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What the hell just happened?
Mali walked through the bustling streets in a fog. Fleeting pleasure wasn’t worth this much emotional upheaval. Why did she continue to push her limits? She wanted to blame the heat and the moon, the presence of the clan, anything but herself. She didn’t know what she was doing anymore. The goal of keeping aloof from the mating heat wasn’t working. Despite their tiff, she found herself thinking about him touching her, plundering her body. She needed a dunk in ice water. Or maybe a mallet to the head to set her straight again. Anything was better than admitting she had another weakness to add to her list.
Wood smoke and fat hissing on flame caught her nose and guided her through town. The packed dirt road was easily traveled though rutted out by wagon wheels in the center. She passed other women dressed in white as she was, thronged together in small clusters as they watched what the clan menfolk had up for grabs. Mali was more interested in assuaging her hunger than ogling men. Her stomach rumbled, and she tried to remember the last thing she ate, but couldn’t.
The wolf effigy was gone, replaced by a newly constructed fire pit dug into the ground and lined with flat stones. Oak smoldered in the pits, wafting delicious smoke through town. Gangly youths kept spits of meat turning. Dozens of chickens glistened and browned over one section. Another section held mutton. An enormous blackened cauldron bubbled with some type of stew with chunks of carrots, onions, and turnips boiling to the brim. Another with some kind of porridge, and another simmered what smelled of wine. Rows of tables and pews had been set to either side as well as a stage for entertainment. She presumed that would be for the evening.
A boy, not more than fifteen, rushed past carrying an armload of pewter plates to stack on one end of a serving table. The plates clattered. The top of the stack scattered across the table.
“Ralph! Can you do nothing without a calamity? Come here, lad,” a plump older woman yelled, her hands on her hips and her face exasperated. He hastily restacked the plates and rushed to the red cheeked woman. Tripping over his feet, he stumbled and stopped in front of her where she returned to stirring the cauldron of wine.
Mali walked to the woman laboring over the stews where the boy had gone. “Is there anything I can help with?” Mali asked. She was used to helping her mama in the kitchen. She didn’t like twiddling her thumbs with nothing to do all day.
Ralph took a list from the cook. “Make certain you get all of these for the mulled wine. Off with you boy. Hurry back and add them to the wine.” She looked up at Mali. “Gel, you’re a guest. You’re welcome to a plate if you’re hungry, but that’s as much as we need from you. Save yer energy for the dancing tonight. You’ll need it. The menfolk are champing at the bit to entice themselves a lass as pretty as you.”
Mali flushed and ducked her head. She knew she was no great beauty. Before she could laugh off the compliment, however, she felt a tap on her shoulder. Whipping around, she saw Kimber. She hugged her, laughing and smiling.
“I thought you’d snuck off for good, Mali! Maybe been tied to a certain someone’s bed never to be seen again.” She waggled her shapely eyebrows.
Mali rolled her eyes and returned the smile. “You don’t know me well if you think I could laze about in bed all day. Mama had me up at sunrise every day.”
“My ma and da were much the same. Some of the girls here act like they’re highborn. The other girls were still abed when I left.”
Mali moved to the feast tables covered in platters of cheese and fresh baked bread. Older women bustled back and forth from a nearby kitchen, carrying baskets of more bread, fresh fruit, and sugary confections. The list seemed endless and enticing. She snuck a wedge of cheese and popped it in her mouth. Kimber grabbed two apples and handed one to her.
“There’s a dance tonight. Everyone will be wearing masks,” Kimber said.
Mali arched a brow. “Oh? I didn’t know that.”
Kimber chuckled. “You’d know more if you came to the announcements. I thought we could go make masks together. Fix each other’s hair too. That will take a few hours.”
“I’d like that. Why masks?”
“I think it’s to give all the men a fair shot at winning your heart. Level the playing field so you aren’t just falling for a pretty face when you choose your mate tomorrow night.”
Mali wondered if Jaxon would show bearing something over his face. There were enough women in town with dark skin and hair that she could conceivably hide herself amongst them. They would have a little anonymity at the dance. She could pretend to be someone else to tease Jaxon and see if he was immune to all women or only her. It would be interesting to see where his heart lay.
***
A parchment with a broken wax seal lay atop Nicodemus’ scarred oak desk. In his unyielding, straight back chair, Nicodemus looked thoughtful as he pushed the thick paper toward Jaxon.
“Have a read. Tell me what you think.”
Jaxon scanned the contents of the letter. “They want to meet with us tomorrow night to form a truce. Is this genuine?”
“Ah broke the seal meself. It’s as real as mah signet,” Nicodemus said in his thick brogue, twisting the gold ring on his right forefinger. Every leader of the original seven clans possessed a ring which bore their animal totem.
Jaxon scrubbed a hand across his face. “What are you looking for from me? Approval? You’ll do what you want regardless of what ah have to say.”
“Ah want to know my best man is with me. We’ll go for peace and lay this bad blood to rest. Shouldn’t have taken so long to get around to it, but you know how stubborn I am.”
Jaxon grunted. “Aye, Alpha. That ah do.”
“I’ll send my messenger out then.”
Their meeting adjourned, Jaxon left. As much as he despised the bear clan, he knew they had to make peace for the greater good of their people. The animosity couldn’t be maintained for eternity.
Jaxon’s house was empty when he returned. He closed the door tiredly behind him, ignoring the pain in his knee that constantly reminded him of past mistakes and foolhardy decisions. He grabbed the leather book stuffed under the mattress and walked to his chair by the window. He flipped the cover open and pulled the drawing of Jen out. How long since he’d seen her face? Heard her voice? Smelled her hair? All he could remember anymore was her long blonde hair and translucent, pale skin. He couldn’t recall the sound of her voice or what color her eyes were.
Crumpling the paper, he tossed it at the embers nestled in the fireplace. He watched as the paper caught on fire and shriveled into black ash. He’d been holding onto a dream for ten years. It was hard to love a ghost when you had nothing to hold on to. A memory couldn’t compare with the warmth of a lover’s touch. Jaxon sighed and withdrew the drawing of Mali he’d been working on. Without her here, he could still picture the corners of her mouth, tipped up slightly giving her a perpetual bemused expression even when angry. Those lips and eyes charmed him.
Still, here was another dream. She made it painfully clear that she would not choose him or anyone else as a mate. At a festival designed for the sole purpose of granting she-wolves access to only the best, what cause did she have to settle for someone like him? He was old, all used up, damaged goods. He couldn’t force her to choose him. For the sake of his pride and wounded soul, he would best serve himself by refusing to give in to her desire again. He feared she’d already stolen the last shreds of his heart.
***
Excitement welled inside Mali as she and Kimber descended onto the streets and joined their costumed and masked kindred. Mali wore her hair loose, save for two braids at her temples, which cunningly twined around each other and twisted to the back of her head. She’d woven a crown of grape vines studded with red and gold leaves and sprigs of red berries to match the mâché mask that covered the top half of her face. Kimber was dressed nearly identical as she.
A cool wind tangled in their hair and caught their cloaks, bringing with it the scent of fragrant cooking and wood smoke. “I don’t know if I can even eat I’m so excited,” Kimber said, grabbing Mali’s arm and pulling her into a skip.
“We’ll get some mulled wine first. I saw them making it earlier. That will loosen us up,” Mali said with a laugh.
Over the chattering din of voices, the sounds of minstrels began to play. A lute plucked and a harp rang in a charming melody. By the time they made it to the center, the party was in full swing. Dancing and eating had begun. Mali led Kimber to the wine, getting them both a goblet. She handed a cup to Kimber and scanned the crowd for Jaxon’s familiar build. Would he be here? Knowing him, he would be hiding in the shadows somewhere, observing the gathering and staying apart from the fun. She would drag him to the dance if she had to.
She couldn’t see him anywhere in the mix. She lifted her glass of wine, enjoying the sweet and pungent scent of herbs before taking a sip. The drink was delicious, encouraging her to down her glass quickly.
“Whoa! Mali! Not so fast. It will go to your head before you know it,” Kimber said, sipping her own. “Mmmm. That is so good. I’ve never had wine that tasted like this before. It’s different. Strange.”
Mali nodded, feeling the drums of the musicians’ beat in her blood. Her head spun, but she liked it. She asked for another goblet of wine and moved away from the table as others came to drink greedily. “I’m going to find Jaxon,” she said, waving good-bye to Kimber.
Fire surged in her blood, making her cheeks hot despite the crisp night air. She peered through the crowd, wondering where her ornery wolf could be. Sipping her drink and swaying to the music, she was surprised when a hand grabbed her elbow. She gasped, spinning unsteadily on her feet and falling against a broad, hard chest.
Jaxon stood in a brocaded doublet and fine leather pants. A short cloak covered one shoulder, secured by a gold braid across the other. A black mask covered the scarred half of his face leaving the unmarred side free to view.
She slapped at him playfully, giggling. “That is some disguise, lover.”
“I didn’t want you to be in any doubt this night.” He grinned and took her drink from her, taking a mouthful before suddenly spitting the contents out. He froze. He sniffed the goblet. “How much of this have you had, Mali?” he asked, concern in his voice.
She laughed and gave a twirl. “Enough.”
He grabbed her arms and gave her a shake. “One glass? Two?”
She smiled up at him. “That is my second. Everyone is having some. You should have some more.”
“Come with me,” he said, frowning as he pulled her through the crowd to the cauldron of simmering wine. The boy stirred the pot, wiping sweat from his brow with his shoulder.
“Boy. Who made this wine? Who plucked the herbs?”
The boy stared at him, gaping.
An elderly woman walked up. “Is something amiss, sir?”
“Stop serving this wine immediately,” Jaxon said over the roar of the crowd. Around them, the sounds of the gathering increased.
Mali’s head began to pound. She rubbed her temples trying to understand why Jaxon was so upset. Someone bumped into her knocking her forward against Jaxon. He turned and scowled at a fellow sprawled on the ground, struggling to stand.
“I taste wolf’s bane in the wine. Where did you get these herbs, boy?” Jaxon said.
The woman looked aghast. She tasted the wine herself and spat it out. “He’s right. Ralph, my list. Why did you bring these herbs?”
Ralph swallowed, his throat bobbing visibly. “I couldn’t find them all. A girl in the woods led me to what I was looking for. They all looked the same to me.”
“You fool! Don’t you know if we were attacked right now we would be defenseless? Wolf’s bane inhibits shifting,” Jaxon hissed through his clenched jaw.
The old woman slapped the back of Ralph’s head. “I’ll have your hide for this—“
Before she could begin berating the boy, a boom cracked above the festival. The sudden strange, ominous noise should have silenced the gathering. Instead, it seemed to fuel the crowd’s boisterous nature. They talked over the echoing sound, getting louder and drunker by the moment.
Mali swayed on her feet, feeling sick to her stomach. Jaxon grabbed her, pushing through the bodies as another loud, booming crack thundered through the air.
“Stay close, Mali. Don’t lose me.”
She nodded, ripping her mask away and dropping it as she tried not to trip over her own feet. She realized he was leading her to his home. The night was darker here, colder. Beyond the row of houses, she could see the perimeter fence and the watchtower at the corner. Torches flickered as panicked men raised longbows and shot over the fence.
“What’s going on?” she asked with a slur.
“We’re being attacked. Someone got wolf’s bane into the wine. No one who drank it will be able to come to our defense.” He stopped. She bumped into him and turned to see what he was looking at so hard. The fence stood perhaps seven feet high. Above that, the huge round head of a bear stood. No, more than one. Firelight glinted off fur.
The bears reacted in unison, ignoring the arrows like mosquitoes. They raised their paws and hit the fence. Mali watched as the strapping holding the timbers started to snap just as the sound of splintered timber reached her ears. An enormous paw grasped the opening and ripped. Poles shifted, disintegrating beneath the onslaught.
Mali choked back a scream. Jaxon ripped his doublet and cape off, leaving her behind as he raced across the opening, his limp all but gone as adrenaline surged through his veins. His shirt flew off like a sail, followed by his breeches. He stopped only long enough to drop into a crouch and allow his beast to flow through his pores. The change was fluid, mesmerizing, as skin begat fur; human became wolf. A shiver welled inside her as she stood and watched Jaxon join the fight.
