I know I should feel afraid, but I’m not. When the wolf turns and walks into the woods, I follow. Is this real? I ask myself again. But I can feel the soft forest floor beneath my feet, and real or not, I feel compelled by those golden eyes.
The wolf walks into a clearing and then turns to face me. I step out into the moonlight to join it. The wolf’s thick black fur is illuminated, and I can see how huge the animal really is. It’s gigantic, even for a wolf. But it doesn’t seem to see me as prey, and I notice again how calm I am, how unafraid. We stare at each other intently.
Something passes between us. I don’t know what this is, but it doesn’t feel dangerous. I feel connected to the wolf somehow.
Without thinking, I take a slow step forward. The wolf takes a sudden step back, almost as if it’s afraid of me. But I don’t want to sever this connection. I’m filled with an odd and sudden urge to run my hands through the wolf’s soft-looking black fur. I raise my hand, but the wolf looks agitated, taking another step backward.
I pause. We appraise each other from across the clearing. The wolf seems wary, but it hasn’t broken my gaze, and something tells me I can keep going. I take another step, then another, the wolf matching my steps to maintain the distance between us. But finally, it stops. It bows its head, as if it realizes that it can’t stop me from coming forward, but that I don’t mean it any harm. Its golden eyes glint at me in the moonlight, and it doesn’t move its head away as I reach my hand toward it.
I can feel the warmth of this enormous animal, see the moonlight on its shiny black fur. The air crackles between us.
My fingers are inches away from its nose when suddenly the world around me blurs. A storm of emotion rises up in me.
No! Wait! I think. I can’t leave him!
The wolf’s eyes look haunted as it stares at me. It almost looks like it wants to tell me something…something important. It throws its head back and lets out a mournful howl. I try to reach out to grasp its fur, to hold on to this moment.
But the blurring won’t stop. The world is tilting, darkness filling the edges of my vision until I lose track of everything.
***
When I jolt awake, the sun is shining down into my face. Is it morning already? I feel disoriented, and worse, I’m sore. Maybe the four-poster bed in my new room isn’t as comfortable as I thought. I sit up and look around me. I’m expecting to see my attic bedroom, but I’m shocked to discover that I’m outside, surrounded by the forest.
What the hell?!
I look down at myself. I’m barefoot, in my pajamas, sitting on the hard ground. I reach my hand up to my head and discover leaves tangled in my hair. Did I sleepwalk out here? I’ve never sleepwalked in my entire life. I look around and try to get my bearings. Did I have a nightmare and wander out here…?
My dream from last night comes flooding back. The wolf. The haunted, tortured eyes of that wolf. I remember the intensity of its stare, the heartbreaking howl it let out. That sense of connection had been so powerful. The wolf had been looking at me like it didn’t want to let me go. It was trying to tell me something, something I had to know, but I woke up before I knew what it was. What did the dream mean?
I think back to the attack three nights ago. My hands move to my neck and I remember the feeling of teeth sinking into my throat. Could it be a wolf that attacked me that night? But that doesn’t make any sense. The wolf in my dream didn’t mean me any harm, I’m sure of it. Besides, the attack hadn’t happened in the forest. I’d been miles away, near LYCA-Corp Headquarters.
I squeeze my eyes shut, then slap my cheeks gently. “Come on, Layla,” I whisper. “You’re going crazy now.” My hands feel cold and clammy on my skin, and I realize how awful I feel.
Maybe I really am getting sick.
I slowly get to my feet and take a few shaky steps toward the forest. Suddenly a wave of nausea washes over me. I clutch my stomach and lean over, retching out all of the stress, nerves, fear, and pain of the last few days. I fall to my knees, feeling dizzy. I lean one hand against a tree, waiting for the vertigo to pass, when I notice a pair of shoes in front of me. I look up and find myself gazing into the hazel eyes of Adrian.
Great. Just the person I wanted to run into.
I have no idea how long he’s been standing there. Adrian stares down at me, completely emotionless. Finally, he holds out a reluctant hand to me. “Do you always make a habit of throwing up in the forest first thing in the morning?”
I glare up at him and use the tree I’m leaning on to get up, ignoring his hand. “No, I do not make a habit of throwing up in forests first thing in the morning,” I say. I catch a whiff of his scent, and I’m completely annoyed at how good he smells. “I happened to have sleepwalked out here.” I brush the dirt from my knees angrily.
Adrian stares at me, his eyes shuttered. I have no idea what he’s thinking. Maybe he thinks I’m completely insane, or maybe this is normal behavior for the kind of people Jaxon brings to their house. I honestly can’t tell what thoughts are going through Adrian’s mind as he looks at me. Well, screw him. I can find my way back to the house without his help just fine.
But when I take a step, my knees buckle. I’m about to fall when Adrian grabs me and throws me over his shoulder with ease. A gust of air huffs out of me as he slams my stomach against his shoulder. I’m shocked to find myself hanging upside down as Adrian starts walking, letting out an annoyed sigh.
“Hey!” I yell. “Not helping my nausea here!”
But I’m momentarily distracted by the sight of Adrian’s lean back, inches away from my face. The hard muscles shift slightly as he walks. Jeez, how much does this guy work out? And his intoxicating scent is even stronger now.
This is ridiculous, I think. I slap my hands against his back. “Put me down!” I yell.
This entire situation is infuriating. But…I also can’t ignore the stirring thrill I feel at having his body under my hands. I can feel the warmth of his skin beneath his clothes, the power of his muscles in every place where my body is crushed against his. I try protesting a few more times, but Adrian ignores me. He probably knows that I won’t make it on my own anyway. Within minutes, he’s hauled me into the house and plunked me down on the couch. I gasp for breath and stare up at him.
Suddenly I hear a rush of footsteps down the stairs. A male teenage voice yells, “Bro! Where’s my backpack?”
Adrian turns to yell his response over his shoulder. “In the kitchen, where you did your homework!”
A handsome young teen steps into the living room. He’s like a younger version of Adrian, except one that smiles. He grins at me. “Is this her?” he asks. “The new roomie?”
“You’re late,” Adrian replies. “Your bus will leave without you.”
The teen ignores Adrian and waves at me. “I’m Felix.” He points at Adrian. “I’m this dickwad’s brother.”
I’m so confused right now. “Hi,” I say weakly. Felix flashes me another grin, then rushes out in search of his backpack. “We’ll get to know each other later. See ya, big bro!” he yells.
I didn’t expect Adrian to have a younger brother, or that this younger brother would be one of my new roommates. Who all lives in this house? Maybe I should’ve asked Jaxon a few more questions before just moving in… I glance up at Adrian’s face and feel myself flush. His hazel eyes are running up my body, stopping at my face.
“Are you okay now?” he asks.
I nod, searching for something more to say. “Thanks for carrying me in, I guess. Even if your method made me dizzier.”
Adrian turns around and walks to the other side of the room. I think he’s leaving, but he grabs a wooden chair and pulls it to the couch across from me. He sets it down and straddles it.
“We need to have a talk,” he says. He lays his arms across the back of the chair and leans toward me.
“Okay. About what?”
Adrian stares at the ground, and when he looks back up at me, I’m startled by the intensity in his face.
“About how you need to move out. Today.”
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