“No!” Lia gasped. She surged forward in the cradle of Aiden’s embrace and nearly slipped on the tiny gap between two boards in the boardwalk. A deep chill invaded, in defiance of the warm California sun.
Aiden’s arms stiffened, and Clarissa sucked in air and bit her lip.
“What in God’s name was that?” Brett demanded.
Clarissa slipped her hand into his. “Did you feel it too?” she asked.
He nodded, tugging on the oversized Hawaiian shirt Brett hand lent him to go with equally oversized trousers. It hung, too long and too wide on his thin frame. “What was it?”
“The Dark One,” Aiden informed him grimly. “He’s taken action, and he wants us to know it. Somehow, he can reach out to Lia, and to me.”
“Why can Clarissa and I feel it?” Brett demanded. “We’ve never met your ‘Dark One.’”
“Becaus
