Luna's Sokjan (Book one) (22 page)

My parents knew by a year
old that their only daughter would wield magic. By seven, I had
completed my first change. When I turned twelve and stood before
the pack elders pretending to change for the first time, it was the
shape of a wolf. I shared all of this with Gabriel and laughed at
his stunned expression.

“You can take the form of
a wolf?” he asked me.

“Yes, among other animals.
Mother loved to change, she tried all the animal forms, but tiger
was her favorite.” I replied.

“So you’re not a true
werecat?” He had pulled away from me to pace around the
kitchen.

“Oh, I am a werecat. It’s
my true form, but I can use magic to change into other animals.” I
told him.

I had relaxed some myself.
Odd that he could do that to me.

“What form will our
children take?” He asked me, and I stilled.

“I don’t know,” it was the
safest answer. I sighed, “Gabriel let’s not talk about this right
now. I need to concentrate on your missing girls.” and an ancient
vampire. Also witches could possibly now be involved in this case
somehow.

“And if I want too?” He
asked from behind me.

“It would be a one-sided
conversation,” I told him and he nipped the back of my
neck.

I jerked and almost
spilled my coffee.

“You sir, will pay for
that.” I told him turning around.

I kissed him. I couldn’t
be around him and not kiss or touch him in some way. I was sliding
in deeper and deeper, Luna help me.

“Go play with your
wolves.”

With a grin, he left me
standing in the kitchen watching him leave.

The fall night air
whispered of the coming winter and held the promised of a cold and
snowy one. Just the way I liked it. The wind blew my long white
hair and the long skirt of my blood red formless robe around me. I
faced true north.

Standing still for a
moment, I let the cold wind clear my tired mind
.

I raised my hands and in a
loud controlled voice I called out. “Ancient spirit of the north, I
call thee forth, and request you charge this circle with the living
power of wood and rock.”

The earth stirred around
me, trees swayed, and rocks rolled over.

With a laugh I knelt and
ran loving hands over the earth. Standing back up, I took a step
back and a large moss covered rock lay in my footprint.

I walked around the house
to the east. I raised my hands and called out. “Ancient spirit of
the east, I call thee forth and request you charge this circle with
the mighty power of wind.”

The wind blew my hair
around me.

Laughing I spun and
twirled about creating a funnel and when I stepped back it stayed
in my footprint.

I moved around the house
until I faced south. Raising my hands I called out. “Ancient spirit
of the south, I call thee forth and request you charge this circle
with the all-consuming power of fire.”

A wall of flame appeared
before me
.

I danced with it and again
when I stepped away, a pillar of fire formed in my
footprint.

I rounded the house to
face west. Raising my hands I called out. “Ancient spirit of the
west, I call thee forth and request you charge this circle with the
cleansing and destructive power of water.”

I heard the sounds of
waves crashing against rocks, felt the misty spray of water on my
face. I licked my lips tasting the salty ocean.

With my arms open wide, I
bent low to the ground. As I stood extremely slowly, I created a
tidal wave as tall as me. Stepping backwards I watched as the tidal
wave reformed in my footprint.

I moved to the middle of
the yard and faced the house. With my arms spread wide, I called
all the elements to me and with wild laughter danced with them.
Taking three giant steps away from the four frantically swirling
elements. I opened my arms again and threw my head back and called
out in a voice full of power.

“Great and powerful Luna,
I call to thee and request your guidance in the work I do this
day.” Silvery white dust floated down upon me.

Calling the wild swirling
elements to me, I blended them with the dust to make a silver
glowing ball.

I offered it to the sky,
“Mother, please accept my gift.” The glowing ball dissipated,
before my eyes.

I laughed in delight and
began to dance a circle around the house, dipping and twirling,
spinning and leaping, faster and faster as the power grew greater
and greater around the house. I landed on my knees facing the house
again. I sat with my head bowed and took several deep
breaths.

I called out in breathy
tones, “Ancient spirits of hearth and keep, of peace and war, taken
from this world so long ago, it is I, McKenna, daughter of Luna who
calls to you.”

I felt the power move and
bend. As a fine misty haze surrounded the grounds, I peeked from
under my lashes and saw figures in the mist. Ancient warriors, men
and women, spirits from a world long gone and almost forgotten, I
stood up
,
placing
my right fist over my heart. I called out.

“Greetings brothers and
sisters, accept my power as payment for the calling. Take only what
you need and leave some for me.” I almost cried out from the pain
as I felt them absorb the offered power. “I bid you protect all
that dwell within this home. Be it day or night, through bad
weather and fair, through war and peace. Help me to protect all who
walk and sleep with in its hollow walls. Protect all who call it
home. So be it.”

The spirits began shifting
and whispering in Gaelic, the ancient Celtic language. I dropped to
my knees as pain roared through my head. How many spirits had I
called? Suddenly I felt an exceptionally strong presence before
me.

“Rise, chosen daughter of
Luna, daughter of Cadfan, Luna’s battle Raven and Padma, the
shape-shifting witch, I bring you greetings from the ancestor
spirits.” The voice was filled with the rolling hills of
Scotland.

Huge hands flowing with
strength and burning with energy grabbed my shoulders. I looked
over the large, handsome man as I stood up. He was dressed in
ancient Celtic battle gear, complete with warrior braids. I peered
up into the ghostly white eyes of the ancestor spirit and gasped
out loud.

My heart stopped. I
recognized him, and a memory hovered just outside my grasp. I
somehow knew the taste and strength of this spirit’s power. My hand
reached out to touch him, before I remembered he was an apparition.
I hid my fist in my shirt, when I pulled my hand back.

“Branwen
,
beautiful raven, you should never kneel before anyone. Not
the ancestor spirits, not even me,” he said, and I drowned in his
heavily accented deep voice.

He’d used my real name. No
one had called me by that name since my father had died. In Welsh
it did mean, beautiful raven. My mother had thought it a joke, she
told me years later, when my father insisted on the name. Ravens
are black birds after all. My father’s name was Cadfan. His hair
was as black as the darkest storm with matching eyes. His name
matched, but I had never heard him called Luna’s battle
raven.

So, when he named me
Branwen. She was stunned, my hair was white and my eyes were icy
blue. She’d refused to call me by my first name and would only
address me by my middle name, McKenna.

“It is good to see the old
ways are not all forgotten. We have been watching you for a long
time lassie and we have found you worthy.” We studied each
other.

I arched an eyebrow at his
comment. They had been watching me and found me worthy? Did I
imagine his smile of amusement?

“We accept your offer of
power. We proudly take up the task of protection, for all those who
dwell with in these hollow halls, be it day or night, though bad
weather and fair, through war and peace. No harm will befall any
who dwell within its walls and call this place home. So be it.” He
stated.

I snapped my wrist and
felt the familiar pressure in my hand. Lifting the dagger up I cut
my finger and I offered the bleeding appendage to the
spirit.

“I bind our arrangement in
blood.” The magic from my blood nipped at us.

He looked deep into my
eyes as he licked the blood that ran down my finger, from base to
tip and I almost purred in delight.

“The binding is done.
Blood offered and accepted.” I whispered never taking my eyes from
his.

“In another time, in
another life, I would have been the one claiming the likes of you
for myself.” The spirit whispered against my skin.

I closed my eyes against
the over whelming sensation, to do anything and go anywhere he
wanted. I knew this man. I knew that his power had once been
something to fear and respect. Even now I could feel his power
pulling at me, and I wanted so badly to respond back.

Opening my eyes, white
full of my power responding to his, we stared at each other. The
attraction for this spirit made no sense to me, but it was
intensely real.

“In another time, in
another life, that claiming would be just as difficult as it is
now, even for the likes of you.” I whispered back.

He gave me a feral grin. I
could see what a life with him would be like and I wanted it very
badly.

“Sleep well little Raven,
knowing that I am watching over you once again.” He ran the back of
his hand down my cheek and disappeared.

I stood still as the mist
slowly disappeared around me. I took a couple of deep breaths,
before thanking all the spirits that had come at my request and
closed my circle. Even after, the circle was gone. I could feel the
energy left over from the shielding. It tingled and teased my skin.
This was different
.
I couldn’t ever remember pulling that much power during a
ritual before and having this much left over. I sat down in the
yard to think over what had just happened.

“That was totally
amazing!” Jennifer cried as she ran across the yard. “I thought I
would die when the ground moved, and the wall of fire. Oh Luna, I
could see the funnel, and the tidal wave you made. We all could. I
wish I could do that.”

She sat down in front of
me. Talking and waving her hands around, almost reenacting the
whole ceremony before me. I sat back on my elbows and watched her
with a smile. I didn’t have the heart to tell her that the show had
been for her, Gabriel, and his wolves. I could have done the whole
thing without a single flare, but watching her laugh and dancing
around made the whole show worth every minute. I groaned as she
grabbed my hands and pulled me to my feet.

“Teach me to dance like
that, please McKenna.” She begged and I did.

We danced and teased each
other around the yard. I was as high on magic as she was. Gabriel
watched us from the roof, where he had been through the entire
ritual. Jennifer told me.

I smiled up at my dark,
brooding wolf, and placed my right fist over my heart. He mirrored
the action. When Jennifer made the same vow, he bowed to us. My
heart thumped faster in my chest.

Could this actually work
out for us? The thought only lasted a one fleeting moment, before
my gaze found the shadowy figure standing beside Gabriel. The Celt
stood with his arms crossed over his chest staring at me. He slowly
lowered his left hand, he too made the pledge, to protect and
serve.

Chapter 15

“I had forgotten what a
show you could put on.” Angus said to me and kissed my
temple.

We were cleaning up the
kitchen after dinner. I smiled at him and handed him a cup of
coffee.

“I haven’t done anything
like that in years. I had forgotten how good it felt. I’ll have to
remember to be careful when we start teaching Jennifer the old
rituals.”

“Do you think the lassie
has the gift?” He asked.

“I do. Her hand glowed
purple when I tested her at the house the other day. Could you
please start training her?” I asked him.

When I looked into his
earthy green eyes and knew he would
.

“Yes, lassie, I would be
honored to begin her on the path.” He agreed.

“Thank
you
,
Da.” I
whispered and kissed his cheek.

Gabriel’s low growl echoed
from behind Angus.

“You know I am allowed to
touch my own father, Gabriel.” I told him.

Just to prove my point I
touched Angus’s old cheek.

“Yes you are McKenna, just
wait until the mates bond settles down.” He told me.

He poured himself a cup of
coffee.

“And that will be when?” I
ventured.

“It could be two weeks or
a month. It could take as long as a year.” Angus said and laughed
at the look on my face, “I’ll take the wee lassie up and tuck her
into bed. We have a few things to talk about.”