Ivy's shoes left deep imprints in the dirt as she sprinted across the forest. Shadows hung heavily on the branches, suffocation in the air. With one hand, she gathered her skirts to speed up. Her dark curls flew around her face as the wind whipped against it. Thunder clapped in the distance, covering the loud howls her ears faintly caught.

She burst into a clearing, sun streaming down on it while everywhere else remained drenched in shadows. Up ahead, a figure waited with its back to her. Ivy moved closer, her fingers releasing the tight hold on her skirt's fabric.

Skirt? What am I doing wearing a skirt? Ivy thought to herself. I never wear skirts...

Those thoughts went to the wayside as the figure fell to its knees, groaning in agony. It clenched its head, a wave of pain rolling over its shoulders.

"Hunter?" Ivy's voice trembled as she took a step forward. The figure twitched, and Ivy knew it was her boyfriend. "Hunter, I'm here."

She ran toward him, about to drape her arms around his shoulders when a voice called out and halted her in her tracks.

"Ivy, babe, I'm right here." Hunter stood a few yards away, dressed immaculately in a simple olive top and bottoms, in complete contrast to her white blouse and skirt.

Ivy shook her head not wanting to believe the apparition behind her. Mammon must have gotten in her head, plaguing her with visions.

"No, you're right..."

Ivy looked back at the figure who she tried to console and found a wolf had replaced him. The gray fur gleamed in the sunlight. It didn't belong to the world of the light. It was more suited for the shadowy world of the forest. She jumped back, anticipating a growl. Instead, the wolf met her gaze, his head cocking to the side when recognition passed between them.

"What the..." Ivy's mouth fell agape, her hand floating to cover it in shock. Could this be one of those drunken dreams that she would forget come morning? None of it made sense nor was she sure she wanted it to. The hidden meaning could be worse than she already imagined.

"Ivy."

A new, feminine voice cut through the moment and beckoned Ivy's attention. Ivy did an about-face to see Cassandra Laurent staring back at her.

"Cassie!" Ivy shrieked, running toward her best friend. With each step, this dreamscape faded away, leaving them in a white room.

The two embraced tightly, Ivy squeezing her friend as tightly as she could. She feared that if she broke the hug, Cassie would disappear just as quickly as the dream had.

"This is still a dream, right?" Ivy's eyebrow went up, shifting on her back leg when Cassie pulled away.

Ivy took in Cassie's appearance. Cassie had done her best to cover whatever she looked like in the real world, but her eyes said it all. The exhaustion along with the fear couldn't get past Ivy. Ivy wanted to take hold of Cassie and transport her back to her apartment, using the dream as a portal. She wasn't even sure if she could, but she would try her damnedest.

"Yes, and what a dream you were having." Cassie winked and shot her teasing smile.

The seriousness returned just as quickly as the playfulness had come out. Cassie's eyes darted around the room, a light sheet of sweat covering her forehead. The image Cassie projected falter for a second, allowing Ivy a look into what she was going through. Purple bruises circled her wrists while open cuts dotted across her arms. In the middle of her forearm, an IV jutted out pumping an unknown substance into her veins. A thin, hollow body with dull blond hair stood there in the place of the Cassie Ivy knew.

"We don't have much time." Cassie's chosen image returned, her hand gripping Ivy's. "I've already visited each of the girls. You need to see them right away tomorrow morning. You –"

Cassie lurched forward, a fresh cut appearing at her wrist. Ivy took Cassie's the injured arm in her hand, blood staining her fingertips. The spirit user winced in pain, pulling Ivy in for one last hug.

"There's so much I want to say to you." Cassie's voice threatened to break halfway through the sentence. A muffled cry fell from her lips. "I'm so proud of the witch you're becoming."

To Ivy's protest, Cassie broke the embrace and took a few steps back, preparing herself to fall into the abyss of her reality. As she disappeared from sight, Cassie managed to utter one last sentence that Ivy barely caught.

"Trust your gut, Ivy Vale."

Running to where Cassie stood seconds ago, Ivy let the tears run freely down her face. She slammed her fist on the nonexistent ground willing Cassie into existence. Cassie couldn't simply reappear then fade back into nothingness. From the brief flash, she was in mortal danger.

What kind of clue was Cassie giving me? Ivy thought.

Letting out a yell, Ivy shut her eyes and began to weep. When she finally reopened them, a bright moon shone upon her through her bedroom windows. Her head shot to the side, reading 3 a.m. on the small clock on the nightstand. Her cheeks were wet with tears, and when she brought her hand up, her fingers were still tinged in red – Cassie's blood.

Hunter stirred from his spot beside her. Ivy thought back to the dream where Hunter wasn't the only one occupying her thoughts. She bolted to the bathroom, needing to clean off the blood. By not turning on the light, she avoid seeing her awful reflection in the mirror, her makeup likely smudged all over her face and curls in a wild mess around her face.

Beforeslipping back into bed, Ivy checked her phone. Messages from group filled herscreen. She sent them a confirmation text that Cassie has visited her in thedreamscape as well. Cassie in her dreams. Ella made it clear they were to meetmidmorning at Ivy's shop. She had even offered to pickup muffins from theTulip

Putting her phone back on Do Not Disturb, Ivy slid into bed and pulled the covers close to her chin. A shiver ran through her shoulders. Her eyelids drooped heavily, an active reminder of how long her night had been. She had slipped into bed around midnight to be woken up by this nightmare.

First off, she still couldn't get over the fact that her subconscious put her in a skirt of all things. She had clearly watched too many television shows where the main character ran in large billowing skirts. She was no Claire Fraser, even if she did admire the Sassenach's spunk and attitude.

Second, who was the other man in her dream if it wasn't Hunter? She dared not answer the question herself as she knew the response as soon as the vision of the wolf flashed behind her lids. Now the two men in her life, if you even could count Griffin, haunted the deepest corners of her mind. A small part of herself still hoped it had been Mammon planting something, but she knew better. If anything, he would have been the one calling her back, and thankfully, that man had been Hunter.

Eventually the analysis of her thoughts ceased when the exhaustion overtook her body and sent her into a deep slumber.

The Marimba ringtone wafted through ears, starting out low until it was the only thing she heard. Her hand shot out, hitting snooze and rolling back over. Expecting to hit a hard body, she found only a pillow in its place. Nine minutes passed, and the light bells of the alarm grew louder in her ears.

With a loud groan, Ivy wretched her eyeballs open. She let out a giant sigh and sunk deeper into her mattress. She wanted to disappear under the covers and win back a few more hours. Her eyes drifted shut, sleep ebbing at her consciousness, threatening to pull her back under when her phone rang. A jazzy number blared from its speakers, Marina's face gracing the screen when she picked it up.

"What?" Ivy grumbled, holding the phone next to her face.

"Well, we're at your shop and a certain owner isn't here." Marina could barely contain giddiness the sounded in her voice. "I'd love to speak to the manager. Oh wait, I believe I am." Ivy could hear the smile through the phone.

"Fuckkkkk." Ivy jumped out of bed. Scrambling around, she grabbed black leggings, a giant sweater and underwear. "Let me take a quick shower or else I'll truly be dead to the world."

"Don't be too long!" Ella called in the distance. Ivy could picture her holding a tall mug of coffee with a disappointed look.

"Oh, shove it," Ivy mumbled clicking the phone off as she walked into her bathroom. The day was already off to a great start. This was exactly what Ivy needed.

Dressing down, Ivy stepped into the warm water and let all her annoyance swirl around and down the drain with the rest of her stress. The water felt amazing on her dry skin. The tension in her shoulders eased with each passing second, and when she stepped out of that fountain of relaxation, she felt like a different person. Pulling on the outfit, she dropped off her items in the bedroom.

At the door, she slid on her Nikes and draped her purse across her chest. As she turned the lock on the door, Hunter's voice cut through the silence hanging in the apartment. Her face screwed up in a cringe. Ivy hadn't really wanted to see him this morning. The guilt of last night –and the dream– gnawed at the back of her brain. When she turned to face him, a serene smile greeted him as if none of these thoughts swam around in her brain.

"Babe, where you off to?" He appeared at the kitchen doorway in khakis and an olive-colored button-down. "I made some pancakes and bacon."

Ivy's eyebrows went up at the mention of bacon, but she really had to get going. Shuffling across the room, she gave him a small kiss and went back for the door.

"I can't stay. I'm sorry!" She opened the door, resting a hand on its frame. "I have to meet the girls."

"Cassie business?" Hunter didn't even bother to hide the frustration in his voice. He rubbed the back of his neck, eyes trained on her.

Nodding, Ivy blew him a kiss, wanting to avoid the conversation that would follow. She spun on her heel, bolting down the hallway and toward the shop. She already knew what awaited her and the questions that they were dying to ask, along with a small lecture from Ella for being so late. There was no point in putting off the inevitable now.

A/N

I know, I know, a little late. I meant to get this out earlier this week, but life got the better of me.  Just means you're closer to the next update...teehee :)

Hope y'all enjoy it. Hard to believe we're getting to the end. We still have a ways to go, but we're on our way there. Let me know what you think so far!

Thanks again for all the support. Much love!

Stay safe out there!