Wolf retook his chair. “First thing first, we need to get into a meditative state.”
I held his gaze and tried to mimic his breathing, but the whispers picked up,
gaining strength as if sensing the rising threat. Dread and tension grew, along with the need to move, to check we were really alone. Involuntary twitches shook my body, the physical and mental interruptions not allowing me to find that meditative state Wolf required.
Every time I closed my eyes, they snapped back open. I blew out a hard breath and rubbed my forehead. I forced my eyes closed one more time,
determined to succeed, but the choking fear and frantic whispers raced back, stronger than ever. Something or someone was here. Waiting. Watching. My lids
flew up and I was huffing like I’d just run a marathon.
“What’s wrong?” Kayden asked.
“I can’t…” I trailed off, uncertain how to finish the sentence. We were the only three people in the room. I knew this, so what the hell was going on?
Kayden dropped his arm, shifted, then tugged on my shoulder, encouraging
me to lay down with my head in his lap. “Lie down. Maybe that will help.”
Gingerly, I stretched out, and rested my head on his thigh. He slowly stroked
his fingers through my hair. For a few minutes, I laid there, concentrating on the
sensation of his touch. Stroke by stroke, my weird tension dissipated, and my eyes finally closed. This time, the suffocating feelings and voices were nowhere
to be found. Grateful for the silence, I was finally able to relax enough to slip into that hazy in-between state. I floated along, aware on some level that my
breathing was now synced with Kayden’s. Wherever I was it wasn’t dark, but it wasn’t full light, and I couldn’t make out much beyond the warm, surrounding light. The strange peacefulness was broken by the sound of my name.
“Can you hear me, Cyn?” Deep, rough, it belonged to Wolf.
“Yeah.”
“Shaw?”
“I’m here.” Kayden’s voice was so close it shook some of the hazy, floaty feeling away.
After a minute, Wolf said, “This isn’t working. Cyn, I need you to picture some place for us to meet.”
“Me? Isn’t this your thing?”
His laugh sounded a little rusty as if it hadn’t been used in a while. “Sweetie,
we’re in your head, and until you have a clearer idea of your surroundings, we’re
all going to be floating around in a fog. Picture your favorite spot.”
Favorite spot?
The fog shifted and realigned itself. Wind-shaped trees twisted above a small
creek that meandered through a narrow, red canyon. Large, flat rocks offered sitting spots that jutted out into the creek. As the details became clearer, I recognized it for a well-hidden spot I discovered a couple years back near my cabin in Sedona. The quiet gurgle of water over rocks and the slight song of wind winding through the leaves brought a wistful smile to my face. My last visit had been with Kelsey. We spent the day hiking and had rested here before
heading home. The faint sounds of her familiar laughter drifted to me.
A low whistle of appreciation brought my attention back. In front of me, Wolf gazed around as he sat on one of the rocks that was a bit higher than mine.
“Nice.”
“This place is gorgeous.” Kayden’s voice vibrated along my spine, and I
realized I was sitting in front of him, his legs on either side of me, my back to his chest. One of his arms was casually wrapped around my waist.
The intimacy of his hold brought heat to my face. I cleared my throat.
“Thanks. What do I do next?”
Wolf turned away from the surroundings. “Now comes the fun part. We need
to work our way backward through your memories. Chances are good we’ll hit some blocks, but we’ll poke around and see how far we can get.”
He rose to his feet, only to hop down to the rock Kayden and I shared. He offered his hand. “Ready?”
I took it and scrambled up until I was standing between the two men. “We aren’t staying here?”
Wolf shook his head. “Your mind is trying to make sense of what we’re
doing, so it’s giving us a physical representation of our actions.”
