Page 23 of Wolves' Midlife Reunion
Lilith pointed the serving spoon at him. “You’re coming back next year, and you’re bringing this. Actually, no. You’re bringing twice as much of this.”
“Do you really like it that much?” he asked, incredulous but also a little embarrassed.
“I haven’t tried it yet.” Kendrick, the older dragon who was Maeve’s mate, reached out a hand for it. He put some in a smaller bowl and then raised his brows with approval on his first mouthful. “You’ve got a talent, young man!”
“Thank you.” Dex felt like everyone was staring at him, and he was glad when the conversation turned to wine. He leaned over toward Tina. “I was worried the chili was going to be too spicy.”
“They’re dragons,” she laughed. “I don’t think spice affects them the same way.”
When everyone was full, Maeve stood once again. “If you would all be so kind, it is time to honor our ancestors.”
The party moved to another room. Most of the furniture had been cleared out to make space for the coven and all their guests to stand in a large oval, holding hands. An altar had been set up on one end of the room, filled with candles, crystals, feathers, and even a few bites of food. The lights were turned off, replaced only with more candles around the room.
“At this most blessed time of year,” Maeve said, her voice rich and mesmerizing, “when the veil between the worlds is at its thinnest, we honor those we have loved and lost.”
Dex held Sage’s hand on one side and Tina’s on the other as he listened to Maeve’s lilting chant. This was the kind of magic he didn’t know anything about, the kind that required other people and rituals. It wasn’t the same as flicking on a light switch from across the room. He felt honored to be a part of it, but he was also worried.
“So shall it be,” Maeve concluded. “We now take time to check in with our loved ones. Please, if you have an offering and a desire, bring it forward.”
One by one, the witches moved to the front. Dex watched with interest as Kristy laid something on the altar. She stood for a moment with her head bowed, her lips moving slightly, and then she picked up a mirror that lay in the center of the altar. She gazed at it for a while, then she smiled. Wiping a tear from her eye, she put the mirror down and retreated. As she did, someone else moved forward to do the same thing.
“Can we, Daddy?” Sage whispered.
“I’m not sure.” Tina had told them that this would be a part of their Samhain festivities, but he wasn’t sure how it all worked. What mattered most to him was that Sage not be disappointed.
“I’ll come with you two,” Tina said. She waited until someone had left the altar, and then she led the way forward.
At the altar, Dex could see that there was even more there than he’d originally seen. There were photos, flowers, books, tarot cards, and even a piece of ribbon.
“Did you bring an offering?” Tina asked.
Sage looked at Dex expectantly.
He handed her a little bag with a rock and a leaf that Sage had found while they’d been out for a walk together. Tina had told him that Sage could bring anything she wanted, and this was what she’d picked out. Still a little worried, he handed them to her.
Sage carefully laid the leaf on the altar and put the stone in the center of it.
Dex hadn’t noticed until now that there was a bit of quartz in the rock, and it glittered in the candlelight.
“Now, you just need to invite anyone from the other side who you might want to contact,” Tina directed Sage. “Sometimes we say a few words to help us.”
“Like what?” Sage was holding Tina’s hand now.
“My mind and my heart are open. I welcome you.”
Sage repeated the words. She looked so earnest and so hopeful.
“Now take the mirror,” Tina gently instructed. “Look into it, but don’t really look at your reflection. Look around it.”
Picking up the mirror, Sage held it delicately in her hands. Dex could see now that this was no ordinary mirror. It was a sheet of sheer black, showing only shadowy figures in the dark room. “I don’t see anything,” Sage said.
“Give it a minute,” Tina told her gently. “It can take time, and that’s all right.”
Indeed, no one in the room seemed to be looking at their watch or even waiting their turn. They all stood back, giving Sage her chance.
Still, he felt his doubt grow once again. How would Sage feel if she didn’t see anything? He was truly coming around to the idea of Tina and her coven teaching Sage, but what if she simply wasn’t cut out for this kind of magic? His grandmother had never done anything like it. The skeptic in him felt as though it was nothing more than a slumber party trick.
Then a prickling sensation crawled over Dex’s skin, and he could swear that the room had become a couple of degrees colder. It wasn’t a sense of foreboding, and his wolf wasn’t on edge, but something was happening.
