He walked to the dresser, snatched a small backpack from it, and fastened it around his waist. “Okay, lady,” he said. “Pull yourself together. We’re taking a walk.”

“A walk? To where?”

“A walk to hell. What does it matter? We both survived, fine. Now you’re going to see how things work in this screwed-up world of ours. Get up.”

He walked over, grabbed her by the arm, and yanked her to her feet roughly, eyes flashing.

Tanya felt a stab of pain rip up her arm and she gasped. He relaxed his grip and pulled her toward the door. She stumbled after him.

“I’ve seen your world. Let go of me!”

“And now you’re going to see why I do what I do. I owe you at least that much, don’t you think?”

“You don’t have to hurt me. Let me go!”

This time he did. She followed. She would play his absurd game for the moment. She wasn’t sure why. But she had to find out what had caused the love of her life to be transformed into this . . . creature. Shannon led her from the hotel. She stopped at the street, but he continued walking. He shot her an angry glare and she followed.

They walked to the outskirts of Soledad. She expected him to turn into a side street and show her his “screwed-up world” at any moment. But he didn’t. He walked past the last road and turned onto a thin path snaking into the jungle.

“Wait a minute,” she objected. “I’m not about to go back into the jungle with you. Are you nuts? You think you—”

He spun back, grabbed her by the arm, and propelled her before him.

She fought an urge to whirl around and slap him. “Okay!”

Then she lost comprehension of what his intentions might be. He passed her once they entered the forest and she followed, thinking she would turn back at any moment and return to the town.

But she didn’t. For one thing they had switched paths several times and she quickly realized that she could hardly navigate her way back. For another thing, she was drawn by the bare-chested man ahead of her, leading her like a wild savage. Not drawn to him, of course, but by him, like a homing beacon faintly red in the distance.

That it was Shannon leading her into the jungle and not Casius made her think that she might follow him to hell if he asked her to. Deep in her heart, Shannon was still her lost love.

But she hardly considered the notion before replacing it with the notion that he deserved to be sent to hell.

Dear God, help me!