“Thank you, love, but no. I’m feeling the call of the wild tonight. There are times I need to race out in the woods and leave everything behind. Please don’t think I’m pushing you away.” He took my hands, drawing me to him. I leaned my head against his chest and he nuzzled my hair. “Do you understand?” His voice was trembling.
“Yes, I do. There are times we all need space. I’m not insulted or offended.” I tilted my chin up, staring into his eyes. “Kiss me, though. Remind me that you love me.”
“Always,” he whispered, his lips meeting mine. They were warm, supple, and as he kissed me, he pulled me to him. I felt fully loved and cared for. Yet as much as he possessed me, Herne had never tried to remake me, never tried to change me. He let me be who I was, which only made me love him more.
Reeling from the intensity of his kiss, I pulled my head away, catching my breath. “I will miss you tonight,” I said, reaching up to sweep a strand of hair away from his eyes. I traced the line of his face down to his jaw. The scruff of his beard was soft beneath my fingers, and he laughed gently.
“That makes me happy. That you want me. Perhaps tomorrow?”
“I meet with Marilee in the evening, but maybe I can drop over in the afternoon.” I could feel his arousal as he pressed against me, but I could also feel something else—his longing to race into the forest.
Ever since the Cruharach, I’d been able to feel more emotions connected with the wilds, and had felt that same hunger in myself. Only for me, it was the desire to seek and hunt.
I had been practicing with a bow and arrow—the regular kind as opposed to the pistol grip crossbow I already knew how to use. I was also learning swordplay. I could fight with a dagger, in fact, I could wield two of them at once, but the sword was a different animal altogether.
“Call me in the morning and we’ll see what’s going on. For now, though, another kiss will tide me over.” His lips met mine again, and I lost myself in the spiral of desire that spun itself around us. Finally, reluctantly, I pulled away.
“All right, if I’m not going to stay, I’d better go before you get me too hot and bothered.” I laughed, gathering my things. Rafé and Angel were waiting in the living room for me as I headed for the door. “Let’s get a move on, you two.”
They made their farewells to Herne and we headed out to Rafé’s four-wheel drive. As I swung into the backseat, I glanced back at Herne’s house. The mansion was silent under the snow, and as I fastened my seatbelt, there was a glimmer as a silver stag came darting out from the side, standing tall and proud and luminous.
Herne. The Silver Stag. The Lord of the Hunt.
“He’s gorgeous,” Angel said, catching her breath.
Rafé nodded, his gaze riveted by the massive stag. “I still can’t believe I know a god.”
“You think you’re amazed. I’m dating a god. That stag is my boyfriend.” But my words fell away as Herne leapt ahead to race into the park that buttressed his house. He was faster than any normal deer could ever be, and a nimbus of silver surrounded him, a glowing fog that drifted from his body.
I watched silently as he vanished into the thicket. I hadn’t been kidding. The fact that I was dating a god, one to whose mother I was pledged, left me wondering just where my life was taking me. But it was too late to back away, regardless of whatever consequences came from the relationship. I was madly in love with Herne, and he seemed to feel the same way about me. He held my heart in his hands, and all I could do was pray that he’d be kind with it.
Finally, after a moment, Rafé eased out of the driveway and we headed back to the house Angel and I lived in. All the way, I stared out the window, thinking. There were so many things I didn’t know about Herne’s background, so many hundreds—possibly thousands—of years that I knew nothing about. And yet, I was part of his life now, and every day I seemed to learn more about him. That brought my thoughts to Angus and Fiona.
Wondering what could be so wrong that one of the magic-born felt the need to contact Herne, I stared at the drifting snow as we traveled the silent road back to my house.
CHAPTER TWO
The next morning, Angel came racing into my room, waking me up. She was holding her phone and she looked like she had just been punched in the gut.
“Ember, Ember, wake up!” She shook my shoulders until I opened my eyes and blurrily pushed myself up against the headboard.
“What is it? What’s wrong? Did something happen with DJ? Are you all right?” I rubbed my eyes, yawning as she sat on the edge of my bed, holding her arms across her stomach.
“No, I’m not all right. DJ’s father called me.” She stared at me bleakly. “DeWayne ran away from Mama J. when he found out she was pregnant. He’s never had any interest in finding out about the child he abandoned. Why the hell is he calling now?”
That woke me up. I shifted, crossing my legs as I pulled a light throw from the other side of the bed and wrapped it around my shoulders. I loved my house, but it was proving chilly on the upper floor. I had quickly realized as autumn turned into winter that we needed central heating and air, but I wanted to wait for better weather before having it installed.
“What did he say?”
She shrugged. “DeWayne was looking for Mama J. He said he wanted to ‘come visit her.’ My intuition told me that he’s low on money and has probably pissed off any friends who might float him a place to stay, so he’s looking up old soft touches. I told him she was dead.”
“How did he react?” I wondered how much of Angel’s intuition might be her reaction to a man who abandoned his girlfriend and unborn child, and how much it was actually on point. She was usually spot-on, but this was personal.
She frowned. “That’s the thing. He paused for a moment, then asked me what happened to ‘the baby.’ He doesn’t even know whether Mama J. had a boy or a girl. I told him not to worry, that we were fine. He asked me flat out then what the ‘kid’s’ name was, and if he had a son or daughter.” She shook her head, staring at the bed.
“What did you tell him?”
“I asked him why he cared. That’s when he said he ‘wouldn’t mind meeting his kid’ and that he was planning on coming back to Seattle for a visit. I didn’t know what to say, so I hung up on him.” She shivered. “I think he just wants to find out if Mama J. left any money. He was a mooch when he lived with us, and he abandoned all of us, and men like that don’t change.”
I suddenly realized what she was afraid of. “You think he might want to take DJ with him? That he might come out here and take DJ away? He’s not on the birth certificate, though—how could any claim hold up in court?”
“DNA. And he’s a wolf shifter, remember. They can be canny and sly. He’s a lone wolf—he told Mama J. that he got kicked out of his pack years ago. She felt sorry for him. That’s how they met. He came to her soup kitchen one night.”
Angel’s mother—Mama J.—had owned a diner. She opened it to the homeless after hours, giving away the food that they hadn’t sold during the day, and she always made a huge vat of soup and had bread to supplement it so that nobody went away hungry. Mama J. had also been an incredible card reader, and Angel had inherited her psychic abilities. I suspected if they looked far enough back in their family tree that they’d find a spot of magic-born blood, but I had never ventured the idea aloud.
“You know as well as I do that no court is going to give a man custody over a son he abandoned before birth, who doesn’t have a stable life. Especially now that Cooper has him.” I wrapped my arm around her shoulders. “We won’t let him take DJ away from you. I promise, we’ll figure out something.”
She nodded. “It’s hard enough having DJ living with Cooper. But I can handle that—it’s best for DJ and I still get to see him. I couldn’t bear it if some stranger dragged DJ away with him. I don’t trust DeWayne. There was always something slimy about him and I can still feel it through the phone.”
I slid out from under the throw, wincing as my feet hit the icy floo
r. A glance out the window told me it was snowing again. We had about three inches, which was a good amount for the Seattle area, and though they had actually gotten around to plowing the roads, it was slippery out there.
“I hope this stops before Monday or the commute is going to be hell.” Shivering, I wrapped myself in my robe. “Come on, don’t worry. We’ll deal with DeWayne if and when he shows up. Chances are he won’t bother. Today we’re going to buy a tree and ornaments and everything else we need to turn this place into a winter wonderland.” I paused. “You still up for it?”
Angel brightened a little. “Yeah, it will help take my mind off of DeWayne.”
“How did he get in touch with you, anyway? He’s been gone, what, ten years?”
“I still have the same phone number as I did back then. He had it because he lived with Mama J. Even before she got pregnant with DJ, I didn’t like DeWayne. He was an asshole, and he kept making semi-suggestive moves toward me, but I knew if I called him on it, he’d gaslight me. Mama J. would have kicked him out—she was always on my side—but I knew she loved him, so I kept my mouth shut.” Angel shook her head. “Part of me thinks I should have said something anyway, but then I wouldn’t have my little brother, and I love DJ.”
“I know you do,” I said. “And you aren’t going to lose him, regardless of what happens with DeWayne. We’ve tackled far worse problems before.” I grabbed a pair of jeans from my dresser, along with a cobalt V-neck sweater and a black leather belt. Adding a pair of blue knee socks to the pile, and a clean bra and panties, I carried them back to the bed.
“I’ll start breakfast while you change. Are you taking a shower first, or coming right down?” Angel stood up, thrusting her phone in her pocket. She was wearing a pair of green leggings, with a long golden tunic over the top. Angel could easily have been a model—she was five-ten, willowy, and had beautiful bone structure. And her rich brown skin was always clear and glowing.
“I took a shower last night. I’m clean enough,” I said, grinning at her. “I’ll be down as soon as I dress. Can you feed Mr. Rumblebutt?” I glanced around. “Where is the little booger? He didn’t sleep with me, for a change.”
“He slept in my room. He found my fleece robe and decided that it made the perfect nest.” She winked at me. “Don’t worry, I won’t win his heart away from you.”
“Go on with you,” I said, waving her out with a laugh. Mr. Rumblebutt was my black Norwegian Forest cat, and he absolutely doted on both Angel and me. He was pretty much a tribble on legs, with tufted feet and ears, and he was my best buddy.
I quickly dressed, brushed my hair back in a ponytail and slapped on a quick face of makeup, opting for an icy look. Might as well match the season, I thought, applying a rainbow of silver, blue, and plum colors. After finishing my toilette, I slid on a pair of fleece-lined snow boots and headed downstairs, where Angel was making omelets and toast.
“Smells good,” I said, sliding into a kitchen chair. “So I guess I’d better contact Ronnie about next week. I’m pretty sure she’ll be watching Talia’s dogs, and we need to arrange for her to care for Mr. Rumblebutt while we’re over on the peninsula.”
Ronnie Archwood was one of the Light Fae, but she had been excommunicated from the court long ago and was one of the few Fae who didn’t look down on me because of my bloodlines. I was half Light Fae, half Dark. Most of the Fae called me a tralaeth—basically a dirty word for half-breed.
“Mr. R. likes her a lot,” Angel said, sliding our omelets onto our plates. She added the toast and carried them to the table as I made myself a quad-shot mocha.
“He does, doesn’t he?” I texted Ronnie while I was waiting for the espresso, asking if she could check on him and spend some time playing with him while we were gone. She texted back as I was carrying my mug to the table, confirming that she’d be able to watch over him as well as Talia’s greyhounds. She could get my spare key from Talia, with whom we had exchanged house keys. Relieved, I checked that worry off my mental checklist.
“What do you think about our upcoming trip?” I asked as I settled in to eat.
Angel shook her head. “Not so much, to be honest. I’m not fond of going over to the peninsula. There are so many freaky spirits and creatures there, and I key in on their energy too easily.”
“At least it will be a change of pace. I think we can all use a little time away. Maybe it will give Yutani a chance to sort out the crap he’s going through.” I paused, adding, “At least I hope so. He’s been a tool lately.”
Yutani, our IT guy, had recently found out he was the son of the Great Coyote, and he had been trying to contact the Trickster for a couple months now to find out why Coyote had never told him. He had also been acting out, and I was about ready to call him on it if Herne wouldn’t. While Yutani could be overly sarcastic, it had reached a point where I wanted to smack him one.
“He doesn’t know who he is now. He always had a rough time, given his childhood, but now he finds out that the same god who claimed him when he was a child and basically threw him under the bus is his daddy. I know he’s being a pain in the ass, but I don’t blame him for being lost.” Angel always looked for the best in people. It was a testament to her nature, but it could also be dangerous.
We cleared away our dishes and I stacked them in the dishwasher while Angel washed the table. Deciding to take my car, which was better in the snow than hers, we headed out to buy a tree.
“You realize we’ll just get it set up and have to leave,” Angel said. “How is Mr. Rumblebutt around trees, even a fake one?”
“I don’t know. He’s never had one to contend with before.” I eased over to the left lane as we approached Wexworth’s, a large department store that had anything and everything you could want, including groceries. A stab of worry ran through me. “Do you think we should attempt it?”
“I think we should buy everything today, decorate with swags and garlands and lights around the ceiling, where he can’t reach them, then when we get home after the trip, we can put up the tree. That way there won’t be any cat-astrophes to come home to,” she said, laughing.
We pulled into the parking lot and I found a spot near the door—a miracle, given it was the Christmas season and shoppers were out in full force.
“Do you mind celebrating Solstice instead of Christmas?” I asked. “We could do both.”
“I don’t mind. Mama J. celebrated Christmas but it was always about family, never about religion. And given all the gods hanging around, we just went with the flow and adopted paganism. By the time I met you, Mama J. was basically a humanist more than anything else. I tend to follow her path.” She shrugged, turning sideways to block a cold gust of wind that swept past. “As long as we have lights and a tree and pretty decorations, I’m good.”
“How about DJ? I know he’s celebrating with Cooper and his family, but…”
“Eh, he’s good. He told me that he’s learning about the Wolf Spirit, and I have the feeling he may be transitioning more into his Wulfine nature. Cooper’s family are followers of Lupa, the wolf goddess. If he chooses to join them, I have no objections. They put a heavy emphasis on honor and keeping your word, and guarding the pack—which means family. Those are good qualities to embrace.” She opened the door and held it. “After you, madam!”
“Thank you kindly,” I said, ducking inside out of the falling snow. Seattle was coping rather well with this snowfall, though if it got any heavier we’d be in trouble.
Wexworth’s was busy, but not overly so, and we managed to procure a cart without a wait. We headed for the home-goods aisles and proceeded to sort through the artificial trees. There were some incredibly good simulations, and we found a seven-footer that was pre-lit with multi-colored twinkle lights. The branches were full and sturdy.
“I like this one,” Angel said.
“Then let’s get it. What sort of theme do we want for the ornaments?” I wasn’t too picky, but I knew Angel had a sense of design and I wanted her
to be happy.
We looked through the decorations, and then I saw a gorgeous blown-glass mermaid. “How about this? There’s a unicorn too. How about a wonderland theme in blue, white, and silver?”
She nodded. “I think that would be lovely. Let’s go for it.”
We filled the cart with several of the ornaments—a couple unicorns, a mermaid, and faeries—then added an assortment of animals including an owl, a bear, several ravens, a couple bluebirds, a stag, and other assorted woodland creatures. Then we sorted through the blue and silver ornaments that were available, picking the shiniest, most glittery ones we could find. Angel dug through the garlands, coming up with a gorgeous flocked glittering garland to string around the edges of the ceiling, and we practically emptied the light section, opting for multicolor twinkle lights. After about an hour, we had filled two carts and, with the tree in tow, we headed to the checkout counter, adding various boxes of candy and cookies as we went.
“I think we’ve got enough to start,” Angel said, grinning. “We can hang the garland and lights today, and set up the snow village.”
“I want to make fudge, too. I have a feeling this coming week’s going to be a bitch, so I want to spend the weekend relaxing and watching movies and having fun.” As I paid the bill, with Angel giving me half in cash, I thought that we needed times like these—downtime when we could relax and forget about the death and bloodshed and mayhem going on around us.
BY SUNDAY, we had decorated everything except for actually putting the tree together, we had made fudge and cookies, and stocked up on cat food. I had a good session with Marilee, though I canceled my appointment with her for the coming week. Even though the Cruharach was now safely behind me, I was still meeting with my mentor to work on strengthening my magic, and I was trying to learn actual spells now, like my mother had used.
The Silver Mist: A Wild Hunt Novel, Book 6 Page 2
