Olivera woke with a pounding headache, which dissipated when she felt a hand ruffle her hair. She sighed in satisfaction, keeping her eyes closed, shifting her head and body the more towards the source of comfort. That moment ceased though, when she perceived the scent of her benefactor. Raul. Instantly, she opened her eyes, and confirming her worst fears, shoved him out of her side with her whole strength, unperturbed when he landed his buttocks on the floor. She had pushed him out of his bed. She had realized with a sudden jerk. She knew this because after the push, she had taken in the royal colors of the room, and the hanging canopy over the bed. “What am I doing here?” She looked beneath the covers. Her clothes were still intact. Thank the goddess. But where was Jeremy? She thought, ransacking her mind for what had happened, her mouth dropping open in amazement when she remembered that she had fainted from the pain of transition. Was her body that frail? And if she had fai

Raul swore when Olivera left his room, before finding home in his bed, his arms across his chest, as he began to wonder what to do with the situation that he had gotten himself into. Fight or flee. He wondered while shutting down the area of his mind which haunted him about the killings in his territory. After some minutes of making some debate and deductions which really weren't going anywhere, he tried communicating to Olivera through the mind path. He had forgotten to ask her how she had managed to learn the mind communication and barricading without a wolf. Of course she would ignore him again. No harm in trying though, is there? “Are you still awake?” He heard the thrumming of aliveness, and knew that she was awake-her mind defenses were still up and strong as ever. But she gave him no answer. She paid his question no heed, just as he had thought. Sighing wearingly, he let it go. There was enough time to play games with her. Right now, he should focus on the dire matter at

Drops of blood leaked like tears, trailing down Olivera’s face to her surprise as she squinted to try to control the sensation of pitching and rolling as she viewed the rainforest. Emotions poured in. She tasted dark fear, something she hadn’t known since she met Jeremy.What was going on? Olivera fought to get on top of the strange tumbling of jumbled thoughts in her mind. She pushed hard to clear away the debris and focus on what she knew of her past. Fire burned through her insides, spreading rapidly as something like poison worked its way through her system. Blood ran in rivers and light faded quickly. She heard voices calling, chanting, and felt someone reaching for her to try to hold her to earth. She found herself in a shadowy realm, banshees wailing, shadows flickering and reaching. Skeletons. Dark spiked teeth. Talons. Spiders and cockroaches. Snakes hissing. The skeletons are drawing closer and closer until…She closed her mind to her surroundings, to all shared pathway

Olivera pulled herself up to her full height, forced her body to stand straight when her gut clenched and knotted. Her body felt different, more leaden, clumsy even. As she shifted onto the balls of her feet, she felt the tremors start. "You chose your fate, dead one. I was merely the instrument of justice." She stated.The heads were thrown back on the long, thin stick necks, and howls rent the air. Above them, birds lifted from the canopy, taking flight at the horrible cacophony of shrieks rising in volume. The sound jarred her body, making her insides turn to gel. A trick, she was certain. She knew in her heart her life was over. There were too many to kill-but she would take as many with her as possible to rid the world of such dangerous and immoral creatures. The mage must have found a way to resurrect the dead. She whispered the information in her head, needing her mother to send a warning to the prince that armies of the dead would be once again rising against them."You a

Olivera backed off, not wanting to rouse the ire of the cat any further. The animal was shaking, fur wet and dark as its sides heaved. The man was beginning to lose the battle for control of the beast. "You have been touched by the vampire," She said, her voice low and carrying the ring of truth. "I can try to aid you to rid yourself of the poisonous influence, but it will fight to keep ahold of you." And it would leave her vulnerable to attack, perhaps even from the jaguar. It was a risk, not even a good one, but Olivera felt compelled to help. The jaguar species, both man and beast, was losing the battle for existence just as her specie was. Tied to the jaguar now by blood, she could feel his alarm. He was no young man, cocky and full of bravado; he was old enough to know the danger of the vampire, and he had been questioning what was happening among his kind for some time. The cat crouched low and nodded the broad head, the gaze shifting from him to their surroundings, as mindfu