“Not the content of the dream,” he assured me, flashing me a grin. In his dark clothes, all I could see of him was his teeth and eyes that caught the reflection of the moon. “That was the Aelvesgold, I’m fairly sure. But I believe the drowning part was the water witch. The water took on the shape of your dream and tried to drown you.”

“What exactly is a water witch? I thought it was a forked stick dowsers used to find water.”

“Wheelock lists three definitions of ‘water witch’ in his glossary. One is indeed what you describe, but there’s also an older kind of water witch, a creature that can control the flow of water, that can call rain down from the sky, make rivers flow backward, or turn the ocean tides.” His pale hands moved like moths in the darkness as he waved them in the air between us. “A water witch can move any kind of water, from a glassful to an ocean. Lorelei can’t get into your house because it’s warded …”

“I haven’t placed any wards on it!”

“Someone has – probably your handyman Brock. Unfortunately with him unconscious, the wards aren’t as strong. Lorelei is looking for ways in and the most direct route for her is water. She’s reaching into your home – and into your mind – through her most familiar element.”

“No wonder everything’s been leaking.” I said, angrily batting a branch out of the way. “The bitch. When I think of the plumbing bill … We have to find her. Liz and Soheila thought she might be hiding out at Lura’s house.” I explained about Lura being Lorelei’s daughter. Duncan listened carefully but then shook his head.

“Even if she’s hiding there during the day, she won’t be there tonight. She’ll be out hunting. We have to find her before she finds her prey.”

I was surprised by the anger in his voice. “And if we do find her,” I asked, “what will we do with her?”

Duncan stopped and turned to me. We’d come to a clearing where the moonlight wasn’t blocked by the trees.

He tilted his head and stared at me. I was distracted by the way the moonlight sculpted his cheekbones. He was a handsome man. It would be natural for me to feel attracted to him, only I still wasn’t sure that’s what I felt. Right now I felt … chilled.

“I think you know what we must do,” he said.

“We can’t kill her!” I hissed. “She’s … well, she’s a nasty piece of work, but she’s only trying to do what comes natural to her.”

Duncan nodded. “Your compassion is admirable, but misplaced. What do you plan to do – ask her politely to please return to Faerie?” he asked and then lifted a peremptory hand to silence me. “Listen,” he said.