“Oh, hun. I’m sorry. You are not stupid. I just...I don’t want to lose you. I don’t want to lose any of you. You are too special. Don’t you see...” she stopped and spun away. “Never mind. Let’s do this.” She swiped tears from her cheeks.
I walked over, wrapping my arms around Jenna. “I’m truly sorry, Jennaveve. It was not Talia or these ladies’ fault. I promised I wouldn’t fight them when it was time to go. I didn’t even realize I was doing it when we were in there. I just didn’t want to leave...it’s hard to explain.’
Jenna patted my shoulder. “As I said, time flows differently here and in the dream world as well. You were there for a couple of hours, give or take a few minutes.’
Alarm raced down my spine. “Hours? How long have we been here in human time?’
Again, she patted my arm. “Let’s just focus on the problem at hand, shall we?’
I turned to look back where I’d left LeeLee sleeping, only to see they’d moved her to the center of the now cleared room. Damn, magic sure was a handy thing.
“As I mentioned before, this is going to be a powerful event that’s going to take the power of all four of us, plus you. You will ground her, while we do as you like to refer to as our magic shit.” Her smile flashed. I swore whatever man was lucky enough to claim her would be blessed indeed.
“You tell me what to do, and I’ll do it. Even if you say to jump on one leg and act like a monkey.” They didn’t need to know I wasn’t sure I had the strength to do that, but I’d give it my best.
“Alright, children, let’s do this.” Jenna led me to the group, stopping near LeeLee’s head. Goddess, we were getting ready to wake the sleeping wolf, or woman. What if she hated me, ordidn’t remember me? Or heaven forbid, a young girl came out as I’d seen in the dreamscape.
“Don’t borrow trouble, Danielson.’
I whipped my head around. “Did you just quote a line from Karate Kid?’
“Wax on, wax off. I’m pretty sure Mr. Miyagi was a genius and could fix anything. Now, let’s get busy.” Jenna slapped her hands together, rubbing them quickly.
I wasn’t sure if she was serious, but I knew she had awesome powers. I didn’t want to question her mental state. Heck, she was said to be older than dirt. I figured she’d forgotten more than I’d ever learn.
“I want you to place your hands over her heart. That is where you want to be. Try not to fondle her breasts.” She winked, making the other ladies groan. “Too much, too soon?” she asked.
Payton nodded. “I think so, Jennaveve. She’s in wolf form, not human.’
“Well, y’all did go and almost get them killed in the dreamscape. I believe I’m allowed a few bad jokes. A dozen or so of them, by the way. Besides, once she shifts, she’ll be nekkid and have breasts.” Jenna settled on her knees by LeeLee’s head. She pointed toward each woman, indicating where she wanted them to go.
I looked around and wondered how I was supposed to fit in between them. “Goodness, do I need to draw you a picture? Straddle her body and place both palms over her heart like so. The anatomy of a human or wolf is essentially the same. The heart is in the same vicinity. If all goes as planned, a woman will be in the place of the wolf shortly.’
I felt weird straddling the form of a wolf, even though rationally I knew LeeLee was the wolf. I figured the Fey women knew what they were doing, so I nodded. Her fur was soft beneath my fingers, the steady beat of her heart reassuring as Iplaced first my right hand, then my left on top of the other over her heart. My own pulse pounded out a fast rhythm. If this didn’t work, I wasn’t sure what I’d do.
Closing my eyes, I felt the first jolt of energy. The shock washed over me in a wave of warmth, then a tide of energy unlike anything I’d ever experienced. The body beneath me twitched, a link clicked open, and memories of a childhood unlike my own flooded me. One filled with loneliness and sadness. The beatings behind closed doors she hid, unable to make a sound out of fear that her parents would send her away.
More warmth and love flooded in, and I knew the Fey were trying to coax LeeLee into coming out of the cocoon she’d built around herself. I added my own love and comfort to the mix, wanting her to know she’d never be hurt while I had breath in my body.
I heard growls and screams, and a terrified LeeLee racing to save the worthless parents who’d allowed an old woman to beat their child. Her memories turned my stomach. I wanted to call the child back, even when I knew I had to watch it play out again.
Like a voyeur, I watched and waited. The scene she stumbled into was worse the second time around. I’d thought I’d mentally prepared myself to see LeeLee’s child-sized horror since I’d witnessed it earlier, but I’d forgotten the full impact of watching my female face her nightmare again. My heart broke for her. No child should ever have to see a massacre, let alone end up covered in the blood of their pack.
I watched in horror as LeeLee’s mother took her own life, rather than stay and become the chew toy of the pack that decimated theirs. LeeLee’s scream brought my head around, along with the ravenous wolves. They took off after the small girl, even as she ran as fast as her tiny legs would carry her.
I kept my hands on her chest, her heart beating faster than humanly possible, making me fear she’d have a heart attack. Theold woman reached out from the shadows, her smile chilling and evil. She tried to grab LeeLee, but Goddess, fear lent her speed that stunned the woman. As she hit the trees, the males shifted, gaining on her retreating form.
And then, miraculously, the bloodied gown ripped into shreds as the girl became a wolf. I wanted to cheer at the miracle. Howls and growls followed the smaller wolf. Little LeeLee didn’t stop running. I watched as she ran until she reached the highway.
The unmistakable sound of a diesel engine had me gasping, but I didn’t remove my hands. On some level, I knew I kept her tethered to reality with my touch. The large truck struck the tiny wolf. A thud echoed down the deserted highway, instantly swallowed by a blast of pressurized air. The highway fell quiet, broken only by the shriek of locked rubber—more than just noise, it was a physical wall of sound that vibrated through me, or maybe that was LeeLee’s wolf crying out. Finally, the truck came to a rocking halt, its agonizing screech dying into a low, breathless hiss as the air valves settled. The heavy silence of the night rushed back over the asphalt, punctured only by the low, predatory rumble of the diesel engine and the creak of a door opening.
Her next memory was of waking in a clinic in wolf form, covered in blood, with an IV in her paw. She shook off the drugs and escaped, running again until she ran into Rasmund. There, her memories softened, her heart rate eased, and her breathing returned to normal.
I opened my eyes as the fur beneath my fingers became soft skin. It took me several blinks before I was able to reconcile the creature beneath me as my LeeLee. The horrors she’d faced the first six years of her life would make anyone insane, and I wasn’t sure if she would be or not. The wolf LeeLee had seemed somewhat coherent, listening to commands and knowing herplace in Cammie’s home. How would the human react? Hell, could she speak?
It took me a moment to realize I still had my hands firmly on her chest. I looked up at the Fey. Their eyes were still closed, and the energy surrounding LeeLee and me continued to glow in a myriad of golds, purples, and maroons. The jewel tones were beautiful, yet I wondered when or if it was okay to speak. Afraid I’d break some spell, I stayed silent, then glanced back down at LeeLee. Her white-blonde hair had replaced the bright red I’d expected. Upon further inspection, I noticed she had silver shot throughout the white tresses.
“It is done. Her wolf is sleeping. Now, we will wake the human,” Jenna said without opening her eyes.
