shaking fear. Though none of the three of them wanted to risk being shot, Jenni had to know if her family had used her gift. Her packmates refused to let her go alone, and so the three of them eased through the trees until they could scent the camp. They’d remained! And there was the scent of cooking venison!
Jenni turned to the other two wolves. This was what she would do. She would follow these people and keep them safe. Whether it be starvation or other predators or even other men, Jenni would defend them, because they were her family. She thought these thoughts, and she could see the comprehension in the other wolves’ eyes as her body language spoke for her.
The female looked at her mate, and then at Jenni. We will come, sister, she said. If we are your pack, and they are your pack, then they are our pack too. We will help, and we will not be seen.
Were she in human form, this instantaneous, unconditional love would have made Jenni’s eyes fill with tears. As it was, she lowered her muzzle to the female’s and brushed her cheek against her new sister’s. Her new brother came and nipped lovingly at her shoulder.
I am blessed, thought Jenni. Her sister met her eyes, agreement in every line of her body. They were blessed indeed.
EPILOGUE
FROM AN ARTICLE ABOUT THE EARLY MORMON SETTLERS
In the autumn of 1852, carpenter Dalton Abrams and his family entered the Great Salt Lake Valley. They’d had a hard passage, and lost several members of their family. Among these were Abrams’s second wife, Anna, and his eldest daughter, Jennilee. The Abrams family wintered in the Salt Lake Valley before being called to settle south in Deseret the following year.
An interesting folk tale sprang up around the Abrams family. It was said that wherever they went, a pack of wolves would follow. When the family branched out into sheep ranching, it became a custom for the family to stake out one of its flock in the nearest stand of woods. When asked about the custom, the family told a fantastic tale about a female ancestress who ran away to live with the wolves. It is said that if an Abrams is ever in dire need, there are wolves who will respond and help. This researcher can find no documented evidence of a wolf ever interacting with a member of the Abrams family in a positive way, but the story points to a certain fanciful nature common among the early settlers who saw the hand of God in all things.
Russell, “Oral Histories of the Mormon Settlers,” Trailblazers, 3rd ed., Deseret Press, 122–3
BROKEN SON
GRIFFIN BARBER
Well, shit.
It’s not the getting caught that pisses me off. I mean, I knew the risks. No, it’s the long, drawn-out process of negotiating the terms of incarceration I detest. Just let me do my time and get it over with.
—ETAT DU NOUVELLE GENEVE CONTRE PROMETHEUS BORGES, AUDIENCE DE DéTERMINATION DE LA PEINE
PAYING THE PIPER
I guess that’s it, then.
My attorney looked more upset than I felt. After all, the writing had been on the wall for a while. I considered dropping a few choice words about her failures, decided it wasn’t worth it.
I was the moron who hired her, anyway.
As I dislike seeing women upset, I felt the need to say something. “Don’t worry, judging from the way the magistrate acted, the gavel already slammed down on my case a year ago. Every minute since then has been borrowed.”
Time I’d used to put my affairs in order, setting Vytas up as head of anything that even touched on illicit activity. Someone with an iota less of a history than he and I shared would have thought I was setting him up rather than cleaning my own hands while awaiting trial.
She looked at me, brown eyes wide. “Yes, but I thought I’d be able to get a better deal for you, Mr. Borges.”
I leaned back in the rather comfortable courtroom chair I’d spent far too much time in the last few weeks, shrugged, and answered, “I did, too, but what’s