Chapter Twenty-One

Pizza

Death and Rebirth

Dàn felt a hot, soothing wave of joyful emotion rush into him, and he smiled. He looked up and met Maura's intense gaze as she hurried toward him. She wore a long, flowing dress and a worried look. As she drew closer to the porch, Sgrios stepped between them, bringing her to a sudden halt.

"It's all right." Dàn said to his unexpected guardian. "Maura will not hurt me."

Sgrios gave him a searching look before leaving the two of them alone and heading off toward the woods for another walk. Three steps from the porch, he shifted into the shape of a black wolf and loped off out of sight.

"Maura, I'm glad you're here." Dàn's words felt weak compared to his emotions. He felt a connection to Maura along with his continued curiosity about her.

"I'm so very glad you're well." She studied his face and his many slowly healing scars. "Or are you? I saw your death. I saw it all." Her eyes glistened with barely restrained tears.

"I still live, although I am not yet sure why that is." They sat down on the bench, close but not quite touching.

"I went to the spirits to ask if there was any way to save you. One of them had a suggestion." Maura looked at him, and Dàn felt her helplessness from when she thought he would die, and somehow, he knew the spirits had been her last hope.

"Was it the young woman? She called me and tried to tell me something during the ceremony." He wondered what the woman had been trying to tell him. Perhaps he would be able to go back and find out.

"It was. How strange. She said to pray to Cernunnos, the Celtic god of rebirth. I did, and he answered me."

"Cernunnos answered you?" It had been a long time since he had thought of Cernunnos.

"Yes. I felt him in my mind. He said he would care for you, as was right. Do you know what that means? Does that make sense to you?"

It didn't make much sense. Cernunnos was a powerful Celtic god with many ties to other religions.

"At the time, I feared you would die, and I was only seeing to the care of your spirit. But Cernunnos said you would live."

"He saved my life once before, but I don't know why. Perhaps because I was born in Ireland." In truth, he felt the connection was more than simply the tie to his birthplace. His only brief meeting with Cernunnos had been both wonderful and terrible.

"How did you survive the torture? I saw them kill you. I can see your fading scars even now."

"I don't think I did." He hesitated to explain what he thought had happened. Which at least made more sense now, after she'd told him about her contact with Cernunnos. "I think someone, maybe Cernunnos, held me from death after I had fled life."

"Then you are blessed, indeed. Blessed by the gods."

She slid over on the bench and clasped his hand in her own. "I thought I had lost you even before I'd truly found you." She continued silently. "How did he save you the first time?"

He should have pulled away before she could touch him, but her touch soothed him and did no damage to his balance. Tendrils of mist stirred over their linked fingers. He tightened his hand over hers, accepting her gentle emotions and the soft touch of her spirit. "Cernunnos sent me the dream that foretold the attack on our clan. It gave me time to get a few of the others to safety. But only a few." Even as a child, he had sensed the pure goodness of Cernunnos. To him, the god was all that was good and light in appearance and being. The dream premonition had been a compassionate gift that should have saved many more than it had. His own failure to warn more of the clan would haunt him as a reminder of his own inadequacies.

"I'm sure you did all you could." Her understanding and compassion brushed over his old guilt, softening and soothing his remembered pain.

"Not enough. My visions began to strengthen after that." They had strengthened so much that he had been nearly catatonic while he fought for control of his mind.

"You are not like the others. You are made of something different. You're stronger and meant for something more important."

"I know not who I am, nor do I know my own destiny." Between his visions and nightmares, Dàn knew the time was coming when he would have to learn the truth about his past and his heritage before searching for his destiny. Otherwise, his choices may be taken from him, and the future given to him may be disastrous for all others.

"Let me watch over you while you watch over others."

"Is this your offer of friendship?" he asked, while almost afraid she would wish for more from him. More was not an option, at least not yet.

"For now."

It was more than he could hope for. "For now."

* * *

Steve and the others returned by early evening. He snagged Hope's arm as she walked by. "I'm heading home. Call me if you need anything. Okay?"

"I will. I appreciate all you've done. Thank you." Hope hugged Steve tight. "Are you sure you don't want to stay for pizza? It should be here any time now."

"No thanks. Dealing with their family was a bit much." He hugged her back. He looked tired and worn thin, with all that he'd gone through today. "I just need to get some sleep in my own bed and pretend the world is a little bit normal."

"I understand. And things are pretty calm for now, even if the house is packed with Sandulfr and Athair's clans."

Steve stepped out and started to close the door behind him but hesitated and looked back at Hope. "I like Athair. He's good for you."

"I'm glad you like him. He's special in so many ways." Steve's acceptance of Athair was important to her. If she was lucky, they would both be part of her life from now on. Life would certainly be easier if the two men could get along.

"Is it like that?"

"Yes, I think it is. He makes me feel whole again." He'd done more than heal her physical injuries. Athair truly felt like the part of her she hadn't known was missing. Now that she could feel him and the connection between them within her mind, she felt complete.

"I'm happy for you." Steve hugged her one last time, and then headed for his car.

Hope watched as he left. The pizza delivery car was on its way up the driveway, so she grabbed her purse to pay for it. The boy carried a stack of boxes up to the door.

"Come in. Please set them on the table." She dug out a handful of bills to cover the cost.

"Sure thing, Ms. Carter. You have quite an order tonight."

"Oh my, Jimmy?" Jimmy was the eldest son of James Jordan, who lived down the road a few miles. "I hardly recognized you. You've gotten so tall."

"Dad says that if I want to buy my own car, I had to get a job."

"How long have you been delivering pizza?" It was hard to believe that James had a son old enough to drive. He was only about her age.

"This is my second week. I really like it so far. Some of my friends said people are mean to delivery guys, but I haven't seen that. I get great tips." He said the last with an outrageous grin, which made Hope laugh at his antics.

Hope paid Jimmy and tipped him well, then carried the pizza into the large formal dining room. Athair had hinted at the territorial nature of their kind when two clans came together. So, half the boxes went to one end of the table, and half to the other. She'd already set out plates.

Next, she went in search of her guests. Granny declined pizza. She said she had some preparation to do for the meeting. Most of the younger members were in the den watching television. They had already smelled the food and were more than ready to dig in.

She checked the porch where she'd last seen Athair and found Dàn and Maura deep in conversation.

Maura looked up as Hope opened the door. "Do I smell pizza?"

"It just arrived." Maura and Dàn sat close, reminding Hope of teenagers on a date. She was glad to see Dàn finally relaxing and healed. Even his white scar lines were nearly gone.

"What's pizza?" he asked.

"It's the best. Come on. You'll see." Maura held onto Dàn's hand, and he looked content to follow where she led him.

"It's in the dining room. Help yourselves." Hope watched them go, while wondering where she might find Athair. She suddenly felt silly chasing all over the house looking for him. It would take some time to get used to her new skills. Athair? she called out mentally.

Yes, Hope? he answered immediately.

I just wanted to let you know dinner is ready. Hope smiled as she felt Athair's answer. He was carrying on multiple conversations, and she heard an echo of his comments to Sandulfr as he relayed the information about dinner.

Thanks, love. I hope you ordered plenty. Sandulfr said they didn't stop for lunch today. His group is starving. Athair paired the comments with a mental caress.

Where are you? She tried to send a similar show of affection back to him and was rewarded with his feeling of pleasure.

I was showing Sandulfr your clinic. Is that okay?

Of course. She smiled at his use of "okay." He was adjusting well to her more relaxed language.

He thought it was amusing that you locked me up in the dog kennel. She shared his amusement over the memory.

Did he, now? So, what do you think of him?

He is a man of honor. He has fought hard to get to where he is, and he deserves the leadership position he holds.

By fought, do you mean he had to fight to become leader? That was a scary thought and a good reminder that these were not average people.

In his case, yes. He took leadership by challenge. He defeated the previous Alpha in fair combat.

How terrible. She had been looking forward to meeting more of Athair's kind, but Sandulfr sounded rather intimidating.

He did it to stop the man from attacking a group of humans who had wandered into their territory.

Hope met the two men at the breeze way and led them back to the dining room. Several boxes of pizza and most of Sandulfr's people were gone.

Dàn answered her unspoken question, "They went back to the den to watch the end of the movie."

"Good. I was worried about it being too crowded in here." She looked around to be sure there were enough chairs for those who remained. Dàn and Maura sat at one end of the table, and Rath, Reultan, and Díon sat at the other. With them was another man Hope hadn't yet met. They were sampling different soft drinks by passing the cans between them.

Athair said, "I don't think I had the chance to introduce you to Leth when they got back." Leth stood at Athair's words and bowed slightly, managing to look formal despite being clad in leather from vest to boots.

"It's nice to meet you, Leth." She wondered at his choice of formality.

"And you as well." His manners perfect, Leth shook her hand and smiled.

"Leth's father is Sgrios."

Hope must have stiffened without realizing it, because Leth's smile widened, and he chuckled. "Athair, you have ruined my good impression. Where is Daddy?"

"He went for a walk," answered Dàn.

"You would be wise for you to remember your place, you young rascal," Athair chastised Leth, lightly cuffing the back of his head. Then he got pizza for himself and Hope.

"Of course, Athair." Leth dipped his head in meekness while managing to wink at Hope. Despite their similar looks, it was hard to relate this amusing young man to Sgrios in any way.

Hope smiled as she watched the clan's reaction to the taste of pizza. Dàn, especially. He closed his eyes and savored every bite. After everything he'd been through, she was glad he could still enjoy the simple pleasure of new flavors.

He was about to get a third slice at Maura's urging, when he sank back into his seat and a pained expression crossed his face. "Oh no." His words were whispered, but he still drew everyone's attention.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Maura asked him.

Dàn shook his head slightly. "Someone's been hurt. I think killed."

"Who?" asked Athair.

"I don't know. I'm sorry. I was trying to not see, but then I recognized the turn in the road." Dàn rested his forehead against his palm, his expression filled with painful regret.

"Is there time to stop it?" Athair asked as he stood.

Dàn's miserable look told what his words confirmed. "No. It's done. He's dead." He rose and with Maura at his side, led the way through the house and out onto the front porch.

"Show us where," Hope said as she, Athair, and Sandulfr followed Dàn and Maura down the steps and just past the end of the driveway. From there, Hope could easily see the county sheriff's car and two men standing next to the roadside.

"Wait here." Hope stopped. "I know the sheriff. I'll ask him what happened. That way, fewer people will be involved."

"That makes sense," Sandulfr said.

Athair nodded, and she felt his comforting presence within her mind as she walked around the bend toward the sheriff. She wondered what could have happened. Who'd been hurt? Why? What if it was Steve that Dàn had seen? She prayed it was a mistake and that no one was hurt. But as she got closer, she saw a car partially hidden at the side of the road.

Jimmy's car.

And next to the car, Sheriff Blackwell was laying a blanket over... probably Jimmy. Hope closed her eyes, thinking how happy the boy had been to have a new job and a new car. And now he had nothing.

Relief that Steve was safe warred with her sadness over Jimmy's death. Hope needed to find out what happened. "Sheriff?" she called.

Sheriff Blackwell turned and walked to meet her before she got too close to the scene. "Hope. What are you doing here? I was just coming to see you."

"I thought I heard something, so I came to check. What's going on? Isn't that Jimmy's car?"

"Do you know why Jimmy was out here?"

"He brought our pizza for dinner. Was he in an accident? Was he hurt?"

"Hope, listen to me. Can you answer a few questions?"

She nodded as he led her to the other side of the department car. She tried to remember what Dàn had said. Maybe it was just an accident.

"When did Jimmy bring the pizza? Do you remember the time?"

"Not long ago. Maybe an hour. But I don't think even that long. What happened to Jimmy? How could there be an accident, when he couldn't have been going very fast after just pulling out."

"Jimmy was not in an accident."

Hope's mind whirled around what the sheriff had implied. "What do you mean?"

"Have you seen any strangers lately?" He pulled a small notepad from his shirt pocket and flipped it open.

"Why?"

"There was a call reporting seeing a strange man stop the pizza car. The caller gave a good description."

"You mean someone attacked Jimmy?" How could that be? He was just a boy. Who'd want to hurt him?

"I don't know. I'm worried about you and Ella living out here by yourselves." He flipped the pages again, this time stopping on one with scribbled writing on it.

Her mind flashed back to the night she had been attacked in Warren. Could there be any connection? "What was the description of the person?"

"It was a black haired, scarred man, dressed in black leather. He should be easy to identify, but I want you and Ella to lock up tonight and call dispatch if you see anything." The sheriff snapped the notepad closed and met her gaze.

"I will. I promise." Hope responded automatically.

Doubts beat at Hope as she went back. She blocked Athair from her mind as she considered what she had just learned. The description matched Sgrios. But he had no reason to hurt Jimmy. Why would he do such a thing? But then, he also looked like the one who had attacked her. Could it be that he really was that unstable and had become nothing more than a vicious animal? One that attacked and killed without reason?