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in the depths of his eyes. "Nicolas and Zacarias have not found their lifemates. They only have the memory of emotion and it is more difficult to maintain with every passing night."

"I'm sorry, Manolito." She could feel his worry.

"They will endure because they must." His hand brushed down her face. "Tell me what's wrong, MaryAnn. I can see how upset you are."

She hesitated, pressed her lips together, then sighed. "Whatever is inside of me scares the hell out of me."

Overhead, the branches swayed with more than birds. She could see small, furry bodies gathering for the night in the trees. Most congregated to one side of the tree, just across from her, while a few of the monkeys settled in branches on Manolito's side.

"You cannot be anything but who you are, ainaak enyem. Never be afraid of what is inside of you. I'm not."

Her eyes met his. "You should be."

Chapter Thirteen

Manolito felt the sudden tension in her. He touched her chin with gentle fingers. "Why would I ever fear what is inside of you? I can see your light shining so bright, there is never a need to fear any part of you."

She ducked her head so that the mass of curly hair fell around her face. "Maybe you don't see me as well as

you think you do."

"Then tell me."

"I don't know what to tell you. How to tell you. I can't see it. I only feel it, and it scares me to death."

He was silent a moment, trying to find a way to help her confide in him. She wanted to. It wasn't that she intentionally was hiding anything, but she was struggling to come to terms with something she knew or suspected and she wasn't quite ready.

"Tell me about your childhood," Manolito said, his dark gaze holding hers, his voice gentle.

She looked uncomfortable, shifting slightly away from him. "I had a normal childhood. You'd think it was boring, but I enjoyed it. My parents are great. Mom's a doctor, and Dad owns a little bakery shop. I grew up working there and earned most of my money for college. No brothers or sisters, so it was a little lonely, but I had a lot of friends in school."

His gaze drifted over her face, noting her eyes, the pulse beating so frantically in her throat. "There were things that happened. Unexplained things. Tell me about those."

Her heart began to thunder in her ears. She felt her breath catch in her lungs. She didn't want to think of those moments, and yes, there had been plenty, incidents there was no explanation for. MaryAnn pulled away so her body didn't touch his, just in case he could read her. She felt a shift inside of her, something moving and nudging at her almost in inquiry. Do you need me? What is it?

She gasped, bit down hard on her lip and tried to thrust the truth back into that deep abyss where she never had to face it. Out here in the rain forest, where everything was wild and it was kill or be killed and she faced enemies unknown in her safe world, she could no longer contain that other being unfolding inside of her.

Manolito remained still, not moving a muscle, sensing her sudden withdrawal, not only from him, but from something that had been close enough for her to see. She had slammed that impenetrable barrier between them again to keep him from seeing it. The moment she withdrew her mind from his, he was aware of that other world he still dwelled in.

The colors around him dimmed significantly and the noise of the rain forest disappeared until silence surrounded him. Strangely, his sense of smell was even more acute, as was his hearing. He not only could detect the position of animals and birds around them, but he also knew exact locations. He didn't need to reach with his mind to find those surrounding him; his nose and ears gave him the information. The longer he dwelled in the shadow land, the more heightened all His senses became-well, almost all of them. His vision seemed different, familiar in the way of when he shifted to animal form, but still, he caught movement instantly. He just didn't like the graying in the color, as it reminded him too much of the centuries of darkness.

He curled his fingers around hers and held tight. He had been vaguely aware of the land of mists creeping into his mind and vision since