But she would not make that mistake again.

7:00 a.m.

“What do you mean, you don’t know where he is?” Sidonia glared at Mercy. “Didn’t he stay here last night?”

Mercy set the table for four, instinctively knowing Judah would join them. Wherever he was, he hadn’t left the sanctuary. If he had, she would know. She felt the presence of every living creature within the boundaries of their nine hundred and ninety-nine acres. Her domain. Her responsibility.

“He didn’t stay inside the house,” Mercy replied. “But he is still here.”

“Humph.” Sidonia busied herself with meal preparations but kept glancing toward Mercy, checking on her. As Sidonia took ingredients from the cupboards, her back to Mercy, she said, “I heard the phone ring quite early this morning…”

“Gideon called. There was a fire at Dante’s casino. He’s fine, but apparently there was extensive damage, enough so that the fire will probably be reported on the national news.”

Mercy sensed Judah ’s presence the moment he entered the room, only seconds after she had spoken.

“I’m surprised that one of your Raintree psychics wasn’t able to predict the fire,” he said.

Mercy didn’t respond as she crossed the room to the pantry, removed paper napkins and laid one at each place setting. Sidonia glowered at him but also said nothing.

“We need to talk,” Judah told Mercy. “Privately.”

“Sidonia is preparing breakfast. Will you join us? Eve will be down soon, and I assume you would like to see her before you leave.”

Judah ’s lips curved slightly, as if he were amused with Mercy. “Interesting. A Raintree being hospitable to an Ansara.”

“Not just any Ansara. You are, after all, Eve’s father.”

“A fact you would prefer to forget, one that you kept secret from me and your brothers for six years.”

“I can be reasonable if you can,” Mercy said, finally looking directly at Judah. She wished she hadn’t. He was not a man she could ignore on any level. Physical, mental…sexual…

“And being reasonable would entail…?” he asked.

“I am willing for you to visit Eve. We can arrange a-”

“No.”

“If you prefer not to see her, that’s-”

“I prefer to take her with me.”

“I won’t allow you to do that.”

“I didn’t say I would take her with me, only that it’s what I’d prefer to do.”

The kitchen door swung open. Wearing pink footed pajamas and carrying a seen-better-days stuffed lion in one hand, Eve bounded into the room. She rushed first to Mercy, who scooped her into her arms and gave her a good morning hug and kiss. With Eve on her hip, Mercy eyed Judah. “We will finish our discussion in private after breakfast.”

“Is Daddy going to eat breakfast with us?” Eve asked.

“Yes, he is,” Mercy replied.

Eve squirmed until Mercy set her on her feet, at which point she walked over to Judah and looked up at him. “Good morning.”

“Good morning.” Judah studied his daughter.

Eve waited. Mercy knew her child expected Judah to respond to her in some fatherly way, to ruffle her hair or kiss her or begin a conversation with her. When he didn’t, Eve took matters into her own hands. She held her stuffed lion up in front of her, showing him to Judah.

“I have lots of animals and dolls,” Eve said. “This one is my favorite. I picked him out myself when I was little, didn’t I, Mother?” She glanced at Eve, who nodded agreement. “His name is Jasper.”

Judah ’s expression hardened as if Eve had said something that upset him.

“Are you mad at me, Daddy?” Eve asked.

“No.”

“What are you thinking?” Eve stared questioningly at Judah. “I can’t read your thoughts at all, but that’s okay. Mommy won’t let me read hers, either.”

“When I was a boy, I had a pet lion-a real one,” Judah said.

“And his name was Jasper, wasn’t it?” Eve beamed with delight, as if she had solved some important puzzle.

“Yes” was all Judah said.

Eve lifted her arm, reached out and grasped Judah ’s hand. For an instant her eyes flickered, turning from green to gold and then back to green. Mercy’s heart stopped for a millisecond.

I imagined it, Mercy tried to tell herself. But she knew better. Something powerful had occurred between Judah and Eve, even if neither of them was aware of it.

Mercy knew. She felt it down to her bones.

All during breakfast, Eve chatted away like a little magpie, filling Judah in on her likes, her dislikes, her daily routine. Basically, she told him the story of her life. Mercy picked at her food, but Judah ate heartily.

“If you’re finished, we can go into the study now,” Mercy told Judah as she scooted back her chair and stood.

He glanced over his shoulder at Sidonia. “The breakfast was delicious. Thank you.”

Sidonia snarled, giving him a withering glare.

He chuckled, then tossed down his napkin and stood. He waved his hand in a gentlemanly gesture and said, “After you.”

Eve hopped out of her chair. “Me too.”

“No,” Mercy said. “You stay here with Sidonia. Judah…Your father and I need-”

“You’re going to talk about me.” Eve planted her hands on her hips and frowned. “I should be there so I can tell you both what I think.”

“No.” Mercy shook her head.

“Yes.” Eve stomped her foot.

“You will stay with Sidonia.”

Eve looked at Judah. “I want to go, too. Please, Daddy.”

Before Judah had a chance to respond, Mercy said, “Enough, young lady. You will stay with Sidonia.” She glared at Judah, daring him to contradict her.

Suddenly an empty glass flew off the table and crashed against the wall, then another and another. Within a minute, every dish, glass and cup on the table flew into the air, whirling around in a frenzy, then one by one crashed to the floor and smashed into shards of glass and pottery.

Mercy narrowed her gaze and concentrated on her daughter, using her powers to counteract Eve’s and put an end to the temper tantrum. With each passing year, Eve’s talents grew stronger, and Mercy knew that the day would come when her child’s abilities would surpass hers. She prayed that by that time Eve would be mature enough to handle such awesome power.

“You will do as your mother requested,” Judah said. “You will stay with your nanny.”

Knowing she had been defeated, Eve puckered her lips into a pout and managed to squeeze a single tear from one eye.

“Sidonia, be sure that Eve cleans up the mess she made,” Mercy said. “And I don’t want you to help her.”

“Daddy!” Eve looked to Judah to save her from her punishment.

Ignoring Eve completely, Judah grasped Mercy’s arm and led her out of the kitchen. As soon as they reached the hallway leading to her study, Mercy jerked away from him and paused to regain her composure.

“She’s quite a handful, isn’t she?” Judah said.

“You sound rather proud of that fact.”

“Would you rather she be some sniveling, weak little mouse?”

“I imagine you were a handful when you were a child, weren’t you?”

“I still am,” he said, his tone teasing.

This was the Judah she remembered, a charming man with a sense of humor. If only she had known all those years ago that beneath the charm lay a wild beast, one capable of ripping out her heart. She walked away from him, down the hall to the open study door. With out looking back, she knew he had followed her. Once they entered the study, she closed the door behind them.

“Please, sit down.” With the sweep of her hand, she indicated a specific chair.

He sat, lifted one leg and crossed his ankle over the opposite knee, then leaned back in the chair and looked up at her.

She sat across from him, on the sofa, and folded her hands demurely in her lap.

“Eve is my child. She is Raintree. I will not allow you to harm her, and I will never allow you to take her.”

“You aren’t leaving us any room for compromise.”

“You’re right, I’m not.”