The Lycan Hunter (The Gardinian World Series) (48 page)

Instead of focusing on the various financial reports and requests
from members to leave to visit family in other packs, Kyran found
himself focusing on a picture frame at the center of his desk.

One side of the crystal frame held a photo of Alexis in her wedding
sari. The candid shot managed to catch her smiling at something
Ronan had said to her. The other was a picture of their children, both
looking into the camera with a sense of awareness far too advanced
for their age.

Kyran focused on his daughter’s piercing blue gaze and tried to find a name that encompassed all he hoped she’d be. He combed his family tree for names, finally choosing the name of his grandmother, the original owner of the Gavattage that he’d given Alexis.

His grandmother had been powerful in her own right. Females,
even among the Lycans, had been viewed as less relevant beings
compared to a male during her time. She changed that mindset by taking
over a patriarchal pack when she was just a hundred years old, holding
it until her death in the early part of the seventeenth century. His mother
now led that same pack, which had eventually shifted from a patriarchal
pack with a female at the helm to a more traditional matriarchal set up.

Having settled on a name, Kyran went to make sure that Alexis
hadn
’
t picked something ridiculous like Kyran, Jr. Lycans didn’t do
juniors.

***

The pack sat in the chairs lined up much like they had been on the
wedding day. Kyran held his daughter, who was dressed in a beaded
golden organza gown featuring small Gardinian emblems embroidered
into the hem of the skirt. Alexis held their son, who was wearing a golden
button-down satin gown with the Gardinian emblem embroidered over
his left chest.

Alexis stepped slightly forward and addressed the pack.

“By the name of Goddess Lelah, we gather today as we stand,
surrounded by family and friends, to formally welcome the newest
among us. We rejoice in the presence of our family’s newest blessing.

“In this moment, we recognize the essence of our blessing, the most
innocent of souls from the timeless spirit of Nunginn
’
s groves. The body
in which that timeless spirit resides is new. It lacks the heritage and
knowledge of our collective past.

“From this day forward, bound by the power and conviction of
our word, we affirm our intent. These souls will never know a day
absent of love. From this day onward, they will learn our knowledge and heritage, as deemed our responsibility as their guardians.”

She stepped aside so that Kyran could step forward.

“Lelah, Goddess of Life and Death, we seek your presence. Bless us again with your divine existence, as you have already blessed us with this new life.”

She appeared wearing a flowing white gown, her long bleach-white
hair hanging loose at her back, ending in a curling mass at her feet.
The color was so pristine it blended in with her the fabric of her gown
,
but all of that stark white only served to bring out the smooth, regal
beauty of her coffee-colored skin.

Kyran continued after a short bow from the goddess.

“We praise you, Goddess, for ushering these souls into life from
the eternal grove. We endeavor to ask, as all guardians of children do,
that you usher these children from infancy into a life fully lived. We
humbly ask you to protect and guide them along their respective paths
throughout life.

“Family, friends, we charge you to embrace them as kin, as one of
our community. Witness us, as the guardians to these children, vow to
be bound by the power of our word. For all of our days, we pledge to
honor them with the purest of intentions and bestow the fullest extent
of our love.”

“All vows have been rendered and accepted.” The goddess turned
to each child and repeated in turn, “I give you my blessing to walk an
authentic path and fulfill the potential that is yours alone to seize.”
She then turned to Kyran and Alexis. “Stand together, for those who have gathered here wish to have knowledge of these children. Tell us the names you have chosen for these unnamed souls.”

Alexis presented their son to the pack.

“We have decided to honor the origin of the Blue Ridge pack
’
s
founder, an area near what is now called Camden in England. We also
honor my brother, Torin Jace for his middle name. So we name him Camden Jace, may he have a history as rich as the nation from which his name originates and the power of his uncle.”

“In honor of my grandmother, the former Mikkati of the Keowee
pack, we have decided on the name Aryana. May she hold the strength
, prowess, and fortitude of an ancestry steeped in her bloodline.”

Lelah stepped to Alexis
’
side and instructed her to hand Kyran
Camden.

“Mikkati Alexis, hand your son to his father. As you have freely
given your womb to usher them into the world, he will know the burden
of their weight. Remember as you gift the weight to Kyran, that the
marks of your sacrifice on your body are the notation of your continual
sacrifice for the ones you have birthed. A sacrifice stemming from their
first gurgled breaths to your last one.”

The goddess turned to Kyran and smiled down at the two squirming
bundles in his arms.

“Mikko Kyran, on accepting the weight of Camden and Aryana,
you have given a sacred oath that you will protect these children with the very beat of your heart and the last exhale of your lungs. From this
day forward, you affirm that you will be the other heartbeat – an audible
compass in a desolate world – that will guide them to safety.”

Lelah took Aryana and handed her to Alexis. The goddess then
summoned a large gourd which appeared on a cylindrical column that
came to her hip. She dipped her hand inside, covering her long, lean fingers in sweet smelling oil.

“I bless you on this day with the everlasting oils of Liflasir. It is with this sacred oil that I anoint you as Camden.”

She smeared the oil on his forehead in the shape of an eternity
knot and a figure that resembled a river coursing through its center.

She turned to Alexis and repeated the process on Aryana. When she
was finished, she waved the bowl away and turned to address the pack.

“I have been made aware that there is a wish for a godparent to
be named. Though this is not a tenant of our faith, it is a concession
that Mikko Kyran wishes to acknowledge which stems from the tradition
of the Hunters. I endeavor, in times such as these, it is noble to have
someone divinely recognized to care for the children in the event
that –
fates forbid
–
anything should happen to their parents.” She gave
a short bow to Kyran. “As you are the one who petitioned for this, I
give you the floor in naming those who would succeed you should the
need arise.”

“War is our reality, and as leader, I am bound by both tradition
and station to fight alongside you. If Alexis and I should no longer
live to care for Camden and Aryana, I have charged Ronan and Marcela
to do for them what we as their parents can no longer provide. I also
name Lykil and Torin to be the other set of godparents, acting as Alexis
would. May they hold her interests at the forefront of their thoughts.”

Lelah managed to quickly cover the surprise that creased her features
as Lykil and Torin appeared at the back of the room.

“Now that all vows, blessings, and monikers have been given, I
release you to celebration.”

Kyran and Alexis stayed behind to thank Lelah while Ronan herded
the pack into the house for the celebratory feast and intermittent moments
of reflective prayer.

By the time Alexis and Kyran made it to the party, the twins were
asleep. Kyran couldn’t blame them; he was strangely tired himself.

LYKIL SAT AGAINST
the doorjamb of the pool house with his back
to the lake. The twins gurgled to each other on his lap while a group of Lycans squirmed in their chairs. Their nervousness could be due to being around him; he was the God of Destruction. Or it could be the fact that no one liked to be bathed in unnecessary silence.

He laid the twins on a blanket facing each other, so that they could
continue their conversation, before he stood and faced the Lycans. Lykil
met their gazes, some not happy he’d summoned them – many with
only enough warning so that they could get dressed. He hadn
’
t bothered
with formal invitations; he
’
d just brought them and to hell if they were
unhappy about it.

“You are well aware – having been present – about what happened
at the meeting between the Lycans and the Hunters last week. Nobody
thought to invite me to the party. I feel a little left out. I heard it was
in-sane.
” He paused and waited for a laugh. “Too soon?”

Torin snorted and mumbled that his timing for extreme insensitivity
was always perfect.

Lykil nodded in agreement. “That is true. Anyway, I brought you
together to announce my promotion.” He silenced the dramatic increase
in noise with a whistle. “Don’t all congratulate me at once. It’s really no big deal. I swear, you’re making me blu –”

“Point, Lykil.” Alexis said, interrupting his sojourn into sarcastic banter.

“What? Oh right, my promotion.”

Lykil leaned against the doorjamb again, focusing on the twins who were engaged in an infantile tug of war over a toy. He frowned at their a
dvanced capabilities before choosing to ignore it like everyone else. Their fighting intrigued and reminded him of the war between the Lycans and the Hunters – who deserved to live and thrive and who should be wiped from the Histories.

In truth, neither had the right to exist, being that Lycans and
Hunters both went against the natural order of all higher beings on
Earth. It seemed right that they both should get to live, but nobody asked him his opinion on the matter. Just gave him a new job.

“So after Kyran woke up from his deep sleep – don
’
t ask; it
’
s a
long story – I was summoned to Gardas. I spent the first part getting
yelled at by my father for my gift to Alexis.”
Lykil smiled at Alexis.
“You’re welcome for that, by the way.” He turned back at the rest of
the Lycans. “The rest of the time I was lectured to about my new
responsibilities for my new job. Funny thing, I never applied for it.
Hell, I’m pretty sure there were others who would have loved the
opportunity. I must be special or something. Anyway, the job is…”

Lykil gave Torin short nod.

“I’m not giving you a drum roll.”

“You suck.”

“So?”

“I’m just saying – ”

Alexis cleared her throat. “Lykil…”

“Yes, Mother?” He snorted at her irritated growl. “Fine. Lycans one
and all, meet your new champion, your god.”

The Lycans – the visiting ones anyway – cast their confused gazes
around the room.

“Me, jackasses. I am your Champion. I am your god, and it is now
my thankless job to ensure your continued awesomeness as you enter
the war with the Hunters.”

One of the visiting Talas, a male with dark hair, murky dark eyes,
and a wickedly arched brow, stood up, tearing the focus away from Lykil
.

“Two things. First, we have a goddess: Narn. Second, we
’
ve been
at war since the Hunters were first created.”

“I
’
ll see your two things and raise you two of my own. First, Narn
would rather you die off so that she can have her powers back. Being put in timeout for the last eight thousand years hasn’t made her less
of a bitch. Second, you haven
’
t been at war. You
’
ve been dutifully
avoiding it. Doing a damn good job, too. War requires two participants
, and it’s about damn time you started participating.”

Silence greeted his words.
It was impossible
–
rather improbable –
that the Lycans were unaware that Narn wished them dead. She rarely
,
if ever, answered their calls, though she preened under their continued
reverence. Maybe the Lycans were just that understanding of their
creator, although he couldn
’
t see how. Being omnipotent required a
certain level of responsibility and forgiveness. Father Nivar never
punished unjustly, and he should know, considering how many times
he
’
d earned his father
’
s ire. Narn would be better off if she tried to learn
from someone greater than Othion, but for her to understand that, she
’
d
actually have to grow beyond her role as daddy’s little girl.