“Look, I think she’s waking up.”“Shhh!”My brain slowly comes back online, with a few false starts as I go in and out of darkness.My eyes are closed. I smell grass and mud. The side of my face feels damp. It’s pressed up against something hard. I hear the sound of water and a bird chirping.I open my eyes. The world is still spinning. I try to sit up, but I can’t. My hands and feet are tied.“Just stay there,” a voice says.Maybe my emotions are muted, but the sound of that voice still puts a knot in my stomach.Cherry. She’s going to kill me. I inhale sharply. It’s one thing to die. It’s another to know that this bitch won. I struggle against Duct tape I’m tied up with.“Cut that out,” a male voice says.“Let me up,” I say. “I want to see you both.”“Let’s just sit her up,” the man says, obviously to Cherry. “If you promise to sit there and don’t move.”“Fine,” says Cherry.He lifts me up so that I’m in a sitting position. I can see where we are now - in an enclosed, wooded area n

Ansel woke up in a cold sweat.There’s been a breach.Henry’s stark warning came through mindlink.Ansel jumped up. He grabbed a t-shirt he’d thrown over the back of a chair and pulled it on over his head.Don’t come. It will make things worse. I’ll keep you updated.He ignored Henry and was outside within seconds. Jeff was howling and pacing from inside him. He could see lights up ahead and hear shouts and cries.He shifted into his wolf and raced toward the gate, where he could soon make out the skirmish between the protestors and his security.Before he could reach the turmoil, he was flanked by Henry, who then turned to block him. Ansel growled and swiped him across the snout. Henry yelped.Ansel pushed on. It was chaos up ahead. He stumbled when a huge weight crashed on top of him. Teeth sunk into his shoulders. Henry.He tried to buck him off, but he was clamped onto Ansel with his fangs. Ansel swung around, throwing both him and Henry down on the ground, with Ansel colliding on

I’m a rain cloud, floating above the trees and the river below. I watch while Ansel holds me, crying, before I slip away. I’m a spirit in the darkness. In the deep, velvety black. I am not alone. I’m with the Divine. She’s the bringer of dreams and She speaks in riddles. A wolf howls nearby and I shudder. Then she appears. Her fur is white, like snow. She’s strong, fierce, and wild. I’m frightened, but she makes no move to harm me. The Moon Goddess whispers, so I go to her. Slowly, I reach out my hand. I run it over her soft fur. She watches me with wise eyes. I’m not wise. Why do you want to come with me? I stroke her head. I’m not wild. You won’t be free with me. She nuzzles my cheek. Will it be painful? Will there be a price to pay?&

I’m running down a dark, narrow hall. “Ansel?” I know he’s here, but I can’t find him. The hall stretches on forever. I pass by door after door, all closed. I hear a noise from one and I turn the knob, but it’s locked. I struggle against it, shoving it open, but Ansel’s not inside. It’s Henry. He’s standing in an office and he’s a mess. His hair’s uncombed. His sleeves are pulled up haphazardly. His tie is loose and crooked. There are papers everywhere, and he’s searching through them. Beads of sweat are breaking out all over his forehead. He kicks closed a desk drawer and yanks another open. A swarm of white spiders begin to pour out of the drawer. He tries to close it, but he can’t. I gasp as the spiders cover his hands and legs, and then they engulf him. &ldq

 The King’s men swoop in and yank Doc’s arms behind his back, apprehending him with much more force than is necessary for such a gentle, old man.   I feel sick. They drag us both through the hall. We pass rigid-standing guards with flat expressions and dozens of stunned hospital workers. We enter a stairwell and the guards begin to pull us down the stairs like we were a couple of rag dolls. “Let’s be civilized here,” Doc says, his voice echoing in the stairwell. I’m proud to call him my friend. We get outside and the guards drop me so fast, that I’m knocked down, tumbling onto the sidewalk, scraping the skin off my knees. I look up and they’re taking Doc away. I get up and race after them, but three gammas, stationed outside, rush to block me from reaching them. I crane my