Page 36 of The Right to Bear Claws
"Will it? Even now, you're walking toward the water while your body sleeps. How long before that trinket fails and you slip beneath the surface where no one can follow?"
The dream shattered as strong hands shook her awake, Elias's voice cutting through the nightmare haze like a lifeline.
"Kaia, wake up. You're at the lake again."
She gasped, finding herself standing in her nightgown at the water's edge, bare feet numb from the cold. Elias stood behind her, one hand on her shoulder while the other held a flashlight that cut through the pre-dawn darkness.
"How did I get here?" she whispered.
"You were sleepwalking. I've been following you for the past ten minutes." His voice was tight with concern. "Kaia, this is the fourth night in a row. We need to figure out how to break this pattern before?—"
"Before he pulls me through permanently," she finished, turning to face him. "Four nights, Elias. That's what he told me. And I won't be coming back."
The protective growl that rumbled from his chest was pure bear, and she could see his eyes flash amber in the flashlight's glow.
"Whatever this thing thinks it can do, it's wrong. You're not going anywhere, Kaia. Not without me."
As they walked back toward the inn, her hand safe in his, Kaia tried to believe he was right. But she could still feel the lake's pull behind them, and she knew with sick certainty that each night would be harder to resist than the last.
17
ELIAS
"She sleepwalked to the lake again last night," Elias said without preamble as he entered the Council archives beneath the library. "Fourth time this week."
Lucien looked up from the ancient text he'd been studying, his green eyes sharp with concern. "How close did she get to the water?"
"Standing at the edge when I caught up to her. Bare feet, nightgown, completely unaware of her surroundings." Elias rubbed his face with both hands, exhaustion making his voice rough. "She said Tobias told her four more nights. After that, he can pull her through permanently."
"Shit." Lucien closed the book with careful reverence. "That fits with what I've been reading about anchor claims. The entity builds connection through repeated contact until the barrier between realms becomes permeable."
"There has to be a way to stop this."
"Maybe. But we're running out of time to find it." Lucien gestured toward the stack of books surrounding his workspace. "I've been going through everything we have on dream magicand anchor bonds. Most of it's theoretical, but there are a few case studies that might be relevant."
Elias sat down across from his friend, noting the dark circles under Lucien's eyes that suggested he'd been pulling all-nighters in the archives. "Tell me what you've found."
"The bad news first. Once an entity establishes this level of connection with a dreamwalker, traditional protective measures become less effective. The anchor stone helps, but it's not enough on its own."
"And the good news?"
"There's one type of anchor that dream entities can't override or corrupt. A completed mate bond with a supernatural being creates spiritual barriers that are almost impossible to breach."
Elias felt something cold settle in his stomach. "Almost impossible."
"The keyword there being 'completed.' A partial bond, one where the claiming ritual hasn't been finalized, can actually make things worse. Gives the entity access to both the dreamwalker and their mate, like we read before."
"So we're back to the claiming conversation."
"We're back to the claiming conversation," Lucien confirmed. "Question is, how do you bring that up with someone who's already terrified and fighting for her sanity every night?"
"Carefully." Elias leaned back in his chair, mind racing through possibilities. "She needs to understand what's at stake, but she also needs to make the choice freely. No pressure, no desperation, just honest information about her options."
"And if she's not ready?"
"Then we find another way. There has to be something else, some other form of protection we haven't considered yet."
Lucien was quiet for a moment, studying Elias with the kind of perception that made him an excellent hunter. "You're scared."
