“That would have been when they were holding Charlotte Enright hostage with the intent to kill her.”

“Yes.”

Adam smiled slowly. “And now he’s not the least bit concerned that they may be able to use their talent to escape jail.”

“Nope.” Marlowe ate the last of the energy bar. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

“That Slade’s talent has not only stabilized but that it may be of a slightly different nature than it was before he was caught in that explosion? Yes, that is exactly what I’m thinking.”

“Think it’s going to be a problem?”

“No,” Adam said. “I know him. He got the protect-and-defend gene. It’s encoded in his DNA.”

“The ability to psiblind another talent is heavy-duty stuff.”

“No more heavy duty than our ability to work the Burning Lamp.”

“Okay,” Marlowe allowed. “I’ll give you that.”

“For obvious reasons we will not be making our speculations known to others,” Adam said.

“Absolutely not. People would freak. I wonder if those two hunter-talents will ever figure out why they both went blind.”

“If they’ve got any sense they’ll realize they got off lightly.”

Marlowe frowned. “Think so?”

“I know what I’d do to anyone who threatened to murder you,” Adam said simply.

“Oh.” She smiled. “Right. They’re lucky to be alive, aren’t they?”

“Yes,” Adam said. “But, then, there’s probably a reason for that, as well.”

“What reason would that be?”

“Slade wants information from them.”

“Ah, yes.” Marlowe nodded. “Of course.”

“Like I said, he’s a natural-born crime fighter.”

The office door opened. Rick Pratt, Marlowe’s administrative assistant, put his head around the corner.

“Don’t forget your appointment with the wedding planner, boss,” Rick said. “You and Mr. Winters are due in her office in twenty minutes. Big decision today regarding the flowers.”

Adam groaned. “You know, this would be so much simpler if we just eloped.”

Rick gave him a stern look. “You can’t elope. You’re a Guild boss and this is a full Covenant Marriage ceremony. Your wedding to Marlowe is going to be the social event of the season here in Frequency.”

“I’ve heard that,” Adam said.

Marlowe laughed. “Come on, how hard can it be to choose a few flowers?”

Adam looked at her and fell in love all over again, just as he had the first time she rode into his life on the back of a motorcycle. Marlowe’s love for him glowed in her eyes. He knew it would be like this all the days of their lives.

“I will do whatever it takes to marry you,” he vowed. “Bring on the flowers.”

CHARLOTTE WAS PERCHED ON A STOOL BEHIND THE sales counter, working on her computerized inventory, when the shop bell chimed. She was expecting Slade but it was Devin and Nate who blew into the shop.

They brought a rush of energy from the oncoming storm. The full force of the wind and rain wasn’t expected for several hours but the sky was darkening rapidly. White, foamy crests had appeared on the choppy waves of the deep waters that surrounded the island.

“Miss Enright, we need you to help us pick out a birthday present for someone,” Devin said. “A really cool present like the compass you gave me.”

“Devin says you’ll know just what he wants,” Nate added. “But it can’t be too expensive because we don’t have much money. We can go as high as eight dollars and forty-three cents.”

“Also, it’s a secret,” Devin added. “You can’t tell him.” The boys crashed to a halt in front of the counter. They were aglow with urgent excitement.

“Okay, slow down,” Charlotte said. “First, who is this birthday present for?”

“Chief Attridge,” Devin said. “We’re going to give him a birthday party.”

“To thank him for getting us out of the Preserve,” Nate added. “My mom says it would be a good idea because the chief doesn’t have any family of his own here on the island to help him celebrate his birthday.”

“My grandma said she’d help,” Devin said. “She’s going to make the cake.”

“I see.” Charlotte folded her arms on the glass counter. “And when is the chief’s birthday?”

“Friday,” Nate said.

“So soon?” Charlotte said. “How did you find out the date?”

It was oddly disconcerting to discover that she didn’t know the date of Slade’s birthday. Surely a woman should know that much about a man before she went to bed with him. But things like that weren’t supposed to matter when you were just having a short-term fling. He didn’t know her birthday, either. Well, maybe he did. For all she knew, he had done a background check on her after Jeremy’s body had shown up in her back room. They said the person who found the body was automatically a suspect.

“Grandma told me his birthday,” Devin said.

Charlotte wondered how Myrna had discovered the date. Then it occurred to her that dates of birth were everywhere, from driver’s licenses to job applications. Slade’s birthday no doubt appeared on some of the forms he had filled out when he had taken the job as chief.

“Not much time to plan a party,” Charlotte said.

“We’ve got a lot of things to get organized,” Devin said. “But first we wanted to make sure that we get the chief a really good present.”

“One that doesn’t cost any more than eight dollars and forty-three cents,” Nate emphasized.

“I’ll see what I can do,” Charlotte promised.

Devin grinned. “Thanks, Miss Enright. I knew you would help us.”

The boys dashed out of the shop. Charlotte waited until they were gone before she got up off the stool. Heightening her talent, she walked slowly across the shop, feeling her way through the sea of low-level psi currents that flooded Looking Glass. There had to be some object in the vast collection that suited Slade and his unique aura.

She stopped in front of the glass case that contained a display of objects set with crystals and amber. Something about the watch on the bottom stirred her energy.

She opened the door of the display case, reached inside, and took out the watch. The timepiece was an early Second Century antique, designed by an Arcane watchmaker. It would be a clever reminder of the case that Slade had just worked here on the island, and, perhaps, a memento of their time together.

She touched the pendant at her throat. The dark energy in the watch sang to her senses. She knew she could tune it for Slade.

THE FULL FORCE OF THE STORM STRUCK SHORTLY AFTER ten o’clock that night. Lightning danced in the skies. The fiercely gusting wind whipped the trees and rattled the windows. Rain pounded on the roof.

Slade stood with his arm around Charlotte. Together they watched nature’s special effects through her living room window. They were both jacked. The energy of the storm had stirred their senses. He was aroused in more elemental ways as well, but he didn’t think that he could blame that condition on the storm. Just being close to Charlotte had that effect. Just thinking about her was enough to make him rock hard.

Rex sat on the windowsill. He ignored the storm. He was occupied with the task of taking the gold pocket watch out of the clutch and putting it back inside. He repeated the process over and over as if it were a new game.

“I love storms,” Charlotte said. She folded her arms beneath her breasts and snuggled against Slade, her head resting on his shoulder. “It’s the energy. So thrilling.”

He tightened his arm around her. They had turned the lights off inside the cottage. The strobelike flashes of lightning illuminated Charlotte’s features in all the compelling hues and shades of feminine mystery.

He turned her slowly to face him.

“Thrilling,” he said.

She smiled in the flaring shadows and he was suddenly on fire for her. He picked her up and carried her across the living room and down the hall to the darkened bedroom. There he stood her on her feet.