Chapter One

The Fairwind, American Line steamship En route to Constantza, Romania

Thorn gasped and jerked upright, knocking the pillows off the small brass bed and onto the floor. Her entire body shook. She pressed one palm over her slamming heart. "A dream ... just a dream." She shoved the long pale brown strands of hair from her damp cheeks. It was long since over and done.

She jerked the white cotton sheets from her naked, sweat-soaked body and slid from the cot to stand. The waxed hardwood deck of the steamship's tiny iron-walled cabin was cool and rocked gently under her feet. She turned to stare out the cabin's porthole. The moon floated among rags of cloud, and the sound of the sea rushed in her ears.

Once upon a time, she had been Kerry Fiddler, an ordinary girl, with an ordinary paper route, who had found an extraordinary white dog. And then the Doctor had found them.

But that was years ago.

She couldn't stop shaking. She moved to the corner and the small washstand. "It's over and done, over and done, damnit!" She had long since become used to being someone else, something else, something wilder, something fiercer, something feral. She splashed water on her face.

The moon's light silvered the mirror's glass. Beneath her dark slashing brows, her dark gold eyes caught the light, and the hearts caught fire, glowing like two green-gold coins-wolf eyes.

The night shadows within the ship's small cabin seemed to close in on her. Her sweat-slicked skin chilled in the cool air of the cabin. She shivered and gasped for breath. She couldn't get enough air. Sh