Free Awaken a Wolf by R. E. Butler Page A

rubbed all over her.  After climbing into bed, she pulled the covers over her, closed her eyes, and sleep quickly overtook her.
    She found herself standing in dark woods.  The moon was obscured, but she felt the full moon in spite of the darkness.  Something cracked loudly behind her, and she turned and moved in that direction.  She’d never been in these woods before, she was sure, but she had no trouble navigating around the large trees.  A flickering flame came into view, and she walked toward it.  Another crack sounded, this time followed by a grunt of pain.  Immediately, she recognized Adam’s voice and ran toward the flame.
    She skidded to a halt inside a cleared circle.  A bonfire blazed brightly in the center, and a group of men stood watching as a tall man took a thick branch from inside the bonfire and laid the burning end against Adam’s bare stomach.  Adam was chained to a pole near the fire, and as the flames burned his stomach, he grunted and jerked the chains, making the pole crack under his strength.  The men watching howled in encouragement.  She screamed and tried to rush forward, but something held her in place.
    The wolves parted, and she watched an older male pulling a woman behind him with a chain.  She gasped in shock to realize that she was watching herself be pulled, and the chain was attached to a thick collar around her neck.  She was naked, her body bruised and bleeding from what resembled whip marks.  The male wound the chain around his hand, pulling her closer.  He shoved his hand between her legs, and she whimpered in pain.  He lifted his hand and it glistened in the firelight.  Blood.
    Adam roared in rage, but the sound died when a male grabbed Adam’s head between his hands and broke his neck in a swift movement.
    The man holding the burning branch turned slightly, and she recognized her father.  He spoke to her as she was shoved to the ground by the male holding her chain.  “This is what happens when you run.  Disobedience will not be tolerated.”
    The wolves howled in approval.  Cinder looked at Adam’s body as it hung limply against the pole.  She knew she was going to be raped, and she couldn’t stop it.  She pressed her hands over her ears and screamed.
    She sat upright in bed, her voice cracking with the scream.  She scrambled from the bed and looked around wildly, still certain she could smell the smoke of the bonfire and the scent of Adam’s burning flesh.  Her cheeks were wet with tears, and she couldn’t stop shaking as she tried to convince herself it had been a dream.  Except it hadn’t really felt like a dream.  She’d felt as though she’d been watching an event unfold, as if she were an observer.  If it were a dream, she would have been in her own body, not watching herself be raped.
    She stood on trembling legs and stumbled to the bathroom, turning on the light and splashing cold water on her face.  She looked in the mirror, checking her body for the wounds she’d seen so clearly.  Whip and claw marks, bruises from a beating.  Her skin was clear and undamaged.  Taking in a few deep breaths, she laid her hands on the countertop and stared at her reflection.  Her eyes were gold.  Gasping in surprise, she peered closer and watched as her natural green color seeped into the gold until only the green remained.  Her heartbeat slowed and she felt herself losing the edge of panic that had ridden her since she’d woken up.
    She stripped out of her sweat-soaked sleep shirt and stepped into the shower, turning on a lukewarm spray and letting the massaging pulse soothe her.  After drying off and donning lounge pants and a loose shirt, she walked into the living room and flipped on the light.  A tall bookshelf next to the window held her Wiccan books, and she trailed her fingers over the bindings until she found the one she was looking for.
    Pulling the old, leather-bound book about dreams and visions from the shelf, she pulled a fleece