by V. A. Dold
El’s heart ached for him. “I’m sorry I put you through that.” Then her face brightened a little. “You said this is because the ritual is incomplete. Does that mean if we complete it you would have been able to find me?”
He nodded in agreement. “Once we’re mated, I’ll be able to find you anywhere, anytime.”
“Wow. That’s kind of cool and creepy at the same time.”
A small smile played at the edges of Stefan's lips. “I suppose it is.”
Mémé called from the kitchen that lunch was ready. Perfect timing for a much-needed break. He wanted her to think about their new situation and work her way toward accepting him. El was the type of woman who needed to work things out on her own.
Stefan gazed at El and then Mémé. “While I was checking the truck over, I shifted to see if my wolf could sense anything from the attacker.”
El gasped; the concept of shifting was still too foreign.
“I picked up a very faint scent, but with the storm raging that night any evidence was washed away. I can’t make it out well enough to identify anyone by it.”
“I thought I saw a white tail flash for an instant.”
“You saw me.” He smiled but let the subject drop, El wasn’t ready.
Chapter Fourteen
Girl Talk
El and Stefan joined Mémé in the kitchen.
“What can I help you with, Grand-mère?”
“Why don’t you grab a serving plate and put some of your fresh pralines on it for dessert.”
“What’s that, Mémé?” Stefan indicated the pot on the stove. “It smells fantastic.”
“My secret recipe for crawfish etouffee.” She beamed and held up a palm. “Don’t even ask for the recipe until you’re officially a member of my family. That’s the rules, family only.”
“Well then,” Stefan winked at Mémé. “I’ll have to step up my game in winning El’s heart.”
El pretended to ignore them, but her small smile was a dead giveaway. He was making progress. Baby steps, but progress all the same.
A steaming bowl of Mémé’s secret recipe was set before him and the aroma made his mouth water so badly he was afraid he might drool.
Like a precious treasure, he put the first spoonful into his mouth. His eyes fluttered shut and a low groan rumbled in the room as he savored the dish.
“Marry me, Mémé,” he begged playfully.
Both women laughed at his expression and antics.
Then Mémé added, “You couldn’t handle me, sonny.”
The room echoed with laughter before everyone dug in.
Mémé paused a moment to taste her etouffee then broke the tables silence. “Cher, I invited Emma, Anna, and Rose over for coffee tomorrow. Would you like to speak with them about the shifter thing?”
“Why would I...Oh.” It dawned on her that the women must all be mates, too. “Sure. I have quite a few questions I would love a woman’s answer to. No offense, Stefan.”
He laughed. “None taken. They’ll be able to give you a mate’s perspective which may be very informative.”
“I thought so as well,” Mémé agreed. “Elsa was on her own so she came to me for advice. I did the best I could, but there are differences between a relationship with a human and one with a shifter.”
When El looked alarmed, Mémé quickly added, “All good differences, I guarantee it. Secretly, I was often jealous of my little sister’s situation. I’ve never met a male shifter who wasn’t an exceptional man and a complete gentleman.”
Stefan remained silent and let Mémé sing his praises, even if she was disguising it as a blanket statement. He knew what the sly woman was up to. When El wasn’t looking he gave Mémé a conspiratorial wink.
Lunch was cleared and it was time for coffee and pralines. Stefan sipped his coffee and then bit into his praline expecting it to be like every other he had eaten. The only thing better than that praline was sex.
“Oh my goodness, El!”
Startled, she stopped mid-pour as she added cream in her cup “What? What’s wrong?”
With a mouth full of praline and drool leaking from the side, his eyes rolled in his head.
“This is the most amazing thing I’ve ever eaten. Sorry, Mémé, but El, baby, marry me immediately.”
The women looked at him and then each other and couldn’t stop laughing.
Licking his fingers clean, he stared intently at El.
“You seriously need to marry me and feed me pralines in bed every day.”
“Now the truth is out. You only want me for my desserts,” she mockingly scolded.
“I can think of many excellent reasons, besides your,” he gave her a wolfish grin, “desserts.” His heated gaze never left her eyes as he reached for another praline at the same time she did, purposely sliding his fingers down the inside of her wrist.
El gasped and blushed a gorgeous shade of red.
Mémé sat back and watched the show. She couldn’t wait to have a great-grandbaby in her arms.
*****
The next morning, Stefan was doing the chores solo as usual. He still wouldn’t let El near the barn. So, instead she helped Mémé make coffee and organize pastries on serving plates. Any minute the women would pull up the driveway. El wouldn’t admit it but she was a bundle of nerves, but excited nerves.
When the ladies finally arrived, he was still in the barn. That was fine with her–she wanted to ask some questions without Stefan around.
Mémé answered the door wearing her Sunday best, the perfect image of a gentile southern lady. “Welcome to our home. We’re so honored you could join us this morning.”
The ladies exchanged greetings and sat with their coffee in the living room.
Emma was the first to break the ice. “El, I’d like to thank you again for participating in the charity ball.”
Rose quickly jumped in. “Yes, El, thank you so much. You helped raise a lot of money for the charity!”
“You’re both welcome, although, I’ll be having words with Emma later. That dress was ridiculous and you know it.”
Emma blushed a deep pink. She was so busted, but the deed was done, and the results spoke for themselves.
Anna cleared her throat. “Your grandmother tells us you recently learned shifters exist and that Stefan is your mate. We’re at your complete disposal to answer questions and offer support. Whatever you need.”
“I have so many questions; I hardly know where to start.”
“Well then, while you organize your thoughts, I’ll tell you a little about where shifters came from.” Emma took a sip and set her cup aside. “As you know, I’m a gypsy and I study voodoo. The two are a fascinating combination for both healing and magic. As part of my religion and practice, I meditate daily, and on occasion the Wolf-Goddess Luperca comes to me. The goddess is the original creator of the wolf shifters.
“You see, a long time ago she blessed a village of humans with wolf souls, creating the first shifters. She designed it so the shifter has half a soul and his human mate holds the other half. Neither can be truly complete without the other.
“This forms an astounding bond between the two, both emotional and physical. Throughout time, she has only blessed an additional handful of humans who were not mated to a born shifter.” She glanced to Anna. “Anna’s son, John, was just so blessed.”
“It sounds like Greek mythology or something. You all keep referring to me as Stefan’s mate.” El huffed a frustrated sound. “Would someone tell me what the heck that means?”
“You’re right, it does sound like mythology.” Emma chuckled. “All right, let me see. To be a mate is similar to being married, but a heap more intense since the mates were created to complete each other. Literally. The two pieces of the soul can only be fused back together by performing the mating ritual. Prior to meeting Stefan, did you feel normal, like everyone else, like you fit in just fine, or odd and incomplete? Did you feel like something was missing but you had no idea what that
was?”
El nodded yes, wide eyed. “How did you know? I felt like that all the time. Now that you mention it, since Stefan has been hanging around, I haven’t felt so much like I belong on the island of misfit toys. My teen years really sucked,” El scowled into her cup as painful memories flooded her mind. “So, you’re telling me I felt that way because I needed to be with Stefan–but wasn’t?”
Before any of the women could respond, Stefan crashed through the door. “El, what’s wrong?” He frantically scanned the room for what had caused El’s distress.
“You complete ass! You knew I was right there in front of you, even when I was a teenager. But, did you approach me? No. Did you ever bother to try to talk to me? No, you just ignored me and horn-dogged around with every slut in the damn state. Do you have ANY idea how miserable my teen years were?”
Stefan stared at her with his mouth gaping in complete confusion.
Emma quickly stood between them and made the ‘T’ sign for timeout. “El, hold that thought. Stefan, it might be best if you went back out to the barn for a while.”
Stefan glanced to his mother and frowned, still obviously completely confused.
Emma patted his arm and whispered, “I’ll explain when we’re finished here.”
He looked at El for a long moment, unsure if he should stay or go. Finally he said, “I’ll just be in the barn if you need me.”
“Now, El, I understand you’re hurt and frustrated. Being a teen is hard enough without the mate complications. Still, you shouldn’t blame your mate for what happened. Until a woman matures, she wouldn’t trigger the mating signs. There was no way he would have known.”
“He may have mentioned that last night,” El admitted sheepishly.
“There, see, he didn’t abandon you on purpose. Now, what else would you like to know?”
“Stefan said the woman gets a wolf soul and a wolf. Plus she doesn’t get old. Why do you all look over twenty-five, and what would I do with a wolf soul once I had one?”
The women shared knowing looks. One second they all look like a variety of ages, and the next three beautiful women in their twenties sat before her.”
“Holy crap!”
They all busted out laughing at her reaction.
“Since you are still in your mid-twenties you won’t regress in age like Rose and I did,” Anna pointed out. “You will, however, stop ageing and look exactly as you are until you are nine hundred.”
El couldn’t stop gaping.
Anna continued. “As for the wolf question, by gaining a wolf soul, you receive all the magical powers of a shifter and the ability to shift into a wolf. Did Stefan shift for you yet?”
El felt heat rising from her chest to her face. “Kind of.”
Emma leaned forward and gently asked, “Would you like one of us to shift for you?”
El chewed her lip as she considered the offer. “The wolf won’t attack or anything, will it?”
“No.” Emma chuckled. “When you shift, you look like a wolf but retain all your human faculties.”
“Then, yes.” She set her cup aside. “I’d like to see one of you shift.”
Anna rose and stepped to the middle of the room. “Are you ready?”
El nodded.
In a blink, Anna was a petite red wolf. She sat and watched for El’s reaction.
“Wow,” she breathed. “You’re beautiful.”
Anna’s wolf chuffed a laugh and she shifted back. “You all right?”
“Yeah, thank you for doing that. The shift is so fast, not like in a movie. Does it hurt?”
“Not at all,” the three women said.
El’s demeanor changed; she was intrigued and her curiosity was piqued. “Are all wolves red? I only saw Stefan’s for a split second and I think he was more white.”
“Each shifter has human hair which contains the color of their wolf mixed in. Stefan is a white wolf.” Emma paused and studied El’s hair. “I’m guessing you’ll be a beautiful chocolate brown wolf.”
All the ladies nodded in agreement with Emma’s assessment.
“Keep in mind, El, we can’t just run around willy nilly without strict rules. The goddess decreed five absolute rules every shifter is required to follow.
“Always put your mate before yourself.
“Respect another shifter’s mate.
“Do nothing to expose the existence of shifters.
“Do no unnecessary harm to shifters or humans.
“And respect other nonhumans.
“These are all meant to maintain shifter secrecy while providing a respectful, loving atmosphere within families and the shifter community at large.”
“That makes sense. I was expecting you to list off a bunch of outlandish requirements, but these are all very logical.” A frown slowly pinched El’s brow. “What happens if someone breaks a rule?”
Emma’s expression became very solemn. “Shifter punishment is very simplistic. There are only two punishments for breaking a shifter law. Depending on the severity of the crime, for breaking a lesser law like–always put your mate before yourself, respect another shifter’s mate, and respect all nonhumans–there is the punishment of blood rights.” Her expression grew sour and she shook her head. “It’s a very brutal punishment where the criminal is tied to a stake and the offended party beats him almost to death. I don’t agree with the punishment, but I haven’t come up with a satisfactory alternative yet so it has remained in place.
“For exposing shifters to the world or harming another shifter for any reason other than self-defense, the sentence is always death. It is paramount the shifters remain secret or we’ll all find ourselves in laboratory cages. The only deviation from these two punishments apply to the royal family; any crime against a member of the family is death, there is no exception.”
El remained very quiet, processing the ramifications of her possible new life.
Rose leaned toward Emma and quietly said, “Explain rogue shifters, too.”
“Yes, this is a good time to explain the difference since I brought up the death penalty. Stefan told me you already know we’re not werewolves. Oddly enough, the myth of a werewolf did come from the shifter community.
“A rogue shifter is the direct result of mates having a combined soul. If a mate is killed, the surviving mate immediately loses half of their soul. Remember, the soul was fused together by magic. The rending of a soul is horrific and normally impossible to endure for the mate left behind.
“That remaining mate will typically choose to die as well. On rare occasions a shifter doesn’t choose to die and goes mad with grief, letting his wolf take over in a rage. They can’t be brought back from the madness and saved. They’re destroyed to protect the shifters’ secrecy and keep humans from harm.”
No one spoke for a few minutes as they waited for El to comment or ask more questions.
Finally she raised her eyes and said, “You live in a very brutal world.”
Rose rushed to dispel that misconception. “No, not at all. It’s extremely rare for a shifter to break any of the rules. They’re so simple and easy to follow, there really is no reason to want to break a law and risk punishment.”
“She’s right,” Emma agreed. “In my three hundred years, I’ve only heard of a handful of punishments. It really is extremely rare.”
El let out a breath she hadn’t known she was holding. “That’s very good to hear. Honestly, you had me a bit freaked out.”
Reviewing what she’d learned in the last few minutes, she frowned again. “Who’s the royal family? Where do they live?”
“That, my friend, is an excellent question.” Anna scowled at Emma who looked a little guilty and blushed a whole lot of red. “The Le Beau boys have a real knack for not disclosing the fact they’re the royal family and that Isaac is the king. Little Miss Blush–A–Lot here is your queen.” Anna sat back on the couch, arms folded. “I wonder who taught them to keep that tidbit of information a secret.”
&nbs
p; Emma squirmed in her seat. “I didn’t tell them to keep it a secret–exactly.”
Both Rose and Anna gaped at Emma, then looked at each other. “Uh-huh,” they both said very sarcastically.
“Hold on, how did you become the royal family?”
“Isaac is a direct descendent of the original shifters that were created. Through marriage I was inducted into the monarchy and the boys, of course, by birth,” Emma explained.
“Now, I’m sure El would like to hear about the magical abilities of a shifter,” Emma said much too cheerfully.
El’s eyebrows shot up. “There’s more?”
“Oh my, yes!” Emma turned to Rose. “You learned everything recently, maybe you would like to share the fun stuff?”
“Sure.” Rose grinned at El. “You’re going to be able to do some awesome stuff. What did Stefan tell you so far?”
“Um...” El thought hard to remember. “Telepathy. Oh, and sending thoughts and emotions. He said he felt my emotions and pain during the fight, so I assume physical things like sensations can be sent. And Anna said I would be able to shift.” She tucked some hair behind her ear trying to remember if there was more. “I think that was it.”
“Good. You also will be able to zap clothes on and off, which is so cool! Plus, you will be able to hear, see, smell, and taste like a billion times more. My personal favorite is night vision.
“Oh, and you’ll be interested in the bonus of healing from injuries ten times faster than a human. The speed also applies to movements. A shifter can move so rapidly, the human eye can’t detect us. Finally, each shifter is born with one additional gift. The ability manifests during childhood for a born shifter and after conversion for us humans.”
“What can you do?”
“I can affect the emotions of others and Anna is a healer.”
“Oh, I must ask,” Emma grasped El’s hands excitedly. “Do you have a birthmark that looks like a perfect circle?”
El’s eyes became huge and she turned to her grand-mère. When Mémé gave her a nod, she asked quietly, “Why?”
“A perfect circle birthmark is the mark of a very rare and powerful female shifter. Since female children are rare amongst shifters, the females with the mark tend to be humans. Females bearing the birthmark become extremely powerful shifters. A male is naturally at his most powerful at the full moon. But, a female with the mark is crazy powerful at the new moon. The mark is a dark circle because it symbolizes the phase of the lunar cycle when the moon is completely dark.”