are coming.” She didn’t react as Richard reloaded his weapon and shot an arc of cover fire toward their friends overhead. “There’s one unguarded route left, but there’s a low probability of success.”
“Low is better than dead. Engage, Alpha. Get us the hell out of here.”
C HAPTER S IXTEEN
“Temple!” a warm voice shouted from inside Maddie’s nightmare.
Another of Sarah’s nightmares. Storm and winds and a swaying forest with a Raven circling overhead. Only this time Maddie was holding an automatic weapon.
“Wake up!” the voice insisted. “Put the gun down. This isn’t you. You’re a healer.”
But her twin was a killer. And the Raven was at Sarah’s side somewhere nearby. Pushing her to shoot. To run. Demanding every shred of sanity she had left. And Sarah was dragging Maddie along with her.
The Raven had to—
“Die!” Maddie screamed, ramming the rifle’s muzzle into his chest.
Into Jarred’s chest, where he stood in front of her in the dream.
Jarred…
Not the Raven…
His eyes widened. His gaze darkened with anger that she instinctively knew wasn’t for her.
“It’s this damn place.” He cupped her cheek, his hand warm against her ice-cold skin. “Whatever they’re doing to your sister here, it’s affecting you. You’re…feeling her. This isn’t you, Maddie. Stay with me.”
“Pull the trigger!” the Raven hissed through her mind. “Execute!”
But Jarred’s warm presence wouldn’t let her. As long as he was with her, there was no threat to eliminate.
Except her.
Maddie was the threat.
“You…You have to run,” she said. “Get away from me…”
“I’m not going anywhere.” Jarred’s fingers found hers next to the gun’s trigger. “I won’t let this place get away with whatever they’re doing to Sarah. But you have to wake up for me, sweetheart.”
Sweetheart…
Maddie’s finger twitched. He simply curled his hand around hers, trusting her with his life. It may have been only a dream, but his trust was real. Undeniable.
The Raven shrieked, suddenly looming above them in Sarah’s nightmare. The bird dove, wings spread, talons bared.
Bare tree limbs swayed.
The gun in her hand fired.
“No!” Maddie’s scream ripped through the night.
But the gun wasn’t there anymore. And she was no longer cowering in a ghostly forest.
“I’ve got you.” Jarred’s voice shook, but he was strong and solid beside her. He’d wrapped his body around hers, where she lay in a terrified heap on the floor. “God. Is that…That’s what you’re seeing every night when you sleep?”
“Just a dream…” She tried to crawl away. The need to expel the emotion, the feelings that weren’t hers, rose. Surged. “Let me go! It was just a dream…”
“I won’t let them get away with this.” Jarred cradled her head to his shoulder.
She covered her ears against lingering waves of nightmare.
Always another dream, Sarah’s voice chanted.
Always alone…
Maddie wrenched away.
“It’s okay.” Jarred followed.
Her stomach rejected what little she’d eaten that day. He cursed and pulled her hair back.
“I can’t take it anymore.” She wiped the back of her hand across her mouth. “Get away from me before I hurt you. I don’t want to, but she’ll make me. She’s going to—”
“You’re back with me, Maddie. Sarah’s not here. I’ve got you. You didn’t hurt me. You’re not going to. Whatever that was, it’s over.”
“That was Sarah. It was me. And it’s never over…Always the same.”
“No, it’s not the same. This time, you weren’t alone. I was there.” Certainty rained down from his gaze. “Wherever your mind went, mine was there, too. Has that ever happened before?”
He’d been there.
He’d really been there.
“That was Sarah’s nightmare?” he prodded. “The rain. That bird. It was a raven, right? Telling her to run. Forcing her to fight people she didn’t know. Those were the ramblings of a madwoman. It
“Low is better than dead. Engage, Alpha. Get us the hell out of here.”
C HAPTER S IXTEEN
“Temple!” a warm voice shouted from inside Maddie’s nightmare.
Another of Sarah’s nightmares. Storm and winds and a swaying forest with a Raven circling overhead. Only this time Maddie was holding an automatic weapon.
“Wake up!” the voice insisted. “Put the gun down. This isn’t you. You’re a healer.”
But her twin was a killer. And the Raven was at Sarah’s side somewhere nearby. Pushing her to shoot. To run. Demanding every shred of sanity she had left. And Sarah was dragging Maddie along with her.
The Raven had to—
“Die!” Maddie screamed, ramming the rifle’s muzzle into his chest.
Into Jarred’s chest, where he stood in front of her in the dream.
Jarred…
Not the Raven…
His eyes widened. His gaze darkened with anger that she instinctively knew wasn’t for her.
“It’s this damn place.” He cupped her cheek, his hand warm against her ice-cold skin. “Whatever they’re doing to your sister here, it’s affecting you. You’re…feeling her. This isn’t you, Maddie. Stay with me.”
“Pull the trigger!” the Raven hissed through her mind. “Execute!”
But Jarred’s warm presence wouldn’t let her. As long as he was with her, there was no threat to eliminate.
Except her.
Maddie was the threat.
“You…You have to run,” she said. “Get away from me…”
“I’m not going anywhere.” Jarred’s fingers found hers next to the gun’s trigger. “I won’t let this place get away with whatever they’re doing to Sarah. But you have to wake up for me, sweetheart.”
Sweetheart…
Maddie’s finger twitched. He simply curled his hand around hers, trusting her with his life. It may have been only a dream, but his trust was real. Undeniable.
The Raven shrieked, suddenly looming above them in Sarah’s nightmare. The bird dove, wings spread, talons bared.
Bare tree limbs swayed.
The gun in her hand fired.
“No!” Maddie’s scream ripped through the night.
But the gun wasn’t there anymore. And she was no longer cowering in a ghostly forest.
“I’ve got you.” Jarred’s voice shook, but he was strong and solid beside her. He’d wrapped his body around hers, where she lay in a terrified heap on the floor. “God. Is that…That’s what you’re seeing every night when you sleep?”
“Just a dream…” She tried to crawl away. The need to expel the emotion, the feelings that weren’t hers, rose. Surged. “Let me go! It was just a dream…”
“I won’t let them get away with this.” Jarred cradled her head to his shoulder.
She covered her ears against lingering waves of nightmare.
Always another dream, Sarah’s voice chanted.
Always alone…
Maddie wrenched away.
“It’s okay.” Jarred followed.
Her stomach rejected what little she’d eaten that day. He cursed and pulled her hair back.
“I can’t take it anymore.” She wiped the back of her hand across her mouth. “Get away from me before I hurt you. I don’t want to, but she’ll make me. She’s going to—”
“You’re back with me, Maddie. Sarah’s not here. I’ve got you. You didn’t hurt me. You’re not going to. Whatever that was, it’s over.”
“That was Sarah. It was me. And it’s never over…Always the same.”
“No, it’s not the same. This time, you weren’t alone. I was there.” Certainty rained down from his gaze. “Wherever your mind went, mine was there, too. Has that ever happened before?”
He’d been there.
He’d really been there.
“That was Sarah’s nightmare?” he prodded. “The rain. That bird. It was a raven, right? Telling her to run. Forcing her to fight people she didn’t know. Those were the ramblings of a madwoman. It
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