Shadow Dancer Boxed Set

by Courtney Rene

  Cinder looked at me, and said, "All right. I'll try."

  She placed her hands on Kat's shoulders. She closed her eyes, but nothing happened. She looked at me with sad, filling eyes, and said, "She's already gone, Leif."

  Sunny drew in a loud breath. Austin didn't make a sound. He stared at Kat, though, his eyes guarded, his fists tight at his sides.

  I looked down at Kat's face. She didn't look dead. She looked like she was sleeping, nestled in my arms like she had when we were kids. "No, she's not."

  "Leif," Cinder said.

  "She can't be. That's not what's supposed to happen."

  Cinder tentatively wrapped her arms around me, as best she could since I refused to let go of Kat. "I'm so sorry," she said.

  A heavy weight gathered inside me. It started in the vicinity of my chest, but it grew and grew and soon it felt like it was all throughout my body. I was going to explode with the weight of it. The darkness of it. It wasn't rage. It wasn't even anger. It was absolute desolation. It was such all-encompassing grief, because I had failed again. Failed to protect someone I cared about. Failed to fix them. Failed to help them. Failed.

  Kat was a little crazy now and then, but who wouldn't be with the way we grew up. That didn't mean she deserved to die. That wasn't who she was. Not really. The real Kat, the soft and caring one, would never hurt anyone. That was who I mourned. I laid my head against her still warm cheek and did something I never did, not since I was a child, afraid of the dark, or more what was in the dark, but I felt the liquid warmth of the tear as it slid down my face and neck.

  "I'm sorry, Kat," I whispered. Cinder heard it, but she didn't say a word. She just continued to hold me close as I still held Kat. That quiet and easy comfort was all I really needed right then.

  Another set of arms joined Cinder's as Sunny knelt down with us. Then Austin's. We didn't say anything. Austin, I knew, was hurting as well. He'd grown up with Kat as I had.

  I lifted my head and said the only words I could think of at that time. "Thank you." They knew what I meant. It was a thank you for being my friend. Thank you for understanding that even though at the end, she was bad, she was still a part of me, of my little family, and I was very sad about her death.

  Austin, the joker he was, stood up and said, "Any time, man."

  "Oh, Sunny! Your gown!" Cinder said.

  "Yeah, it's a mess," Sunny said.

  "Not just the gown," Austin chimed in.

  "You still look beautiful, Sunny," I said and meant it. Yeah, her dress was soaking wet, had a bit of blood streaks here and there, and the shoulder and hem were torn; and yes, her hair was a tangled mess of dripping yellow; but she really was still lovely.

  "Yeah, well, I'm not getting married like this," she said.

  "Let's get back to the castle, before the army storms the clearing, and see what needs to be done." She didn't say it, but we all knew she was talking about Kat as well as the wedding.

  I stood up, Kat held firmly in my arms, her head still tucked up under my chin, and said, "I'm ready."

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Present

  "With this ring…"

  "Love, honor, cherish, for the rest of my life…"

  There had been no wedding yesterday. The moment we got into sight of the castle, we were overrun by worried, a bit angry, and a few sad, people. Sunny took charge. Surprised me, too, but she did. She explained what had happened and what needed to be done.

  Gavin and Leigha had taken Kat's death hard. I knew they would. Austin, Gavin, and me, we knew Kat. The real Kat. We had spent the most time with her. We were with her as she grew up and survived. She was not that crazy woman we saw at the end.

  Sunny, she didn't know Kat very well, and what she knew of her wasn't all that great. It didn't matter to her, though. She still had her prepared for burial. Cleaned her and dressed her and put her in the new cemetery. A small ceremony was held at twilight. We had candles and flowers.

  More people showed up to pay their respects than I imagined. Even little Carrie Ann, not so little anymore at eight years old, stood stoic and strong next to Sunny and Leigha. I could already see the same beauty in her face like her sister had. Carrie Ann, though, had the soft grace of her mother, Glory.

  There was no stone yet to mark Kat's place in the ground, but Sunny said, "It will be a befitting stone for the warrior she was."

  The night was long. I didn't sleep well. What if's and could have's flittered through my brain all night long. If I'd only realized sooner... If I could have just… By the time the sun finally crested the horizon to start a new day, I was up and ready for the light to break through the darkness. Maybe it would banish away the darkness inside me, as well.

  The wedding, although put off to hold Kat's funeral, went forward at daybreak. Sunny's white gown had been ruined and was unable to be restored. That didn't seem to matter, as she was able to find a lovely replacement. Where? I had my ideas, and thievery in the night from another realm was at the top of my list.

  I turned to Cinder who sat next to me in the front row. She was dressed just as lovely. I lifted an eyebrow at her and whispered, "You look hot. Where'd you get the digs?"

  She frowned, but couldn't hold the look for long and a smile soon spread over her face instead. "None-ya."

  I leaned close to her ear and whispered, "You know stealing is bad, right?"

  She giggled. Cinder giggled. "We didn't steal it. We left money on the counter."

  "Sure," I said.

  "We did!"

  I took hold of her hand and gave it a small squeeze. "You look beautiful in it, stolen or not."

  Her cheeks turned a darker shade of pink. "Thank you," she said.

  I squeezed her hand one more time, then turned my attention back to the ceremony. Sunny was beautiful up there next to Lucas. It was more than just her face. She was happy and it glowed from within her. She deserved it.

  I was happy. Weird.

  I glanced again at Cinder and said out of the blue, "I'm not a hero."

  She choked back a laugh and turned to me with wide eyes. "I never said you were," she said.

  I shrugged and said, "Just so we're clear. I want to make sure you know what you're getting with me."

  She smiled, and said, "Don't worry, I'm well aware of who you are, Leif."

  Okay, then. I sat back and watched the rest of the wedding. Content for the first time in years, if ever. It was a new beginning for all us. I could live with that.

  "I now pronounce you, man and wife…"

  About the Author

  Courtney Rene lives in the State of Ohio with her husband and two children. She is a graduate and member of the Institute of Children’s Literature. Her writings include magazine articles, short fiction stories, several anthologies, as well as her young adult novels, A Howl in the Night and the Shadow Dancer series, published through Rogue Phoenix Press. For a complete listing, visit www.ctnyrene.blogspot com or feel free to contact her at ctnyrene@aol.com.

  Also Available By Courtney Rene

  From Rogue Phoenix Press

  A Howl in the Night

  A Howl in the Night Book One

  Sweet Sixteen is supposed to be a turning point in your life. The world is before you in all its glory, just waiting for you to reach out and grab it. Right? For Abigail Staton no, not so much. Not only does she suddenly lose her best friend due to a fight, but suddenly her mother expects her to believe that the father, she has never met, is actually a werewolf. With that revelation, Abby is thrust into the world of two wolf clans who are not only fighting each other, but also fighting for Abby, one of the few females born to the shape-shifters. Her father is determined to pair Abby up with Derek, a very dominant and overwhelming shifter. Abby vehemently balks at this union to disastrous results. When war is declared between the two clans, Abby has to decide what side she is actually on.

  Chapter One

  The day started out as any other day. I woke up. I showered. I got dressed. Maybe I
did take a little bit more care getting ready, but then, that day was special. It was my sixteenth birthday. I, Abigail Leigh Staton, Abby to my friends, had made it. Finally. As of that day, I was officially allowed to date, one on one, no group date required. Not that I had anyone I really wanted to date one on one with anyway, but hey, I was finally allowed to. Oh, and did I mention I was finally sixteen? It was supposed to be a fabulous day.

  I bounced down the hallway to the kitchen, where I could almost always find my mom. She was there, of course.

  "Happy birthday, baby," she said. She walked over and gave me a quick squeeze. I beamed a smile at her and squeezed her back.

  "You hungry?" She asked.

  "Yep." When wasn't I?

  My mom has always been the mothering type. If I scraped my knee, I got a kiss and a cookie. If I had a cold, I got a kiss and ice cream. My mom was the best. She wasn't old and embarrassing like other moms either. She still looked young and had a vibrancy about her. She still wore her hair long and down to her shoulders. We both had the same sun bleached, softly wavy, brown hair except I wore mine longer, almost down to my waist. When I say it was pretty hair, I am not being conceited, it just was. The rest of me was, well, so, so.

  My mom and I were both blue eyed and stood about five and a half feet tall. Not short, but I guess not tall either. I was just average. What I wouldn't have given to have gorgeous legs that went on for miles, but no, my legs were just average.

  My mom had sad eyes, though. Not old eyes, but sad. Even when she laughed, the happiness never went all the way up to her eyes. Deep, dark, sad blue eyes. I always wondered what the cause was, but I never had the guts to ask. Little did I know I was about to find out. It only took sixteen years.

  "So, what are your big plans for the day?" my mom asked.

  I didn't have so much as big plans, but I did have plans. Brian, my best friend, who also happened to live next door, and I were going to see the new horror flick at the theater in town around four. After that, we were meeting up with a few friends for pizza then we were going to take it from there.

  "I'm meeting Brian later; we're catching a movie and stuff." I was sixteen, I didn't figure I needed to account for every minute I would be gone anymore.

  My mom turned and gave me the one raised eyebrow look.

  I really tried not to squirm under the weight of it, but found myself blurting out anyway, "We may meet up with Jenna and Carter for pizza too."

  She smirked at me, actually smirked. The mom look was lethal.

  We both looked up in surprise at the sound of the doorbell.

  "I'll get it," I said, figuring it was for me anyway. My mom didn't have friends that popped over like I did. When I opened the door, it was not to a friend or expected face. It was to a short, greasy haired, annoyed looking delivery guy. "Abigail Staton?" he asked.

  "That's me," I said and forced a smile onto my lips.

  "Sign," he said, as he shoved a clip-board and pen at me. I signed my name and handed it back, at the same time trying to take hold of the package he was holding out to me.

  "Thanks," I said, taking my package and closing the door, not expecting any reply. He was weird. I took my package back into the kitchen and sat back down.

  "Who's it from?" My mom asked. She set my plate of eggs, toast, and sausage down in front of me and picked up my box.

  "I don't know. Eww, mom, you know I'm not eating that thing." I was talking about the sausage. I ate meat rarely. Oh, I would eat eggs, and drink milk, and I liked honey. I just didn't eat meat, unless I wanted too. It had nothing to do with it being animal flesh or anything like that. It sometimes seemed gross and greasy and well, animally. Bacon was my downfall, that and pepperoni. If the world didn't have those two things, I would have been a veggie eater in earnest.

  My mom simply shrugged a shoulder at me and said, "Hey, I keep trying. You and your meat thing." She then returned to inspecting the box.

  "Here," I said reaching for the box. It was a simple square, surprisingly heavy box wrapped in plain brown paper. It had no return address. I figured the best way to find out what it was, was to, hello, open the box.

  Inside, underneath packing peanuts galore, was a simple envelope, which I set aside, and a tissue wrapped present. I carefully pulled out the gift and gently unwrapped it to find a gold globe music box. Inside the globe a little brown-haired girl, wearing a red cloak, knelt down next to a big black wolf, encircled by a dark forest. It was a scene from the story of Little Red Riding Hood and it was beautiful. The details were amazing. The leaves appeared to be individually made. The girl had big blue eyes and her expression was not of fear but of affection. The wolf was huge, shaggy, and not scary like I would have imagined. He stood almost protectively over the girl.

  "Oh, it's lovely," I said. I wound up the key and let the music play. It was a hauntingly lovely tune, soft and sad. I heard my mother gasp behind me and I turned to look at her. Her face was pale white, and her eyes were huge. The coffee cup she was holding was clutched with white-knuckled hands close to her body.

  "Do you know this song?" I asked her. I didn't understand the stark fear, or was it surprise, I saw on her face.

  She shook her head slowly back and forth then turned away. She took a deep breath, placed her cup very gently in the sink then leaned over it for a moment. When the music ended she took another breath and turned back to me.

  "You okay?" I asked her.

  She nodded her head again and said in a surprisingly somber tone, "Open the card."

  I cocked my head at her, as I tired to get a feel for what was going on. Something was happening. I didn't need to be psychic to know it either. I could feel it, from the waves of anxiety coming off of my mom, as well as from the feelings of confusion I felt from the unknown box I held in my hand.

  I picked up the plain white envelope and opened it to a pretty pastel pink card that said, "To my Daughter, Happy Sweet 16," on the cover. On the inside was a simple birthday greeting, but signed in large masculine handwriting at the bottom, were the words, Love, Daddy.

  "Mom?" To say I was confused and upset would have been the understatement of the year. I didn't have a dad. It had always been just my mom and me. I had asked once when I was little why everyone else had a daddy and I didn't. My mom had told me that I just didn't and I would understand when I was older.

  Well, I was older and I still didn't understand. Then there was the gift, granted an expensive gift, from a man I didn't know I was supposed to know. Oh, and then there was the question of where the heck had he been all my life. If he thought that by sending me a gift out of the blue he would make up for all my life without him, he was wrong.

  My mom ran a hand down my head, petting me. That was so not good. She stopped doing that, years ago. She then turned away from me and walked out of the kitchen.

  She was mumbling under her breath. All I could catch was, "Why now? After all this time, why now?"

  Since I didn't have an answer to that question, I set the music box down in front of me and ate my breakfast. After I finished and cleaned up in the kitchen, I took the box to my room and placed it up on a bookshelf. It really was lovely.

  ~ * ~

  "Happy Birthday, Abby dear. Go on up, Brian's in his room." Mrs. Dean, Brian's mom, never seemed to have a problem with letting me, a girl, bust in on her son in his room. I thought it was funny.

  "Thanks, Mrs. Dean," I replied as I headed up. I had so much to tell him, and I so wanted his opinion on the whole dad issue.

  Brian was primping in the mirror when I walked into his room. Brian is not your normal guy. His room is clean. Like freako clean. No dust, no clothes, no clutter. It seemed so unnatural. Now, Brian himself, he was the tall, dark, and handsome type. He had dreamy deep blue eyes and shiny short brown and black hair. His lips were always smiling, and he had straight white teeth, thanks to two years of braces.

  Any chic would be lucky to have him. I kept looking for a girl for him, but he always found something
wrong with each one of them. This one was too giggly, that one too tall, another one was too blond. Whatever. Since he was almost six foot four, I didn't understand the tall thing. He said he liked my height. I wasn't giving up though. I would find him the perfect girl. I was starting to run out of options though. Geez, was he ever picky.

  "So, you will never guess the day I have already had," I said, flopping down on his perfectly made bed. I knew this irritated him because it put wrinkles in the comforter that he would have to fix before we left. It was fun annoying him.

  "Can I talk with you first?" he said, coming over and sitting down on the bed next to me.

  This should have tipped me off that something was wrong, all by itself, because of the wrinkle thing, but I just sat up and said, "Yeah, sure." My story could wait.

  But then, he did the most unexpected thing. He grabbed my shoulders, pulled me close and planted a big wet, sloppy kiss on my open and stunned mouth. I shoved him back, and said, "Bri, what the..." but he clamped down on my mouth again, pushing me back down on the bed, his body trying to cover mine.

  When I felt his tongue try to invade my mouth, I figured I had had enough, so I threw a punch into his gut and shoved him off of me. I stood up and towered over him as he lay gawking at me on the bed.

  "Are you out of your mind!" I yelled at him. I swiped a hand over my mouth to wipe away the feel of him. He was my best friend since we were in diapers. He was the one I told all my troubles too. He was the one I could always count on for anything. You don't kiss your friends. You just don't.

  "Abby, you must know that I love you," he said, as he slowly came to his feet in front of me, straightening his shirt.

  "You can't be serious."

  He took my cold hand into his and I could see it in his face, in his eyes, that he was perfectly serious. That couldn't be. How had I missed that?

  "No, no," I protested. "You're, you're my best friend, just like a brother to me. You can't love me, Bri. You just have to stop it, right now. I mean it."