Shaking like a leaf
1214 Words
*Callista*
For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to be a man, to enjoy the freedoms that men take for granted.
I pull the curtain away from the small window of my traveling coach and gaze at the barren, flat land. How anyone can deem this desolate place a paradise is beyond me. Why men would fight to own it is incomprehensible to me.
But fight they do. Rowan's broken arm serves as a testament to one of the battles, and tonight the man who harmed my brother will come to my bed. I pray for the fortitude to suffer through his touch in silence, without tears.
A huge adobe house comes into view. I can only stare at the massive rectangular structure. A balcony surrounds each window that I can see on the second floor. The design of the roof reminds me of a castle I have once read about.
Riding on his horse beside the coach, Riley leans down and tips his hat off his brow. "That's where you will be living, Callie."
"Are those turrets on the corners?" I ask.
"Yep. I have heard Moonshadow designed the house himself." Riley says.
I smile at him. "Maybe after today, you and Blaise can be a bit more open with your friendship."
Riley shakes his head. "Not for a while yet. Be grateful you are not riding out here, Callie. The hatred is thick enough to slice with a knife."
"I thought today was supposed to make the hatred go away." I say with a sigh.
"What you are doing today is like the waves of the ocean washing over the shore. No matter how strong it is, it only takes a little of the sand away at a time." He says philosophically.
I smile shyly. "You're such a poet, Riley."
He blushes as he always does when I compliment him.
"Listen, Callie, Chase scares the holy hell out of me… I won't deny that… but I'll try and find a moment alone with him to ask him to show you some gentleness tonight." He says softly.
I reach through the window and lay my hand over his where it rests on his thigh. "He will either be gentle or he won't be, Riley, and I don't think your words will change him, so spare yourself the confrontation. I'll be fine."
I settle back against the seat of the coach and draw the veil forward to cover my face.
*Chase*
Standing on the front veranda, with my brothers flanking me on either side, I watch the approaching procession. It looks like the cavalry, as though Windscar has every man who works for him coming for the ceremony.
Good. I have all of my pack here as well as everyone from town. I want witnesses, plenty of witnesses.
I have even managed to locate the circuit preacher. Fate is on my side.
I squint at the red coach traveling in the center of the procession. I have seen it once before: the day I set aside the land upon which I planned to build my town.
"Do you think she's inside that red coach?" I ask.
Blaise leans against the beam. "Yeah, that's what she travels in when she is allowed to travel, which isn't often, according to Riley."
"If you know so much about her why didn't you tell me she was in the area?" I ask.
Blaise shrugs. "Didn't figure you would want a she-wolf who didn't have a nose."
I point my finger at each of my brothers. "Don't go gaping at her. Dr. Freemoon said she is shy. That's probably why, so don't stare at her."
"I'm hardly in a position to gape at anyone with a disfigurement," Wade says, scraping his thumb over the heavy scars that trails along his cheek below his eye patch.
I nod and turn my attention back toward the caravan. "A nose isn't important." Eyes. Eyes are important. Dear Goddess, I hope she has kind and pretty eyes.
The horses and coach come to a halt. All the men sit in their saddles, glaring, not a smile to be seen.
"Where's your father?" I ask Rowan Windscar.
"He was feeling poorly this afternoon, so I will be acting in his stead, and I will be wanting a word with you in private before the ceremony." He demands.
I nod. "Fine."
I watch as Riley dismounts and opens the door of the coach. A white gloved hand slips into Riley's tanned one. A slender hand. Long fingers. A white slipper-covered foot comes into view, followed by a white silk skirt, a silk and lace bodice, and a white veil. The veil covers her face, but beyond it, I can see she has swept up her black hair.
"Stop gaping," Wade whispers beside me, but I can't help myself.
The she-wolf is tall. Dr. Freemoon had said she was a ‘shy little thing,’ and I had expected a she-wolf along the lines of Briony, someone who came no higher than the center of my chest. But Callista Windscar is as tall as her brothers. I think the top of her head might be level with the tip of my nose. She is slender, a fine figure of a she-wolf.
I take a deep breath and step off the veranda. I notice the subtle tightening of the she-wolf's fingers on her brother's hand. The thick veil hides her features from me, but I think she might have dark eyes. I could live with a she-wolf who had dark eyes. I can tell by the slight jutting of the veil that her father had carved her a tiny nose. I wonder if it melts in summer when the stifling heat dries the land. Maybe I will whittle her a nose of wood, small like the one she had of wax.
I sweep off my hat. "Miss Windscar, it's a pleasure to have you here."
"I hope it will be, Mr. Moonshadow." She says.
Her voice is as soft as falling snow.
"I will do all in my power to see that it is, Miss Windscar. Give you my word on that." I promise.
It's impossible to tell with the veil covering her eyes, but I have a feeling in my gut that she is staring at me.
"Stay here, Callista," Rowan says as he dismounts. "We need a few minutes alone with your future husband."
Turning, I glare at Rowan. Of all the Windscars, I had taken an instant dislike to Rowan the moment our paths had first crossed. "I imagine what you have to say concerns her, so she will come with us."
"Fine," Rowan says through gritted teeth. "We will need the preacher as a witness."
I crook my arm and tilt my head toward Callista. "Shall we go inside?"
She glances at Riley, who gives her a smile and a nod. Then she releases her hold on her brother and wraps her fingers around my forearm. I wish I couldn't feel through the sleeve of my jacket that she is shaking worse than a leaf in the wind.
I want to reassure her, to let her know she is not alone in this, regardless of what's about to come our way.
- Writer
