Moonsong by Lisa Olsen

discomfort as she relived with startling clarity the horrible events of the night that changed her world. She watched with sick fascination as the wolves tore into each other with terrible ferocity, destroying her home in their wake. Frightening images shifted and merged together, repeating over and over but always with the same outcome. Rending flesh, the panic of capture, stunned horror as she realized the attackers were more than wolves and it was more than a bizarre animal attack. Luc's face as he urged her to leave without him, the helpless surge of loss as he died in her arms and the acrid smell of the smoke that stained her senses.
    Trapped in the cycle as parts of the dream looped again and again, she felt the urgency to become a more active participant, to somehow change what had transpired. If only she'd gone for the shotgun in the closet sooner, Luc might have lived, if only she'd woken sooner... gone out the window, they might have abandoned their destruction and chased after her. Amelia managed to change some cycle of the events in the dream, but the outcome was always the same, leaving her alone and bloodied, fleeing for her life in the little red jeep.
    Feeling wan and listless, Millie came down the stairs late again for breakfast and poured herself a bowl of cereal that tasted like sawdust. The cup of coffee tasted much the same; bland and acidic, churning in her stomach as she rattled around the house.
    “Hey there, lazybones, did you have a good sleep?” Scarlett chirped cheerily as she entered the kitchen for a refill on her coffee.
    “I wish,” Amelia sighed, pushing a mass of dark hair away from her face to wind it up into a messy bun to get it up and out of the way.
    “What’s wrong? Didn’t sleep well?” her pretty face instantly etched with concern.
    “No, not really; nightmares,” Millie made a face but didn’t elaborate any further, trying her best to forget about it all.
    “Oh… sorry,” Scarlett laid a sympathetic hand on her shoulder, but didn’t press for more. “Well, we can get you some real coffee when we go into town, perk you right up. You didn’t forget, did you?”
    “No, not at all, I’ve been looking forward to it.”
    “Oh good, ‘cause I’m about done with Gran’s bills; we can drop them off at the post office when we go. About twenty minutes?” Scarlett suggested, giving her coffee a stir.
    “Sounds good, I’ll be ready,” Millie replied, drumming up some enthusiasm for her cousin. Twenty minutes was more than enough time to get ready, and she put on her good hiking boots again in case they went for a stroll down by the harbor. Lacing them up, her thoughts returned to Cutter, wondering how he was faring. During the drive into town, Millie’s thoughts kept returning to a certain man out in the woods, despite her firm resolution to put him out of her mind.
    “I’d say penny for your thoughts but they look like they’re at least a quarter’s worth,” Scarlett said finally.
    “Hmm?” Drawn from her reverie, Amelia realized Scarlett was talking to her. “Oh sorry, my mind’s been wandering a lot lately.”
    “No problem, I gather the two of you were up pretty late last night,” Scarlett shot her a quick smile before returning her eyes to the road.
    “He told you about that?” Apparently there were few secrets between brother and sister.
    “Hey, whatever happens between two consenting adults…” Scarlett’s smile widened.
    “It wasn’t like that, we’ve only kissed once,” Millie insisted, cheeks growing warm as Scarlett teased.
    “But there definitely was kissing involved?”
    “Just the one, but yeah… it was quite a kiss.” A dreamy smile lit her face at the memory.
    “See, I told you he isn’t all bad, he has his moments. Not that I know anything about kissy moments with him, ‘cause, eewh,” Scarlett made a face, causing Millie to laugh.
    “God, I hope not, it’s weird enough kissing a guy that I thought was my cousin, but if