They extinguished the light then, and I sat isolated in the darkness, my little heart hammering, listening for a threat I didn’t understand.  I shivered and tried to hold in the whimper that wanted to escape.

Roulf’s son, who had already helped me once in his life, sat beside me and wrapped an arm around me.

He whispered, “When you need to feel safe, remember this.”  He gave my arms a gentle squeeze, much like my father might have if I’d woken with a bad dream.  I leaned into him trying not to sniffle.

He remained beside me for two days, holding me in the darkness for hours, keeping me safe with his father not far from us.  I slept and didn’t complain about hunger when I woke.  Roulf’s words and their cautious silence impressed upon me the need to stay hidden.

In the dark, I lost concept of day and night, but they never did.  Baen, as I heard his father call him, whispered to me occasionally, telling me when a night animal entered the cave.

When I felt Baen suddenly shift into his wolf form, I knew we had been found.

Roulf pulled me to my feet, spun me to the left, and nudged me forward.  I didn’t say anything.  I knew what he wanted me to do.  Sticking my hands out, I groped through the darkness, wanting to run but only managing a slow stumble.

“I am proud to call you son, Baen,” Roulf said.

The words struck a deeper fear in me than Baen’s abrupt shifting had.  I tried moving faster.  After his words, nothing but silence rang behind me.

Ahead, the distant roar, which had kept us company during our stay, grew gradually louder.  Still, I stumbled forward.  The thunderous rumble deafened me.  The walls of the cave vibrated beneath my hands.  Before me, a dim light glowed, a tiny bit of sight in the nothingness.  I hurried toward it.  The air grew damp.  Running now, heart hammering with a mixture of fear—instilled by Roulf—and excitement for the light, I ignored the pain in my feet as I kept slipping on the sharp wet rock.

When I reached a churning wall of light, I stopped in confusion, not understanding what I saw.  Mist coated my eyelashes, and I blinked away the droplets.  The way Roulf told me to go was blocked.  I cautiously reached out.  Water tore at my small hand, pulling me forward and down.  Before it pulled me too far, I tugged my bruised hand back and stared at the rushing water.  I couldn’t leave this way.  Turning, I looked into the darkness behind me.  Could I go back to Roulf and Baen?

Something glinted in the black tunnel as I considered going back.  Two somethings that slowly grew larger.  Eyes.  Belonging to a dog.  I felt a surge of hope until the dog shifted, and I saw it was neither Roulf nor Baen.  Blood coated this man, and my heart ached for my would-be friends.  The man stretched an arm forward and motioned for me to come to him.

My little heart hammered as I remembered Roulf’s words, “You cannot let them take you.”  My tears mixed with the mist as I stepped into the falls.

I screamed myself awake and heard someone pounding on the door.  Pulling myself off the mattress, I quickly checked the peephole.  A member of the hotel staff, along with a police officer, stood outside.  I debated not answering the door but ended up pulling it open despite my reservations.

After explaining about a bad dream and letting the officer into my room, the hotel very politely asked me to leave as I had disturbed too many of their guests.  Just as politely, I asked for a refund since I hadn’t even slept an hour.

*    *    *    *

Duffle once again on my shoulder, I walked away from the hotel feeling the eyes of the police officer on my back.  At least the hotel had refunded my money.  I stopped a passerby and asked for directions to the nearest bus stop determined to keep heading west.

Still feeling exhausted, I climbed aboard the next bus, eyed the other passengers, and wished I knew what to look for.  Werewolves looked just like everyone else until they started transforming.

I sat near the window, looked out with a sigh, and thought of the Taupe Lady.  If she had the ability to carry six of us within her and send us into different mothers, why couldn’t she help us?  Why did I have to die over and over?  I thought back to the very first dream of her.  She’d sent each of us to our mothers with a word: Strength, Wisdom, Hope, Peace, Prosperity, and Courage.  From the way some of those things had talked to each of us in past lives, I knew I was Wisdom.  So which sister had Luke and his people already found?

Shifting in my seat, I pulled up my hood so I could block out the world as I thought.  My damn dreams.  They had shown me that the werewolves would come and that I needed to run.  And I had.  I’d run from my home, my friends...my mom.  But the dreams weren’t stopping.  They had, however, changed.  A little.  I wasn’t stupid...maybe just a little slow, but hey I was sleep deprived.  Twice Baen had helped me...or tried to, anyway.  Two dreams showing me that not all werewolves were bad.  It gave me a tiny spark of hope, and I knew what I needed to do.  West, I thought.

The faint smell of soap tickled my noise.  The dreams had just pointed out what I was too afraid to believe; someone had already been helping me.  I unzipped the hoodie, pulled it off and studied it.  It wasn’t mine as I’d thought when I’d pulled it out of the duffle in the back of the truck.  Holding it to my nose, I inhaled deeply.  It smelled like Luke.  He’d also given me money. Several times.  Granted, he’d also snuck into my hotel room—several times—and seemed to be following me like a creeper.  It would take more than cash and a hoodie to earn my trust, but I would listen to the dreams.  I sighed and shrugged back into the hoodie.

My head ached from the need to sleep.  After a few torturous hours, the bus stopped for a refuel.  Stepping off the bus into the increasingly frigid air, I chose a road heading out of town and started walking.

Chapter Five

Several hours later, I heard the loud roar of a motorcycle behind me.  I looked back, saw it was Luke, and I suppressed the urge to run.  It wouldn’t do any good. He would just chase me.  Besides, I’d already decided to talk to him...to see if he really was like Baen.  So I stopped walking and waited.

My stomach tugged and twirled as I watched the bike slow.  I forced down my physical reaction—it had been used against me in the past—but that didn’t stop me from appreciating how good he looked.

He pulled up beside me and cut the engine.  His hair was slightly messed from the ride, and his eyes sparked with annoyance.

“Are you mental?” He dismounted with grace and pulled off his leather jacket.

Too stunned by the sudden display of beautifully defined pectorals beneath his t-shirt, I couldn’t answer.  Sure, I’d remembered a few mates from past lives, but none attracted me like this.  He was even more dangerous to me because of it.

He stalked toward me, and I didn’t even have a chance to squeak in protest when he pulled the duffle off my shoulder.

“You’ll freeze out here.” He set the still warm jacket on my shoulders and zipped me in without waiting for me to put my arms in the sleeves.

Every time he found me, he helped me. I tipped my head back and stared into his eyes.  He watched me intently.  Tiny flecks of green and gold peeked through the soft brown of his eyes. Inside, I gave a little sigh of appreciation.  How stupid was I to want to trust this man?  I needed to be practical.  Squashing my tingling awareness, I recalled what happened in my last dream.  Even my help had set me up to die.  Wasn’t there a way to live that didn’t involve torture or forced servitude?