Alice looked at Jasper. “An old hunter saying, I assume?”

“Yeah.” Jasper blew out a long sigh. “Egan is a former Guild man—at least, that’s what Kane and I think. Once in a while when Egan is coherent and not rambling about the return of the Aliens, he talks like a hunter who spent a little too much time in the tunnels. We think maybe he got burned real bad somewhere along the line.”

“By one of those energy storms Guild men call ghosts?”

“Right. Ghosts are a hazard of the job. The new Guild bosses are shaking things up with stricter safety codes and security measures. But back in the day when Egan was working the tunnels, things were different. Guys took chances they shouldn’t have taken. A lot of ’em still do, come to that. Now there are the added risks of the rain forest work.”

“It’s no secret that a lot of hunters get singed one time too many and end up on the streets,” Alice said.

Egan stirred, hoisting his sign. “Those who do not seek the third level of Enlightenment will be swept away when the Aliens return.”

He turned and walked down the street. Alice glanced at Jasper.

“Egan seemed quite taken with your painting,” she said.

“I’ve noticed him checking it out a few times.” Jasper watched Egan move down the street. “I don’t know why it fascinates him so much.”

“The picture is stunning,” Alice said. “I can feel the energy in it even out here on the sidewalk. A scene from inside the Preserve, I assume?”

“To be more precise, it’s a scene of a dream about the Preserve,” Jasper said.

“One of your dreams?”

Before Jasper could answer, Fletcher emerged from the gallery.

“Not in this case,” he said. He looked at the picture with a critical eye. “It’s an interpretation of one of Rachel’s dreams. She says Jasper got it pretty much right.”

“It looks like a frozen waterfall,” Alice said. “Or maybe a waterfall made of crystal.”

“That’s close,” Jasper said. “It’s actually a dream vision of what turned out to be an Alien storage vault made of frozen rainstone.”

“Rainstone?” Alice asked.

“It’s a kind of stone that has the properties of both a crystal and a liquid. It’s harder than mag-rez steel in one state, but if you can work the currents locked in the rock the way Rachel does, it can be transformed into a liquid.”

Alice shivered. “That rainstone vault is where Drake’s brother, Harry, and Rachel found one of the missing Keys, isn’t it?”

“That’s right,” Fletcher said. “They nearly got killed in the process, but at least they bought us some time to find the other two Keys.”

“Do they have any idea how one of the Keys ended up in that rainstone vault?” Alice asked.

“Nope.” Jasper shook his head. “It’s a mystery, like so many other things here on Rainshadow.”

Fletcher gave Alice a sympathetic look. “I’ll bet you didn’t expect to spend another honeymoon on Rainshadow.”

Alice winced. “I’m really hoping this one goes more smoothly.”

“Way I heard it, this honeymoon couldn’t be as bad as the first one.” Jasper snorted. “Rumor has it your first husband tried to kill you.”

“Word gets around,” Alice said.

“That’s the way it is in small towns,” Jasper said.

“I know,” Alice said.

“You don’t need to worry about history repeating itself here in Shadow Bay,” Fletcher said quickly. “Not with Drake Sebastian.”

“Hell, no,” Jasper said. “We’ve seen enough of the Sebastian men to know they take care of their own.”

“I’m sure they do,” Alice said politely. “But I’m not a real member of the Sebastian family. As I keep explaining to people, Drake and I are in an MC, not a CM.”

It dawned on her that Fletcher and Jasper were not looking at her. Instead, they were focused on something over her shoulder. She heard boot steps approaching behind her.

Drake came to a halt and looked at her. The gray light glinted somewhat ominously on his mirrored glasses.

“Did I hear my name?” he asked very softly.

She raised her brows, refusing to be intimidated.

“Jasper and Fletcher were assuring me that my second honeymoon on Rainshadow would end on a more upbeat note than the first one did,” she said.

Drake studied her for a long moment. She could not see his eyes but she knew there was some heat in them. She could sense it in the atmosphere. Her intuition warned her that he was recalling hot sex and damp sheets.

After a couple of beats, Drake’s mouth curved slightly in a sensual, deeply satisfied smile.

“Oh, yeah,” he said. “This honeymoon will be different.”

Alice narrowed her eyes, shoved her hands deep into the pockets of her windbreaker, and started walking toward the three men who blocked her path.

“If you’ll excuse me,” she said crisply, “I need to go help Burt get ready for the dinner rush.”

The three men got out of her way. None of them said a word. There was no need. Jasper’s and Fletcher’s hastily suppressed grins said it all.

Alice kept walking. Men.

Chapter 31

BURT EYED THE GLOOMY VIEW FROM THE FRONT WINDOW of the tavern. “Looks like that damn fog is already starting to roll in. I swear, it comes in earlier every day.”

Alice did not look up from refilling the row of empty ketchup bottles that she had arranged on the counter. She had already added an inch and a half of water to each bottle and was now in the process of pouring in actual ketchup from another jar. She used a funnel to get the thick stuff into the bottles.

“Maybe it just seems like the fog is earlier today because it’s been so dark and gray all day,” she said.

“Nope.” Burt turned away from the window. “Pretty sure it’s darker out there over the bay than it was yesterday at this time. Means the dinner crowd will be arriving earlier, too. They’ll probably stay longer and eat more food.”

“Don’t worry, you said the Foundation is picking up the tab.”

“I’m not concerned about the money, it’s the supply end of things that’s starting to worry me. We’re going through food like crazy. I’m telling you, we’ll have to start rationing.”

“Already on it, Boss.” Alice fit the narrow tip of the funnel into the first bottle. “Starting with the ketchup.”

Burt watched her use a spatula to push the thick ketchup into the bottle. When it was full, she removed the funnel, set it aside, and screwed the cap back on the bottle. She picked up the bottle and shook it vigorously until the water was thoroughly mixed with the ketchup. When she was finished, she held up the bottle for inspection.

“There you go, a nice full bottle of ketchup,” she said.

Burt took the bottle from her and examined it with an expression of deep admiration. “Good work. No one will know that you thinned it with water. You are a pro. Where’d you learn the trick?”

“I told you, I’ve worked in the food-and-beverage business off and on my whole life,” she said. “But I must admit that I picked up the ketchup-stretching trick in the orphanage.”

Burt’s forehead furrowed. “You were an orphan?”

“I know, we’re a rare breed.” Alice smiled ruefully. “We’re not supposed to exist. There is always supposed to be some family around to take in a kid who finds herself alone in the world. But once in a while you get someone like me, someone with no next of kin, at least no kin that the authorities can find.”

“But you’re Nicholas North’s great-granddaughter.”

“True, but I didn’t discover that until last year. And come to find out, I’m the last of the line.”

“Geez, that’s gotta be tough,” Burt said. He brightened. “But you’ve got a new family of your own now. You’re a Sebastian.”

“It’s just an MC,” she said lightly. “The family thing is temporary.”

“Yeah, but—”

“The ketchup will pour a little more easily now, but I doubt that anyone will notice the difference.” Alice eyed the row of bottles. “I estimate that with a couple of inches of water in each bottle we can make the ketchup supply last another few days. By that time, Drake will have sorted out the problems in the Preserve.”