"Truthfully, I assumed I was just giving a blood sample. That's what his assistant said and I took her at her word. I hate needles and I never actually watch when I give blood. This morning I just sort of went along with what was happening. And nothing seemed particularly ominous till Katherine Starr showed up and started blasting away." "Well," he said, "do your best to get some rest and I'll try to get you there as soon as legally possible." She stared out the window a moment before closing her eyes again. Around them the encroaching greenery of northern New Jersey felt like an ancient forest where magical things could happen. Out here in the forest, was there a magician who had the power literally to save her life? And what about Stone? Setting aside the troubling fact that he was harboring some mysterious connection to Winston Bartlett--and that was hard to set aside--she was feeling a sense of togetherness with him that brought back a lot of positive memories. Which was bizarre, because she knew so little about what kind of man he'd become. If people are worth their salt, they change a lot in their late twenties and early thirties. So what was he really like now? What did he love? What did he hate? What were his priorities? Did he believe in the Golden Rule? Mulling over all this, she slowly drifted away. . . . Dusk was approaching by the time he pulled to a stop at the gated entrance of the Dorian Institute. Along the way he'd begun getting a sense that they were being followed by a dark-colored Lincoln Town Car, but it could have been his imagination. And he hadn't seen it for the past fifteen minutes, after he pulled onto the leafy lakeside drive leading to the institute. "Hey, we're here, Ally. Rise and shine. How're you feeling?" There was no response when he touched her. Chapter 25 _Wednesday, April 8 7:20 P.M. _ "Jesus, Ally, are you all right?" He leaned over and shook her. Finally she jumped, and then her eyelids fluttered open. "Where . . . ?" She looked around. "The sign says this is it. The institute." "Oh shit, Stone, I'm feeling really strange," she said after a moment of getting her bearings. "Everything around me seems like it's moving. It's as though the space I'm in has an extra dimension. I don't know . . . maybe it was totally stupid to come back out here. Maybe I should have just gone to my doctor in the city." "Hey, you've got a seriously deficient sense of timing. We're here now. I've been breaking the speed limit for the last half hour." "I know. Shit. I really don't know what to do. I don't trust anybody." "Well, you could start by trusting me. I'm along to try to make sure nothing bad happens." He paused. "So what do we do?"