Behind the Eight Ball

by M. A. Church

  “Nope.” Heller shook Jacko. “Not good enough. You implied he was cheating on me. You know that’s not possible. Once we mate, that’s it. We can’t even get hard for someone else. We’re faithful. You know all this.”

  “I-I-I…. Yes, I know that, but… he was born human.”

  “Now he’s not, so fuck you. You insulted my mate, a mate to a beta. I could demand you meet me in a challenge and kick your ass.”

  Jacko squawked and tilted his head back, exposing his neck. “No! Please, Beta Heller, no challenge. Please.”

  Challenge? Ass-kicking? Oh no. No, sir, we are not going there. Just not. “Um, Heller—”

  “Find someone else to help you with your website and your computer because I’m done.” Heller thrust Jack away from him. “You better hope Kirk doesn’t get wind of this, or you’ll have him on your ass. Wherever you find Kirk, you find Tal… and Dolf.”

  “Shit,” Jacko muttered, stumbling back.

  “Yeah, might not want to get on the wrong side of the heir apparent. Now get off my doorstep.” Heller crossed his arms over his chest and glared at Jacko.

  “I really am sorry. I’ll just be… um, just be going.” Jacko hurried to his car, his laptop shoved under his arm.

  “Fucker,” Heller snarled at the retreating figure. “I should’ve shoved that fucking laptop up his ass.”

  I wrapped my arms around Heller. “Jeez, Heller, I didn’t mean to get some shit started with members of the clowder. I certainly didn’t mean to cause you to lose business. Maybe I should’ve just opened the damn door.”

  Heller turned in my arms and lifted me off my feet. He hugged me hard. “Absolutely not. Don’t you dare take such a chance with that werewolf still out there. You did the right thing. Babe, he was so off base with what he said.”

  “Yeah.” My feet slowly touched the ground, and I hugged Heller back. “I’d been told there was some of your clowder who still had a problem with human mates, but I wasn’t expecting it to show up on my front doorstep.”

  “Ah, that’s my fault. I told him to drop it off, but I forgot.”

  “But you aren’t responsible for his attitude. That’s on him.” I stepped back and took his hand. “Come on, let’s go inside. I started dinner before I got distracted.”

  “Dinner.” Heller perked up as he followed me to the kitchen. “You started dinner?”

  I smothered a laugh. “Yeah, but it’s nothing much, so don’t too excited.”

  Heller hurried over to the stove. “But… dinner. To come home and have dinner waiting is just so cool. Oh, is this spaghetti? I love spaghetti as you know.”

  I followed him over to the boiling pot. “I’ll make you a deal. If I get home first, I’ll cook dinner. If you do, then you cook. We share chores, okay?”

  “You’re probably a better cook than me, but deal.”

  He washed up and I finished cooking. While we ate we picked a day for the joining ceremony. As luck would have it, everyone was free tomorrow night.

  I TOOK off a few hours early Tuesday so I’d have time to relax and get ready.

  “Is it far?”

  Since Heller knew where we were going, he drove. “Not too far. I meant to tell you the circle is, um, magical. Do you believe in stuff like that?”

  “Are you kidding? You have to ask me that after all the awesome stuff I’ve seen out there?” I reached over and took his hand. “Including you. So tell me about the circle and how it’s magic.”

  “Well, it’s existed for as long as this clowder has been here.”

  “That’s so cool. Do any of you know who built it?” Heller drove us out of the city limits, and then kept going.

  “Our storytellers say the first of our clowder.”

  “Yours? Not cat shifters in general?” As we drove the city gave way to country. Streetlights became fewer and fewer.

  “Nope. It’s ours since it’s on our clowder’s land.”

  We continued on. Our conversation stalled and Heller turned on the CD. I was kind of relieved. The more we drove, the more tense I became. Night had fallen and the darkness closed in around us.

  I wasn’t wild about being in the woods at night, especially with a werewolf stalking me, but Heller’s clowder—my clowder—would be with us. I had to remember to call them that. Heller turned onto a dirt road that led deeper into the woods. We followed that for a while.

  Eventually it dead-ended into an opening in the woods. And there it was, suddenly. It was like one moment there was an empty field. You looked away because, you know, how boring, then you looked back and there it was. Heller’s headlights illuminated the circle, and my eyes were drawn to the stones in the middle of the field.

  Heller parked and let the lights shine on the structure in front of us. “This is The Circle of Stone.”

  “Can we…?” I’d noticed we were the only ones here so far. “Is it okay to get out and get closer?”

  “Sure.”

  We left the truck and moved nearer to the stones. The surface of some were worn smooth and flat across the top while others came to a point, a finger reaching for the star-filled sky. I moved closer, glad the truck lights flooded the area with light. I placed my hand on one of the boulders. Energy from the stone crawled up my arm and down my body. I fought the urge to jerk my hand away.

  It wasn’t unpleasant, just a surprise. It was like getting shocked by static electricity. It left behind a tingle. More vehicles arrived and flooded the circle with light. I noticed the grass inside the circle was green, which was odd as hell even this far south. It should’ve been brown by now.

  “We’re all here, Alpha,” said one of the five elders. They stood to one side, waiting. The other betas stood behind Armonty.

  “It’s time. Are you ready to start?” Armonty asked me.

  “I am,” I replied. Suddenly I was. I’d dreaded this before, but now calmness blanketed me. I wanted this.

  Heller and I stepped inside the stones together. No sooner than I stepped inside the circle, a wave of heat swept through me. My vision wavered as power unlike any I’d ever felt raced through my body, leaving behind warmth.

  “Oh, oh wow.”

  “Feel it?” Heller whispered.

  “God yes!”

  Did I ever. I tingled from head to toe, but the feeling wasn’t sexual. It was more of a sense of acceptance. Stunned, I stood in the lights from the various trucks. I turned to Heller, a wide smile on my face. A flash of light caught my attention, and then another. More flashes came after that, and suddenly lightning bugs filled the circle, their brief flashes blinking crazily around us.

  “How cool is this?” I held out my hand, hoping one would alight on me. “But what’s up with the light show?”

  “The circle has accepted you.” Heller’s voice echoed across the space. “Hate to tell you, but those aren’t lightning bugs. Remember me mentioning this place is magic?”

  “It’s really magic?” Why this stunned me, I couldn’t say, especially since I knew there were more than humans walking the earth. More flashes of light bobbed and weaved around me. It was fascinating.

  Alpha Armonty joined us in the circle. “Our goddess has welcomed you into her heart, and so do I, Lawson.” He hugged me, and then waved at the rest of the group to step into the circle.

  As the elders and the betas joined us, Heller urged me down to my knees.

  Alpha Armonty stood in front of us. “Lawson, please repeat after me: ‘I, Lawson Dupre, mate to Heller Wirth, promise to be faithful to the Alpha Armonty Hoyer and never cause him nor clowder harm. I will observe my homage to him completely against all persons in good faith and without deceit.’”

  I repeated what he said.

  He continued: “‘Nor will I ever, with will or action, through word or deed, do anything that endangers the West Falls clowder or paranormals in general. Alpha Hoyer will hold to me as I shall deserve it. He will offer protection, guidance, and acceptance as the Alpha should. Upon that agreement I submit myself
to him and choose his will.’”

  Again I repeated his softly spoken words.

  “So shall it will be,” Alpha Armonty said, finishing the ceremony.

  After Alpha Armonty accepted my oath, the others helped us rise and each welcomed me to the clowder. Heller grinned from ear to ear as Dolf and the rest shook my hand. I was officially part of the West Falls clowder.

  We drove back, and I was shocked to see everyone follow us home. We parked and several vehicles pulled in behind us. “Heller? What’s going on?”

  Heller turned off the truck, and a smile crossed his face. “It’s customary to give the new mate a party as part of the welcoming process. So… surprise!”

  Oh wow, yeah, this was a surprise. I’d forgotten about it since Heller hadn’t mentioned it again. I looked around. Several of the betas were getting out. As I stared in shock, more vehicles pulled in. I saw several elders and Heller’s Alpha—mine now too. Then I saw two older ladies with trays. “Who…?”

  “Oh, that’s Mrs. Pearl and Mrs. Mindy. They’re mates to Elder Bruce Bowen and Elder Lester Conrad. Pearl usually fixes lasagna, and Mindy usually cooks her chicken spaghetti.”

  Several of the betas had been recruited by the ladies to help bring the food inside.

  “Huh. Looks like maybe several of the other elders’ mates might have helped out. That’s a lot of plates and stuff.”

  “But why—”

  “They did the same for Kirk. I guess they’ve become our welcoming committee.” Heller rubbed his hands together. “I hope they brought dessert too. Man, Mrs. Mindy makes a cheesecake with a raspberry sauce that’s awesome.”

  Staggered, I looked at all the people. “A party. For us?”

  “Yup.” Heller kissed my cheek. “Let’s get out and let them in. It’s just going to be us, the betas, the elders, and our Alpha. The ladies won’t stay.”

  The ladies wouldn’t stay? I wondered why not, but didn’t say anything. Did only males participate in these things? It certainly looked like it. What about the female cat shifters? Weren’t they full members of the clowder? I looked at one of the betas. They were all male.

  Could a female be a beta? An Alpha? Good grief, it just dawned on me the clowder sounded like an all-boys club. Had we regressed to the 1900s and I’d somehow missed it? Oh Lord, Janelle was going to set this clowder on its ear.

  I looked at Heller. “This clowder isn’t the most open-minded, is it?”

  Heller snorted. “Are you just now figuring that out? Kirk has made some headway, but he has a way to go.”

  Kirk was about to have some more help, but since I’d just joined, I decided to keep that to myself. There would be time enough to start making waves later. And I planned to. I was pretty sure Janelle would too.

  I followed Heller into the house and watched as everyone took their food to the kitchen. I’d never seen so much.

  Then I spotted Kirk and Tal. I pointed them out to Heller. “Thought it was just the betas, the elders, and our Alpha. Not that I mind them being here.”

  Heller did a double-take, then wiped the surprised look off his face. Now I was curious as to what that look meant.

  “Tal’s an Omega, which is a rank just like a beta, so he’s included. I forgot to mention him because not all clowders have Omegas. While Kirk technically doesn’t hold a rank, he’s Dolf and Tal’s mate. I guess Dolf thought you’d like him being here since he was human and a nonshifter too, as are you now.”

  “Hey, seriously, it’s cool with me.”

  Remi joined us and Kirk was right behind him, so I dropped the subject. Remi started taking down plates and glasses. “I got this. You two go join everyone else while Kirk and I set this up.”

  Heller glanced at Kirk. “Um…. Kirk. Oh man. I-I…. Are you sure? I mean… after what happened with your party I, ah… I—”

  Kirk walked over to Heller and suddenly punched him lightly in the shoulder. “What? You assumed I wouldn’t show up? You know what happens when you assume, right?”

  Heller rubbed his arm and grimaced. “I make an ‘ass’ out of ‘U’ and ‘me.’”

  “Yup! Now go on. We got this.”

  Heller coughed slightly, then quickly hugged Kirk. “Thank you. I mean, really, thank you. I don’t deserve you being here.”

  Kirk hugged Heller back. “We all make mistakes, and I forgave you.” Kirk snorted. “Eventually. So did Dolf and Tal. You saved my ass, so yeah, let it go, Heller. We’re good now.”

  “Thank you.”

  We left the kitchen, but I pulled Heller back toward the laundry room. Once in there I shut the door. I wanted a moment alone with my mate since Heller looked like he was about to lose his shit. “What the hell was that? Why is his being here upsetting you?”

  “It’s not. I just… oh man. When Dolf and Tal did the joining ceremony with Kirk, I, of course, was there. I had to be since I was a beta. But the welcoming party afterward for Kirk…. well, that wasn’t required. I didn’t go. It was like a slap in the face to Kirk. It said plainly I didn’t accept him.”

  “Heller… wow, really? That’s kind of… I don’t know what to say.”

  “Mean, that’s what that was. Mean and petty. I hurt Dolf and Tal through my actions, but I just couldn’t…. Kirk had been human and… I couldn’t get past that. I hated him.”

  “You hated that he was human.”

  “Yeah, but stupid me couldn’t see the differences. I hurt Kirk too by my actions that night, and I made Dolf question if he could keep me as one of his betas later. I almost lost my position through what I did, and I deserved it.”

  “So that’s why you’re surprised to see Kirk here. You assumed since you acted like an ass, he would too?” Yeah, I wasn’t going to pull my punches. Heller had acted like an ass.

  “No, it’s more of being grateful he forgave me. I mean, I knew he acted like he did, but coming here…. Words are great, but actions are what matters. It would have been seen as a slap in the face to me if he hadn’t showed.”

  “Like you did to him.”

  “Yes.”

  I ran my hand up and down Heller’s tense arm, trying to comfort him. “You messed up, but I know why you acted the way you did. One day you need to tell them so they know too. But for now, let it go, hellcat. He’s here. It’s all good.”

  “I do need to tell them, you’re right.”

  “You will when you’re ready.” I hugged him and then opened the laundry room door. “Ready to go eat?”

  “Absolutely.”

  Chapter Twenty

  Heller

  I THOUGHT I hid my reaction at seeing Kirk from my mate, but I should’ve known better. Now that I’d calmed down, it made sense for Kirk to be here. I’d eaten breakfast with Dolf, Tal, and Kirk many times in the last several months. Kirk and I had reached a truce of sorts.

  I still said things that pissed him off, and he was more than happy to call me on it. But I was trying. I had changed. Hell, I was mated to a human. That was definite progress. But seeing him still surprised me, mainly because it brought back how I acted.

  I thought I’d been in the right back then, but now I was just ashamed. Our Alpha and the others seated themselves around the formal dining table. The meal passed pleasantly. I believed everyone had a nice time, judging by the laughter and jokes I heard. Dolf told stories of stunts we all had pulled when we were younger.

  Many of the betas wished he’d left the past in the past, but it was fun watching Lawson relax and have fun. Eventually the last elder finally left. Lawson and I stood at the door waving good-bye. As Dolf and his mates left, I heard him ask Dolf if they were going to fry or smoke the turkey they had.

  Suddenly Lawson ran his hands through his hair, his face going pale.

  “What? What?” I jumped in front of Lawson. Had he seen something? That werewolf, maybe? I sniffed the air, and then sniffed again. There was nothing out there from what I could tell.

  “Aw jeez, sorry. I didn’t mean to…. Well, now I feel li
ke an idiot. Didn’t mean to startle you, it’s just that Thanksgiving is Thursday.”

  “Okay. And?” Lawson patted me lightly on the butt, then moved me out of the way.

  “Janelle, Marshell, and I always celebrate that holiday. We have for years. This will be the first year we missed it since we started celebrating that holiday.”

  Lawson and I came inside, and I shut the front door. “I take it this is a big deal to you.”

  Lawson flopped down in one of the overstuffed chairs in the living area. “Yeah. It was the one holiday my entire family always celebrated.”

  “Really? I thought Christmas was the big human holiday.”

  “Commercially I guess it is. But it’s a religious holiday, and we weren’t very religious. Thanksgiving was our big deal, and I mean Mom went all out. All my aunts and uncles came to our house and stayed for several days. There were so many of my cousins around. I always had someone to play with when we were kids.”

  “It sounds like you have lots of good memories from this.”

  “Oh yeah. All us kids had sleeping bags. The grownups let us have the den area. We stayed up as late as we wanted watching TV. It was like a mini vacation. As long as we didn’t get too loud, they left us alone.”

  “Sounds like a kid’s dream.”

  “Better believe it. Of course the downside was Mom getting up at the crack of dawn to cook. Good God did she cook. Mom fixed enough to feed an army. It was great.”

  “You know, you never told me much about your family. You just said they basically disowned you for dating a black man.”

  “I know. It’s just hard. I was so young and thought nothing could rock the foundation I’d had as a kid. Like I said, my parents weren’t religious, so there was none of that ‘God hates fags’ crap. They weren’t jumping up and down about me being gay, but they were more worried about what I’d be facing in life.”

  “So they supported you in the beginning.”

  “Yes. Mom in particular was a huge help when I first moved to New York. It’s such a big freaking place, and I felt so… small. And like a hick. Man, did I feel like a hick—a country boy lost in the concrete jungle. Then I met Marshell one night. He was slick, so slick.”