Dark of the Moon (16 page)

My knees grew so weak that I thought I was going to have to sit down. “Thank you, sir. I won’t let the Shifters down.”

He smiled. “I never thought you would, Brittany. You should also know that the elders have always known you didn’t have the ability to shift.”

I didn’t know whether to be angry or stunned. “But you tried to find me a mate.”

“So you wouldn’t be alone when you learned the truth.”

“Why didn’t you just tell me?”

“The transformation involves more than the body. It is a journey of the heart, soul, and mind. You still had roads to travel in order to arrive here.”

“That morning in the archive room, you were setting me up.”

“We were testing you.”

I had a feeling they were still testing me, so I clamped my mouth shut.

With a smile, as though he’d read my thoughts, he said, “This tribunal is now ended.” He brought his gavel down with a loud rap.

Chairs scraped back, and I knew the Guardians were going to start coming over to welcome me back, but there
was only one I wanted to be with. He met me halfway, put his arms around me, lifted me up, and laughed. It was such a warm, joyous sound.

“Are you sure, Connor? Are you sure you want me for your mate?”

“I’ve never been more sure of anything.”

“But with me you’ll never experience that first shifting with a mate, that bond that is created.”

His eyes heated, but his voice was teasing. “There are other firsts that we’ll experience together, other ways to create bonds.”

Then he kissed me—in front of the other Guardians and the elders—but I didn’t mind if the whole world knew. At long last, I had my mate. But more than that, I had Connor.

That night we all met at the Sly Fox: Lucas, Kayla, Rafe, Lindsey, Connor, and me.

We were sitting in a horseshoe-shaped booth, eating pizza, and drinking root beer. For the first time in a long time, I really felt included, part of the pack. The tension I’d felt with Lindsey for much of the summer because of her relationship with Connor had melted away. And I was looking forward to getting to know Kayla better. She was going to start jogging with me in the mornings.

“You really took a chance there disqualifying yourself,” Lindsey said to Connor. “What if the vote had been tied?”

“My dad advised me that if I didn’t want her banned from being a Dark Guardian then I had to convince them that I thought she was worth making sacrifices for. Giving up a vote? Small stuff.”

He reached for his mug of root beer and his newest tattoo peeked out from behind his sleeveless shirt. I skimmed my fingers over it. That afternoon, while I’d been out shopping for cars with my mom, he’d had the tattoo bearing Lindsey’s name removed. I didn’t want details because I was fairly certain it had been a painful process that involved shifting to heal. Then he’d had my name interwoven in a Celtic symbol inked onto his left shoulder. Because the ink is injected into the second layer of skin, while the wound that tattooing creates does heal during shifting, the ink remains in the original design in which it was applied.

“I’d always heard that a Shifter male had to bear the name of his first choice forever,” I said.

“Urban legend,” he said, as he gave me a quick kiss.

“The whole point was that guys were supposed to be discouraged from making rash decisions regarding their mates,” Lindsey said.

“Yeah, well, maybe the girls need to give it a little more thought, too,” Connor teased her.

“Can’t argue with that.” She snuggled against Rafe.

“So tell us about your car,” Kayla said.

I couldn’t stop the bright smile from forming. “Mom said it needed to reflect my wild outlook, so she bought me a red Mustang.”

“Whoa!” Kayla exclaimed. “Way to go, girlfriend. You’ll be the coolest girl at school in the fall.”

“Oh, I can walk to school. Mostly I’ll use it to go see Connor at college. It should get me there pretty fast.”

“You better drive slowly,” Connor warned. “No accidents.”

I knew he was worried because I didn’t possess his ability to heal. Our—their—kind did tend to be reckless because only a fatal wound was ever really a problem. But humans lived to ripe old ages, too. I was going to have to look for a new doctor, though, since the only ones Shifters usually went to were pediatricians. Kids didn’t have the ability to shift and heal either.

“Hey!” A pitcher of root beer thudded onto our table. “Glad things worked out for you.”

I smiled at Daniel. “Thanks for your vote this morning.”

“I never hold a grudge when a girl turns me down.”

“I didn’t exactly turn you down.”

“Grab a seat,” Connor offered.

“We’re going to have to find you a mate,” Kayla said to Daniel.

“Well, let’s not go with the old draw-a-name-from
a-hat technique. That didn’t work out too well,” he said, grinning.

I peered over at Connor. “Thought you said it was a bowl.”

“Does it matter?” he asked, as he put his arm around me.

“No.” I snuggled up against him, always amazed by how perfectly we fit together.

“So?” Lucas prodded. “Anyone up for a two-legged run in the moonlight?”

The night sky was brilliant with so many stars that it was as though someone had casually tossed diamonds onto blackness. The full moon was bright and appeared to be close enough to kiss the earth. As I knelt on the dew-covered grass, I couldn’t see a single cloud. Taking a deep breath, I could smell the wildflowers that coated the ground. Nearby the trees rustled in the breeze while I waited.

I was in a place that Shifters simply referred to as the waterfall. It was possibly the most romantic place within the national forest. I could hear the nearby water rushing over the cliffs and crashing into the pool below. Behind
the curtain of water was a cavern where we stored essentials for those rare times when someone needed a sanctuary. But most of all, the males brought their mates here for their first shifting. Afterward they’d go to the cave to spend their first night together.

But before tonight, Connor and I had already slept curled around each other. We’d awoken several mornings in each other’s arms.

What we were doing tonight was more symbolic. Connor wanted to share a ritual with me that neither of us had experienced before. And while it wouldn’t be exactly what every other Shifter couple went through, what he’d planned seemed perfect for us.

I watched as the moon rose higher in the night sky. Moonlight washed over me. I tingled, but it wasn’t the moon’s work that caused the pleasant sensations. It was simply the result of me awaiting the arrival of my true mate.

When the moon reached its zenith, I lowered my gaze to the trees that lined the perimeter of the clearing. The brownish golden wolf waited at its edge. The moonlight glistened over his fur as he stepped out.

He was powerful and magnificent as he prowled toward me, his eyes holding mine. In Connor’s eyes, I saw all the love he held for me.

When he stopped before me, I buried my fingers in
his fur and pressed him against me. I hoped he heard the pounding of my heart and understood that his nearness made it beat faster. That when I was with him, I always felt as though I was running, always experienced the heady rush of an amazing workout.

He licked my chin and I laughed.

Reaching over I picked up the black cloak that the guy usually wore while he helped his mate welcome her first transformation. I draped it over the wolf, and in the blink of an eye, the wolf had retreated and Connor was kneeling before me.

For most Shifters the bonding happened when human became wolf. For us, it happened when we were both in human form. Like my ancestors, we’d taken the human route toward finding a mate: We’d fallen in love.

“I’d once told Lindsey that I thought Shifters were the most beautiful when they were in wolf form. I think she thought I was crazy. She said that for her there was no difference. I didn’t understand.” I touched his cheek. “I’ve always thought you were gorgeous in wolf form, but now I prefer you like this.”

Turning his head, he kissed my palm. “I’ll only revert to wolf when I have to—to protect the pack.”

“Do you think there will still be dangers? Mason is gone. I heard Bio-Chrome has no more funding. Investors probably realized the research was too dangerous after
what happened to Mason and Dr. Keane. Surely we’ll be safe now.”

“There are always dangers for us, Brittany. Dark Guardians will always be needed.”

As he brought me to my feet, I didn’t want to think about the enemies who might rise up against us or the threats they would bring.

“I don’t resent that you can shift, Connor. You can be a wolf anytime you want. I’ll still love you.”

He flashed a grin just before he kissed me. His lips were warm and tender as he drew me close.

I liked to think as the moon watched us that it approved.

Authors are grateful to have one terrific editor on a project. I was blessed with three. Thank you, ladies, for your guidance, editing, and enthusiasm for the Dark Guardians. They wouldn’t exist without you.