The clearing was surrounded by tall pines. Izzy watched as they brought in fresh cut wood chopped from nearby trees that had died from the drought. Texas hadn't seen rain in so long she couldn't remember. All the craziness of the past few weeks had made her forget about normal, everyday problems.
It had been a damn long day. Izzy had watched the sun rise from this same spot while preparing breakfast for the men and women who would help prepare the land. The pack owned over a hundred and fifty acres. A little over twenty acres were currently in use as farmland. Yadira's aunt and uncle, Sarah and Joseph Lee, ran the farm. There were only two of them, but that didn't mean they did the work by themselves. Pack members rotated through the farm, lending a hand and running through the woods. It was a place of rebirth and safety.
There was one large main house and several guest cabins for visiting pack members. The farm supplied the Pig with food for all the items on the menu. The pack wanted to be self-supporting. What the Pig didn't need was sold at a farmer's market. It was an impressive setup. Izzy knew the eggs, meat, and veggies came from a local farm, but she had no idea of the scale of the operation until now.
The woods surrounding the farm were maintained as a shelter for the pack when the city got too intense. Wolves needed to run, and these woods would protect them from hunters. They were safe on this land. Many pack members would come and work the land for a week or two and deal with issues they couldn't in the city.
Yadira was here now.
She'd refused to stay with Travis. She'd also declined Stefano's offer of shelter. When the Lees had offered her work on the farm, she had accepted. After all, they were family. Izzy had met the Lees on a number of occasions. Warm and welcoming, they were two of the best people Izzy knew. She hoped Yadira's tenure would bring her back around to Travis and the children.
Footsteps padded up the dirt drive and stopped beside her. Kasey lifted herself up and sat on the hood of Conlin's Virage.
"You dent his car, and he'll kick your ass."
Kasey barked out a laugh. "Like I'm big enough to dent plastic much less this monstrosity."
They were both silent, watching the shifters build the pyre. There were a few MUs helping—Conlin, his father, Dru, and Jeb. The sun dipped below the tree line and shadowed the field where the men worked tirelessly. There had been a rather heated debate as to how to honor Adan. With the drought, many were against the traditional cremation ceremony, but Stefano had held his ground. Adan deserved a ceremony fitting the pack alpha, not some cobbled together event.
After long deliberation, it had been decided Izzy would fuel the blaze. With her magical fire, unlike traditional embers, she had the power to snuff out the flames once they began. Plus, it would be safer, considering the condition of the dry land. She'd discovered the ability the night in the warehouse. When she saw the building going up in flames and knew the danger had passed, she began to fear for their lives. What if they couldn't escape the flames? That was when she met Conlin's eyes and decided if she could create the flame she could also make it go away. It hadn't been the expenditure of flame that had caused her blackout but the recalling of all that power.
Conlin was afraid Izzy would burn wild again and since she still had yet to rest sufficiently it would take an even greater toll on her body. She understood Conlin's fear. If the situation were reversed, she wasn't sure she would let him do it. After all, it had only been twenty-four hours since she'd regained consciousness, and she was less than steady on her feet still. But this was something she had to do. She had to honor Adan. Thankfully, Conlin recognized the importance of this event. As her back-up, if the blaze managed to get out of control, Conlin would set his shields to contain the fire. He would also be her siphon if she needed him to draw off power.
"He's going to ask you, you know?" Kasey nodded to Conlin.
"Ask me?"
"You know. The big M." Kasey rolled her eyes.
She didn't want her to marry him. Her chest tightened. The only person's approval who mattered to her was Kasey. "I know I'm not perfect. I…"
"Oh, shit. Not what I meant." Kasey laughed, but there was panic in her eyes. "No. Trust me. I want him to ask you. Frankly, you're too damn good for him."
"Then what was with the look?"
"Sorry. Guess I'm jaded. Don't pay attention to me." Kasey waved her off, gazing toward the pile of logs. The men worked, moving the logs in and building a pyramid large enough for the fire. Neither spoke as they watched the sky blaze bright orange before slowly turning to shades of deep blue and purple.
"Hey, Izz?"
"Yeah?"
"Can you give me some warning next time you go all flamey crazy? You scared me more than the psycho with the knife to my throat."
Izzy laughed. "I'll try."
The final rays slipped behind the trees. It wouldn't be much longer now. The ceremony would begin an hour after dark. Preparations were almost done. She watched the men standing around the pyre as they nodded their approval.
Kasey pulled a can of Mountain Dew out of her bag and popped it open.
"You're serious aren't you?"
Kasey grinned. "Never go anywhere without 'em."
Laughing Izzy reached for the can. "Give me a swig."
"With pleasure, lady." Kasey handed the can over and grinned.
Izzy watched as Conlin spotted them. Despite the hours they'd worked building the pyre, there was still a spring in his gait. He must have been tired. They had chopped the dead trees by hand and cleared the land. It was all part of the ritual.
As Conlin moved closer, she thought of Travis. It was hard to see him. The pain was evident on his face, and she knew had she lost Conlin in such a way, she would feel the same. There was so much joy in her life, she wanted to scream it to the rafters. But she couldn't. Not with Travis near.
Although Yadira would be at the ceremony, she'd stayed clear of the preparations. Izzy had only seen her once when she had gone to the house for more bread. It was hard to see someone who was your closest friend and have them not know who you were. When she had come in, Yadira had turned to the door and almost jumped in surprise. She must have been busy thinking on something because it was impossible to sneak up on a shifter. Izzy had apologized and had to stop herself from running and hugging her. It was odd reintroducing herself to a friend. What did you say to someone who couldn't remember a damn thing? Anything she could say had "fail" written all over it.
Kasey slid off the truck and punched Conlin on the arm. "See you in a bit. I'll let you two get all mushy alone."
Conlin sighed and said, "Long day, eh?"
She nodded, scooting forward the extra inch to slip her arms around his waist.
"You ready? You don't have to do this if you don't feel up for it." Concern lined his face.
"I want to do this. I want to honor Adan. I can't let him down," she said. She was scared, but this was something she had to do. For Adan. For the pack. For the alliance.
She settled in his arms, nuzzling his chest. "Damn you feel like home." The rumble of his laughter drew her in as she snuggled tighter against him.
"Only a couple hours left, then I'm taking you there." His voice had grown husky, and she couldn't help the quiver of anticipation from running through her body.
"Where exactly is home?" Conlin had made Izzy pack her bags before dawn, but had yet to divulge where they would be going.
"You suck with surprises, don't you?"
"Yep. They kind of drive me crazy."
A smile played at the corner of his mouth as an evil glint twinkled in his eye. "That makes it even more fun. I know how to torture you now."
"Asshole."
He barked out a laugh. "Indeed." Bending down, he cupped her chin and brought his lips to touch hers. The kiss was soft and gentle at first. He teased her mouth open and swept his tongue inside. A slow burn low in her belly flared as he deepened the kiss. He pulled away just as she settled into the kiss.
Grumbling, she tugged at his shirt, wanting him back against her. "I'd finish but I wouldn't be able to stop at just a kiss." He winked at her, and she saw Stefano standing behind Conlin.
"You heard him?" Izzy asked, wondering if he was part shifter with his super sensitive hearing.
Conlin nodded and stepped beside her to face Stefano.
"I won't take too much of your time. The Lee's have prepared a dinner for us. I was coming to extend an invitation." He stopped, his arms loose at his side.
"We'll follow in a moment," Conlin said.
The wolf chuckled and tipped his ball cap at her before taking off toward the main house.
Conlin squeezed her shoulder. "Let's go. The magic required of us tonight will need fuel."
Conlin started to walk away, but she stayed his hand. "One thing before we go."
He searched her eyes, his brows crinkling. "What's up?"
"If something goes wrong tonight, with the fire, don't hesitate to stop it any way you can. Okay?" She hadn't used her magic since the night in the warehouse. Jeb had warned against pulling too much too quickly. It had been one of the major sources of contention regarding her performing the rite at the ceremony.
"Remember the joining. I'll feel if you get in trouble now. No worries, a chuisle." Pulling her into his side, he kissed her forehead. "I won't let anything happened to you again."
"I love you."
"And I love you, my little firestarter. Now let's eat." Izzy followed Conlin. She knew she shouldn't worry, but she did. All she had to do was remember Yadira or Travis and know how quickly things could go wrong.
But things could also go right.
An hour later, Isolde stood at the inner circle around the pyre. Conlin and Kasey flanked her. She followed the ring of joined hands. It seemed everyone had come out to pay their respects to Adan and the five young boys. Tex had brought a contingent of vampires. It was why the ceremony had taken place an hour after dusk, instead of the traditional time. Normally, this rite would be performed as the sun set, but Stefano wanted to solidify the alliance, not only with the draoithe but also with the vampires. Moving the ceremony was a bold move. It went against custom, but Stefano had insisted. Although it won him friends with the alliance, it didn't sit well with more conventional pack members. They saw it as a weakness. Luckily, many of the younger shifters saw it as a boon for the pack. The events of the past two weeks had swayed many in favor of involvement with the alliance.
Glancing around, she saw Riley, who seemed to stand straighter and taller than normal. He grew more each day, and though he was still the same lanky teen, he wouldn't be for long. Riley met her eyes and smiled quickly before he ducked his head down, letting his long bangs fall over his face. Next to Riley, Eamon stood watching.
There were three more outer circles. The first was reserved for pack members. The third and fourth circles contained members of outlying packs and a few solitary cougars. There had to be close to four hundred people gathered around the pyre. Looking at the faces, she recognized many from the Pig, but there was one face that took her by surprise. Milos is here?
Conlin squeezed her hand. I noticed that, too.
Was he invited?
If he wasn’t, no one seems to be surprised. Leave it for now. Focus on you, Izzy. Don’t let him distract you.
Her nerves were raw, thinking of all that could go wrong with Milos here. So many people could be injured if she lost control. Conlin had assured her she could manage the flame, and she believed she could as well otherwise she’d never have agreed, but with Milos here…watching?
Izzy kicked her chin up and looked hard into Milos’s eyes. His answering nod, a challenge. She’d never let the bastard get the upper hand again. These were her friends—this was for Adan.
Stefano and the pack elders knelt around the pyre now. Words had been spoken on behalf of the lost wolves. They had been both a comfort and a sorrow. She'd never considered losing Adan, never realized how much a part of her life he had become, how much a replacement father until he was gone. It still didn't seem real. She'd lost much in her life. Now that the curtains had been thrown wide and she knew the truth, she would fight for everyone she loved.
Stefano called her name, and she watched as the elders stood and stepped back from the center to rejoin the inner circle. They nodded somberly.
It was time.
Izzy stepped forward, releasing Conlin’s hand and raised her palms to the sky. "With this fire I cleanse the earth and send her children home." Pulling from within, she teased the fire out, lighting the base of the pyre carefully.
She let the fire breathe and a great flame leapt out of the center of the pyre. Allowing the fire to spread, it circled the ground around the man-made structure. She let it burn, keeping the flames from spreading outward. Distantly, she heard the chanting coming from the circle, and flow through her. Adan was here. An energy flowing through them. He was a part of her, a part of the moment. And he would be forever.