As dusk started to fall, the drums began to chant. They spoke to the Earth and called to the souls who felt their meaning. At larger events, there would be as many as sixty drummers. Being a smaller gathering, there were a few more than twenty. But their purpose was still to call to the attendants and make ready for the circle. Some call it a ritual, others a celebration.
People responded to the rhythm from all directions. Owen stood to the side of Dade and Chris were drumming, and watched the women’s cabin. As they came into sight, his heart stuttered and his breath hissed out. The guys hadn’t been joking.
The four women began walking toward the circle.
He was sure it was a trick of the setting sun, but they appeared to glow as they walked. Their brightly colored outfits floated around them, seeming to be part of the quiet breeze, giving them the appearance of floating. Noting each woman in as much detail as memory would allow, he hoped he could use this imagery in his writing.
The short, curvy blonde with shy eyes walked with a confident glide. Atop her helter-skelter blonde spikes was a halo of flowers and ribbons trailing down.
Next to her, a dark-eyed woman with bright flowers contrasted with her midnight black hair. Her smile, he noted would make any male ache.
The woman walking, actually gliding gracefully, beside her had to be close to six feet tall. She was a walking epitome of feminine grace and beauty. Her dark complexion and deep red curls made a man’s mind think of things that heated his blood and played with his soul.
His eyes moved to the only one of the women he knew, and his heart tripped once more. Her long, shiny brown hair reached past her waist and flowed around her like a cape. With each step the ribbons from her halo twisted and played in the tresses. Oh how he wanted to be those ribbons Leena’s smile made him wish he knew what she was thinking. She was obviously very happy and content with the company, and he imagined the event about to take place pleased her as well.
Steven patted him on the back. “Tried to warn you.” He pushed him toward the drummers. “Stick with the drummers, and you’ll be close to them. The drums call to them more than most.”
Nodding, Owen looked over to the drummers and met Dade’s eyes. His friend’s grin was saying, “Told ya so.”
As the women reached the circle, Dade caught Leena’s attention and motioned for her to come to him. She did, smiling as she worked her way through the drummers. Owen watched her lean down to Dade, noting that his friend didn’t miss a beat on his drum.
She lifted her head and looked quickly over to Owen, staring at him for a moment, and then nodded down to Dade. Reaching up she pulled a flower from her halo and stuck it in the cords of Dade’s drum, much to his friend’s pleasure judging by the smile on his face, and then she walked back over to her friends. Owen watched for a moment more as she spoke quietly to the other women and they turned and started toward where he and Steven were standing.
His blue eyes jerked to Dade, a devious grin on his face. He’d never been a nervous man, but watching those four women with the swaying hips glide toward him, he felt a nervous buzz in his veins.
“Steven!” Kasey shrieked as she launched herself into his arms. She grinned at Owen while she hugged Steven. “I’m Kasey.”
He couldn’t help grinning down at the blonde woman pulling herself out of the other man’s arms. “Owen Grey.” He started to extend a hand then was surprised when the woman he thought had shy eyes hugged him tightly.
“The author?” She stepped back and looked up at him.
“Yes.”
She grinned again, “You just became my new best friend!”
The dark-haired woman pulled her back. “You will have to ignore my silly friend. She broke out the mead earlier than normal.” She studied him for a minute. “I’m Rachel.” She hugged him and grinned again, it made his blood flow faster. Then she stepped back and leaned closer to Steven. “How’s life, Doc?” He received a brief hug.
Steven winked at her, not minding the nickname. He was, in fact, a doctor of pediatrics. “Great, Rach.”
Owen wasn’t sure whether to smile or faint when the tall, dark woman wrapped her arms around him. “I’m Cora. Nice you could be here.”
“Thanks. Although I have no idea what’s going on, or going to happen.”
Leena laughed. “Yes, we know. Dade asked if we’d keep an eye on you and keep you out of trouble while he’s busy. Of course we can probably answer any questions you can come up with.”
He smiled. “Awesome. Okay, first question?” No one spoke. “Why don’t you four have very large, protective males guarding you?”
Cora laughed a husky laugh. “Oh, I like this one.” She gave him a warm smile, “I have a question for you, Mr. Grey.” She waited until she had his full attention. “You’ve known Dade a long time... so do you believe in magic? Real magic?”
Everyone, including Steven, turned and waited for his answer.
Owen cleared his throat. “I’ve been friends with Dade since we were about six, and, yes, I believe anything is possible.” Not one responded, and he grinned. “Having been at his family home more than my own growing up, I’ve seen more than I could ever explain. Does that help?”
Smiles flashed at him from the women. Leena stepped beside him. “It does. We’re very careful with whom we trust. Our beliefs and magic are very guarded. We will trust you, because Dade has asked it of us. Don’t abuse that.”
He felt his nerves settle. “Fair enough. I give you an open mind to fill, ladies.” He grinned and put his arm casually around Leena’s shoulder, noticing that she tensed at the contact. “Now, how about giving me a wee preview on what to expect? I feel like the only person here that doesn’t know what’s going on.”
Leena was tense, he could see the emotions flash through her eyes and was about to release her when she relaxed and smiled up at him.
“I guess that makes you today’s sacrifice then.” When he tensed, she laughed. “I’m kidding, Owen. We’re going to begin the rite for May Eve, or Beltane. Tonight we dance and celebrate the coming fertile season, and the men will set up the maypole for the morning.” She grinned. “You’ve heard of dancing around the maypole, haven’t you?”
He shrugged, “Always thought it was just a saying. It is real?”
She nodded. “It is. I’m sure you’ll have more questions, but why don’t you just relax, observe, and enjoy?” She moved to take her place in the center of the circle, waiting for the drumming to escalate again.
Owen tried to listen to everyone around him, but wasn’t able to focus on any one conversation as the drums grew louder and faster. He could feel the beat inside his chest, and it made him light-headed, but he enjoyed it all the same. He felt Steven step beside him.
“Most circles will call on this deity and that, making big speeches. This group is more of a do rather than say, kind. The women will dance shortly after everyone is centered. Then, we’ll go outside the circle and help bring in the pole.” He paused to listen to the drums a moment himself. “The pole represents the masculine, and the ribbons the women will put on represent the feminine.”
He grinned up at Owen. “In years gone by, this night was a night for ‘a-maying’ and couples spent it alone in the woods. Married couples could even take off their rings for the night...” Steven noted that he had Owen’s full attention now. “But those were the days before AIDS and all that, we don’t practice that now. But if a woman places her wreath upon your head this night, then you’ll have a female to dance the pole with in the morning, at least.” He grinned at the disappointment on Owen’s face. “I always hope to be lucky enough for a few kisses. You never know.”
Realizing that was all the insight Steven was sharing, Owen turned back to the circle. The drums were nearly frantic now, in speed and volume. He glanced at Dade and realized the drummers seemed to be in a trance.
They stopped on the same beat, and the silence was suddenly deafening. Everyone in the circle stood motionless, breathing deeply. No one spoke. No one moved. Relaxing his shoulders, Owen took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He tried to feel as relaxed as everyone else appeared to be.
A few moments later the drums started with a quiet, gentle rhythm. He watched the women walk slowly in the center of the circle. With slow, gentle movements they started to sway with the drumbeats as they walked around the circle, arms pulling up from the ground and pushing skyward. He’d never seen anything so graceful and lovely in his life.
All of the women had wreaths of flowers on their heads. Owen noticed that none of them came close to the glowing beauty of Leena and her friends. Maybe he was biased, for he only knew those four out of the many. As the drums grew louder, the women changed their movement to match the volume, but their mist-like speed didn’t change at all.
Steven tapped his arm, motioning him to follow away from the circle to a group of men a few yards away. He wanted to object, afraid to miss any of this mystical dance, but he followed, questions bubbling to the top.
He heard Steven say something about a newbie. Owen found himself being placed at the front of a twenty-foot log. Steven stood opposite him, grinning. “Best seat in the house. Just walk beside me into the circle and help hold this up as the women put their ribbons on.” He winked and grinned before turning back toward the circle.
The log wasn’t heavy, not with more than twenty men carrying it. He didn’t really have to lead, the men just pushed the leading males toward the goal.
The drums were still playing. The women opened their dancing circle as the men carried the pole into the center. He realized each woman had a ball of ribbon in her hand as she danced past, and he just noticed the hole at the center of the circle.
So caught up in the beat of the drums and the fluid movement of the women, when an older woman appeared in front of him and placed her ribbon over the end of the pole on a nail, he was shocked to find her there. After securing the ribbon, she began walking along the side Steven was on, running the ribbon from her hand down the pole. And in turn, each male was gently touched when her hand went past him.
He would have turned his head to see what she did at the end, but another woman was standing in front of him and smiling. She secured her ribbon then gently touched his shoulder and walked past him to the man behind him.
Owen chanced a glance at Dade, and found his friend drumming slowly and smiling at him. Dade winked and went back to watching the woman dance slowly around the pole.
After the fifth or sixth woman had secured her ribbon and walked down his side, Owen wasn’t sure whether he should feel as excited as he did or not, but he certainly wasn’t going to fight it. Cora was next in line, and she gave him a look that set a buzz in his system, then attached her ribbon and went down Steven’s side. Steven flashed him a grin that said he wasn’t at all sorry she chose his side.
Kasey was next, and he knew she would walk down his side. She ran a gentle hand up his arm and across his shoulder before moving past, and he was quite pleased with the buzzing feeling she left behind.
He again watched Steven grin as Rachel was next and she ran her hand along Steven’s arm, similar to what Kasey had done to him. He did hope though he didn’t have the same dazed look on his face the Doc did.
Turning back to face the next woman, he realized it was Leena. His heart picked up immediately. He smiled and was shocked at the one she gave him in return. He watched her secure the ribbon. As her hand traveled up the length of his arm with a whisper-light touch that burned a trail in its wake. When her hand caressed his cheek, as soft as a gentle breeze, his smile widened and he could honestly say if he dropped his hold on the log, no man there would blame him.
He felt her pass behind him, her body brushing gently against his back as she continued moving along the pole with her ribbon. Catching Dade’s eye, he knew it was more than obvious how damn pleased he looked at this moment. His friend was grinning and shaking his head.
Owen didn’t know all that much about rites and circles, or even Beltane, but he vowed he would volunteer to hold the log every year, single-handedly if need be, to see that this season was always celebrated. His whole body was buzzing. He couldn’t recall how many women went after Leena, but instinctively he knew how many would go past before she would dance by again.
After all the ribbons were placed and the pole lowered into the hole, the drums changed to a loud, flighty, faster rhythm. He watched several of the males join the dancing, as a few females came and went. He noticed almost immediately Leena wasn’t in the dancing circle. Turning to the drummers, he saw that she and Cora were walking among the drummers, bringing drinks. Dade winked at him and turned his head back to the women.
He saw his friend watch Cora, almost daring her to bring a drink. He also saw that Cora moved to the drummers away from where Dade sat. Leena walked up and squatted down beside Dade and spoke in his ear. Dade laughed and shook his head. Owen watched as Leena pulled a bottle of water out of the bag and offered it.
He recognized the playful dare in the man’s eyes as he spoke, and was surprised when she smiled, uncapped the water and placed it to Dade’s lips. She literally was giving him the drink. Swallowing, Dade grinned again and said something. That something was enough to make her lean down and place a kiss on his cheek. Owen made a note to have a private conversation with his lifelong friend and find out how the hell he did that.
Not wanting to see Dade gloating, Owen turned back to watch the dancers and wait for Leena to return to the circle. He noticed Kasey and Rachel were sharing a bottle of wine, and headed that way. He didn’t want to leave the circle to get a beer, so maybe he could beg a sip from the ladies.
The drumming remained steady, which surprised him when Dade walked up beside him. He knew it wasn’t just his friend drumming, but he seemed shocked they continued without him. “Do your arms get tired?”
Dade shrugged. “Sometimes. I just take a short break now and then. Most often I’m too caught up in what’s going on to notice. So, what do you think so far?” They slowly moved around the outside of the circle toward where the women were standing.
“I am going to need a little time to digest this. I feel like I’m on a high and I haven’t had a bloody thing to drink, or anything else.” He grinned at him, “I do know I will hold that pole every year for the rest of my life, though.”
Dade threw his head back and laughed. “You haven’t seen anything yet, my friend. The best is yet to come.”
“Any better and the showers here better be good, because I’ll need one. Long and cold!”
Chris caught up to them and grabbed the bottle of water from Dade. “Did I offend one of the ladies, or all of them? I didn’t get a drink brought to me. Or a kiss. How did you manage that, Jones?”
Dade winked at Owen as he answered, “I’ll never tell, my friend.”
Chris laughed and turned to Owen. “I think if you’re planning on attending on a regular basis, we need to teach you to drum. You enjoyed that pole far too much for a newbie.”
Owen nodded. “I will hold that pole every year until I’m so old someone has to hold me up.”
Cora noticed the three men walking toward them and elbowed Steven, who had moved up to stand beside her. “Owen’s all right, isn’t he? I haven’t sensed anything off with him.”
Steven grinned, “He’s fine. He just doesn’t know what he already knows. Yet.”
“Well, let’s hope we don’t scare him into never wanting to know.” She smiled as Chris walked over. “Hello there, Mr. Lawyer Man. Sorry I didn’t bring you a drink. These two,” she motioned toward Kasey and Rachel, “were partaking of our ritual mead a little too healthily, and I don’t want to have to carry anyone back to the cabin tonight.”
Chris shrugged, “I’m always happy to take drunken women where they need to go, Cora.”
Dade put his arm around Kasey. “I’m sure they’re going to be able to walk back just fine, Coralee.” She glared back at him as he watched Leena glide over to the small group and said, “Are you ladies up for a bit of fun after the festivities?”
Kasey smiled sweetly up at him and snuggled more into his chest. “What kind of fun are you looking for, Dade Jones?”
Dade smiled down at the tiny woman under his arm. “Oh, nothing that isn’t acceptable. I just thought maybe we could bring some light into Owen’s world. You know, rather than break it to him gently...” He grinned at his wary looking friend. “We’ll just lay it all out for him. Well, not all, but enough.”
Leena laughed softly and then frowned at Dade. “You’re not very nice sometimes, Dade.” She turned to Owen and smiled. “I assure you, it’s all harmless, just a way to bring you into our little circle, Owen.”
Owen cleared his throat, not sure whether to laugh or whimper. “I’m game.”
Chris, who had been looking around the rest of the crowd, frowned at Dade as he liberated Kasey from under Dade’s arm and swung her into his arms. “Great. Now ladies, how about you get back out there and dance so we have motivation to drum this night?” Setting Kasey down, he grabbed her face gently between large hands and kissed her lips, hard.
Kasey, grinning wide, nodded and headed back into the circle.
“Come on, Owen, sit with the drummers, and we’ll give you a silent beater.”
Owen looked at Chris as he walked past. “A what?”
“A drum that’s muffled so you can get the rhythm but no one will hear a sound from your drum.”
Owen laughed. “Sounds like my kind of drum. Lead the way.”
Owen found himself between Dade and Chris, caught up in learning the rhythm and watching either Chris’ or Dade’s hands to pick up the beat. This was a good place to be, as the dancers stopped often to dance right in front of them, or bring them drinks.
After an hour, his arms were tired and he had new admiration for the men who were still going strong, moving effortlessly from one rhythm to the next.
During a slower beat, he noticed several of the women moving through those at the edge of the circle. He watched as they took their wreaths off and placed them onto a head. He was sure the men didn’t realize how silly they looked wearing flowers and ribbons, although when the women gave them a kiss, he was sure they didn’t care.
Kasey paused in front of the drummers and began to weave her way toward them, slowly taking off her wreath. She smiled in a shy, nervous kind of way at the drummers. Neither Dade nor Chris paused, but Owen could feel them both waiting to see who she was going to place her wreath on. When she passed Dade and went to Chris, Owen enjoyed the grin on his new friend’s face.
Chris actually missed a few beats as he raised a hand to place it behind her head to receive the kiss. Owen didn’t see steam, but he felt warmer just witnessing their kiss.
He was wishing some woman would make him look like an idiot and place her wreath on his head. He turned to watch the scene repeated with Doc and Rachel. He was sure Steven was blushing after, or maybe it was just from the heat.
At the point when Cora began seductively dancing her way into the drummers, his heart stopped. She was far too exotic for him to handle, but if she placed her wreath on his head, he would certainly try. He felt like a schoolboy wanting to jump up and say, “pick me,” but he dug deep and found his dignity somewhere.
She passed him by and held the eyes of the man beside him. When she placed the wreath on Dade’s head and leaned her mouth down to his, Owen was sure the sparks that flew burned him. In his own amazement, he realized it was a kiss out of a movie that made your heart speed up. Dade didn’t miss a single beat, though the kiss seemed to last more than just a few moments.
He found himself wishing for mistletoe, a cute puppy, anything that would bring one of the women to him. His heart tripped when he noticed Leena dancing toward the drummers. He fought the urge to look around and make sure he was the only one in the area without a wreath, but held onto what composure he had left.
When she stopped in front of him, it was all he could do to not stand and meet her halfway, he held the drum in front of him tightly and stayed seated. As the wreath touched his head, her smile made his insides burn. He reached up to gently guide her head down to his.
As Leena lowered her head toward him, she still wasn’t sure why she felt compelled to pick Owen. Maybe it was from those years in school wishing he’d notice her, hoping her first kiss would be from him. He was older, and that made her invisible then. Now she was long out of school and if a woman didn’t allow herself a few luxuries, then life held no meaning at all.
When he palmed her neck, she felt the heat and couldn’t stop herself from looking into his blue eyes. They had darkened to the color of steel, and the little voice in her head tried to tell her “mistake,” but she didn’t care.
Feeling the heat sear through her, she had to stop from moaning into his mouth, and slowly pulled back before it was too late. His passion-filled steel eyes captured hers as he loosened his hold and let her straighten.
Owen forgot where they were. Her lips were soft and warm as they touched his as heat coiled in his stomach. Turning his head, he deepened their kiss, knowing this may be the only chance he would get to taste what she offered. She tasted of dark passion and hunger. He didn’t know where he was going to find the strength to keep this brief, but he really didn’t care if it never ended.
As she danced back to the circle, he felt Chris lean over, and heard him whisper. “Boil a man’s blood... welcome to our world.” Chris smiled a lopsided grin at him and then lowered his head back to his drumming.