Page 54 of Collar Me Crazy
Vision. Not gentle this time, but brutal and immediate.
She stood in the ruins of Hollow Oak, but the destruction extended far beyond the mountain town. Cracks in reality spread like spider webs across the landscape, each tear leaking shadow creatures into the human world. Cities burned as the entities possessed millions of people, their collective despair feeding the Void until it grew large enough to swallow entire continents.
The magical barriers between realms didn't just fail—they shattered completely. Supernatural creatures fled their hidden sanctuaries only to find nowhere safe to run. Humans discovered magic existed in the worst possible way, as their world collapsed into chaos and fear.
And at the center of it all, the Void consumed everything. Not just magical energy now, but hope itself. Love. Joy. Every positive emotion that made life worth living, devoured by an entity that grew larger with each life it touched.
The vision shifted, showing her the source of the catastrophe. A claiming ritual performed in haste and fear, the eighth bond completed wrong. Chaotic energy erupting outward instead of harmonizing inward, creating exactly the kind of magical chaos the Void needed to break free completely.
She saw herself and Ryker at the center of the destruction, their incomplete trust dooming not just Hollow Oak but both realms.
"Sonya!" Freya's voice dragged her back to the present.
She gasped, finding herself on her knees in the square with concerned faces surrounding her. The garland she'd been weaving lay scattered across the cobblestones, herbs spilling everywhere.
"What did you see?" Moira asked urgently.
"Failure," Sonya whispered, her throat raw. "What happens if we get this wrong."
"And?" Cora prompted gently.
Sonya closed her eyes, reaching for the other thread of the vision. The one that showed success.
There, the same gathering, the same moment, but different. Perfect synchronization between all eight couples, their bonds pulsing in harmony like a heartbeat. The claiming completed at the exact instant when community gratitude peaked, positive energy flowing through their connection instead of chaotic fear.
The Void, sensing the trap too late, caught in a web of love so strong it couldn't break free. Banished to the emptiness between worlds, locked away by barriers that would hold for centuries.
Hollow Oak safe. Both realms protected. The supernatural world hidden but secure, the human world never knowing how close it had come to destruction.
"I saw victory too," she said, opening her eyes. "But the margin for error is so small. One moment of doubt, one second of imperfect timing, and everything falls apart."
"Then we don't doubt," Sera said firmly. "And we trust you to get the timing right."
"What if the pressure of saving both realms makes me freeze up?" Fear was starting to take over.
"You won't," a familiar voice said from behind her. Ryker approached with Emmett and Callum, his expression calm despite the worry in his green eyes. "Because you've never frozen under pressure before."
"This is different. This is?—"
"This is exactly what you've been preparing for your entire life," he said, kneeling beside her on the cobblestones. "Every vision, every choice that led you to Hollow Oak, to me—it's all been building to this."
His hand found hers, warm and steady. "Besides, you won't be doing it alone. We're partners, remember?"
"Partners," she repeated, feeling some of her terror ease.
"What do you need from us?" Emmett asked, his practical nature cutting through the emotional moment.
"Complete trust. When I say it's time, when I give the signal, everyone has to act without hesitation." Sonya looked around at the gathered couples. "No second-guessing, no fear, no holding back. Everything depends on perfect coordination."
"You'll have it," Callum promised. "We've all been through our own claiming rituals. We understand what's at stake."
"And if something goes wrong during the ceremony itself?" Katniss asked, ever the strategist.
"Then we adapt," Ryker said. "But Sonya's visions haven't been wrong yet. I trust her completely."
The simple statement hit her harder than any declaration of love could have. Trust. That's what the vision had shown her—not just romantic connection, but absolute faith in each other's judgment and abilities.
"So, tonight/ What do we need to do?" Freya asked.
