The footfalls stopped behind him, the fools probably realizing he wasn’t running away, he was running to his wife who looked like the devil was chasing her. When she stretched her arms out to him, though a distance away, he cursed beneath his breath and pumped his legs even harder.

Willow flung herself into his arms as soon as she was close enough to her husband and he caught her, swinging her up off her feet and into his arms.

She hurried her arms around his neck and pressed her cheek to his. “I saw him. He was in the woods. I thought it was you at first. He called me leannan just as you do.” She shivered.

When Tarass’s and Ruddock’s warriors came up behind them, Willow shouted at them.

“He’s in the woods. Go find him,” she ordered.

They stood there staring at her.

“Did you not hear me? The culprit who killed Rhodes is in the woods. Go after him.”

They still didn’t move.

“They hear you well enough,” Slatter said, turning to face the warriors, his wife tucked safely against him. “They just don’t believe you.” He walked right at them and they scrambled to get out of the way and let him pass.

“He has plans. He’s not finished with you,” Willow said and shivered, recalling his echoing laughter.

“That’s good, since I’ll be the one to finish him,” Slatter said not a hint of doubt that he would fail. “You are unharmed, wife?” He saw no visible signs of harm, but unseen harm could sometimes be worse than the harm you could see.

“I’m unharmed,” she assured him. “He kept his distance, though I don’t believe it will be for long.”

Though Slatter agreed, he remained silent, thinking what he would do to the man when he caught him. It was one thing to bring havoc to his life, but far different for his foe to approach his wife.

“He needs to be stopped before another life is lost,” Willow said.

Slatter agreed again, but there was something that troubled him. “What were you doing going into the woods alone, wife.”

Willow saw no reason to keep the truth from him. “I went to ask the Slayer for help.”

He stopped abruptly. “You what?”

“Let me explain,” she said.

“Definitely do.”

She told him what she had learned about the Slayer and how the information had taken her into the woods. “So you see I don’t expect him to respond to me at all since it’s ridiculous to think that the trees carry the messages to him or that he’s a cohort of the devil. He may be a man of wicked ways, but he’s no more than that. And if Tarass can speak to him, then so can I.”

“And what if he is a cohort of the devil? What will you do then? You summoned him so you shall owe him.”

“Nonsense. Pure nonsense,” Willow said confidently.

“Know this, wife,” he said and planted a quick kiss on her lips. “I’ll go to hell to rescue you if necessary.”