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lobby area. My hands were shaking and cold. Even though I hadn’t seen what was coming from the fire, my insides were knotted in fear. I knew what it was. It had no name. But I could feel its wrath and devouring hunger.
    “Dae!” Kevin put down a tray of tea he’d brought into the room. “Sit down. You look terrible. How do you feel?”
    “Thanks.” My voice trembled, and I fell back against the chaise. “That’s what a girl always wants to hear from her new fiancé.”
    “Are you hurt? Did you hit your head?” He stared deeply into my eyes. “The cowboy said you’d passed out after he handed you one of his stupid horses. I wanted to hit him in the head with it.”
    “No more than I deserved.” Jake walked out of the shadows, his hands in the pockets of his dirty, wrinkled jeans. “I’m so sorry, Dae. I didn’t understand. Are you all right?”
    I didn’t know how to answer. I couldn’t find the words to express how hurtful his actions had been. Handing me a piece of ancient history with no preparation, no safeguards, was as though he’d thrust me into that fire. I couldn’t believe he’d do something like that. He was my friend.
    “I think you should leave.” Kevin’s voice had a dangerous edge to it. “You’ve seen that she’s alive. That’s all you’re going to get.”
    “Wait.” Jake took another step toward me. “I need to know. What did you see? What was the statue’s history?”
    “That’s it.” Kevin grabbed him and twisted one of his arms behind his back as he shoved him toward the door. “Get out of here before I kick your—”
    “I just want to know the truth.” Jake was pleading with him. “Please, Kevin. I didn’t mean to hurt her. Dae!”
    I didn’t raise a finger to help him as Kevin threw him out of the inn and closed the door behind him.
    “Sorry. I told him he could stay until you woke up. He’s your friend, after all.”
    “That’s okay.” I smiled at him despite the pain in my head and the terrible sense of what had happened at the excavation site in nearby Corolla so many centuries ago. “I don’t know what he was thinking. He’s obsessed with finding out about the horse cult so he can shut down the dig. I understand. I really do. Just that—”
    He handed me a cup of hot tea. “I know. If it’s any consolation, he at least brought you inside. I don’t think he realized what he was doing, but I’m not making excuses for him either.”
    I sipped the strong Earl Grey, not in a forgiving mood. “It’s no consolation at all. He’s supposed to be my friend. Why would he force me to do something I’d told him I couldn’t do?”
    “He doesn’t know any better.” He put his arm around me and held me close. “Can you talk about it?”
    Kevin knew how to handle these events. He’d worked with a psychic partner in the FBI for ten years. No doubt he’d seen and heard much worse than anything I could ever tell him. He didn’t like to discuss it, but his knowledge and experience was a great comfort as I discovered more about my gift.
    “The horses—I saw everything.” I shuddered, my hands still freezing despite being wrapped around a hot cup of tea. “There were horses, real ones, and the big statue I saw out at Jake’s place. The whole thing was at least twenty feet tall. The men were dressed in animal skins. They were chanting and calling something from the fire.”
    He frowned. “ From the fire?”
    “They were like horses, but not horses. I think they were demons. They were red and black with yellow eyes. The men were calling on them to murder people in another village. I could feel how much the demons loved it. They couldn’t wait to get to the kill. The men thought they were using the demons. It was the other way around.”
    “This sounds like a long time before the Spanish or English got here. Did they come in boats?”
    “No.” The image was clear in my mind. “There was still a narrow strip of land connecting the Outer Banks to