“Go on with you.”
Star had dressed in jeans, roughout boots with fleece lining, and a thin, but long-sleeved shirt with a print of various moon phases on it. She didn’t spot any of her friends so she decided to wander around.
A half hour later she passed a huge open-sided tent with picnic-style tables and benches. From the smell of cooking meat, she surmised that people were there to eat. Her breath hitched when she drew closer and saw that Cinaed was seated at one of the outer tables, drinking from a tankard with a couple of men, and looking right at her.
She wouldn’t say his expression was welcoming, but she pushed on as if it were.
“Hi,” she said when she reached the table.
She glanced at the two men with him. The rakish-looking one with stunning looks, raised an eyebrow and said, “Hi,” almost as if he was mocking her.
“Ken,” he said, “do ye know the lass currently lookin’ at ye as if ye were an ice cream cone?”
Cinaed looked at him with irritation. “This is Win’s niece by marriage, Starfire. She lives with our uncle and cousin.”
“Starfire,” said the big fellow in a voice that managed to be gruff and friendly at the same time.” “I’m Liulf, Ken’s oldest brother.”
“I’m Conn,” said the pretty one, grinning. “The other brother.”
“Nice to meet you,” Star said.
“Did ye just arrive?” asked Liulf.
“We did. We just, um, made the beds.”
Conn laughed.
“So you’d be one of the new arrivals then.” Liulf ignored Conn. “This is your first Gathering?”
“Yes.” She nodded. “I never imagined there were so many werewolves. It’s...”
“Exciting?” Conn looked at Ken when he said it. “Don’t you think so, Ken?”
Cinaed stared at his ale sullenly and said nothing.
“Well,” Star said, “It was nice to meet you, too. Maybe I’ll see you later?” she asked Ken. He looked the other way and shrugged. Her cheeks flamed from humiliation as she backed away. “Okay. Well…”
When she was gone, Conn and Liulf looked at Ken like he’d just puked on their toes.
“What’s the matter with ye, brother?” Conn asked. “A very fetchin’ female just turned over on her back, showed ye her neck, and invited you to play. What was that?”
“I agree,” said Liulf. “You were rude. And she’s practically kin.”
“That’s just it,” Cinaed said. “She’s practically kin. I do no’ think ‘twould be smart to encourage a dalliance with family.”
“She did no’ strike me as a female lookin’ for a dalliance, Ken. I’m thinkin’ she’s wantin’ to make lots of cubs with ye and keep yer bed permanently warmed.”
“She does no’ know me.”
Ken objected to everything about the conversation and the situation. He resented Starfire for putting him on the defensive with his brothers, but one thing was for certain. His wondering over the past three weeks about whether or not he’d imagined that she’d shown interest in him was resolved. His brothers, much more experienced with females, confirmed that there was a spark, of something, between them.
“She knows all she needs to know, numbskull. She likes your look, your smell, your voice, and is apparently willin’ to overlook your ignorant idiotic awkward way with women. Ye should be chasin’ her down right now, waggin’ yer tail and beggin’ her forgiveness for the cold shoulder you gave her just now.”
“No,” Ken said. “I told ye ‘tis no’ a good idea to pursue someone related, even loosely.”
“Why no’?” asked Liulf.
“Because if it does no’ work out it puts a strain on everyone. People have to choose sides and ‘tis messy.”
“That’s ridiculous,” said Conn.
“Ridiculous, is it?” Ken was starting to feel the Scotia temper rise and his ears were turning pink on the edges. “Ridiculous or no’, ‘tis none of yer business.” He then looked at Liulf. “Nor yours either.” He slammed his tankard down, swung his leg over the bench and stomped away.
“He likes her,” Liulf said.
“Two nestin’ hens says they’re mated before summer’s first Gatherin’.”
“Two nestin’ hens says they’re mated by spring’s last Gatherin’.”
“Done.”
They touched wooden tankards together to seal the deal. Not hard enough to crack the wood, but hard enough to slosh ale over their hands. They laughed and drank to the bet.
Ken thought she looked good enough to eat wearing a thin shirt. He’d been listening to his brothers talk about Grey’s expedition idea when he’d seen her wandering aimlessly looking lost and adorable. Of course he’d been staring when she looked their way. When their eyes locked, she’d taken it as an invitation to come over and say hello.
Liulf had been right. He’d been rude. Deliberately. He needed to be sure there was no ambiguity in his manner. He wanted to send a message that there was nothing between the two of them and never would be.
Pride was the only thing that had kept Starfire from breaking into a run when she backed away from the tent where she’d encountered Cinaed and his brothers. At the moment that pride felt paper thin. Cinaed had made it clear that he wanted nothing to do with her.
She got the message. She just wasn’t satisfied with the message and wouldn’t accept it until she knew why. She knew she was cute enough and had seen an unmistakable flash of desire behind his eyes when they’d first met. For whatever reason, she wanted to know what happened. Perhaps she’d done something. Perhaps she hadn’t done something expected. Either way, she was determined to find out. But not with his brothers looking on.
She jumped slightly when two of her friends slammed into her from both sides laughing and embracing her.
“What are you doing, Star? Have you seen all the young wolves here? Yum. Yum. Yum. Yum. Yum.”
Star laughed. “Some. Have you picked out something special?”
Brook smiled. “Waiting to see the whole buffet. Somebody told me they’re going to play this game with sticks and nets on that big level field over there. We should go watch. That’s where the buffet will be served.”
“You shouldn’t talk about boys that way, Brook.”
Sparrow laughed.
“Why not? You don’t think they talk about us that way?” Brook asked.
“Whether they do or not, they’re not just meat you know.”
“Of course not.” Brook nodded seriously then exchanged a look with Sparrow. “But it’s the meat that counts.”
Sparrow and Brook leaned on each other, laughing so hard that Star had to smile at their antics.
Starfire did watch the lacrosse matches with her friends and had to agree that they were a marvelous display of male exhibitionism. Brooke and Sparrow flirted shamelessly while Star was polite to the shifters who flirted with her.
As the sun was setting the air turned cool. Small fires were being lit, but the big ones would be saved for later.
“I’m going to go see what Win and Cloud are doing and put on a sweater,” Star said.
“Okay. See you later.” Brook waved. She and Sparrow headed in the other direction.
No one was at Grey’s cabin. So Starfire pulled a belted wraparound sweater out of her burlap tote and put it on over her thin shirt. She was looking forward to walking around because there was anonymity in the cover of darkness.
She didn’t see Cinaed again, but it had been an eventful day that wasn’t all bad even in light of his rather public rejection of her. She pulled on a pair of flannel pajama pants, unrolled her sleeping bag, and turned in.
Sometime later she roused to hear people whispering, trying not to wake her. It was annoying enough to make her want to sit up and say, “Awake! Say what you want!” But she feigned sleep instead.
Ken accompanied his brothers to the Council meeting like always. When the time came for Grey to put forth his proposal about an expedition, he watched the faces of the alphas and t
heir confidantes.
“It’s not without risk and we’re acutely aware of the fact that New Elk Mountain is most vulnerable to the unknown. That’s why I’m also suggesting that my tribe send two of the team members to join the one from New Scotia, one from New Gaul, and one from First Colony.”
Ken had never seen a proposal meet with fewer questions. Everybody seemed to think it was a good idea.
“I’m proposing my nephew, Cinaed, from New Scotia, head up the expedition. Everyone here is familiar with Ken. You know his character and his strengths, including the fact that he showed the right measure of reason and restraint when he was sent to approach the dragons. Everyone who accompanied him vouched that it could not have been handled better.”
Murmurs of assent and agreement rose and fell.
“Stand up, Ken.” Cinaed rose to his feet as ordered. “If any object to Ken leading the expedition on behalf of the four colonies, let us hear from you now. Stand and state your reasons.”
None did.
“Very well. Let us plan to send five of our best to explore the lands beyond the front range in mid-April.”
And so it was decided that five werewolves would set out in search of the unknown.
Starfire didn’t see Cinaed all day, but had heard about the Council meeting and knew he was involved. She went swimming with her friends, watched lacrosse, ate roasted venison and fresh corn on the cob, but all the while had an eye out for chestnut-colored hair, broad shoulders and the sort of swagger that doesn’t usually come paired with a studious, thoughtful wolf.
At the end of the day she put on her red sweater tunic with the long fringe over her jeans and fleece-lined boots. She stepped out into the night with renewed determination to find Ken and force him to say why he’d turned away from the instant attraction they’d had to each other.
When the Council meeting adjourned, Ken left determined to avoid Starfire. He’d keep a sharp eye out and go the other way if he saw her. Meanwhile, he’d find one or two of his regular hookups. Girls who were not the least interested in “making cubs or permanently warming beds” as his brother had said.
He walked by a couple of the campfires where elders were telling werewolf history mixed with tales from so long ago that nobody knew what was real and what wasn’t. He laughed to himself remembering that everyone had assumed the stories about werewolves who had been taken to another world centuries earlier were fantasies.
Damn if it hadn’t turned out to be true though. Those shifters and their descendants were now the residents of First Colony.
He stopped to listen for a minute, leaning against a tent pole. A pair of hands snaked around his middle from behind and a sultry feminine voice said, “You got an itch tonight, Ken?”
He smiled, knowing who it was without turning around. “Scarlet. Had a bath this month?”
She slapped at his abs. “What do you care? I went swimming this afternoon. Close enough.”
“Did ye?” he asked. He turned around and looked down his nose at her. “Been with anybody since then?”
“You’re always my first choice, Ken,” she purred. “You know that.”
He took her hand and guided her toward the closest actual building. A lot of shifters had public sex on the full moon. He didn’t object to it and even found it titillating to watch sometimes, but he wasn’t into putting on shows. So he pulled her around to the side of the building and pushed her against the wall.
“We in a hurry?”
“You know what they say. Burnin’ moonlight. I like it when ye wear skirts.”
She let out a raspy laugh. “I know you do, lover.”
He let her push his pants down to his knees before he pulled her skirt up around her waist and took her against the wall without foreplay. Foreplay was wasted on females like Scarlet. They wanted to go straight to the show.
Ken’s pelvis needed no direction. It went to work as if it had a mind of its own, thrusting in and out. When he closed his eyes, he imagined it was Starfire and damn if he didn’t come right away.
“Sorry,” he said as he pulled away and fastened his pants.
“S’okay.” She shrugged. “It happens.”
When he turned around, Starfire was standing about eight feet away just staring. He could tell by the look on her face that she’d been there the whole time.
Scarlet looked around him to see what had frozen him in place.
“Oh. Hey sweetie. Did you want some of this?” she asked, meaning Cinaed. “Don’t worry. Give him a few minutes and he’ll be up for it. I just got him warmed up for you.” She looked up at Ken as she straightened her skirt. “Later, lover.”
Scarlet left Ken and Starfire standing there staring at each other.
“Is that what you want?” she asked so quietly he almost didn’t hear.
“If so, ‘tis none of yer concern.”
“What is my concern is what happened between us.”
“Nothin’ happened between us. There is no us.”
“There could have been. Maybe. When I first saw you… I know you saw something you liked. Don’t try to deny it because I wouldn’t believe you.”
Ken shoved his hands in his pants pockets and sighed deeply. “’Tis nothin’ to do with you in particular. I simply will no’ start somethin’ with family even if ‘tis family by marriage.”
“I see,” she said slowly. “That’s the whole of it?”
“Aye. ‘Tis the whole of it.”
“Do you have a reason for this policy or is it simply some dunderhead notion?”
Ken screwed his mouth up. “There’s no call to be insultin’.”
“Right.”
“’Tis no’ a dunderhead notion.”
“Seems so from my point of view.”
“Your point of view is no’ the one that counts, is it?”
“Apparently not.”
“Look here, lass. If I were to begin courtin’ you proper and it did no’ work out, things would always be awkward. Our families get together from time to time. ‘Twould no’ be good to introduce bad feelin’.”
“At least you’ve thought it through.”
“Aye. I have.”
“Would you like to come watch me rutting about with some of the lacrosse players? They have fine muscular glutes that could probably piston for hours.”
Ken had to admit that he didn’t like the image that conjured. The idea of lacrosse players, or any players, mounting Starfire made his fists tighten and his jaw clench. He didn’t know why. He certainly was not the jealous type.
“Do what you want.”
He walked past her and kept going without looking back, but he caught a whiff of her scent as he went by and wondered if her nearness was what made him come so fast with Scarlet.
He wanted to turn around and ask if she’d like to go for a walk by the river. He wanted to tell her not to let any of the moon-crazed wolves touch her. But he didn’t. He kept walking.
CHAPTER FOUR
Cloud was concerned about Starfire. Ever since returning from the Gathering she’d been uncharacteristically despondent and three months was a long time to have the blues. Star had declined to attend any Gatherings after the first and that too was troubling because people her age typically couldn’t wait for the next festival.
When her chores were finished for the day, Cloud noticed Star sitting alone on the porch and thought it might be a good time for a talk. She took her sheepskin coat from the hook and pulled it on because it was the coldest part of winter.
Star looked up when Cloud pulled the door closed behind her and asked, “Whatcha doin’?”
Star responded with a ghost of a smile. “Nothing. Sitting.”
“Come go for a walk with me.”
Star didn’t respond with enthusiasm, but Cloud hadn’t expected that. She didn’t reply verbally, but joined Cloud as she stepped off the porch and began walking.
“You know,” Cloud began, “I’ll always be a sympathetic ear for you. I’ve noticed yo
u don’t seem happy. Are you missing home?”
Star looked surprised. “Home?” She shook her head. “No. Not at all.” She waved her hand to indicate her surroundings. “This is so much better. For one thing there are no mountain lions to worry about.”
Cloud’s brow came together at the mention of big cats. Starfire’s parents had been killed by one. They’d been off together on a second honeymoon holiday in a remote location in northern Arizona. A hunter had been amazed to see two wolves locked in battle with a cougar through a long range rifle scope, though he never told that story to anyone. When he fired he’d wounded the cat and sent it running away.
By the time he reached the scene, there were two bodies. Only they weren’t wolves. They were human. A man and a woman with no clothes, a fact that was beyond bizarre in and of itself, if for no other reason than that the rugged terrain would tear up tender human feet. He concluded that his mind had played a hallucinatory trick on him and wondered if it had anything to do with his brief experimentation with mind-bending drugs in college.
The couple had been identified as guests at a nearby cabin where their phones and ID were found.
Starfire was their only child. Even though she was in her early twenties, she still lived at home. Shifters often lived with families or packs until mated, having too great a need for social interaction to be completely alone.
NightCloud had insisted that Star come to live with them at Elk Mountain. Having lost her parents, she wasn’t eager to also leave her home and tribe in British Colombia. But Cloud was both persistent and persuasive. For the most part it had worked out for the best. At least it seemed so until recently.
“No. We don’t have that to worry about. But something is bothering you. Are you missing your parents?”
Star’s reference to feline predators made her aunt think perhaps she was feeling despondent over being orphaned.
“Always,” was all she said in reply.
They walked in silence for a while. Cloud decided not to press, but to allow Star control over what might be shared.
Fire Wolf: CINAED (New Scotia Pack Book 3) Page 3
