Chuckling, Jacek released me, taking his brain-scrambling touch with him.

I blocked out the steady hammering sound that echoed from the back of the house and what it meant. Instead, I focused on the couch cushion and pretended it was Paul's face, on the grains of the wood in my stake, and threw it. It spun through the air and bounced harmlessly off the cushion.

I whistled.

"That was your first try," Jacek said behind me. "It's going to take a bit to get the feel for ...