1 Bad Decisions

My breath echoed in my ears, though the ground dipping under my feet prevented me from hitting my full stride. The forest pressed in around me, making me swerve to avoid low branches and bushes in my path.

I could hear the footsteps behind me, keeping pace. They never caught up, even when I had to pause. Glances behind me showed nothing and no one, but I could feel him there, in the night.

I dashed around a tree, and paused in mid flight, my lungs breathing deep the way my coaches had always insisted. I peaked around the trunk of the tree, my bare skin scraping against it, trying to catch a glimpse of the one I knew was chasing me. It was dark in the forest, that eery blue twilight, with moonlight that barely penetrates the leaves.

Nothing was there. I stared around, confused. I *knew* he'd been right behind me, he always was. But I while I could sense he was close, closer than ever, I still couldn't see him.

Warm breath teased my ear. "Found you," a low voice whispered.

==

I flailed awake, my fists flying blindly.

"Hey!" my current boy-thing, Blake, protested as I connected with the side of his head.

I was breathing hard, like I always was after I had The Dream, as if I'd actually been running through the night instead of fast asleep in bed. "Sorry, sorry," I mumbled, stumbling out of his bed into the bathroom. I shut the door behind me, locked it, then stood leaning my forehead against it. My eyes were closed as I tried to reconcile this new dream with all the rest.

Never before had the unknown person been so close. I'd never heard his voice, until now. Usually, I just ran and ran and ran, staying just ahead of him. I always knew he was there, and I could feel his enjoyment in the chase. I'd been having this dream, or some variation of it, since I was little.

"Terra?" A voice came through the door. "I need to get in there," Blake complained, the knob rattling.

"Just a minute," I called back. I turned on the sink, splashing the cold water on my face. It helped me shake the last of the dream from my mind.

I unlocked and pulled open the door, to find Blake right outside doing pushups. Still naked.

He jumped up, giving me a confident smile, and pushed past me into the bathroom, rubbing himself on me. "You wanna join me for a little shower time?" he asked suggestively.

I moved away and started picking up my clothes from next to the bed. "No, thanks," I said. He was barely satisfying in bed. He wasn't the type to take suggestions well, either, so I was thinking this might be the last time I spent the night. We'd been dating for a couple months, sleeping together only a week, and I was ready to move on.

He was the kind of guy who thought that, just because he had a big dick, he didn't need to do anything else. So, little to no foreplay, no going down on the girl, and he was, maybe, a five minute man. When I'd tried to suggest he might try oral, he got this disgusted look on his face, saying, "Ew, why would I put my face down there?"

I really should have known better, to begin with. I'd met him at the gym, one of the rare few times my friend Sara managed to drag me along. We'd initially hit it off, but all he talked about was working out and football. I mean, I ran track in school, put myself through college on a scholarship, but I don't go on about it all the time.

So I was going to tell him I was done. I'd given it a good try, but I'd found another dud.

"So am I driving you back to your apartment?" he asked, coming back out of the bathroom, flexing and watching me from the corner of his eye. He wanted to see me watching him and swooning. No thanks.

"Umm," I started. I should tell him here that I was done with him, and call Sara for a ride, but a glance at the clock told me she was already long at work. "Yeah, please," I said reluctantly. I resolved I'd tell him on the way.

I checked to make sure I had everything while he got dressed. I didn't want to have to come back here for anything. I hadn't brought much on our date last night, just a dark blue purse that matched the short summer dress I was wearing, and black heels.

We left, getting into his red sports car. He over-revved the engine, giving me that cocky grin again. I tried to keep from laughing in his face. He was giving me a ride, after all.

A few minutes into the drive, he turned down a road I'd never seen before. It was beautiful, bright green trees that practically glowed in the sunlight. My brow furrowed. "This isn't the way back to my place," I observed.

"Relax. It's a long way around," he replied. He took my hand, pulling it into his lap. I could feel what he had planned for the drive.

I pulled my hand out of his grip. *Now or never,* I told myself. "Blake, I don't think it's working out," I said, keeping my voice neutral.

We passed into deeper woods, the light getting eery. "What're you talking about?" he asked, his arm coming around me, pulling me over. "We're having fun, right? I know I am." He tried to put his hand on my head, pulling my face down towards his lap.

"No," I said my voice getting low. I pushed his arm off me. "We're not. Just take me home. The fast way."

"Come on, baby, just a little bit?" he weedled. He tried again, grabbing my hair this time.

"I said, no!" I used my nails, digging into his wrist, and flung his hand off of me.

The car came to an abrupt stop. "Fuck you, bitch!" he snarled. "Get out." When I didn't move right away, he reached over me to pull on the door latch. "I said, get the fuck out of my car!"

I grabbed my bag, climbing out of the car. He peeled away into a u-turn, tires squealing from the abuse. He came so close I nearly got smacked with the side. I flipped him off as he passed me.

"Asshole," I muttered. I checked my phone, thinking I could still call Sara for a ride. No signal. I took a breath, taking stock of my surroundings.

I was by an old, well maintained, sprawling farmstead, the main house about an acre away. It was huge, red brick that looked like old blood in the twilight.

Wait. Twilight? Wasn't it just morning? Well, afternoon at the latest, but still...

I pulled my heels off, and started walking off the road towards the farmhouse. I could see a few people in the fields, and I waved to them as they looked up. I was about halfway to the house, going through a small stand of trees, when the door flew open and a man came running out, shouting, going out to one of the men in the field.

I stopped behind a tree, uneasy. I could hear some of the shouting, so I closed my eyes and concentrated on what was being said.

"She's here!" the guy was saying. "I felt her, she's finally come!"

"Ach, are you sure?" the older man asked. Both of them had softened Scottish accents, like they'd been here in the states for a long time.

The younger man was in prime age, probably mid-twenties, from what I could see by peaking through the trees. He had no shirt on and low slung tattered cargo pants, so it was easy to see the lean wiry muscles in his chest and abs. He lowered his voice below what I could hear. His eyes scanned the area, searching around, and landed on the trees I was standing by.

I instinctively ducked back, hiding from him. I wasn't sure why, exactly, since I'd been so ready to go up to the house to ask for help only moments ago. But something told me to run, as fast and far as I could.

I eased back, deeper into the trees. When the farmhouse- and the mysterious man- were hidden from sight, I turned and began running, wishing I'd brought sneakers. Within minutes, I was back at the road, following it down. Up ahead a barn loomed, spanning bridge-like over the road.

I turned my head, trying to hear if anyone was giving chase, but all I could hear was my own panting breaths. I passed under the barn, skidding to a halt at the far wall to duck behind it and check if I was being followed. I didn't see anyone, but I felt like I was still being chased.

A surprised sound had me whirling around, to face two women in long aprons with buckets staring at me. "Well, if it isn't a new face," one said, in the same softened accent as the two men before. She had soft grey eyes, narrowed into a shrewed look. "And what're you doing here, then?"

I was breathing hard, trying to force words out between pants, "Just... trying to... find my way... home," I managed, waving vaguely. I glanced behind me. Still no sign of anyone.

"And do you mean to do so in bare feet?" the second asked, her bright amber eyes twinkling as she looked down.

I smiled sheepishly. "All I had were these," I showed them the ridiculous pumps. At least my breathing was smoothing out, making it easier to talk. "Do you have a phone?" I asked. "I can call my roommate, have her pick me up."

I hadn't even finished talking when the first started shaking her head. "No phones here in Bainbridge, I'm afraid," she told me. "But I do have a pair of shoes here, if you'd like to keep walking on? It'll help confuse your trail," she offered. From somewhere she pulled out a pair of old sneakers, worn in but not worn out.

"Oh, that'd be awesome!" I gushed. "Are you sure? I'm probably never going to make it back here to return them."

"I'm sure we'll be seeing you soon enough, lass. Take'em, and godspeed to you," the second said, smiling mischievously.

"Thank you, so much!" I pulled on the sneakers, which fit perfectly.

The first one picked up my pumps. "We'll hold onto these for you, till we see you again," she said.

At that point I didn't care if I never saw those shoes again. "Thank you again!" I called back as I hurried on down the road.

As soon as they were out of sight, I broke into the ground eating run I learned in cross country track, my dress flapping around my thighs. I could keep this pace up for a while, though without food or water it'd get bothersome.

I ran for a while, letting my body take control, and my mind wandered. Why was I so sure I needed to run from this guy? I didn't know, only that I needed to go, while I had the chance. I realized I'd left my purse on the ground when I was pulling on the sneakers, but I wasn't about to go back for it. It didn't have anything super important anyway, just a few bucks and an I.D. that was set to expire next month anyway.

I took notice of my surroundings, frowning. It was looking very familiar, and not in an 'about to find a main highway' kind of way. I slowed to a jog. As I rounded a bend in the road, I came to a dead stop.

The farmhouse was in front of me somehow. There had been no side roads for me to accidentally turn down, no way for me to get mixed up, but somehow I was back where I'd started. I looked at the road. There were the burn marks from Blake's terrible driving.

I could feel panic starting to set in. My breathing, which I had been keeping deep and even, started to get ragged. It only got worse when I heard running footsteps behind me.

So I did the only thing I could. I ran towards the farmhouse, praying that they weren't psycho killers. As I drew near, I saw a shape outlined against the twilight sky. It stretched, long ears twitching, tail curling. It looked like a cat of some kind. A big one. It turned its head towards me, and I saw gold eyes blink in my direction.

I swerved to the right, unwilling to get closer to those eyes. I could hear the footsteps getting closer, hear the deep breathing of someone who could run for hours yet.

I slipped, tumbling into the bushes, and lay there gasping. I stuffed my fist to my mouth, trying to muffle the sound of my desperate breathing, and took stock, making sure I wasn't injured. I didn't feel anything except a scrape up my right leg and a collection of bruises.

He came close, slowing a little as he passed my impromptu hiding spot. I saw bare feet skimming through the leaves, but thankfully he didn't stop. I waited a moment after he'd moved on, then started untangling myself from the bush that had hidden me. My dress had risen up, gathering by my hips, and it was caught in the branches. It took precious minutes to get free without snapping any twigs or tearing the fabric. I didn't want to leave evidence of my hiding spot if I could help it.

Once I was free, I started crawling out of the bushes, heading back towards the road. I pulled myself up, leaning against a tree and massaging my legs. I glanced around, making sure the guy following me was gone.

Arms circled around me, trapping my arms and pulling me flush against a hard chest. "Found you," his voice said, low in my ear.

I flailed, expecting to wake up, but the arms around me only tightened. I jerked my head back, connecting with the side of his head. He let out a surprised grunt, his arms momentarily loosening. I took advantage of it, pulling myself out of his grip.

And flung myself headfirst into the tree I'd been leaning on, causing pain to explode in my face.

I tumbled back to the ground, my vision blurry. "Ow, shit shit shit fuck," I muttered, my hands coming up to cradle my head, eyes squeezed shut against the pain.

"That sounds about right," a voice above me said wryly. Fingers gently pried my hands away from my face, then probed the center of the pain. I hissed at the contact, trying to bat them away. "Hold on now, I'm just checking... there. No concussion," the voice sounded satisfied. Even as he spoke, the pain began to lessen. "Though you'll have a marvelous bruise for a few days, lass," he said with a chuckle.

I cracked my eyes open, looking up into a pair of bright amber yellow eyes. They were still crinkled a little with amusement, giving his face a mischievous look. His lips were tilted in a half smile, giving him a dimple on one side. He had a strong jaw, high cheekbones, and a long narrow nose with a bump in the middle, probably from being broken at some point.

He pulled away from my face, leaning back a little and resting his hands on his thighs. He was kneeling next to my head where I'd fallen, watching me with interest, tilting his head to the side a little. His gaze travelled down, taking in my disheveled state. My dress had ridden up again, and I hurriedly pulled the hem down to cover myself, a blush making my face flame.

I pulled myself away from him, sitting up and leaning my back against the tree I'd knocked myself into. A flash of disappointment traveled across his face, erasing the smile and little dimple. "I dinnae mean to cause you harm," he said softly.

"Then why did you chase me?" I asked, one eyebrow rising.

He looked sheepish. "I can explain," he started, then hesitated. "Hm. But maybe not in the woods," he said, standing. He held his right hand out to me, offering me help up. I looked at him a moment, still shirtless, barefoot, with a stripe of black hair going down the center of his head, tied back. The sides were shaved close in an undercut. After a moment, I put my hand in his, and he gently pulled me to my feet, steadying me with his left hand.

His touch sent a shock through me, raising goosebumps on my skin. He turned me, not letting go of my hand, and started leading me through the trees. "Where are you taking me?" I asked him.

He glanced at me. "To the house," he replied. "It'll be easier to explain over a meal." He guided me around some fallen branches. "I should warn you, my family will be there. They can be a bit... overwhelming if you're unaccustomed to them."

I looked sidelong at him. "Overwhelming?" I asked.

There was the smile again, flashing his dimples. "Ours is a large, tightknit family," he said. He looked down at my feet. "Though I suspect you already met one of my sisters," he said with a laugh.

"Look, I don't know where we are, but I need to get home," I said. I pulled my hand from his, and crossed my arms. "So if you could point me to the road leading out of here, I'll be on my way."

He looked slightly panicked at my words. "You can't leave, not yet," he said hurriedly. "I still need to tell you, to explain..." He let out a harsh breath, running his fingers through his hair. "I scared you, and I'm sorry. Let me make it up to you with a meal?" He gave me a pleading look.

I eyed him, then sighed. "Fine. I'll have dinner," I gave in. I pointed at him, saying, "But as soon as I'm done eating, I'm leaving." He flashed me that smile again, and began moving me forward.

We came up on the house after a few minutes, which was strange, since I thought we were further out than that. He guided me away from the main door, and into one of the side doors, which opened to a spacious kitchen. There, three women and an older teenage girl were working. Two of them were the women I'd met at the barn, and they gave me wide smiles.

My guide gave a kiss on the cheek to the oldest woman. She was stocky, with curly chestnut hair, amber eyes and strong arms seen beneath the rolled up sleeves of her cheery red sweater. She had an older style brown skirt on with it, and an apron over the whole ensemble.

"Lan, you found her!" the older woman gushed, returning his kiss. "Ach, and what did you do to the poor lass?" She came over to me, holding out both hands and clucking her tongue at the bruise on my forehead.

I flinched back a little, and she nodded. "I've just the thing, won't be but a moment," she said, and bustled out of the room.

"Don't mind Ma," said the younger of the two women I'd met by the barn. "I'm Breena. This is Ona," she indicated her companion from the barn. "This here is our youngest sibling, Lana," she pulled the teenager over. I could see the family resemblance among them, though Lana had very fair red blonde hair, with the same amber eyes as their mother, whereas Ona was white blonde, and Breena had black hair.

I glanced at my guide, seeing the resemblance there, too. I looked back at Breena, who was waiting patiently. "I'm Terra Panner," I offered.

Ona nodded. "Yes dear, we know," she said, moving around the island to stand next to Breena. They were both in jeans. Breena had a flour stained band tshirt on, proclaiming her allegiance to Queen, whereas Ona had on a worn green shirt. "Has our dear brother explained anything?" she asked. I shook my head. "Hm. Has he even introduced himself? Or did he just pounce on you and drag you back here willynilly?" I giggled, and the brother in question looked put upon, rubbing the back of his neck. "This is Lan," she said with a wicked smile.

"I'd have gotten there eventually," he complained. He looked down at himself, his cheeks turning red. "Imma go get cleaned up," he muttered, and left through the same door his mother had.

"Speaking of," Breena grasped my hand, pulling me towards another door, "you look like you could use a little freshing up yourself." I let her pull me along, bemused. She led me to a bedroom, hers by my guess, and through to a large bathroom she seemed to share with her younger sister. It was all soft golds and browns, with large counters, a huge soaking tub in one corner and a standing shower next to it. Breena handed me a towel, and pointed me towards the shower, saying, "I'll get your clothes cleaned up in a jiffy, they'll be ready when you're done your shower."

*What is it with this family?* I wondered. They were a very demanding bunch, judging by the few I'd met.

I looked in the mirror, grimacing at myself. I had a bruise over my right eyebrow, spreading purple and swelling into a decent sized goose egg. My long black hair was wild, tangled, with leaves and twigs caught in it.

I was naked and about to climb into the shower when the door popped open and the mother came in. I hastily grabbed a towel to cover myself. "No need to worry about modesty here," she waved away my protests. "I have something for the nasty bruise. Here," she popped open the jar in her hands, dipped a finger in, and started gently smearing a white cream over my face. "Wash this off at the very end of your shower. Try not to rub it before that, it's very strong. Once you're clean and ready to give up the hot water, then you can scrub your face," she explained, rapid fire.

Just as quickly as she'd come in, she was gone. My face was tingling where she'd spread the cream. I shrugged, bemused, and got into the shower. It wouldn't hurt to humor her, I figured.

The water was perfect, and there was my favorite brand of shampoo, conditioner, and body wash all lined up. I didn't see anything else to use, so I shrugged. *Might as well,* I thought.

I spent some extra time making sure the detritus was out of my hair, then scrubbed myself down. There was a decent sized scrape on the outside of my right thigh, spanning from just above the knee to almost my hip. I carefully cleaned it, but wasn't too worried about it. I'd had worse tumbles during runs in school.

After everything else, I ducked my face under the spray, gently scrubbing away the cream. I didn't feel any more swelling, and my probing fingers didn't hit any painful spots. When I got out of the shower and checked in the mirror, I gasped. The bruise was completely gone. No evidence left on my face at all that I'd gotten up close and personal with a tree.

I wrapped the towel around myself, and cautiously left the bathroom into Breena's room. On the bed, my dress, bra and panties were laid out, clean and fresh smelling. The black pumps were on the floor next to the bed, and my purse that I'd dropped somewhere was also here. I slowly pulled on my clothes, still reeling a little from the weird turns of the day.

I checked to make sure I was presentable, nervously smoothing the dark blue dress over my hips. The hem of the dress came down about two inches above my knee, not really covering the scrape. My hair was a wild mess, since I didn't have any way to tame it after my shower. My stormy blue-grey eyes were large, even unaccented by makeup. I had fair skin, turned golden from long years running and enjoying the beach.

*Now or never, girl,* I told myself.

I crossed the room, to the door. Just as I was about to open it, a knock sounded. I hesitated, then shrugged. I was already here, right? In the dastardly clutches of people who let me take hot showers and cleaned my clothes.

And who chased me through the woods.

I pulled open the door despite my misgivings. Lan was standing there, in a light cream button-up shirt tucked into dark slacks, looking nervous. He smiled shyly when he saw me, "I'm here to escort you to dinner," he said, holding his arm out to me with a little bow.

I blinked at the old fashioned gesture. After a moment I put my hand on his arm, and he gave me a bright smile, turning to lead me through the house.

We didn't go back to the kitchen. Instead he led me into a dining room with a massive table dominating it. In addition to the three sisters I'd already met, there were four men, one of whom looked like he was probably the father of this family. He and the mother were already seated at opposite heads of the tables, and all of Lan's siblings were bustling around getting the food brought out.

Lan guided me to a spot at the table, to the left of his mother's seat, and pulled the chair out for me. I had never had a guy do this, and while it was weird, it also felt nice. As soon as I was seated, Lan jumped in to help his brothers and sisters. "Is there anything I can do to help?" I asked, starting to rise.

"Don't be silly dear, you're our guest," his mother said, patting my hand. "It'll be just a moment more, they're almost done," she added.

True enough, within a few minutes everyone was seated. Lan was on my left, Ona directly across from me.

"Grace first, then introductions," their mother said, holding her hand out for mine. Lan took my left hand, and his mother my right. When everyone was joined, she said, "By the fires of creation, we thank thee for the bounty of our land, of our hands and of our hearts. We welcome into our home a guest, led here by Fate. Grace of the Gods on us all."

*Well, that was an unusual grace, to be sure.* I thought. I was never particularly religious, so it didn't bother me, though I knew Sara would have had a fit. She was raised Born Again, and jumped on any percieved slight of her faith, whether real or imagined.

Everyone let go of each others hands, though Lan seemed reluctant to let mine go. I gently pulled from his grasp. "Now then, going down the line," the woman next to me said briskly. "I'm Ethney, mother to this brood," she smiled affectionately down the table. "Triona, my eldest girl, you've met. Then we've her older brother Kael, Lana the youngest, and Elwynn, Lana's twin, born just minutes her senior." Everyone nodded as their names were called out. "At the other end of the table is my husband, and father to this menagerie, Emerich. And coming up this side we've Breena, Curran, who is Ona's twin and just her junior, and you've met Fillan."

I didn't get a chance to say my name, as everyone started filling plates and conversing across the table at each other.

"So, then," Ethney said once her plate was loaded. "Tell me about yourself. What do you do?"

"Oh um, I work at a nature conservation," I said nervously. "I specialize in wolves."

Lan started coughing next to me. "That's interesting," Ona said. "Just curious. Why'd you pick wolves?" she asked.

"Well, I've always loved them, since I was little," I started, sending a confused look to Lan, who was still in a coughing fit. "As I got older, I found out that most wolves are dieing out, hunted or pushed out of their territories because people wanted it for themselves." I shrugged. "It didn't seem right to me."

She nodded, a small smile on her lips, and she glanced meaningfully at Lan. I followed her eyes. He had finally regained control of himself, with his arms braced against the table, looking shellshocked.

"Listen," I said. "It was great to meet all of you, but I think I need to leave now. My roommate will be missing me."

"Don't worry about that," Ethney waved her hand with a fork still clutched in it. "I arranged to have a message delivered to her, she knows you're safe and likely won't expect you for a few days."

My brows furrowed, confusion and alarm spiking through me. "I'm sorry, what?" My voice got sharp.

"There's things we must explain, and discuss," she said around a mouthful. "It might take a while, and I knew you'd worry about her worry. So now you don't have to." She smiled at me, and suddenly she somehow reminded me of the cat I'd seen silhouetted against the sky.

I pushed back my chair, standing. All the men, including Lan, immediately stood as well, which was a little intimidating. I took a step towards the door, saying, "That's not necessary. I'll be going now."

"Terra, please," Lan said quietly.

I shook my head. "I don't understand what's going on here, but I'm leaving," I tried to move past him. He moved to stand in my way.

"You're confused, I understand that. So let us explain," he cajoled, his hands reaching out towards me. "If, after everything is told to you, you still choose to leave..." he looked distinctly unhappy at that thought. "Then none here will stop you."

Everyone was quiet and still, watching me, a mix of amber and grey eyes all on me.

I took a deep breath, then slid back into my seat, my arms crossed in front of me. "Start explaining," I said. I didn't touch the food that was on my plate, though Ethney gave me a pointed look. "Why am I here? Why did you chase me, then bring me back here? What is this place, and why did it seem like I couldn't find the road out of here?" I fired off questions.

Lan glanced around the table, seeking help from his siblings. No one came forward to help, though everyone seemed to think this was the height of entertainment.

He sighed, pulling his chair to face me, and sat leaning forward, his elbows resting on his knees. "This is going to be hard to accept," he started. "Terra. You've been having dreams since you were a child, right? Started somewhere around five years old?"

My back stiffened. "How do you know about those?" I didn't tell anyone about those dreams, not since my parents had wanted to send me to a therapist when I was six, the first time I told them. I'd learned very quickly that it wasn't like anything anyone else ever had on a regular basis.

"Because I've shared them," Lan said softly. I shook my head in denial. "When you run in your dreams, I follow. It's... part of my nature, I suppose, though I want you to know it's never been malicious, and I'll never hurt you, in the dream or not."

"I'm not confirming anything about this dream," I said, "but assuming I have them, what am I wearing when I run?"

"It changes. I assume with whatever you've gone to bed in," he said. "When you were younger, a nightgown. When you grew older, a sports bra and sweat pants. Last night was... well, nothing at all." He blushed, looking down at his hands.

I could feel panic creeping into the edges of my mind. "Where do the dreams take place?" I asked.

"In the woods," he replied. "From what I've seen, it's the woods here, at Bainbridge."

I clutched my arms, trying to not shake. "Why do you chase me?" I asked, clenching my teeth so they wouldn't chatter together. I was vaguely aware that Ethney was shooing the rest of the family away,

"Why do you run?" he countered. "As I said, it's part of my nature."

"What does that even mean?" I felt myself falling into a panic attack, my heart racing and goosebumps rising over my skin.

He hesitated. "I... it would be better to show you," he said reluctantly.

He helped me to stand. I was in a daze, my breath coming in little pants, my mind racing and numb. He led me out into the twilight, standing me on the steps leading to the front door. He backed up, then started unbuttoning his shirt.

"So, what, you're a male stripper?" I heard pop out of my mouth. He didn't answer, just shook his head and shrugged off the shirt. When he pulled off his pants, I couldn't help but glance down. He wasn't wearing any underwear. I immediately shot my eyes back up, a blush creeping up my face. The embarrassment and wow- he was **very** well endowed- cut through the panic attack a little, though the sight didn't do anything to slow my racing heartbeat.

He seemed amused by my reaction, a small smile flickering over his face before he went back to a carefully blank facade.

He took a deep breath, and in a low voice said, "Watch me closely." Privately, I thought I could watch him all day. He was gorgeous, muscled but lean and wiry, not bulky.

Then, between one breath and the next, he... changed. A wolf was standing where he'd been. I'd watched it come over him, but I couldn't describe it if my life depended on it.

I stumbled back with a cry, tripping on the stairs and ending up on my ass.

The wolf whined, taking a step closer. I went very still, hoping he wouldn't decide to kill me. Most wolves won't attack people unless provoked or desperate, but then most wolves also don't start the day on two legs.

"He won't hurt you," a soft voice came from behind me. Lana moved into my peripheral vision, though I didn't look away from the wolf in front of me. He sat, his tail beating against the ground hesitantly. Lana came around to stand next to him. She was very tall, probably close to six foot, but even sitting his head came up to the bottom of her breastbone.

I cleared my throat, and tried to sound normal, with limited success. "And uhm, how do you know that?" I asked.

She scratched his ears, and his tongue lolled out, his amber eyes squeezing closed. He leaned into her a little. "Because he's still Lan," she said nonchalantly. "And the fact that you've been sharing dreams with him for so long, means you are meant to be his mate," she added.

I blinked at that, gaping. "I'm what?" I said.

"You have a connection. You are his mate," she explained. At my look, she laughed. "Don't worry, you still have a choice. You could walk away and never look back. But," she fixed me with a hard gaze, "he can't. If you leave him behind, he loses his mate forever. He doesn't get to go out and pick another." I swallowed hard. "So I'd consider very carefully before choosing to leave. Please, for his sake."

"I..." my words failed. I tried again. "I promise I'll think about it," I managed.

Lana gave me a smile. "That's all we ask," she said. With one last scratch, she left, going back into the house.

I stared at him a moment. "Can you still understand me?" I asked. He nodded. It was a little eery, since I've been around wild and semi-tamed wolves for years now, and never had one respond like that. I took a breath.

"I still don't understand why I'm here," I said. He blinked, then slowly came to stand by me. He towered over me where I was sitting, looking a little intimidating, and I leaned away a little. He nosed me in the crook of my neck, his tongue coming out to lick once.

"Hey, that tickles!" I protested, my arm coming up to push him away. He gave me a canine grin, which showed off all his sharp teeth very close to my face. I felt my face grow pale at the sight. He backed away a few inches, and before I could react he was human again. And very nude, sitting very close to me.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you again," he said a little breathlessly. A light sheen of sweat covered his skin. His hair tie had disappeared, and his stripe of long black hair tumbled over his face. He pushed it out of the way with a shaking hand. Wordlessly I handed him one of my extra ties, and he smiled. "Thanks," he said, pulling it back and securing it.

"Does that... thing you do, does it hurt?" I asked.

"Changing?" he asked, a little surprised. "No, it doesn't hurt, but changing back and forth too often in a short amount of time is exhausting, and I didn't eat much."

I blushed. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have interrupted dinner-" I started.

He waved away my apologies. "Terra, you were upset, reasonably so, and demanding answers. Should I have dismissed your concerns to fill my belly?" he asked.

I found I was smiling at him, a little. "I suppose not," I admitted. "Did you want to go in and finish eating?" I asked. "You can... explain more of what the hell is going on."

He smiled at me, his fingers finding the back of my arm and running up and down my skin, gently. His touch sent shivers down my spine. "It would probably be a good idea," he said, "but I'm finding I'm comfortable right here." His voice was low, turning silky, his eyes burning amber.

My breath caught. I could almost feel the desire rolling off him, smell the spice of male and him. I jumped up, saying, "Oh well I'm finding I'm very hungry myself so..." and went down the steps to the kitchen door.

He looked bemused, but put on his clothes and followed me.

When we made it back to the dining room, the food had been mostly cleared away, the lights dimmed. Two full plates had been left at the seats Lan and I had occupied. He pulled the chair out for me again, then sat next to me and began to dig in.

I ate some, but my eyes kept going back to him. He'd put the shirt back on but hadn't bothered to button it, so I was getting glimpses of his chest as he ate. To distract myself, I asked, "So you and your family turn into wolves?"

He shook his head. "No, only me and-" he stopped. "Only me. Having a second form is rare, even in our family. Ma has one, not a wolf, and Lana. Also, not a wolf."

"This is a crazy dream," I mused, moving the food around on my plate.

"It's not a dream," Lan said quietly, watching me.

"Of course it is," I said confidently. "I had the running dream, and somehow instead of waking up when I usually do, it continued, and here we are."

Lan sighed, putting his fork down. "Terra, darling, this is real." He took my hand, running his thumb over my knuckles.

"If it's real, why is it still dusk out?" I asked. "I've been here for hours."

"Because Bainbridge farm isn't- quite- in your world," he answered. I raised an eyebrow. "It's on the border, between your world and Faery."

"Still sounds like a dream to me," I said.

He sighed, rubbing his neck. "Perhaps you should get some sleep. It's been a long day," he said finally. "I'll show you to a room you can stay in."

I nodded amicably. "I've never fallen asleep inside a dream before," I said.

His lips thinned, but he didn't answer. He showed me to a room that smelled like him. I shrugged and climbed onto the huge bed.

He had stopped by the door. "Would it be ok," he asked hesitantly, "if I stayed with you?"

I shrugged. "Sure, why not." I proceeded to kick the pumps off my feet, and pulled my dress over my head, leaving me in my bra and panties. I looked over my shoulder at him, to find he'd changed into the wolf. I almost pouted at that. What was the point of dreaming up a gorgeous, well hung guy if I didn't get to enjoy him?

Oh well. I laid in the bed, patting the mattress. He jumped up, and settled himself beside me with a sigh.

"Goodnight Lan," I murmured, my hand scratching into his fur. "I think I'm going to miss you when I wake up." He licked my face, making me giggle as I fell asleep.