"The authorities wouldn't be able to help. Not with this. There are sources I can turn to, but the police aren't equipped to deal with this."

She would have to call London once she got the nerve to go back to her apartment. The protection charm she'd had blessed for Valerie might not be enough to ward the Corruptress off, not if her invisible entourage really accompanied her everywhere. Julianna tightened her grip on Nathan's hands, tried not to show the depth of her panic that this wasn't proceeding according to plan.

"She's very dangerous," the Englishwoman said, lowering her voice until it was barely above a whisper. "She might even be psychotic, although an actual diagnosis might be difficult to make. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if something happened to you."

And that was the crux of it, or at least the tip of the emotional iceberg. If this had happened before her experience with Allison, she'd have dealt with it and then moved on. But she was quailing not just because of the threat to herself but also because of the possibility that what was perceived as her interference could cause an innocent bystander to be hurt.

"Please, Nathan. Please. I'm trying to protect you."