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closer, but he didn’t step away.
    He lowered his hands. I left mine raised.
    “I am a friend of Samuel. He sat behind you in the class you just left.”
    “Yeah, well, your friend has a staring problem, and you have a problem taking a hint. Please go away. I’m not feeling well.”
    His presence surged toward me without physically moving. My power pressed against him. He projected presence with no energy, which was impossible. Every nerve ending in my body registered threat. My power pressed against him like a shield, and it was all that kept distance between us. I hadn’t consciously willed this shield. It was unlike the accidental energy spikes I emitted. It was more of an automatic response that formed a natural barrier against harm.
    Rune’s smile softened from predatory to friendly.
    “I don’t mean to frighten you. In fact, I believe I can help.”
    “You have no idea what you’re dealing with. Heck, I don’t even know what I’m dealing with. Please. Go. Away.”
    I scooted to my left. The brick wall snagged my shirt as I slid along its rough surface, but I couldn’t bring myself to move even a fraction of an inch toward the mesmerizing man in front of me. Every instinct told me to keep moving away from him and get out of the dimly lit alley, but his eyes called to some basic part of me. Probably the same part that made me want to pet the Bengal tigers at the zoo.
    He moved to his right, remaining in front of me. His gaze held mine.
    “You did not intend to break the windows, correct?”
    “No.” My voice sounded far away. I stopped moving away from him.
    He raised one hand and felt the air around me.
    “Your power is not totally in your control?”
    “No.” This time it took a few seconds for me to realize I’d spoken. A haze shrouded my senses.
    “I can help you if you will permit me.” He moved a step closer.
    “Help me,” I echoed. “Yes.”
    He slowly reached out to me, never breaking eye contact, and took my hand in his. The energy in my hand calmed. My body had vibrated with the pent up energy for so many hours that I’d become desensitized to it. Now, the lack of tingling in this small area accentuated the tingling in the rest of my body.
    We stood in a cocoon as the calmness crept up my arm. His eyes drew me in, and glimpses of his life strobed through my thoughts. He was in an old fashioned room teaching young men in Romanesque robes. He was in a horse-drawn carriage in coat and tails with a high top hat. He held a dead old man in his arms.
    He blinked as the last image struck, and it was enough to break our connection. I pulled my hand away from his and slammed back into the dumpster without any recollection of moving away from him.
    My voice found its way past my ragged gasps for breath. “What the heck was that?”
    He stepped toward me, and my body shifted into full alarm mode. My hair lifted and dumpster lids rattled.
    He stopped short and ran his hand along the air like a mime feeling an invisible wall. Deep blue eyes connected with mine again, and he smiled.
    I braced myself, but found that I could look at his eyes without sinking into them as I had before. This time I wouldn’t let down my guard.
    “Amazing,” he whispered. “Your gift blocks your mind.”
    My fear moved over as anger trickled in.
    “Yeah, yeah. I’m amazing. I’m fascinating. And what I really am is tired, and now I’m pissed, too. I’ve had a really, really bad day.” Tears clouded my vision and crying made me all the more angry. “Look, Roman, or whatever your name is, I don’t know what kind of stunt you just pulled, but I didn’t like it.”
    The sides of his eyes creased, and his mouth lifted in a knowing smile.
    “The name is Rune. And, yes, you did.”
    I rubbed my hand. It wasn’t numb exactly, but it felt deadened.
    “Okay, it wasn’t bad, but I repeat, what the hell was that?”
    He had me so mad I was cursing, and I never cursed, and that made me madder.
    “You seem to have a