“I’ll be in soon,” Hu Chang said. “I believe there’s something that I have to discuss with Catherine. I’m guessing that you didn’t do it on the way here.”

“And interfere with your business? I wouldn’t do that.” His smile had an element of mocking mischief. “But get it over quickly. She’s been through a lot tonight.”

“I should have been with her. I was not pleased when you left here without saying a word.”

“If I’d needed you, I would have used you.” He entered the hut. “Turn off the headlights when you come in. I only left them on so that Catherine could—Ah, that’s what I was expecting.”

Luke had pushed past him and stood in the doorway. “Catherine?”

“Oh, my God.”

She stared at him, stunned. She felt dizzy, drunk … and terrified. She couldn’t breathe. “Luke. What are—”

“I can’t see you. The light’s in my eyes. Are you okay?” He was coming toward her. His hair was mussed, and his expression was strained. “Hu Chang said that we’d get you out safe but then Cameron left and I didn’t—”

“I’m fine.” She ran toward him. “You shouldn’t be here. You have no business—” She touched his hair. It was soft, warm from the fire. “It’s all wrong. You shouldn’t have let him bring you, Luke.” She looked over her shoulder at Hu Chang, and said fiercely, “Dammit, you knew better that to risk him. What insanity led you to do this?”

“He wanted to come,” he said simply. “Sometimes it’s best to follow desire instead of reason.”

“And sometimes it’s better to be responsible and do what’s right. I’m not going to forgive you for this, Hu Chang.”

“Then I must bear the pain.”

“No!” Luke said. “Stop it, Catherine.” His dark eyes were glittering in his taut face. “Don’t you blame Hu Chang. I’m the one who decided I was going to come. I would have come after you whether he’d brought me or not. You were in trouble, and you were alone. I needed to be with you.”

“Tell her why, Luke,” Hu Chang said.

“I can’t tell her what I don’t know. Hu Chang talked a lot of weird stuff about souls speaking and how I had to learn…” He frowned. “Well, I haven’t learned what he wanted me to learn. All I know is that I’m here where I should be, and I’m going to stay with you until it’s over.” He stared her in the eye. “You’re not going to send me away, Catherine.”

“Luke, this is crazy. You’re scaring me to death.” She stared at him helplessly. “You’re my son, you’re only a boy. I can’t stand by and let you—”

“I’ve tried to listen to you, Catherine. But you don’t know me.” He swallowed. “I know who you want me to be. I’ll never be able to be him. I can’t be anyone but me, what I am,” he said unsteadily. “Maybe you could get to like me that way, too. But you can’t do it unless you see me for who I am.”

She gazed at him, stricken. “Luke, I love you. I think you’re wonderful. I’d never want you to be anything you didn’t want to be.”

He repeated, “You don’t know me. If you let me stay, maybe you will. I promise I won’t hide anything from you.”

Oh, God, she had the feeling she was on the edge of a precipice. It could be a disaster, or it could be the beginning of something …

She didn’t know. She could only follow Luke’s lead. She was afraid to do anything else. “Look, I have to find a way to keep you safe. But I promise I won’t hide anything from you either.”

He smiled. “You don’t have anything to hide. I knew that from the minute you came to get me from Rakovac. It was all there out front.” He took a step closer and gave her an awkward hug. “I’m glad you’re safe, Catherine. Next time, I’ll be there to watch out for you.” He turned and started to trot back into the hut. He stopped and turned to Hu Chang. “You see that she gets out of the cold. Can’t you see she’s barefoot?”

“It’s been called to my attention.”

She watched as Luke disappeared into the hut. What had happened just now? She was bewildered and frightened, and yet, there was the tiniest seed of hope.

“I only wanted to do what was best for him. I wanted him to have a normal life after what he’d gone through,” she whispered. “But was I doing it for him or for myself? Have I been such a coward that I came close to losing him, Hu Chang?”

“You will have to answer that for yourself,” he said quietly. “I can only say what I’ve told you before. He was born of a remarkable mother, and his hard life honed and sharpened him until he, too, is remarkable. You have to accept that remarkable people have to be allowed their space.”

“And all the rules and guidelines are thrown out the window? I tried so hard to let him know I didn’t want to smother him.”

“He knows that. He’s worked it all out for himself. He’s even put you both in a position where you’ll have to work the rest out together.” He smiled faintly. “You should be proud of him.”

“Proud? I’m terrified.”

“And proud.”

“Yes, I think so.” She was remembering Luke’s expression, his intensity, the sincerity. It had shocked her, but there had also been another sheer primitive emotion that could have been deep maternal pride. “I don’t know. The last thing I needed was to have to start reworking a relationship under these circumstances.” She whirled on him. “And you could have helped. You could have tried to persuade him to stay in Hong Kong.”

“I could have,” he acceded. “But he is your son. Would you have listened and obeyed?”

No, and neither would the boy she had faced tonight.

Hu Chang said softly, “He has been thinking, and waiting, and this was his time.”

“What about Cameron? He got you up here, didn’t he? Why did he permit it?”

“You will have to ask him.”

“But he did know you were bringing Luke?”

“I’m sure you’ve found that it’s difficult to keep anything from Cameron.”

“Why would he—”

“You’re having trouble blaming me, so now you attack Cameron?”

“Why not? He has broad shoulders. I’m sure he can take it.”

“Hu Chang!” It was Luke calling from the doorway.

“Ah, yes, the boy is still concerned about your bare feet.” He waved. “We’re coming. Catherine decided it wasn’t worth her time to chastise me. We’ll be right in.” He reached into the jeep and turned off the headlights. Darkness except for moonlight and the faintest light streaming from the tiny window of the hut. “You’d best hurry. Luke will be upset with me if you’ve developed frostbite. He had a lesson from Cameron earlier on resistance to the elements, but I don’t believe he relates it to you.”

“Cameron, again.” She moved quickly toward the hut. Her feet felt ice-cold now that she had become aware of them. “I don’t want Luke’s learning anything from Cameron.”

“You’ll have a hard time keeping Luke away from him. The fascination has started to take hold.” He shook his head ruefully. “Once that happens, it’s all over.”

“You’re speaking from experience?”

“Yes.”

“It would take a lot to fascinate you.” She stopped at the door. “I have to know about Cameron, Hu Chang.”

“You know more about him than a good many do right now.”

“Bullshit. Not enough. He can do anything with Erin, and he might be as dangerous as Kadmus to her for all I know. I have to know everything if I’m going to protect her.”

He stared at her thoughtfully. “Are you sure that’s all?”

“What do you mean?”

He tilted his head. “It’s no more than I expected. He’s curious about you. He’d naturally make an effort to draw you closer. Fascination…”

She stiffened. “No way. I just have to know. Will you tell me?”

“I’ll consider it. Although there could be some element of threat connected to it.”

“You mean that old chestnut about ‘if I told you, I’d have to kill you’? Cameron’s already used that on me.”

“Really? He threatened you?”

“No, he said he’d try very hard not to kill me.” She smiled recklessly. “So you see, you have nothing to worry about.”

“I’m beginning to see many things.” He opened the door for her. “And one of the things is that you may need more knowledge than I thought necessary to get you through the next weeks.”