Page 112 of Lost Girl

Stars.

That’s all I see when I open my eyes. Stars, a clear night sky, and the tops of those beautiful trees. There isn’t a need for me to examine my surroundings; I know exactly where I am.

Rosewood.

Fear filters through me almost immediately. Dream or not, the last time I was here, it didn’t end well. All around me there’s nothing but silence, though, prompting me to pull myself up from the cool grass.

A quick glance around proves I’m alone. Surely that won’t be for long, the whisper should find me any moment now, but at least there isn’t an angry mob demanding I leave.

Not yet, anyway.

Making way to take a single step, I freeze in place, wondering if everything will pick up where it left off once my foot touches down on the ground. What am I supposed to do? Stand here until I wake up? What if I never wake up or I can’t unless I move?

Just do it, I chastise myself.

Jaw grit, I go for it, shoulders shooting up to my ears as I wait.

And wait.

And wait.

But nothing happens.

Another step and still nothing.

Okay?

I won’t lie, I’m confused, steadily awaiting something to take me by surprise. Why am I here? What is the point of this? Didn’t they want me to—

A howl. I hear it loud and clear, not far away at all. I recognize it, too. It’s Tavi, but it’s not a howl of urgency. There’s immense pain behind it, propelling me toward the sound faster than I can process. I’m not even shocked that I have free range of motion again.

From a walk to a run, I speed through the forest, following his cry, and when the thicket opens up to the cliff’s edge, I see him.

He’s on the ground, snarling viciously, clearly struggling against some invisible hold. Claws exposed, he swipes his paws through the air, trying to nail whatever is keeping him on his back.

My heart instantly lodges in my throat.

The phantom weight.

The same weight now keeping me rooted in place, leaving me no other option but to watch my wolf struggle in the darkness. It’s not long before those snarls turn into whimpers, whimpers I can’t bear to hear.

“Stop it!” I screech, voice echoing around us. “Don’t hurt him!”

But as always, I go unheard, which only adds urgency to the matter, especially when those whimpers turn into full-on cries. Whether it’s the same weight that has held me down or not, he’s actually hurting, wriggling around on his back as he takes blow after invisible blow.

What’s not invisible?

The crimson streams that begin pouring from his sides, drenching and tainting the grass beneath him.

No.

That’s when the hold releases, and I’m able to bolt for him, forcing my legs to move. If I get hurt in the process, so be it. Better me than him. He doesn’t deserve this. This darkness, this evil that’s been hellbent on torturing me, it belongs to me.

Not him.

He shouldn’t have to endure this, too.

Dropping to my knees, I shield him with my body, something that goes unnoticed on his part. I’m here, but I’m not really here. He can’t feel me, can’t see me, can’t hear me, not even when tears begin streaming down my cheeks at the agony I hear in his cries.

---