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went back outside. The sun was sinking fast. The evening was growing cooler. By the time she left she would need the sweater, she thought.
    “Devin Reed stopped in to see me today,” she said. She set the salad and the bread on the picnic table. “I assume that was your doing?”
    “I may have given him a push in that direction. I figured out he was the most likely suspect.” Slade eased the fish onto a platter. “Devin just turned thirteen. He is obviously coming into a talent of some kind. He’s attracted to the energy in the shop. But I’m sure he didn’t steal anything.”
    “I gave him one of the antiques.”
    “Yeah?”
    “An old Damian Cavalon compass.”
    “An original?”
    “Yes.”
    Slade whistled. “Nice gift. Was he thrilled?”
    “He seemed pleased. I did a little tuning work on the compass. It suits him now.”
    “The way that pocketknife you gave me suits me?”
    She shrugged. “It’s what I do. Speaking of young Devin, I’ve noticed that he hangs around you every chance he gets. Looks like he even managed to find a pair of sunglasses that looks exactly like yours.”
    “I talked to him today about what’s happening to him.”
    “The development of his talent?”
    “Right.” Slade sat down on the opposite side of the table. “He doesn’t have any idea of what’s going on and he’s afraid to talk to his grandmother for fear she’ll think he’s got mental health issues.”
    “It’s a reasonable concern. He wouldn’t be the first kid to get sent to a shrink after coming into a nonstandard, non-amber-related talent. What kind of ability do you think he has?”
    “Not sure,” Slade said. “It’s still unfocused.”
    “He lost his mother a few months ago. That kind of trauma can delay or even totally screw up developing senses.”
    “He’s a good kid but he’s caught some bad breaks.”
    “I understand that there’s no father in the picture.”
    “No,” Slade said. “The kid’s got his grandmother but that’s it.”
    “Myrna isn’t going to have an easy time of it. It’s hard enough to raise a teenage boy alone. Trying to deal with one who is showing some serious talent will be even more complicated.”
    “Especially if the person doing the raising isn’t comfortable with the concept of nonstandard talent, herself,” Slade said.
    “Who is, unless you happen to be Arcane? And even within the Society, very strong talents tend to make other sensitives nervous.”
    “That’s the thing about power of any kind,” Slade said. “It can be scary. I told Devin that what was happening to him was normal but that most people wouldn’t think so. I advised him to keep quiet about his new senses until he’s older and until he’s figured out how to control them.”
    “Good advice. Meanwhile, he needs guidance. No matter how you label it, what he did last night certainly fits the definition of illegal entry.”
    “It won’t happen again.”
    “A kid like Devin could go either way,” Charlotte said.
    “I know.”
    “Sounds like you speak from personal experience.”
    “I do.”

Chapter 5
     
    HE WALKED HER HOME SHORTLY BEFORE ELEVEN o’clock, using a flashlight to illuminate the unlit road that wound through the trees along the bluff. The flashlight was for Charlotte’s sake. In spite of the damage to his talent, his night vision was still good, especially when he was a little jacked, as he was now. He had tried to keep his senses tightly shuttered all evening but just being around Charlotte was enough to give him a slight buzz, enough to illuminate the world with a faint ultralight radiance. Enough to keep the sweet ache of semi-arousal going deep inside him.
    But Charlotte would have been walking blind without the artificial light. Darkness on the island was absolute once you were away from the town’s small business district and marina. There were no streetlights. The cottages and cabins scattered along the cliffs and bluffs were set far apart and veiled by