Chapter Five

As I reveled in Kenton’s embrace, I longed for him to take things further.  Memories of our first time making love on the patio flitted through my mind.  What I wouldn’t have given to have him lower me onto the lounge chair and take me right then.  I imagined the feel of the sun’s rays on my bare flesh as he  buried his head between the apex of my thighs and bought me to heady heights while he prepared me for his entering.  My body ached from the mere thought of it.

My imagined sex high came crashing down with rapid speed when his kiss ended and he asked me to sit down so that he could have my full attention while he explained a few things.  My head felt light and dizzy from his kiss as I found my way to a lounge chair.

I’d been settled in and ready to listen for what seemed like minutes, yet he said nothing.

“Are you going to speak?” I finally asked.

“I’m waiting,” he replied.

“For what?” I asked.

“For me,” my mother said as her human form limped onto the patio.  I watched as she carefully lowered herself onto the lounge chair opposite of mine.  The pain of her movements was obvious.  “He was waiting for me to come.  It took me longer to shift back into human form today.  I’m assuming it has something to do with the full moon.  We’re supposed to shift into wolf form, not out of it,”  she explained as she smiled through the pain that was constant while she was in her human form.

I looked from Kenton to my mother and then back again.  “What’s going on?”

“We have one more attendant that we’re waiting on, honey.  Then, all will be revealed,” my mother said as she settled back into the embrace of the abnormally thick chair cushion and sighed.

“I’m here,” came a bubbly male voice from behind me. 

Since I didn’t recognize it, I turned to see who the voice belonged to.  My eyes went wide with appreciation at the sight of a tall, fair haired man who looked to be in his early twenties. His hazel eyes were deep set beneath straight brows.  His hint of facial hair above his lip and around his cheeks and chin helped to accent his kissable lips and attractive nose. His closely cropped hair was the perfect style for the distinctive hairline that framed the broad forehead of his not quite oval face. As handsome as I thought Kenton to be, this man could easily rival him in that department.  I wanted to swoon just for the joy and privilege of being in his company.

“Kenton, my man,” the hot guy said in a jovial tone as he walked toward my lover with his hand extended for a handshake. “It’s been too long.”

Kenton looked as surprised I was to see this stranger, but he shook his hand vigorously and greeted him warmly.  After which, the young man looked to me and then to my mother.  “It’s good to see you again, Maryanne.” He bent over and kissed her cheek.  “You lied to me. You’re still just as beautiful as ever.  Not even a little werewolf mauling can take that from you.”

My mother emitted a girlish giggle while slapping his shoulder as he stood up and looked in my direction. “I’m Godwin. You must be Missy. There’s no mistaking you’re Maryanne’s offspring.  You inherited her beauty.”

I leaned forward to accept his handshake.  “It’s nice to meet you, Godwin.  Please take a seat.”  

I practically stumbled over my words as a jolt of erotic energy surged through my body while he held my hand.  I’d already aroused my sex apparatus with my lustful thoughts while being kissed by Kenton. His handshake didn’t help matters.

“Don’t mind if I do,”  he said as he pulled a chair up next to mine and seated himself into it.  “Okay, Kenton.  I think we’re all here now.”

“If you don’t mind?” Kenton said as he nodded his head toward the house and raised his brows, expectantly.

“Oh, yes.  Sorry,” Godwin said as he waived his hand in the air and a cloudy film covered the house. “There, we’re good now.”

“What did you do?” I asked with a mixture of curiosity and concern.

“I blanketed the house so that vampire ears can’t hear our conversation,” Godwin explained.  “This meeting is for fairy ears only.”

I was tempted to point out that Kenton was also a vampire and that my mother was a wolf ninety-five percent of the time, but I knew that would be childish and nitpicky, so I held my tongue and waited for the meeting to start.

I was glad that I’d had the sense enough to pull my longing gaze away from Godwin when Kenton looked directly at me as he started things off. 

“I’ve called this meeting because I think it’s time that you understand more of what’s happening and what might be happening around you.”  He looked up at the sun and winced.  “It was my intention to hold it earlier this morning, but you went riding.”

Realizing that he was being affected by the rays of the sun just as Cindy and Amelia had been, I suddenly felt guilty about going riding without telling him first.

“Do you want to take it inside?” I asked.

“I’ll be alright,” Kenton said.  “Let’s just get on with it.”

My mother struggled out of her chair and hobbled to the side of the sliding door.  To the surprise of both Kenton and me, she pushed a button that I’d never noticed and a hidden awning slowly emerged from the house.”

“Well, damn,” I said with awe.

“Language, young lady,” my mother said with a scowl.

Kenton smiled as he watched the awning become

a barrier between us and the sun. ““I had no idea that was there. Thanks, Maryanne.”

“This house is full of little secrets,” she said as she returned his smile.  “Remind me to fill you in on the rest of them.”

“I will,” Kenton said as he visibly grew more at ease.  “Now, back to the meeting.” He pulled up a chair so that he was sitting amongst us.  “Wolf Mountain can be a complicated place.  Centuries ago, it was primarily populated by fairies and elves. Then, the wolves came. Since fairies are a delicacy to the wolves, they began to hunt them.  Being a peaceful people, the fairies chose to relocate, rather than battle with the wolves for the sake of a mountain.  That’s when things changed and the wolves took over.”

“You’re fairy,” I said.

Kenton nodded. “I am, as are a few other families in the area.  Those who refused to leave.  My family goes back to the time of the formation of this mountain.  We’re the oldest family on the mountain.  I can’t imagine them ever leaving.”

“You’ve never told me about your family,” I pointed out.

“I guess I haven’t,” he said.  “I will, but not today.  We have too much to cover.”

I shifted my body into a more comfortable position and prepared myself to listen.

“Godwin is a distant relative of mine.  A cousin three times removed.  He is also from a fairy family that didn’t leave the mountain when the wolves moved in.”

I looked at Godwin in time to receive a wink and a brilliant, toothy smile from him.  To my humiliation, I blushed in response.  Hoping that Kenton didn’t see my reaction, I quickly looked away.

“Unlike me, Godwin has his fairy powers fully intact.  He has the ability to wield magic with the best of them,” Kenton continued.

“But, you’re the peacekeeper of the mountain,” I said.

“I am,” he smiled, “but I don’t do it with magic.  A little magic, yes, but mostly it’s because of my vampirism.  Vampires exceed wolves with strength and speed, for the most part. It’s only during the time of the full moon that wolves equal us in that department.”

“I didn’t realize wolves could do mind control,” I said as I remembered my sexual encounter with Ethan.

“They can to a degree,” Godwin offered. “Vampires can make you do their will, no matter what.  Wolves can only enhance your desires.  They can’t make you do something you’d rather not do.”

My face burned scarlet as the impact of his words hit home.  I’d allowed myself to believe that the sex fest between Ethan and me that was caught on hidden camera and distributed on the dark web was done because of his control over my mind.  Now, I had to face the fact that I’d desired that fabulous sex with him.  All he’d done was to enhance that desire.  I was even more mortified knowing that Kenton and my mother were aware of this fact. 

Godwin saw my reaction and scowled.  “Did I say something that I shouldn’t have?”

“No, Godwin,” my mother quickly assured him with a smile.  “Missy’s just trying to absorb our words.” She looked at Kenton and smiled.  “Go on, please.”

Kenton’s eyes never left me as he continued to speak.  I could be wrong, but I thought that I detected sympathy and compassion for my discomfort in them.  If so, he was one of a kind.  I just don’t know how I’d react to the knowledge that my lover had pornographic sex with someone else because he desired it.  I was fairly sure that I’d be a jealous maniac who’d want to kill the one he’d slept with and then castrate him, at the very least.  This realization made me wonder why Kenton hadn’t gone after Ethan and my insecurities surfaced.  Maybe he didn’t love me as much as I thought he did?

“The wolves have  a certain way of doing things that we may not understand or agree with, but, for the most part, we’ve left them alone.  What happened with Cindy changed all of that. It was bad enough that we broke into Hap’s home and killed two wolves, but I also turned Cindy into a vampire.  As far as Michael’s concerned, I’ve pretty much declared war.  The only reason they’ve done nothing is because they require the strength of the full moon.”

“Which is tonight,” I gasped. 

Remembering poor Cindy lying there, fully aware of what was happening, while a wolf disemboweled her made me shudder at the thought of what might come.

“I doubt they will do much tonight.  I have it on good authority that Michael is summoning support from other packs in the territory. It will take time for them to gather and then for the alphas to meet and agree on a game plan.  Alphas are arrogant beasts.  They’re bound to bump heads as each one tries to take control of the situation.  This will give us time to prepare and gather our own army.”   He looked at my mother. “You’re in quite a predicament now that you’re a wolf most of the time.  They will expect you to join them.”

“They can go to hell,” my mother spat.   “I’ve already told Michael where I stand.”

“They might come after you because of it,” Godwin said, worriedly.

“I’m still fairy,” she said.  “I may not be as powerful as you are, Godwin, but I can wield a bit of magic if need be.”

“You can?” I exclaimed in surprise.

“As will you,” Kenton said.  “I will be forced to bring in vampires by the next full moon.  You’ve met Amelia, so you know what to expect.  I’ve been able to keep her under control, but I don’t know if I can keep you safe amongst a group of them.  You’re too tempting.”

“I’ve summoned Godwin to teach you magic,” my mother said.  “You are both fairy and elf.  That makes you very powerful.  I’m sorry that I never told you.  I’m even sorrier that I brought you back here without having had you tutored in magic.  Even elfin magic would have been better than no magic.”

“What’s wrong with elfin magic?” I asked.

“Absolutely nothing,” Godwin offered. “It’s just not as powerful as fairy magic.  When it comes to dealing with the supernatural, fairy magic reigns supreme.”

“What about witches?” I asked.

Godwin chuckled.  “Witchcraft is drawn from two sources.  One is the elemental  or nature source, the other is darkness.  Fairy magic is a gift from the creator. It is not drawn from a source.  You are the source.  There is nothing more powerful.”

“So, the fact that my mother is also a werewolf and Kenton is a vampire weakens their magic abilities?  Is that correct?” I asked.

“Very good,” Godwin said with a smile. “That’s exactly correct.”

I looked at Kenton.  “Do you miss it?”

“It’s weakened, not gone,” he said in a voice that sounded a bit testy.

I was about to ask him if I’d said something wrong when Amelia popped her head out of the sliding door.  “A meeting without me?”

“Missy’s mother has decided to pay us a visit,” Kenton said. “We’re just catching up.”

The nasty vampire woman eyed my mother with distaste, “Phew, you look a sight.  No wonder you stay in wolf form.”

My mother flew out of her chair and was a mere inches away from Amelia’s face within seconds. “You are my guest in this house.  You’d do well to remember that and curb that viper tongue of yours.”

I smiled with pleasure as I watched Amelia shrink back into the house without uttering a sound.  My smile quickly faded when I saw my mother struggle to return to her chair.

“Turn back, mom,” I urged as I rushed to her side. “Turn back into a wolf and then go into hiding until the  moon is no longer a threat.”

She nodded her agreement.

We watched in awed wonder as my mother returned to wolf form.  It wasn’t like the television  shows I’d watched.   There were no cries of agony from her and no cracking of bones.  That might be the case for a normal werewolf, but not for my  magical mom.   She simply closed her eyes and, amidst a haze of twinkling light, became a wolf.  It was a beautiful sight to behold.