And no, jeans hadn’t been necessary, and Kenny had called her on it when she’d asked.
She was riding in the back of the SUV with Boone, his hand on her thigh, her hand resting on his, their fingers intertwined, and the men were telling her a little about what to expect during full-moon runs.
Basically, she’d be on her own once the wolves allchangedand ran into the forest, and then would help with breakfast the next morning when hundreds of hungry wolves returned from a night on four legs.
They’d make breakfast casseroles ahead of time, so she’d only need to cycle them in and out of the oven, and other humanand shifter mates would come help. There was a set routine, and she’d learn how things work so she could eventually take charge.
When they reached the top, she smiled at Silas when he opened her door, then gasped when he pinched her left nipple through the sweater.
The lights were already a little like a fantasy before they even made it in, and they cut up and joked while they waited in line.
And then came the entrance, wrapped in light and shimmering, glowing archways of gold and white that stretched into the trees like something out of a dream.
“Oh, wow,” Boone said. “Ya’ll weren’t kidding when you said there are millions of lights.”
He stood in the Grand Corridor of Lights and turned in a slow circle. Every tree had been lit, doves made of lights hanging overhead, a tunnel of lights to walk through, and a woodland path that curved through it all like a fairy tale.
She held Boone’s hand and pointed out all the little magical details you might not notice if you were looking at the big picture. They rounded a corner and she heard the hint of Christmas music, and she gave a happy sigh.
“It’s even prettier than I remembered, Sirs.”
“I’m pretty sure they’ve added more lights since the last time I did this,” Silas said. “Something about cold weather and lights that makes Christmas seem closer.”
They walked through the boulders, over bridges that felt as if they should have trolls under them, through little alcoves, all lit in a fantasy world.
In the Magic Forest, larger-than-life mushrooms lit from within, glowing deer and fairy-tale animals peeking out from between branches. Trees lit in neon colors stood among others still dusted in white, and the effect was surreal — like someone had cast a spell on the woods.
Willow stopped to admire a fox made of twisted vine and white light, nestled beneath a tree wrapped in indigo.
Boone stopped, turned in a circle again and said, “I’d havelovedthis as a kid.”
“You can love it now,” Willow told him. “It isn’t likeIcan give you permission, right, Sir? You have to give it to yourself.”
He looked at her, surprised, then gave her a slow, warm smile.
“And I love this part more as an adult than I did as a kid,” she told him. “It feels ancient and strange and safe, all at once, Sir.”
Boone nodded. “Feels like the magic of myths. Of childhood fantasies.”
They kept walking, winding through the frosted paths, the trail climbing gently higher until they reached the swinging bridge, lit with flickering icicle lights along the ropes, and the rope rails were just low enough to be thrilling.
Willow grinned and stepped onto the bridge as the group in front of them stepped off. It swayed under her boots, and she speedwalked out far enough she could have fun making it move. When her men didn’t join her, she turned and saw them standing at the edge.
And she remembered wolves aren’t a fan of heights. They like keeping their feet on solid ground.
She grinned at them. “Who needs me to hold your hand, Sirs?”
She swayed gently, pressure on one boot, then the other. Kenny stepped onto it, walking as steady as he could, and said, “I’m thinking we make you swing in our own special way once we get you home, so just keep it up, little girl.” He couldn’t call her fucktoy or his other favorite names for her where people might hear, but he got his point across withlittle girl.
She stilled, considering, and then smiled and made it sway some more. A gust of wind lifted her hair and moved herskirt, and she looked around: black rocks below, trees dusted in glittering lights, and stars overhead in a clear winter sky.
And then a line of people came up behind her men, and she turned and made her way off the swing, so she didn’t hold them up.
When Silas caught up to her, he put his mouth at her ear and said, “Hung by your ankles, swinging back and forth, one of us flogging your cunt from the front, the other from the back, catching you at both outside arcs.”
“Yeah, and I’ll be in the middle flogging her ass at the bottom of the arc,” Kenny said, his voice low. “We’ll see who likes to swing then.”
Willow couldn’t help her smile. If they were pissed, it would’ve been canes. Floggers would be a fun scene for her and everyone knew it.
