He pulled away, that strange half-man, half-beast form once again. I thought I saw the flash of his Wolf in his hot gaze but it vanished as quickly as it came.
Frauke arrived only a few heartbeats later, leading me to believe she’d been standing outside the door the entire time. She took one look at me and mewled softly in the back of her throat. “It’ll be okay, Princess. Give me just a couple of minutes and we’ll get you all cleaned up.”
She led me out of the bedroom and across the hall to the massive bathroom meant for only Aldrich and me. It was more like a pool than a bathroom, with little water closets discreetly moved to one side. The tub took up most of the room and a huge skylight settled right over the top of it. On the furthest wall from me, a pair of gushing waterfalls kept the water steaming hot and fresh, while it ran out of little jets all through the bottom of the surface. They could be turned off, but I never bothered, enjoying the steady streams of movement and pressure.
Frauke removed the bandages and cloth covering my skin in a makeshift bodysuit. I hissed as the water hit my bruises but sat quietly as she bathed me with cereus soaps and oils from the night-blooming flower. I wasn’t sure if it was the medicine or the hot jets, but together they pounded out the last of the aches and pains. Lounging there, I was brought golden trays of fruit and sliced meat, which I ate without a word.
When I finally felt my strength building back up, I tilted my head back to look at Frauke. She didn’t make eye contact, simply kept her focus on her task. “What will it be like?”
Knowing exactly what I wanted to know, she shrugged one shoulder before sinking her comb back into the tangle of my hair. “The Storm Ceremony isn’t something many of us get to see. It’s deeply, deeply personal. Hrodulf is the one who selects those who enter.”
I closed my eyes, allowing her to finish combing through the thick mass. When she was done, I ducked my head to rinse and stepped out of the tub at her behest. Naked and flushed, I saw how my skin shimmered once again in the mirrored panels set in the walls. The dark stain at my shoulder seemed at odds with the swirling color signaling that I had the power to summon the Blut-kette. I shivered, wondering if the glow had ever been given to someone unworthy and the pale glow faded from my vision.
With a casual shrug I didn’t quite feel, I stood still as she dressed me in a flowing kleid, this one as silver as moonlight and just as light.
She crushed some more flowers into my skin, perfuming me with their heady scent. A low chant tumbled from her lips but I couldn’t make out the words or the tone beyond the familiar undulations of the wolf tongue.
Now we were marching toward the dais set up in the courtyard. Not a soul was in sight, but there was a certain kind of energy in the air. Even though the entire Pack hadn’t been invited, I could feel the weight of their eyes. Curiosity warred with caution and echoed in every soft patter of my naked feet. My heart pounded in my chest and I was pretty sure that if my tongue got any thicker it was going to crawl down my throat and choke me to death. “I asked for this, I asked for this.”
“No one asks to go to the Storm Ceremony.”
I blinked, confused by her soft response before I realized she was answering my murmured mantra. I silently cursed myself before I caught on to what she said. “Why does no one ask to go to the Storm Ceremony?”
“This is where I stop, Princess.” Frauke’s voice was a whisper.
I hesitated for only a moment, trying to fill in the blanks myself. Frauke gave me a look that clearly stated she wasn’t planning to elaborate. When no answers came, I marched forward, tilting my chin up and stepping out past the stone and gold doors which seemed to slide open on their own.
“Oh my.” The words of wonder escaped my lungs with the breath I had been holding. I’d never been to this courtyard and it was draped with shimmering curtains of white gossamer fabric, a light layer of snow covering the ground. I stepped into a forest of silver and gold, meeting a tree that seemed to radiate supernatural presence. This one had slender white limbs and a spindly trunk I would have thought breakable, if I didn’t know that these Guardians of the Forest were friends of the Pack. This, much like the Irminsala, was no ordinary tree. It had power and I knew it would be foolish to think of it as anything other than a formidable tree spirit.
Crystal leaves and brilliant blue fruit hung from those shaking branches and I took an unconscious step forward. There was a small stone stage underneath the waiting branches and beneath them, Aldrich stood beside Hrodulf. The ancient wolf looked weary and every one of his formidable years, but he stood tall, his broad shoulders proud and his brown eyes sharp.
Frauke’s earlier instructions echoed in my head and I sank to the grass with one leg tucked under me and the other outstretched. I bowed my head, touching my forehead to my knee and resting my stacked palms against my shin.
Hrodulf’s voice was a boom of thunder off in the distance. It was low—startlingly so—but it carried the threat of power. “Show your face, human child.”
I lifted my head without moving from the position and offered him the same kind smile he offered me. For once, the reminder that I was human didn’t sound like an insult. Instead, it was laced with a kind of reverence I didn’t know if I was worthy of. His tone held awe, an awe that I had accomplished so much without the power of the Pack behind me.
“You are welcomed here.”
Finally, I unwound my body, straining to stand on my shaky limbs but determined not to show how weak I still was. Out of the corner of my eye, I slowly became aware of the fact that there were other wolves in the courtyard. They were off to the side, their hands steepled before them while they kneeled on the snow-covered ground. They kept their eyes averted and hardly seemed to be breathing. I noticed several of the Elders were among the small group, their mates sitting beside them, though they didn’t appear to be participating in the same way.
Hrodulf’s own mate, a mountain of a woman named Otsana, was also to the side, her head bowed as if she were praying. A scrap of blue velvet hung between her clasped palms. I alone stood beside the tree , which I saw was now throwing off shafts of glittering light over my head. Silver leaves brushed against me even though I should have been too short to reach them.
“Go on,” they seemed to whisper. “You are indeed welcome here.”
I stepped forward and Hrodulf continued. “Aldrich. You are the first Alpha we have had under the Storm Moon in many years. It gives me great honor to see you as you are, and also as you could be.”
His knowing voice brought my attention back to my mate. Aldrich stood in his lupine state. His eyes never left me and they blazed with blackness even as he was under no threat of attack. “It is an honor to be before you.”
The words sounded harsh in his throat as if dragged through the gravel before reaching him. I flinched, knowing he wasn’t saying what he should. Ceremonial scripts were being ignored.
Hrodulf continued as if he didn’t have a care in the world. He even smiled. “It will be up to you, my successor, to lead our people.”
Aldrich rolled his shoulders, his eyes still on me. I made a small gesture toward the Primogen, knowing he was supposed to be focused on him. His flat, shiny eyes only narrowed in my direction.
“With this ruby gift, you take into your body the memories and strength of those who have come before you.”
Aldrich shifted only a little, but the motion was filled with menace. I gasped softly, preparing to take a step forward if needed. It was in that instant I realized I couldn’t move. My legs were stiff and quivering, like the string of a bow. No matter how hard I fought to make them move, they refused to obey my commands.
A chant rose up, thrumming in the air. I tried to focus, tried to hear the words dancing around me, but there was nothing but noise. For several minutes, my eardrums hummed with the promise of understanding, while my mind refused to take part.
I sat on the brink of knowledge but never managed to cross the threshold. What I did hear was worse.
Cold, emotionless voices slid into my mind like ice picks.
“She could ruin him.”
I jerked, hearing the sound in my head. They whispered under the currents of the chant but there was no confusion as to what they said.
“Is she weak? She looks weak.”
“Humans are easily destroyed.”
Otsana shifted a little and sharp eyes met with mine. Was she the one I heard? No. The depths of the determination I saw there made the breath in my lungs cold. Something unshakeable and absolute swam in her expression. Something strong and unwavering.
Aldrich’s voice cut through the chant, an explosion of dark energy and vocal malice. “Why is my mate here?”
Gasps sounded all around me and I raised my hands on instinct. The force of his displeasure was as tangible as a slap in the face. I winced, confused to my core.
“She wanted to be here. In order to petition the Ancients.”
“She won’t understand.” I wasn’t sure what Aldrich was referring to, but I noticed immediately he dropped his gaze from mine.
For some reason the beseeching tone in his voice irked me. Everything Aldrich had done since meeting me had been for my protection, safety, or comfort. I drank in the sight of him once again, noting the signs of stress on his muscular body. Even now, he seemed half ready to pounce to my defense.
“He’s on the edge. Waiting for danger.”
I swallowed against the low, harsh voice rasping in my ear. A second glance around confirmed my suspicions. No one but me heard the voices.
“Afraid he will lose her.”
“His soft little human.” My back stiffened when something sharp scraped across my exposed shoulder.
Hrodulf continued as if there’d been no interruption. “We are surrounded by the elements. Here to take. Here to give.”
Aldrich grew steadily more agitated as he droned on and I forced myself to stay focused and not panic. He whispered. “From vessel to vassal, the contents gathered through lives and life times.”
“We pour what is treasured through blood and fruit.”
A shiver wound up my spine but I kept my eyes on the prize. Aldrich and his wolf seemed to split from one another a little ways, until I could see a clear outline of the Wolf moving in sync beside my mate. They sank into a sitting position and both watched me expectantly. Waiting for what?
“I can’t do it…” Aldrich sounded pained. “Not while she watches.”
Otsana stood, drawing my attention. She looked to me, her eyes wide and steady. “You must be strong.”
Aldrich hissed but I nodded. Steeling my shoulders.
The cloth she held unfolded. A flash of silver hung in the air only for a second before she plunged the blade into her chest. I may have cried out but the chanting began again, loud and oppressive.
Aldrich jumped to her side even as blood spread across Hrodulf’s wide chest in an identical pattern.
“Do it, Alpha!” The scream slammed into the air, a scorching hot command. “Do it!”
The tree beside me exploded with a puff of snow and wood. It spread through the clearing like an overgrown forest, taking over. It only took a second for that forest to wrap around Hrodulf and his fallen mate. Aldrich vanished from my view.
My feet were suddenly released from their immobility. I shoved forward, instinct blazing in the back of my head.
“Are you worthy? Prove it. Prove it.”
I pushed through silver leaves and blue fruit. The branches gathered around me, only offering me flashes of the scene before me. Blood splattered the dais, mixing with the sparkling white snow. Aldrich’s broad shoulders hunched over Hrodulf.
The white limbs of the tree seemed to expand into a wall of brush. “Prove it. Prove it.”
“How?” I rasped, still trying to force my way to Aldrich. His howl sank into the night, deep and mournful, but every time I made progress toward him the silvery tree limbs picked me up and moved me away. I scratched and clawed at their clinging branches, but nothing I did worked.
“You don’t have to be afraid, Roux.” I swung around and came face to face with the shimmering form of Otsana. She stood leaning against one of the trees, her stance relaxed even though she should have been on the dais.
“I’m not afraid, I’m confused. In fact, I’m considering changing my middle name to Confused. It seems to be the most common state I’m in these days.”
Otsana laughed and somehow the sound seemed to come from all around me instead of just from her. She held her hand up to one moving branch of the tree and I winced as it seemed to bite into her flesh. Blood spilled out over the frosted ground and was absorbed into the thick roots that pushed through the dirt.
“You have so much potential, little Red. It wars with what Aldrich is trying to give you. You are making him unstable, but you also have the ability to make the Pack more powerful than ever. It is time for the Wolf to have a happily ever after.”
I stared dumbly—again, a new habit that I couldn’t seem to shake—while Otsana leaned more heavily into the tree. She pushed so hard that she seemed to sink into it, vanishing right before my wide eyes. I took a step forward, unsure of whether I should try to help her or call for someone.
Then her voice piped up in the air, just like the other voices. “You cannot accept what he is offering. Not until you have peace within yourself. Enough not to burn him out when you take.”
There was no time for questions. A sparkling blue fruit was lowered before me. This one pulsed with energy, sweet and promising. I wanted to snatch it up and sink my teeth into it so badly I thought I would lose my mind if I didn’t reach for it.
“Are you ready?”
Something stilled my hand. Doubt, thick and oozing, sank into my mind and I pulled my hand back. The fruit, with its sparkling coating of frost, was a gift. One I would ruin if I wasn’t able to hold onto it. I wasn’t entirely sure what those words meant but I knew without a doubt that I wasn’t ready.
“Not yet.” I held my breath as my answer was taken.
“We will help her. Unlock her.”
The tree shuddered and quick as a whip a branch shot out. A gray thorn sank into the skin at my shoulder and I yelped, unable to pull away. Something was pumped into my body even as another branch slashed forward. This one sank into my thigh, pulling blood from my veins before throwing me forward.
The forest around me shimmered brilliantly before exploding into a kaleidoscope of snowy light. Then it vanished. The only thing left in the empty courtyard was the gossamer curtains I’d walked through before.
Aldrich stepped out from one of them, dragging wind into his chest. He blew out, even as he moved toward me, the air weaving a new set of pants that wrapped around his powerful legs. Something was different about him but I couldn’t exactly make it out. Not with the way the lashes left behind by the tree throbbed.
It was all I could do to remain in a standing position. “Well, that wasn’t so bad.” I laughed.
The first wave of sheer agony sent me tumbling face-first to the ground.
Chapter 4
Pain hammered through my body like scalding poison. I shook as it worked through my system, alarmingly cold even as fire lit my veins. My teeth chattered and brilliant colors danced before my eyes. I thought I was going to pass out but the brush of Aldrich’s coat against my skin kept me tethered to the waking world even as we soared through the endless winter sky.
“Just a little more. We’re almost there, liebling.”
It took a while for the reassuring words to work through my fuzzy head. By the time I knew what the strange grunts meant, we had landed with a bone-jarring thud. Tucked against his chest, I couldn’t turn my head to see where we were headed. I didn’t need to.
The familiar scents and sounds of his personal hideaway welcomed me home. At first glance, it was little more than a cave in the side of a mountain. The earth mingled with his personal touches and I was transported into another world. Luxurious fabrics and gleaming surf
aces were mere steps from the entrance. I’d once asked Aldrich why nothing was ever looted from the place and he’d shrugged with a carefree air that made me want to pinch him.
“It’s mine.”
Now I was just grateful for the large bed he settled me into. I waited without speaking while he lit a fire and pressed sweet smelling peat into the awaiting flames.
“You must eat.” He vanished from the cave for a few minutes and came back with another tray laden with vibrantly colored fruit.
Sitting up wasn’t really something I had planned on doing but I struggled to the painful position, ignoring the throbbing puncture wounds covering my body. We ate in silence, all the while Aldrich’s gaze scorching my skin. Each time I attempted to open my mouth he gave a firm shake of his head, motioning back toward the food, so I continued to eat until there was nothing left.
Folding my hands in my lap, I watched him avoid my gaze for a minute before I couldn’t stand the silence. “Are you going to tell me what that was? Or why you won’t look at me?” When he didn’t answer, I frowned. “It’s very unlike you to act so … meek.”
A growl tore through his throat and I realized he wasn’t simply sitting and watching. His body was coiled again, ready to strike. I could have smoothed my tone and placated him, but honestly, I was sick of being handled with kid gloves. He’d tried keeping me in the dark before. It never ended well for him but he wasn’t exactly the kind of man to get the message.
I sighed heavily. “Aldrich, just talk to me. Why did that tree decide I would look better with a couple dozen holes in my skin? As much as I love the fast-paced action of wolf life, you’ve got to be getting tired of patching me up.”
He practically vibrated with displeasure. “The Storm Ceremony isn’t only about preparing the next Primogen. It is a cycle.”
I waited for him to continue. When he didn’t, I resisted the urge to flick him. “And?”
The Big Cry Wolf Page 5