorus of excited yips and deeper, spine-shivering howls.His cabin, little more than a single long room with a central chimney and big hearth, was laughably rustic as far as the pack members were concerned. He had used human-style insulated windows, though, and had a lycan-tech generator for power. He had left the lights off tonight, though, and the moonlight that bathed the cabin lit it blue-white, making it seem like it was…Oh, shit. Glowing. Finn’s pulse kicked, because he knew from past experience that it wasn’t the cabin doing the glowing. There was a vortex forming in the standing stones!Finn took off at a run. As he came arou

Concentrate. Stop transferring data. Not fantasizing, but getting out of here. Janet thought, but something in her mind told her she should never question this man, that he would never hurt her, and that he was her savior. And something inside her wanted to take control of her thoughts, her emotions, and her feelings.Janet, don't resist me. We are all one. Please let me in.The beautiful voice continued to tell her... Janet wondered whether she was becoming insane, if she was possessed, or if she was simply losing her mind."Here." Finn dug into his backpack and pulled out a second sweater. "I figured you’d want another layer, unless your coat is one of those fancy jobs with really thin insulation.""It isn't," she said, slipping out of her leather and taking the sweater from him. It was black in color, thick and lightweight, almost airy, with a faint roughness that suggested some dreamy version of wool. "Okay, so you carry a sword, but you know about Thinsulate," she added, needing

Not long after he was back in the Realm of Red after so many ventures in the human realm, Finn discovered that his mindspowers worked on all females, regardless of what realm they came from. When he had physical contact—as he had just now, touching Janet’s hand—he could implant suggestions, even orders. That was how he’d kept the others from knowing certain things he didn’t want her to, and how he’d initially pushed Almera to protect him—until she figured out what he was doing, and went for his throat. After that, he had told her everything, and instead of killing him, she had decided to help him, instead. And thank the gods for that. Although Almera hadn't been able to send him home, the pack's alchemist had given him the portal counterspell and, more lately, had been working on some new poisons she felt would work on beings of dark magic, like the Fire King. Furthermore, Almera had assisted him in determining the limits of his mind-speaking abilities in the lycan realm, and they had