Now… now I feel a little lost. Confused. Elated. And scared.
Because I have no idea where this new path leads.
All my visions are of going into heat in that cave and being ripped apart while Grey saves his sister from the candlelit cavern.
Not only am I not in heat at all, I’m… I’m no longer in that cave.
So nothing is what it seems, again suggesting that something or someone has been influencing my visions.But how?Who? And why?
The dragons tend to keep to themselves, just like the wolves. Our dynamics are vastly different. Wolves are pack creatures, choosing a hierarchy based on strength. Or, with V-Clan wolves, based on mental abilities.
But the dragons… they structure their authority based on bloodlines. They’re purists by nature. There’s power in blood and they form their alliances accordingly.
So why manipulate my mind?I wonder as the snowmobile finally begins to slow.What’s the endgame?
For once in my existence, I can’t see it. I can’t see anything at all.
And that terrifies me.
“Recognize any of this?” Grey asks as he kills the engine.
“No,” I tell him. “Nothing at all.”
“Is that good or bad?”
“I don’t know,” I admit. “I… This has never happened to me before.”
He places his hand on my arm—which I barely feel as I’m basically an ice cube now—and gives it a squeeze. “We’ll figure this out together, Ash.”
“Okay.” I have to clamp my teeth together to keep them from chattering. It’s like now that we’ve officially stopped that the chill is catching up to me. I’ve been forcing myself to ignore it this entire ride, focusing instead on my mind and trying to envision what’s to come.
But I’m mentally blind. No hints. No paths. Just the present—which is a clearing of trees with what appears to be a cabin in the distance.
“I’m going to go check this out and see what’s inside,” he says, giving my arm another squeeze. “I want you to stay hereand keep your hands on these bars, then drive if you hear anything or anyone coming that isn’t me.”
I try to nod in agreement, but my body is a little too stiff. I’m not sure I could drive even if I wanted to. “O-okay,” I manage to force through my teeth.
He glances back at me, the action I only notice because he moved his head.
We can’t really see one another clearly through the face shields, the mirrored outer layer instead reflecting the moon overhead and the surrounding snow.
Grey removes my arms from his torso and slides off the snowmobile then takes off his helmet. Mine disappears next, allowing us to meet each other’s gazes. His reminds me of a black hole in the ice, his pupils so large there’s only a thin glacial rim around it.
Without a word, he takes the backpack from me—an item I stopped feeling hours ago—then lifts me into a bridal hold and carries me toward the cabin. “I don’t hear any heartbeats or smell anyone,” he says softly. “So the property is vacant. But those panels on top tell me it’s been fashioned for solar energy.”
I swallow, my teeth now chattering freely as I can’t seem to clench my jaw anymore.
“We’ll make do and stay here for the rest of the night,” he goes on. “Then continue on in the morning.”
I want to ask how far his snowmobile can go on whatever tank it has, but I don’t have the energy. So I just angle my chin a little to acknowledge what he said.
Then I lay my head on his shoulder and close my eyes, exhaustion overwhelming me.
Maybe it’s the cold.
Maybe it’s the lack of sight.
Or maybe it’s… it’s just life.
