“You’re the one who says visions canchange! Come with us and change it!” I screamed. I must be nearing my period orsomething because I felt emotionally out of control. Two seconds ago, I wastrying to convince Jaxon to leave. But my mom had this look, and her voice inmy vision where it sounded like she was mourning my death, had me on edge.
My rage seemed to enrage my mother aswell. “I don’t want to change this vision! This vision has a good outcome forthe majority but only if you all go with Nahuel NOW! GO!” she shouted and magicslapped out against me, pushing me back.
My mouth opened in shock at therealization that for the first time in my life my mother had hit me. Maybe notwith her hands but her magic was aggressive and it hurt. Tears welled in myeyes.
“Fine!” I screamed and tore out of thebarn as the tears spilled down my face and a knot formed in my throat.
“Anya!” My mother’s strangled voicecalled after me, but I kept running.
I knew she had done it to get me to leave,but it still hurt. I didn’t want to leave if everything on the mountain wasabout to go haywire. This was my pack and I wanted to protect them, to fightside by side. But I had to admit my mother’s visions had never steered me wrongbefore. The sound of footsteps behind made me groan.
“Mom!” I spun around but it was Nahuel.He was walking with purpose, straight for me.
“Your brother and everyone else can meetus there. We must go now if Lina is to transfer power to you.” His voice wasrushed and I could swear he looked nervous.
“Okay, let me pack my stuff. Where isyour truck?” I peered through the woods trying to see the beat up red pick-uphe always drove. How that thing was still alive and running was anybody’sguess. Must be magic. With nearly everyone driving electric cars nowadays itwas a wonder the government let him drive that thing.
Nahuel shook his head. “No, Anya. We mustgo NOW. I need you to take my hand and travel with me.”
The air suddenly charged around him as hereached out his hand. What wasn’t he saying? He wasn’t talking about … like …teleporting, was he? That was forStar Trekand fairy tales. Right?
“Nahuel, where is the car?” I pinned himwith a glare, trying to force him to see reason.
“Little pup, do you trust me?” He steppedcloser and now my hair was standing on end with electricity. What the?
“Yes, but–”
Before I could respond, his left armclamped down hard on my right wrist and then everything went dark. I couldn’tsee, and at the same time I was being pulled, lurching up, down, over. I waseverywhere at once. Nausea didn’t even begin to describe what I felt. It waslike I had been put into a washing machine and that machine was shot out into spaceat light speed. My breakfast lurched into my throat and I had to fight to keepit down. I couldn’t think, couldn’t speak. I was numb. Finally, when I couldtake no more, my feet were slammed down so hard onto cold, packed dirt that Ifelt pins and needles go all the way up my shins and into my hips. I dropped tothe ground, panting, sure that I would vomit.
Nahuel dropped down beside me and lookeddown at me with concern. “You okay? I’ve never done that with another personbefore.” His gaze held apprehension and wonder at the same time.
My eyes bugged out of my head as Idropped my jaw in disbelief and looked up at him. “You experimented on me!” Iroared, but suddenly I didn’t feel so hot. Nausea rolled into me again. The worldwas spinning and I was about to lose that breakfast.
Leaning over to the side, I fell to myhands and knees and vomited.
“Sorry about that, but the time I frozearound Lina won’t hold any longer. We must do this now,” Nahuel instructed.
I took a shaky breath, getting my bearings.Did I seriously just … travel here? Like … one second in Oregon and now I wasin Canada. My brain couldn’t even comprehend this. What the hell was Nahuelcapable of?
‘Where the hell are you?’ Gavinroared through our matebond and I grabbed my head as pain shot through my ears.I was still recovering from that travel and I was so going to give Nahuel anearful later.
‘I’m in Canada. Don’t ask. Pack mystuff and meet me here,’ I told him and stood on shaky legs.
I felt Gavin’s disbelief and confusionthrough the bond but luckily he didn’t argue further.
Nahuel appeared then with a canteen ofwater in his outstretched hand. I took it gratefully and chugged it down,swishing out my mouth. I felt better, well, as good as could be expected,considering I just traveled 300 miles in a few seconds. Nahuel reached out ahand and pulled me up. “Come on, we don’t have much time.”
“We’re going to talk about this later.” Ipointed a finger at Nahuel.
He nodded before walking away and wavingfor me to follow.Here goes nothing. As I stepped through the thicktrees and into the clearing, I could immediately see that something was wrong.The first thing that hit me was the stench of blood and death. The three teepeetents that once stood were now torn and broken down. They were nothing but apile of wood and cloth. A new structure now stood on the property, a largeround yurt. Six huge warriors stood around it, looking fierce and protective. Irecognized them as the same warriors who stood guard for me when I went on myvision quest and then again in the vision I’d had only minutes ago. As Ifollowed Nahuel closer and closer to the yurt, the hairs on my arms stood up.
I had no idea what to expect or what Iwas really getting into. Nahuel reached the door to the yurt and I could seehis upper lip had broken out into a sweat.
“You okay?” What was going on with him?It seemed he had aged ten years in the one hour I had been with him.
He nodded, teeth clenched. “Travelingwith you took a lot out of me. Can’t … hold the time.”
He was breathless and I felt bad now.This entire time that I had been refusing to come with him, he was holding timefrozen, which still blew my mind. Nahuel was hands down the most fascinatingcreature I had ever met. That was saying a lot since I was raised bywerewolves.
