VI.

Alex and Nick were sitting in the living room when they heard the laughter coming from the library. Alex's face split into a grin and Nick's smile answered it. It was so good to hear their friend laugh. It had been a long time.

Using her thumb to keep her place, Alex closed the book she'd been reading. "Still think it's a bad idea to let strangers in the house?"

"Yeah, but this guy's all right."

"Cute, too."

Nick raised an eyebrow. "Oh, so that's how it is."

"We are a little isolated on this island. And I mean, wow. He's brainy, articulate, well traveled, has a sense of humor, likes kids, and it's all wrapped up in one great looking guy."

"Don't get too attached. He lives in Washington."

"That's not far at all."

"What if he has a girlfriend already?"

"Geez, Nick, I'm not planning our honeymoon. Give me a break. I like him."

"Just be careful. We don't know anything about him."

"I'm a big girl. I know how to take care of myself."

"Mm-hmm." Nick returned his attention to the sports section.

Alex reached slowly beside her and grasped a throw pillow. With lightning speed she threw it squarely at the center of Nick's upheld paper. Just as quickly, he reached out a hand and grabbed it out of the air, never removing his eyes from the paper as he stuffed it behind his back.

Closing one eye and scowling at him, she stuck out her tongue. Nick lowered his paper, barely containing his grin and returned the face.

Derek chose that moment to enter, of course.

"I can see that I'm going to have to separate you two."

VII.

Blair had been pouring through the books for hours. Philip had long since gone to bed. He'd been a difficult man to figure out. Not that he'd met many priests in his life, but hey, he'd spent a lot of time hanging out with monks. They couldn't be that different, could they? And sure, he'd learned that underneath the robes were complex men with intense emotions, just like everyone else on the planet, but he'd never associated the word angry with a holy man before. Yet, underlying Philip's calm and gentle personality, there was a palpable tension, a sort of morose fatalism, as if he were simply passing time until the next bad thing happened. Blair had a strong impression that Philip's earlier laughter had been a rare thing.

Perhaps it was the fact that he was Irish. Growing up in a country ripped by religious conflict could certainly have affected his demeanor. As an anthropologist, he longed to ask Philip about it, but his better judgment told him that the priest might not be able to look at the situation from a purely academic point of view.

Still, why had the priest seemed so on edge here, in what was supposed to be a sheltered academic setting? Just one more question to add to the growing number that Blair had been accumulating since dinner. It was more than just the apparent psychic abilities of Alex and the little girl, although that alone would have been enough to get his attention. Blair recognized obfuscation when he saw it. He was certain that the Luna Foundation was involved in something more than simple research.

Blair smiled. There was nothing he loved more than a good mystery, especially since he felt no overt threat from the people here.

Closing one book devoid of any mention of sentinels, Blair picked up another. There were so many potential sources for the passage about his subject that he feared one weekend wouldn't be enough. He wished that Professor White had remembered the name of the book he'd seen. Blair's Latin was a bit rusty and it seemed as though many of the books were in that language. He'd been surprised to find that such a large part of the library dealt with the occult and other ancient mysteries. Any of them could hold what he was looking for.

Blair's mission was made harder by the fact that he kept being distracted by the contents of the books. There was some really fascinating stuff here. Some of it was also totally creepy. He'd had to shut at least one book because of the disturbing images he'd seen there. Made some of the crime scenes he'd been to with Jim pale in comparison.

As Blair laid his head down on his arms to rest for a moment, he wondered what Jim would think if he knew what kind of place he was in...

It seemed as though Blair had just shut his eyes when he felt someone stroking his hair. He grinned inwardly, not opening them, wondering if it was Alex. He'd been attracted to her from the moment they'd met. Tall and strong, with long, curly hair framing a warm face and intelligent eyes, Alex was a beautiful woman. Even better, she had an intellect to match her beauty. He'd felt an instant spark between them. Smiling, he opened his eyes.

The woman standing above him looked oddly familiar, although Blair couldn't say where he'd seen her before. She must have been out when he'd met the other members of the Foundation. He sat up, slightly embarrassed by her attentions.

"Uh, hi. I'm Blair Sandburg."

The woman continued to pet him. Long red hair flowed around her shoulders. She was wearing an ankle length dress of a deep emerald green that matched her eyes. Her face was devoid of makeup. Nonetheless, she was beautiful.

Blair started to ask her name when she smiled and briefly put a long slender finger against her lips. It was difficult to think when she was this close. His inner voice was warning him that something was very wrong, but he ignored it. Her eyes were so beautiful...

The mysterious woman leaned forward, ruby lips pursing slightly. Blair was entranced, and closed his eyes, awaiting the kiss.

Images filled him the moment her lips touched his. Blair's mind screamed with them. Despair, death, loneliness and fear poured through him, sapping his energy and his will to live. Instinct took over and he struggled from her grasp, shoving the chair back and falling to the floor with a thump that sounded like an explosion after the unnatural silence. His legs had turned to water. The woman standing above him had changed. Her eyes were flashing with a ferocious look of hunger, like a tiger just interrupted during its meal.

She was reaching for him again, and he summoned up his last reserve of energy to scream, "No!"

The creature stood there for a moment, regarding him thoughtfully. Everything slowed and became distant, as if Blair was viewing the scene from outside himself. A pink tongue, looking almost reptilian, darted out from the woman's mouth, traveling over her red lips hungrily. She leaned forward, her fingers like claws and her eyes black as pitch.

The sound that escaped Blair's throat at that moment seemed barely human, as though it wasn't even a part of him. It was a low, warning growl. The woman leapt back at the sound of it as if she had been struck. Urgent voices on the stairs offered a glimmer of hope and the woman retreated farther.

What was left of Blair's energy departed. His eyes felt heavy and he closed them for a moment, listening to the sound of hurrying footsteps and concerned voices. When he opened them, the woman was gone. Blair struggled to move, but his limbs wouldn't respond.

Blair tried to call out for help, but he couldn't make his voice work. The despair that had flowed through him moments before returned, filling every part of his soul until there was no room left for any other emotions. He wanted nothing more than to curl up in a small ball and give himself up to oblivion.