CHAPTER 21
Carson sat on the porch, Indian style, a blanket wrapped around her naked form, as the last of the stars gave up the sky to the sun. Closing her eyes, she felt the first waves of warmth beaming down upon her face.
“And just what are you doing awake? I figured you would still be asleep?”
She tipped her head back and smiled at her mate as he walked out of the cabin wearing only a pair of sweats slung low on his hips. She opened the blanket. “Watching the sunrise. Come join me.”
He stopped and gawked at her naked form, reaching down and adjusted himself. “Baby, you need to be careful flashing all that around. You make it difficult to breath... stand... walk... think...”
She grinned at him mischievously. “Well if you don't want...” She teased him gently and began to slowly close the blanket.
“Now where did you hear me say I didn't want?” He chuckled and slid in against her body, closing the blanket over them both. Carefully he pulled her into his lap and tucked the edges of the blanket tightly around them. “Mmm. A guy could definitely get used to this.”
“I intend on you getting very used to my body against yours.” The words were a soft seductive promise that wrapped her even tighter around his heart.
He grinned and cupped her face, tilting it towards him. Drawing her bottom lip into his, he gently sucked it. Under her hip, she felt his arousal and broke the kiss. “Breakfast,” she murmured. “Don't start something that we won't have the time to properly finish. We are already late as it is.”
He sucked in a breath and growled. “I know we promised your folks we'd come for breakfast but can't it wait till, say... next month?”
The laugh that bubbled from her lips lifted his spirits and made his inner beast sit up and take notice. Damn but she was sexy as all hell and she was his, all his.
“You get me for the rest of your life, Beloved. Poppa wants us there for the council's breakfast. They are leaving today and seeing how they were kind enough to travel all this way to see us bonded, we should at least be nice enough to convey our thanks in person.” She nipped his lip again. “I promise after they leave I'm all y...” She stopped mid-sentence, her eyes glazed over and body becoming stiff as a board. Eyes rolling back in her head she felt the tug of the dream as it captured her. Surrendering to it, she let the stream pull her into the depths and merge with her consciousness. Part of her could hear Chase as he called her name; dimly she was aware of him shaking her. “Dream,” she whispered then locked him out of her concentration.
Normally she had to coax a dream into being, had to push herself into someone's stream. However, on very rare occasions, a dream would push itself onto her. It had happened only twice before to her, so it took her completely by surprise. Looking around the stream, she wrinkled her brow and tried to ascertain whose stream had called her. The images flickered through her mind quickly melting from one to the next. She ignored them; they were inconsequential. Looking deep into the stream she saw the approach of a particularly strong image. Concentrating on it, the image steadied and expanded.
She stood in the midst of a grouping of rough cabins, in a sort of common grounds, with several others standing in a rough circular pattern. The clothing they wore consisted of long dresses covering from neck to feet or homespun shirts and trousers held up by suspenders. “The past,” she murmured and turned her attention to the two wolves battling in the middle. It was obvious this was a challenge, but for whom?
Her host looked up at a somewhat familiar looking woman standing beside them, a grim look upon her face. She was watching the combatants unblinking as they tore the ground up, wincing occasionally. They turned their attention back to the ring as one wolf, a huge brute well over five foot tall at the shoulders, sunk his jaws into the neck of the other one, twisting quickly and snapping it. He took a step back and howled his triumph. The woman next to her gasped and picked her up, hurrying away from the challenge ring. The woman was her mother, the dead wolf, their father who had challenged for alpha and failed.
She ran to a small cabin on the outskirts of the village, grabbing a bag and put it on her back. Behind them she heard, “The traitor has been disposed of. The laws have been satisfied.” Mother stopped a second and grabbed her hand. “No tears now. We have to go before they find us.” Shouldering the bag, she pulled her into the woods then picked her up and half shifted began to run.
The dream threw them out of the scene and she felt tears on her face. She sympathized for the poor wolves that had lost a mate, father and home all in one day. But the dream wasn't through with her; she was still immersed in the stream. Waiting patiently as the images flew past her, faster and faster, none stopping, abruptly she found herself on a median and realized she was crossing the now and speeding into the future stream. She braced herself knowing these images would not be as clear and would consist mostly of phantom, unsubstantial maybes. Still there was a reason she was still here so she waited.
She crossed the median and plunged again into the stream. Immediately, an image slammed into her and though it was hazy, it was clear enough for her to make out the formal dining room of her father's house that was used only for official events. Concentrating again, she willed the host to look around and look at each person at the table. At the head, her father had let Carl take the place of honor as Elder Councilor, opting to take the next seat to his right between Carl and the host. Opposite, she could see Councilors Archie and Oliver as they talked softly. She looked to her right two empty spots that would have been filled by herself and Chase – seems Chase had gotten his way after all. Across from them and sitting next to her and her host, Cayson and his mate, Zandria. She could feel her host wrinkle a brow trying to understand why a human had bonded with a wolf but shrugged it off. The table was completed with Gretchen, oldest of the council, sitting at the foot of the table in the spot normally reserved for Mother as the alpha female. The door opened and she saw her mother walk in carrying a tray heaping with eggs, sausage, bacon, ham, biscuits and the obligatory grits and gravy. Jeff jumped up to help her take it but she shook her head. “I have it,” she murmured and placed the tray on the table then taking a seat.
She saw her host's hand reach for a fork and tapped lightly on a glass. “Attention.”
Carson realized at that moment she was sharing a stream with Maggie Watson, the final member of the council. “Please, a moment of your time.”
All eyes turned to them and she stood up.
“I would like to propose a toast. To the strength of Sapphire Lake Pack.”
As one they lifted their glasses. She lifted hers as well and smiled at them. “May it never know another day of loss, of pain, or distress. May it never feel the anguish of losing a child, a mate, a home, a father. May it survive and thrive...” She turned her attention to her left and looked at Jeff. “... and never feel the taint of a Hennison again!”
She drew a silver knife out of her dress pocket, wincing as the metal stung and burned her hand. Quickly, she pulled it back and plunged it into the chest of the alpha. The room became deathly quiet for a moment then screams erupted as she let the knife go, leaving a deep burn on her hand, pushing the chair back and fleeing out the door. Quickly she shifted and bolted for the woods, leaving behind panic and screams that caressed her lupine ears like a bedtime lullaby.
She was thrown out of the stream and the dream, leaving her shaking and gasping for breath. Chase was looking at her with panic in his eyes. “Baby?” he whispered. His voice cracked from the strain.
“She’s going to kill him! We have to go. We have to go right now.”
She jumped up and ran into the cabin, pulling on the first thing she could find, a sweatshirt, slacks and a pair of mismatched shoes.
“Who... Who is going to kill whom?”
“Councilor Maggie is going to kill Poppa. I saw it in the dream. Please we have to go stop it now.
”
He was already pulling his clothes on and grabbing her hand, pulled her out the door behind him.