Chapter Eleven
Harley
Having to leave my wolf behind to go and meet with a so-called Empath had me seriously regretting the fact that I had told anyone about the damned nightmare. It wasn't like it was my first, so I couldn't quite figure out why it was such a big deal.
"Scooter will be fine," Zade's voice came from behind me as I stood at the edge of the woods, staring into the shadows cast by the setting sun. "But we need to hit the road. Are you ready?"
"Yeah, sure." I followed him toward the truck and stopped short when I saw Scott's van idling next to it. "Is Scott going, too?"
"Yeah, he is."
"Really?" Suddenly leaving the wolf wasn't quite as distressing. After all, in the forest I'd gotten the same safe, comfortable feeling from being around Scott that I did from burying my face in my four-legged friend's fur. "Can I ride with him?" I heard a chuckle from behind me and spun around, catching Scott watching us. "Can I ride with you?" Zade looked like he had just bitten into a lemon, so I hurried to make my case. "It would give you and Levi some time alone, yeah?"
Zade narrowed his eyes but nodded slowly. "I suppose, but you have to obey him."
"Yeah, sure," I agreed, hopping into the van and closing the door before Zade could change his mind. When Scott climbed in next to me, I lost a little bit of my bravado. "I guess I should have asked if you minded being saddled with me."
Scott snorted and shook his head. "You literally never have to worry about that, Har." He followed Zade's truck out onto the main road. "You're welcome to find something on the radio."
Everybody had been really nice to me – especially considering how much work my episodes caused them – but there was something about the way that Scott treated me that helped me to relax. Or maybe it was how he didn't treat me – specifically, like I was a bomb that could go off any minute – that made him so easy to be around.
I pressed the knob to turn the radio on and immediately cranked the volume when my lips began moving with the song that came on. I saw Scott glance at me from the corner of his eye, but he didn't say anything. Instead, he began to sing along with me, both of us belting it out at the top of our lungs.
The ride was shorter than I expected, and it wasn't long before we pulled into what looked like a tiny village. All of the houses and other buildings were brightly painted with white trim and radiated out from some sort of community building like spokes on an old-fashioned wagon wheel. It was adorable.
When the van rolled to a stop, Scott offered me a hand down and walked beside me to where Zade stood on the porch of the community building, huffing impatiently.
"Why don't you come with me?" Levi asked, throwing a narrow-eyed look at Zade. "I'll introduce you to Trevor."
Trevor ended up being a gentle soul with light brown hair streaked with red and gold and large caramel eyes. He was heavy set and wore a loose tunic over a pair of blue jeans. He greeted me quietly, smiling when I leaned down to speak to the three gangly puppies scrambling around his bare feet.
"Come in and have a seat, Harley." He waited for me to settle onto the sofa and sat down across from me. "I understand you need some help deciphering a dream?"
"Oh, um, not really," I stuttered, looking around for Levi.
"It's more that he can't seem to remember his dreams, Trevor," Levi spoke up. "But we're pretty sure that they are nightmares."
"And you think it might help if he can remember them?"
Levi nodded. "We hope so."
Trevor smiled at me and reached over to take a handful of animal crackers from the bowl in the center of the coffee table. "I'd be happy to try and help," he offered, popping a cookie into his mouth. "Assuming it's what you want, Harley?"
I blew out the breath I was holding and nodded slowly. "I think it is." I plucked at a loose thread on my jeans. "If I can't remember, the doctor says they'll have to put me on medication to control me." An involuntary shudder ripped through my body. "I really don't want that."
Trevor's eyes twitched, his lips pursing into a slight frown, but he nodded in agreement. "Okay. As long as you're sure it's what you want." He offered me the bowl of cookies.
"No, thanks," I said and then jerked my head up at the gasp from Levi. "Just on the cookies, Levi," I said, barely managing to hold back a laugh. "I'm accepting the help on the dreams, honest."
"Sorry," Levi mumbled, a flush coloring his cheeks as he stared down at his feet.
I wasn't really sure what to say – I mean, it wasn't as if he actually owed me an apology – so I turned back to Trevor instead. "What do I need to do? Take a nap?"
Trevor shook his head. "No. We just need to spend a few minutes meditating. Do you want to start now?"
I nodded. "The sooner, the better."
"Okay." Trevor struggled to his feet and waited for me to follow. "Levi, do you mind asking everyone to wait out here?"
Levi nodded, still looking oddly distressed and forced a smile in my direction. "Good luck, Harley."
"Thanks," I responded, hoping my voice sounded more confident than I felt. "I'm sure everything will be fine."
I'm not sure what I was expecting. A smoke-filled room full of stinky candles and crystal balls like the fortune teller tent at the county fair, maybe? Actually, if I was honest, that was exactly what I was expecting. So, when Trevor led me to a cozy kitchen and gestured for me to sit at the dining table while he filled a teapot at the sink, I was more than a little surprised. "We're going to do it here?"
"Sure," Trevor said agreeably. "Like I said, you won't really be sleeping and it usually only takes a few minutes, so.." He trailed off and settled into the chair across from me, stretching his arms out, palms up and waited until I cautiously placed my own on top of his, palms down. "Good. Now, Harley, we are going to close our eyes and then all you have to do is listen to my voice, okay?"
"Okay." I drew in a deep breath, grateful that the man hadn't commented on the nervous squeak that my voice was reduced to.
"Good. Now, close your eyes and match your breaths to mine."
Trevor inhaled slowly and held the breath. As crazy as it sounds, I swear I could hear him counting to three in my mind before he exhaled and then drew in another.
The darkness in front of my eyelids began to swirl.
Little flecks of light appeared and then burned out.
The darkness shimmered and then I was standing in the center of a forest. The moon was full and tinged red, but the thick canopy overhead filtered out the light, leaving me surrounded in shadows.
The air was thick with a mist that clung to my chilled skin, making me shudder with every faint breeze that drifted by.
There was a sharp, acrid scent wafting on the air and my nose wrinkled against it. In the distance, I could barely make out the outline of a small cottage hidden amongst the trees and I shivered, all but overwhelmed by a cloud of dread that made me want to drop to my knees and weep.
"Harley?" Trevor's calm voice wrapped around me, soothing me. "Are you okay?"
"I..think so," I managed to stutter, swinging around wildly as I tried to find him. "Where are you?"
"I'm right here." A firm hand rested on my shoulder, urging me to turn and meet his concerned gaze. "Can you see me now?"
I nodded, my breaths coming in pants.
"Good. Does any of this look familiar?"
"Yes," I confirmed, too scared to be concerned about the high pitch ofmy voice. "But I don't know why."
"That's okay," Trevor assured me. "You don't have to know anything right now, dear. Can you tell me what you're feeling?"
"Scared," I said immediately.
"Of what?"
"I..I'm not sure," I said slowly. I pointed to the outline of the cottage in the distance. "It's almost like there are waves of evil coming from over there." I drew in a breath, the weight of the soggy air heavy in my chest. "Stupid, right?"
"No, Harley, it's not," Trevor disagreed. "I can feel it, too." He studied the darkness around us curiously. "There is definitely a negative presence."
An angry screech came from the distance, making me think of a wounded animal. I began to shake and started to back away from the danger that I perceived heading my way.
"Harley? Where are you going?"
Words escaping me, I shook my head frantically as a large, hulking form stumbled toward me, its features hidden in the dark.
"What the hell is that?" Trevor gasped.
"We have to run!" I choked out, grabbing his wrist.
"No. Not yet." Trevor pulled his wrist away and leaned down, picking up a large rock from the ground by his feet. "Here."
"Huh?"
"The rock," Trevor said patiently. "Take it."
"But…it's a dream," I protested.
"Technically, it's not," Trevor disagreed. "It's an astral plane. A kind of a dream world. Take the rock."
Fighting the urge to roll my eyes, I reached my hand out and was surprised by the solid thud of the rock hitting my hand.
"Good," Trevor said softly. "Now, throw it at that thing's head." I heard Trevor snicker when I hesitated. "Okay, I know we can't really see, but I'm assuming there's a head, so just aim for where the head should be."
I wasn't sure what was going on, but I did as Trevor instructed and threw the rock, surprised again when it flew much farther than I could have imagined and hit something with a solid thud.
A grunt of pain reached our ears as the stone bounced off to rest at the base of an ancient pine tree.
"Excellent," Trever said, satisfaction ringing through in his voice. "Now, let's get out of here!"
The next thing I knew, there was a physical jolt, like I'd run into a wall. Then it felt like someone yanked on my entire body. When I opened my eyes, I was back in Trevor's kitchen, shivering and gasping for breath.
Entering the dream world with Trevor had been a slow and relaxing experience. Leaving? Not so much.
"Sorry about that," Trevor apologized, stretching slowly and then standing up to turn off the burner under the whistling tea kettle. "If you had panicked, it would have been much harder to pull you out." He set a steaming cup in front of me and returned to his seat. "You're not hurt, are you?"
"Umm." I stretched my limbs one at a time. "No. At least, I don't think so."
"Good."
"What just happened?"
"We went into a deep meditation to access the astral plane where REM sleep originates." When I stared blankly, he sighed. "Never mind. The important thing to remember is the rock, okay?" I didn't answer but Trevor continued. "When you're in this realm, whether it's in a dream or a nightmare, you need to remember that you can affect the surroundings. You can fight back, okay? You just have to focus your energy."
"Okay," I agreed slowly, wondering if things could really be that easy. "I'll give it a try."