Page 96 of Lost Girl

Until the sod begins tapering off, fading from lush to desiccated, to nothing but dark, barren terrain.

My foot doesn’t make the touchdown, a ferocious snarl stopping me mid-stride. A flash of movement whips past me and then I see him. His eyes glow, a vivid honey unlike anything I’ve ever seen.

What else haven’t I seen?

A growl of this nature directed at me.

The rest of the pack appears behind him, almost out of thin air. One by one they step under the moonlight, long canines exposed, streams of dribble glistening. With each that appears, their growls seem to meld with Tavi’s and amplify the sound. It’s too loud, reviving the wild tempo of my heart beat.

Thump, thump.

Thump, thump.

Thump, thump.

“Get out of here,” his eyes warn. “Go!”

But I’m frozen, rooted to the ground beneath me. That is, until he takes a step forward, moving me back a single step as well. Not a moment later, Tavi advances again, and again, I retreat another step.

Before I know it they’re all stepping forward, forcing me back into the darkness of the forest.

I don’t like this, not one bit. The Lost Boys have been on my side since day one, and here they are, turning on me, breaking my heart.

And I haven’t a clue why.

Can I wake up now?

Of all the times I’ve endured an episode, this is by far the longest. I should’ve woken up ages ago, so why haven’t I?

“Because there’s something you need to know,” the whisper states.

“What? What do I need to know?”

The wolves snarl at my voice, taking another tentative step toward me as a united front. My heart shatters a little more but I don’t have the time to dwell on it.

Behind them, small flames begin to appear. Much like the wolves, they ignite one by one. At first I can’t tell where they’re coming from, they simply appear to be floating, but then I see it.

Faces.

Some I recognize like Tigerlily and Doctor Ward, even some of the Natives. Others I don’t. They’re just faces, all of them as angry and disproving as the wolves.

“Do you hear them?” the whisper questions.

I don’t answer in words, simply give a little shake of my head, straining my hearing with everything in me while praying to whatever deity might hear me that I’ll wake up right in this moment.

I’ve had enough.

I just want to breathe Tavi in, feel his arms burrow me into his chest as he tells me he’s got me—that I’m safe.

“Not going to happen this time, little Wendy. Listen closely to what they have to say.”

Takes several moments of straining my hearing, but when I finally hear it, I swear it feels like the ground splits beneath my feet and I’m free-falling to the fiery depths of hell.

“Leave!”

“You don’t belong here!”

“Be gone!”

---