by SJ Himes
Ghost put his hand on the side of the wolf’s body, and the ribs rose and fell with a slow, shallow rhythm. “He can, but we need to move quickly. Don’t put him in with Caius—just you, me, and this wolf.”
Kane reached down, and with slow, careful motions, picked up the gray wolf. Kane grimaced, disturbed, but he cradled the wolf carefully to his chest. “I’ll come back and set the charges once you’re in the SUV with the wolf.”
Ghost said nothing. They wouldn’t need explosives.
He followed his mate and the sorrowful burden in his arms. They left the sublevel, bodies strewn about. Some torn apart by tooth and claw, others shot with cold efficiency. Blood and fur and gore riddled the stairs. In the lobby, more bodies. None wolfkin—their people made it through with injuries Ghost could heal easily once they were home.
Burke met them outside. The humans’ vehicles had been searched, the contents removed for information, the keys in the ignitions. GPS systems were downloaded for more information on unknown locations, and from what Ghost overheard, it was likely they got something helpful.
The Speaker helped Kane put the wolf in the back of the front vehicle. Everyone was already situated, the wounded carted off to the mansion. The only cars remaining were Burke’s, with Wren in the front seat, the engine and heat on. Ghost nodded to his cousin, who gave him a shy smile in return.
Kane carefully shut the rear hatch. Burke spoke quietly, handing Kane a satchel that Ghost’s nose told him was full of the compounds Kane called explosives. “Caius is still unconscious. He’s in the back of my SUV. I’m going to head back.”
“Put Caius in his study,” Ghost spoke up, both alphas looking to him. “I’ll heal the Suarez wolves and our wounded first. Caius should wake up by the time I’m done.”
Burke nodded, and clapped Kane on the shoulder before heading for his vehicle. Burke drove away, and left Kane and Ghost and their sleeping passenger.
“We won’t need those,” Ghost said, at the same time confirming the building was still empty with his Spiritsight. He turned to face the front, and when he could say that only the dead remained, sent out his will.
As he lit the flames for Roman’s pyre, here he lit a spark deep in the building, feeding it until the accelerants caught. The bodies lit first, flames reaching for the walls, the ceilings. An orange glow flicked within the building, and Ghost spread the fire, feeding it will his will and magic.
He let go once the flames fed themselves, the sublevel engulfed.
A warm chuckle broke his concentration, and Kane wrapped an arm around his shoulders. A soft kiss pressed to his temple, and Ghost smiled, leaning into his mate. “Glorious, little wolf. Simply glorious.”
Ghost tipped his head back, accepting the kiss that fell softly on his lips. The fire rose, the heat and smoke reaching them in the parking lot. Kane pulled back, and said, “Time to go home.”
Ghost arched his back, lifting his hands to the ceiling. His muscles ached from the strain of the last few hours, but he was fine. A bit tired, but nothing he couldn’t handle. He dropped his arms and backed away from the bed.
Enrique Suarez lay gasping on the bed in the guest quarters, Gabe holding his hand. Enrique was the last healed, insisting that his brothers and family be seen to first. Gabe crawled into the bed, and curled against his father, crying quietly. His father held him close, once again free from silver poisoning and back in his wholly human form.
Ghost slipped away, shutting the door behind him. His mate waited for him in the hall, an anxious expression on his face and worry in his eyes. Kane hugged him close, and Ghost leaned on his mate, breathing in his alpha’s heady scent. Kane had taken a shower, washing away blood and gore, relaxed in a pair of sweats and a thin tee.
“I called Ashland, told them we recovered the last of their missing wolves. I spoke to the First Beta, since Heromindes didn’t answer his personal number. The beta sounded happy, at least. They should call back tomorrow, presumably after they’ve talked to Heromindes.” Kane said, rubbing Ghost’s back.
“Is Heromindes avoiding you specifically or everyone?” Ghost asked, curious. He could understand why Heromindes would want to avoid speaking to Kane, though the alpha was a clan leader, and surely had experience dealing with uncomfortable situations.
“Hero’s dishonorable actions during the end of the Tribunal have become public knowledge. I wouldn’t be surprised if Hero is dealing with Challenges for clan leader of Ashland. He’s got a mess to deal with at home. Talking to me is likely last on his list of things he wants to do,” Kane answered, and Ghost thought his mate did an admirable job of sounding unphased by it all.
“I’m glad the Suarez wolves are finally going home to their families. And maybe Heromindes needs to lose his position as clan leader. He lost his honor, and needs to pay for his actions. Ashland needs a stronger wolf to lead them than Heromindes,” Ghost said. He took in a deep, cleansing breath, then exhaled, soaking in Kane’s strength, his warmth. He paused, thinking, worried he might be missing something in the chaos of the last couple of days. “The other places on the human’s list, have they been checked?”
He could feel Kane smiling against his hair. “I have Black Pine wolves scouting each location to make sure there’s no more surprises. So far there’s been nothing. Each place has either never been used by Remus, or scrubbed before they were abandoned. The wolves I have going through the GPS hard drives and the information from the lab say they’ve found addresses for likely lab sites, and I will send scouts there as well.”
“I hope there’s nothing to find,” Ghost sighed.
“Me, too.” Kane sounded as unwilling to think about what was coming as he was, but the sleeping wolf downstairs wasn’t going away.
“Is Caius still out?” Ghost finally asked, gathering the resolve for what was next.
“He is, though Michael says he should be awake soon.”
Ghost groaned, but pulled away from his mate. “Almost time.”
Kane wore an expression that told Ghost exactly how reluctant he was for the upcoming revelation.
The mansion was quiet, but for the large dining room downstairs. Ghost could sense the party was in full swing. Remus was dead, Julian chased off, and the missing wolves were finally home. For many, the nightmare was over. Only a handful of wolfkin knew about the clone’s identity—and they weren’t talking. Wren was secure in Burke’s suit, the Speaker standing guard over his sleeping mate. Wren had fallen asleep after a pair of betas helped him shower, tucked him into borrowed clothing and into bed, then some food. Burke was unmoving from the chair beside the bed, eyes locked on the young hybrid, as if afraid Wren would disappear with the dawn.
They made it to Caius’ study, and Ghost went in first. Michael looked up from his vigil, Caius still in his wilder form, lying on a thick rug before one of the fire places. Ghost went to his grandfather, reaching out with his senses to confirm that Caius was healed, and finding his way back.
“I don’t know how he’s going to react,” Michael said, tears in his eyes, voice thick. The clone lay not far away at all, sharing the same rug, firelight casting a soft glow over the spectacular pattern of grays in every hue imaginable. “The clone is…it’s dying. This is cruelty.”
Ghost sat between the two wolves, and smiled to himself. Gray Shadow had been the wolf who sought him out in the winter meadow. As a wolf, a form Ghost had trouble seeing in its full splendor under the stars. If Gray Shadow had appeared as a man, Ghost would not have been in any state to listen to his Goddess. Even in death, Gray Shadow was wise.
“Everything will be okay, I promise,” Ghost whispered, and put one hand on the clone’s side.
Kane moved around the rug, and sat on the opposite side of Caius. Ready to grab the clan leader if things went badly. “I don’t understand what you mean to have happen, little wolf. You can’t put a soul in a body…can you?”
Ghost smiled over his shoulder at his mate. “I can’t, no. But then I won’t be the one doing it.”
Caius stirred, and Kane jumped. He got to his knees, hands hovering over the dark wolf, but all Caius did was groan, and begin to shift back into his human form. It took him longer than it should have, the gunshot wound taxing him on top of his injuries from the brawl with Julian.
Caius rolled to his back, throwing an arm over his eyes. “I’m alive, then? Could I not be put in my bed? Why the floor?” His voice trailed off, his entire body tensing. He took a deep breath, nostrils flaring as he scented.
Caius dropped his arm, staring up at the ceiling. His dark eyes glowed, full of pain and misery. “I must be dead. I died.”
Kane shifted, hesitant, but his movement drew Caius’ eye, and the clan leader’s face warped into a rictus of pain. “No. Tell me, please, that I am dead, that I am in the forests of our ancestors, and he waits to welcome me home.”
Michael gasped, slapping a hand over his mouth, and the shaman bowed over his knees. Ghost hurt, too, but he had faith. She would not instigate this horrible situation without something good coming of it.
Caius sat up, Kane moving with him, his mate holding his hands away from Caius by a few inches, as if afraid Caius would snap and try to kill them all. He might.
Caius had yet to turn his head and look at the wolf he scented. Just as Ghost had known instantly who the sleeping wolf was cloned from, so did Caius. Impossible to forget. Ghost gently petted the sleeping wolf, his breathing shallow, heartbeat weak.
“Caius,” Ghost said softly, gentle. “Look at him.”
Caius shook his head. His whole body shook, his golden complexion pallid, eyes watery and glowing with distress. Ghost sighed, and moved fast, grabbing Caius’ closest hand and bringing it to rest on the sleeping wolf’s head.
Caius’ reaction was instant. Kane jumped when Caius leaned forward, wrapping both his arms around Caius’ torso and keeping him from getting closer. Kane strained, muscles bulging, and Caius half-shifted. He roared, mouth wide, a sound of such horror and grief it shook the floor and walls, the windows creaking. Silence fell over the mansion, as if the building itself were frozen by the torment in that cry.
Ghost didn’t flinch when Caius strained against Kane’s grip and came closer. His grandfather was inches from the sleeping wolf, eyes locked on the familiar patterns of marvelous grays, the common coloration rendered impossibly beautiful by nature and chance. Caius shook his head, as if in denial, and the hand on the wolf’s head sank deeper into thick fur, tender and unsure.
Ghost didn’t know what to do, but he knew who did. “Goddess, help us now. Call your wolf home,” he whispered.
Caius collapsed, face buried in soft fur, and he cried, quiet sobs into the wolf’s neck. Michael could not take anymore, and jumped to his feet, bolting from the room. Kane let go, releasing Caius, sitting behind the other alpha with a hand upon his back, Kane’s head bowed.
She did not come with a whisper, or softly spoken words. Movement from a dark corner on the far side of the room drew Ghost’s gaze, and She stepped forward just enough for the firelight to line the side of Her face. She gave him a small, mischievous smile, and movement at Her side turned from shadow to wolf. Silver eyes glowed in the dark, winking like stars overhead on a cold winter night.
The gray wolf from the winter meadow loped silently from Her side, paws without sound on the wood floors, crossing the large room far faster than he should have been able to. As he came, his form blurred, shifting patterns of light and shadow, silver-white particles enveloping his body until he was ephemeral energy. He stopped at the sleeping wolf’s shoulder, and slowly lowered his head, nose to nose…with himself.
The body absorbed the wolf made of light, silver-white particles flying gently, burrowing under the thick fur, flashing within flesh and bone, until the light-wolf was gone, and the body had taken it all inside.
The familiar and heart-breaking scent of Gray Shadow grew richer, warmer, a hint of pine and fire. Life. The weak heartbeat strengthened, grew more pronounced, and shallow breaths became deeper, longer.
Ghost backed away slowly, and could see a long, bushy tail twitch. Paws flexed, the dreamer chasing after prey, and a deep, long sigh, full of fond exasperation made Ghost smile even as tears ran down his cheeks.
Kane jolted, lifting his head, to stare in disbelief at the sleeping wolf, no doubt sensing what Ghost could. He did not need to invoke his Spiritsight, it came on its own—the soulstar within Caius, fierce red and smoke gray, reached out as if seeking something it had lost, and the silver-white star within the sleeping wolf, so like Ghost’s own, answered in kind.
Two halves became one. A sundered soul found its way home.
Gray Shadow inhaled, ears twitching, nose scenting. His tail thumped the floor, once, twice. Caius shuddered. He quieted, and his hands clenched in Shadow’s fur, as if afraid to let go.
Ghost carefully stood, and backed away, motioning for Kane to follow. His mate stood, eyes wide, and came to Ghost, grabbing his hand and clutching it tightly. Ghost backed away, guiding Kane with him, and they went to the doorway. Ghost stopped in the door, Kane shocked enough to let Ghost maneuver him so they could both watch.
Caius sat up, face wet from tears. Gray Shadow stretched, claws to tail, groaning as if awakening from a long, wonderful nap. He lifted his head, shaking it, ears flapping against his head, before looking up at Caius.
“Shadow. Mo ghra,” Caius whispered. “Am I dreaming?”
Ghost grabbed at Kane in excitement, barely holding back his shout when Gray Shadow slowly sat up. Light enveloped him, and much like Ghost learned to Change as a cub, Shadow Changed in a flurry of light. Where Ghost was silver-white, Shadow was smoke gray with swift flares of red.
The soulbond was set. Immutable and perfect.
And so was the man who emerged from the light.
Gray Shadow grinned up at Caius, the same smile Ghost remembered from his past. The vague hints of age were gone, the man sitting now on the rug appearing only a few years older than Ghost. Caius inhaled sharply, hands lifting, to gently cradle Shadow’s face with awe and reverence.
“It’s me, mo ghra. I’m home,” Shadow answered. His hands came up, gripping Caius’ wrists, holding the alpha to him. “I’ve missed you.”
Whatever Shadow might have said next went unspoken. Caius kissed him, pulling Shadow to him, and Shadow answered in kind, crawling into Caius’ lap. The kiss was deep and almost frantic, and Ghost grew red in the face, looking away.
She was gone, nothing in the corner now but empty shadows.
Ghost grinned, and tugged on his shocked mate. He pulled the door to the study shut. He tapped the lock, and it set from the outside, insuring the occupants some privacy.
He turned, and somehow seeing the whole of Black Pine crammed into the hallway didn’t surprise him. Expressions ranged from absolute shock, like Kane, to confusion with Michael, and only Burke grinned as widely as Ghost.
“It’s late. Why are we all in the hallway?” Ghost chided with a wide grin, waving his hands at the clan. “Neither of them will be out of there for several hours—I think we can all get some sleep.”
Epilogue
“You want me to what?” Kane asked, aghast.
Caius smiled at him, wide and cheerful. “I’m stepping down as Clan Leader. It’s your turn.”
Caius looked exhausted, but somehow cheerful. It might have something to do with the shaman who sat on the nearby couch, watching every move Caius made with a fond, mysterious smile and joy in his eyes. Caius gave off a heady combination of scents, from the sweetness of happiness to the cloying aroma of exhaustion. Caius smiled at Kane’s loss of words, and Kane had trouble even remembering the last time he saw Caius smile. He couldn’t. “My time as clan leader is over,” Caius continued, and Kane tried to find a coherent response
.
“I…” Never in his forty-four years did he ever expect to hear Caius say those words. He fully expected to have to one day kill Caius to take Black Pine, and since there had yet to be moment that pushed him to that point, Kane had expected to remain Heir his entire life.
“I think you should,” Ghost said to him from the other side of Caius’ desk, the little shaman poking about as usual. “Grandpa Caius and Grandpa Shadow have been through a lot. One of the reasons everything got so messed up was because Grandpa Caius was a Clan Leader and didn’t know how to stop being one. Letting go of the position and giving it to you now that Grandpa Shadow is back is a great idea.”
“Yes, thank you, cub,” Caius said with a straight face, though his lips twitched. Shadow laughed from his seat on the nearby couch, the shaman so like Ghost they could have been brothers. It was less in their appearance and more in their behaviors. “Though I think ‘through a lot’ is a mild understatement.”
Ghost snorted out a laugh. He came over to the desk and swiped Marla’s portrait before running over to his other grandfather and sitting beside Shadow. Gray Shadow lifted an arm and embraced his grandson, their heads pressed together as they looked at the picture of Ghost’s mother.
Kane returned his attention to Caius, still shocked. “Me, Clan Leader of Black Pine.”
Caius nodded. “You’re more than qualified. Why else were you my Heir all these years? I have every reason now to abdicate, and you have every reason to take the role. It’s been your destiny for over half your life. It’s time.”
“But what about…”
“What about Wren?” Caius interrupted, one brow raised. Kane nodded. “Well, according to both our mates,” Caius smiled at that last word. “There is a solution to Wren’s predicament. I say let the shamans settle the issue with the youngling. We need not make public the origin of his birth if the shamans can help him find his wolf. Dr. Harmon is Wren’s adopted father—and I did promise to spare his life for another day or so for his help. Now that Wren is here, I am going to let you and the youngling decide what to do with the human.”
