by CJ Ellisson
“Yay!” The little girl slid out of her chair and hugged her mother and then bounced out the breakfast room.
“Bundle up!” Rissa shouted after her, and then bent to clear her plate. “If only I had her energy,” she chuckled.
“I’m heading out, too,” Mitch said, putting his cup next to the large coffee carafe and giving Rissa’s cheek a peck. “I’m running drills with the new recruits, so I’ll keep an eye on Stephie.” He grabbed his jacket from the end of the sideboard. “And don’t worry about finding the merry, Lily. Sean’s great at directions.”
Lily grinned after him as he walked out the breakfast room. Who would believe that just two months ago he wanted to rip her throat out.
“So, new recruits and holiday parties…exactly how busy is it going to get around here?” Lily asked, topping off her coffee.
Rissa straightened, grimacing a bit, one hand going to the small of her back. “The festivities start right after Christmas with the Yule Hunt. It’s pretty exciting, and it’s the first hunt for many of the adolescent Weres. Sort of a rite of passage. After that, the Hunters host a massive game dinner where the men actually cook whatever they caught.”
Lily’s brows hiked up. “Game? As in deer?”
Rissa nodded, carrying Stephanie’s dishes to the sideboard. “Deer, elk, bear…”
“Bear?”
A large grin spread across Rissa’s face. “Don’t look so shocked. Bear is actually pretty good, and before you ask, the answer is no, we don’t eat it raw! You’d be surprised how gourmet-ish the recipes get. After that, it’s New Year’s and there are too many parties to count. We give it a few days to let everyone recover before starting the next round of events, but the biggest one next to the Yule Hunt is our Ancestor’s Dinner, which is followed by the Wolf Ball at the end of the month. We try to have the ball coincide with the Wolf’s Moon, but sometimes the calendar doesn’t cooperate.”
Lily slid into a chair, her fingers tapping the edge of her cup. Sean wasn’t kidding when he said there was a need for her to be front and center. From what Rissa described, over the next month Lily would literally meet and greet almost everyone in the Compound.
She glanced up from her cup. “Sean told me a bit about the history behind the Wolf Moon. Sounds like a remarkably rich and poetic story.”
“It’s a long standing tradition, and it truly helps solidify our heritage, especially with the kids,” Rissa replied, pouring a cup of decaf. She slid into one of the chairs across from Lily. “Although, there are some blowhards who like to use the event as a soapbox for their own agendas. You know, like celebrities sometimes do at the Oscars.”
Lily didn’t comment, but Rissa’s face told her exactly who she meant. Edward Parr. She wondered if the man’s posturing was part of his everyday persona.
“The Oscars, wow. That’s some comparison. I guess it’s safe to assume you plan on going, then, huh?”
Rissa chuckled. “I’m going, whether Mitch likes it or not. All I have to do is find a dress flattering enough to hide this bump,” she said tugging on her maternity top. “I wouldn’t miss the Wolf Ball for the world.”
Lily put down her cup and leaned her elbows on the table, her hand clasped. “So, since you’re feeling better and you said you needed a dress, are you up for a little retail therapy? All I’ve got in my repertoire is either leather or denim, and that’s not going to cut it.”
Rissa beamed. “How soon do you want to leave?”
Chapter Twelve
The moon was bright in the sky, the air frigid. A ring of pale winter grass circled each of the four bonfires, the heat from the tall flames melting the snow to reveal the green sleeping beneath the white frost. Each bonfire was lit in positions representing the four directions, and at the center was a single Yule log, burning with pine cones, holly and cinnamon.
The Hunters gathered around the ritual fire to offer thanks to Mother Earth for the animals the clans would claim tonight during tonight’s Yule Hunt. Young Weres hung about the perimeter, their excitement snapping in the air along with the crackling from the wood on the fires. For these adolescent boys, this would be their first hunt with the men.
“This is amazing.” Lily whispered into the cold night, her breath puffing out in silvery clouds. Eagerness for the chase and delight in the season brought everyone to the forest clearing tonight, and more than a few people greeted her with a warm welcome.
“See, I told you people would come around.” Sean said, wrapping his arm around her shoulders He kissed her temple, inhaling her scent. “You smell wonderful.”
She smiled up at him. “Just soap and water. Nothing fancy tonight.”
“Maybe I’ll sneak back and leave all the hard work to the boys tonight.” Anticipation rumbled deep in his throat.
She bumped him with her hip, but peeked across her shoulder in a flirty sideways glance. “After.”
“After,” he repeated in low, sexy whisper. “I’m holding you to that.”
Lily’s hand shifted to her stomach where her lower belly jumped at the images Sean sent along their shared mind path. The fact they could communicate in such a veiled way still left her breathless. It was sexy and so intimate it felt a little wicked.
“Uncle Sean!” Stephanie ran across the snow, her face barely visible inside her pink snowsuit with its white faux fur trim.
“Hey there, peanut. All ready to watch the Parade of Flags?”
She nodded, the brim of her hood flopping into her eyes even more.
“I can hardly see you in there. Are you hiding on purpose?” he asked making her giggle as he swung her up onto his hip.
“Stephanie!” Mitch called, from the edge of the clearing with Rissa bringing up the rear.
“I’m over here, Mitch. With Uncle Sean and Lily!”
The two joined them, Rissa bringing up the rear, panting from a combination of exertion and worry.
“Stephie, don’t you ever do that again! Running ahead of us in the dark is not safe!” she said trying to catch her breath.
“Sorry, Mommy. But I was okay. I have eyes like Uncle Sean that see best at night.” She growled putting her hands up like claws.
Sean chuckled. “And an answer for everything just like your dad,” he mumbled. “Okay, little wolf, do you promise to stay here with your mother and Lily while Mitch and I get the Hunters ready?”
She nodded her head.
“Good. That’s my girl.” He gave her a quick peck before handing her off to Rissa.
“Looks like we’ve got a great turnout,” Mitch said scanning the crowd.
“It’s cold but dry and the moon is full. Perfect conditions for the hunt.”
Sean turned to Lily, giving her a solid kiss. “I won’t be too late,” he said with wink, and then motioned for Mitch to follow him to the center of the ring of fire.
It was time to begin.
The council of Weres gathered on either side of the ritual fire. Every clan was represented, each sending two elected men to hunt alongside the Alpha and his Hunters to help with the younger Weres.
Drums beat in a steady fashion. Spectators rounded the outer perimeter of the fire ring, forming circles within circles until everyone was in position. The drums changed tempo and began a rhythmic beat, slow and methodic. People stepped to the side in time with the metrical pulse, and soon each of the circles moved in unison around the fire, some going left, others going right.
People began to sway and chant and the drums picked up their cadence, until suddenly they stopped. Trumpets blared, and Sean walked into the center with Mitch and Jack flanking him.
“Welcome, everyone, and a Blessed Yule to you all!”
The crowd erupted in cheers, and Rissa reached for Lily’s hand and gave it a squeeze.
“Another year has come and gone, and we have much to be thankful for. As we end the old and prepare for the new, let us take a moment to bow our heads and remember those who are no longer with us, and give thanks for the ones that still remain. Make your of
ferings to the universe and to the Earth for the bounty they will bestow on us tonight.”
In that moment, the forest grew silent and a single hoot owl echoed in the distance. The trumpets sounded again, and Sean raised both arms. “I give you the Parade of Flags! Let the Yule Hunt begin!”
Each clan, each species of Were residing in and around the Compound, was represented. Elected hunters carried standards, each with clan crests and colorful depictions of their dual natures.
The flags were spiked into the ground circling the ritual flame like a Were United Nations, and after thundering applause, Sean called for quiet.
“Alpha Hunters take your positions.”
The Alpha Hunters splintered off, each group taking up their position by each of the bonfires.
“Elected Hunters, take your positions.”
The clan’s elected did the same, each group taking their adolescents with them as well.
Lily looked at Rissa. “What now?”
She flashed Lily a smirky smile. “The get naked.”
Lily laughed. “No way. In front of all these people and kids?”
“Lil, you’re playing by our rules now, and we don’t have the same protocols about nudity as the single-natured. How else do you expect them to phase? It would cost the council thousands of dollars to replace all the ruined clothes if they didn’t ask them to strip first.”
Lily guffawed. “Streaking for the sake of economics. You gotta love it.”
Sure enough, each one of the men and boys stripped down to nothing, piling their clothes next to the bonfires where their families could retrieve them.
A single trumpet blast signaled it was time. Sean stood in all his naked glory, the last one to phase. His eyes found Lily’s, and with his fingers to his lips is a loving solute, he then dropped to all fours and in a snap of ozone, bone and muscle stood a majestic black wolf. He bobbed his big head once, and then vaulted after the others, a howl of communion on his lips.
The crowd roared again, applause and cheers as the howls and screeches echoed through the forest.
“We really needed this,” Rissa said. “There’s nothing like the holidays to bring people back to what’s important.”
Lily looked around at people talking and laughing, others pouring libations into the fire as offerings for the night. She glanced back at Rissa, a smile spreading across her face. “You’re right, and I’m sorry I didn’t come for Christmas dinner.”
Rissa squeezed Lily’s hand. “I didn’t mean to make you feel bad. We missed you, of course, but I understand needing to be alone. I’m just sorry you missed Sean’s sister. She’s been gone for a long time.”
Lily nodded, noting the wistful melancholy in her friend’s tone. “Jack told me how he and Mitch were working to bring Emily home as a surprise. It was part of the reason I chose to stay behind. I wanted you both to enjoy her visit to the fullest without having to worry about me. Sean was great about it, too. It was as if he read my mind.”
“You’re joking, right? You do realize he can read your mind.”
Lily snorted. “I found out the night of the Blood Rites fiasco, and oh boy can he read my mind—and send me pornographic images and things I’d rather not tell you about. But the best part of it is I can read his too.”
“Ack! Don’t go there, please!”
Lily laughed. “Don’t worry, I won’t.”
The two walked toward the path leading to the manor, each holding Stephanie’s hands and swinging her between them.
“Will Emily be at the Wolf Ball?”
Rissa shrugged. “I don’t know. Emily is as unpredictable as they come, but she’s as curious about you as you are about her.”
She raised one eyebrow at Lily’s snort of disbelief. “You can make all the noises you want, but I think I know you well enough to know how your mind works.” Rissa winked at her friend. “Not to worry, though. Emily will show up again at some point. She’s as nosy as you are.”
Lily half smirked, half laughed at Rissa and her insights, but didn’t say a word. Sean mentioned other Weres had the gift of telepathy. She already knew Stephanie was both psychic as well as telepathic, and she had a strong suspicion Rissa was as well. Not that she minded. It was comforting to know she was no longer the only one.
The temperature had dropped, and away from the bonfires the night seemed suddenly empty and a little forbidding.
Lily stopped and looked at the sky, focusing her senses on a ripple that made her skin tingle—and not in a good way. “Something is wrong.”
Rissa picked Stephie up and swung her onto her hip. ‘What’s the matter?”
“I don’t know, but something is out there with the men that shouldn’t be.”
Rissa glanced from the path to the woods and listened. “I don’t sense anything.”
Lily shook her head. “It’s there, trust me. Something is watching them. Planning. I need to warn Sean, so he can warn the others. There are too many people here for me to sense anything more. Take Stephanie back to the manor and then wait for me in the great room by the fireplace. I’ll be quick.”
Lily ignored Rissa’s protests and took off running toward the bonfires. She passed Celia walking with a teenage boy. The two waved, but she didn’t stop, just yelled over her shoulder that she would catch up with them later.
As she ran, she tried their shared mind path just to warn Sean of the possible threat, but all she sensed was the wind and the cold. Crap. He was deep in wolf form and couldn’t hear her.
When she got to the bonfires there were still people milling around, but not enough to stop her from running into the woods along the same path the men had taken.
She crouched down, skirting brittle branches and winter bare shrubs looking for a place to settle and send her senses out fully.
Finding a spot near a moss covered boulder, she crouched down into the leaves. She focused, casting her senses out in a net. The trace was dual-natured, but it was whole and coherent. She exhaled a tense breath, relieved it wasn’t another rabid Were. But who then, and why was it tracking the Hunters? The feel was calculated, with definite ill will. But why?
Could Edward or Delia be out there stalking Sean or even Jack, knowing Lily had a soft spot for the young hunter? Lily tracked the mental trace for Edward and found him in his quarters. She did the same for Delia and surprise, surprise; she was with Parr in his rooms, as well. Ha. The two were having a little post Yule hookup. Lily slammed the door on the trace, not wanting to eavesdrop on something that might turn her stomach.
Damn. She couldn’t track the pulse without disrespecting Sean and the Hunters by having a female in the woods during their ritual hunt. No way. After everything that happened she was not going there.
Lily made her way back to the bonfires, picking her way carefully through the leaves and shrubs. Her scent was going to be there, regardless, but the least she could do was try to keep it to a minimum. If she had to, she’d explain to Sean when he got back.
Rissa was pacing back and forth in front of the fireplace when Lily walked into the great room. Celia, Heather and Gillian were waiting on the couch as well, and Shannon stood by the window, drink in hand.
“What did you do, call a conclave? I told you I’d be right back.” Lily said, a little put off at having a jury of her peers sitting in wait.
“That was an hour ago. I didn’t know what you were up to. You make a statement that there was something out there in the woods, something that shouldn’t be, and then you take off like a bat out of hell. What did you expect me to do? Sean is gone, Mitch and Jack, too. They are deep into the animal, so there is no contacting them—so I called in the girls.”
“You could have shared that bit of Were info before I went traipsing off into the woods, you know, ” Lily replied, brushing leaves and debris from her pants and jacket.”
Rissa put both hands on her hips, her jaw dropping to her chest. “I tried, but no! You had to go running off full steam ahead.”
Lily p
ursed her lips at Rissa’s defiant stance, but she couldn’t help the smile that twitched at the corner of her mouth. Rissa was such a mom.
“Okay, I know. I’m rash and impulsive. We know this, but I swear there was something out there that shouldn’t have been. Whatever it was, it was tracking the men and it wasn’t a bear or a big cat. It was duel-natured and it was completely coherent and calculating.”
Shannon looked at Lily pointedly. “Who do you suspect?”
Lily lifted one shoulder and let it drop. She itched for a cigarette, but Rissa was pregnant and smoking was a no-no around her so she grabbed a piece of hard candy from the bowl at the center of the coffee table.
“I don’t know.” She shook her head, running a hand through her dark hair. “I followed the trace into the woods, but I couldn’t get anything more on it, not even if it was male or female.”
Lily glanced at Shannon and met her eyes. “I know it wasn’t Delia.” She shifted her gaze to Rissa. “It wasn’t Edward either, to answer your unspoken question.”
“Sit, you need a drink.” Heather said, pouring Lily a glass of white wine.
“Maybe you’re getting a little paranoid,” Gillian added, but at the look on Rissa’s face, she backpedaled adding, “…not that anyone could blame you.”
Lily chuckled. “Ris, you don’t have to glare daggers at your friends for speaking their minds. It’s okay. I’d rather people be upfront with me. And you know what, Gillian has a point. I need to lighten up.”
“Hear, hear,” Celia interjected raising her glass. “Me too. I need to lighten up.”
“Who was that handsome boy with you I saw when I went racing past. I’m assuming that’s Kevin?” Lily asked.
A sheepish grin bloomed across Celia’s face. “Yes. That’s my son…and he is handsome, isn’t he?” she nodded.
They all laughed.
“Lightening up is a good thing, especially since Kevin will be old enough for the Yule Hunt next Christmas. So, are you going to let him go, Cel?” Heather asked.
Celia blushed high color, and laughed out loud. “If Sean will take him, then absolutely!”
