“Are you running again, Bethi?”

I struggled to gather my wits. His questioning, boyish look helped bring back a little clarity. He’s scared, I realized.  “I will come back here when I’m done,” I managed to say.  My internal self was chanting “More kisses, more kisses!” at the top of its lungs so I couldn’t be sure my words came out coherently.

Luke stepped back, his uncertainty clear on his face.  “Watch her closely, Winifred.  She’s up to something.”

“Of course I am,” I said indignantly.  “I already said that.”

His lips twitched and a full smile lit his face.  It melted my insides, which made me nervous.  He might not forgive me for this.

Containing my doubts, I left the apartment.  Nana followed me quietly.

We let ourselves into the padded room, once again stopping conversation.

“Is everything all right?” Sam asked Nana.

She held out a chair for me.  “Bethi, sit.  You’re looking pale again.”  She turned to Sam.  “I’ll let Bethi explain.”

Clever Nana.

I gave her my best wobbly smile.  It wasn’t hard.  All I had to do was think of Luke’s reaction if my plan actually worked.

“Okay,” I said with a deep breath.  “Like I said, Luke found me a couple of weeks ago.  I’d run away from home because of those dreams I mentioned.”  I met everyone’s eyes briefly.  Elder Joshua nodded for me to continue, so I guessed the Elders had recapped my last conversation for him.  “Anyway, I wanted to run away from Luke, too, after he showed me what he was, but the dreams weren’t so bad with Luke around.  And he kept me safe, you know?”

They all watched me, waiting for me to get to the point.

“But he only makes the dreams better when he’s next to me.  And he keeps leaving,” I said with true annoyance.  I took another deep breath, carefully planning my words as I flattened my palms on the table.  “I don’t want these dreams anymore.  I don’t care about puzzles or their stupid pieces.  They don’t make any sense and they’re scary.  Terrifying.  I think it would help me if I Claimed someone.”

I uncurled my fingers with effort.  The subject annoyed me to the point that I’d fisted my hands.

“I asked Luke, but he told me I was too young.  I almost had Paul convinced to let me Claim him, but Luke showed up and scared him away.”

Grey gave me an indulgent smile as if to say “of course, he would scare the boy away.”

“If Luke won’t Claim me, I’m asking for your help to find me someone who will and to keep Luke out of it.”  Because I don’t want him hurt, I silently added.

No one made a sound.  Nana kept her face perfectly straight, but I could still see her surprise.  In fact, all of their faces registered different states of shock.  Joshua’s also held a note of thoughtful concern.

“Does Luke know you’ve come to us?” he asked.

“Luke knows I’m talking to you guys, but I didn’t exactly tell him why.”

“I thought you wanted us to help you figure these dreams out,” Sam said, finally finding his voice.

“No, I wanted to know why I was having them.  After this last one, I don’t care anymore.  I just want them to stop.  Will you help me?”  I looked around the table and didn’t see much approval.  Nana looked like she was having an internal struggle.  No doubt she was regretting her promise to support me.  “Please.”

Nana sighed.  “If Luke is denying your Claim, you have a right to request Introductions.”  She didn’t sound happy about it, but she was going along with it.

Silence wrapped around the occupants of the room.  I waited, keeping calm, meeting everyone’s eyes.  I could see the discomfort growing in Grey.  Sam looked seriously troubled.  Nana looked just a tad angry.  I couldn’t blame her.  She probably felt betrayed on Luke’s behalf.  Joshua though, kept his eyes on the table, deep in thought.

Finally, he broke the silence.  “We should consider this carefully before we move forward with anything.”

Good.

“If he is waiting for her to mature,” he glanced at me and gave me an apologetic smile, “then it is possible he will challenge whomever she Claims.  We don’t want to be reduced to chaos when there are so many other elements concerning us.”

Meaning the recent attack. I kept my face neutral.

“Joshua’s correct,” Sam agreed.  Grey nodded.  They all looked relieved.

“What does that mean for me?” I asked, pushing.

Joshua sighed regretfully.  “It means we too are asking for your patience.  We need to ensure we are doing what is best for the pack.”

Playing my role, I scowled.  “Fine.  But my patience is limited.  I can already feel another dream gathering.  I’ll give you an hour to decide, or I’m going to jump on the next unMated I see and start biting.”

Standing quickly, I fled out the door as if angry and almost ran into Luke.  Thankfully, I’d been wearing my I’m-annoyed-and-leaving face and not my ha-ha-you-fool face.  He caught my arms so I wouldn’t bump into him and pulled back, his eyes searching my face.  The hall was empty except for us.

“I thought you were waiting in the room,” I said.

“I didn’t actually think you’d come back,” he commented letting go of my arms.

“I told you I would.”  How could a man be so annoying yet so endearing?

A corner of his mouth tilted up in a half-smile, and he threaded his fingers through mine.  We walked back to the apartment in silence.  Though my mouth was quiet, my mind was not.  He didn’t just hold my hand, he held my heart.  I really started to doubt my wisdom.  What a joke.  Me. Wisdom.

He opened the apartment door for me.  I eased onto the couch and closed my eyes.

The cushions next to me dipped as he sat beside me.  His arm curved around my shoulders, and he pulled me to his side.  “You look tired.”

“I’m always tired.”  Hopefully not much longer though.

Pressed into his warm side, I relaxed and the dreams swirled.  Thankfully, less than a minute later, someone knocked on the door.

Luke eased me from his side to answer it.  Sam stood in the entry.  “Luke, we would like to speak with you.”  His voice held regret.  Luke glanced at me, seeking my permission to leave my side.

“I’ll be fine,” I assured him.

He walked out with Sam, and I waited for the main player, lightly touching the knife still strapped to my leg.  As I anticipated, another knock sounded on the door.

“Come in,” I called.

Joshua opened the door with a smile.  “Bethi, hello.”  He closed the door.  “We are breaking the news to Luke now.  Actually, we are isolating him to give others a fair chance.  We called a few candidates to the woods just outside the Compound if you would come with me.”

“Perfect,” I agreed, not bothering to contain my happiness.  Joshua watched me closely as I stood.  The stitches pulled when I tried to straighten so a cringe wasn’t hard to fake. “I’m not sure I’ll make it that far.”

He frowned slightly, considering me before stepping close.  “If you’ll allow me, I’ll carry you.”

“Thank you.”

He bent down, placed an arm behind my knees and my back, and with a quick move, he lifted me into his arms. I settled high with my arm around his shoulders.

“Joshua, I should warn you.  There’s another dream coming on and I’m not sure how long I’ll...”  I lightly sighed and dropped my head on his shoulder.  I should have been in theatre.  “I’m not sure how long I’ll be able to stay awake.”

There was no dream, at least, not one that I couldn’t resist.  The light scent of his shaving cream filled my nose.  Underneath that, I could smell the real Joshua.  Woods, sky, and mud.  It held no appeal to me whatsoever.

“Don’t worry,” he assured me, turning toward the door.

I nodded my head, the movement bringing me closer to his neck.  All my attempts with Luke had taught me something. Don’t dart in until you were sure he couldn’t get a hand up fast enough.  Joshua didn’t see it coming.  I ducked in and bit him hard before we made it to the door.