by Terry Spear
"All right, and if I get into trouble for this, I told you so." Letta really didn't want to stop the others from playing their music, because she was enjoying it so much, but she knew that as soon as she played, everyone would quit to hear hers.
Most of the packs had already gathered in the Wolf Mountain territory and set up camps throughout the woods. Some of the pack leaders would stay with Simon and his brothers. Letta wondered if she needed to take a room somewhere else because of it. Hannah was being moved to another household, if she returned with Tomas, so that Ronan and Aegis could take in a pack leader and his sister.
Letta pulled out a flute and began to play her music. The melodies outside continued to play for a while, but one after another of the wolves' songs faded away, and her tune was the only melody that could be heard all around the territory, so hauntingly beautiful that Myla almost burned the lunch.
"Oh my goddess, don't quit playing, just keep going." Myla quickly dished out the meal. "Forget it. It's time to eat. You can play for us after we eat."
Letta smiled at her. She was fun to be with and though Simon was in charge of the pack, Myla often told him what he should do. He never seemed to mind, sometimes taking her advice, sometimes not.
Someone knocked on the door, and Simon let out his breath in exasperation. "Everyone knows I'm at the nooning meal." He left his chair and answered the door. "Ronan. What is going on? I'm eating."
"We want to hear more of the music coming from here. Was it Letta?"
"Yes, and she's eating too."
"Is she using magic?"
"Yes. Go away until we've finished eating. I'm sure she'll play a little more, but I'm sure she doesn't want to stop everyone else from playing their tunes."
"All right. I'll let everyone know that she'll play for us again after the meal. And I came to tell you Hannah is back. She's staying with Gia, who is not happy about it at all, but she shouldn't have been in the plot against you then. Anyway, Hannah didn't find a pack that would acknowledge that she belonged to them."
"But they could have been her pack and they didn't want her joining them?" Simon asked.
"Possibly. She acted so annoyed about no one wanting her to join them, and you know how wolves are—wary, watching every nuance of her actions. Tomas wasn't happy that he had to return with her either. She complained he shifted and ran and tried to lose her in the woods."
"All right, well, maybe someone who shows up at the Gathering will know of her and claim her for their pack. Even if we’re stuck with her, she’ll have a pack to live with, unless she doesn’t do her part.” Simon paused and frowned at his brother. “My food is getting cold."
“Hannah is annoyed that everyone took Letta in and even the leader is interested in her for his mate,” Ronan said.
Letta scoffed. “I’m from a warrior race of fae that killed off many of our own kind, yet we worked hard to maintain our way of life. No matter which way she goes, she will have to live with herself and what she wants to accomplish or doesn’t. She needs to be more helpful and make an effort to be more pleasant around others. Smile a little. I’m sure she doesn’t want to return to live in the human world among the fae seers, who would want her death. But maybe she’d prefer that.”
Despite that Hannah had attacked and turned her, Letta had tried to be pleasant enough to her, but it didn’t seem like Hannah wanted to change her attitude so Letta finally told Ronan, Simon, and Myla what she thought of her.
“She thinks you believe you are better than her,” Ronan said.
“I think I’m nicer than her and if that makes me better than her, then yes, I am.” Letta smiled at Ronan.
He smiled back at her in a way that said he was still interested in courting her if things didn’t work out between her and Simon. She’d never seen him smile at Hannah, but then what was the use? Everyone knew a smile or a greeting would be met with a sour face or a non-response. So why make the effort to be friendly to the woman? No one mistreated her. They had just learned to ignore her like she wasn’t even there.
Ronan said to Letta, "I can't wait to hear your music again."
"I'm almost done eating. I'll play while Myla and I are cleaning up."
Still smiling, Ronan inclined his head to her, then left.
Simon shook his head and shut the door. "He knows not to interrupt me when I'm eating my meal unless it's an emergency I need to deal with." He sat down to eat. "So does your music compel the listener to listen?"
"No, not through the use of magic but apparently it still has that affect. I was enjoying listening to the others playing their music though."
They finally finished their meal and Myla carried her plate into the kitchen. "Letta, I really, really want you to watch everything that's going on at the Gathering. It's the only way you'll be able to learn what's available to do and then next year, maybe you can train so that you can participate if you’d like."
"But I was going to help you with meal preparations." Letta carried her dish and Simon's to the kitchen.
"You can do that any time. I want you to just enjoy yourself for your first ever wolf Gathering. We hope Bryan and Mark will be here for it too."
Simon took a drink of his tea and agreed. "You need to see all that is offered. But I think you need to enter the music competitions. There are several categories: vocal, instrumental, otherworldly, group, solo."
"Magical?" Letta knew he was forgetting that part.
"She had to learn how to create her own songs and how to use the magic, but she still believes it's cheating," Myla said.
"Nonsense. The ones who play their music had to learn to use their instruments, create their own songs, and train their voices, if they sing, like I said. That's the same as you, but different," Simon said.
"If I win—"
"You win," Simon said. “If you move the rest of the listeners with your music the way you moved me—”
“And me,” Myla said.
“I’d venture to guess that you’d win.”
Letta heard Mark talking to someone near the cottage, and she peeked out the window to see him and Bryan headed up the walk to the door. "They're here!" She felt a kinship to them for having been turned by the same wolf and locked in cages for a time in the same hut.
Letta opened the door before they could knock and smiled. "I'm so glad you're here! I mean, all of us are glad."
"We heard this beautiful music, and Ronan said we couldn't go near the cottage until you were finished eating. We heard the dishes being set on the kitchen counter and figured you were done," Mark said.
"Come in," Simon said.
"Yeah, you should have seen everyone gathered about outside, waiting to hear the music again," Bryan said. "Who was playing?"
"Our very own Letta," Simon said.
"Don't let the dragon fae queen hear her play or she'll want her to become part of her royal staff," Bryan said.
"That’s for sure. Are you joining us for good?" Simon asked.
"Yeah. We're done with our jobs, but if they want us to return to plan some more gardens, they'll pay us. If you're agreeable, we want to live among you," Mark said.
"That’s great news! Did you want to eat?" Myla asked. "We've finished, but we have enough for you also."
"Oh, no, thanks. We ate in the dragon fae territory before we came here. They wouldn't have it said that they sent a couple of hungry wolves back to the pack without their nooning meal," Bryan said.
"We're thrilled to have you back for good." Myla finished cleaning the dishes.
Simon and Letta agreed with Myla.
"A problem might be brewing, though," Mark said. "Not with us, but with Letta."
"Oh?" Simon asked.
"Yeah. The word has gotten around about the woman who is a scorpion fae with magical powers. And that she was the one who removed Tomas and his brothers' ability to transport as the fae," Bryan said.
"And that she was the one making the music because no one in the pack had heard it before. They
thought she was just a scorpion fae, but then someone said that she'd been turned, and they wanted to know who had turned her," Mark said.
They all sat down to drink tea in the living room, and Letta thought the men made great spies.
"Don't tell me," Simon said, his voice dark with annoyance. "Someone told them that Hannah turned her, and she's looking for her own pack."
"Yeah," Mark said. "How did you know?"
"I guessed."
"Yeah, and they intend to claim that both Hannah and Letta are their pack members then," Bryan warned.
"Hannah is free to go anywhere she pleases," Simon said.
Letta smiled at him.
Simon cleared his throat and wrapped his arm around Letta. "Letta is staying with me. As my mate."
Letta closed her gaping mouth. "Aren't you supposed to ask me this first?"
Myla punched her brother in the shoulder. "Yes. He is. Do it right, Simon, or she may just walk out of here and join another pack." She sounded extremely irritated with her brother, even if he was the pack leader.
"Of course, that's what I meant. Letta will mate me." Simon raised his brows and smiled at her. "Won't you?"
Letta laughed. She'd thought about his proposing to her since they'd been courting, wondering when it would happen, figuring it wouldn't be long. She certainly never expected the offhanded way he did it. She thought a romantic dinner somewhere, candle lights, music playing, good food and drink would make for a nice ambience when he proposed. And if he hadn't done so soon, she was proposing to him. She never thought that he would propose solely to her because he was trying to claim her before another pack did. What a strange turn of events.
"You notice she hasn't said yes yet," Mark said. "Maybe she'd be my mate."
Bryan laughed at him. "No way. If I were her, I'd definitely stick with the pack leader."
Myla folded her arms. "The Gathering hasn't started yet. Take her to South Padre Island for an ice cream cone, or better yet, a triple hot fudge sundae."
Simon was smiling when he rose from the sofa and offered his hand to Letta. "Want to go to the beach?"
Letta smiled and took ahold of his hand.
"See you later. Tell everyone who is waiting to hear her play her music, they will have to wait until we return." Then Simon swept her into his arms, kissed her, and transported her to the human world.
She loved how Simon could screw up a proposal, his sister could make a recommendation to do better, and he was happy to take her up on her suggestion!
17
Simon and Letta appeared on the beach near the ice cream shop in South Padre Island, startling a couple of seagulls that quickly flew off.
"What are you going to do when we return to the village if some of the wolves are angry that I agreed to mate you?" Letta asked Simon as they walked into the ice cream shop and she ordered a triple hot fudge sundae with a scoop of coffee ice cream, chocolate, and mint chocolate chip.
He picked out a large chocolate milkshake.
Simon was so glad he brought Letta here because this definitely had the effect he was going for, convincing her to be his. "You want to mate me?"
They took their seats outside on the veranda, the big blue and white striped umbrella keeping the sun off them while they watched the humans playing in the surf, walking along the beach, building sandcastles, or lying out to roast their skin.
Four more couples were sitting out on the deck near them, enjoying ice cream treats.
She sighed and slipped her spoon into her ice cream again. "It's inevitable. Don't you think?"
"No. I never thought it was inevitable. I thought I'd have to earn your favor. I don't know what came over me to propose to you in the way in which I did."
"You were desperate."
He laughed.
She smiled. "You were. Here all these men would be proposing marriage to me and you would have to try and convince me that you were the only one for me."
"I would do anything to convince you of that."
She reached over and took his hand and squeezed, then released him. "I wouldn't want to be with anyone else. Don't you feel the strong pull? Scorpion fae have an ability to 'see' the one who seems to be right for them, though I had to overcome my annoyance with you for sticking me in a cage."
He chuckled. "For your own good. Wolves experience the same thing." He gave a heavy sigh of relief, leaned over, and kissed her. "You've made me the happiest wolf alive."
"You've made me happy too. When I set out on my journey, I had no idea if anyone would even want to be with a scorpion fae. Even though I am a princess."
"Well, so you are a princess."
"The king is my grandfather. So now what do we do?"
"The Gathering celebration doesn't start until tomorrow. We'll have our mating celebration upon our return. That way everyone who is at the Gathering will know for sure that you aren't available and you're not joining another pack. But if you want more time to prepare, we can wait."
"I don't need any more time. Gia needs to know she has no chance with you."
"She had to have figured that out after she tried to kill you." He finished his milkshake. "Good, then it's settled."
Once Letta finished her ice cream, they walked along the beach, shoes in hand, toes digging into the sand.
“Do you want to go swimming?” Simon thought it could be fun. It was nice and warm out. “We could go to one of the beach shops to grab what we need.”
“Sure. Let’s do that.” Letta and Simon headed through the sand to the shops.
They saw royal guards of the dark fae walking next to the shops, invisible to humans. Simon waved to them. “They come here to ensure that other fae don’t try to take over their human territory.”
“But they’re dark fae when you’re a wolf.”
“We’re friends with the dragon fae, and through Princess Alicia’s marriage to the dark fae crown prince, we are friends of theirs.”
“We took them in for a time, though the dark fae royal guard were searching for them so they may not see me in a good way.”
“You are a wolf fae like me.”
He had his hand on the door of a shop that sold swimwear, beach towels, T-shirts, and more when she said, “You know, we probably need to see my brother in the human world at the home where I spent many years. Would you like to?”
“Do your parents still live there?” He was surprised she'd all of a sudden mention a brother.
“No, but my brother does. We should see him. Come, let’s go.”
Simon was pondering if she felt her brother needed to approve of their mating first. He wondered how her brother would feel about how she had been turned. Simon hoped he wouldn’t try to change Letta’s mind about him. “All right. Let’s go.”
When they finally arrived at a redwood cabin surrounded by a deck in the Ozark Mountains, the pine tree scents gave Simon the urge to run as a wolf. “Could we run out here?” They climbed the steps to the front deck.
“Sure. I never thought I'd be running through the woods where I used to play as a girl, except as a wolf now. We can do that after you meet my brother, Griffin.” She knocked on the door and a man, who had the same long, pale-blond hair and blue eyes, opened the door and looked from her to Simon. It was more a look of speculation, than appearing to be glad to see his sister or the stranger on his doorstep.
“You are hanging out with wolves now, dear sister.” He opened the door wider to allow them entrance and then turned and headed to the kitchen.
She and Simon entered the cabin and Simon shut the door.
“Sodas? Water? Tea?” Griffin asked.
“Griffin, this is Simon, who has taken me into his wolf pack.”
“Tameron kicked you out then.” Griffin brought them bottles of water, not waiting for them to tell him what they wanted.
“It was time. I wanted a mate and I found Simon. I’m a wolf too now.” She raised her hand as soon as her brother’s head swung around to glower at Simon. “H
e didn’t do it. A fae seer, who was taken in by the dragon shifter fae, turned, and attacked me and Simon’s sister. Anyway, I took care of Myla’s injuries, and Simon offered me a home.”
“It sounds to me like he’s offered more than that.”
“To be his mate, yes. He’s the pack leader of the Wolf Mountain pack.”
“You could join us if you’d like,” Simon offered. Not that he really wanted a non-wolf in the pack, but if it made Letta happy, he was willing to do whatever it took.
“He must not know of our pledge,” Griffin said, then took a drink of his water. “We aren’t to congregate or if we do, we could become warlike with our kind all over again. King Tameron only has the young ones under his tutelage. Once they grow old enough, they must find their way to other fae kingdoms and became productive and dutiful citizens of the other fae realms. Some of us live in the human world. Like me. But a wolf?” Griffin shook his head. “I didn’t think wolf shifters could turn fae kind. I hope the wolf is past tense.”
“It is so good to see you, my brother,” Letta said, changing the subject.
“How is our old grandfather?”
“Looking as young as ever. We dropped some fae seers off with him to deal with.”
Griffin laughed. “To practice what he preaches.”
“Do you live here always?” Simon knew some fae loved to live in the human world, despite the danger of running into the fae seers. The fae lived for danger. It was just part of their nature.
“I love living out here with nature. Sure, I could live at home in the world of fae and try to make a go of it somewhere. But I like creating trouble for the humans.” Griffin shrugged. “I have a bowling alley I love to go to. My favorite pastime is messing up the champion’s game. You should see the looks on everyone’s faces as they watch that ball take a little detour into the gutter.”
Simon didn’t bother going to the human world to play pranks on the humans. He’d always been too busy being groomed to be a pack leader with all the responsibilities that came with the job. It wasn’t that he didn’t have the inborn trait to mess with the humans, he just didn’t have the time.
