Daughter, Declan replied with a smile.
Okay. No pressure at all. Sweat was definitely not rolling down my back. Not deterred by my hesitation in the slightest, Declan’s mom gathered my face in the cradle of her strong, calloused hands. Her eyes shifted, growing golden, luminous. I stood trapped by them as she gazed into my soul.
“Beautiful. Just beautiful,” she said as a balm washed over me. I hadn't realized how much I wanted to hear that from my mother, or even my reluctant Aunt, until this moment.
Declan’s siblings skidded into the clearing, panting up a storm.
“You’re late! Come, Tali. We’ll eat now. Celebrate!” Declan’s mother grabbed my hand.
Those fears Declan had about his homecoming seemed like smoke as wolves, furry and more human-looking, took us on a tide of bodies to the main square of Nightfell. I might have pictured mud huts in such a hidden part of the Harrowlands, but the buildings were rustic and warm. Plaster and timber soaked up the night,the color from the cheery banners, the sound of hundreds of wolves milling around us.
It was so different from Evie’s territory, Harrowood. Everyone seemed to know each other, clustering into friend groups around flickering braziers, then breaking apart to find family. It also meant I heard snippets of chatter along the way, but without the sharp, vicious tenor of the gossip of my human village’s accusing rumor pit. Noreen waved to me and her daughter copied her. I stored her name away in case I got desperate, even though her unwavering regard made me uneasy.
Long tables filled the square to form a chain of community where everyone could eat, converse, and raise a glass. Torchlight flickered a warm welcome across the cobbles. These people knew how to create a celebration at speed if all this came together in the short time since we entered their territory.
I moved to sit in the closest chair and Declan heaved me up by my arm, all but dragging me to the head table. No, no. I never sat at the head. I served the people at the head table. Declan shook my arm, a familiar attempt to get me to relax.
She’ll think it’s an insult. You have to sit with me. I won’t bite… hard.
My belly swooped for no good reason. Nerves were better than admitting his tone had me confused. The smile on Declan’s face said he was kidding, right?
I didn’t have time to sort it out becausesomeone walking to his right asked him a question. My ears must have been tired because I couldn’t understand a word of it. The man’s mouth moved, all right. I shook my head.
Then my brain heated to sizzling as Declan replied in the same singsong, rippling language he apparently knew natively. I clenched my teeth so my tongue wouldn’t loll out. Not a clue what they were saying, but the tone, the velvet cadence and rolling R’s arrowed straight between my legs. It sounded like storybook birds gossiping, but hot.
“What was the thing you made me for Mellonia’s Feast Day?” Declan turned to me.
I blinked. Was he talking to me? I needed more of those sounds coming out of his mouth.
“Fallon?” His blue gaze sharpened and the prick of his intent popped the bubble of his words.
“The gr-grilled cheese?”
I swallowed hard as he turned back, and the torchlight caught his sharp jawline. Had it always been so precise? Declan’s features looked slightly boyish. It fit his ever-ready smile. That didn’t mean he was young. I couldn’t remember asking exactly how old he was.
“Ma'tamta hi solonia da'vat lirn, w'baseema hwat.”
Those words were back. His perfect lips molded around them, and the motion hypnotized my brain. Which ones were the humble “grilled cheese?” They were all too beautiful for some bread and curdled cow juice. More like a cold drink in a hot kitchen. My heart beat toofast and when the words stopped, I somehow sat in a chair at the head table. I tried to get up to help serve but food appeared before us before I could move.
It wasn’t just any food. It was heavenly fare. I was already eating with my nose, sucking up the aroma of freshly baked bread, dark red wine, and roasted elk. This, I knew how to do. Eating was just as much fun as cooking.
Declan’s mother sat on my left, Declan on my right. I had barely oriented myself before a toast emerged in that musical language. I couldn’t get a hold of what was happening when I wasn’t directing the flow of the meal. What was I going to do in the middle of a pack of unruly wolves? My strategic brain went up in smoke as I pictured the sleepless nights of waiting for some convenient time to bring up what I really came here for. Half an hour was surely enough time for everyone to get through their greetings and settle in sufficiently for me to make my request. I resisted the urge to tap my foot as small-talk eddied around us. Determined to wrest back some control, I needed to talk about training my powers with Declan’s mother before the wolves got too drunk to remember each other’s names.
I leaned over to Declan and he immediately rested on me. His comfortable weight made this doable.What am I supposed to call your mother?
Anything short of kitchen hag is fine.Declan thought for a second.Though knowing her, she’d probably love that too if it came from mymate.
Be serious.Not that that was Declan’s specialty, but he clocked the panic in my eyes and in the crush of my hand on his.
Declan shrugged, trying to slide his hand from mine.Momma is probably fine.
I wouldn’t let him go.I can’t call her that.My face must have tightened at the thought of not having a set of rules to follow.
Deep breath. Calling her Anise won’t endear her to you. No one here is that formal. She’s just going to be excited to meet you.
Right. I let him go and he shook out his hand. I was supposed to small-talk her or act mate-y or something. But the only thing crowding my brain was how I was going to learn and control my powers to get back to Evie in time to meet my Goddschild. I wasn’t going to let something stupid, like not working hard enough on my magic, get in the way of that. I turned to her, readying my brilliant argument.
“Anise. I need your help.”
