Just as the flames touched his skin, Grey sat up with a shout that was followed by a gasp that looked painful. The river stones fell into his lap. He felt groggy, disoriented, and looked worse. His body was heavy, cumbersome.
BlueClaw handed him a liter of bottled water which was gulped down without stopping. The ShuShu then opened the flap of the lodge to let the steam escape.
When cool air came in contact with sweaty bodies, the elders put their shirts back on and contemplated shifting so that fur could insulate and warm old bones.
Looking at Grey, BluClaw said, "Did you find your answer, Alpha?"
Stalkson looked at him with steely blue eyes that looked brighter than usual because his spirit had just returned from a place of greater clarity than the physical world. "I did. You've done me a service."
BlueClaw smiled. "So tell me. Was it nice?"
Stalkson sneered. "I would have thought you above I-told-you-so moments. Yes. I get it. It would be better to have a woman who spits and claws at your eyes than to have one who gives you a nice life."
BlueClaw laughed softly. "You're not as dumb as you look, wolf."
"The fire wall was way over the top though."
"Fire wall?"
BlueClaw looked confused. Maybe he only pretended to know everything.
As they neared the edge of the tribe settlement, Grey thanked the elders and hurried home. When he stepped inside his personal sanctuary and closed the door, he realized that he was ravenous. He ate almost enough food to make up for his three-day fast without regard to table manners then retrieved his cell phone from the cabinet where he kept it plugged into a charge.
He called Simon Tvelgar for Litha's phone number, not thinking about the fact that it was the middle of the night in Edinburgh.
Simon sometimes felt that nights when he wasn't awakened by someone who had forgotten about the time difference were more the exception than the rule. He wanted to ask why the Elk Mountain king requested Litha's number, but decided to forego curiosity in the interest of courtesy.
The wave of a little victory settled over Grey when he procured Litha's number and another followed that when she answered.
"This is Stalkson Grey. We met at Jefferson Unit."
"Of course I remember you."
"I don't know any way to approach this other than to just say outright that I need a favor."
"I see. Would you rather talk in person?"
"Ah. Yes. If it's soon."
"If you're decent then, I'll pop in."
"I am dressed." Humans were so strange about clothing.
"Okay. Keep the phone connection open so I can track you."
Two minutes later she was standing in his living room. He invited her to sit and offered mulled wine.
"I can't. No alcohol right now." She pointed to her tummy as she said it.
He nodded and offered water or coffee which she also declined. "Thank you for coming so soon."
"Not at all. What can I do for you?"
"Let me start at the beginning."
He told her the entire story, omitting only the most intimate parts, from how he'd courted Luna on the days when Deliverance was scheduled to be there until the moment when Deliverance had reclaimed her.
At that point he stopped to refresh his drink and asked again if Litha would like water or coffee.
"I had a strange dream in which you appeared at Luna's Temple complex on Throenark. I believed it was a message from the spirit world so I journeyed there to learn what it meant.
"While I was out of my body, I met your grandmother, Lapis. She said you would help me, that she would ask you in a dream to do it as a favor, and to tell you that your daughter will be the most talented witch ever to be born to your line."
Litha blinked several times. "Can you describe the way she looked?"
"She actually looks very much like you, but her coloring is different. She has fair skin and red hair."
Litha looked a little misty-eyed and a laugh gushed out of her. "My grandmother! What did she say her name was?"
"Lapis. Oh, one other thing I left out. She said to say that she loves you and is often with you."
Litha nodded, looking more teary-eyed, but she didn't cry.
"I did see her in a dream, but I wouldn't have known she was my grandmother if you hadn't told me. So it seems I owe you a favor. How do you see me helping in this situation?"
"I want to go to Throenark. Do you know how to get there?"
"I don't know how to get there, but I could find out. If I have a great-aunt there, my other grandmother is sure to know. But if I bring her back here for you, won't Dad just come for her again?"
"Yes. I suspect he would, which is why that wouldn't be a good plan. Besides I'm not ever going to force her to do anything against her will again."
"A wise choice if you want the lady to love you."
He nodded thoughtfully as he glanced at the fire. "I plan to go there."
"You mean for a visit?"
"No. I mean permanently."
"I thought you said it's urban. High rises surrounding the park where the temple is."
"Yes. It is."
"Look, I'm no expert on werewolves, but that doesn't sound like a viable change in lifestyle."
"Yeah. It's not ideal. But it's not as bad as being where I know for a fact I will never see her again."
Litha's features softened in sympathy. "You really love her.
"Okay. What's your plan?"
"If you can find your way to Throenark, I need you to help me figure out what I need to live there. Can I trade gold for their money? How much would I need? Will I need ID? What kind of clothes do they wear? What do I need to know about their customs? Stuff like that. Try to help me anticipate what could go wrong, because I know I only get one shot at this relocation."
"You think you're going to make an adjustment to city life."
"I'll be as adaptable as I need to be."
"Please think about this. You won't know anybody and everything will be alien to you. Wolves are pack animals, right? Really social? How are you going to adapt to being alone?"
He took a deep breath. He didn't want to sound like he was pleading. "I'm alone now."
She studied him for a minute, then stood up. "I'll call you when I have more info."
"Thank you."
And she was gone.
He kept his phone close by where he would know if she called.
Three days worth of pacing later, Litha's name appeared on the Caller ID.
"Are you decent?"
"All clear."
She arrived carrying a stack of paper products.
"I brought stuff."
"I see that. What is it?"
"A to Z. This has got to be what the witness protection program is like.
"Found Throenark, but that was just the beginning. The country you're interested in is Greenland only, unlike here, it's actually green. The region is Grand Lakes. The city is New Bay. They call it an island because it's practically surrounded by water, but it's actually a peninsula.
"Brought you maps and magazines to give you some insight into culture. There's a Xenophile's Guide to Greenland and a Xenophobe's Guide to Greenland. If you study both you should be able to pass as a visiting foreigner. As you've already figured out, they speak Anglish.
"I got an angel to help me with some of the details 'cause he's a sucker for love. Don't tell my father. He's not crazy about angels.
"Anyway, he got you an apartment and the ID you need and he's done the calculations on how much gold you should bring to trade for currency. There's also info in there on where to put your assets to keep them safe.
"I hope you don't feel like this is too personal, but I need measurements so my friend can get you some starter clothes."
Stalkson was overwhelmed with the amount of work to do to prepare for blending in with an alien human culture and with gratitude for everything Litha had done for him.
"I don't know where to
start with thanks."
"Start with the Xenophile's Guide. When you think you're ready for the next step, call me. I should have your clothes by then."
"Thank you and thank your, um, angel friend."
"Kellareal."
"Yes. Can I offer you...?"
"No. No. I'm on my way somewhere. But, listen, you can change your mind at any time and, if you're having second thoughts at all, I think you should. You've spent forty-eight hours with this woman. Forty-eight hours isn't much of a test of getting to know each other."
He smiled. "So I take it you don't believe in love at first sight?"
Litha's hands flew to her distended tummy of their own accord. Then she laughed quietly. "As a matter of fact, I do believe in love at first sight. But I know somebody who works at Headquarters. She's a past life therapist. She says it's not really first sight, but the soul part of our natures recognizing each other from another time of being together. Or not being together."
***
CHAPTER_19
Grey undertook preparation for his move to a new world by studying everything Litha had brought. She continually admonished him to rethink his plan and was so insistent about it, that he found himself searching his own feelings. Daily.
He did a checklist of the worst anticipated hardships. He would be a wolf alone. A wolf alone in a high rise apartment. A wolf alone in a high rise apartment with no way to shift or run again. Ever.
Every day he went through the list and every day he came to the same conclusion, that, even if she never spoke to him again, even if he never touched her again, if there was a chance he might see her again - even from a distance, he had to take that chance. Even though he knew it could be a death sentence to his sanity, because werewolves have been known to go mad if they couldn't release their wolves from time to time.
So he studied everything from maps to architecture to fashion to tipping. It was a lot to take in. The saving grace was that so much was similar to his own world. All he had to do was find the differences and concentrate on those.
Luna was an instant celebrity among her sisters. What she wanted was to crawl into her bed, pull the covers up, and be left alone to cry and sort out her feelings until such time as that was no longer the only thing she wanted to do. Unfortunately, the other girls were titillated by the phenomenon of being taken and wanted to hear every detail.
Who was he?
What did he look like?
Did he force himself on her?
Did he try and win her?
What was it like where he took her?
What was she expected to do?
The questions were endless and she didn't want to answer any of them. Her time with Stalkson Grey was something that she wanted to keep private, locked away in her heart forever like a treasure.
Grannie had called her in and asked if she would like to see the abductor punished. She had said no, that everything that occurred was consensual. Grannie found that answer troubling, but let it pass.
Luna went back to work, but she wasn't the same. Whereas she'd been happy with her life and her work beforehand, she found her thoughts were always on Elk Mountain instead of Temple Park. The worst part was going to bed at night. It had only taken two nights to learn to love sleeping with someone else, whether that someone was wearing a luxurious fur coat or skin over tantalizingly sexy muscle.
She had seen the look on Grey's face when Deliverance took her away and knew in that instant that he had spoken hastily and regretted what he'd said. If they had been left alone, they would have worked it out. She knew it. Perhaps he would have said he didn't mean it. Perhaps he would have said he was sorry for comparing her to another female, especially one who had been his mate.
A couple of tears accidentally slipped from her eyes and slid to her pillow. She knew there was no point in asking Deliverance to take her back. But she wondered what Grey was doing. She wondered if he was thinking about her as she was thinking about him.
She even went so far as to lie awake and ask herself if, knowing everything she knew now, would she have gone with him willingly? Would she have chosen that if he had asked her? And the answer was yes. She wanted to be his.
***
CHAPTER_20
Litha's friend, Kellareal, calculated how much gold Stalkson would need to bring to Throenark based on the rate of inflation in the value of gold for the past two hundred years, the cost of the lifestyle he had outlined with cost of living increases, and factored in that he could, conceivably, live for another hundred years. They then determined that it would take all three of them carrying to transport that much gold through the passes.
When moving day came, he packed the few sentimental mementos he wanted to keep with him along with the maps and cultural guides Litha had supplied. He sorted gold into three containers, looked around the lodge that had been his home for a very long time, and sighed.
Grey walked to Win's lodge and knocked. His son answered the door.
"Dad. It's good to see you looking so much better."
Grey nodded. "Come go for a run with me. Can I leave my clothes inside?"
Win stood back and opened the door wider then told Cloud he was going out for a run. The two shifted to wolf form. Grey took the lead. They alternately trotted and jogged to the king's favorite lookout from where he could see so much of his beloved valley. Now and then he playfully nipped at Win's ears or at his heels. Win would respond with a fake growl and take off so that Grey had to give chase. For some reason, and he didn't know why, it was easier to show Windwalker affection in wolf form.
The outing served two purposes. He would be able to see his valley one more time and burn the picture into his memory and he would be sure that he didn't leave without letting Win know he was loved. When they reached the outcropping where Grey had spent so much time surveying his dominion, he shifted into human form. Win did the same.
"I've come here often when there was something on my mind that needed to be sorted out. You're going to find that you need such a place where there is enough silence and peace to hear your own thoughts and keep your own counsel."
"Dad." Win sounded a little confused and a little concerned. "What do you...?"
Grey held up his hand. "This is the day, the morning, when you're named alpha. When we go back down, you will be king."
"No. Well, first, I'm not ready and, second, you're king."
"Only for a few minutes more. I'm going away to one of the other worlds and it's permanent."
"That's impossible. The tribe needs leadership more than ever. With the fed bypassing the Jefferson liaison and issuing a permit for gas drilling? So close to the reservation? They may even do that thing where they drill sideways under our land and take our resources without asking or paying! This is no time for you to leave and it's certainly not a good time for a change in alpha."
Grey put his hand on top of his boy's trapezius letting his thumb curl lovingly around the curve of his neck. "See, Win, the very fact that you're concerned about these things, coupled with the fact that you're reluctant, tells me that you are ready. You're going to be a great king. Much better than I have been."
Win was shaking his head no. "Cloud is whelping in the spring. You're going to miss being a grandfather."
The king smiled, but did look saddened by that. "I will miss not seeing the young ones, but the tribe will make sure there is enough love and guidance to make up for my absence."
Win narrowed his eyes. "This isn't about that human woman, is it?"
"I don't expect you to understand. There's no way you could. But I don't want to live without her."
Windwalker's eyes widened and he hissed in a breath. "You mated with her!"
Grey hadn't thought about that. He looked downward toward the ground so that he could contemplate that without the distraction of Win and the scenery. But his eyes found his penis on the way and it made him chuckle, remembering how Luna had regarded it as her personal prize.
"What in Fenrir's
name could possibly be funny?" Win thought his father wasn't taking the subject at hand seriously enough, and was getting agitated.
Looking him straight in the eye so that he would know the decision had been made and was no longer up for discussion, Grey said, "This is our last run together. The elders will help you as they've helped me. And BlueClaw is a conduit to the spirit world if you lose your way altogether. He's been a good friend to me. He'll be a good friend to you.
"I have left a short list of phone numbers in my lodge. If you decide you want to follow those who have migrated, The Order of the Black Swan will help you. If you need their help, call Glendennon Catch. He's the future of The Order, a quarter werewolf, very dominant like you, but my advice is that you cease feeling superior to human hybrids before you ask him for help.
"If, at some point, you are challenged for position as alpha, your response is easy. Decide how badly you want it. The job always goes to the werewolf who wants it most. If you don't want it at all, there's no shame in that. And please hear me when I say that those are not just words."
Stalkson grinned. "Sometimes the Fates have surprises in store. We may see each other again and, if we do, you may be my alpha."
Win sighed deeply and looked out over the valley. Grey could see that the heavy shroud of kingship was settling around his son like an aura. It was evident in the change in his posture and expression. It made Grey proud that his progeny was up to the task. It made him sad that Win would experience no more carefree moments until someone else took the mantel of responsibility from him.
At the appointed hour, Litha arrived with Kellareal. He was ridiculously tall, perhaps six six, and ridiculously well built, with eyes almost as black as Deliverance or Storm, and short spiky hair so pale it was almost white. The look was so exotic that it assured he would never be able to appear in that form anywhere in the human world. Unless he was masquerading as a professional wrestler.
Moonlight: The Big Bad Wolf (Black Swan 4) Page 26