by T. L Smith
"Hey, let's get outta here and take a walk. You don't look so good and maybe some fresh air will do you good" he said. A look of relief passed over her face as she grabbed her cup and stood. "That's an excellent idea. I do need some air!" They walked for a bit just sipping their drinks and enjoying the evening air. It was getting dusk and everything felt quiet and peaceful. The last remnants of the sun were disappearing, leaving a purple tinted sky welcoming the approaching darkness. Julie had never been afraid of the dark, but rather had enjoyed it. It was a reprieve from the hustle and chaos of the day.
With each step and each breath she took, she visibly relaxed. "This has got to be the best time of the day!" she said contentedly. For some reason that she didn't understand, nor did she seem to have the power to stop herself, she felt compelled to run her arm through Luke's and continue strolling down the path. He took it in stride and together they continued to walk in silence towards a nearby park.
"Do you mind if we sit here a while?" Julie asked, walking towards a bench nestled between two trees. Smiling, Luke said, "Not at all. I'd rather enjoy that!"
He took the hand crossing over his arm and led her to the bench. He didn't release her hand as they sat and she seemed willing to leave it in his large, strong hand. Julie took a deep, cleansing breath and upon its release she relaxed against the back of the seat. "You know, ever since I lost my family, I've come to appreciate the night time hours more than I did before. It feels like the peaceful calm the night offers is soothing to me, which is strange because most of the violence experienced by people seems to be at night time." She chuckled as she turned her eyes to his.
"Well, it's true that the darkness can cover a lot of violence that happens, fewer eyes to witness what is natures way," Luke said while studying her face. This conversation was going just as he'd hoped it would, but he'd still need to be very careful how fast he led her down it's path. "Julie, why do you suppose you don't remember the night you lost your family?" he asked with a genuinely curious look. He wanted to give her an out to not talk about it if it was too uncomfortable, but if he did they would never get to what they really needed to be discussing.
For some reason she didn't register anything but a sense of pondering the question. She felt no fear as she usually had. Luke's presence did more for her than the highest paid shrink ever could. "Ya know, I've been asking myself that for a very long time. I've wondered if it could be a self preservation technique that I'm unaware of using. I've thought about it a lot lately, as a matter of fact. I've been having nightmares for a lot of years now, but they seem to be coming more frequently lately. I'm not sure why."
"What are they about?" asked Luke. "Well, that's the thing, I can't tell you," she said. Luke chuckled, "Why, would you have to kill me if you told me?"
Julie laughed and lightly smacked his chest with her other hand, noting that it felt like hitting rock, leaving a warm feeling in her belly about what it must look like. "Well, I DO have my secrets you know," she said with a husky tone to her voice and a sideways glance.
They laughed at the direction the conversation had taken. "Goodness," she said. "I can't say I've felt this relaxed in a very long time."
"Happy to help," Luke said softly while he reached up to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear. That one simple move had suddenly become a seemingly intimate moment between them and the desire to kiss her suddenly burned through Luke like a wildfire racing across a dry field. Clearing his throat, he leaned back into the seat before he did something he might regret. It was probably too soon for him to be making a move like that, and he didn't want to do anything that would push them back in the process, though the end couldn't come fast enough for his liking!
* * * *
Julie gazed up into Luke's eyes as he tucked her hair behind her ear. There was something very endearing about this action and it touched her heart. Here's a man that hadn't even met her until tonight, yet he showed greater compassion than she'd felt from most in her life, barring Joe and Roger of course. She felt a genuine concern from him and that made it even easier to open up to him. At that moment she felt she could open her life to him, like an open book. She should feel alarm with a connection reached that quickly, yet she didn't. She wondered, was there something to the phrases "love at first sight" and "soul mate"? If she had to answer that right now, she'd feel compelled to say yes.
"When I said I can't tell you," Julie started, "I meant I couldn't because I don't remember. My dreams have left me with a feeling of violence and death, yet I can't remember any details. I wake up with my heart racing and covered in sweat and fear has my heart in a vice, but even the second I wake, I couldn't tell you what it was about. I just don't understand how that is."
"Would you want to know what they were about if you could? I mean, if someone could offer that to you, would you want it?" Luke asked.
Julie dropped her head to study her hands, picking at an errant nail needing clipped. "That's hard to say. My thought is that if it's happening all the time, they clearly are trying to tell me something. I'd like to be strong enough to face it, yet with the way they leave me terrified, I have to really wonder if it would be a sane thing to do - uncovering it that is." she said with a doubtful look on her face.
"I have a talent that very few people know of. Some would call it hypnosis, others might say a form of dark magic." He chuckled at the wide eyed look that crossed her face with that explanation. "It's not painful, physically anyway, but it's sort of . . . " he paused while trying to find the right words that wouldn't scare her. "In an extreme description, I guess it would be like, a brain scan of sorts." With that, a look of disbelief opened her eyes a bit wider, then she laughed. "You've got to be kidding me, right?" she asked. "No, actually I'm dead serious!" he said, chuckling with her. "Maybe I belong in a magic show or a fortune telling side show."
They continued to laugh and find other comparisons that might be as far fetched, then slowly, Julie could see the truth of it in his eyes. "You're serious, aren't you?"
"Yeah, I'm afraid so. I only brought it up because if I could help you figure out what your dreams are about and therefore get them to stop visiting you each night, I just wondered if you'd be willing to try.?" Luke said as he finished landing the first bait to reel her into the plan to enlighten her. He was offering her a doorway to a new future. He only hoped that she would walk through it.
CHAPTER TWENTY TWO
Sophie took Levi by the arm and walked next to him over to the others. Standing there were four young people that all seemed to have the same kind of look about them. One of strength underneath a coating of doubt. Each seemed to be normal to above average height, with shiny hair and a look of good health! Moving from the left, Sophie began to introduce them. "This is Lamont Duvay - he's our resident carpenter apprentice. Next is Amelia Hutton who is our newest addition to the scouting party. Clyde Palmer there is still trying to figure out where he belongs but I think it's between metal working and ... ummmm . . . COOK!"
Everyone laughed with this and Clyde just smiled and shook his head, looking like he'd been through this before. "I make ONE cake and all of a sudden everyone starts calling me Betty Crocker! Sheesh! I'm tellin' ya, stay out of the kitchen if ya don't want to be branded for life as a chef!" Clyde chuckled good naturedly.
Levi smiled while thinking that it must be pretty wonderful to be as relaxed as these people seemed to be. He admired their ability to be teased and just ride the wave of it, taking no offense in the good natured ribbing.
"And last but NOT least, this is Gloria Stockton. She just came to us about 6 months ago and she has fit in wonderfully in our medical clinic. If you find yourself in need of first aid, she's your girl!" said Sophie with a sense of pride and friendship. Gloria smiled as her face seemed to blush with the compliment.
"It's nice to meet all of you. I want to say that I appreciate the welcome and hope that I can come to fit in here and find a useful place of my own," said Levi, trying to keep it light whil
e hiding the fear that he will probably let them down somehow. He hadn't had to associate with anyone for so long, he worried if he'd even remember how! He felt his only hope would be to keep his beast at bay while it relearned how to respect authority and submit when necessary. He didn't have a lot of confidence in that happening right away and he just hoped that any breach in the expectations of pack life would only be minor ones!
The group all wished him well, saying they had faith that he would do just fine and if there was anything anyone could do to help him, not to hesitate to let them know, then they were off to their own plans for the day. Sophie didn't seem to be in a hurry to rush away which seemed to give Levi a slight thrill of the prospect of her continued company. "They're a good group of people. I like them. Is everyone that nice to newcomers?" he asked in an effort to keep their conversation going.
"They really are! As for everyone, well, I guess it's no different than any other town or community. Some are good and go above expectations, others - not so much. But I think I can say that everyone tries to work together, pull their own weight and keep things flowing smoothly. And if anyone does get out of hand, . . . well, that's what we have Adam for. He is very fair and reasonable, and everyone seems to like him, a lot! But, cross him or his rules for the community - well, you'll probably wish you hadn't."
Sophie had stopped to face him on the last part, like she was trying to stress something to him. He didn't take it as a threat, rather more as friendly instructions for his own good. Yup, Levi was starting to like Sophie, a lot. He'd have to move carefully as they progressed forward. He definitely didn't want his beast to get out of hand and he certainly didn't ever want her hurt by it. "Would you care to have a tour of the town?" she asked.
"I would love it, if you've got the time!" he smiled back. Taking his arm, she guided him away, smiling.
CHAPTER TWENTY THREE
Julie and Luke sat on their park bench until after the sun had slipped below the horizon and the stars had come out. What Luke was offering seemed far fetch to Julie. She'd heard of psychics and mediums and such, but what Luke was offering seemed more like mind reading . . . or tampering. It was an intriguing thought however. At first she was put off with his attempted meddling into her life via her dreams. However, the longer she talked with him, the more he seemed to be concerned with her wellbeing. He wasn't asking about her life so much as just her dreams and what could be causing them. Whether it was truly a skill or nosiness was yet to be seen. Even through it all, she still felt a strong connection with him and wanted more time and closeness. If talking about her dreams could give her that, she was willing!
Finally, Luke turned towards Julie, took both of her hands in his and looked deeply into her eyes. "I feel like I have your permission, but I'd rather hear you say it than to assume it. Are you willing to see if we can figure out what's going on with your dreams?"
Julie stared into his eyes, mesmerized by the 'fire' within them, all while feeling safe and protected. "Alright, you have my permission. It won't hurt or anything will it? It won't scramble my brains or anything like that?" she asked, chuckling.
"Not at all," said Luke, "you won't feel a thing. You may feel a bit drowsy, you won't go to sleep or lose consciousness, but you might feel a spinning sensation. But no worries, I won't let you fall," he said, smiling, as he winked at her.
Julie was already lost and felt a sense of spinning just by being the recipient of his very sexy smile! Ok, she could look at that all day, and night, she thought! In her mind she could see herself get dizzy and begin to fall over, but Luke would reach his strong arms out to catch her. Then pull her into his chest where his muscles would ripple with the motion and she wouldn't care if the spinning ever stopped! A smile crept across her face as she envisioned what that would feel like, when Luke said, "Julie, did you hear what I asked? Are you ok? Where'd you go just then?" She wasn't feeling worried because he knew if she'd felt fear or uncertainty, she wouldn't be wearing that beautiful smile that he found he could get use to having around more often!
"Oh, I guess I was just thinking how great it would be if the nightmares did go away," she lied. Before he could ask her anymore questions she spoke up. "Ok, let's do this then. What do I need to do and where do we do it? Should we be inside or is here ok?" The implications of what she'd just said caused a rosy blush to creep across her face. "I mean how do we access my nightmares?" she clarified. Again he smiled his sexy, soft smile and she wished the first statement WAS what was being considered.
"I think we could 'do it' right here," he teased with a husky tone. Within his own fantasies he envisioned taking her under the stars and could only hope, with as much as it seemed to cause his heart to race with the thought, that one day it would be something they might both share.
"Ok" he said, trying to shake off those thoughts, It wasn't the right time or place for such things. She had a rough road ahead and they needed to get on with it. The first shift was the most painful and she needed her body and mind to be linked and focused. "If you're sure", he paused; she nodded. "Then what I want you to do is take a deep breath, blow it out and relax. I want you to count backwards from 10 while listening to my voice. We'll use this method simply as a way to gradually relax you and prepare your mind to listen to only my voice." She nodded and took a deep breath, blowing it out immediately afterwards. She rolled her head and neck, then shoulders, to get her muscles to cooperate with the exercise.
"Now, I want you to look deeply into my eyes, study them, note the changes in them as I talk. I'm just going to ask you some simple questions and I want you to think only of the answer, nothing more. We will slowly go more deeply until you will probably feel like you're listening to yourself but not really here. Think you can do that?" he asked. "Yeah, I think so," she said. "Ok, let's try this and see what happens," said Luke.
He asked her basic questions like her name, age, where she lived, who her friends were, what she liked to do, and so on. He could tell that she was slowly relaxing and where there was some thought about the answers at first, she slowly seemed to just let it flow and answered whatever crossed her mind.
"Ok Julie, let's talk about the night your family died, can you do that?" he softly questioned. She visibly tensed a bit at the suggestion but she answered, "Yes, I think so." "Were you with them the night they passed?" - "Yes." "Did it happen right away?" - "No." "Did it involve another person?" - "Yes, sort of," she said hesitantly.
With this answer he frowned and thought to clarify her answer. "Can you tell me what you mean by sort of?" he asked. Julie furrowed her brow and thought for a second. "I thought it was a man, but he didn't sound like a man, nor did he look just like a man."
"Ok, Julie, you're doing really well, do you feel ok?" Luke didn't want to rush into the details, but rather give her brain a moment to adjust to and accept each detail as it came to her. "Yes, I feel fine," she said as she smiled up at him. "Good. I want you to know that you're safe and that nothing can or will hurt you, no matter what you remember. Can you trust me on that?" he asked. Julie smiled wider and released a breath while visibly relaxing, "Sure, I can do that."
"Let's look at that other person for a minute. Remember, they can't hurt you, this is only a dream, Ok?" Julie studied his eyes as if searching for the proof in his statement. Then she nodded and said, "Ok". Luke asked, "Where did this person come from?" "I think the trees," she said. "As in walking out of them?" he asked. "No, as in dropping down out of them," she said with a touch of fear creeping into her eyes. "Did you get a look at him?" he gently asked. "Not at first," she said. "I was behind my mother when everything started happening ..." Julie stopped abruptly and sat up straighter. "Wait a minute! I've never remembered that I was there!" she said with wide eyes. "It's working!" she said, then smiled. Though dreading the memories, the fact that something had come back could mean the end to her nightmares!
CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR
As Levi and Sophie had toured the town, Sophie had chatted animatedly telli
ng him about the houses, the people, the schools for the young, the activities available to everyone and finally ended in the "Run" they took every new moon. With mention of the moon run, Levi hesitated. Noticing, Sophie asked, " What's wrong. Did I say something that bothered you?"
"What? NO, of course not. It all sounds so wonderful. It's just that. . ." Levi didn't know if Sophie knew all about him, about his very violent wolf and the years of death he inflicted on anyone or anything he could find.
Sophie was a very intuitive person and even without knowing all of Levi's past, it was easy to guess what was bothering him. "You're worried about your wolf being out of control if you let him join the run, aren't you?" she asked with compassion in her eyes. Levi seemed surprised at what she seemed to know. "So, you know about me then?" Nodding, Sophie said, "Only a little. I know that you have a lot of violence in your past. I know that your wolf is unpredictable at best. I understand why you would be reluctant to let him loose."
As they talked they came across a small park. Sophie motioned Levi over to it and then found a quiet spot under one of the large trees to sit down on. As she seated herself beneath the newly budded leaves she patted the ground inviting Levi to join her. Now being mid afternoon, the sun was beginning to warm things, the birds were busy tending to their newly hatched babies and there were a few children playing kick ball some distance away from them. Levi stood for a moment longer, taking time to soak in the peacefulness of his surroundings and enjoying the calm that settled over him. Smiling, he seated himself next to Sophie.
"You're right. I'm very reluctant to relinquish control of my wolf. He's been in control over most of the last years. I felt it when Adam made him submit, and though he did it and it even seemed to change his mind set a bit, I felt his anger of having to do it. I know the experience of submitting seemed to have weakened his control a bit. I don't know that if I let him out - I'll ever be able to get control back again." Sophie could see the worry and conflict as it passed over Levi's face. Her heart seemed to squeeze over his turmoil and the pain it