Rocky (Tales of the Were) by Bianca D'Arc Page A

human it would have been pacing, for him it was more like stalking silently around the room. She noticed that he went behind the babies’ carrier so they wouldn’t be able to see his agitation. Smart man. Her little boys were very observant for one-month-olds. Of course, they were half grizzly bear, so nothing about them was as it would have been with purely human babies.
    “Are you sure about these dreams?” He paused in his prowling to ask.
    “Yes. I think our respite is about to come to an end and the nightmares are a warning.” She hated the thought of it, but as she spoke the words she knew in her heart that they were true.
    “I’m glad the Lords and the priestesses will be here for dinner. This is something we need to discuss.” He ran one hand through his hair in a restless gesture. “Will you be okay to talk about the details of the dreams? Betina might be able to interpret what you’re seeing, if you’re willing to describe it.”
    Maggie swallowed hard. “Yeah, I can talk about it. I don’t really want to, but if it could help, I’ll do it.”
    Rocky returned to her side and took one of her hands. “I’ll be there. You can always lean on me, Mags.”
     
    Dinner was quiet but nice. Rafe, Tim, Rocky and Joe talked about Pack business and told amusing stories about some of the youngsters who were getting into mischief. Betina and Allie spoke with Marissa and Maggie about the dinner and other trivialities until after dessert was served.
    But there was a feeling in the air…as if they all knew there was something important hanging over their heads. Maggie felt it most of all. She knew they were going to ask her about the dreams. She wasn’t looking forward to it, but knew it had to be done. They had to know what she had seen and maybe—just maybe—they would help her figure out what in the world it all meant.
    “I hear you’ve been having nightmares,” Betina finally broached the subject as Marissa cleared away the dessert plates.
    Maggie took a deep breath before replying. “I’ve had them before. Every time danger got too close to me, or the killer had found some sort of clue to my whereabouts, the dreams started up. I came to realize they were sort of an early warning system, giving me time to relocate and hide my trail as best I could.”
    She saw that she had everyone’s attention. It wasn’t as uncomfortable as she’d imagined it would be. These were all friends. They would help her and her babies.
    “What kind of dreams?” Betina asked gently.
    “I’m being chased. That part is pretty straightforward. But the thing that’s chasing me is grotesquely beautiful. No, that’s not the right word. I’m not really sure how to describe it. It’s absolutely stunning. Gorgeous. And wholly evil. So evil its beauty becomes ugly. If you’re just looking at its outer shell, it would be very easy to trust. But underneath, evil radiates from its core. Palpable, pulsing waves of evil. I don’t know how else to describe it.”
    Betina’s eyes narrowed in concern and Maggie noticed everyone else around the table had varying expressions of unease, though none showed any fear.
    “Is it a creature or a human?” Tim asked.
    “Sometimes it’s human. Sometimes it isn’t, but I can’t see the actual shape. I think it has horns and it’s surrounded in a swirl of red. Red and dirty brown. Black.” She tried to recall the images from her nightmare. “It’s like a sickly miasma of evilness. Dull and dirty. Like bloody mud.”
    “A demon,” Betina announced after a brief pause.
    “I knew nothing mortal could take down our Tony,” Marissa said after a long moment filled with stunned silence.
    “Damn, Mags. You’ve been running from a demon for the past nine months?” Rocky seemed impressed and a little horrified.
    “I always knew our Maggie was made of sterner stuff than most humans,” Joe said approvingly, giving her a little wink of encouragement.
    “The dreams always warned me when to