Witchcraft

house. Wrenching it open in annoyance, she continued on down the hall to the open kitchen. There was a faint flow of light from the fireplace and Kimberly vaguely remembered that the electricity was off. It was getting cold, she realized. The oversized man's cotton T-shirt she habitually wore to bed barely covered her derriere. One of these days she was going to remember to buy some real pajamas. There was a robe hanging in her closet but it had seemed too much bother to drag it out just for a short trip to the kitchen. With comfortable familiarity she found the cabinet door in the darkness and groped inside for a glass. Then she shuffled over to the sink and ran the water. The shade on the kitchen window had been left up this evening, and as she stood barefoot in front of the sink, drinking her water, Kimberly stared disinterestedly out into the darkness. If she was careful she could stay in this half-asleep state until she crawled back into bed. She had almost finished the contents of the glass when something moved outside the window. Startled by shifting shadows where there should be nothing but open expanse between her and the view of the ocean, Kimberly belatedly began to come awake. As her eyes widened, lightning crackled across the sky, obligingly illuminating the scene in front of the kitchen window. In that split second of atmospheric brilliance Kimberly stared In horror at the figure in a cowled robe who stood outside staring back at her. She had no time to discern a face in the shadowy depths of the cowl. Kimberly's entire attention was riveted on the silver dagger the figure was holding up right in front of himself. In that moment she knew the dagger was meant for her. Although the scream that echoed through the small house was hers, Kimberly felt dissociated from the sound of unadulterated terror in her voice. She was more conscious of the glass sliding from her fingers and crashing into the sink. "Kim!" Cavenaugh . She had forgotten all about him. Half turning she saw him as he leaped over the back of the couch, rushing toward her. "What the hell ...?"
    "Outside the window," she managed to gasp. "Someone outside the window with a knife.
    I, oh, my God!"
    "Get down." The command cracked violently through the air. He was right, Kimberly realized, stunned. She was standing silhouetted against the kitchen window. But she couldn't seem to move.
    Then movement on her part became unnecessary. Cavenaugh reached her a second later, driving into her with the full weight of his half-naked body. He dragged her violently down onto the floor behind the protection of the counters and out of sight of anyone who might still be standing at the kitchen window.

CHAPTER THREE.
    "Stay down," Cavenaugh gritted, sprawling along the length of Kimberly's body. Crushed against the cold vinyl tile of the kitchen floor, Kimberly gasped for breath. "I can't do much else with you on top of me like this. You weigh a ton, Cavenaugh !" He ignored that, his features a rigid mask of concern in the shadowy light. "Tell me exactly what you saw out there," he whispered roughly. He lifted his head so that he could meet her wide-eyed gaze. "I told you. There was a man, at least I think it was a man. He was wearing a hooded robe or something.
    I couldn't see his face. But when the lightning flashed I saw a knife.
    A big silver dagger. It was horrible. I had the awful feeling he meant me to see it."
    "Given the fact that the bastard was outside your window and not someone else's on the block, that's a fair guess," Cavenaugh mocked grimly. He shifted his weight and she realized he was going to get up off the floor. "Lie still. Don't move until I get back, understand? No one can see you down here behind the kitchen counters."
    "Until you get back!" Kimberly repeated, horrified. "What's that supposed to mean? Where on earth do you think you're going?"
    "I'm going to have a look around outside." He rolled off her, uncoiling easily to his feet. "No, you can't go out there!" She grabbed for his jean-clad leg. It was like trying to hold on to a breaking wave. He slipped from her grasp as if he hadn't even been aware of it. " Cavenaugh , this is stupid," she hissed as she watched him stride across the room to find his boots. "You can't go out there. Who knows what might be waiting?
    For Pete's sake, come back here." He didn't bother to answer. The golden afterglow of the fire flickered on the sleek planes of his bare back as he bent over briefly to