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disappeared, and Stephen sat there for several minutes trying to block his mind from her. It was difficult, but he did manage to get most of her attempts stopped. There would always be a slight connection, but he hoped that it would be too small for her to find him. Of course, it would be equally difficult to find her, but right now he had too many people depending on him to let her near them. Going out of his lair, he headed toward the stairs. The woman had to be cared for first and foremost.

Chapter 3
     
    Samuel wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do while hanging around the house watching the woman in Stephen’s house, but here he was. Stephen had called him first thing this evening when he’d risen and asked him to come here. Stephen had a meeting and said he’d explain things when he got finished. That had been over two hours ago. And in all that time, the woman had never moved.
    She was pretty, he supposed. Pale, but not too bad, and her hair was dark. He could see now that someone had washed it. The clothes she had on now, he knew, belonged to Stephen, because there was no way they belonged to her. They were entirely too large for her frame, not to mention he doubted she’d be wearing a silk dress shirt.
    “ She is a wonder, is she not?” Samuel looked over at the faerie and nodded. “I know that you will not believe this, but she is very special to us. Some of us have watched over her since she was born. Her mother, Cleo, would bring her to the fields when she came to think. I believe it was to hide from the human whom she had wed, but I did not know either of them then. It is a great honor to watch one such as her.”
    “ Is she human?” Leith shook her head and flew to sit on his knee. He never really felt comfortable when they did that, but said nothing to her. Samuel was always terrified of squashing one of them. He looked at the woman again. “Do you think her stepfather is the one that she’s hiding from?”
    “ I believe he is. He is not a nice person and is the cause of her wound. And though it is a good thing, she was in a great deal of pain when it came to pass. When her mother passed from this world, he was very angry with this child. Cleo had been gone too long and had not been there when he returned from his place of work. He found her in the hospital with the daughter, and he…we all know that he murdered her. The man claimed he had no idea that her car would be robbed. He has been free because humans are afeard of him.” Leith moved to the bed and sat near the woman’s face. “Her name is Clarice Kelley. I found it today. Her mother never told us her name because we were afraid of knowing it. Do you know why?”
    “ A name holds power.” She nodded and smiled at him. “Her stepfather? Do you happen to know his name? Stephen will need to know it so that he can make sure she is safe.”
    “ He will not care. He does not want her. It is very sad when a man does not want what does belong to him.” Samuel knew this, and it bothered him that Stephen was so set in his ways that he’d not even give them a chance to make it work. “When she leaves here, I will follow her. There will be several of us to try and keep her safe.”
    “ And how do you propose to do that?” He flushed when he realized what he’d said. “I’m sorry. I just don’t understand how someone as small as you can do much for a human. Or anyone for that matter. It’s not that I don’t believe you’ll try, but I just don’t see how it would help her if she’s in trouble.” He remembered when a group of them had killed a person once. Had simply torn him apart without even enough to know that he’d been there.
    “ We have our own magic, Master Samuel. And when we take on the job of watching someone, more is granted to us. I have my magic, plus what was given to me when I asked and was granted the job of keeping her safe. I can take on a man your size and then some.” Samuel started to ask her to show him,