The Lobos' Heartsong

by Laura Jo Phillips

  “Shhh...easy, amada,” Faron said to her softly as he rubbed his thumbs lightly across the back of her hand. “There is nothing to fear, I promise you.”

  Saige took a deep breath and forced herself to try to relax and remain seated. She sensed great excitement and surprise from her men, but no fear and, more importantly, no danger.

  One of the misty figures, a large male with long misty hair floating around his shoulders, rose slowly to his feet and approached them. Faron gave her hand a gentle squeeze, then rose to his feet and went toward the man, meeting him several yards away from their circle. He bowed deeply to the man, who returned the gesture, though not quite as deeply.

  Saige sensed somehow that the man had once been a great warrior, a man of honor and dignity. As the thoughts ran through her head the man turned his gaze upon her and smiled.

  Saige was startled, but returned the smile, unable to help herself. She felt humor and appreciation. The man thought she was beautiful? She nearly gasped aloud at that, wondering if she was making this up. The man grinned at her. An honest to goodness grin that reminded her very much of Ban. She laughed softly, her fear gone, and the man bowed to her before turning his attention back to Faron.

  The man’s mouth began to move and, though she could not hear him, or get a sense of his thoughts and feelings as she had a moment before, she knew that Faron was hearing him and talking to him. The man stopped speaking and held out one hand, palm up. He closed his fist tightly and held it motionless for several seconds, then opened it again. Now something sparkly lay in the palm of his hand. Something that caused Faron to gasp in surprise.

  He looked at the man and the man nodded, urging Faron to take the item. Faron reached out and took it, handling the object carefully, almost reverently. Faron bowed deeply once more and, after returning Faron’s bow, the man returned to his place and knelt once more with the other mist figures.

  Saige turned her gaze to Faron, then back to the rank upon rank of misty figures who all bowed to her. Still holding their bows, the figures began to slowly fade away to nothingness until they were surrounded only by the clear, cool air once again.

  Saige, Ban and Dav waited silently until Faron returned to them and lowered himself to the grass beside them.

  “The Eternal Pack has come to welcome you Saige,” Faron said, his voice trembling with emotion. Saige shook her head slightly. She did not understand.

  “It is an old legend,” Faron said. “Once, before the Dark Time, it was said that if a Lobo male-set sang a particularly beautiful HeartSong to their Arima, it would draw the Eternal Pack to listen. The Eternal Pack is the misty remnants of great Lobos that once were.”

  “Apparently they liked our HeartSong enough to welcome you,” Dav said with pride.

  “Heart song?” Saige asked.

  “As shifters a part of our being is loboenca. The loboenca does not speak with words, but sings its heart to the heavens. When a Lobo male-set finds their Arima, they sometimes will be compelled to sing their heart to her. When this happens, it is called a HeartSong. It is the song of our feelings for you.”

  Saige felt more tears streak her cheeks but she didn’t care. It was all too beautiful not to be teary eyed over. “That is my name,” she said when she could speak around the lump in her throat.

  “What do you mean?” Faron asked.

  “My mother was of Earth, but my father was raised among the Terians,” she explained with a tearful smile. “My name is a bit of both of their worlds. I say my name sage, like an herb, but the Terien pronunciation is sa-eej, which means heart. My middle name is a Hebrew name, shira, which means--,”

  “Song,” Dav, Ban and Faron all said at once. Saige stared at them, startled. “You guys know Hebrew?” she asked.

  Faron grinned. “No, amada, but shira is also the word for song in our ancient tongue.”

  “Well, either way, my name means heart song,” Saige said. “This is all really and truly meant to be.”

  “Yes, it is,” Faron agreed happily.

  “What did he give you?” Ban asked, nodding at Faron’s closed hand.

  Faron swallowed hard at the reminder. “The Eternal Pack has deemed Saige worthy of a singular honor.”

  Dav and Ban both sucked in a breath of surprise. “The Heart Sight?” Dav asked in a hoarse whisper.

  Faron nodded and opened his hand. Lying in his palm was a large heart cut from a clear, brilliant stone, faceted so that it sparkled and shimmered blindingly in the sunlight. It was strung on a silver colored metal chain.

  “There is another legend,” Faron said to her. “Once in a great while, an Arima is given the gift of Heart Sight. The gift can be given only by the Eternal Pack, and cannot be taken back until after the Arima walks the spirit world. Then the necklace is returned to the Eternal Pack until such time as they deem another worthy of it.

  “What is heart sight?” Saige asked.

  “In truth, I know little about it other than what I learned as a student. I do remember that an Arima who has Heart Sight is able to see the truth of one’s heart, regardless of one’s words. It is a type of magic conferred upon an Arima, which is unusual in itself, as Arimas do not have their own magic.

  “This necklace is very special,” he continued. “Once placed around your neck, it cannot be removed. Any who should try to remove it from you, or try to harm you solely to gain it for themselves, will suffer for the attempt. When you become fully Jasani, and fully loboenca, then you will be able to see into the hearts of those before you. When you shift into your alter form, it will transform with you, growing as you do so that you can still wear it about your neck without it causing harm to you, for all to see.”

  “I think it has been about six thousand years since the Eternal Pack has chosen an Arima to gift with the Heart Sight,” Dav said.

  “Saige Shira, will you accept this gift from the Eternal Pack, the guardians of Clan Lobo, to cherish gladly its blessings and to bear without regret its burdens through this life and into the next?” Faron asked. There was a formality to his words that warned Saige of the seriousness of the situation, and her decision.

  Saige looked at the pendant sparkling in the sun, and thought of the responsibility that would come with acceptance of such a gift. “It will not be an easy gift to bear, will it?” she asked.

  “Great gifts are often difficult, but deemed worthy of the effort,” Faron replied.

  “What if I refuse?” Saige asked.

  “I do not know,” Faron replied slowly. “I do not believe such a thing has ever been done.” Saige felt the nervousness of all three of her men as they considered the possibility of her refusal. Then she felt them each decide to support her, no matter what her choice, no matter the consequences. At that moment, her mind joined her heart once and for all, with no further doubt or hesitation.

  “I want to say something to the three of you,” she said. “Your song spoke to me of your hearts, and it was the most beautiful thing I have ever heard, seen or felt in my life. I do not have the ability to speak to you in such a touching and profound way. All I am able to do is tell you, with simple words, that I love you. I love each one of you and wish to spend every minute of the rest of my existence with all three of you.”

  She felt them all stop breathing for one moment in surprise, then they all smiled with happiness. Before any of them could say anything, she added, “And of course I will accept the gift of the Eternal Pack.”

  Chapter 28

  “We must go into Granite Falls this morning for supplies,” Dav said as they sat eating breakfast. “Would you like to accompany us? It would give you a chance to replace some of the clothing you lost in the ground-car explosion.”

  Saige’s initial reaction to the offer was excitement at the thought of getting out and seeing something different. And, as Dav had said, she needed to replace many items that had been destroyed in the fire. But her excitement quickly faded when she remembered that she no longer had her purse. No purse meant no
money, which meant shopping wasn’t an option. As she started to wonder what she was going to do about that situation, there was a knock at the door.

  “Hello Suly,” Dav called out after lifting his nose into the air and sniffing. The door opened and Suly’s smiling face peeked around the edge before she stepped fully inside the house and closed the door behind her. Saige smiled at the older woman and opened her mouth to greet her when she realized that Suly was holding an object out toward her with both hands.

  “My handbag!” she exclaimed as she leapt from her chair. Instead of reaching for the handbag, she impulsively hugged Suly.

  “Thank you so much, Suly,” she said as she released the woman and took the proffered handbag.

  “I did nothing,” Suly said. “The Bearens sent it to the main house with a message apologizing for the delay in getting it to you.”

  “Well, you brought it all the way up here, and I thank you for that,” Saige insisted. “Would you like to stay and have some coffee with us?” she offered.

  “That is most kind of you,” Suly said, blushing with pleasure at the offer. “But I must get back. Lariah will be waking soon and she will be wanting her coffee.”

  Saige frowned, suddenly remembering something she’d read once. “I thought coffee was bad for pregnant women,” she said.

  Suly laughed. “Yes, it is, that is true,” she agreed happily. “However, the coffee she gets only tastes like coffee. It has no caffeine in it. In fact, it is a vegetable juice mixture that is quite healthy for her.”

  Saige grinned. “And does Miss Lariah know you switch out her coffee for vegetable juice?”

  Suly’s eyes widened in mock horror. “Goodness no!” Her expression changed. “And don’t you be telling her either, young lady,” she warned sternly.

  Saige laughed. “Not to worry, I’ve seen her temper up close and personal. My lips are fusion sealed.”

  After Saige saw Suly out she returned to her seat at the table and started to open her purse to check the contents when she noticed that all three of the Lobos were staring at her. She looked up and saw that they each had a silly grin on their faces.

  “What?” she demanded.

  Ban laughed. “It is just so much fun to have a woman in the house, especially our woman, and most especially, you.”

  Saige shook her head. Men were such strange creatures. She opened her handbag and began removing the contents. A few moments later, she was surprised but pleased to discover that nothing was missing, not even her cash. In fact, as far as she could tell, everything was exactly the way she had left it.

  “It doesn’t appear that anyone ever even opened it,” she said as she put her wallet and other items back into the purse.

  “Good, then I will not be forced to hunt anyone down and eat them,” Faron replied with a straight face.

  Saige looked up at him, startled by his response. But, even though his face was serious, she could sense his silent laughter.

  “That’s too bad,” she responded, keeping her own expression as serious as she could manage. “I was kind of hoping to watch something like that.”

  The expression of shock on Faron’s face was so comical that Saige could not help but laugh.

  “Imp,” he growled at her. Saige grinned.

  “So when are we going on this shopping trip?” she asked as she picked up the small box containing a three month supply of her medications.

  “Whenever you are ready,” Faron replied.

  Saige dropped the pill box back into her purse and closed it. “Okay, let’s go now,” she said eagerly.

  After spending nearly six weeks aboard a variety of ships in space she had seen only the Dracons’ house and the Lobos’ river house, along with the bit of scenery between them. She had a bit of cabin fever and was excited at the prospect of seeing the small town Lariah had told her about, and being out among people.

  The long drive from the river house to the ranch gate was astonishing to Saige. She had never seen so much wide open land full of growing things and animals. That it all belonged to the Dracons was mind boggling. She was even more surprised when Ban told her that their own ranch was nearly as big.

  “Why do you live on the Dracons’ ranch if you have your own?” she asked curiously.

  “First and foremost, our responsibilities are always to the Dracon Princes,” Dav told her. “We are the Prime Guardians, which means it is our duty to look after the safety of the Princes and their family above all things.”

  “Then I guess the opposite question must be asked,” Saige said. “If you must be here all of the time, why have your own ranch?”

  “The Dracons’ and ourselves settled in this area about one hundred years ago,” Faron said. “We had been to war, and when we returned to Jasan, we wanted peace. We claimed the land next to the Dracons’ ranch for our own so that we could periodically check on them, but we all wanted some space and privacy.

  “We have always had people handle the main business of ranching for us so that we were free to leave and see to our responsibilities to the Dracons whenever necessary. Only after Lariah was attacked, and then became pregnant, did we decide to stay here for a longer time.”

  “After Lariah has the babies, will you want to return to your own ranch?” Saige asked.

  “Perhaps,” Faron said. “It has not been decided yet. Do you have a preference?”

  “Yes and no,” Saige replied. “I want to be near Lariah because she is my friend and I have missed her greatly. But, at the same time, I want to be with you three. Will it be possible for me to visit her sometimes or will we be too far away?”

  “We will never be too far away from them for you to visit whenever you like,” Faron assured her.

  “Good,” Saige said. “I want very much to be a part of her children’s lives if I can.”

  As Ban drove slowly through the small town of Granite Falls, Saige eyed it curiously. Lariah had told her it was a small town, but that it had everything one could need and Saige thought maybe she was right. The only problem was that the only women’s clothing store was Lady’s Secret, and that was owned by Darleen’s sister.

  “I suppose I can order clothes somehow?” she asked doubtfully. Dav and Faron frowned. “Why would you do that when there is a store here?” Faron asked.

  Saige wondered if men had brains that were just completely different from women’s.

  “I do not care to run into Darleen.”

  “There is nothing to worry about in that regard,” Faron replied. “Darleen does not work in her sister’s store.”

  “She brought clothes from the store out for Lariah,” Saige pointed out.

  Faron shrugged. He had never quite understood that himself. “Nevertheless, she does not work in the store, nor is she allowed in it during store hours. Caitlyn, Darleen’s sister, banned her from it because Darleen was so unpleasant to the customers. Or, that is what Caitlyn said.”

  “You don’t believe it?” Saige asked, catching the doubt in Faron’s voice.

  “I believe that she was rude to the customers, but when Caitlyn told me that, her scent was nervous. She did not tell a lie, but neither did she tell the whole truth.”

  Saige thought about that for a moment and shrugged. She didn’t really care why Darleen was banned from Lady’s Secret so long as she wasn’t there. But Darleen’s absence didn’t necessarily mean Caitlyn would welcome her.

  “Won’t her sister be angry with me for ruining Darleen’s plans?” she asked.

  Dav chuckled. “Do not judge Caitlyn by what you know of Darleen,” he said. “It is true they are sisters, but I have never seen siblings so different from one another.”

  “Then you obviously have never met Ellicia,” Saige muttered, not quite softly enough for the Lobos’ hearing.

  “Ellicia?” Ban asked.

  “Lariah’s sister,” Saige said reluctantly, wishing she hadn’t spoken the words aloud.

  “You do not like Ellicia?” Faron asked, as always going
to the heart of the matter.

  “It’s not that I don’t like her,” Saige replied. “I only meant she is nothing like Lariah. If they did not look so much alike in their build and facial features, I would wonder if they had the same parents.”

  Saige realized that all three of the Lobos were gazing at her intently and she knew they meant to ask more about Ell. She had no wish to discuss Lariah’s sister so she changed the subject. “So, you guys think that Caitlyn is a good person?”

  “No, we think that Caitlyn is a very good person,” Ban said.

  “Okay, I’ll take your word for it. But, just so you know, I’m only letting you convince me because Lariah told me how great the clothes were, and I want to see if she was right.”

  A couple of hours later, Saige had to admit that Lariah had been right. There were a lot of beautiful clothes in the Lady’s Secret. In fact, the clothing was so nice, and of such high quality, that it was immediately obvious to Saige that the clothes Darleen had brought to Lariah could not have possibly come from the store. Saige wondered how it was that Lariah had not noticed that, then suddenly realized that she had. That was certainly one of the reasons Lariah did not like Darleen. Lariah was too kind to point out such a deception to Darleen’s face, but she was also too honest herself to tolerate such blatant dishonesty in others without a very good reason.

  Saige was almost overwhelmed by the huge selection of beautiful clothes and wasn’t really sure where to begin. She had never spent a lot of time shopping for clothes before, nor was she the type to spend a lot of time primping in front of a mirror. But she had never had a boyfriend before either. Now she had three men, and she wanted to look pretty and sexy for them as much as any other woman would.

  She was chagrined at herself when she realized just how many items she was hauling back to the dressing room to try on. A while later, she was almost disappointed to discover that everything she tried on fit her perfectly. She had been hoping to thin out her choices with the things that didn’t fit or didn’t look good on her.