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shore.
    “Lugus,” he heard her say over the rain.
    And then he saw it. His home, all his
belongings and everything he had called his, was ablaze. He quickly
looked away and swam even harder to the shore. His time there had
ended. He would have to find another place to make his home. If he
survived the swim to the mainland.
    Ahryn began to shake in his arms. The cold
sea water had finally penetrated her Fae skin. He had to get her
out of the water soon. He had no idea how long they had been
swimming, but it seemed the mainland had not gotten any closer. His
worry then grew that he wouldn’t be able to make it to shore. He
had only swum the distance three times, and those times had not
been in the middle of a storm.
    When his feet finally struck the bottom he
got a surge of renewed strength that managed to get them both to
shore. He pulled Ahryn out of the water onto the rocky shore and
collapsed on top of her to give her some of his heat.
    “So cold,” she said, her teeth
chattering.
    His chest burned and his arms ached, but
Lugus climbed to his feet and lifted Ahryn in his arms. They had to
get out of their wet clothing and find a place to hide before
Marcus spotted them.
    The first rays of sunlight filtered over the
horizon as Lugus made his way to Jonathon’s cottage. He was the
only person who would help him, but Lugus hated to put him and his
family in danger. Instead of waking them, he sat Ahryn down at the
back of the cottage and slowly made his way to the front.
    “Lugus?” Jonathon asked as he walked from the
cottage. “What are you doing here?”
    Lugus held up his hand. “Don’t say any more.
I wouldn’t have come here, but I had no where else to go.”
    Jonathon’s brow furrowed.
“What happened?” 
 “The less you know, the better. I’m putting you and your
family in grave danger as it is.”
    “What do you need?”
    Lugus was amazed at Jonathon. He was a rare
man who would give whatever he could and not ask questions. He was
the only man Lugus considered a friend.
    “Dry clothes and a blanket.”
    Jonathon nodded. “My clothes might be a bit
tight on you-”
    “Not for me,” he interrupted Jonathon. “I
need a gown from your wife.”
    For a long moment Jonathon stared at him
before he nodded and went into the house. When he returned he had a
gown, two blankets and something wrapped in a cloth.
    “There’s food, too,” he said as he handed it
to Lugus.
    Lugus reached into his boot and pulled out a
dagger. “It is all I have for payment.”
    Jonathon shook his head. “I won’t accept it.
Get to safety, my friend.”
    “I won’t forget this,” Lugus vowed.
    Jonathon smiled.
    Lugus quickly tucked the food and gown
between the two blankets and hurried to the back of the house.
Ahryn was huddled in a ball against the rain, her thin shift her
only defense.
    He refused to think more about her sitting
there nearly naked in front of him. Instead, he opened one of the
blankets and wrapped it around her, but not before he saw the
outline of her full breast and the dusky pink of her nipple against
the transparent material of her shift.
    “We need to find shelter,” he said as he
wrapped an arm around her. “Can you stand?”
    He smiled inwardly as she nodded and shakily
rose to her feet. He kept his arm around her to help her stay
upright and to also steer her and give her warmth.
    With the sun making its ascent, they had
precious little time to find a place to hide. Lugus knew of an
abandoned cottage outside of town, but if he were Marcus, it would
be one of the first places he looked. Instead, he steered Ahryn
toward Marcus’ castle.
    “Have you lost your mind?” she asked
incredulous.
    “He’ll never suspect us to be here. Once we
get you warm and changed, we’ll head out, but until then there
isn’t a place in this village he won’t find us.”
    “And how do you propose we leave the castle
without him discovering us?”
    “Let’s deal with one thing at a time.”
    Though the