Cardea watched Aedan's hut from the trees, fighting the temptation to go to him. If he turned her away, she could enchant him and make him forget in the morning. Letting out a long sigh, she knew she could never betray him in that way again to appease her own needs.

A small curl of smoke trailed out of his thatch roof. He had managed to light a small fire inside his hut. She smiled with fondness, thinking of the first night they met. She imagined him sitting near the warm fire, his loyal white hound lying at his feet. Is he thinking of me or has he forgotten me?

She wondered why she tortured herself. He was mortal and he wanted nothing to do with her now. Bitter tears burned her eyelids. He haunted her thoughts night and day, the memories of their coupling driving her to the brink of despair.

Since meeting Aedan, the pain she always carried around with her had eased somewhat. She wanted to go to him and explain what happened, but deep down she knew it would be best for the both of them for him to remain angry with her. Frowning, Cardea knew he would only break her heart in the end when he had to wed another. The hope that they would ever be together disappeared, snuffed out like a candle flame.

She remembered the night she'd fed on him and how she discovered something different about his blood--it was filled with blood of the Fae…and something else. He had no idea what he was and she felt certain his special blood kept him immune to Cat Anna's touch of death and helped him retain some memories of their coupling.

Closing her eyes, she listened to the soft rustling of the leaves and the raindrops hitting the ground. She became one with the forest. The hunt called to her, whispering among the leaves of the forest of pine, oak, beech, birch and rowan. Pressing her cheek against a wide oak, the vibration of the powerful primordial tree coursed through her body. It spoke to her. The forest throbbed with life, breathing and beating like many heartbeats, as alive as she was, one who walked amongst the shadows. The dark forest was her true home. She was no longer a part of the physical world beyond the darkness. Despite her feelings for Aedan, he was not part of her world. She needed to forget about him. Yet she could not pull herself away.

Immersed in her thoughts, she did not sense a presence come up behind her until it was too late. Whirling around, she opened her mouth to utter words of enchantment, but she found herself paralyzed and pulled up onto a horse by a masked rider. She tried to cry out to Aedan, but her unknown captor clasped his hand tight against her mouth so that her strangled cry went lost in the storm's fury.

"You will be quiet or I will quiet you with my fist," he warned.

A cold chain locked around her neck, imprisoning her. Cardea's strength drained from her body, rendering her helpless. With a quickness that surprised her, he tied her hands with a leather strap. She shook with fear, terrified by the clever planning put into capturing her.

The masked rider urged the horse into a gallop, carrying her farther away from the forest and Aedan.