Prologue
Even before she opened her eyes, Isabell knew that she wasn’t in her room. It had been so long since this happened. She wasn’t sure that she wanted to see what would come next. She screwed her eyelids tightly together, clenching her fists until her fingernails dug into her flesh, hoping the feeling would go away, but as the seconds ticked by, she sighed and slowly opened her eyes to see what lay before her.
White! Everything was pure white; she had never started this way before. Isabell decided to stand up and see where exactly she was this time. But as she struggled to her feet she was surprised to realize that she was actually in a clearing surrounded by towering oaks and everything was covered in a thick almost cotton like snow
She seemed to have no effect on it at all, no print showed where she had been laying, she didn’t even feel chilled even though she only wore a thin nightgown and was barefoot. It seemed that this time she was just an observer into the events that would unfold; she didn’t have to interact this time. Her breath whooshed out of her and Isabell realized that she had been holding it. Wondering what was to come.
Isabell looked towards the sky only to see dark rolling clouds sweep across the horizon. She could almost smell the moisture that was about to erupt from the sky. As the lightning began in the distance, Isabell decided to make for the oaks and see if she could find any shelter. She wasn’t sure if the thunderstorm would actually affect her or not. She couldn’t help crouching low as thunder boomed overhead, and began to run through the snow towards the edge of the woods, her mind felt blank, she still didn’t feel cold, even though now she could now feel her feet.
It was not fair when she did not know what was to come. It gave her a disconcerting and unsettling feeling, panic laced through her chest. The instinct of being prey began to course through her. Isabell stumbled with that rationalization, missing her step and twisting her knee. She couldn’t stop the anguished cry that tore from her throat as she fell into a bank of snow.
She pushed up from the ground and looked toward the oaks, only to be startled to see a very large black and silver wolf. Isabell sucked in her breath; he was looking right at her. She had nowhere to go. She couldn’t even feel any rocks or sticks around her. She had nothing to defend herself with. The sense of prey increased, with her knee throbbing Isabell knew that she going to be an easy target.
She got up and tried to run despite the pain ripping through her and paid for it by falling again, this time fire flared through her leg. Isabell’s leg was now shooting pain from her toes to her hip, she could feel the leg getting stiff & knew there would be no running. She laid there panting with pain, knowing he was coming.
With that thought in mind she started to pull herself in the other direction.
She lay there in the snow, panting with the effort it had taken her to make it the few feet she had crawled, waiting for the inevitable attack from him. She had felt his breath on her feet as he followed her across the clearing. The air crackled with the electricity from the storm.
Isabell rolled over onto her back, so that she could actually see what was going to happen. She couldn’t believe that she actually thought she wouldn’t have to participate this time. She couldn't believe how naive she was even after all these years. The wolf stood over her feet and she saw for the first time that there was a gash down her leg that had left a trail of blood behind her
With every breath she took he took a step closer, agonizing slow, time felt like it would never end. As he neared her foot she tried to pull away only to find that she was so stiff & numb that she could no longer feel anything. She closed her eyes wondering if she would feel pain when he finally attacked her. But in her mind she could still see him, see his eyes.
His eyes, startling colors of blue and green, shocked her, almost the color of a storm-ravaged sea. A color that no animal should have. She slowly opened her eyes & was startled to find herself staring directly into the eyes of the wolf, unable to escape them.
Her mind was taking in information even though all of her attention was held by the wolf's eyes; things like the wolf's blood soaked footprints showing stark against the snow, the way the wind ruffled his fur, the clouds rolling in above them like the tide, how suddenly she actually felt how cold it was.
Her hands and legs were now numb from crawling through the snow, her face and hair wet from the fresh snow that had just began to fall. She felt frozen, both inside and out, all she could see were his eyes and the snow falling past them. He stalked forward, slowly moving up her body, an involuntary shudder ran through her when the wolf licked the gash in her leg, as if he was lovingly tasting his prey. He moved up her body, sniffing at her hip, across her stomach.
His breath was warm & felt like steam upon her throat, Isabell could feel it mist because of the cold, and she tried to move, to push his mouth away but he just nipped her bloody hand, at her weak attempt. She wasn’t sure that she could even move. Her body did not even feel like it was attached to her brain.
She watched his eyes getting closer, seeming so empty, so dead.
Isabell could not understand what she saw, it was too human, but at that moment she knew that she would never move again. He lowered his mouth down, around her neck; she felt the indentions that his canines were making in her neck. She looked deep into his eyes as she felt his teeth sink into her throat.
The pain was sudden, sharp, burning; she could feel the warm blood pouring down her neck soaking her hair, her nightgown, and the snow beneath them. With her last breath a scream tore from her throat, it came from deep down in her soul, more painful than the wolf’s teeth in her throat, something pulled hard inside of her, her heart felt like it was going to explode. She was on fire, the pain had tears streaming down her face, she felt like her soul was being torn from her, and then the darkness swallowed her whole . . . . . . . . . .
I lay here in agony. Everything hurts. Am I dreaming? The pain can’t be real, it feels like a ball of fire in my stomach with flames licking my insides and boiling my blood. My face is so cold. I’m shaking. Why can’t I just sleep peacefully?
Chapter 1
“AAARRRGGGHHH”
Thump. I wake up on the floor of my bedroom in a tangle of sheets & my hair. Missy peeked over the edge of the bed;
“You ok, honey?”
“Yea, No. Ah shit, I think I bruised my tailbone” I moan.
“Goodness, Isa, Ya scared the dickens out of me with all that thrashing & then you just launched out the bed with all the covers” Missy exclaimed “You know I’m kinda freezing my ass off up here. Come up here & tell me what the hell that was all about.”
A thoughtful look crossed Missy’s face & she started to giggle hysterically “On second thought you stay down there, you look damn sexy all tangled in the covers”
“Ha-Ha, Missy. My ass is bruised, I’m so tangled up I couldn’t stand even if I felt the need to & you are up there giggling like an idiot” I grumbled.
“Well I can’t help it, Isa, you should have seen your face when you hit the ground. Plus I bet you wished now that you hadn’t raised the bed up so high” Missy answered through her giggles.
“Did you even tried to stop me from falling off the bed” I asked with a hurt look.
“Oh quit your pouting” Missy said softly as she slid down off the bed & started to help Isabell untangle her hair & sheets. “You were kicking & thrashing around, then you shoved away, fell off the bed & screamed. I didn’t really have that much time to try & stop you. Want to tell me what it was all about?”
I scooted closer & laid my head in her lap. I took a deep breath & tried to realign myself, to make sense of it before I tried to talk about it. I could still feel his breath, his teeth in my throat, his eyes. My leg throbbed, my throat felt raw & sore, my hand was on fire. I closed my eyes as Missy started running her fingers through my hair.
I sigh “It was about a wolf.”
“A wolf?” Missy questioned “What made you so upset about a wolf?”
I don’t know where to even start, when all of a sudden Missy’s hand stops moving. My eyes pop open & I look up into Missy’s eyes & I see the dawning understanding.
“Oh…..It was one of those dreams wasn’t it?” Missy questions quietly “What do you think it was trying to tell you?”
“I don’t know, Pixie, I’ve never had one like this before. I was in the Glen/Valley & it was beautiful, with all of this white snow & huge majestic oaks. You know how I love those oaks. I kept thinking I’ve been here before, but there wasn’t anyone there. I couldn’t figure out what the hell the purpose of the dream was. I was walking across the Glen/Valley when I spotted him. This wolf was huge & beautiful & his eyes……His eyes were haunting. The he tore my throat out and I woke up on the damn floor with your short ass giggling at me.” I finish with a sigh and shut my eyes again.
“Um. I’m not sure what that was supposed to tell you, but your answers always come to you in its own time, you know you can’t force it. “Missy said with a worried look on her face” But I don’t like the fact that I’m leaving today. It’s never good for you to be alone after these dreams.”
“I’ll be ok. You can’t not go, Pix, just cause your worried about me. What about your grandmother and your baby brother, they’ve been dying for you to come out to the new house in
I wrap my arms around her, hugging her tightly “ Come on, lets get off of this floor and I’ll help you finish packing, then we will take a shower otherwise you’ll never get to the airport on time.”
I stand up & hold a hand out to her to help her off the floor. I can tell she is still worried but I refuse to let her break her promises to her family, my dream flashes through my mind, I have enough things to worry about.
I can’t help but smile at her, her hair is a riot of platinum spiral curls looking every inch the pixie that I so lovingly call her, well at least a surfer pixie. Unlike myself, Missy’s green eyes, always showed so much expression, always showed the smile on her face and the worry in her heart.
Missy studies me intently before she smiles and reaches up to take my hand. I watch her face light up and her eyes snap. It was so easy to picture her with fairy wings sitting in a buttercup, giggling.
At that thought, as I pull Missy up, I started to laugh and felt my bad mood slide off of me. It was one of the things that drew her to me, the inability to be upset around her, it made my life bearable at times like this.
I smile down at her and wrap my arms around her “Let’s go take that shower first, if you miss your flight I’ll get another ticket for you.”
I watched as relief flooded her expression and she reached up on her tiptoes & planted a luscious kiss on me and then bounded off to the bathroom, singing some pop song.