The cheer renewed. Ryan leapt into the air on youthful legs and did a handspring when he came down. Bianca laughed, and Kenzie pulled her into a hug. Kenzie hugged Marcus next, the long-limbed Feline nearly crushing her in his happiness.
After a marathon of hugging, fire flared high, in both bonfires and barbecue grills, and music boomed out of speakers Jamie had wired up in the trees. It was late afternoon, and as soon as the sky darkened and the moon rose, the second ceremony would commence.
For now, there was plenty of food and drink, music and dancing. Kenzie found herself drawn into a circle dance with Bianca and her sisters—all the cousins who had grown up together. They joined hands and swayed in the eternal dance of love and fertility.
The males circled in the opposite direction outside them, always interested in fertility. The men might stay calm until the moon ceremony, but after that, no female Shifter would go without a male tonight, unless she was very fast and good with her claws. Looking at the eager faces of her female cousins and Bianca’s girlfriends, Kenzie knew they wouldn’t try to run very fast.
Bowman didn’t join the dance, though Jamie did, celebrating his cousin’s joy with him. Bowman stood with Cade outside the circles, Cade grinning, loving the ceremony. Bowman didn’t smile, but Kenzie could tell he was glad of this mating.
Matings meant more cubs, stronger Shifters. The cubs born of the mating frenzies tonight would never wear Collars, if Kenzie and Bowman could help it. That thought made the occasion even brighter.
Bowman caught Kenzie’s gaze and held it as she danced. His eyes were smoke gray, the sunlight bringing out the sparkle in them.
He was virile, strong, his sweatshirt and jeans showing off his honed body. More than one woman looked his way in longing. He might be mated, but Bowman hadn’t formed the mate bond, and there was always a chance he’d find it with one of them. A cub born of a Shifter leader was powerful indeed.
No, Kenzie decided after watching the women watch Bowman awhile. It wasn’t just the prospect of a strong cub that made all the unmated females look at him. Bowman was in-your-face, body-clenching hot. Simply touching him made Kenzie ripple with fire, and the fact that she could touch him whenever she wanted made her tighten in satisfaction.
Kenzie shot him a smile, one that said she didn’t care how many women followed him with their eyes. Bowman was hers.
Bowman frowned back at her, his look becoming fierce. He had no idea what wild fantasies were flitting through her head, and that made her smile widen.
More scowling from Bowman. The expression made his face hard, his mouth tight. Kenzie would soften it with kisses later.
Bowman held her gaze until the dance took her around the circle and too many Shifters got between her and him, and he was lost to sight.
The sun sank, the winter night closing fast. The clouds parted and the moon rose. Another cheer went up, this one holding a wilder note. Voices turned to howls as clothes were shed and Shifters assumed animal forms.
Those who stayed human began a chant to the Goddess. Circles formed. The moon shone down, brushing the woods with silver, rendering it an enchanted place.
The cries, howls, and ululations were shrill with bacchanalian excitement. Bianca and Marcus stood in the middle of the circle again, Bianca’s garland slightly squashed, Marcus’s wildcat eyes glowing soft gold.
Bowman raised his hands for silence, and mostly got it. The chanters continued, the circles moving slowly as the dancers shuffled their feet in the halting rhythm.
“Under the light of the Mother Goddess,” Bowman said, his words booming over the crowd. “As your Shifter leader . . .” He broke off, his eyes sparkling with mirth. “Are you sure you two want to do this?”
Around him Shifters shouted and screamed, crying out in rising frenzy.
Kenzie draped her arm around Bowman’s shoulder. “Get on with it, sweetie. Marcus is about to explode.”
Marcus winked at Kenzie. Bianca giggled, looking as though she wanted to jump Marcus’s bones any second.
“All right then.” Bowman drew a long breath. He raised his arms again, playing it up, then he threw his head back and howled.
The sound, even from his human throat, cut through the night. The wolves of his pack, attuned to their leader, took up the howl. Those in wolf form let it rise in crazed joy, celebrating the Goddess, and her symbol, the moon.
Kenzie felt her wolf respond. Her fingers slid into claws, and her throat wanted to take up the howl. Only great effort kept her from shifting all the way.
Bowman’s howl wound to a close. He brought his arms down slowly, but the Lupines’ cries went on. Joining it were the yowls and roars of the Felines and the rumbling growls of the bears.
Bowman spoke in a loud voice. “Under the light of the Mother Goddess, as the leader of the O’Donnell pack . . . and Marcus’s boss . . .”
“He acknowledges this mating,” Ryan yelled from his father’s feet. “Like Mom said, get on with it, Dad.”