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short work of it, then licked his chops, his eyes hoping for more.
    Riley moved to give him the rest of hers, but Nathan stopped her. “Don’t over-feed him or he won’t hunt, and I need him to hunt. Half the food we eat is from his efforts.”
    Respect for the dog slowly dawned. He might appear to be the demon from hell but she had to give it to him, he was her first defender and if he was also a provider, he obviously deserved some consideration. As if sensing her mental acceptance, Demon again growled at her, reiterating his dislike, she was just sure.
    “Fine,” she said, deciding to ignore the dog. “I don’t like dogs anyway—they usually stink.” Demon growled again, laying back his ears.
    Nathan laughed. “Sometimes, I actually think he understands everything that is said, so be careful.”
    Riley huffed rudely; he was just a dog after all. “So tell me again, and please try to be more realistic. What is this place and how do I go home?”
    Nathan ran his hands through his hair. “Okay, maybe if I start from the beginning, you’ll understand better.”
    Riley nodded, settling down to listen.
    “As you know, my aunt is Dr. Collins. She and Miles were working on a project that involved, not really time travel, but bending time.” Riley nodded, she had heard of this theory, but it was pure speculation. “Anyway, from all accounts, they succeeded, at least succeeded in going one direction. As far as I know, they haven’t figured out how to bend it from this end. But let me get back. They had reached a point where they decided it was time to try a human volunteer, but they needed a specific type; one who was mentally able to handle the change, physically capable, intelligent and eager for a change, that sort of thing.” He paused. “Enter me. Before I came here, I was a member of a Black Ops team for the Government.”
    Riley nodded. “Jonas told me that much.”
    “Yeah. Jonas was also part of that team. I’ve known him all my life. Anyway, I need to back up a bit. I was married then. I had a beautiful, loving young wife, Emily, who just happened to be Jonas’ younger sister. The team had gone on a mission and when we got back, I learned that Emily had been raped and murdered. She had been dead for two weeks before I even knew about it.” His voice roughened and he turned away, stopping the recital.
    A lump grew in Riley’s throat, but she couldn’t think of anything sympathetic to say but, “I’m so sorry.”
    He nodded, clearing his throat. “Anyway, it took me awhile, but I found the murderer and I executed him.”
    Startled, Riley stared at his back, nervous again.
    “You executed someone? What do you mean, you executed him?”
    “I mean, I found the bastard and I became his judge, jury and executioner. I gave him the same chance he gave my Emily.” His face hardened, remembered pain reflecting in his tortured eyes.
    Riley chose her words carefully. “Well, I can’t say that I disagree with what you did, but what does that have to do with you being here?”
    “Unfortunately, Emily’s murderer was the son and grandson of some pretty important people, Senators, Congressmen, that sort of thing. I found out that he had seen Emily at some high ranking party, she was a Congressional Aide. He followed her home and did the deed. I wouldn’t have had a chance in any court of law and Aunt Bethany knew that. She offered me this chance, and I took it. I’ve been here since.”
    “Surely, the law would have been on your side. He murdered your wife, after all.”
    His words came bitterly. “He was the son and grandson of very important people. The law wouldn’t have even entered the picture. If he had actually gone to trial, he would have gotten off on some technicality. If I had been tried, I would have gotten the death penalty, if I lasted long enough to get to trial.”
    She couldn’t think of anything to say again but, “I’m sorry.”
    He nodded. “Bethany offered me the chance to