Turning my head, I focused on other images, willing them to move, and they did.  They flew to the side to make room for the ones below.  Most of the images were clear and crisp, but some were fuzzy or dark.  All had people in them.

Before I had a chance to focus on any one image, I flew backward.  The images behind me moved to create an opening in the weird, white emptiness.  The whiteness clung to me, briefly stretching into the black void before letting me go, leaving me in darkness again.  I watched the light shrink in size as I zoomed away from it, or maybe as it zoomed away from me.  It was hard to tell.

Just as suddenly as I’d appeared in the void, I snapped back to the present.  My hand stretched before me, holding empty air.  Charlene had let go.

“You okay?” Emmitt asked.

I mentally shook myself and dropped my hand to my side.  I wasn’t sure what had just happened.

I’d thought I’d glanced images, some violent, containing several of the people in this room.  At first, the images had appeared infinite.  When they moved to allow me to leave, I’d seen they weren’t.  They had been stacked on top of one another, several layers deep.

Had I just seen the source of my new premonitions?  Could that really be where they came from?  I desperately wanted to go back and study them.

I looked at Charlene.  She watched me with concern, but I noticed dark circles under her eyes that hadn’t been there a moment ago.  Perhaps now wasn’t the best time to ask to shake her hand again.  Whatever had happened to me, something must have happened to her, too.

All the werewolves around me were watching expectantly, waiting for me to offer an explanation for my weird behavior.  If only I had one.

“Sorry, I’m a little tired.”  I gave Charlene a weak smile then glanced at Emmitt’s father.  He met my eyes directly and though I could see he didn’t believe me, he didn’t appear upset about it.  Instead, he nodded in greeting.  I could see where Emmitt got his height and coloring from.

“This is Thomas,” Charlene said, continuing with the introductions.  I was glad Emmitt’s father didn’t hold out his hand.  “And you already met our friends, Mary and Gregory.”

I smiled and said a quiet hello to the others.

“Nana told us some of what you’ve been through.  I wanted to let you know that we will do everything we can to protect you and your brothers so you can feel safe here.”  Her earnest expression lent credence to her sincerity.  “We’ll let you get some sleep and see you at breakfast.”  She turned her warm gaze on Emmitt and gave him a quick hug before leaving.  Mary and Gregory followed the pair out.

“I’ll see you after breakfast,” Nana said, leaving as well.

Jim remained with us, closing the door behind Nana.  “If it’s okay with you, I’ll stay on the couch tonight.”

He glanced at Emmitt when he said it, but I answered.  “That’s fine.  The boys will probably wake you up in about two hours, though.”  I liked knowing he would be between us and the door while we slept.

“I can handle it.”  He stretched out on the couch and closed his eyes.

Emmitt said nothing.  He pulled me toward the back of the apartment, down a short hallway, and nudged open the door on the right.  I peeked in.

Dim, pre-dawn light illuminated two small bumps under the covers of the full-sized bed.  I stepped forward and pulled back the light quilt so I could see them clearly.  They both lay on their sides, facing each other.

I bent to give them kisses and gently touched their cheeks before covering them up again.  The fear that sat heavily in my stomach since seeing Frank and his friend fight Nana Wini wasn’t for me.  It was for them.  I hated feeling so helpless.

Crossing the room, I pulled the curtains on the window closed.  It would give Jim a few more minutes of sleep.

Emmitt stepped into the room.  I waited by the door while he smoothed back the hair from each boy’s head.  When he finished checking on them, he motioned me into the hallway and pulled the door partially closed behind him as he left.  He had werewolf hearing, but I didn’t and appreciated the consideration.  With their door cracked open, I’d hear them when they woke.

We walked across the hall to another bedroom, which mirrored the boys’ room.  Emmitt flipped on the switch so I could see clearly.  The full-sized bed and matching dark dresser complemented the forest green walls.  Sheets and a light quilt covered the bed.  An extra quilt lay folded on a trunk at the foot of the bed.  Our bags rested on top of the spare quilt.

Staring at the bags, I felt a blush crept into my cheeks.  Did he plan to sleep with me?  When he’d suggested sharing a bed last night, I thought he’d been kidding.

I could feel him standing behind me, waiting for my reaction. Too much was coming at me too fast.  Thinking of him...us...right now made my head hurt.

“I don’t know what to say.”

“How about don’t hog the covers or I’ll push your furry butt to the floor,” Jim called from the living room.

Emmitt snorted behind me, and I turned to look at him.

“I just want sleep.  I won’t get it out there with Jim or if I’m further away from you than the next room.”

I recalled what he said about having a hard time sleeping away from me and sighed as I nodded my acceptance of the situation.

Quirking a smile, I quoted Jim.  “Hog the covers and I’ll push your furry butt to the floor.”

He grinned in return.

“Now, go away so I can change.”  He obliged, and I quickly changed into the pajamas he’d packed for me then slid under the covers.  “Okay.  I’m decent.”

I rolled onto my side, facing away from the door so he could change if he wanted to.  Listening, I heard him enter, the rasp of the zipper, and the rustle of clothes.  I closed my eyes while wondering if he felt as self-conscious as I did.

He stepped to my side, surprising me enough that I opened my eyes.  I saw his loose shorts as he reached up and closed the curtains, and I mentally breathed a sigh of relief.  He moved to his side and slid into bed beside me but didn’t reach for me.

We lay quietly, side-by-side, and I wondered if he could still smell my fear or if all my other emotions where flooding it out.

“I’m sorry about in the truck before.  You’re right.  I don’t need to be afraid right now.  I need to be strong and face whatever happens.  I just don’t want to drag anyone else down into my problems.  I wish there was a way I could face Blake and still keep my brothers safe.”

Emmitt rolled to his side so he faced me.  “We will find a way.”

He moved his hand, lightly resting it on my side.  I didn’t mind.  The warmth of his palm soothed me to sleep.

Chapter 16

A few hours later, the boys burst into the bedroom, and I heard them pause when they saw two lumps under the covers.  Either Emmitt had been sleeping deeply or Jim had set us up.  I lifted myself up on my elbow, trying to play it cool.

“Good morning, you two.  Is Jim awake?”  They both nodded.  “Good, tell him we’ll be up in just a little bit.”  They didn’t move.

“Who is that?” Liam asked pointing to the lump that was Emmitt.

I glanced down at Emmitt.  He was watching me, letting me deal with the situation however I saw fit.

“It’s Emmitt.  Jim had the couch.  You two had the other bed.  So, I let him sleep here after he promised not to steal the covers.”

Liam quietly gazed at the floor before he took a deep breath and lifted his head.

“If you married Emmitt, we could live with Nana and Jim forever.”

My eyes widen in surprise as I scrambled for something to say, but Liam saved me from a serious answer.