Page 126 of Dream Weaver

“Claire!” I yelled again. “Stop!”

“Domino!” she called, and the horse nickered back.

She was three steps from the fence…two…one…

I dove, hating myself for what I was about to do. But I had no choice.

“Hey!” Abby protested from behind me.

Everything went by in a blur. Tackling Claire out of the air… Twisting as we fell so I wouldn’t crush her… Crashing to one shoulder, then scraping along the gravel.

I winced, more from Claire’s cry than the cuts in my skin.

Claire whimpered, confused, but I kept her cradled against my chest as I lay in the dirt. My heart pounded so hard, I thought it would burst. But I wasn’t letting her go anytime soon.

Everyone ran up, kicking dust into my eyes. I coughed as Claire whimpered.

“Mommy…”

“Are you nuts?” someone barked.

I gestured with one hand. “Stay away from the fence! Nobody touch it!”

Pippa helped us up, and Mike snatched Claire away from me.

“What the hell?” he growled, only refraining from a roar because of Claire in his arms.

Abby stood at his side, staring at me, then the fence.

“Cooper?” Claire’s eyes were fearful and confused, and that hurt.

“The fence—” Abby pulled Mike back.

“What about the goddamn fence?” he snarled at me.

“It’s electrified,” Abby finished, and everyone jumped back.

For a few seconds, we all stared in stunned silence. Then Pippa picked up a rake and tossed it against the fence.

Sparks flew, and the air crackled.

“Whoa.” Pippa leaped away, along with everyone else.

“All that lightning…the metal fence,” I panted.

Mike studied the fence, then shook his head. “No ordinary lightning.” He thrust Claire into Abby’s arms and stormed past me. “Fucking Harlon…”

Over by the bluff, Harlon struggled, but Ingo held him tightly. The dragon circled overhead, spitting fire.

I picked Hopper out of the dirt, dusted him off, and handed him to Claire.

“I’m real sorry. I couldn’t think of another way of stopping you. Are you hurt?”

She sniffled, craning her neck at a scratch on her elbow. “Yes.”

But, whew. That was a small price to pay, like the gravel embedded in my shoulder.

“You would have been hurt even worse if you’d touched the fence,” Abby chided her gently, then squeezed her and Hopper close. “That’s why Cooper had to stop you. But you’re okay. You’re okay…”

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