Singing to the Moon Chapter 2 by Maggie Finson

“Wake up, Cindy.”

The voice was familiar. It was Aunt Cecily.

The name she was calling, not so much.

Then it all started coming back.

The change, being a were coyote, and — oh, yeah, a girl all of a sudden. It was my Aunt Cecily was telling to wake up.

I blearily peered at the clock beside a bed I didn't remember getting into to see that it was 6:00 AM. With a groan and turned over and mumbled. “Just 'nother ten minutes, Aunt Cecily.”

As my eyes started to close I muzzily thought. 'At least I'm still morning impaired. That didn't change.'

“Cynthia Anne Harper!” My aunt's voice interrupted the planned trip back to the land of nod. As did the covers I was under being yanked away. “You wake up right now, young lady!”

“Young Lad... Yowp!” I finished as new parts of my anatomy attesting to the truth of that painfully bounced as I abruptly sat up. Then made the same mistake in reverse by flopping to my back on the bed.

“Well,” Aunt Cecily slowly said with a mix of sympathy and amusement. “I guess you're awake now, anyway.”

“Oh yeah.” I gasped while my breath returned. Once it had I, very carefully, sat up again and looked down at the offending things stuck to my chest. “Oh shit. It wasn't a bad dream was it?”

“I'm afraid not, honey.” My aunt replied quietly.

“Get me changed back!” I begged, then started shouting. “I'm NOT a girl, I don't want to be one, never wanted to be one, and I want to change back! I can't be a girl, I don't know how and don't want to know how!”

I carried on like that for awhile. I'm not too sure just how long I was at it, but by the end it really ruining my claims and I was bursting into tears then going into a crying jag just to finish things off. What was with the crying? I mean it wasn't just tears; I was sobbing, choking, and having trouble breathing at times. Aunt Cecily held me all through it, stroking my back and making soothing, wordless noises as my tantrum wound down.

I wasn't done crying, no matter how much that bothered the still male part of me, but now it was just tears and little sobs.

“It'll be okay, Cindy.” My aunt soothed, still stroking my back and just — holding me. I hadn't been held like that since I was five years old, and you know what? It felt good. Comforting, letting me share what I was trying to get out, and just letting me connect with someone else when I felt like I had the world had shattered and was falling on my head.

“That's another reason I got you up so early.” Aunt Cecily told me once I had run out of tears. “I knew you'd have some kind of nasty reaction once you woke up and allowed time for that to happen.”

“Thu — this has happened before?” I managed to get out without more than one sob.

“Not for a very long time.” She answered, “But I can imagine what you must be going through right now, even though I can't really know. Your whole world view has changed, and your self perceptions are all wrong at the moment. I don't really know what to do here other than let you scream, cry, and hit things. And be here for you.”

That was my Aunt Cecily. She welcomed me, my brother and sister into her home after our parents died, and held each one of us through our grief more than once while accepting us into her immediate family circle.

Mary Jane and Clarissa were her natural children, but she had never once let that stop her from loving us too. And bless them, even if Mary Jane and Clarissa had been pains for a lot of my life, they welcomed us in too.

As did Uncle Patrick. So I had a father, a mother, and two other sisters I wouldn't have without the tragedy that claimed my parents. One thing about the Harpers, we take care of our own and don't begrudge doing that for a minute.

But I still had that niggling thought that what had happened to me just might strain that more than a little bit.

“If we can't get you back to being a boy,” she softly told me, “Patrick, your sister and your cousins, along with me, will do all we can to help you understand being a girl isn't the end of the world at all. To be honest, it can be lots of fun if you approach it right, dear one.”

“How is Chris taking this?” I asked.

“He's kind of freaked out, but he still knows that you're family.” She shrugged. “You aren't the only one who has to adjust to what happened to you here, though you have more to deal with.

“But you have us here to help you do that.” She told me with that firmness of tone that let me know there was no argument that would change her mind. And I got it.

Whether I was a boy or a girl, I was still family and that wasn't going to change.

“So...” I shakily asked. “What now?”

“Just get used to who you are now, I guess.” She smiled at me. “You have always been the tough one in the family, honey. You never have let things beat you down. This isn't any different.”

“But I'm a — “

Girl right now, yes that's very clear.” She actually chuckled. “It doesn't mean that your old, familiar self, the important part of that which was inside of you, the part of you that took any challenge and faced it is gone does it?”

“I don't know?”

“It isn't.” She assured me while tightening the arm she had around me. “You had to have your meltdown and I'm sure there will be a few more before all this settles down for you, but you haven't given up. That tantrum showed that much.

“You didn't curl up into a ball and refuse to look at what is, you did yell, scream, cry, and all that, but you didn't just pull yourself into a little ball and die.”

“Meaning?”

“Meaning,” She smiled at me and kissed the top of my head. “You'll find a way to deal with this, too.”

“I hope so.”

“You will.” She told me then pulled me to my feet. “Now let's get that face washed and you cleaned up a little here. You can't hide in here all day, you know.”

Wow, talk about a buzz kill.

“I don't have anything to wear?” I tried getting out of things that way and realized just how girly it sounded.

“Spoken like a true girl.” My aunt chuckled as she pulled some clothing out a drawer for me. “Some of us did a little shopping for you while you slept.”

“Oh.” I said in a small voice. “On Labor day weekend?”

“Having money does have its perks at times.” She grinned. “We got someone to open up for us last night so we could get you a few things.”

“Oh.” I said again wondering at my lack of vocabulary just then and hoping that what they got me wasn't too out there and femmy. “Those are not the kind of birthday presents I was expecting, you know.”

It turned out to be a pair of jeans, a grey sweater, socks and running shoes. That was a relief. Until I started getting dressed, anyway.

Panties felt a little odd with the way they hugged my hips, butt and front. But they were just underwear after all and not that much different from what I was used to wearing.

The bra on the other hand...

I almost choked when I read the size. 34B. I used to have a thirty-eight inch chest. Then I got the thing all tangled up when I tried putting it on. I mean completely tangled with my arms, hair, and I thought that maybe I'd just do without given the trouble I was having.

Aunt Cecily rescued me, not without a few chuckles.

“Umm, couldn't we just, you know, forget the bra this time?” I almost pleaded.

“Not a good idea, hon.” She answered while getting the harness in place on me properly. “If you show yourself on your first day with those hanging out loose, people will really get the wrong idea.”

So I ended up wearing a set of plain white panties and bra. At least they weren't all lacy or silky. Just simple cotton. “I do have to admit that the support feels good.”

“That, too, dear.” My aunt winked at me. “You really aren't all that big up there, it just looks that way because you're so slim.”

“Oh, that makes me feel sooo much better.” I grumbled then made the mistake of looking into the floor length mirror. “Urk.”

I was seeing a girl in her underwear, and even if it was plain white and cotton, did she ever look hot. I would have moved in on her if I hadn't been so shy as a guy. Only the girl was me.

“I'm sooo not ready for this.” I moaned.

Ten minutes later I was dressed. The jeans weren't what I'd expected, showing off all my lower curves. And the sweater... It really showed my new girls off even if they were safely contained in that torture device. That and the fact that the neckline was a little deeper than I cared for.

I took yet another look at the babe in the mirror, showing just a bit of her creamy cleavage, in skin hugging jeans, and simple running shoes. Yup, the sweater hugged my new shape just as snugly as those jeans.

I had brushed my hair, which seemed like a pretty monumental undertaking given just how much of I had now, but thankfully wasn't subjected to makeup or nail polish.

Though Aunt Cecily did insist on a light spray of feminine cologne. Oh well, can't win 'em all, right?

I gave the door a worried look and asked. “Do I have to do this now?”

“You'll have to face the family sooner or later.” She told me firmly then added. “Better sooner, then you can stop worrying about it.”

“Oh, great.” I grumbled. “The old 'rip that band aid off hair and all approach.”

She made a pretty good ripping noise in answer, and grinned at me.

“All right, let's do this.” I said with a heaviness that sounded as if I was headed for my execution.

“It won't be that bad.” She soothed. “Besides, everyone is waiting to meet you.”

“They've already met me.” I groused then grimaced. “Okay, maybe not. Like I said, let's get this over with before I chicken out and go hide under the bed.”

She gave my shoulder a gentle pat then opened the door.

I timidly followed her out, and was relieved to see not all that many people waiting right outside, though we were in the single female's wing.

Carly, Mary Jane, and Clarissa were right there and I felt kind of good about that, but there were others watching to. Some I knew, some I didn't. The Harper clan is a pretty big and spread out family after all.

“Looking good cuz.” Mary Jane winked at me, and I actually blushed.

“Wow.” Clarissa added simply.

“Oh ignore them, Sis.” Carly told me. “They're just jealous and are trying to make you feel uncomfortable.”

“Well, it's working.” I said, then got enveloped in another group hug. Which was nice, but just didn't have the zing such a thing would have had for me the day before. Then getting hugged by four beautiful women would have had me in heaven. Now all it did was calm me down. Sheesh.

Some of the other females there didn't seem quite as welcoming.

They looked at me as if I was an interloper, didn't belong among them and to be honest, I kind of thought so myself just then.

“Probably went to that damned sorority house to become a girl before she changed.” One whispered. “I'll bet he wanted to be a girl all along.”

“What sorority house?” I questioned that one point blank, then gestured to myself. “I was quite happy being a guy, to let you know and would give whatever I have to offer so I could be one again. I was most definitely NOT looking for this when I first changed.”

“That remains to be seen.” The same woman sniffed in near disbelief.

“Lady Moon accepted her last night!” Carly jumped to my defense. “Would she do that with a poser, or someone who is trying to fool the rest of us?”

“Your opinion is of course, biased.” The bitch countered. “You are it's sister.”

Carly was suddenly, very suddenly, in the woman's face and wearing an expression I'd never seen on her before and one I hoped I never would if it was aimed at me. In that moment my happy, bubbly big sister looked menacing enough to daunt just about anyone or anything. “Do you deny my word, Sylvia? Are you calling me a liar here?”

“You aren't our Alpha.” Sylvia sputtered, but was backing away from my sister just the same.

“I don't need to be to handle a bitch like you.” Carly answered quite clearly. “Now shut up and get out of our way. We're going to introduce my sister to the rest of the family now. For your own good, you damn well better stay at least polite while that's happening.”

“Or what?” Sylvia nervously smoothed her bleached blonde hair while trying to look defiant.

“Or I'll eat your surgically enhanced face for lunch.” Carly promised, and somehow I knew she meant that.

“Are you going to allow this whelp to speak to me that way?” Sylvia demanded of Aunt Cecily.

“I will remind you that this 'whelp' is my second and I am Alpha, Sylvia. If she hadn't stepped in I would have handed you your ass on a platter with veggies to go with it.” My Aunt coldly replied. It was then I realized that my loving, gentle Aunt Cecily was a very scary lady. A side of her I'd only seen hints of when I'd been in trouble for some prank Chris and I had thought up. “Consider yourself lucky that she stepped in. I wouldn't have been nearly so polite about it.

“Besides, I didn't need to step in.” my aunt quietly went on. “Carly, or Cindy either one could take the likes of you apart without breaking a sweat or breathing hard. And that is the only warning you'll get, Sylvia.”

The woman paled, then bowed to first me, then Carly and Aunt Cecily. “I hear you, Alpha.”

“See that you do.” My aunt answered, then led me past the woman and her small entourage.

“Who was that?” I questioned once my tongue would work again.

“Sylvia Carstairs.” Carly told me with a shrug. “She's a vain, arrogant bitch who thinks she should be the one ruling the roost here, but any one of us here could take her down without even thinking about it. Forget about her. She isn't important and not many people in the family even like her. She's tolerated because she's Uncle Patrick's second cousin.”

“And that tolerance got uncomfortably thin just now.” Aunt Cecily added. “One more word out of her and I would have taken it as a challenge. But she doesn't have the courage, or the skills to openly confront any of us and knows it. Just watch your back around her, Cindy.”

Wow, my first real time out and about as a girl and I almost caused a cat fight. Or I suppose it would be called something else given what we were.

“I just don't want to cause any trouble.” I let out a sigh. “I have enough to deal with just now.”

“Oh, it wasn't you.” Aunt Cecily gave me the warm smile I was so familiar with. “That woman is trouble wherever she goes. It follows her around like some noxious cloud, or possibly the word should be obnoxious.”

“And you could have taken her yourself, little sis.” Carly grinned at me.

“Would you really have eaten her face?” I asked inanely.

“With all that silicon and Botox and whatever else she's put in it?” Carly grimaced. “Nah. I'd have just given it back to her once I'd ripped it off.”

You know, I was just beginning to understand that the females in my immediate family were definitely not someone you wanted to be on the bad side of.

And here I'd thought all along that they were just normal girls, except for Aunt Cecily who may as well have been my mom. What a revelation.

I pulled on the hem of my sweater, trying to get it down more, then realized that only made my breasts stand out more. I was turning red, or felt like it and was more than a little embarrassed as you've no doubt gathered from the first part there.

I hadn't gotten any more direct nastiness from anyone, but once we reached the uncomfortably full commons area I did get my share of curious and other kinds of stares from the gathering of family there.

And my sharper hearing didn't help a bit. I heard sympathetic whispers like, “Poor thing.” Derisive ones such as, “Bet the wimp wanted to be a girl all along, well now she'll know what it's really like.”

There were also neutral and even supportive comments floating around.

What I caught from the guys there was worse. “Man, she's hot. I might make a play for her myself even if she did used to be a guy.”

“They're staring.” I muttered when Carly asked what was wrong.

“Of course they are.” She soothed. “They're all curious about you.”

“No, I mean the guys.” I fiercely whispered back. “I feel like a loose pork chop in the dog pound right now.”

“Get used to it, little sister.” Carly hugged me and winked. “You're one really hot looking girl now and of course guys are going to look, and probably drool a little bit.”

“You aren't helping here.” I said weakly.

“Fact of life now, Cindy. First lesson in girl 101 especially in this family is that any available girl is going to be looked over, measured, and weighed as a potential mate by any of the single guys.” She went on much to my further discomfort but hugged me as she did. “And you little sister are not only considered available, like I said, you're a real looker.”

“I knew there was a reason I wanted to hide under the bed this morning.” I sighed.

“Cheer up.” She gave me an encouraging grin. “You're still you, just packaged a little differently.”

“Ya think?” I groused.

“Oh yeah, you're still a smart ass.” She chuckled. “Just follow your instincts, hon. You're already moving like a girl, and you're really graceful about it, too.”

“Great, just great.”

“It will get better, dear.” Aunt Cecily gently told me as we started moving through the crowd for the much dreaded meet and greet.

Which actually went a whole lot better than I'd thought it would given the circumstances.

Except for one notable exception.

“What's it like?” One of my distant girl cousins I vaguely recalled asked. “Suddenly turning into a girl like that?”

“Weird.” I answered while looking around for Carly, Aunt Cecily, or anyone in the immediate family. I'd somehow gotten separated from them in the semi controlled mayhem of the commons room and was feeling more than a little vulnerable. Not that Katherine, the cousin who had asked that question, or her companions were being nasty. They were genuinely curious.

“Uh, oh.” Kate, as my distant cousin preferred to be called glanced up then grimaced. “Trouble coming.”

I looked in the direction she was and my stomach nearly fell out of — well you know where. Ryan Carstairs was headed our way and that couldn't be good.

“Well lookie here.” The large boy smirked down at me. “Little Craig has grown up, but wait, you don't look much like a Craig any more. Are those real or fake?”

As he asked he was leering at my chest which made me even more uncomfortable and I didn't say a thing before he started in again. “How about I check them out? If they are real I'll bet you and I could have some fun even if you are still a little faggot.”

Oh, yeah, Ryan was at his best, or worst depending on which end of things you happened to occupy. He was bigger than everyone else in School, and gloried in intimidating, and even terrorizing people who couldn't really defend themselves effectively against him.

“Never happen, Ryan.” I managed to answer. “Now just leave me alone. I took you before remember.”

“But you're different now, aren't you?” He grinned and it wasn't a nice grin. “I'll bet you just need a big strong guy to take you in hand.”

With that he reached forward suddenly and gave one of my breasts a painful squeeze.

As I gasped in mixed pain and outrage, he smirked. “Well they feel real, I wonder what you have in those pants? Mom said you were strutting around like some little queen, and now I see she was right.”

Saying that, he reached for the front of my pants. That did it. I never had been one to suffer bullies or idiots with any grace at all, and Ryan sure qualified for those designations. Especially then.

Snapping out my right arm and locking the elbow, I planted the heel of my hand in his solar plexus, then followed that with a left handed strike to the side of his head, though I pulled that one a bit. Okay not much, I was angry, after all. Just for good measure, since he had managed not to go down with those two hits, I turned and rammed a hip into his crotch.

That worked. Without being too damaging, which had been the plan.

“My name is Cindy.” I calmly informed him as he kind of writhed on the floor. “And yeah, all this stuff you've been pawing or trying to touch without my permission is real. Oh, if you ever, ever try that on me again, I'll rip your dick off and feed it to you. Just because I'm a girl now doesn't mean I still can't or won't kick your nasty ass if I have to.

“Oh, enjoy the gathering.” I sweetly told him, then turned and walked away without another glance.

Until I heard a very familiar voice from behind me.

My brother Chris was glaring at Ryan with one of those expressions that had people getting it thinking of escape routes. “If she doesn't do it, shit head, I will. Don't you ever touch one of my sisters again, got it?”

He turned to look at me, surprise, curiosity, and something else on his face and in his eyes. “You okay?”

“Yeah.” I nodded and lowered my eyes in yet more embarrassment. This was soo not how I had wanted to be reintroduced to my brother, not that I'd been looking forward to the moment at all.

“You did good, sis.” He smiled then wrapped me in tight hug. Okay, so this wasn't the traumatic thing I'd been expecting. “And you still kick ass.”

“And don't you forget it.” I actually smiled back at him with the first real smile I'd shown all day.

“Not likely.” He chuckled and I was shocked by how much bigger he was compared to me once it sunk in that I was being hugged. “You and I need to talk, Cindy.”

“Oh yeah.” I nodded as he released me. “At least now I know who to go to if some bully picks on me."

"Oh right, just a poor weak little girl, are you? Shoot, I'd come running to you for help not the other way around. You kicked that Idiot's butt good but without a lot of fuss. And you look good doing it, too.”

“I did? I do?”

“Oh yeah, the moves were good and the rest of you ain't all that bad either, sis.”

“About that last part.”

“Yeah, one of things we need to talk about.” He answered quietly. “But later. Go ahead and enjoy for now, if you can. At least everyone knows you can take care of yourself after that little show.”

Well, that was the truth.

Carly and Aunt Cecily, then Mary Jane and Clarissa all told me I'd looked like a dancer when I put the obnoxious asshole down, not at all like a guy doing it. Strange, how can you come across as feminine when you're beating on someone?

Oh, they meant female, which is different tha feminine, I was told.

Wonderful.

At least the meat market thing with the guys eased up after that. And a lot of the females were giving my approving looks and smiles.

Go figure.

All in all, it hadn't been a good morning for the Carstairs branch of the family.

Yet another ordeal to face. The day had actually gone reasonably well, other than all the comments about how lovely I was from the ladies and the still persistent, if more circumspect sizing up from the guys. But now I had to face the females of the clan in my very first female conclave. Where I would really be judged, and either be deemed fit to join them, or be at least socially cast out.

No pressure there, right?

Seeing my expression and able to feel my worry with that empathy thing females just seemed to use without thinking, Aunt Cecily chuckled and pulled me towards the bathroom. “Don't worry, your sister and cousins felt the same way their first time.”

“But...”

“No buts, dear.” She gently told me then added. “Lady Moon accepted you, that should be enough to even stop your own protests.”

Remembering that light touch in the moonlight and the feeling of warming love that went with it, I couldn't find an argument at all.

So I took another bath. Without getting my hair wet, then once again experienced the little bit of heaven that is having your hair brushed by someone else till it shone. I even let out a contented little sigh while Aunt Cecily was doing it.

Gah! It hadn't even been twenty four hours since my transformation and I was having girly feelings?

Oh yeah, I'm doomed.

Then I was given a robe, with a hood, and nothing else to wear.

“What?” I gave my aunt a worried look. “Why just the robe?”

“It is tradition, dear.” She informed me then kissed my cheek. “New females are — examined by the elders.”

At my look of impending panic she draped the robe over my nude form and gave me a hug. “We all went through this, Cindy, even the elders. They won't be cruel, just endure it this one time and I promise you that the question of you belonging among us will be put away for good.”

“What do I do?”

“Simply enter the chamber, stand there, and don't fight what comes after that no matter how much it embarrasses you. Remember that you are a woman, even nude, among other women and just stand to let them examine you.”

“What?” I was still getting my head around the not a boy any longer thing. Thinking of myself as a woman among others was the kind of a stretch my poor brain just wasn't quite up to accepting just then.

“Just go with all that happens.” My aunt told me. “If someone gets out of line I will step in.”

Aunt Cecily was one of those dreaded elders. Big surprise there, right?

I had let her pull the hood up covering my hair and shadowing my face, then was led down a hall in my bare feet until we reached a door that was actually guarded by two women. They simply nodded and opened it so we could enter.

This chamber was every bit as impressive as the grand hall. It was huge, with the same kind of nests scattered around the floor, yet another huge fireplace, and a stage-like kind of dais in the center of the room. That is where I was led and climbed the steps until I stood in its center.

Once there I had the very uncomfortable and unnerving sense that every eye in the place was centered on me. Which made sense, since they were. I was the center of attention just then.

“We welcome a new sister this day.” A voice I didn't recognize came from somewhere behind me. “Another who has been touched by Lady Moon comes to us for recognition.”

“But this one is a boy!” I heard from somewhere in the chamber.

“No longer.” The same voice answered then commanded. “Remove your robe Cynthia so all may see that you belong with us.”

I did that, not without some trepidation. It was bad enough that I was a girl now, but to have to show that in all my nude glory wasn't something I was all that happy about.

“Do you see a boy standing here?” That same voice questioned.

And for some reason, that doubt, even if I still wasn't all that sure how happy I was with things, pissed me off. I stood straight, with the robe pooled around my feet, and dared anyone there to say I was a boy.

Sheesh, what brought that on?

“Do any of you assembled her see a boy in this one?”

Evidently no one could, which was no surprise since I already knew what I looked like.

“It is her mind and soul, that doesn't fit.” That protesting voice responded, a bit smugly I thought. “This one may be female in appearance, but she was a boy just yesterday.”

“She has communed with Lady Moon!” Another voice that I recognized as Carly interrupted.

“You are her sister.” That other voice countered. “Of course you would stand up for this 'boy in a woman shape'”

“She called to Lady Moon and the Lady answered!” Carly shot back.

“Then let her prove it.” That unfamiliar voice answered. “Here and now.”

“The Lady doesn't show her face at this time of day.” Carly argued. “That is not a fair test.”

“Call to the Lady.” The other voice told me and I could hear the mocking in it. “If you truly are one she touched on your first night, she will answer no matter what the circumstances.”

Okay, I wasn't all that happy about being a girl, I admit it, but I knew I was one. And whoever belonged to that voice had just pissed me off big time.

“All right.” I answered, not loudly, but for some reason it carried to the whole chamber and I even heard echoes. “I will.”

For a few moments I just stood there, recalling that warm, loving feeling I'd gotten the night before. I didn't have to say a word because all of a sudden I was bathed in silvery light that held that same sense of well being and love. And it filled the chamber.

It was gone as fast as it had come, but the effect was kind of interesting.

I heard a gasp that seemed to come from the whole chamber.

Then that same voice, the one who had doubted, me softly said. “This one is truly blessed by the Lady.”

After that came the physical examination. I absolutely refuse to talk about that. It was embarrassing.

And thorough.

Blush. A gynecologist would have nothing at all on the ladies who were checking me.

Let me just say that physically, I was all girl and leave it at that, okay?

Sleep came easily that night, even though the next day's plans absolutely terrified me.

We were going shopping. For clothes. For me.

But it had been a really long, and trying day. I'd deal with immersion in Girl 101 somehow but was determined that I was not going to go over the top girly with anything regardless of threats or blandishments from my aunt, cousins, and sister.

Nope, not going to happen.

My sleep was restless. I was dreaming again, but this time it wasn't about the peaceful moonlit forest.

The first thing I became aware of was the blood. A lot of it. The sight and smell were nearly overwhelming and it was fresh.

There was an antique appearing sword on the floor amidst the blood and the sheen alone told me it was silver, and enchanted so it was doubly dangerous and deadly to my kind. Touching it was out of the question if I didn't want to get burned badly.

How did I know that? Well for one thing, The Harpers didn't have a fancy set of 'good silverware' that was used much at all, except for when we had company. So that old wive's tale is true, anyway.

And I could still hear the terrified, bereft screams of that infant.

“The Hunters come, little one.” A familiar voice came into my head. The same one I'd kind of heard the previous night in the forest. “Be careful, be vigilant, be ready.”

“What?”

But that was all She would say.

I woke up bathed in a cold sweat and frantically searched my room for any signs of either blood or that awful sword.

Thankfully, neither was present.

But it was some time before I managed to fall back into sleep.

Singing to the Moon Chapter 3 by Maggie Finson

How in the world did I let these things happen to me?

What things? You might innocently ask, and given that I really haven't given out that much information at the moment you would be justified.

“Wake up and get moving, Cindy!” Carly interrupted a really good sleep and in spite of my groans and complaints, hauled me out of bed.

“What time is it?” I asked without looking at the clock. Mainly because all I wanted to do after yesterday was to stay curled up in bed oblivious to the world.

“Its already Seven in the morning!” My sister/tormentor cheerfully told me. “Time to be up and greeting the world!”

“Hello world.” I mumbled with a little wave and looked back to my bed. “Happy?”

“Shower.” She commanded, used to how I was in the morning, and not giving me a chance to crawl back into bed by pushing me towards the bathroom. “Don't get your hair wet.”

That was thick, kind of wavy and down to just about my waist. I glared at her and asked. “Just how am I supposed not to get this mess wet?”

I won't go into the five minute lecture, then the ten minute demonstration of how to put my hair up and have it stay where I put it. And covering it was a pain, too. But I didn't get my hair wet in the shower.

“Here.” Carly handed me a cup of coffee and I wordlessly took it, very conscious or the towel wrapped girl style around my changed body, but just nodded while accepting the cup and taking a sip.

“Why are you getting me up this early on a holiday?”

“We're going to get you some clothes today, sis!” She was way too excited and happy about the whole thing and I just grunted in response.

Then I woke up.

“Clothes? As in shopping?”

“Well, since you don't have much to wear just now...” Carly smirked. “Yeah.”

Yup, I should have stayed in bed even if I had to hang on with both hands and feet.

Girl 101 evidently included clothing for a girl that could be worn for a date.

I was staring at myself in one of those three way mirror setups in a boutique for 'modern' girls.

Looking at a a pretty dark haired girl wearing a fluffy, bright red thing that they called a baby doll dress.

No sleeves, my arms were bare from the shoulder down, high waist that was tight. The horrible thing was cut so a lot of cleavage showed. Then from there down? Fluff and fru fru to a point that was only halfway down to my knees.

“I can't wear this anywhere!” I told my fashion directors. “I'd die of embarrassment.”

Truthfully, I felt like my face was just about as red as the dress.

“It's you, Cindy!” Carly told me with way too much enthusiasm. “You are simply gorgeous in that dress.”

“Point.” I raised a finger. “I don't want to be gorgeous, that would attract the kind of attention I don't want just now.”

“But you need this one for when you do.” Mary Jane grinned and fanned herself as if she was hot.

I both wanted to die so this would be over and actually had to like what I was seeing. That girl in the mirror was hot.

But she was me, and I was wearing... Well you get the idea.

“No.” I looked over to my gathered female relatives and shook my head just to show that I really meant no. “I wouldn't ever wear this in public. Let's just go back to the jeans and tops, okay?”

“But Cindy,” Carly gave me a really soulful look and grinned. “A girl just has to have something she can wow a guy with on that all important first date.”

“Can we talk about something else?” I questioned and hated the plaintive tone I had when I did. “I am not, NOT ready to date guys, so why should I get something that would make them want to — you know, with me? Can't we just go back to the jeans and tops? Please?”

“We'll take this one.” Aunt Carly informed the clerk, and I really wanted to just curl up in some dark corner and let everything go away. At least I got to take the thing off.

But now I had this really hot little red dress... Nope, I'm not going there, not at all.

“Now we need to find you a LBD.” Carly told me with a chuckle as I emerged, still in my underwear, but at least free of that mass of floaty femininity.

“LBD?”

“Little Black Dress!” My cousins, aunt, and sister all chorused.

Oh, wonderful.

“Could you maybe go out and invite all the boys to come see me in my underwear?” I asked while looking at myself in that LBD in the mirror. “I'm pretty sure I'd be less humiliated.”

The LBD they decided on was worse, lots worse than that red monstrosity. This one hugged every curve I had, showed even more cleavage, and was shorter.

“Oh, don't be so ridiculous, Cindy.” Aunt Cecily scolded. “That looks wonderful on you.”

The little thing, and I stress little, looked as if it had been sprayed on me. Which the evil females doing this to me said was a good thing. Sheesh, I felt like I'd worn more when I was in a pair of boxers. Or that's how it seemed to me anyway.

So we left that store with the red thing and that awful LBD. Not that I was going to wear either one if I had anything to say about it. But they were mine, and that had done something, according to my helpers and tormentors, that affirmed that I was a girl.

I did get a win, kind of, at the next store we visited. I got a really nice outfit in soft, flexible black leather, pants, vest, and jacket. With unfortunately high heeled knee boots, and the outfit showed more actually than the dresses I was so horrified about. But it was pants and my crotch wasn't open to the air.

Some days you just can't win but I was willing to take the small victories just then.

By the time we got back to the house, it took three trips, for all of us and the household servants, to get all my new stuff to my room.

Jeans (tight and skinny), slacks (very feminine in cut and color), Capris (pants that seemed to be way to short in the leg and way too tight in other places) shorts, tops of every variety, and underwear. And those two dresses I'd silently sworn I'd never wear even in private.

Oh, now I'm supposed to call underwear lingerie. Sheesh. Bras, panties, and other things...

And none of it was in just plain, comfortable white.

Add at least twenty pairs of shoes. Getting those had been entertaining.. Not. But I had runners, sandals, ballet flats, and heels.

All I'd wanted was a pair of shoes I could just wear.

Oh yeah. They took advantage of my dazed state of mind and got my ears pierced too.

Gah!

“I never needed this many clothes before.” I grumbled while Carly was helping me take off tags and either fold things to put in drawers or hang them up.

“You can't just pull on a pair of pants and a tee-shirt anymore, little sister.” She told me with a grin. “Now you have to coordinate what you're wearing, and girls just don't wear the same thing day after day.”

“But...”

“No arguments here, hon.” Carly put a finger to my lips to stop me from saying whatever I'd been planning to say. “You're a Harper woman now and you have an image to keep up.”

I thought about cousin Mary Jane who had suddenly become all slinky, sexy, and... really pretty when she turned sixteen and almost threw up. “I can't do that.”

“Too late, little sister.” Carly smugly told me as if she knew what I was thinking about. “You're already one hot little tamale, hon. You could wear trash bags taped together and you'd still be one gorgeous girl. So give in and enjoy it.”

Oh, this was soo NOT what I had envisioned happening after my sixteenth birthday.

Once we'd gotten all my new, and really not things I wanted to wear, clothes put away, Carly looked at me, grinned and said. “Let's go to town.”

“We've been shopping already.” I grumped. “I just can't do anymore shopping today, really.”

“Nope.” Carly assured me. “No shopping, just hanging out and meeting people.”

“Oh joy.” I grimaced.

“On a practical note here,” Carly looked in my eyes, “we need to get our new cousin out and about so people can at least see her.”

“Oh.” I grimaced. That was my cover story. I was a family member from Boston who's parents had died in an accident. Of course Uncle Patrick and Aunt Cecily took me in. Like they did with all three of us when we were six, and five years old. They hadn't officially adopted us, but we were like their children and Mary Jane and Clarissa were more sisters than cousins to us.

Craig had taken an offer to go to school in Japan.

Would anyone believe that bullshit?

Evidently so if all the players stayed with the plan.

“Oh, okay.” I sighed. “Might as well get this over with and let the boys oggle me.”

“That's the spirit, cousin!” Carly smiled.

“Do I look okay?” I inwardly cringed after saying that one.

“You look great.” My sister smiled, which didn't help my current indecision at all.

A look in the mirror showed me a really cute, no make that beautiful, girl in form fitting jeans, snug top, and ballet flats.

“That's what I'm worried about.” I countered.

“You're a girl now, hon.” Carly hugged me. “And a really good looking one. Just think of this little trip as something to get acclimated to a new town.”

“Yeah, and a new me.” I grumbled.

“Look.” Carly turned very serious and gave that look she had that plainly says what she's talking about is really important. “I know this isn't easy for you, but you just have to go with things right now. Maybe we can reverse the change, maybe we can't, but in either case, you have to accept the fact that you're a girl now and deal with it.”

“Does it help that I'm still in shock?” I questioned.

“Whatever helps you fit in.” She gave me a hug and actually chuckled. “I don't know what you're going through right now, I'm pretty sure not many people do, but you have to work with what you've got, and right now, that's being a girl.”

“That guys find pretty and — sexy.” I let out a sigh.

“Well yeah, but that's just part of what we are, hon.” Carly hugged me again. “Regardless of our looks we all, the girls in the family, put out pheromones that are designed to attract males. We can't stop it, so we learn to handle it, and the guys. For you it's going to be a pretty steep learning curve for awhile, but you have the instincts, just let them tell you what to do for now until you can actually think about what you're doing.”

“I'm a boy magnet.” I closed my eyes and really wished the world actually did open up and swallow people.

“True.” She quietly said then hugged me again. “But one with control if you'll just let yourself go and not fight things. Like I said, you have all the right instincts, and moves. I'll shield you from the things you can't handle, but you really do need to get out and start getting comfortable with the new you.”

“That sounds an awful lot like the old platitude,” I sighed again, “That this is going to hurt, but it's for your own good.”

“Well, it is.” Carly gave me another hug and I couldn't get over just how good that felt. I'd never been much of a hugger or one to get them before I changed, but now I discovered that it was kind of nice.

“Okay, let's do this.” I growled, though with my new voice it sounded more like a purr. Or something of that nature since my other form was canine and they don't purr.

“That's the spirit!” She grinned and gave me another hug before letting go and moving towards the door of her bedroom.

Oh, yeah. When we got back to the house, it was obvious that my room was being redone. So I couldn't really get in there other than to put clothes away then get out. That alone told me that the family was more than a little sure this change would be permanent.

Joy, oh joy.

But, it was what I had to deal with, and as I've been repeatedly told since the change, I'd never been one to avoid what needed doing. It was a little comforting to know that hadn't changed with my gender and sex.

“So let's go.” I told Carly as I followed her.

“Hey, everybody!” Carly announced as we entered The Pizza Parlor. Which was the place that kids our age loved to frequent. “I want you all to meet my cousin, Cindy!”

So I went through introductions, and all that awkwardness with people I already knew but had to pretend that I was just meeting. And I thought being a girl was hard.

The girls all eyed me as if I was new competition, which I probably was but hadn't really settled down to that idea as of yet.

The guys were all giving me looks like a sugar addict seeing a really nice candy cane.

And much as I hated admitting it to myself, some of those guys looked pretty good to me, too.

More Girl 101. But this time coming from my own reactions and thoughts. I'd been a girl all of not quite two days and I was looking at guys like they would be fun to play with? As in how a pretty girl plays with boys? Gah!

“It's the body and hormones.” Carly whispered to me when she noticed my discomfort about that particular revelation. “You're physically female and there hasn't been a lesbian coyote in living memory.”

I just nodded a little numbly and let her lead me through the 'introduction and preliminary mating dance' stuff without a protest.

Thankfully, that ended after about half an hour. Everyone else had places to be and things to do. Thank whatever merciful god noticed what was going on. Though I did garner some invitations for later. From both guys and girls.

“That went well.” Carly told me as we left the place.

“How so?” I asked, genuinely curious this time and not being snarky at all. “The guys were all checking me out, and the girls were all really cautious.”

“Which means they accepted you as a girl.” Carly grinned. “Of course the guys are going to check out the hot new girl in town, and the girls are going to be concerned that you'll steal their boyfriends. But you handled it all just right.”

“I did?”

“Sure.” She went on. “You smiled at the guys but didn't give any of them a reason to think you were really interested in them other than being friends, and you assured the girls that you aren't a barracuda who is going to move in on their boyfriends. So you did good little sis — uh, cousin.”

But I hardly said a thing at all!” I protested.

“You didn't have to say anything, goof.” She gave my shoulder a light punch. “It was all body language and expression and you handled that as if you'd been doing it since puberty hit you with the beauty bomb.”

“Oh, okay. I guess.”

“More than just okay, Cindy.” She assured me. “You handled that like a pro. You're a natural!”

Should I feel good about that?” I asked. “Seeing that means I act like a girl without thinking about it?”

“Yes.” Carly quietly answered and gave me another hug, right out in public, but you know what? I didn't mind that at all. How things change. “Just think about what things would be like if you didn't just naturally did that sort of thing and had to stop and think about it. Guys act one way, girls act another, and you just slid into the girl side awhile ago.”

I did think about it, and unsettling as that was, it also helped some. Images of the boy me in a girl body trying to interact with others came to mind and to be honest was like a nightmare.

“I think this change was a lot more than just physical?” I squeaked as that hit me.

“Clearly, dear soon to be sister.” Carly nodded.

“Soon to be sister?”

Mom and Dad are getting the adoption papers going through right now.” She told me. “By next week, I'll really be your big sister again.”

“Uh, wow?”

Welcome to the family little sister.” She kissed my cheek and gave my shoulder a squeeze.

“Guess that means I should get used to being the new me.” I sighed again. What was with all the sighs, anyway? I wasn't a fatalistic person.

“Lady Moon told us that what happened was meant to happen.” Carly turned dead serious and stopped so I had to look into her eyes. “So yeah, everyone in the family thinks this a permanent thing. And she not only touched you on your first night, but came when you called. That, little sister, is a really, really big thing.”

“Oh shit.” I whispered.

“You're blessed, Cindy.” Carly was still in serious mode and making it clear that she was and what she was telling me was very important. “You're the first in three generations to have that and the last one was our great grandmother. She ended up being the family shaman. That you were a 'guy' before your coming of age just adds power to that, by the way.”

“But..”

“No buts here.” She gently put a finger to my lips to stop me from talking. “You're special, but I can't tell you more right now because how and why you are hasn't shown up yet. But if I were you, I'd get used to being a girl as fast as possible because no one thinks there is any going back for you.”

Great. Just wonderful.

I'd never wanted to be, or thought of being, a girl. But now I was, and evidently was a really pretty one who just happened to be sexy like Mary Jane. Okay that I might have handled in time since my body and new instincts were determined to make sure I was all girl.

It was that 'special' thing that was really hammering at me at the moment.

Except for my grade point average, I'd never tried to stand out before. But now, apparently, I did. In ways that were far more uncomfortable than simply finding that I'd suddenly changed into a girl.

“I — I don't how to handle all this.” I honestly told my sister.

“I know, love.” She hugged me again, and then kept holding me as she said. “But I'm here, Aunt Cecily is here, all of us girls and Uncle Patrick and Chris are all here for you. You can talk to any of us about anything and we'll listen. Really listen. Understand?”

“But...” I was crying and in public. That was embarrassing.

“No buts, honey.” Carly hugged me tighter. “You are still family, and you know the Harpers. Family is family no matter what.”

“Yes.” I nodded, noting almost as an aside that boys said yeah while girls said yes. “But this is hard, Carly.”

“So who told you life was going to be easy?” She asked as she pulled back enough to give me a warm smile. “We've known that for a long time, after all. Just be glad you have a family who will help you through all this.”

“Yes.” I managed then nodded into her shoulder. We stayed like that for about five minutes until I got a bit more control of myself.

“Better now?” My sister asked.

“Yes.” I nodded and found some tissues in my purse to dab at my eyes. “Did I ruin my makeup?”

“Yup.” Carly grinned and guided me to a public restroom. “But that can be fixed. You're such a girl, Cindy.”

Well, I couldn't argue with that given what had happened over the past hour. I was what I was, and it seemed that what I was happened to be a girl.

So, like a lot else in my life, I'd just deal with it and move on. After all, being a girl didn't mean I'd stopped being a person, or my old self, just that all that had moved right along and I had to do a bit of catching up.

“Yes, I guess I am at that.” I managed to laugh a bit as I said that, and for all of me, it sounded like a giggle. Sigh.

But at least I'd stopped all the worrying about my sudden change of sex and gender. I hoped.

Once I'd repaired my makeup, on my own, I might add, Carly took me to a park bench and had me sit down. “I'll be right back. You need ice cream just now.”

You know, that sounded really good. “Rocky Road?”

“You got it little sis.” She grinned and walked towards the ice cream vendor while I just looked around.

And got another shock.

A guy I noticed just seemed wrong. Dressed in dark, but nondescript clothes, and appearing pretty normal something about him just set off internal alarms in me. I mean as in he had no business being in a nice quiet park with people just enjoying themselves. He seemed to be looking for something or someone and I got the impression that if he found them it wouldn't be a good thing.

There was something about him, some aura or general feeling. I got the same feeling from him as I had in my dream with all the blood and that terrible sword. The very same feeling and that wasn't comfortable at all. This guy was trouble. Really big trouble.

“Let it be, child.” A soft voice intruded on my observations and I turned to see one of the most beautiful women I'd ever seen in my life, including internet forays. Her red hair shone with a fire that was almost internal and her vivid green eyes were deep enough to rival an ocean. “That one is not something you should interfere with.”

“What?”

“I noted that the almost warm expression in her eyes turned to one of outright hatred when she looked at the man in question again. They warmed as they returned to me, though.

“You don't want to know about him, and more importantly, you don't want him to know about you.” The young woman told me, though her eyes looked a lot older than she showed. “He is anathma to our kind, little one, stay out of his way and you'll be fine. Interfere with what he is here for and you will get hurt, or killed.”

“But...” I countered with one of the least intelligent responses I'd managed since my birthday.

“No.” She gave me a soft, regretful kind of smile and shook her head. “That one is too much for the likes of you just now. Don't draw his attention to yourself, child.”

“He means to harm someone!” I blurted out and the woman gave me a halfway surprised and very penetrating look.

“Ahh, you're truly blessed, little one.” She smiled at me and that filled my heart and soul with the kind of music one would associate with seeing a glimpse of heaven. “All the more reason to stay clear of that one and his kind. They are called Hunters and they are very dangerous for people like us. They kill people like you and me.”

I just kept looking at her, and wondering when this really strange dream was going to end.

“My name is Carmilla.” The beauty told me while giving my shoulder a pat and a planting a motherly kiss to my cheek. If you need my help go to the guardian and ask for Terry. He will get you to me.”

And just as quickly as she'd appeared, she was gone.

Oh boy.

Just what was I getting myself into?”

But I kept watching that guy, the one who just felt wrong, and found out what he was watching.

It was a young family. An unremarkable looking man, the husband, a pretty young woman, the mother, and an infant that sent a chill down my spine the moment I saw it. I didn't know how I knew, but I knew that child was the one I'd heard screaming in terror in my dreams.

And the man the mysterious Carmilla had warned me about was stalking that family.

And I just couldn't, couldn't, let my dream come to pass in reality.

Though how I was going to prevent it wasn't something I had clue one about.

All I knew was that I'd die to save that child.

Singing to the Moon Chapter 4 by Maggie Finson

Oh this was going to be great day. Not.

It was Tuesday and I had to go to school.

Not that I wanted to do that at all.

“You need to acclimate yourself to the new you and school is one of the best places to learn about things like that.” Aunt Cecily told me with that hard expression that instantly told me no amount of pleading or tantrums would change her mind.

After seeing her with that Carstairs woman, there was no way I was even going to try and argue with her when she had THAT expression.

Nope, no way, and all that. Survival you know. Not that she would have killed or really hurt me, but I did get the impression that a few spankings were in my future, or at least some really tough lectures.

It kind of shamed me that I didn't want to face either one of those things, but come on here. I was newly a girl, and I'd seen how she could really be first hand.

Nope, no way was I going to cross her just then.

“But...” I still had to try.

“No buts young lady.” My aunt told me simply. “School is important and you've already missed three days. You can't afford more than that if you want to keep your GPA up.”

Oh yeah, Cindy was just as smart as Craig had been, thanks to some skillful manipulations of records by people I didn't know that gave the new me pretty much the same GPA the old me had carried. And I was in many of the same classes Craig had attended.

There was one glaring difference in those schedules. As I went over it, I gasped and looked up in outrage. “HOME EC?”

“It won't define you, dear.” My aunt soothed. “Just help you get some skills that might be useful later on.”

“Cooking and sewing.” I grumbled.

“That and budgeting for a household, and staying within the family means to keep it going.” Cecily calmly told me. “Boys should be made to take that class.”

“But I'm not a boy anymore?” I tried one more tack.

“All the more reason for you to know these things, dear.”

Oh yeah. I was just doomed. Her last comment had kind of hinted that one day I would have a — gulp — husband and family. I just didn't want to go there at all so I took the easy way out and just nodded without saying a word.

No WAY was I going to let some guy do that kind of thing to me. Nope, now way, huh uh, and get out the ten foot poles so I could push things like that away. Without really touching them.

The first day of classes was just... the first day of classes.

Oh, I had to go to the office to officially get my class schedule, my locker and the combination to get into it, but after that it was almost shocking with how 'normal' it was.

Okay not with all the guys eyeing me and thinking bad thoughts, but none of them really approached me that first day. Sizing me up, I guess. On the girl meter, I thought my cousin Mary Jane rated a ten, and just then I was coming in a really good eight or nine. Sheesh.

I sooo wasn't ready for this.

“Hey!” Dana Stiles, one of the hottest girls in school approached me. “Come sit with me and my friends.”

Wow, I'd had the hots for her like forever, but now all I got from her was a kind of welcome and wanting to figure out where I was going to end up in the 'cute, sexy girl' hierarchy in school. And worse, beautiful as she was, she did nothing at all for me other than seeming to be friendly. Sigh.

No lesbian Coyotes. Remember?

Dana, hot and gorgeous as she was, just came across to me as a really beautiful girl who kind of made me jealous. Sheesh.

What next? Was I going to find myself throwing myself in front of guys?

Damn, these female coyote instincts are hard to handle.

“Sure.” I answered quietly, and a little insecurely. “Thank you.”

“Late bloomer?” She asked as we headed towards the table where all her friends — every one some guy in school's wet dream -- waited.

“Oh yeah.” I said.

“Happened to me, too.” She confided. “Up until I was sixteen, I was flat as board. You'll get used to it.”

“I don't know about that.” I answered.

“Oh you will.” She chuckled and that sound would have driven most guys nuts. To me it just sounded like humor. “It's kind of cool having all the guys that used to ignore you trying to get your attention now.”

“I noticed?” I answered then added. “The guys paying attention to me now thing, I mean.”

“We can use that to our advantage.” She winked at me and grinned. “Guys will get us anything we want with just a hint or a look.”

“Why?”

“Because we're beautiful and sexy girls.” She smirked. “It's kind of our right to use that, you know.”

“I don't know how?”

“That's why I invited you to sit at our table.” She shrugged. “All of us there are really good at manipulating guys and the way you look, you need to learn that.”

Wow. I was being accepted as one of the school's 'hot' girls and given the chance to learn how to use that. “Why are you doing this? Won't I be competition?

“Nope.” Dana grinned. “Trust me, there are plenty of boys out there just waiting to do whatever we want them to do.

“Besides,” she told me, “it's pretty obvious that you just 'blossomed' and that you aren't all that comfortable with it. If someone doesn't help you that could mean a lot of trouble for you pretty soon.”

And she meant it. Wow. Dana Stiles, about the hottest girl in school wanted to help me. And no, it wasn't some prank. I could tell she really meant that.

“Umm, thanks?”

“Come on.” She took my shoulder and led me to the table. “Time to meet your peers, Cindy.”

Wow, she knew my name already.

And she'd never given me as Craig a second look.

Talk about being confused.

Oddly, the perceptions I'd once had about the 'cool, pretty girls' were pretty well thrown on the rocks and stomped on when I met Dana's friends.

They weren't stuck up, or snobbish, just worried about what some guy might think they were willing to do if he got up the nerve to ask them out.

Being a really pretty girl isn't easy. People have preconceptions for them just like they do for nerds and jocks.

And truthfully, a lot of the really beautiful ones won't go out with guys most of time because of that.

Wow. Another revelation and now I was into Girl 201.

And I finally understood what confounded so many guys. Girls just wanted to be liked, and wanted for who they are, not what they look like.

It was so simple, but so outside anything else I'd ever thought of.

Okay, maybe I was up to Girl 301 there.

So maybe I wasn't all that happy about being a girl yet. But I was learning a lot. And could sympathize with the — yes — other girls.

Especially when the guys all stared at me.

I felt like a piece of meat in a butcher shop on display. For a bunch of really hungry dogs.

That was NOT fun.

But I have to admit, the attention was kind of nice.

Ohhh, lord, I'm such a girl already.

I found myself actually liking it when the guys gave me that kind of look, and actually kind of strutted for them. This is so embarrassing.

“So how was the first day of school?” Carly asked as I finally got away from that place, even if it was only to the parking lot.

“Interesting.” I answered, not quite sure of how to tell her about everything that had occurred to me that day.

“How so?” She was pressing and I could see from little tells in her face and posture that she was.

“Well...” I started, then hesitated before going on. “I made some new friends.”

“I saw that.” She was relentless and wasn't going to let her first question go, I could tell from her expression. “How do you feel about that? Being included in the group of pretty, sexy girls at school?”

“I don't know?” I answered then added. “But it's nice to have friends and to know that most of them are as uncomfortable as I am about guys staring at them all the time.”

“Good.” My sister nodded with a smile. “So being a pretty girl isn't all that easy is it?”

“No.”

“So what are your thoughts on that right now?”

“Umm, that perceptions color what other people think you should do, and most guys are kind of slimy at times?

“With the way they look at you, and kind of undress you in their heads.” I went on. “And if you look like I do, things could be easier one way, but a lot harder other ways?”

“Boys are boys, little sister.” Carly chuckled and hugged me. “Most of them are really decent people, they just don't know how to act towards a really pretty girl yet. They learn. You just have to be patient with them for awhile.”

“But I know what they're thinking!” I shot back. “From experience.”

“Yes you do, Cindy.” She quietly answered. “So you know they aren't some sexually crazed monsters, just people learning how to deal with things.”

“Well yeah.” I responded slowly. “But it is kind of creepy being on the receiving end of their looks.”

“Sure it is.” She laughed. “Just part of being a pretty girl, little sister. Pretty soon you'll be able to look past that creepy part and really look at the guy.”

“Oh, I can't wait.”

“You'll be surprised, and really like it once you do.” She assured me.

Yeah, right. Like I was ever, ever going to like guys that way.

But much as I hated to admit it, even to myself, some of the guys in school had been — kind of — cute.

Okay, time to curl up into a ball here and deny everything.

But the truth wouldn't just go away. Some of the guys I saw that first day back in school looked a whole lot different to me than when I was just one of the guys.

Worse, they looked good. In an attractive sort of way.

I could scream, but it wouldn't do any good.

Remember the thing about no lesbian coyotes?

I just want to die.

But I wasn't given too much time to worry about that. Oh no, that would have been way to easy.

Dana and her friends plucked me from my sister but she still hung around in the background and I found myself going into town again. This time with a bunch of girls who weren't relatives who knew what had happened to me. And Carly just grinned, waved and told me. “Have a good time.”

There have been times I really wanted to kill my big sister, you know?

On the other hand, it was fun. Actually fun.

“Hey!” Heather, a really well built brunette with a really cute face almost shouted across the store. “This would look GREAT on you, Cindy!”

“What is it?” I asked while moving to see what she was holding.

It was the same little red dress I already had and had no intentions of ever, ever wearing.

“Got it already, but thanks.” I told her.

“So try it on for us so we can see!” Rachel, blonde with big green eyes and a body to kill for if you were a girl put in. “Give us a preview!”

So, I ended up wearing the same kind of dress that had embarrassed me much yesterday.

But it was different this time. The girls were critiquing it, and how it looked on me.

“Ohh, I'm so jealous.” Stephanie, a cheerleader no less, told me as I finally came out of the changing booth. “That one was made just for you!”

They weren't teasing or trying to force me into anything at all. Just genuinely admiring it while it was on me.

So of course, I ended up trying on even more clothes that afternoon.

And it was kind of fun.

Okay, it was a lot of fun.

“You have a killer body, Cindy.” Dana informed me with a grin. “With your face and hair adding to that you're going to break a lot of hearts.”

“I don't want to break anyone's heart.” I countered.

“It happens, hon.” She simply told me. “You could just kind of ignore an interested guy without realizing it, or say no when someone asks you out. Just part of the deal.”

“That would break a guy's heart?”

“Boys are really fragile that way.” She told me. “They may be big and strong body-wise, but they're still pretty innocent mentally and emotionally. Girls like us are a learning experience for them and the really nice ones get to be with us if we want.”

“Wow.”

“Yeah, it isn't something to play with, honey.” She honestly told me. “But is kind of cool.”

“But be careful with it?” I asked.

“Always.” She nodded. “Only total bitches destroy a boy's self-confidence.”

Having been on the receiving end of what she was talking about, I nodded with yet another new understanding. “I wouldn't want to do that.”

“That's because you're a good person, Cindy.” She answered.

Given what had been happening to me, I really hoped that was so.

Once were back out on the street I saw him again. That nasty guy Carmilla had warned me about. And yes, I now knew who and what Carmilla is. Which would explain her odd scent. Kind of like something dead but not.

Plus, she was a real mover and shaker in town. And she was for some reason, interested in me.

I'd asked Aunt Cecily about her last night. Her answer?

“That woman is trouble, dear. Stay away from her or anyone else who smells like her.”

But I hadn't approached her, she had found and spoken to me. And hadn't seemed like she was anything like my aunt was saying.

Anyway, back to the creepy guy.

He had friends with him, all of them giving off the same feeling. Carly spotted them, too, and quickly rushed up and pulled me into the local sears store. “That was close.”

“You know about those guys?”

“Yes.” Her reply was short, and vehement. “You don't want them noticing you.”

“What?”

“Look honey.” Carly looked me in the eyes. “Those people would kill you without a second thought just because you are what you are.”

“How would you know?”

“Because I'm a were, too.” She told me then grinned. “Which you already know. Plus I've been warned about people like that. Order of the Divine Heart they call themselves and they are dedicated to killing people like you and me.”

“Why?”

“Because in their eyes we're monsters.” She grimly told me. “And they are specially trained, and armed, to be able to handle fighting people like us, and kill us.”

“Crap.” I whispered, recalling my dream and the feelings I'd had when I caught a glimpse of that very normal, and innocent appearing family the first guy I'd spotted had been watching.

“Yeah, they're bad news, but the elders here in town can handle them.” Carly assured me. “They've been here before and gotten their butts kicked every time.”

“Then why do they come back?”

“They're fanatics.” She told me. “Someone points them, they go, like firing a gun at something.”

“Oh.” I nodded then had a sudden, unpleasant thought. Creepy guy number one had been looking right at me a minute ago, and had gotten his friends to look, too.

So now, I thought, I was a target, too.

I just let Carly think my shivers were from finding out what she'd told me just then.

And decided that I'd be damned if I was just going to be a target.

If those shitheads wanted me, they were going to pay for it.

Just how to go about that was something I hadn't quite figured out as of yet. But I fully intended to give them a real run for their money if they came after me. And there was that innocent child I had such an obsession with defending who was also one of their targets.

Okay, I really needed to take some time and think about things, maybe talk to some people.

This learning curve was a whole lot steeper than just dealing with boys. And a lot deadlier.

Not that I felt at all that good about my decision there.

In fact, I was more afraid than I'd ever been in my life.

Oddly, I was also more determined.

The Guardian wasn't a hard place to find.

I'd seen it countless times, been past it, and until recently never even knew it was a bar. Most of the bars in town were rowdy places the college kids went to.

Not the Guardian. It was a nice, quiet place to go have a few drinks, talk, and just relax. Though I was too young to even get in the door. But the place has a back door, and I knocked on that instead of trying to get inside from the street entrance.

A young woman answered the door, probably one of the barmaids and looked me up and down for a moment. “You're too young, even for the back door, honey. Come back next year.”

“I'm looking for Terry.” I told her before she could close the door in my face.

That stopped her at least but the amused look on her face told me what she was thinking. “Take your little girl crush to the malt shop, or pizza parlor, honey. He's way too old for you and someone else has a claim on him already.”

“Carmilla told me to ask for him.” I got in before she could close the door that time and her eyes widened just a little and her nostrils flared.

“Carmilla.” She carefully answered. “Short brunette with bright blue eyes?”

She's not short, she's a fiery redhead, and her eyes are green.” I answered. “And she smells a lot like you do, by the way.”

The girl, though I now knew she was much more than that looked at me for a few seconds then nodded. “Wait here, I'll go get him.”

Was every vampire that preternaturally beautiful? I wondered as the door closed behind her. I had only been a girl for a few days, but knew all too well what I looked like. Carmilla and the unnamed girl at the door left my girl sense feeling horribly inadequate.

I was mulling that over when the door opened again and a deep masculine voice full of humor interrupted my thoughts. “All of them tend to be like that.”

“What?” I looked up, then up some more. The guy was really tall, and with enough bulk — muscle, not fat — that he didn't really look it until you were up close.

“Vampires.” He shrugged. “Every one of them is a guy's wet dream come to life, so to speak. I'm Terry, by the way. Now what do you need me for?”

Part of me had very impure and embarrassing thoughts about that one, but I shoved those back into the not so dark corner of my mind they'd come from. Terry was a real hunk. Like romance novel picture caliber. Again I shrugged that off and looked up at him. “Carmilla told me to come find you if I needed her and that you'd get me to her.”

“Cindy.” He nodded without a question in that. “She told me about you and that you would probably be by soon. Come on, I'll take you to her.”

“She knew I'd come here?” I asked as I followed him to a big four wheel drive pickup.

“Yes.” He sighed. “And she knew that you'd be in trouble when you did. Have you talked with your family about this at all?”

“Not yet.” I admitted. “They probably wouldn't tell me anything anyway, they would probably tell me to just to hide right now. Or hide me themselves.”

“Good advice.” He nodded, but didn't berate me as he opened the passenger side door and helped me step into the cab. “With Hunters around it's always a good idea to stay out of sight.”

“They've already spotted me.” I answered quietly.

“Shit.” He grimaced as he got into the cab. “You really need to tell your family about this, honey.”

“I need some answers now.” I said without sounding doubtful at all. “I'd spend days working them out of my family unless I have some background to hit them with.”

“Whatever you say.” He shrugged. “Carmilla just asked me to get you to her when you showed up.”

“Works for me.” I fastened the shoulder harness, still having a few problems with the new protuberances on my chest. He noticed, and gave me a kind of sad look, but didn't say anything as I got the harness arranged comfortably.

“You're in too deep, girl.” He did tell me as we were driving across town. “You're a newbie and trust me, even old hands hesitate about going up against the Hunters. Get some sense here and let the Elders handle this.”

I wanted to, I really did. But something just wouldn't let me just stand aside. “I can't.”

“She told me you'd say that, too.” He sighed.

“Can she see the future?” I questioned in something like shock.

“No.” He chuckled and it was a really nice rumble from deep in his throat. “She just reads people really well.

“She knew something would happen and you just wouldn't be able to let it go or hide is all.”

“I only met her once, for a minute or so.” I protested.

“Oh, trust me,” He grinned. “That's all she needed.”

“But she's on my side, right?”

“Hon, she wouldn't have talked to you if she wasn't.” He assured me.

I sniffed at the air in the cab and then looked at him very carefully. “You aren't human.”

“Neither are you.” He laughed. “Both of us can smell, little girl. So you're the new coyote that has been causing such a stir with the Harpers.”

“And you're a wolf.” I whispered, suddenly more than a little afraid of him.

“One who won't hurt you.” He agreed while telling me that. “None of us would hurt you, honey. We are kindred of a kind, after all.”

“But wolves and coyotes...”

“Don't usually get along, I know.” He smoothly responded, then got quietly thoughtful for a minute or so. “But your kind, my kind, we're human, too. Your family and my family aren't competing for food here, Cindy. Or anything else. We all have what we want already, so there's no sense in pulling that 'I'm better than you game' and believe me, there are lots of things coyotes are better at than wolves.”

“Really?”

“Oh yeah.” He gave another of those really gut churning chuckles and grinned. “Why do you think regular coyotes are considered varmints in most places? They're smart, adaptable, fast, and not much phases them.”

“Oh.”

“Something to remember there, girl.” He tapped my nose gently. “You have a lot going for you, and with your martial arts training you already have a head start. Just don't get cocky and you might live through all this.”

I didn't have a comeback for that one. Who would when actually hearing that their life was in danger?

“Here we are.” Terry announced as we pulled up to a large house with Greek lettering on the front, though it was quite a ways off from other frats and sororities. “Just tell whoever answers the door that Carmilla is expecting you. I'll be waiting to take you home once you're finished here.”

Lord, I wasn't quite ready to admit to myself that guys were — well sexy and interesting. But Terry had just pushed me into a ten mile forward broad jump where that was concerned. I was both a little hot in the panties and worried as I left his pickup and headed up the walk to the front door of the house.

That man could arouse a dead woman.

Something he did rather regularly, evidently. Carmilla's scent was all over him.

The girl who answered the door was just as beautiful, and impersonal as the one who had met me at the Guardian's back door. She looked at me for a moment, then nodded. “Follow me.”

What was I going to do? Stare at the door once it closed on my face? I followed her.

The entry area looked really old fashioned, with very few concessions to modern things. Other than the electric lights disguised as old style gas lamps. And it was huge. With a gleaming tiled floor that I just knew was marble and not some cheap tile you'd get from Home Depot or a place like that.

The place was — opulent — without being over the top. A lot of money had been invested in just the décor in the entry hall. I knew expensive, and quality when I saw it, and I was seeing it there. Unpretentious but showing those who knew that there was a lot of money behind it.

But not the 'rubbing your nose in it kind of thing, just elegantly understated and right there in your face if you were paying attention. Just something that was everyday around the place and no big deal.

Wow.

Now I knew for sure I was in way over my head.

Instead of being led up one of the two massive staircases I could see, I was taken to a side hall and led downstairs.

Way downstairs.

The area I was taken to looked as if it had been built in revolutionary times with all the stonework and torches on the wall. Though the torches did have electric lights instead of fire.

I was brought to a heavy door and my escort knocked on it and respectfully waited for a response. I did wonder who could have heard that at all through the heavy wood when the door opened and that flame haired goddess I'd met in the park was standing there.

“Hello Cindy, and welcome to the Delta Beta Zeta house. You are safe here and always will be, I promise you.”

And for some reason I just knew that was true. No matter what the residents of this house were, I would be safe anytime I came here. Just because Carmilla had said it. She was very interesting, and I got the impression that she was LOT older than she looked.

“Come on in.” She invited me and I followed her into what turned out to be a pretty normal looking office.

There was a desk, a computer on it, file cabinets lining the walls and racks for computer disks against one wall.

But that wasn't what caught my attention.

There were other people in the office.

One, blonde and just as impossibly beautiful as Carmilla nodded to me, while the other, a brunette with kind of weird hair just smirked.

Carmilla took me to a chair and gently sat me down in it then gestured to the others in the room.

Waving towards the blonde, she introduced me. “This is Josephine, or Josie these days, my oldest daughter.

“This,” she grinned while waving at the kind of punk looking brunette, “Is Dani.”

“Both will help you through this and neither one is someone to be taken lightly, Cindy.”

With my heightened senses, I could easily see that neither girl was someone I wanted to mess with, and no one sane would either. Their posture and simple confidence told me that they were very good at whatever it was they did. Though Dani did smirk and wink at me.

I nodded without saying more than hello to both of them.

“Why are you helping me?” I asked point blank.

Because, child,” Carmilla simply told me, “You are much more important than you realize, and keeping you alive would benefit me and my daughters.”

“Is that the only reason?”

“No.” She shrugged and when Carmilla shrugs like that I could just see men falling down at the sight. I was sooo jealous. “The Hunters are enemies to us all. Having them in town is most... disturbing. I want that disturbance gone.”

“Just what exactly are they?” I asked. “I've heard that they are bad news and people to avoid, and that they kill people like us, as you told me in the park. But why is that?”

“That is a very long story, child.” Carmilla sighed and gave me a little smile. “It starts long ago, before Christianity and even before there were formalized gods.”

“What?”

“There have always been people who hate us, what your family call 'The Hidden'.” She answered softly. “Some who have dedicated themselves to killing us no matter what the cost.”

“But we don't really bother anyone.” I told her. “Do we?”

“Not usually.” She told me with a thin smile. “But sometimes in the past some of us did. It is a reaction to that which causes our problems with them now. The Hunters have had many names, but the one thing they have always done is hunt our kinds and kill us whenever they find us.

“And unfortunately there are always those among our kinds who justify that by their actions.” She sighed.

“Oh.”

“Once they were called Mithraens, later Templars, then the Inquisition, and now they call themselves the Order of the Divine Heart. But in all those guises, they have been the bitter, and deadly enemies of all our kinds.”

“Why?”

“Fanatics need no real reason, just a target.” She answered with a shrug. “And every member of the Order is a fanatic. They don't care about anything but killing our kinds, and collateral damage is something they consider a necessary evil to 'eradicate' us from the world.”

“That's just insane.” I told her, though there was a sick feeling in my gut that what she had just told me wasn't only right, but that some of those fanatics had found me.

“That may be.” She nodded then gave me a long, penetrating look with those too lovely emerald eyes. “But whatever, you have drawn their attention now. You need to be very careful until they are run out of town again, dear. Insane or not, they mean to kill you. And that is something I just can't allow.”

“Why? What do I mean to you?”

“A bridge, dear child.” She said quite simply. “Preserving you will gain me and my daughters good will that we lack in some quarters. “Keeping you alive is very important to me.”

“So I'm just some kind of pawn in a bigger game?”

“Ah, nothing of the sort, dear.” Carmilla laughed and gave me a fond look. “You, my dear, are something much more than a pawn in this particular game. What that is, however, is not for me to tell you. You will discover that in your own time, but you are no pawn.”

“Okay.” I nodded and tried to appear as if hearing that was nothing new but don't think I did it all that well given the snickers Dani let out. “So what do I do now?”

“Stay alive.” Carmilla told me with a thin smile.

“But I have something to do.” I countered. “That would have me fighting these Hunters.”

“Then learn, girl.” Carmilla flatly told me. “Your martial arts training will help, but you need to know more to defeat these enemies. Learn about stealth, and a little burglary wouldn't hurt either. Don't limit yourself. Learn anything that you can, and do it quickly.”

I just stared at her in shock.

“You are a Coyote.” She grinned. “Such things are in your nature already. Learn them if you wish to accomplish the task set for you and survive the doing.”

“But... I'm just a teenaged — girl.”

At your age, a female has been considered a woman for several years already in most cultures in the past and still is in many in this day and age.” She told me.

“It is time to put your childhood behind you, girl.” Carmilla's eyes bored into mine. “Or you will die.”

I had no answer to that one at all. Other than I wasn't quite ready to die, and would give anyone trying to make that so the best fight I could.

“Good.” Carmilla smiled at me. “You do understand.”

Yes I did, but that was no comfort at all.

Singing to the Moon Chapter 5 by Maggie Finson

Carmilla had Dani lead me back upstairs and to the door. Saying that she and Josephine had some things to discuss.

The dark haired girl, oh she was every bit as beautiful as the others I'd seen, just... edgier, more punk with her spiky hair, makeup and clothes, cheerfully led me through the maze towards the front door cracking jokes and teasing all the way.

“Are you always like this?” I asked her and at her curious raise of an eyebrow I made myself a little clearer. “I mean so bouncy and stuff?”

“Usually, kid.” She giggled, did a spin right in front of me and faked a curtsey because she was wearing black leather pants. “If ya can't enjoy what you got what's the point of breathing?

“Oh, right, I don't breathe.” She laughed and winked at me. “At least not a lot of the time.”

This gal was flaky, but kind of fun at the same time. I kind of liked her. “Uhh, I'll just let that last one go for now, if it's okay?”

“Whatever floats your barge, boat, canoe, or whatever.” She grinned then got a thoughtful look on her too perfect face. “Oh, don't be surprised to see me, or Josephine around a lot in the near future, not hovering, just watching. Mama San is really interested in keeping you alive, but if you don't see us — well that doesn't mean we aren't there or anything. Just scream real loud and we'll notice.”

The gal obviously had a few screws that weren't all that tightly fastened, but she was likeable, and I still got the impression that she really wasn't a person anyone with good sense wanted to have mad at them.

Much better to have as a friend, even if she was probably a friend who liked practical jokes a little too much.

At the door, Dani grinned at me again, flicked my chin with a finger so quickly I hadn't even seen her move and nodded. “Yeah, you'll do, honey. Remember, holler if you really get into a bad spot, okay?”

“I will.” I promised. Somehow, flaky as she was, knowing she would be around if I needed help was kind of comforting. Especially with how fast she could move. I was fast, or had been and was now faster, and not even seeing a hint of her hand and finger do that chin flick thing was kind of unnerving.

Okay, be honest here. It was really, really scary. I was glad she was on my side.

I was kind of quiet as Terry got out of his pickup to open my door for me. Even his over maleness and my still not quite welcome femaleness didn't really break through my thoughts for a few minutes. Until I heard him asking. “So where to now, princess? Home?”

“No.” I let out a breath. “Take me to dojo please.”

“You got it.” He nodded as he started the truck and didn't even ask where the place was.

Well, Ravencrest is a pretty small town. Anyone who lived there pretty well knew where everything was.

It was a really quiet ride.

When he let me out in front of the dojo, Terry gave me a long, serious look. “You know you can come to the Guardian anytime you need help. Even Hunters might think twice before storming into there, given a lot of the clientele and people who work there.”

“Thanks.” I answered, thinking that now I had two safe havens offered to me in one day. That had nothing to do with my own family. “I'll remember that.”

“Do that.” He nodded and got one of my larger problems going big time by giving me a quick hug. “You're a good kid, Cindy and I'd really be pissed off if someone killed you.”

Wow, first vampires and now a wolf was hinting that he'd defend me too. And that hug did things to me I really, really didn't want to think about. Not even a little.

I smiled, nodded, and waved as I headed into the dojo, taking the time to shout. “Thanks for the ride!”

He waved as he drove off. I wanted to wave a hand in front of my too warm face. I really had to get these hormonal reactions under control.

Getting to the locker rooms I stopped in my tracks so to speak. I'd always used the male side, but obviously I couldn't do that now. I'd nearly walked into the guy side without even giving it a thought.

“This is sooo messed up.” I grumbled while thinking that getting into the girls changing room last week would have been a dream come true. Until the girls in there beat the crap out of me.

Now it would just be a normal thing. And the really toned girls and women who used the dojo would just see me as one of them.

Worse, I didn't have any exercise clothes.

With a sigh I turned to go to the little shop that was part of the dojo to get some things I could wear to practice in.

There wasn't a huge selection, something I thought needed to be changed. I ended up with several pairs of what they call yoga pants. Tight, flexible, and with legs that just stopped right below the knees. A few sports bra/halter kind of things, leather fingerless gloves that looked way to small, some foot booties that passed for socks, and soft shoes that went up to my ankles.

All in all, less than satisfying and really pretty revealing. But you couldn't do the kind of things I practiced in sweats all that well. But I got a few sets of those, too.

I got changed, then just sat there in the locker room and thought for awhile.

I had some really big problems here.

Number one. Being a girl. I seemed to be falling into that way too easy and that bothered me. A lot. You'd think I would have had to take a bunch of time to adjust to that. But I was just falling into the whole thing like I'd fallen down a well or something. I didn't even want to think about what I would be like once I hit the water at the bottom of that figurative well.

Problem number two. Hunters. In town, knowing what I was and after me now even if they hadn't tried anything yet. But they'd just spotted me earlier in the day so I didn't think that point counted all that much or had been really driven home to me yet.

Problem number three. The rather ordinary looking family at least one of those Hunters was stalking. And their child who I seemed to have an obsessive need to protect. Which would bring problem two back into things.

Much as part of me hated to admit it, the first problem kind of fell into the background considering the other two. I had things to deal with here that made becoming a girl kind of unimportant at the present.

“Looking good, uhhh, Cindy.” Chris commented while I was taking a break from punching and kicking the bags.

“My balance is off.” I answered, then blushed, actually blushed when what he'd said really got into my brain and told me what that could mean.

“Not that much.” He answered. “Just remember that your real power is from you hips now, not your shoulders.”

“I know.” I grimaced and gave the bag in front of me one last, spiteful kick.

Which broke the chain the held it to the ceiling.

“Got to watch that.” My brother chuckled. “We're stronger than we used to be.”

“No shit.” I grumbled but still kind of impressed at what I'd just done. “But my moves don't fit my balance any more.”

“Give it a little time.” He reassured me. “You're really close as it is, and I've seen girls that were — born that way — have more problems with it.”

“Yeah, about that.” I shook my head.

You need to braid all that hair before you spar with someone, you know.” He told me quite practically then nodded. “Yeah, ready to have that talk yet?”

“Maybe?” I answered with a little lurch in my tummy. Okay, since when did I start calling my stomach my tummy?

“I can wait till you're ready, Cindy.” He shrugged.

“No, I think it's a good time.” I told my twin.

“You sure about that?”

“I'm not sure about much of anything just now.” I let out a sigh. “But I have to face what happened and what is probably going to happen. So yes, I'm sure.”

“Okay.” He gave me a hesitant smile and finished. “Office?”

“Good idea.” I nodded and followed him there.

The office was comfortably familiar. Given that this was a real working dojo, there weren't any of the crap you see in some places to get people to join and spend their money for something they might or might not use.

There was a desk, a laptop that was closed up, some chairs and a few posters about upcoming events and competitions. It was a familiar, comfortable place.

“This is so weird.” My brother shook his head and sighed as we settled into chairs. The desk was Carly's and our father's before that, neither one of us had ever sat behind it.

“Try it from my end of things.” I told him.

“Rather not.” He kind of grinned then got all serious and confused looking again. “I mean your were my identical twin, but now you're this hot looking sister that I feel like I have to protect. What's up with that?”

“No idea.” I said quietly then shook my head. “But it happened and now we have to deal with it. And I'm pretty sure I could protect myself just fine thanks. But the thought was nice.”

Where did that come from?

“Must be instinct, or something like that.” He nodded thoughtfully. Chris didn't carry my grade point average, but he was far from stupid.

“Probably.” I nodded. “But I don't know, I really don't know what's going on with me right now.”

“You are falling into the 'being a girl' thing really fast.” He answered. “Why?”

“If I knew that,” I grumbled, “I'd have half the problem solved here.”

“Instinct.” He said it again. “I heard Lady Moon not only touched you, but came when you called, too. Maybe she's helping you adjust. But we are coyotes as well as human, and instinct is something that rules us as much as thought, you know.”

“Been finding that out lately.” I grumbled again, but what he was saying made sense. “I've been having thoughts and feelings, doing things, that I'd never have been caught dead doing before our birthday.”

“Well, look at this way.” He offered. “At least you aren't some guy stumbling around in a girl body. And don't say you are a guy. I've seen you at school, in town, and you move like a girl, react like a girl, and face it. You really look like a girl, and a pretty hot one.”

I so didn't need to hear that from my own brother. I shot back with a halfway snide response. “So that makes me a girl? And why would you be at all interested that your new sister is hot?”

“Our --my friends talk.” He answered with a sheepish little smile and shrug. “You know how guys talk when they're with each other. I've had to stop myself from crawling all over a few of them about you already. You may not be my brother any longer, but you're still family. Now that you're my sister I kind of get all defensive about how other guys think of you and really get pissed off at what they sometimes say about you.”

What could I say to that? My brother still loved me.

“Thanks.” I felt tears starting and furiously tried to stop them, which only made things worse. There I was, crying, in front of my own brother. But it was a good cry, about feeling good about someone and happy.

Still, it was crying. Sheesh.

“It's okay, sis.” He actually moved up to hug me. And I didn't get any of those really uncomfortable feelings when a guy would do that. It just felt good. Then he gave me an evil grin. “Just glad it happened to you and not me. But you'll handle it, like you always do with things.”

“Better be really glad about that one.” I slapped his shoulder and managed a grin. “You'd make a really awful girl.”

“Would have said that about you before last weekend.” He quietly answered. “Why just you? Why didn't it happen to both of us?”

“I don't know.” I shook my head and just looked at him. “I just don't know, and no one else seems to either.”

“Shit happens.” He was back to his usual 'so what' mode, but that was comfortable given that was the way he'd always been around me.

I had my brother back, though I knew I'd never really lost him.

Being his sister was still kind of a shock to the system, but you can't have everything.

“Better hit the showers, sis.” He grimaced as his phone buzzed and he looked at it. “Aunt Cecily wants us home. Now.”

“Uh oh.” I grimaced, too. “As in now like in twenty minutes or as in NOW like an hour ago?”

“All caps.” He answered.

“Oh, boy.” I sighed and got up to head to the showers.

“Why would she warn me about strangers in town?” Chris asked just a got to the door.

“Uh, right now you really don't want to know.” I said very quietly. “Just stay away from anyone you don't recognize on the way home, okay? I'm sure we'll get told about it once we get back.”

Oh, yes, I was sure of that.

“Well it must be important, Uncle Patrick is coming to pick us up.” My brother told me with a worried look.

“It is.” I told him with a worried look of my own. “Tell you about it later, okay?”

I had just enough time to gather my clothes and new purchases, when the locker room door opened and one of the girls entered to inform me. “Your uncle, is waiting for you. I'd get a move on if I was you because he doesn't look happy.”

So much for a shower.

It was a quiet ride home. Uncle Patrick didn't say more than greet me and Chris, then hustle us out to his Lexus. He did sniff when I approached, and his posture became more watchful until we left the dojo when it shifted to things besides me. He did give me odd looks off and on all the way home, though. When he wasn't checking the rear view mirrors.

When were within the gates of the estate, he seemed to relax some and glanced at me. “You smell of Wolf and Vampire, Cindy. What have you been doing today?”

“I met some people and talked to them.” I answered quite truthfully. Uncle Patrick could catch someone in a lie faster than a mongoose going in for the kill on a cobra and sometimes the results could be just as unpleasant.

“There's more to it than that, young lady.” As usual he zeroed in the 'not all of the truth thing' which had made it really tough to get away with much of anything when we were growing up. “But it can wait until we get into the house.”

So he and Aunt Cecily could double team me. Wonderful.

And I'd thought I had problems before.

Mary Jane and Clarissa were in the conversation nook when we got there. Both wearing puzzled expressions but their noses wrinkled a little when I walked in and sat down, too.

“Didn't have time for a shower after my workout.” I explained and apologized at the same time.

“There's more than sweaty girl there, cousin.” Mary Jane answered quietly.

“Yes there is, Cindy.” Aunt Cecily had been sniffing along with the other two. “Maybe you'd like to explain?”

“Uh, like I was telling Uncle Patrick.” I shrugged. “I met some new people today and talked with them.”

Again the truth, just not all of it.

“We'll talk about that later.” My aunt nodded and I knew I wasn't going to be able to dodge my afternoon activities much longer with either her or my uncle.

“Okay.” I agreed. Well I did have to do it, and I needed answers I still didn't have. So I took a deep breath and asked. “Is this about The Order of the Divine Heart?”

“Yes.” She answered shortly then stared at me for a second or two. “How would you know about them already?”

“I've seen them here in town.” I told her then winced at her dark expression over that admission. “Carly told me after we spotted them and got out of sight.”

“She didn't tell you the actual name they use.”

“No.” I answered slowly. “I asked some other people.”

“And they of course, told you when you asked.” Aunt Cecily was watching me very carefully.

“They kind of just told me.” I shrugged. “I didn't really ask to be honest.”

“Who told you?” Her eyes bored into me and the Alpha Female of the clan was looking out of them.

“Carmilla.”

“Just like her, trying to frighten a child.” My aunt spat.

“No, she was warning me.” I countered.

“Why? Did she tell you that?” Uncle Patrick asked.

“Yes she did.”

“That woman doesn't do anything for altruistic reasons.” My aunt answered. “What does she want from you?”

“She doesn't want anything.” I answered. “Other than me staying alive.”

“I find that hard to believe.” She responded while my brother looked on in confusion and my cousins looked worried.

“She said that I'm a bridge.” I quietly answered. “That her helping to keep me alive would gain her some goodwill in places she didn't have it. And she hates the Hunters as much as you do.”

Aunt Cecily gave me a hard, long look, then nodded. “She would have more reason than anyone around here but the Lockes to feel that way, I suppose. But she never does something for nothing. You remember that next time you see her.”

“Why did she even talk with you?” My uncle asked.

“I don't know, really.” I shook my head. “She found me in the park when I'd first seen a Hunter and told me they were bad news, and that I could come to her for help if I needed it.”

“You weren't in the park today, were you?”

“Uhh, no.” I lowered my head and admitted it. “I saw one of them last weekend when Carly and I were there.”

“Why didn't you come to us?”

“Because all you told me about them was that I should stay away from them when I asked.” I answered. “I wanted — needed, to know more.”

“Why?” Aunt Cecily questioned.

“I have dreams.” I softly told her then handed out the real whammy. “And they noticed me today.”

Now that caused an uproar.

I was grounded.

I mean really grounded. Nothing but school and home.

When that pronouncement was made Aunt Carly kind of grinned at me while Uncle Patrick took my keys to just about everything in the house. Including the doors to outside that locked and needed those keys to open even from the inside if they were locked.

“I know you could pick the locks, dear.” She actually smiled at me. “But don't do it right now.”

Crap. Okay so I had spent one summer working with the local locksmith, and carefully watched what he did when he had to get into a place where the only keys were lost or still inside. Then tried that myself. You needed the right tools, but I was working for a locksmith so those weren't all that hard to get.

Hey! It was something fun to learn and I happened to be kind of good at it.

“But grounded, Aunt Cecily?” I asked almost plaintively. “Nothing but school and here?”

“It's for your protection, honey.” She told me.

“Okay.” I sighed. Besides there were other ways out of the house, even with all the electronic surveillance stuff. I hoped my aunt and uncle didn't know I could do that kind of thing.

But with the way they are, and what they are, I didn't think that was all too likely, either.

Well, just more of a challenge, I suppose.

The window at the end of the hall really wasn't supposed to open at all. But a little jimmy in here, and bit of oil there... I'd have to remember to mention that to my aunt and uncle. Later.

Now getting down from the third floor was another problem entirely.

Then I remembered the fire ladder that was kept in a nearby closet. Doh!

It wasn't really much of a ladder. Rope with wooden rungs tied in at convenient intervals. But it reached the ground once I'd hooked it to the eyelets below the window sill and very carefully lowered it so it wouldn't bounce off the house while going down.

That was time consuming, let me tell you.

But now I had a way out of the house, and more importantly, back in once I was finished with what I wanted to do. If our security people didn't find it and rat me out, anyway.

But they spent most of their time at the walls and patrolling the more obvious ways to sneak in 'without being spotted'. Right, our security people were coyotes, too. No one was going to just sneak up on us without them knowing.

Plus, the window I'd chosen for my 'escape' faced a large expanse of lawn without so much as a birdbath for cover. Lit by soft spotlights I might add. The light may have been dim, but it was still light.

“Bad planning.” I cursed myself about my choice of egress from the house, but truthfully, I'd taken the best of a number of not so good ones. “Gotta find an easier way after tonight.”

Then it occurred to me that I didn't even know the schedule our security people kept, or if they kept to one at all. I thought the last one to be more likely because even I know that regular patrols give the bad guys a chance to get in.

“What to do, what to do?” I was tapping a finger to my lips while I figured out what my next step was going to be.

Aha!

Keeping to the few shadows offered where I presently was, I carefully moved around the house to a spot that allowed access to our gazebo, then a lot of well cared for shrubbery.

My night vision was a LOT better than it had been. So was my hearing. Big surprise, right?

But it was my sense of smell that saved me there.

I smelled the guy coming before I even saw him, though to be truthful that was pure luck and the wind was in my favor. I'd remember that bit for later, I promised myself. Stay downwind of people you don't want smelling you. So even if I didn't accomplish another thing tonight, I'd learned something new, and probably very valuable.

I went supine on the ground right at the foundations of the gazebo. Oh yeah, I could move a whole lot faster since my change. And tried my best not to make a shadow that seemed out of place.

The guy walked past, even looked right where I was hiding and seemed to hesitate for a second. Now I know what it means when people use the phrase 'My heart was in my throat.' before he looked away and continued his rounds.

After a quiet sigh of relief, I used the shrubbery, shaped into kind of ridiculous things I'd always thought (I mean who really wants an elephant shaped hibiscus?) and reached the wall.

Another problem.

The wall around our little homestead wasn't just a fence. It was a real wall. Ten feet high, made of native stone sheathed in very smooth concrete that was maintained very regularly.

“I need a grappling hook and some rope.” I muttered while trying to find a spot with enough purchase on the thing to get me over it.

That took me another twenty minutes of stealthy movement and testing. I finally found a place that maintenance hadn't gotten to yet and used the chinks in the concrete armor to scramble to the top.

Sheesh, if civilization were to come to an end, and decent people had to fight off ravening gangs, our place would make a pretty good stronghold.

I'd lightly dropped to the ground on the other side when someone lightly tapped my shoulder and whispered. “Nice job kid.”

I bit my tongue to keep from screaming and just about jumped right out of my skin.

Singing to the Moon Chapter 6 by Maggie Finson

Okay, I did let out a little scream there. More like an 'Eeek!”

God, I was getting so girly it was getting really embarrassing at times.

Dani just grinned at me and gave my shoulder a comforting pat. “I was impressed. You did real good for a noobie at sneaking around.”

“I'm a teenager.” I managed to get out, then let out a sigh of relief. “We learn to sneak around when we're like twelve. And with my aunt and uncle, I had to learn a lot of stuff.”

“Impressed me.” Dani shrugged then gave me a really hard look. “So wanna tell my just why you did that when you're grounded?”

“How did you know I was grounded?”

“No one sneaks better than me, babe.” She chuckled and moved back to take a little bow. “I've even snuck up on Carmilla once or twice and trust me, that isn't easy. I was listening to your family conference of course.”

“I can't get away with anything.” I muttered much to Dani's delight.

“So what makes ya think I'm gonna send you back to your room?” She giggled this time.

“But you told me you'd be watching over me.”

“Doesn't mean I'm going to keep you from making your own mistake while you learn, kiddo.” She laughed. “I'll just try and make sure none of those mistakes are fatal, you know?”

“You mean you aren't going to just send me back?” I asked.

“Nah.” She shrugged then gave me another infectious grin. “It was really entertaining watching you jimmy that window, figure out how to get to the ground, then sneak through your family compound. The security there is really good, by the way.

“All I want to know is just what you're trying to do here.”

I need to know where the Hunters are hiding.” I answered and just then realized that was what I wanted to do since up to then my motives had been kind of obscure even to me.

“Dangerous.” Dani shook her head.

“I have to.” I answered without telling her why. Nuts, even I wasn't sure of the why other than I didn't want that baby to cry any longer.

Dani looked at me and nodded. “Okay. Check out that KOA campground northwest of town. Just don't get into too much trouble when you do.”

“You know where they are already?”

“They're Hunters, honey.” She answered. “Of course we've checked them out. But some of them are in another place. That we haven't found yet. ”Which is also why Carmilla hasn't lowered 'the fist of vengence' on them yet. We need to find out where the rest of them are hiding.”

“If you guys can't find out, what makes you think I could?” I asked.

“Baby girl,” Dani answered while giving me a really serious look. “Aside from me, you're already better at sneaking around than any of my sisters or Mother. Which is saying a lot. You find where they are, we'll take care of the rest.”

Without a lot of care for 'collateral' damage when they did, was the impression I got there. Anyone the Hunters held when the vampires found those jerks was just as likely to be dead in the aftermath as not.

Okay I already knew they weren't good people even if they could be nice.

If you haven't been able to make that distinction with people you meet already, I feel kind of sorry for you. You're going to have a lot of pain.

“I'll find them.” I just told her without hinting at what I'd just seen.

“She noticed and shrugged again. “We aren't super good people, Cindy, we know that. We try most of the time but our nature keeps getting in the way. We're killers on a short leash here in Ravencrest.

She wasn't apologizing for that. Just telling me.

“I know.”

“You are special, you know that?” The killing machine in human form actually hugged me as she said that. “You see things that others don't. Find these bastards before they do what they came here for.”

“And turn you and your sisters loose on them?” I asked.

Whatever you think is right.” she quietly answered. “Your own family has the same problems we do, and the other weres in town are the same. Find those Hunters and they won't last a minute. No matter who goes after them.”

That one I had to think about. But I did know that my family were predators. Come to think of it so were the other families that were prominent in town. I already knew that the Lockes were wolves. How many others like us were here?

“There are wolves, bears, foxes, cougars, and of course, coyotes.” Dani answered my unasked question.

“Well, time to go.” she grinned, kissed my cheek and just — vanished.

And there I was. All alone with my thoughts and uncertainties.

I only briefly wondered how she could do that before other things started demanding attention in my kind of muddled mind.

Getting into and through town was really easy. Especially compared to getting out of the house. Sheesh, the happy Harper home was actually kind of a fortress. Okay, not kind of, it was a fortress.

But what was it defending against?

I had the feeling that I was going to find out at least part of the answer to that question in a very short time as I moved northwest to the campground Dani had told me to check.

Once I got there, and looked the place over, it just looked like a nicely filled up campground. You know, SUVs, trailers, tents, campfires all that.

But everything in the place had that sickening, hurtful feeling my second dream had given me.

I mean it looked normal. People around fires, sharing food and talk.

But all of them also gave me that not at all nice feeling I'd had in aforementioned dream.

I knew without any kind of extra sense, that me just walking down into that campground would not be a good thing. For me.

So I watched. And listened.

I have mentioned my better hearing, right?

Nothing, nada, zilch, zero. They weren't talking about anything other than the beautiful country, the nice weather and things like that.

Damn.

Why did spying on people have to be so hard? In the books I'd read the bad guys gave themselves away all the time.

I should have it so easy.

So I got closer.

Still no joy.

Until I spotted a black SUV with a quiet group around it.

A black SUV? Come on now. I mean SUVs were common where I lived being in the mountains and all, but most of the inhabitants of Ravencrest went for color. Sure there were a few black ones around, but not that many. If these guys had been going for blending in they should have bought a bright red one.

But it was the conversation that interested me.

“The child has been born.”

“Brother Sebastion has found it, and the family.”

“We will deal with that.”

“What of the inhabitants here? They have repulsed or destroyed any of us sent here before. Even when we damaged the werewolves so badly.”

“Those didn't have the Grail.”

The rest went silent at that and just nodded.

What? I wondered just what this Grail could be that would give these people enough confidence to come into a place where their asses had been kicked so many times even the residents had stopped counting.

This was not good.

But mention of 'The child' had really gotten my attention.

If I had anything to say about it, or to do with it, Grail or not, these people were going to get their butts kicked again.

But I had to find out just what that 'Grail' was first.

Which got interrupted when a heavy hand landed on my shoulder.

Damn it, how had I not noticed that guy?

“What do you think you're doing here little girl?” The guy had forcibly turned me around so I had to look at him and he was big. It was the quiet thing about his approach that really bothered me more than his size. Along with that 'little girl' thing.

“I'm lost?”

“Then you would have just walked down into the campground.” The big quiet moving guy shook his head and really looked at me.

“Ahh. You're one of them.”

“One of what?”

“The inhuman demons.”

“Demons?” I managed to squirm out of his grasp as I asked that and got ready to run for all I was worth.

“Die.” was all the answer he had as he pulled a really nasty thing out of a scabbard at his waist.

It was a long dagger, or maybe dirk if you wanted to get technical, but it glowed with that sickly light that blade on the floor surrounded with blood had in my dream. Only this time the thing wasn't a dream.

And he was lunging at me with it.

I twisted, used my skills to just 'not be there' when his strike hit, and kicked out with all the force I had on my return from the dodge.

My heel, with all the force I could put behind it hit him in the lower ribs.

And he just grunted.

And swept that nasty blade in an arc that caught my own ribs.

I can't describe the pain from that.

Like a paper cut that was lots deeper that had acid on whatever had cut me. And was eating into me.

I knew that another hit like that was going to kill me, too.

“Little girls shouldn't play with the adults.” He smirked as he aimed the horrible thing at my heart.

I redirected that strike, broke his arm, taking the nasty thing from his hand much to his shock, and drove the thing, painful as that was when I grabbed it from him, into his heart. I also had to really keep myself from screaming at the pain just holding the thing had caused me.

I was bleeding, with a badly burned hand, but I was alive.

I looked at his body and just had to smirk. “Some little girls are more than adults can handle.”

Then I fell down and kind of lost what was going on.

“Wake up.” I heard while feeling some annoying things on my cheeks.

Those were slaps, as I noted when I opened my eyes and reached out to catch the hand that was doing it. “I'm awake.”

“Niiice.” The slapper grinned and I noted that it was Dani. “You're fast.”

“What happened?”

“You got wounded by silver.” She answered calmly. “But you did kill the guy who wounded you.”

“I suppose that's good?” I groaned as just how much in pain I was in started coming through.

“Oh, yeah.” Dani grinned as she kept wrapping bandages around my ribs. “You're alive, he's dead. Always a win in my books.”

“Doesn't feel like that from here.” I grumbled and winced as the bandages hit a really sensitive spot.

“Oh it was, girl.” Dani told me as she finished wrapping up my middle and took my burned hand. “Not many of us could actually handle one of those things at all, let alone kill someone with it.”

“I don't feel all that good about it, to be honest .” I winced as she smoothed some kind of salve that burned as badly as the burn on my hand had to that injury. “I killed someone.”

“Who was trying to kill you.” She calmly answered. “You survived, you're not a wimp, and all that. You defended yourself and you did good.”

“So why do I feel so bad?”

“Duh, girlfriend.” She laughed and shook her head. While avoiding the really personal part of that question deftly. “You've been cut with silver and handled silver all in the same day! enchanted silver at that! Hell, half of us would be dead already after that.”

“Then I should feel good about hurting like this?” I grumped.

“Oh, yeah.” Dani answered and had a really serious look on her face. “There aren't all that many of us 'Unseen' that can handle silver at all. Mama-san was right, you are special.”

“Gonna be a bitch getting back into the house right now.” I sighed.

“I can take care of that, hon.” Dani told me then grinned. “How you explain your injuries once I get you there? That's your problem.”

“Oh, great.” I moaned. “Now I'm really going to be grounded.”

Dani chuckled, patted my cheek and grinned. “Not my problem sweet cakes. I just made sure you didn't get killed and now I'm going to get you home.”

“You didn't help.” I groused.

“You didn't need my help, girl.” She answered while picking me up in arms that had no business being that strong as slender as they looked. “Now let's get you home.”

I don't remember that trip home, or how I ended up in my own bed, or how the escape ladder got put away, or anything.

I woke up in pain, but not quite as bad as it had been earlier and noticed that the sun was shining and up high enough to be well past noon. Oh boy, I never slept that long. Someone was bound to notice, then notice other things, too.

Oops, they already had.

Aunt Cecily and Uncle Patrick were in my room looking both worried and a little angry.

“What are we going to do with you?” My aunt asked while gently touching my bandaged middle.

I winced at the lance of pain that brought on and she pulled her hand back with a look of apology. Then looked to my bandaged hand. “Want to tell us what happened?”

“Uhh...”

“You WILL tell us, you know.” My aunt told me with a certainty that made me sure I would be doing just that in a very short time.

That uncomfortable moment was interrupted when someone I recognized as one of our security people knocked on the door and spoke briefly with my uncle. He listened while giving me odd glances, then nodded as the other man left.

Uncle Patrick kept watching me, especially my bandaged middle and hand. Uh oh.

“It seems that the Hunters to the north of town are in an uproar just now.” He started. “One of them was killed last night. With his own weapon.

“Would you know anything about that?” He asked almost mildly while again looking at my bandaged hand.

“Well... Yeah?” I responded a little cautiously.

“Would you mind being a bit more specific here?” He asked while his eyes bored into me. “As in telling us what happened?”

They knew the Hunters were in the campground too? Man, was I the only one in town who hadn't known that?

“Well,” I took in a deep breath, then spilled my guts. I'd never do well if I got arrested and interrogated. Dang it.

Once I was finished the silence in the room was thick enough to cut with a spoon.

“So let me get this straight.” My uncle finally said quietly. “You sneaked out the house and grounds, found the hunters and were close enough to listen in on their conversations. Then you got caught and killed one of them with his own weapon? A magically enchanted silver weapon?”

“I think so?” I shrugged and winced at the pain that gesture caused me. “It hurt really bad when it cut me, and burned when I took it from him. I had to do something or he was going to kill me!”

“You got cut by a thing like that and even handled it after that?” Aunt Cecily questioned a bit incredulously.

“Yes.” I nodded. “He would have killed me if I hadn't taken it from him and he was just about to holler for help. I had to do something.”

My aunt just nodded without a word until she looked at me again. “If you were hurt as badly as it looks, just how did you get home and back into your bed? Not to mention how you ended up bandaged with a healing salve on your wounds?”

“I had help.” I admitted. At least to the bandaging and getting home part of things.

“Obviously.” Uncle Patrick put in then asked the question I really didn't want to answer. “Who helped you?”

“I'd really prefer not to answer that one.” I closed my eyes knowing that wasn't going to work.

“Cynthia Anne Harper!” My aunt didn't shout, but her voice had the same force as if she had, and using my full name was a sign that I wasn't going to get away with this one for a minute.

“It was Dani.” I sighed hating how quickly I'd caved in on that one. “One of Carmilla's girls.”

They weren't horrified, just thoughtful.

“Well, stranger alliances have been forged when the Hunters are around.” My aunt nodded, as did my uncle. “Now what, I wonder, do they want for this?”

“They haven't asked for anything from me.” I answered quite honestly.

“Well, having one of us who can actually handle silver and enchanted weapons around would be a pretty good reason for keeping you safe.” My uncle sighed.

Aunt Cecily had left for a minute but returned with pots, jars, and more bandages.

I need to look at how badly you're hurt and change the bandages.” She told me.

That was going to hurt, I just knew it. But nodded.

Oh, by the way.” I asked as she was unwinding the bandages from my middle, “what's a grail?”

Sheesh. You'd have thought I was announcing the end of world there from their reactions.

Singing to the Moon Chapter 7 by Maggie Finson

Man, ask an innocent question.

Once they gotten over their shock, my aunt and uncle just looked at me as if I was Cassandra spouting dire prophecies about Troy or something.

“A grail,” Uncle quietly answered my question, “is a cup that holds some kind of magical or religious power. Why did you ask what one is?”

“Oh.” I mulled over not telling them then decided that wouldn't do any good because they would find out anyway. Besides, they needed to know. “I overheard some of the Hunters talking about having one this time.”

“I need to warn some people.” Uncle Patrick had paled, and gave me another long look before leaving.

Aunt Cecily was staring at me, too, then quietly continued unwrapping the bandages from around my middle for a minute. I hissed in pain as those came off, she hissed when she saw the extent of the damage.

“Promise me, promise me, that you'll stay away from those people until they can be taken care of, Cindy.” She almost ordered me. “They're dangerous enough, but if they have a grail with them it's going to be a lot worse than anyone expected.”

“I'm fine with that.” I winced as she gently smoothed some salve that felt worse than the wound into my side. Actually I really was fine with staying away from the Hunters. Better than fine actually after the night before. But I couldn't do it, not that I was about to tell my aunt that.

She seemed to accept that as the promise she wanted and I did feel a little guilty about sort of misleading her on the whole thing.

“Good.” She nodded while gently wrapping fresh bandages around my middle after she'd placed a pad of some absorbent material over the actual wound. The one that Dani had put on the night before was what had hurt so much when it was removed I discovered. “We don't want you getting hurt again, or killed because of all this. Let the elders take care of things, please.”

I didn't have to say anything in response to that because she started unwrapping my burnt hand, and that hurt so much I was actually in tears for awhile.

Giving me a sympathetic look, especially with how messed up hand was, she didn't press the other issue, just gave me a careful hug before announcing. “No school for you the next few days, missy. I'll have the school send your work home with your brother.”

“So now I'm grounded from school too?” I asked and was almost outraged at the unfairness of that.

“Do you really feel like going to school right now?” She countered with a concerned look. “Do you even feel like getting out of bed at the moment?”

“Oh.” I settled back into the pile of pillows at my back and winced at even that slight movement. “Good point.”

“You're healing, but wounds from silver take longer to heal than normal ones do.” She told me. “You'll be fine in a few days since you aren't already dead, thank goodness, but your aren't going to be all that mobile for at least today, and you'll still feel pretty bad for the next few. Take time to heal, honey.”

“So am I still grounded after that?” I asked.

“Did grounding you in the first place do any good?”

“Uh, no?” I actually felt embarrassed about actually disobeying her and my uncle. Not that I wouldn't do it again, mind you. But you know how guilt can be, especially when the mother figure in your life is wielding it like a nerf club on your head.

“Would it do any good at all to keep you grounded now?” She was actually trying not to smile as she asked that one.

“Probably not.” I sighed.

“My niece the escape artist.” She actually did grin and even chuckle once she'd said that. “I knew letting you work with Clarence Potter was a bad idea last summer. A coyote who can pick locks just isn't the best idea in the world.”

“But it's useful.” I pointed out then added. “And really easy, too.”

“And that,” she lightly flicked my nose, “is why it isn't such a great idea, girl.”

“I suppose you want my tools then?”

“Why, couldn't you do the same thing with a bobby pin?”

Caught again. I mean really! I just can't get away with anything around here.

“Got your homework here sis.” Chris knocked on my door.

“Bring it on.” I was almost grateful for homework. I mean I'm as internet savvy as the next teenager, which is saying I can use face book, some messenger programs, and do searches online. Along with the obligatory use of a word processor. But there is only so much you can do on the internet when all your friends are in school and you don't care for browsing porn. Downer.

And I used to really like browsing the porn sites, too. Sigh.

“How you feeling?” My brother questioned as he brought in my books and a sheet with assignments for the next three or four days on it.

“Not so good just now.” I answered and grimaced. “Even getting twenty feet to the bathroom is kind of an ordeal I don't like to think about. “Otherwise I'm fine.”

“You're alive.” He answered.

“There is that.” I managed a grin.

“Did you really kill a Hunter with his own knife?”

“Uhh, yeah.” I winced at the memory. “That was NOT fun, by the way.”

“The killing or the enchanted silver?” That's Chris, direct, no tact, all that. My brother. Gotta love him just because he is my brother. But a lot of girls like his approach to life, too.

“Both.” I grimaced and held out my bandaged hand then carefully touched my ribs. I was just trying to stay alive.”

“And a vampire brought you home after?” He was looking at me very closely.

“How did you know that?”

“She left a note.” Chris shrugged. It said she was bringing something back that we should really try to keep better track of. Left you at the front door and knocked when she brought you back.”

“That would be Dani, all right.” I let out a sigh. I was sooo going to have words with that smart ass next time I saw her.

But I still thought it was kind of funny even if I was a little put out.

“You really know some of the Vampires here in town?”

“Well, yeah.” I nodded. “One of them brought me home and really embarrassed me, after all.”

“Oh, the note also said that our security is really good but we should check that window on the third floor west hall, and should use something besides concrete to cover the walls.”

“I can't kill her, but I'm so going to get that girl some way.” I muttered.

“Right.” My brother nodded, quite skeptically, which I thought was really kind of insulting. “So how many others do you know?”

“A couple.” I hedged.

“Who?”

Wouldn't believe me if I told you.” I sighed.

“Try me.”

Damn, my own brother was as bad as our aunt and uncle. Traitor.

“Umm, Carmilla, and Josephine.”

Chris just looked at me for a few seconds like he was going to challenge me on that then just shook his head. “Wow.”

“Carmilla is actually kind of nice.” I told him, and she's dating one of the Lockes.”

Oops, shouldn't have said that. Mouth engaging ahead of brain. Not good.

“Oh, he shrugged. “Everyone in town knows that.”

What?! Again I seemed to be the last one in town to know something. Sheesh. That was getting irritating. Have to do something about that for sure.

“Why am I always the last one to find things out?” I muttered.

“Because you've always been caught up in your books, studies, and working out.” Chris shrugged. “You really didn't pay attention to other things, you know.”

“True.” I shook my head, and that still hurt, too.

“Get a little more social, sis.” He just told me and leaned over to kiss my cheek. Hey! My twin brother was kissing my cheek! Gross! We'd grown up together as boys for crying out loud.

Then again, I was a girl now. Sigh. I had soo many things to get used to now. A brother wanting to defend me and kissing my cheek was just the tip of that particular iceberg.

Was I going to start 'liking' guys now? Oh, wait. I'd already started noticing cute guys.

No lesbian coyotes, remember.

At that point I just kissed my brother's cheek in response and settled back into my nest of pillows with a kind of blank, gobsmacked expression on my face.

Oh, this was not easy.

I liked boys.

As in how a girl likes boys.

Oh lord, could the earth just kind of open up and swallow me now? Please?

And hurry up about it, too.

Ghawd, oh Ghaaaawwwd...

I am sooo doomed.

I was actually out of school for three days. In the week since Labor Day a lot had happened to poor little me. I won't list it all because I'd just start feeling sorry for myself then kick my own butt for being such a wuss about things I couldn't do all that much about.

After that first day I could hobble around, sort of, and get farther than just the bathroom that was part of my bedroom suite.

But it still really hurt to move even on the second and third day.

Note to self. Do NOT let another enchanted silver weapon touch my delicate body.

Noted, and underlined, capped, in Italics, too. I might even put that on my screen saver at home.

It was another couple of days after my unpleasant weekend encounter with that Hunter before I felt like my old self. Okay, my new old self. The girl one.

But I was ready to return to school by Thursday.

“We told them you had really bad flu and burned your hand on a vaporizer, dear.” My aunt told me.

“That should work.” I grumbled while looking at the still too pink flesh on the palm of my right hand. The really burned stuff had just kind of flaked off one day but my hand was way too tender to even touch anything for another day after that. “I still have trouble holding things with this hand.

“Not to mention that story makes me sound like a real klutz.” I added.

“Girls get that a lot off and on.” my aunt grinned. “It's just what people expect us to be, you know.”

“I think I'll try to break that mold.” I groused.

“Good, and you should.” she hugged me and grinned. Aunt Cecily was about as far from being a klutz as anyone you could imagine, and my big sister was the same way.

So okay, already. I was a girl after all. Having some good female role models isn't a bad thing is it?

If I had, absolutely had, to be a girl, being one like my sister and aunt would be a good thing.

So there.

No big deal. Not at all.

If you try saying it is, I'll rip your face off, by the way.

Oh wait! I'm supposed to sweet, demure...

Nah.

Just can't do it.

I spent most of that first day back assuring all my new friends that I was okay and feeling lots better now.

Dana cornered me in the restroom. “Are you sure you're all right, Cindy?”

“Still a little weak.” I admitted then sighed. “I haven't been that sick in my life.”

“Did you really get burned by a vaporizer?”

“It fell off the table.” I defended myself. “I just kind of hit it to keep the thing from landing on my lap.”

She grabbed my right hand and gave it a good looking over. “Still tender? What did you do, hold the thing before you knocked it away?”

“Monkey reflex.” I sighed. “Something is coming towards you, catch it. I was sick, okay?”

“Sure, sweetie.” She grinned. “We all do it at times admit it or not. It's all good.”

You know, that actually made me feel better.

Dana Stiles really is a nice person. And she's my friend.

Just a week since I'd been a guy and the hottest girl in school was just my friend. And worse, I was grateful for that.

This girl thing was really messing with my mind.

In more ways than one.

“Wake up, girl!” Stacy swatted me.

“What?” I asked while rubbing my arm.

“You were staring at Jason like he was your personal gift from heaven.” She smirked.

“Jason...” I blew a breath out from my cheeks and kind of closed my eyes and shook my head. Jason Wright was the varsity quarterback for the school football team and he was — okay, I'll admit it here — hot and sexy as all get out.

Six feet of well muscled, well proportioned dark haired, dark eyed hunk. At least I hadn't been drooling. I hoped.

This girl thing was really messing up my old self image.

Worse? Jason had been looking at me, too.

And I liked that. Damn that 'no lesbian coyotes' rule, or whatever it was.

I had to go change my panties after that one.

Talk about embarrassing. My friends teased me unmercifully over that.

But they, and I, did that to everyone else in our circle too.

Now the next day, the world, nasty as it is, turned me upside down and slammed my head right into the sidewalk.

“Hey!” Dana nudged me and pointed to the parking lot as we were heading in for our first class. That new Locke girl is here.”

I looked and admitted that she was another hot girl. Very pretty, and built. I felt a twinge of sympathy for her since she looked as uncomfortable as I'd felt not so long ago. I briefly wondered why that was.

Then I saw the guy who had brought her to school.

Oh.... my.... Well you get the idea.

He wasn't her boyfriend, that was kind of obvious, but that didn't register on me. I was wet down below, lightheaded, dizzy and weak at the knees. I actually had to sit down on a retaining wall for a minute there.

And that unbelievably attractive hunk, all six foot something of muscle, grace, and just heaven, turned his blue eyes on me and kept looking.

I swear, I had an orgasm just sitting on that wall.

I couldn't even catch my breath.

“Who was that?” I asked weakly.

“Tracy Locke.” Dana answered while giving an odd look.

“No, the guy who was with her.” I faintly answered.

“Oh, that's her cousin Carson.” My friend shrugged as she made my entire world better. He wasn't her boyfriend!

“Is he — attached?” I managed to get out.

“Not that I know of.” Dana shrugged it off. “He was our star running back last year, but he likes to play around with the girls. He never just settles on one.”

“Oh. Good.” I nodded and still hadn't caught my breath.

What the HELL had just happened to me?

But Jason wasn't all that interesting after that.

“You just had a viewgasm, didn't you?” Dana grinned.

“A what?”

“You see a really good looking guy and get weak in the knees, start thinking about what you'd like to have him do to you, or what you'd like to do him...” She giggled. “It happens off and on.”

“Oh yeah, I have to change my panties.” I admitted.

“Yeah, clean up down there too. You literally smell of sex, hon.” Dana laughed and helped me up. “I'll cover for you in first period, after all you have been sick. I'll just tell our teacher that you had to throw up or something.”

“Yeah, thanks.” I nodded as she led me to the girls restroom.

It took me the whole hour to clean up.

Okay, so I finally learned how girls masturbate and how it feels. I actually wanted more than just fifty minutes or so for that.

Sheesh.

But Carson Locke...

Wow. Just wow.

He was a wolf! He was a Locke after all. I was a coyote. They don't mix all that well.

But Terry Locke had not only been nice to me, he'd just about said he would defend me, too.

But a Wolf! I was infatuated with a wolf!

And Carson had been watching me as much as I'd been watching him.

Oh lord. How much worse could things get?

Well at least I didn't have the hots for one of vampires in town. Though a few weeks ago that could have happened too.

But Carson...

I just couldn't get him out of my mind or feelings.

This was not good on so many levels.

But I just didn't care.

Dammit! Why does all the weird stuff have to happen to me?

Later that day I was watching and noticed that he was, too.

Our eyes locked for a few seconds, and I had to go change my panties again.

Crap.

It was bad enough being a girl that all the guys in school thought was hot. But now... NOW, I'd seen a guy that I thought was hot and who got me hot.

And he was looking back.

Really? Could I just die now and get this over with?

On the other hand...

Dammit, dammit, dammit!

I want him to take me, I want him to do things with me. I dream about it.

No lesbian coyotes, yeah I know that.

But with a Wolf?

Crap.

My aunt and uncle are NOT going to be happy about this.

But he keeps looking back at me.

I can see the desire in those looks and feel the desire my own traitorous body responds with.

I am soo screwed.

Bet you thought I was all lost in teenaged girl hormonal dreams and fantasies.

Admit it you did.

And to be perfectly honest here, well I was, kind of.

But there was something else I really needed to do.

There was this pretty ordinary looking family that I hoped I could save. But it was their baby that I knew, just knew, I had to save.

“Hey! Earth to Cindy!” Dana prodded me. “What are you focused on this time?”

“I pulled myself from watching that family and shrugged. “Just that family over there. They look so happy.”

“They do that.” She nodded after watching them for a minute. “Cute baby, too.”

“Yes.” I nodded, kind of distracted for a moment at the thought of having my own, but I pulled myself back from that. The baby we were looking at was the one I was supposed to defend.

Fortunately, I didn't see a black SUV or anyone that made me feel sick when I saw them.

But they were still around.

I could feel them.

Don't even ask how I could do that. I just knew the Hunters were still in town. Though after one of their own had been killed right at their campsite, they were being a bit more careful about showing themselves.

Oddly, Dana also seemed to be watching the streets, alleys, and shadowed areas as much as I was. I ventured the question. “You've seemed extra nervous about things lately.”

“Oh, just some guy being a pest.” She shrugged. “I think he's stalking me.”

“Anybody I know?” If it was just a kid from around town, I could probably discourage him.

“Not really.” She shrugged then grinned, back to herself. “Just some guy I see off and on. No big deal. I don't think he's going to do anything.”

She was lying to me. She was afraid, and it was a big deal. But she wasn't willing to share why that was.

Great. Another person to watch out for.

“Hey Cindy.” Chris had finally gotten used, more or less, to calling me by that name and I turned to see what he wanted.

“What you need, bro?”

“Do you know Tracy Locke?”

“Not really.” I answered as we went into the house and thinking about the guy who brought Tracy to school and picked her up every day. “Why?”

“She signed up for the martial arts club.” He told me. “I just thought you might know if she was jacking me around or something.”

“Couldn't tell you to be honest.” I answered. “From what I've seen she doesn't do that, but she hasn't been around long enough to really know things like that about her.”

“Okay, thanks.” He headed off towards his room and I knew my brother had the hots for Tracy Locke. Not that I couldn't sympathize. What is it with us and the Lockes?

Sheesh.

I announced that I was going into to town to do a few things. And my aunt just nodded. “Be back by dinner time.”

“Okay.” I answered while getting my keys out of my purse.

One cool thing that happened with all these changes was that Cindy Harper already had the driver's license that Craig still had to test for. Not that I didn't know how to drive or anything, but now I didn't have to go in and take the test. Yay for once.

Plus, as Cindy, I had this really cool little Miata.

Personally, I thought my getting it was kind of a guilt thing about neither my aunt or uncle being able to figure out why I'd turned into a girl. But I didn't really care as I got into my electric blue two seater and patted the dash board fondly. “Hi sweety.”

Besides, it was money I'd earned and okay some of the trust fund from my original parents that bought it, but I truly loved that feisty little car already. It was just plain fun to drive.

But what really had me revved was that I was going to meet Carson.

Well, I didn't exactly say what I was going to do in town did I?

So what if it wasn't a mutually agreed on meeting thing. But I'd learned where he hung out, had seen him in those places a couple of times...

But this time I was really going to MEET Carson. I just knew it. If I had to trip the guy, or trip in front of him.

And as I pulled up to park at Mario's, the Pizza Parlor, sure enough, his pickup was there, too.

“Ahh, what tangled webs we weave.” I whispered while entering the place and spotting him flirting and teasing some of the cheerleaders from school.

“Oh, excuse me!” I told him as I'd tried to squeeze past on the way the restroom and bumped him.

“No, I should apologize” He looked at me and I fought the urge to just melt then and there. “I shouldn't have been hogging the aisle like that.

“Cindy Harper, right?” He asked as I just kept looking up at his face.

“Yes.” I answered while pretending to move away and towards the restroom.

“I'm Carson Locke, I've seen you at school when I take my cousin there.”

“I've seen you dropping her off and picking her up.” I admitted and smiled.

“I know.” He grinned and shrugged. “We kind of caught each other watching, didn't we?”

“Uh huh.” I wanted to kick myself for that intelligent answer.

“Can I get you something to drink?” He asked.

“Sure.”

“What would you like?” He asked as I forced myself to head towards the restroom.

“Umm, a cherry limeade would be good.”

“Diet?”

“No way.” I laughed and grimaced. “I don't do unleaded.”

Oh, this was going to be a really interesting afternoon.

The cheerleaders hated me just then, and I couldn't have cared less. Okay that wouldn't have bothered me all that much anyway.

But I was going to sit down with Carson and... Oh boy.

I actually hurried through the restroom thing there.

Oh, the cheerleaders weren't happy with me at all I noticed as I smiled at Carson and joined him in a booth. “Hi.”

“Hi, back.” He grinned and motioned to the drink sitting on my side of the table. “There you go.”

“Thanks.” I took a sip and waited.

“You're new around here, aren't you?” He asked.

“Just started this year.” I nodded trying to keep my attention on anything other than how my middle felt while I was talking with him.

“Do you like it here?” He carefully asked while taking a sip of his own drink.

I nearly bit my straw I was 'liking it here' so much, but just shrugged. “It was a change. But it doesn't seem so bad here.”

After that we just talked, touched a hand here and there, and it was all driving me so crazy.

I had never in my life felt like this over anyone. And it had to be a guy I was feeling that way about.

Mental thump to the head here. I'm a girl now. G. I. R. L. so what did I expect?

That was one of the most pleasant, exciting afternoons I'd ever spent and all I did was sit there and talk.

With a guy.

Worse, I was just sure the seat under me was wet and smelling like turned on girl once I left.

I'd only been a girl for a week! I wasn't used to the simple things like wearing let alone matching the clothes, shoes and makeup, let alone willing to even think about actually liking a guy. Shoot, I still had to remind myself to use conditioner on my hair after the shampoo!

The gods hate me and are laughing right now. I just know it.

But my body sure did like Carson.

I've said it before, I know, but... Can I just die now and get it over with?

I had a lot of things to get out that Saturday. So I went to the dojo. I kicked, punched, cursed, and generally committed mayhem on every inoffensive bag I could find.

“Hey sis!” Chris interrupted yet another period of angst and tossed me a helmet. “You look like you could use a little sparring here. Come on.”

Carly, who had been watching me terrorize the bags nodded and pointed to the ring. “Go on.”

So I did.

My balance was still a little off. I wasn't as strong as I had been, at least in the upper body. But I worked on what I had to work with there.

I was faster than Chris. Lots faster. My kicks packed a lot more punch, too.

Plus, I could dodge his strikes and kicks with ease.

He'd put me down at least three times in a spar like this before I changed, but this time he could barely touch me. Hmmm.

We finally quit and he nodded at me with more respect in his eyes than I'd seen in a long time. “Good job, Cindy.”

Pulling off the helmet, and shaking out the braid my hair was in (yes I'd taken his advice about all my hair, I just couldn't bear to cut it for some reason) I noticed we were being watched.

It was Tracy Locke in all her blonde, blue eyed glory.

I nudged my brother and smirked at him. “Your girlfriend is here.”

I passed her on the way to the locker room and gave her a polite smile.

Nothing was said, but I got a very strong impression that she was just as uncomfortable being her as I was being me at times.

I just left her to Chris.

Sure she was gorgeous. But I wasn't into girls that way, I'd found out.

Her cousin now...

That was another matter and one I was still wrestling with mentally and emotionally.

Even if I did pull a minor meltdown whenever I thought of him.

Dammit!

Why can't anything ever be easy?

Singing to the Moon Chapter 8 by Maggie Finson

How one week can mess things up.

Ohh, man...

What was I going to do here?

My brother Chris was already dating Tracy Locke.

And I'd accepted a date from her cousin Carson.

Not quite cats and dogs, but you get the idea, I'm sure.

There are times I really do wish the ground actually did open up and swallow people. Like me.

Do it now please and don't bother with the paperwork. I'll do that later.

If life could be so easy.

“Hi.” Tracy, on my brother's arm smiled and held out her hand.

“Hi yourself.” I responded not all that intelligently much to my chagrin, and actually did manage to smile at her. We touched hands and left it at that.

“So what do you two have planned for tonight?” I innocently asked while really wanting to go somewhere and hide.

“Oh, going to a movie after getting something to eat.” Chris calmly told me then hit me with the whammy I really didn't want to hear. “You're looking good. You got plans for the evening too?”

“Don't tease her.” Tracy told him and instantly earned good points in my estimation of her. “A girl doesn't always just gush out what she has planned for a night out.”

I was grateful, but that 'girl' comment almost lost her points on the grading scale there.

“Right.” I smirked instead of pulling my hair out. “Going out with a friend for awhile.”

Tracy smiled at me and asked the killer question. “Want to meet me somewhere in town tomorrow? We could hang out, get to know each other a little.”

“Sure.” I answered before I had time to kick myself into another answer. “Mario's?”

“Good enough.” Tracy grinned. “Say around two tomorrow afternoon?”

“Sure.” I grinned back. Wow! I was going to hang out with my brother's girlfriend. That could have caused a bunch of problems before my birthday, and to be honest, it could do that now too. But part of me liked the idea. “See you then.”

Look at it this way. I wouldn't be competition for Chris. I wasn't a lesbian, that had been driven in to my head with a red hot spike already, and I didn't think Tracy was either. But we seemed to have something in common besides my brother though what that was didn't quite want to come out into the open just yet.

Chris gave me the same look I know I'd given Carly when she made arrangements to 'hang out' with my girlfriends when I'd been a boy.

And I thought it was hilarious. Like I was going to sit with his girlfriend and dissect his performance! That would have just been... Gross.

But he didn't know that and I knew that he would really work to be a gentleman and show Tracy a good time now. Without any idea that it was a huge female plot to keep the guys in line.

I had no idea that guys were so clueless before I changed.

Now.

Carson was coming.

Why oh why did my insides melt every time I thought about that guy?

Oh yeah, what I was wearing. No it wasn't that sexy little red dress.

I was in a pair of nice black capris, a gold colored top that didn't show anything — other than outlines because it was kind of tight — but that's how tops for girls are if they aren't all poofy and fluttery.

Ballet flats, also black, and so what, I'd put on some makeup and worked some on my hair.

A girl doesn't want to look like a slob, after all.

“Cindy!” My aunt called because I'd started heading back upstairs. “Someone is here to see you!”

I got downstairs without touching one of the treads. Really. Being a were has advantages even if you are in human form, and walked to the door.

And there was Carson.

I was really glad I'd taken Carly's advice about panty liners.

“Hi.” I greeted Tracy as I walked into Mario's and joined her at a table.

“Hey, Cindy.” She seemed relieved as if she thought I wouldn't show up. “How was your date last night?”

“Great.” I grinned remembering Carsons arm around me and that goodnight kiss we'd had. “How about yours?

“Good.” She grinned. “Want the gory details?”

“Ewww.” I grimaced. “You were with my cousin. Just glad you had a good time.”

“What? No he's a really great guy and all that?” She teased.

“You'll make up your own mind about that.” I shrugged. “I could gush, get creepy, demand, but it's you and him. I'm just kind of out here watching.”

“I like you.” Tracy grinned at me and shook her head.

“Thanks.” I smiled back and noticed that her smell was a lot like Carson's. Wolf. Bad idea to piss one of them off, but I just got the impression she wasn't like that. “I think I could like you, too.”

“Think?” She asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Hey, I've seen you at school, from a distance, and seen you with Chris from another kind of distance. You don't seem like a bad person, but I haven't really seen you.”

“Good point.” She nodded and smiled even wider. “I know I'm going to like you, Cindy. You don't just judge on surface appearances.”

“Duh.” I shrugged. “Neither do you.”

She laughed and said. “Your cousin is just going to hate this.”

“What?”

“His girl friend is friends with a cousin he lives with!” She laughed.

I couldn't help it. I tried, I really did, but I burst into giggles, wishing that I'd laughed too.

“Come to me child.” The voice was soft, warm and loving, but I was really disoriented. I'd gone to sleep and now I was in what looked like a desert. Not lifeless, there were cacti, little creatures scurrying around and larger ones hunting them. It was a place full of life even when it looked as if it wasn't.

Well crap.

That dream didn't tell me anything.

But it did leave me feeling pretty good overall.

“Things to do.” I sat up and noticed that it was only four in the morning.

Did I just shrug and pull the blankets back over me?

Nooo.

“Now, how to get out of the house this time...” I wondered while getting dressed in dark clothing and braiding my hair.

The window I'd escaped from the last time was pretty well sealed. No surprise there.

The window on the other end of the hall? Not so much.

Oh it had been upgraded, and was tough, but I still managed to jimmy it, pick it, and get it up.

I really don't think my aunt and uncle expected me to try that trick again. Oh, the fire ladder was gone, too. Safety issue? We're all weres in this house. We could tear out a wall and jump to the ground if it was really necessary. So okay.

Getting down was kind of a challenge without that ladder, though.

I ended up using window frames, little faults in the siding, things like that.

It was actually fun.

Getting out of the grounds was a piece of cake. Angel food, all soft and squishy. I made a mental note to tell my aunt and uncle about those holes in our security as I got through them. But later. Right now I was exploiting them. Yay!

I got suspicious when I reached the wall.

There was a little sign tacked to it with an arrow pointing to my left. It said, This way to exit.

“Dammit, Dani!” I quietly swore as the sign disappeared. “I'm trying to do this by myself, you know.”

“Hey, it's all good, kiddo.” Her voice floated down from the trees. “You did good and that was all you, so come on, play along for a little while here.”

“What, did you leave me a ladder or something?” I grumbled.

“Nah.” She laughed from somewhere above me. “That would be way too easy.”

“Oh, I sure feel better now.” I smirked.

“You like challenges, Coyote.” She answered and her voice was fading as she put distance between us. “Go for it!”

You know, there are times I can understand why some people want to kill vampires.

“Okay, I glared at the trees a that were a decent distance from the walls, enough to not allow anyone, anyone close to normal, access to the wall from them. “That was just nasty!”

I kept wiping the mud off my clothes from crawling through that itty bitty sewer drain and was even more upset that I'd had to cut the grate and move it aside, while confusing the security with extra wires that told the electronic brain that everything was still connected and functioning.

“But you did it.” Dani's voice, full of humor and teasing floated down from the trees. I still wasn't sure which one she was in, by the way. “Good job, kid. You are really going to be something in a few more years.

“You must have been a boy scout or something the way you carry stuff you're going to need before you know you need it.” She kept teasing.

“I wasn't.” I grimaced. “But my brother was. I just took that 'be prepared' thing they like so much to heart, you know. Besides, I had to listen to him practice that oath so much I thought it was getting burned into my brain.”

“Well,” her voice came from beside me and I jumped in spite of the promise to myself that I wouldn't do such a thing again when she was around. “You aren't at all clean at the moment and we both know you aren't reverent at all most of the time.”

“Are you deliberately making things hard here?” I groused and turned to glare at her.

“Yup.” She grinned, stepped back, then lunged forward and kissed my dirty cheek. “Challenge is good for people, you know.”

Sheesh. Out smarted, out maneuvered, and worse, out snarked. There are times you just can't win.

“Okay.” I shrugged and actually let out a little laugh. “I guess that makes sense.”

“Ohh, clever and Smart.” Dani grinned at me. “You are going to be dangerous when you grow up, hon.”

“With friends like you that could kind of get interrupted.” I grumbled.

“No.” She turned very serious and looked me straight in the eye for once. “Friends like me will make sure that will happen.

“Now, go have fun!” She waved mockingly twitched her cute ass in front of me, then just vanished.

Okay, Dani could really be annoying. But I already had the idea that it was lot better, and healthier, being her friend than her enemy.

The family were Harpers, too. No relation, but talk about a weird coincidence.

Roger, his wife Natalie, and their baby girl, Evangeline. Normal, so normal I had no idea why the Hunters would even be interested in them. They weren't weres, obviously not vampires, or magic users that I could spot and trust me, you could smell one of those a long way off if you knew what to smell for.

How weird is that? Depending on scent to identify people and what they are?

All part of being a were, I was discovering, and since coyotes are canine, our sense of smell was very highly developed even when we are in human form.

Which makes some situations kind of hard to deal with at times. I'd already learned to blame allergies when my eyes watered and my nose twitched at times.

I even faked a couple of sneezes here and there just to make my claims more believable.

Back to the non-were Harpers.

I couldn't find one thing that made them stand out even a little. They were so average it was sickening.

And disturbing. No one is that average.

But damned if I could find out why.

“This is so wrong.” I muttered. “I just can't figure out the reason it is.”

“You have discovered their difference, Coyote.” An all too familiar voice came into my head. “The why is not so important as protecting them and their child, as you already know.”

“Dammit, I can't even seem to take care of myself!” I complained then shook myself and let out a sigh. “How can I protect someone else?”

“You have many talents my beautiful Coyote.” The answer came so imperturbably that it was almost irritating. “Use them.”

“Oh that's a LOT of help.” I grumbled, but settled down to watch the house and see if anyone besides me was doing the same thing.

“Take that.” I whispered as I let the air out of a tire on the SUV that had been parked down the street from the Harpers but held that same almost sickening feel I'd come to associate with Hunters.

I was letting the air out gradually, so the people inside wouldn't notice, hopefully. The good thing was this was the third tire I was doing it to.

Were they going to get a surprise when they tried driving somewhere. And when they tried getting out. I'd wired the doors to the frame underneath so they wouldn't open without a lot of noise and difficulty.

Just to let them know the watchers were being watched, you understand.

I really wanted to leave them a note that said, “Boo!” But couldn't quite figure out how to hide it long enough for no one but them to find it.

Oh, I also took their license plates.

“That should be fun.” I grinned as I moved away. “I wish I could be here when the cops come by and knock on the side of the car.”

“Girl, you rock.” A voice I was very familiar with but not the ethereal one interrupted my almost triumphant retreat.

“I wish you'd stop sneaking up on me like that!” I turned to see a grinning Dani and had to laugh. “But yeah, that was fun.”

“You and me.” Dani winked. “The world wouldn't stand a chance.”

“I've been told that I'm Coyote, not a coyote.” I grinned back while wondering about that and not believing it yet.

“Makes sense to me.” She grinned again and laughed. “Generally harmless mischief that could cause big problems if the people you pull it on aren't on their toes. Yeah, I can see that.”

Okay, I know when arguing is pointless. Besides, she was right. At least about what I'd just done.

I'd pranked the Hunters.

Wow.

“Time to head home now.” Dani patted my arm and kissed me on the cheek. “You did really good kid. But you should probably be home when everyone starts getting up, you know.”

What could I do?

I went home and took a shower.

There was an item on the news that morning about a vandalized car that had been found, with some questionable characters in it trying to get out when the police checked on the SUV with flat tires and no license plates.

I wanted to pump a fist in the air when I saw that, but just sat there and watched while pretending to wonder why someone watching someone else would miss their vehicle being vandalized that way.

Okay, off and on right now, life is good. What can I say?

I felt really good when I got to school and just stood there posing and smiling when Carson dropped Tracy off.

He returned my grin and winked at me.

Thank whatever god for panty liners.

I had to go change that, but not my panties.

“Hey.” Carson met me at the door of Mario's with a hug and kiss that had my insides melted so much my stomach could have been my lungs.

“Hey yourself.” I kissed him back then pulled away. “Aren't you supposed to be watching your cousin?”

“That's for show.” He kissed my cheek and grinned. “Someone lots better than me, and more dangerous, is watching out for her.”

“Should you have told me that?” I asked and snuggled into him.

“Probably not.” He let out a sigh. “But you'd have figured that out anyway.”

“You really think so?”

“Cindy.” He shook his head and kissed my cheek. “You are a whole lot smarter than people think a hot girl should be. Of course you'd have figured it out. Besides, you're a were, too. You know how things like this work.”

That last had been in a whisper, but I had to nod. “Misdirection, run the prey into the real hunters.”

“Right.” He gave me an approving look and kissed me again, really kissed me.

Dammit! Why, why did he have to be a wolf?

Singing to the Moon Chapter 9 by Maggie Finson

Well I'm in trouble. Again.

My aunt, uncle, and sister Carly all grabbed me when I got home from school. I did have the presence of mind to at least think 'Oh, this is not good' when all three kind of pounced on me. I didn't have time for much else there, so give me a break, okay?

You try getting away from both Alphas and a Beta of a were clan. See how well you do.

So there.

They dragged me, okay I did walk, but you have to let a girl get some drama into things here, into my uncle's study. Again, not good. We only got taken there when we were in BIG trouble. Other times us kids never even dared touch the door. Oh, they closed the door once we were inside, too.

“What are we going to do with you, Cindy?” Aunt Cecily shook her head and gave me an unhappy look.

“Whats that supposed to mean?” I asked as innocently as I could.

“You're hanging out with a vampire and dating a Wolf, for starters. My uncle put in then shrugged. “But we'll get to those things later.”

Uh, oh. If they thought those things were minor enough to talk about later, I had a pretty good idea about where this was going. “I can't help it, things just kind of, you know, happen to me?”

“Things like sneaking out of the house again last night?” My aunt asked very mildly, which wasn't a real good sign either. “Or spying on an innocent family who have done nothing to deserve that?

Or how about you doing things to a certain SUV down the block from there. Which just happened to be full of Hunters?”

“Doing what?”

“Don't try to play innocent with us on this one young lady.” My aunt gave me that direct, gimlet kind of look that tells anyone who knows her they've messed up. “We know you did.”

“How could you know that?” I asked, genuinely surprised while thinking of ways I could just kill Dani or at least get back at the crazy but likeable bi...

“This.” Uncle Patrick handed me a DVD that prominently proclaimed, Cindy's First Prank!

Oh yeah, I was sooo going to get even with Dani. Some way, some time.

“How can I get it into your head that playing with these people isn't a game?” Aunt Cecily asked with a truly worried expression on her face. “Hunters are very dangerous, Cindy and one almost killed you already, and this time around they're even more dangerous than usual. Once they nearly wiped out the Lockes, did you know that?”

“They did?” I was amazed, impressed and just a bit frightened about that.

“Yes.” Uncle Patrick let out a heavy sigh. “They killed all the Locke females but one baby, and that was three generations ago. Tracy Locke is the first female wolf in seventy odd years. That is how dangerous these people are. Leave them to the elders, please.”

I shuddered a moment while rethinking what I'd done the previous night, or early morning. But didn't say anything.

“Did you really steal their license plates?” Carly asked in near wonderment.

“Yeah.” I sighed then brightened. “Want to see them?”

My sister let out a choking kind of noise that had me worried until I realized she was trying to hold laughter in. Even my aunt and uncle seemed a bit amused.

“Oh, Lady!” Carly finally managed to get out. “An infant and she's already collecting trophies!”

Oh gawd, how embarrassing. She called me an infant!

The rest of that wasn't so bad, even if it did make for a long afternoon.

Evidently messing with the Hunters was lots worse than dating a wolf or hanging out with a crazy vampire. But I heard about those two things too, trust me. Worse, they didn't even touch on Chris dating Tracy Locke. Unfair!

Lately that was actually just another day in the life. Of me.

Hey, at least I didn't bore people or spend my time whining or crying.

I actually thought that was pretty good all things considered.

And they never once mentioned grounding me again, so that was a plus.

“Hey.”

I turned from my locker to see Tracy Locke standing there with a hesitant smile on her face.

“Hey, Tracy.” I answered then dove back into the chaos of my locker in another attempt to find that elusive biology textbook so the rest of what I said was kind of muffled and echoed. Kind of neat effect, there. I'd have to remember that one. “What can I do for you?”

“Can we talk?” She asked and looked so worried, that I just nodded and gave her arm a little squeeze.

“Sure, when do you want to do it?”

“Now?”

I had a class soon, but the look on her face told me she really needed to talk with me, so I shrugged and answered. “Okay. Let's get out of here so we don't get dragged back into class. There's a pretty good place about five minutes from here that the teachers don't know about yet, so we should be able to talk there without being hassled.”

“Okay.” She smiled and let me tell you, if I'd still been a guy I'd have done anything to see that again. As it was, I still felt good that she had favored me with it, even if it made me just a bit jealous.

The 'safe place' was in a shop that had only been closed for a few weeks. One of the sheets of plywood covering the doors and windows had kind of come loose — with help, but kids don't rat each other out for little things like that.

We settled into what had once been a little break room and got ourselves comfortable. It was pretty dark but we both knew the other could see well enough.

“So what's so important?” I opened the conversation since she had asked me for it.

“Its about me and Chris. You’re not freaked we’re dating are you?” She asked point blank.

“What?” I gave her a curious look and went on. “Why would I be? He likes you, you like him, none of my business if you don't hurt him.”

She sighed. “I thought maybe you didn’t want me dating your cousin”

I almost told her I was dating her cousin, but decided that was something for later. I was still feeling my way around all this 'being a girl' thing and just wasn't sure if that would have been right to do.

“Nothing like that.” I assured her. “I'm new in town too, so I'm still kind of groping my way through what I can and can't do, you know?”

“Yeah.” She let out a sigh and I had a very strong impression that she was groping around for things as much as I was. “I know what you mean.”

“Ahh, just be nice to him.” I shrugged then grinned. “Even if you end up breaking it off with him. If he does that to you and it hurts you, believe me, I'll give him a ration of shit over it.”

She got the implication that I'd do that to her, too, if she was nasty to my brother. I knew I liked this girl.

We spent the rest of our stolen hour just talking before we sneaked back out to head back to school. Our were senses, even in human form, were really good for that kind of thing by the way.

I was still watching the not-were Harpers. That family was just too normal. Almost like they were being all bland and uninteresting on purpose.

And had to work at it off and on. I watched the husband hold himself back when some big, young ass who smelled like some kind of were was hassling them and saying things that couldn't have been good to the guy's wife. And she was holding back just as much. More interesting, it wasn't because they were afraid of the guy at all. In fact when that happened I caught an elusive scent from then that was like nothing I'd smelled before and it wasn't human. I really got the idea from that encounter that if the jerk had pushed, these Harpers would have hurt him even if they really didn't want to do that.

Curiouser and curiouser, as Alice once said.

I know it was driving me nuts.

Oh, I kind of accidentally tripped one of those Hunter guys that were watching them too. No big deal, just a ditzy, clumsy, teenaged girl kind of thing and I was apologizing for all I was worth once I'd done it, blushing in embarrassment and humiliation at being so clumsy. It was fun actually.

I was beginning to understand the power of being a pretty girl. Huh.

And okay, I know, I know.

But I just couldn't leave this alone.

People have always said curiosity killed the cat. Obviously they didn't know that much about coyotes.

“Watchya doin'?”

I jumped a little and actually bit my tongue there before I turned to give a grinning Dani a glare. “How do you do that?”

“It's an art, babe.” The vampire grinned and kissed my cheek. “You're figuring it out yourself. I just had a head start on you.”

“I may have a heart attack before I do that.” I grumbled then chuckled and kissed her cheek in response. “You bitch.”

She laughed and nodded. “Yeah, I am that. But I have fun with it.”

“I noticed.” I shook my head. “Oh, thank you SO MUCH for sending that video to my uncle.”

“Hey, you'll love having that in your personal archives later on, trust me.” She grinned.

“I'll thank you later.” I grimaced then had to grin. “Like your top.”

She was wearing a black T-shirt that showed no little wear, but the neat thing about it was the skeleton's hands that seemed to be cupping her breasts.

“Oh, thanks.” She smirked. “Had it for years. I bought it to see if it would piss off Mama-san. She just thought it was amusing.”

“Can't win 'em all.” I shrugged.

“Oh that was actually a win.” Dani admitted. “Trust me, you don't want Carmilla mad at you.”

“I kind of got that idea.” I nodded, then had to ask. “So why did you do it if you knew that?”

“Pushing the envelope, learning the limits.” She shrugged in her turn. “Had to find out.”

“You are nuts.” I flatly told her.

“Well, yeah.” She nodded. “You got any new information to share?”

Now just how do you answer something like that?

I just shook my head and kept quiet.

There are times when you just can't win. That conversation was one of those.

“So.” She asked again. “Whatcha doin'?”

“Watching them.” I pointed to several people just wandering around as if they were normal and a couple of SUVs they'd gotten out of. More Hunters.

“Bad people to mess with, hon.” Dani told me, then added. “Really bad. You really should let the elders handle this.”

“Then why haven't any of them done anything yet?” I asked in frustration.

“Rules, hon.” Dani sighed. “If they just come to look around we aren't supposed to do anything to them. That way they go back to their caves or whatever they live in and are happy. Attack them just for being here and they have a reason to retaliate.”

“They're up to something.” I countered.

“They always are.” Dani shrugged again. “But if one of us 'notices' and does something about it, they just go away then show up later in force. Bad things happen when they do that.”

“Like the Lockes?”

“Yeah, exactly like that.” She nodded without a trace of her usual humor. “And like the time they killed almost every daughter Carmilla and Wisteria had. Those people are really bad news, little girl. And that isn't an insult because you have so much to learn here even if you are pretty damned good at some things already. Please stay away from them.”

“You said please?” I was almost in shock.

“Yeah, I did.” She hugged me. “I really like you and would be really pissed off if you went and got yourself killed just because you can't stop poking at those guys. It isn't worth the trouble. We watch them, they go away. Better to leave it at that, trust me.”

“But what if they're here for something else?” I asked. “Something besides just checking things out here?”

“The elders would know.” Dani assured me. “Don't start a war here over some scouts, okay? They come in, see what we want them to, then they leave. We attack their scouts they will answer in force and that is never good, believe me.”

“Okay.” I nodded while being a bit irritated that I had been saddled with a baby sitter even if she was cool.

But I also knew the Hunters weren't just scouting in town. They had a specific target. And I for some reason, needed to keep them from doing what they wanted with that target.

I did, of course, keep that to myself. Obviously, no one else was quite ready to believe me on that one.

But I wasn't going to stop, either.

I had a baby to save.

Singing to the Moon Chapter 10 by Maggie Finson

Man, did I have a lot to think about.

I mean, I'd known the Hunters were dangerous, but just how dangerous I hadn't had any idea of until Dani and my virtual parents had told me those things.

“Okay, so I've been playing with fire, a really nasty fire.” I muttered to myself while getting dressed for school. “But I just can't leave this alone and who's going to believe me when I tell them it's because I had a couple of dreams? I'm just some teenager doing the usual stupid crazy things far as everyone is concerned and I don't have one bit of proof to back up what I know?”

What to do, what to do?

“I'll show someone!” I decided. Then had to think of who I would show.

Chris?

Sure he'd look, and probably help me, but he was a teenager too, and two of us warning the elders about a danger that they hadn't caught brought up visions from way too many horror and science fiction movies. The kids were always ridiculed and ignored, until it was too late.

I didn't think being able to say “I told you so!” was going to help at all once this was over, either.

How about Carson? He was older, in college and more mature. But again, the real adults still thought of him as someone near the point of adult believability, but not there just yet. Sigh.

Uncle Patrick and Aunt Cecily were right out of that consideration. They wouldn't go look, and would probably try to keep me from going so I could show them. Grownups. You know how they can be.

Tracy or Dana?

Nope, Dana was already afraid of something, and Tracy obviously had her own problems and I really didn't know her that well yet.

So who?

“Carly!” I actually smiled at that idea and nearly jumped up and down once I'd had it. Okay, so I did do a little jumping there. Sue me later. If you haven't done it, try, just try being a teenaged girl and see how well you do with it.

Carly seemed like the best choice. Close to my age, but she was already the Beta Female of the clan. At least she might let me drag her somewhere to show her part of what I'd seen.

Yup, that seemed like a workable idea. Now all I had to do was convince, maneuver, or trick Carly into going to see what I wanted to show her.

I didn't know what those people, the other Harpers were, but I did know that they weren't human. Oh, the fact that neither one of them had seemed a bit worried about an obviously strong were bothering them was a real mind fuck.

I had to figure out what they were.

Why they were here would be kind of nice to know, too, but you can't have everything after all.

Getting Carly there was actually easy. Disappointing in a way, but I wasn't going to fuss. I just told her I wanted to go shopping, and she was all for that. The downside is that I really did have to go shopping. For clothes.

Oh, well, into each life...

I didn't buy much, but all the trying on is still a pain. I mean I was still used to the idea that you knew what you wanted, walked in somewhere, got it, then left. Big deal. Half an hour, tops.

But nooo. Now I had to look at everything, even if I wasn't really interested, then try things on, and show them to whoever was with me. But I did get this really nice baby doll top...

A few minutes after we'd finally left the last shop, I saw what I was wanting to see. The 'other' Harpers walking in the park.

“Look at that.” I prodded my sister and pointed to them.

“What about them?” My sister looked but clearly didn't think anything was off.

“The other day I watched a pretty strong were giving them a hard time, and they weren't afraid of him.” I told her. Look at them, smell.”

She gave me an odd look, then did that.

“Holy...” Her eyes widened marginally and I saw her nostrils flare. “That is NOT an average family.”

“Nope.” I grinned at her. “But you really have to look, and smell, to see that.”

“I've never seen anything like this.” Carly whispered then added. “But they smell like... well, just different than anyone else in town. We need to tell someone about this little sister.”

“How different?” I asked.

“Really different. Not something I've ever run across before.” Carly shook her head. “And whatever they are they're really working hard to disguise themselves.

“Why are you so interested in them?” She asked with that look I'd seen her give Sylvia Carmichael the first day I'd been a girl.

“That.” I pointed at the stroller the couple was pushing. “The baby.”

“Why?”

“I don't know!” I shot back. “I've had dreams about her — the baby, and just know I'm supposed to save her. I don't have the slightest idea why that is. Let alone know how to do that!”

“We have to tell Uncle Pat and Aunt Carly.” She told me.

“Why, so they can throw me into a cell to keep me from doing things?”

“You're messing around with Hunters, little sister.” She shrugged. “Hunters who have a grail with them. You need to be locked away in a cave somewhere or you're going to get hurt, maybe killed.”

“Would you do that?” I asked and felt tears starting. “Lock me up in some cave, or let someone else do that?”

“No.” Carly let out a sigh, then grinned. “You'd probably find a way to break out of that even if we did try it. But we do need to tell the elders, hon. This isn't something you're equipped to handle on your own.”

“Okay.” I let out my own sigh. With visions of even more restrictions on what I could do. Not that they'd stop me, but getting around them can be a pain at times.

Well, the meeting with Uncle Pat and Aunt Cecily could have gone a lot worse.

“You little idiot.” Uncle Pat shook his head and I could just see the wheels in his head turning to find ways to keep me out of the way.

“Why are you doing this?” Aunt Cecily asked in an almost gentle tone of voice.

“I have to?” I kind of asked and told them at the same time.

“Cindy.” Uncle Pat let out a long sigh. “If this family is that well shielded, and a group of Hunters with a grail are here for them, this is way out of your league. Both sides are very powerful, honey and getting between them wouldn't be a good thing to do. Add to that the very real possibility that they're hiding from someone or something other than the Hunters here. If what you and Carly are saying about these people is right whatever they're really hiding from is very dangerous, probably a lot more so than the Hunters since they don't seem all that concerned over that bunch.”

“Cindy.” Aunt Cecily took my face in her hands and gently shook my head once she had. “You've been hurt once, badly over this. Why don't you just let it go now so the elders can handle it?”

I shuddered at the memory of the days of pain I'd gone through following my first encounter with a Hunter, but shook my head. “I can't.”

“Just step away.” My uncle told me. “Or I'll make sure you can't get close.”

“Wait, Patrick.” Aunt Cecily raised her hand then gave me a careful look. “Why can't you leave this alone, dear?”

“I — I've had dreams.” I admitted then told them about those, in all the gory details, too.

“Goddess.” Aunt Cecily sat back and gave me a sad, but impressed look. “The Lady has given her this task, Patrick. I don't think anything on earth but death would keep her from it.”

He grumbled, looked uncertain, but shook himself and stared right at me. “Probably so. But Cindy, promise me, promise me, that you'll tell us about what you're doing, and for the goddess' sake, ask for help if you need it.”

Aunt Cecily did that holding the face thing again and looked me directly in the eyes. “Please, Cindy, let us know what you're doing with this. Preferably before you do it. You've been lucky so far, don't push that. Even the Lady's favor only goes so far.”

“Okay.” I nodded, though that is sort of hard to do when someone has your cheeks in a kind of death grip thing. Then I added. “I have to go out tonight but I don't really know why.”

That started things all over again.

Sigh.

When, when, will I learn to just keep my big mouth shut?

“Do you have to quite so obvious?” I grumbled at the shadow that was my sister. “I mean I knew I wouldn't get out without being followed, but come on here, make it hard for me to see you doing it!”

“Most people wouldn't have noticed me.” Carly shrugged as she walked up to stand beside me. “You're just too damned observant little sister.”

I just gave her that 'River Tam look' from Firefly. If you know what that is, good. If not, find the show and you'll see what I mean. Like she just can't believe someone is actually that stupid, or clueless.

“Don't give me that look.” Carly shook her head and grinned. She'd liked Firefly and Serenity as much as I had. “You're much more talented than you realize just now, hon.”

“Yes she is.” A familiar voice had Carly jumping in shock and me just shaking my head.

“Hi Dani.” I chuckled.

“Hey, I didn't scare you that time.” She laughed.

“I'm used to you by now.” I pointed out then threw her a sop. “But you just made my sister crap in her panties.”

“Not a total loss then.” Dani chuckled and emerged from the darkness, holding her hand out to Carly. “Hi, I'm Dani.”

“Ummm, hi Dani.” Carly accepted the offered hand in the finger touch thing that girls use for a handshake and asked. “Where did you come from?”

“Oh, here, there, everywhere.” Dani answered with a grin. “Your sister was cuter about it than you were when I could startle her, by the way.”

“But you...”

“I know, just came out of nowhere.” Dani winked. “I do that a lot. Don't worry about it unless I'm pissed off at you.”

“I'll remember that, thanks.” Carly answered then chuckled while looking at me. “You have some strange friends, little sister.”

“Yeah.” I nodded and grinned. As Craig I'd tended to attract the odd ones, people wise, so it was really no surprise at all that as a girl, and a were, that I was still doing that. “Makes life interesting, you know.”

“Worry about her.” Dani advised Carly.

“Oh, I do.” My sister answered, then gave Dani a long look. “Dani... You're the one who left that note and DVD, aren't you?”

“At last!” Dani chortled. “A smart one!

“And yes, I did that.” She grinned proudly.

Carly didn't say a thing to that. She just started laughing.

There are times I really don't like my big sister so much.

“So what you got planned for tonight?” Dani asked.

“Dunno.” I shrugged. “I'm just making this up as I go along here.”

“How Indiana Jones of you!” Dani nodded in admiration.

“Why did it have to be vampires?” I moaned.

That of course had both Dani and Carly almost doubled up with laughing so hard.

Carly and Dani liked each other.

I was soo, double, triple doomed.

Why is there never a nice, bottomless well around when you need it?

Now I'd never get away with anything.

“So just what are you looking for here?” Dani asked as I stared at the Harper house.

“I don't know.” I shrugged. “I'd kind of like to find out just what they are for one thing, and why the Hunters don't scare them. I mean those two 'ordinary people' faced down an adult were the other day without even looking like they did it or were worried at all. That isn't normal for anyone.”

“Nope.” Dani shook her head while agreeing with me. “It sure isn't, but I'll bet that Were was shitting his pants when that happened. Not too many people, even vampires or witches really want to go head to head with a Were.”

“Really?” I asked then thought about when I'd seen both Carly and Aunt Cecily upset with someone.

“Really.” Dani affirmed. “You guys are really bad news on the other side of a fight. Trust me.”

“Then there's little average miss Were.” I sighed but nodded.

“Nothing at all average about you hon.” Dani smirked. “I wouldn't be hanging out with you if you were that way. I want to cultivate your friendship before you grow up, believe me.”

I had to think about that one. Okay, I had weird dreams and heard voices, or a voice off and on. I could pick locks and sneak pretty good when I wanted to. I knew martial arts, too so could defend myself most of the time. But so what? I was still kind of middle of the roadish in strength or anything else but looks (which still kind of embarrassed me, by the way) and knew there were any number of people and things out and around that could kick my sweet little butt without breathing hard.

“Umm, okay.” I answered with what I knew was a skeptical expression.

“Give yourself some time, you little monster.” Dani grinned and gave me a wink. “One day you'll wake up to find that you're an all grown up monster, and one that people will think more than twice about messing with.”

“If I survive that long.” I muttered. I might die of sheer embarrassment if nothing else before that happened.

“That's another reason why I'm hanging out with you girlie.” Dani chuckled. “I'm supposed to help you do that.”

Sheesh. Why, why, does everyone think I'm so damned special? It's annoying and I sure don't feel special. Okay, maybe with Carson, but that isn't the same thing.

“Back in a few.” Dani whispered.

“Where you off to?” Carly asked.

“To see if I can eavesdrop enough to find some things out about the 'normals' over there.” The vampire answered and was gone before either me or my sister could say anything in response.

“Does she do that a lot?” Carly questioned while watching the space Dani had been in seconds ago.

“All the time.” I sighed. “I think she gets off on freaking people out.”

“Can she teleport or something?”

“No idea.” I shrugged, then added. “I do know that she's really, really fast.”

A few minutes later a disheveled Dani showed back up, shaking her head in mixed admiration and wonder.

Looking at her more than usually messy hair and taking in the fact that she was actually breathing kind of hard got my attention. “What happened?”

“Just ran into the strongest wards I've ever seen or heard of.” She sat down, actually sat down. I'd never seen her do that before. “Took a lot of work to get around and through them.”

“Did you find anything out?” I asked.

“Oh yeah.” Dani shook her head. “For one thing, if they can put up wards like that no wonder they aren't afraid of the Hunters. For another they're both warriors of some kind that not only know how to handle themselves but have done it in the past.

“Whatever it is they're hiding from is bad. Really bad.” She finished.

“Anything else?” Carly looked at the house and I did, too. Both of us saw the 'husband' carefully searching the yard, bushes, and surrounding area.

“Nope, the wards bounced me out and let them know someone had breached them.” Dani told us. “These people are major league dangerous my friends.”

“Then what has them scared enough to be hiding that way?” I thought out loud.

“Dunno, hon.” Dani shrugged. “I do know that I hope I never run into it.”

Great, just great. And these were the people I was supposed to protect?

I was really starting to wonder if I'd even see my seventeenth birthday about then.

“What's wrong, babe?” Carson asked as he hugged me once we'd met at Mario's again.

Once upon a time I would have been not only outraged, but would have tried to kick the crap out of someone who talked to me like that.

But now it actually felt kind of good, and Carson really was concerned.

“Ahh, just the usual.” I fended that off. “Crap at school, with the family, you know.”

“The family giving you shit about us?” He asked.

“A little.” I admitted then grinned. “But not that much really. They're just telling me to be careful around a wolf.”

He caught the double entendre there and chuckled. “I suppose they would. What do you think about that?”

“Give me one wolf over anyone else in the world and I'd be happy?” I answered with as straight a face as I could manage, especially when I finished that. “If he's all over me, I'll just kick him where it counts. Or maybe...”

“Ouch.” He did a good wince, then grinned back. “About that 'or maybe'?”

“Oh, I don't know.” I shrugged. “Maybe there would be one happy wolf in the neighborhood?”

“I'll take that as promising then.”

“You'd better.” I told him.

“I'll keep that in mind.”

“Just don't get the idea that I'm easy.” I warned him.

“Ahh, it's no fun if the girl just throws herself at you, Cindy.” He winked at me. “Really.”

“So you're willing to chase me?” I asked the added. “Until I catch you?”

“As long as you like.” He nodded. “The chase is fun, but I've never been caught yet. That should be interesting. Not to mention being more fun than the chase.”

“We'll see about that one.” I smiled then gave him a nice, deep kiss, with some tongue.

Sheesh, I was such a girl and especially around him.

But no matter how much I might complain about it other times, with Carson I didn't mind at all.

Besides, I really needed a break from worrying about those other things.

Oh gawd. I was being assimilated here. Resistance is futile and all that.

Resist? Hell, with Carson I was ready to just dive straight into the pool. Naked and joyful as I did it.

Okay, that one was spontaneous, but it made me shudder a little, too.

But...

It sure made me feel good in places I'd never had as Craig. And I liked it.

Damn it.

“I'd been giving the bags, and some sparring partners at the dojo a workout.

I'd finally gotten used to my new center of balance and let me tell you, I could deliver a kick that would stop a bull in mid charge. Cool! Plus, I was lot's faster and more flexible than I'd ever thought of being when I was Craig.

We had to replace some sandbags, and I had to profusely apologize to a couple of guys I sparred with.

But I was slowly realizing that all I'd lost in the change were some bits of flesh and some upper body strength.

The gains actually outweighed that, since I'd never been all that hung up about my masculinity, anyway.

I was beating Chris in matches more often than I lost and that was new. He used to kick my butt and use it to wipe up the sweat off the mats.

Now I was doing that to him.

But I didn't gloat.

Okay, maybe I did. Just a little.

Come on, give me a break on this one.

The upshot of that is, I was beginning to understand that I was far from weak and helpless in a fight.

I'd thought I'd just been lucky in that fight with the Hunter, but as I looked back on it, I started understanding that I'd just plain beaten him. I was better than he was, even if he managed to hurt me. I was still alive, he wasn't.

Works for me.

“Wow.” Chris was rubbing his side after one of our sparring matches. “You pack one hell of a punch there, sis.”

“Sorry.” I winced. “I didn't really hurt you did I?”

“Just some bruises.” He sighed. “Don't try that move on a non-Were unless you intend to kill them, though.”

He was talking about a nice little spin kick I'd just figured out. It put all my weight into the heel of my foot when it hit.

“I'll remember that, thanks.” I gave him a worried look. “You sure you're okay?

“Yeah, I'll be fine in the morning.” He grumbled.

I looked away and had to smile. “Maybe before that, bro. Your main squeeze is here.”

I waved at Tracy and jumped out of the ring. On the way past I whispered. “I don't think he feels like sparring right now. And be careful with his ribs.”

“You're that mean to your cousin?” She asked but was grinning.

“New move.” I shrugged. “Besides, he used to kick my poor little ass all the time.”

“Getting even are we?” She laughed.

“Probably.” I grinned. “Now go make him feel better.”

“Good plan.” She laughed as I headed for the locker room and a badly needed shower.

All that aside, I still had a big problem to deal with.

That baby I was supposed to protect. Who already had protectors that had my family, and Dani, in kind of awe. Yes, they were that good, we could tell after carefully looking at them for awhile.

So obviously, the Hunters were a distraction, even if unplanned for whatever was really hunting them.

And here was poor little me, determined to save that child. When her protectors were obviously far more capable than I was.

When? When will things start getting easy here?

Or at least not impossible?

Well, all I could do is what I could do.

Even if it was sneaking in and snatching the kid then hiding somewhere.

I was no match for the forces converging on that 'normal' family.

So I'd have to be sneaky, and careful.

Okay, that I could do.

As much as I hated to admit it. That actually sounded kind of fun.

What in Hell was getting into me?

But dammit, it was a challenge and heaven help me, it did sound like fun.

What have I become here?

I'm just a teenaged girl who used to be a boy.

And trust me, I'm still confused about a lot of stuff.

But I know. I just know, that I have to save that child.

Lady Moon? Just what in the hell do you expect me to do here?

A little help would be appreciated, you know.

I was in my coyote form. And yes, I'd done that since my first transformation but it had no bearing on the story. I enjoyed it, ran, and sang to Lady Moon. That's all.

Now I was running again. Feeling the power in my legs, the endurance this form had.

I smelled and saw everything around me. The life in that mountain forest was mind boggling.

Things that most people never saw either hunted or were hunted. Even the plants were hunted, if you count the herbivores. But there was never a moment without conflict even when things looked peaceful to human eyes. Something was always dying to prolong the life of something else, and that was as things should be.

Life, I understood in that run, was competition. Not so much against peers, but just against life itself. Nature was not a forgiving mother, but she was a loving one.

She loved you if you won or lost in that competition. But she wouldn't help you even if you asked. As I said, Mother Nature can be cruel even if she loves all her children.

I had kind of an epiphany there.

If anyone was going to help me, it wouldn't be anyone but myself. Others could try, but the simple fact was that I was the one who was going to make my life, and myself into something that I liked, or not.

But it was up to me. Not to outside influences. Me.

I stopped and sat down on the top of a hill once that idea hit me.

My coyote form didn't even flinch when a wolf came to the hilltop to join me.

“My love.” He greeted me.

“Carson?” I asked as he moved to sit beside me.

“In another form, yes.” The wolf told me and licked my fur. “But now I'm simply a wolf. Who happens to love you.”

Wow.

We both sang to Lady Moon that night.

Together.

And it was good.

Really good.

Now I knew that I wanted to live.

So really started thinking of ways to do that while still doing what The Lady had charged me with.

Carson and I ran. Chased things, but had no intention of killing them. We were just having fun that night. It was incredible.

Best date I'd ever been on.

And even though part of me resisted the idea, I knew that Carson was my mate. The one I'd been made for just as he'd been made for me.

Sheesh. I'd only been a girl for a few weeks and I'd already found my future husband.

How weird is that?

Nope. Not going to think about that one. No way, no how.

I am soo not ready to be married. At least not in the female role.

Gah!

Can things get any worse?

Singing to the Moon Chapter 11 by Maggie Finson

This stuff was driving me crazy!

Okay, maybe crazier than I already seem to be.

“Problems, hon?” My cousin Mary Jane asked as she knocked on my bedroom door.

“Oh yeah.” I twitched the little skirt I was wearing and kind of glared at the heels of the sandals on my pretty little feet then let out a sigh. “I haven't had the fifteen years or more to grow into things like this you, Clarissa and Carly did, you know. It's hard.”

“I imagine it is.” She nodded and sat me down on the bed, putting an arm around my shoulder. “I couldn't really begin to understand what you're going through just now, but mom will be thrilled that you're starting to adjust. It's a really cute outfit on you, by the way.”

Yes, it was, actually. Nice scooped neck T with puffy little sleeves in a pristine white that reminded you of new fallen snow that didn't have glitter or some girly slogan on it, neat little butter yellow a-line skirt that actually wasn't that short since it ended just above my knees, panty hose and white strappy sandals with a two inch heel.

Why was I wearing something — to school yet — that was so girly? As a sop to Aunt Cecily for supporting me in other things to be honest.

“I guess.” letting out a little sigh I noticed that my legs were nice and properly together even though I'd kind of flopped on the bed instead of sat like a 'lady'. “I'm a girl now, so I do need to get used to dressing like this at least off and on, but it's still a shock to the system at times. I mean I look in a mirror expecting to see Craig off and on yet and instead I see this.”

“Well, look at this way.” Mary Jane shrugged and gave me a hug with a grin. “At least you turned into a pretty girl. It could have been worse. You could be fat, or have a face that would embarrass a horse.

“Not to mention that you've already snagged a boyfriend that has half the girls in school, and probably some co-eds at the college jealous of you.” She chuckled.

“Maybe.” I shook my head. “I'm at that stage where the brain is going 'Huh?' while my body is screaming 'Yes!' as loud as it can.”

“That's pretty normal, really.” Mary Jane told me. “You'd be surprised at just how many girls feel that way at the start of a relationship.”

“Confusing.”

“Yup.” She gave me another hug then kissed my cheek. “You're doing great so far, cousin or little sister now, I guess. I don't think I'd have things as together as you do if I'd suddenly changed into a guy.”

“Thanks, I think.” I returned her hug and kissed her cheek. “This cousin/sister thing is kind of a mind fuck just now too.”

Aunt Cecily and Uncle Patrick, or I guess I should get used to calling them Mom and Dad now, had rammed the paperwork through channels and officially adopted me. Sheesh. Now my twin brother was my cousin and my cousins were my sisters.

Thinking too much about that at one time gave me a headache.

“You look nice today, dear.” Aunt Cec — Mom, told me as I sat at the table for breakfast. I'd even smoothed my skirt under me when I sat down that time. After flopping on the bed in my room I'd had to check the back of it for wrinkles. Just about broke my neck trying that. Note to self here, get another mirror for my room. Sigh.

“Thanks, — Mom.” I said even if there was some hesitation there.

“I know it will take some getting used to, honey.” She gave me a halfway sad look.

“I will, it's just new, Mom.” I answered then offered her a smile and reached over the table to touch her hand. “You always were the only Mom I've ever known after all. That part I can deal with.”

“We should have done this long ago.” She patted my hand and smiled. “We're adopting Christopher, too, but thought getting your paperwork through was more urgent is all.”

That was good to know. At least I could call him brother without causing problems once that was done.

“That's good.” I nodded, then smirked. “This way if I call him big brother no one will think it's all that strange.”

“You're still twins.” Mary Jane pointed out.

“Well, yeah.” I smirked. “But he sure is bigger then me now.”

That had everyone laughing and eased the tension that had been building.

“Promise me.” Carly grabbed me before I get into my Miata. “Promise me you aren't going to do something stupid with those people.”

“What people?” I innocently asked. That one earned me a slap to the arm.

“You know who I'm talking about and don't try to play it all innocent here.” She glared at me. “I know you too well and it always means you're up to something.”

“What?” I rubbed my arm and still tried the innocent thing. “You think I'm going to swipe a girl scout uniform and try to sell them cookies or something?”

“I wouldn't put it past you.” She glared then grinned. “You'd look kind of old for it, but you would make one sexy little girl scout.”

“Lady Moon, save me.” I muttered as I got into my car. That really hadn't sounded like such a bad idea to me.

Oh, I was going to get myself in sooo much trouble.

Even if it wasn't me disguised as a girl scout. Their cookies are wonderful, but I'd always hated trying to sell things to complete strangers. So that plan was right out.

I was sure I'd figure out something, though.

“Hi.” I smiled at the girl, a cheerleader who was sitting at a table in the commons area working for donations to get them to some camp or other. “What's this all about?”

She launched into a very long, enthusiastic explanation while trying to proselytize me into trying out for a spot on the squad. Like that was going to happen within the next century.

“Kewl!” I gushed and gave her an equally enthusiastic smile. “Can I help, like you know, getting pledges and stuff?”

Oh, gag me and hang me now. Sometimes the plans I come up with are just — too off the wall even for me.

“Sure!” The girl, whose name was Britney — Biiig surprise there — gushed right back and handed me a sheet of paper and manila envelope. “Just go around and ask people, write down who gave what on the envelope and bring it back when the paper is full!

“Oh, be sure to zero in on the guys.” She winked at me. “A pretty girl can get them to do just about anything.”

“Okay.” I nodded with a grin of my own since I'd been seeing that every waking moment in public since my change. “I'll see what I can do.”

“And don't forget the tryouts!” Brit, okay she insisted I call her that, reminded me. “We're filling some slots for this year and someone with your enthusiasm would be great to have on the squad.”

“I'll think about it.” I told her. Right, me, a cheerleader in those short skirts, jumping all over the place so horny guys could get off from seeing my panties. I didn't think so, but had what I was after.

“Great! I'll let the other girls know that you're thinking of trying out, Cindy.” She gushed.

I almost detoured to a restroom to throw up.

“Hi.” I smiled at the guys sitting in the park and approached with the paper very artfully hidden behind my back. “I'm trying to raise money for the school cheerleaders to go to camp. Do you guys think you could help out?

“Are you on the squad?” One of them, a not bad looking college age guy looked me over and — looked me over.

“No, I'm just helping them out right now.” I ignored the undressing thing all three of them were giving me as best I could and gave them a cheerful smile. “But they're having tryouts next week.”

“You'll be a shoo in.” Another one nodded.

I got twenty bucks out of those idiots. Each. It was so easy, and kind of fun.

“We'll be watching for you out on the field!” One of them called out as I walked away.

Right. Like that was ever going to happen. Me? A cheerleader? As the valley girls used to say, "Gag me with a spoon!"

“You are so adorable.” A middle aged matron smiled as she handed me five dollars. “And gorgeous. You'll make a wonderful cheerleader, dear.”

I'd started using the other side of the sheet, the one without the lines to write down everything. In two hours I'd made just short of four hundred dollars. An no. I still had no plans of becoming a cheerleader.

But whoa! I had definite potential as a con man, or I guess that would be woman now. And to think I'd never liked selling things to people before.

I was so easy it was almost scary.

I'd been doing some door to door stuff after leaving the downtown area, getting closer to my actual goal with each house.

I kind of shivered, okay I did shiver, as I went up the walk to that oh so normal house with oh so normal people living in it.

Taking a deep breath, I knocked on the door and put on my very best, vapidly enthusiastic smile.

The woman who opened the door looked at me, then past me, and waved me inside.

After looking at me for a second or two she sighed and told me. “It's about time you got here.”

What the F...?

Singing to the Moon Chapter 12 by Maggie Finson

“It's about time you showed up.” She calmly told me.

Crap.

Hit me with a load of bricks, then drag me over broken glass to add insult to things.

“We've been watching you watching us, you know.” The woman told me with a small smile. “You are very resourceful and watching you has been entertaining.”

“How much did you see?” I had to ask. I just had to ask that one.

“Everything.” The woman shrugged. “From you transformation to now. The way you got out of the house and compound was very good, by the way. Both times.”

“Oh lord. If she ever talked with Au... Mom and Dad about that I was sooo busted. They still weren't all that sure about just how I managed that.

“Relax, Coyote.” She grinned and led me to nicely plush easy chair. “Sit down for a bit and you'll feel better. And no, we won't give your secrets away.”

I did, and it didn't help at all. “What did you just call me?”

“I simply addressed you by the name that is yours.” She shrugged. “Not what you are, but who you are.”

“Huh?” That really intelligent response really kind of embarrassed me.

“You are Mischief, the Trickster, the one who always hides what you do behind other things.” She told me. “Though you have a good heart and good intentions. You don't harm people on purpose, but their choices will drive you to do things. Things you may not like but will make sure that you will be compelled to follow up on and do.”

“But...”

“Enough of that.” She smiled at me and gently pulled me out of the chair. “It is time for you to meet the child.”

“I'm not the baby sitter.” I tried.

“No.” She smiled at me and kept pulling me deeper into the house. “You are the Mother.”

“What?”

“In time, you will understand, dear.” She answered as she led me into a nursery and led me to stand in front of a very conventional looking crib. “For now, you should meet the child.”

I didn't want to do that. Trust me.

But the girl in me just couldn't resist looking at the baby.

She was beautiful. So small, so helpless, such a pretty baby.

Hey! Wait a minute here! Since when was I so interested in babies?

But I was.

I just stood there and looked at her for awhile. I had no idea how long that was. But I thought she was just perfect. So fragile, so... pretty, so — needing someone.

“My husband and I are her caretakers.” The woman told me. “She is waiting for her mother to come. Touch her, pick her up. Get to know her.”

Okay, my brain short circuited there. I didn't worry at all about the 'mother' thing, or that I sooo wanted to hold that baby.

I just tentatively reached out and lightly stroked her little cheek.

And before I knew it, I was holding her, rocking her and cooing in ways that I never thought I'd do.

She was so beautiful, so helpless, so in need of someone to love her.

I was cradling her in my arms, rocking her, and singing nonsense songs to her before I even realized I'd done anything at all.

“The bond has been forged.” The woman said in the background of my almost total attention on the baby. “Now we must see that it is a worthy one.”

“What?

“There are many hunting this child, none of them with good intent.” She told me. “Will you be able to protect her? Defend her from that?”

“I don't know.” I answered but at the same time feeling a very fierce determination that no one was going to harm this child if I could do anything about it. “But I'll do my best.”

“That is proper.” She answered, then left the room.

Dammit! I hadn't been a girl for a month yet. But now I had a guy I thought I was in love with...

And a baby I was already attached to.

Why, why, do these things happen to me?

What did I do?

I cuddled the child and sang to her.

Oh my gawd, what next?

Now what do I do?

I was still holding the baby, cooing and singing to her, and completely gobsmacked. Again.

My breasts (which I'm still not used to having, by the way) ache, my middle is all swirly and stuff, and my nether regions are getting wet again.

How embarrassing is that when you're in a house with people you don't know?

Worse, I don't even have a clue about WHAT they are.

Worse than that? I now know what I feel about this baby. I knew I had to defend her, protect her, but now...

I would die to keep her safe.

Why, why, am I never close to a nice solid wall when I need something to beat my head against?

I am soo NOT ready to be a mother.

I'm only sixteen years old for crying out loud. And have only been female since Labor day!

A mother. Me?

No frigging way.

But...

“Have a seat dear.” The still unnamed woman invited as I numbly walked back to living room. With the baby still cradled in my arms, by the way.

She cooed back at me, smiled that gaping, toothless smile babies do, and just made me feel really good. Sheesh.

The woman's husband, or whatever he might be was there, too, seated on the couch next to her, and was watching me very carefully.

I settled into the easy chair that was open and gave me a view of them, tickled the baby and kissed her cheek, then looked up.

“What's going on here?”

“The bonding.” The man answered with something like satisfaction in his voice. “You and the child have started that now.”

“What does that mean?”

“You know.” The woman smiled at me then looked at the child in my arms. “You need no explanations for what you're feeling at the moment.”

Oddly, I did, though my mind wasn't quite ready to grasp that particular point of things just then.

“What are you two?” I asked point blank, then looked down and tickled the baby's cheek again.

“Guardians.” The man answered then actually smiled at me. “But I do think proper introductions are in order now. I am Sigleah and my mate is Amaranth.”

The names actually sounded nothing like that when spoken, but that was idea, the sense of the person who had them, came across.

“We are what your kind would call dragons.” The woman, Amaranth joined in.

Uh oh. Major mind fuck there.

“We owed some people a favor.” Sighleah continued. “Protecting this child was the way we are paying that back. But we cannot actively do anything against those who threaten her. It is not our way to interfere in normal affairs unless we are attacked.”

“Which we haven't been.” Amaranth continued. “Artemis told us to wait for you, that you would come, and relieve us of this responsibility.”

“Artemis?” I questioned.

“You know Her as Lady Moon.” Sighleah informed me. “She is the Huntress, the protector, and you are Her newest daughter.”

“She has some rather great expectations of you.” Amaranth told me. “And has charged you with caring for this child. We waited, watched you watching us, and as is proper it was ours to judge whether you were deserving or not.”

“What?” I looked at both of them as if they were insane. “But..”

“Never argue with a dragon.” He grinned wickedly. “For you are crunchy and really good with Ketchup.”

“Uhhh.”

Amaranth laughed and reached over to give my shoulder a comforting touch, though she was way to far away to actually do that. “Do not take my mate's humor as the truth, little one. He loves human fiction and tends to use things he reads in conversation. It is not our way to harm. We teach.”

“Teach?”

“Oh yes, child of a goddess.” Sighleah calmly informed me. “Part of our debt was to teach you what you should know at just this point in time.”

Okay, that was just about enough right there.

I admit it, I just kind of zoned out and went away for a bit after that one.

Come on now. After the day I'd had, do you blame me?

The Cheerleaders, or at least one of them really wanted me to tryout. Huh, uh, no way, no how, and all that stuff. Not going to happen.

On the other hand, I had kind of extorted money from people with my recently found feminine charms by telling a lot of them that I was going to try out for the squad. So, much as I hated to admit it, did feel kind of obligated there. Crap.

I'd already discovered that for some reason now, if I said I was going to do something, I usually ended up doing it. I hadn't quite figured out why that was yet, but was sure I'd figure it out in time. If I didn't die of embarrassment or actually get myself killed before that happened.

Then there was the small matter of a baby girl who had Dragons for babysitters. With said babysitters waiting for yours truly to wander up and say hi.

I knew, just knew, that I wasn't going to get out of anything my actions had set in motion today.

“You should be careful of the promises you make, child.” Amaranth gave me an amused look as I more or less swam back up to whatever it was that reality had become for me lately.

“Promises?” I looked at her and just had to tickle the baby's chin again. It distracted me a bit, but also made me feel lots better. Yet another thing I was trying to wrap my poor brain around at the moment.

“What you told that girl at school earlier today.” Sighleah chuckled. “Or the things you told all those people you were collecting money from on your way here.”

“A promise can be almost anything you say that agrees to do something, dear.” Amaranth continued. “Being who and what you are, those promises could bind you to honor your word.”

“Does that mean I really have to be cheerleader?” I questioned while trying to avoid the ideas about what they were really telling me.

“You're a very lovely girl, Cindy.” Sighleah grinned at me. “With physical skills that would be an asset in that endeavor.”

I winced, I admit it, I winced.

“But, you pledged only to try.” Amaranth added with her own smirk. “I'm sure you could find a way to fail that test.”

“No.” I said with kind of disgusted tone in my voice. “If you know me as well as you seem to already then you know I don't fail on purpose with something I've said I'll do.”

“Yet you only pledged to try.” She chuckled. “Not make the squad.”

“I don't things halfway.” I grumbled, already having visions of cute little me shaking cute little butt in those short skirts and tight tops letting people see other things shake.

“That's good.” Sighleah nodded. “You hold to what you have said you will do whether you find it a pleasant prospect or not.”

“Yes.” I nodded then had to ask. “Not that I don't appreciate it, but why the lesson about promises here?

“Oh shit.” I breathed as I realized what that was about.

I looked at them, then at the baby I was still holding, and rocking gently, back up at them then back at the baby. “Oh shit.”

“Yes.” Amaranth gently answered. “Not long ago you made a far more important promise than trying out to be a cheerleader.”

“Oh, holy shit!” I breathed out. And yeah I know good girls don't talk like that in front of complete strangers. Forgive the language there and at least I added a word in the middle.

I had just, literally, pledged my life to defend the baby in my arms.

How? How, Lady Luna, do I get myself into these things?

More importantly, how do get out of them?

Or do I even wish to do that?

And she was sooo darling. And vulnerable, and...

I was in so much trouble.

Worse? That didn't bother me at all.

Singing to the Moon Chapter 13 by Maggie Finson

Gah!

How, oh Lady Moon, how do I get myself into these things?

Okay, probably because I ignore or don't listen to wiser people who warn me. Hey! Nobody is perfect.

Then again, there I sat, with a cooing baby in my arms, all tingly in some places only Carson had managed to do to me before, and completely at a loss about what to do next.

“Mother?” I did managed to get out in a little voice that sounded kind of like a squeak much to my embarrassment. “Did you say mother?”

“I seem to remember one of us saying that, yes.” Amaranth smiled at me.

“I couldn't be her mother.” I shot back. “I haven't been a — girl, for a month yet!”

“True enough in that sense.” The woman smiled at me so serenely it was almost infuriating. “You did not carry this child under your heart, or know the pains of her birth.

“But not all mothers gave birth to their children, dear.” She shrugged. “Many women have taken a child like this to themselves and become the mother that child needs.”

“What does that mean...” I trailed off and looked at the baby I was still holding (okay cuddling by then) and asked. “Are you telling me she's an orphan or something like that?”

“Yes.” Sigleah nodded. “Her parents were great ones, but fell by treachery. We owed them our lives from another time and this is taking care of that debt.”

Oh boy. Someone powerful enough that Dragons could owe them their lives was something I just couldn't get my head around there. Especially since their baby was the one I was supposed to start mothering and all that. Sheesh.

“I don't know how to be a mother.” I argued, but that sounded weak even to me.

“You seem to be doing fine just now.” Sigleah noted with a grin as he watched me and the baby.

“You'll do it as you've done everything since your transformation, child.” Amaranth gently told me, though I could see her eyes glinting with humor. “Like every other new parent you'll 'make it up as you go along' and do your best for the child.”

“I'm only sixteen!”

“In the past, even in your culture,” Sigleah answered, “Sixteen means that you are a woman and no longer a child. Younger women than you have given birth, and nurtured their children.”

“But...”

“No buts, Coyote.” Amaranth told me. “This child was meant for you and you were meant for her. It is yours to make sure that she grows up with love, and learns to consider others when it is her turn to find power.”

“Power?” I almost squeaked out but not quite as I looked at the innocent in my arms.

“Indeed, dear.” Amaranth nodded then lifted an eyebrow in question. “What, you think that Artemis — Lady Moon, would saddle her beloved Coyote with a mundane child in this situation?”

“How would I know?” I grumbled, then pulled my gaze away from the baby. “Why is everyone calling me Coyote? As if it's a name and not what I am?”

“It is both, Cindy Harper.” Sigleah answered quietly. “You are a coyote, but you are also Coyote. I'd suggest you look into native myths from this country's southwest so you will understand.”

“You are the Trickster, dear.” Amaranth smiled at me. “The one who delights in confounding her enemies and others in ways they never expected. You have watched cartoons with Bugs Bunny in them haven't you?”

“Yes.” I nodded then gave her an outraged look. “You're comparing me to Bugs Bunny? A cartoon character?”

“That has been Coyote's manifestation in your culture up to now.” Sigleah chuckled. “You are the Trickster, the subtle one who never quite does what your adversaries expect. Watching you tease these Hunters has been most entertaining, by the way.”

“Oh.” I let out a sigh at that one. I'd almost forgotten that they had told me they had been watching what I had been doing. “But one of them nearly killed me.”

“And died in the attempt.” Sigleah answered. “You have many talents, Cindy Harper, as you will discover in time. Being able to handle silver, while not insignificant, isn't among the most important ones, either.”

I admit it, I answered that one with a very unladylike comment. Which had both of them chuckling.

“Now.” Sigleah told me. “It is time for us to take you and your daughter home.”

“What?”

“Our kind don't often meddle in the affairs of either humans or Unseen.” Amaranth told me. “When we do it draws attention from beings you would call gods, and that seldom ends well when it happens.

“Your Lady Moon asked this much of us.” She went on. “To protect the child until you found us, and her. Our duty is discharged with this, other than getting you and the child home safely. Any more from us would endanger too many and too much. Despite some myths, our kind do not glory in death and destruction, dear one. We are teachers, nurturers, and protectors when that is required. We have done that here, and now the time for us to go is near.”

“But...”

“You have our true names, young one.” Sigleah told me very seriously. “Guard them well, but you can call us if there is need. We will come.”

“True names?” I have to admit that I gave then a blank look at that one.

“The name that tells all of what one is.” He simply told me. “When someone knows your true name, the one whispered into your ear by your mother, they hold power over you.”

“Be wise with that knowledge, little one.” Amaranth told me. “Calling us is no small matter and will have consequences if you do.”

Urk. These two seemed to be telling me that I had to key to actually make them do what I wanted them to. And I knew, somehow, that doing that could be a terrible crime.

“I won't tell anyone.” I quietly answered, then looked down at the baby I was still holding. “What is hers? Her true name?”

“That is for you to give her.” Amaranth said with a smile. “Once you really feel what she is. Evangeline was for convenience, her use name, or what others will call her, is also for you to do.”

Baby names. I had to look at names for a girl. Sheesh. I had to actually name a baby? Twice?

“Aeovel.” I whispered to the child. “That means joy.”

Now how did I know that?

I can't tell you, it just was there when I looked for it. The name was old, very old, and from a language I was sure no scholar had ever heard of.

The two dragons were watching and nodded.

“You have found what your daughter is.” Amaranth gave me an approving look and smile. “You just told her the name that will be hers for eternity.”

“Eternity?” I was appalled at saddling a child with a name they could never get rid of.

“Such are true names, Coyote.” Sigleah nodded with approval evident in his expression as well.

“I called her...”

“That is between you and the child.” Amaranth stopped me from blurting it out. “Hold it closely, guard it to protect your daughter, and teach her to keep it from others.”

“Uhh... okay.” I answered while hating myself for the uncertainty in that answer. I was usually so glib, but something told me that the name I had just whispered to that baby would be important in times to come, very important. “I won't tell anyone else.”

“Good.” Amaranth nodded and smiled at me. “Your first act as her mother and your attitude about that is a wise one.”

Wise. Me? The one who had sneaked into the Hunter camp and nearly gotten killed for that? The one who had sneaked out of the house twice in the dead of night and actually taunted the very dangerous Hunters each time? Nope, wise wasn't one of the things that came to mind there. Maybe wise ass would fit better.

But you know what? That felt right.

Oh, Lady Moon! I'm a damned trouble magnet. I just know it!

Thank you sooo much.

“So what are you going to name her?” Amaranth, Nancy for a use name she'd told me, questioned.

“Linda.” I answered in kind of a fog.

“It means beautiful.” Sigleah nodded. “Good choice.”

“How am I going to explain this one to my — parents?” I asked remembering that I was now the adopted daughter of Patrick and Cecily Harper.

“Our last act here will be that explanation.” Amaranth, oops, Nancy, told me.

Use names, by the way, are easy. I found that out by asking. Go figure. I just straight out asked.

A use name can change with your mood, or circumstance, just don't do it too often is all. People get a little weird if you change your name every week.

Sigleah, Carl, helped me into their SUV. A nice royal blue Lexus. Being a Dragon obviously has its perks, and handed little Linda to me.

“What about the Hunters?” I asked as I saw the really out of place black SUV just down the block.

“They won't interfere.” Amaranth told me while looking at the vehicle with something like contempt in her eyes. “The won't even know we've left. They will be watching an empty house for a few days before they figure out that no one is there now.”

“They won't follow us?”

“No.” Sighleah answered then added. “If they somehow penetrate the illusion and do so, they will not live to regret it.”

Oh, that was comforting. Actually, it really was. But these two were scary. Really scary.

And I had their true names, which meant I could call them anytime I pleased.

Oh, crap.

I am so not ready to hold that kind of power over anyone.

“That, dear one.” Amaranth — Nancy smiled at me. “Is why we told you that. You look at things, you consider, you balance gain against cost. Your are worthy to hold our true names.”

“What is mine?” I wondered out loud.

“Your mother will give it to you.” She answered and somehow I knew the mother she was talking about wasn't Cecily Harper. “She knows it but has yet to tell you.

“Artemis, Diana, Lady Moon will tell you.” She assured me.

“Uhh, okay.” I just got quiet then and hugged the baby, Linda, a little closer.

As we got closer to home I knew the easy stuff was over.

What was I going to tell Au... Mom and Dad?

“Hey Mom, hey Daddy! Look what I found! Can I keep her? I promise I'll feed her and clean up after her!”

Oh this was going to be lots of fun.

Not.

How in the world was I going to explain little Linda to them?

I'd been a girl for all of just about two weeks and I already had a baby to take care of?

Crap, they'd never let me do anything now.

* * * *

It was scary. The guards at the gate didn't even flinch as we drove through. I was getting a lot of ideas of just how dangerous it could be to mess with dragons there. Those guards stopped and questioned just about anyone who wanted to come to the house if they weren't there regularly.

But they just looked, started to move forward, then stopped and waved us through.

Trust me, I was really going to work to keep Amaranth and Sigleah on my good side. I sure didn't want them hunting me for any reason other than to help me. Anything else would be life threatening.

And those gate guards were coyotes.

Again, trust me. Never, ever, piss off a dragon.

You could end up dead before you even realized you'd done anything wrong.

Fortunately, from what I'd gotten from my dragons (okay that's just a bit over the top, I admit) I knew that dragons rarely killed either mundanes or unseen. And even then, only if their own survival was threatened and there was no other way to handle the problem.

Dragons really are nice people.

No one to mess with, but nice people.

They even helped Saint George after he'd lucked out and killed one of them. Though the one he'd killed had been a rogue.

And let me tell you, with what I knew now, I knew that Knight had been extremely gifted and lucky.

But on with the real problem here...

“Hi Mom.” I said as I walked into the house.

“Hello, Cindy...” She stopped when she saw what I was holding in my arms.

“Just what is this?” She questioned.

“As far as I can tell, she's my baby.” I answered quietly and with a little sigh.

“Your baby?” She shook her head as if shaking off a really good strike in the dojo ring, and favored me with that gimlet stare that had terrified me since I had been old enough to understand what it was.

“Please, allow me to explain.” Amaranth moved into the room and somehow, calming feelings filled the place.

“This better be damned good.” Mom answered.

“Oh it is, dear lady, it is.” Amaranth answered.

“She is a sweet little thing.” My former aunt, now my mother, said as she tickled Linda.

I wanted to reach over and take the baby away from her, but restrained myself. “I can't have a baby, I just can't.”

You have the capability of giving birth to one now.” Mom told me simply. “And this one is your child even if you didn't carry her for nine months. I feel the bond. You gave her the name that is true, didn't you?”

“I —.”

“You did.” She nodded and shard a smile with me and the baby. “Linda is now your child, but we can make that a bit easier for you here.”

“How?” I was choking, with all that being a mother and the other stuff.

“Patrick and I will adopt her.” She said, then gave me a long, hard look. “But you will care for her.”

“Sheesh!” I answered. “I couldn't not care for her!”

“We know that love.” She serenely answered. “This child may not have come from you, but the mother/child bond is very clear to see when one looks.”

“What does that mean?”

“Simple.” Cecily — Mom, answered. “You are this child's mother. What else is there to say?”

“But there are really bad people, with bad things they can use, who are trying to get to her.” I countered.

“You're family, Cindy.” She simply told me. “So is your child.”

Oh shit.

I'd just pulled the whole clan into what was looking to be a war.

Oh Lady Moon.

The females of the clan were going to get involved in this, even if some of them could die.

Aunt Cecily, Mom, was their Alpha.

“We do not abandon our own.” Uncle Patrick — Dad now — told me.

Wonderful. The whole coyote clan would fight and die for me, and a baby I'd just met.

Even if she did feel like my very own daughter already.

And you know what?

I was grateful to each and every one of them for that.

Despite internal differences, we are family.

And family sticks together.

And Linda was such a cute little girl.

My breasts ached whenever I looked at her.

And I just wanted to hold her, protect her, and love her.

* * * *

Gah!

I haven't been a girl for a month yet.

But I already had a baby girl depending on me.

Go on, try to tell me that life is fair.

I'll rip your face off and feed it to you if you do.

But I'd rip off more than a face if someone tried to hurt my little Linda.

I knew she was a kind of unseen I'd never heard of, and that she would grow up to be very powerful. But that was in the future, not now.

She was a baby.

My baby.

Oh, Lady Moon, give me strength.

Hunters, with a Grail, were after her.

And if I had one thing, one little thing to do with that, it would be to make them pay, horribly, for the presumption of threatening my baby.

Grail or not, they were NOT going to harm Linda, or take her.

I would see to that personally.

Just how I'd manage to do that?

I'd make it up as I go along.

But they wouldn't have my daughter and any of them who tried would die.

My daughter?

Okay, I had to make one major adjustment there. But yes, Linda (Joy) really was my daughter even if I hadn't carried her under my heart and given birth to her.

And woe, terrible woe, to anyone, anything, that threatened her.

Threaten my baby and I'll kill you.

Simple as that.

And I knew I could do that, too.

What, Lady Moon, Artemis, Diana, has happened to me here?

What have you done to me?

More to the point. Why did you do it to me?

Singing to the Moon Chapter 14 by Maggie Finson

Having a baby to take care of can really cramp your style.

Not to mention being kind of hard on sleep at times.

Linda wanted fed at really odd hours. And I was the one who had to get up and see to that.

Then there was the changing thing. Not all that pleasant, but she was MY baby, so I did that too.

And I didn't really begrudge any of that.

But there were things I had to do so she would stay safe.

At times, finding a babysitter was a real bitch.

Like now.

“C'mon, Carly.” I wheedled and was almost whining. “Just for a couple of hours.”

“Okay,” my sister smirked, “But it's going to cost you.”

“How much?” My allowance, though generous thanks to what our parents had left us was being stretched kind of thin with buying diapers, formula, and clothes for Linda.

“Not money.” She grinned. “I want that neat red top you bought last week.”

“But I haven't even worn it yet!” I protested. “And you want to wear it first?”

“Nope.” She grinned. “I want you to give it me.”

“What?” I actually think I spluttered at that one. I mean it was a really nice top. Figure hugging without being too revealing, showed just enough cleavage, and was this really great deep red that almost looked like fire.

“You want to go gadding about tonight, that's what it's going to cost you.” Carly shrugged.

“But I'm trying to protect — my baby here!”

“And that what's it's going to cost you tonight.” She shrugged. “Being a Mom can be a real bear at times, can't it?”

Grumbling, I left Linda with her and went back to my room to get the top she wanted.

“There.” I handed it to her with a grimace.

“Oh thanks.” Carly grinned. “I might even let you borrow this off and on.”

“Nice of you.” I grumped while tossing the diaper bag at her. “Fresh diapers, wash, powder. Her formula is in the fridge if she gets hungry while I'm gone. Make sure it's at body temperature.”

“I'll take good care of her, little momma.” My sister grinned.

Looking at the beautiful red top I'd just given I and nodded. “You'd better.”

“Like she's my very own, Cindy.” Carly quite seriously told me. Then blew that with. “Be gone more than three hours and I want that skirt you got to go with the top.”

“Extortionist.” I grumbled as I left. While thinking I needed to keep more money on me for bribes — make that money for the babysitters.

Sigh.

At least I didn't have to literally sneak out any longer. I just had to be a bit circumspect about leaving. As in not letting my new Mom or Dad see me leaving if it was after dark.

The security, even though considerably beefed up and a lot more diligent, tended to ignore me on my right now infrequent nocturnal runs. Though to be fair, even if they had tried to catch me, I could probably evade them.

And no, I'm not being foolishly arrogant there like a lot of teenagers. They'd tried to catch me a couple of times and seemed determined to manage that. Which ended with me standing on the wall waving bye bye to them. Until Uncle Patrick — Dad, told them to let it go.

“So, little mama.” A familiar voice interrupted my not so nice thoughts at the time as Dani appeared almost out of nowhere like she usually does. “They let you out to prowl and howl tonight?”

“No one let me out.” I answered, then mumbled. “I paid for the privilege.”

She laughed. “Getting a babysitter at short notice must be a bitch.”

“Tell me about it.” I grumbled.

She just laughed and flitted off into the distance for a few seconds before flitting back. “All clear around here right now. Though there are some guys in a black SUV parked about a block down the road.”

“That close?” I asked then brightened. “I thought I'd have to go all the way to their campsite.”

I'd remind you that messing with them is dangerous.” Dani sighed. “But you wouldn't listen if I did.

“So.” She gave me a bright eyed look. “What's the plan?”

“Oh, me running past them, getting their attention, some concerned citizen calling the cops telling them that some perverts in a black SUV are chasing a poor innocent girl...”

“You are sooo evil.” Dani grinned. “Got my cell right here, by the way.”

“Cool.” I grinned then started down the road.

Oh, I was quite properly terrified and tearful, not to mention grateful, at the Sheriff's office.

While hesitantly telling what the men in that SUV had been shouting at me

If those Hunters were lucky all that happened to them was that they got kind of beat up while in jail. And all it took was running past them, waving, and smiling.

Well, I had thrown a few rocks at their windshield, too. Something they tried to tell the officers.

But I was a sweet little, pretty, teenaged girl. Now who do you think the nice officers believed?

“Oh that was GREAT!” Dani chortled.

“Yeah, I guess.” I nodded but was grinning back at her. “At least now the fuckers know they aren't going to be able to spy on my house without the possibility of something biting them on the ass.”

“I don't think any of them will chase you around again, either.” The vampire pointed out.

“And that, my friend.” I grinned. “Was the plan.”

“I was right.” Dani giggled and gave me a hug. “You are evil.”

“I prefer to call it resourceful.” I primly answered.

Dani just dissolved into laughter on that one.

After thinking about things for a minute and thinking of being angry, I started laughing too.

Because it was true, in a way. I had a mean streak in me and delighted in using it on deserving assholes.

What can I say? I was and am a teenaged girl. We all have mean streaks at times, after all.

Blame the hormones.

Yeah, that works for me.

The next morning was kind of a bear. Okay more than that. But I get in trouble for using the other B word I wished to. Not ladylike and all that, you know.

My sweet little Aovel — umm — Linda had demanded a four A.M. Feeding after I'd gotten back around two and had to go through the parental lecture about being more careful when I was out and about.

Though through their worry, I noticed my newly official Mom and Dad trying to hide little smirks about what I'd done.

Anyway, I had just enough sleep to count as — none.

Carly breezed into the kitchen with a grin and wearing the red top I'd been extorted into giving her last night. “Hi all! How do you like my new top?”

“Wish I had terrible taste in clothes.” I muttered while trying to concentrate on the coffee I was currently sipping at.

“Ooooh, kind of grumpy this morning little sis?” She brightly teased.

“Never have been a morning person.” I mumbled back but giving her a glare just to let her know I was still kind of pissed off at her extortion.

“Part of being a mommy.” She grinned and gave me a wink. “You'll get used to it, hon.”

Not if I had to deal with extortion and denuding my closet to get a baby sitter, I wouldn't. “Hrrrr.”

“Don't growl at your sister.” Mom admonished me. “It isn't ladylike at all.”

I just nodded, took another sip of my coffee, laced with lots of cream and sugar and picked at my bagel. And when, just when, had I started thinking a bagel made a decent breakfast?

My mood wasn't helped because my breasts were aching for some reason and it wasn't even close to that time of the month.

I went to see Linda, kissed her forehead and whispered a bit of nonsense to the little thing, which actually made me feel a bit better, and it was off to school.

“See you at the tryouts, this afternoon, Cindy!” Beth Hastings called to me as I was working my way down the hall for my first class.

Tryouts? Uh oh, and oh yes, the cheerleader thing.

This day was just getting better and better.

Goddess, why me?

The rest of the day didn't go so badly, to be honest. But in the mood I was in, I didn't notice.

The tryouts I won't describe. Seen one, seen 'em all, you know. Bunch of girls in shorts and tank tops, jumping around and showing off their — umm athletic prowess and enthusiasm.

Of course it was just in my nature to do my best at anything I was involved in. Sigh.

With my martial arts training, and new flexibility, it was really easy to do all that stuff. Which set off little alarm bells in my poor fuddled head.

And okay, I get a little spacey and cranky without enough sleep. Sue me.

That day, if you'd tried, I would have probably done my best to rip your heart out and feed it to you.

My already sore breasts did not like all the jumping around and acrobatics. Nope, not at all.

I wasn't looking forward to my dojo time that day.

I'll admit I was bit preoccupied as I was walking from my car to go in.

“Watch where you're going.” A gruff voice told me right after I ran into what felt like a wall. “Little girls like you should be careful, you know, you could get hurt.”

I looked up, and up, to see a really big man who looked like he could crush rocks. Worse, I could smell that he was a Hunter. “That little game last night was enough, little girl. Try something like that again and you won't like what happens. This is your only warning, by the way.

“Give us the child, and we'll go away.” He finished before turning away as if meant nothing and walking off.

“Don't do that,” he tossed back over his shoulder as he shrugged, “and a lot of people are going to die.”

For the first time in my life I felt real fear. Not so much for me, but for my loved ones.

Without coming right out and saying it, that bastard had threatened everyone I loved.

That honestly frightened me.

While filling me with a determination that they weren't going to get away with this.

These Hunters had come in the past and done horrible things.

So maybe it was time for something horrible to happen to them.

Problem was, how could I manage that?

Honestly, I didn't know.

Singing to the Moon Chapter 15 by Maggie Finson

“Wow, remind me to never really get you pissed off at me.” A voice interrupted my savaging of a blameless bag and I turned to see Tracy Locke watching me with almost wide eyed awe. “Something wrong that you're taking it out on an innocent bag like that?”

I blew out a breath, wiped my face with a nearby towel and shook my head. “Oh just something really made me mad awhile ago is all. Hi Tracy, looking for my brother?

About then I noticed a lot of people in the Dojo staring at me. I just gave them all a tired look and asked, “What? I can't work off some steam now?”

Pretty well everyone went back to what they were doing and Tracy let out a low whistle. “Yes, I'd say something really, really got to you there. Boy trouble?”

“No. ” I let out a sigh and shook my head. “I've just been kind of out of sorts lately is all.”

“I noticed.” She shrugged. “I know, you're upset that someone talked you into that cheerleader bit, aren't you, but you're just like Craig and don't quit anything you've started.”

“I got myself into that one.” I grimaced then let a little laugh out. “So, yes, I'm probably a little upset with myself over that, but I'll deal with it. Imagine, me a cheerleader.”

“Oh, I don't know, you'd probably be a good one with some of the moves I just saw you making you could probably take out half the other team while you were at it, too.” She chuckled.

“And embarrass the guys on both teams?” I grinned at the thought. “Sweet little me?”

“Sweet little you,” she innocently pointed at the bag I'd been working, “broke your punching bag, if that means anything.”

I turned to look and sure enough, the heavy duty canvas with industrial stitching was leaking sand and other things onto the floor. “Uh, oh. Something else to pay for now.”

“Well I hope you get whatever the problem is worked out.” Tracy smiled. “There's Chris, so I'll talk with you later, okay?”

And with that she sailed off with her usual confident aplomb while I just stood there shaking my head. That girl was going to be more than my brother could handle, I just knew it. But she wouldn't intentionally hurt him either. She was just way too much for almost any guy I knew.

At that, I shrugged, started working to get the heavy bag down — not as easy as it used to be for me, and it was hard to do then. Oh, sure, I was stronger than I had been before my change, but shorter arms slimmer shoulders and torso meant less leverage I could use on the thing. Once I came out on top of that struggle, literally since I ended up sprawled in an undignified heap on top of the thing once it did come down, I took a look at the damage.

It wasn't that bad, thankfully, just a split seam. Grumbling, I found a big enough needle and thread that could have stitched a building back together and repaired the thing. A skill I'd picked up early on in life since technically, I was part owner of the dojo since I'd been old enough to start learning the arts.

Then I rolled the thing out of the way, swept up my mess, and headed for the showers.

There were things I really needed to do, but I'd needed to calm down a little first. Breaking that bag really helped at least ease my mood enough for me to think without a red haze of rage filling my vision.

It is never wise to go into or prepare for a fight when you're angry, after all.

“Hey, kiddo.” Dani greeted me before I even knocked on the door of the DBZ house. “What brings you to my home sweet home?”

“Hi, Dani.” I answered and went on. “I need to see Carmilla.”

“You look like someone just pissed in your cornflakes, kicked your cat, and trashed your cute little car.” She observed. “Meaning you look really angry, are you sure seeing Mama San is a good idea just now? She tends to hurt angry people who storm into her office, you know. I could pass a message along for you if you like.”

“Thanks.” I shook my head. “But I really need to see her.”

“Oookay.” She nodded while giving me a worried look. “Just don't holler or make demands, please? You really don't want Carmilla angry with you.”

“Who does?” I asked with a shrug and a slight smile. “I'll really work on being polite and all that, I promise, but this is important.”

“What happened?” Dani had dropped the usual smart assed attitude and really looked at me.

“Hunters.” I replied through gritted teeth. “They've threatened me, my family, and my friends.”

“Holy shit, girl!” Dani had to remember to breathe so she at least appeared to be a normal person since she was outside. “Come on in, sit down, and I'll go find Mama for you. Don't worry, the other sisters won't bother you while you're waiting.”

I could have sworn that she muttered, “If they do they'll meet Bertha.” as she hurried away.

Who the hell was Bertha?

Evidently all the girls in the house were afraid of whoever Bertha was because I got some nods but was otherwise left pretty much alone.

Except for one.

“So, you must be Carmilla's pet coyote.” A smooth velvety voice interrupted my thoughts and I looked up to see a dark haired woman even more gorgeous than the redheaded Carmilla, if that's possible.

Sitting in the DBZ house was guaranteed to make any girl feel inadequate, trust me, but I answered very quietly. “I'm no one's pet, but yes, I have met her.”

“And have been given her personal protection here.” The woman nodded as she seemed to be watching things about me other than my appearance or demeanor. “Well, you have spirit, I'll give you that. Why are you here?”

“I'd prefer to speak with Carmilla about it, ma'am.” I answered.

“Polite, too.” She nodded with a grin that raised what hackles I had and would have had me growling and in a defensive posture had I been in coyote form. “Well, no matter. I'm Wisteria, and you should know I can revoke that protection you have. If the things you're doing endanger my house, or the girls in it, you wouldn't like what happens because of that.”

I only nodded, not trusting my voice to do more than squeak.

With another look that chilled me to the bone, she abruptly nodded and stalked away. Yes stalked. I got the impression that Wisteria, whoever she was, would always be on The Hunt. I know I was more afraid of her than of anyone I'd run across yet, including the Hunters.

“Met the head Mama, I see.” Dani startled me by speaking from beside me. “Do NOT mess with that one, kid. She'd eat you and whatever army you brought with you and still be looking for more when she was done.”

“I — I got that impression, thanks.” I answered a little weakly.

“Scared the crap out of you, didn't she?”

“Yeah.” I nodded.

“And she was being friendly that time, hon.” Dani informed me. “Stay as far from her as you can, okay?”

“I have no problem with that advice.” I replied.

“You've got good instincts, I always knew that.” Dani nodded then brightened. “Anyway, my Mama San is ready to see you now. So stop shaking and let's go.”

“So you've been threatened if you don't give them the child.” Carmilla greeted me once I'd sat down in her underground office/lair. How, just how, did this woman seem to know everything going on in town before anyone else was told? Looking at Dani I had my suspicions but couldn't discount other ways either.

“Yes.” I answered. “I won't give Linda to them, no matter what.”

“Even if it means your death, and the same for others you know and care for?” The redhead asked while carefully watching me. That was uncomfortable, but not terrifying as it had been with Wisteria.

“If they want Linda they'll have to take her.” I affirmed. “And kill me to do it.”

“Courage is commendable.” She nodded with a thin smile. “Foolishness is unforgivable, though. What are you planning to do and what do you think I could do to help you?”

“I honestly don't know yet, on either count.” I shrugged. “I just wanted to make sure you had a heads up on this from me instead of someone else telling you second hand.”

“I see.” The redhead got a thoughtful look on her too perfect face and remained that way for a few seconds before looking at Dani then me. “I can't openly offer you more assistance than I've left you with, but once you decide how you're going to do this, send Dani to me with the information and I'll see what I can do for you. It's the best I can do.”

“Thank you.” I answered. “I didn't come to beg, just to let you know in person.”

“I know child.” She actually gave a warm smile and seeing that it was quite easy to see why Tracy's brother was in love with this woman. “That speaks well of you, and young as you are, it seems like a good idea to cultivate your friendship now.

“When the time comes, you will have what assistance I can give you.” She finished then gestured to the door. “Now, it might be a good time to go home. I understand Wisteria has taken an interest in you and she is nowhere near as careful as I am with our allies here.”

I got the message. As if I needed to be told, that it would be a really good idea to stay from the DBZ house for a few years, maybe for the rest of my life. Someone like Carmilla being 'interested' in you could be kind of scary — okay, really scary. But that other Woman, Wisteria? Her being interested in me was terrifying, and very dangerous. That one is a person it would be a good idea for anyone to avoid if at all possible.

“You have Vamp stink all over you.” Carson observed as I met him in our usual booth at Mario's “What have you been doing this time?”

“Negotiating.” I sighed.

“It's about the baby, isn't it?” He wrapped an arm around my shoulders just to show me that he was there and with me. I'd already told him about Linda and his response was kind of a surprise to me. “Okay, so when we mate, I'll already have one daughter to spoil.”

Gotta love the guy.

“Yes.” I let out another sigh, and what is it about girls and significant sighs? I'd been doing that all day and it was starting to irritate me. “I got an ultimatum from the Hunters today. Either I give Linda to them or they'll take her, no matter who dies in the process. Give her up to them and he said that they'd go away.”

“Even if you did, and they did, they'd be back, you know.” He quietly told me. “So what are you going to do?”

“Make sure that the bastards think three or four times before coming to Ravencrest again.” I told him. “I want them dead, not just gone.”

“Okay.” He hugged my tighter and kissed my cheek. “The Lockes have a long standing blood debt the assholes need to pay. Have you decided what to do yet?”

“No, but I will.” I told him.

“That's my Cindy.” He smiled and kissed me on the mouth that time. Much better, by the way. “You figure it out, and if it isn't completely suicidal, I can get the family's help for you. The whole family wants these bastards, big time.”

I knew why that was, too. The Lockes hadn't had a female wolf in such a long time because the Hunters had killed all their females, and a lot of their children way back when. The wonder in all that was the fact that they tolerated the Hunters being here at all. They all had good reason to slaughter any of that ilk who dared to show up in Ravencrest.

“Thanks, Carson.” I leaned into him a little harder and shuddered. “I'm just lining up my allies right now. But I'll let you know once the plan takes shape.”

“Do that.” He seriously told me. “I have relatives that were in special forces. I can get one of them to come talk with you if you'd like.”

“I'll take anything I can get here.” I hugged him tighter and nodded. “Thanks.”

“You're my mate.” He shrugged, then grinned. “Okay, not officially and we haven't consummated that as of yet, but you're still my mate and anyone, anything threatening a Locke Mate is looking for trouble.

“By the way...” He drawled. “Just when can we consummate?”

“Not till I'm eighteen, dickhead.” I swatted at him but with no real force because that was something I already wanted to do so badly it made me ache at times. “You know the inter-clan rules on marriage and mating.”

“Yeah.” He grinned. “But the anticipation is just going to make the real thing all the better.”

Got to give it to Carson. He managed to lighten my mood and frustrate me at the same time. I thought girls did that to guys?

Guess that old saw about two way streets is true.

Now came the really hard part. Talking with my family about the whole mess.

Singing to the Moon Chapter 16 by Maggie Finson

Oh, this was going to be one fun family meeting. I thought as I went through the front door and found my new mother. “Mom, I need to talk with you, Dad, Carly, the twins, and Chris. And it needs to happen now.”

“That could take some doing.” She looked at me with a question on her face and in her posture.

“Just do it, please.” I answered. “I'll be in the big parlor. It's important, really!”

“All right, dear,” she answered. 'I'll find them and get them here. What's so important that I have to interrupt several dates, and a business meeting?”

“I'll tell you when everyone is here.” I answered then gave her at least a good imitation of that cute puppy dog look. “Please? Just get everyone there, then I'll explain things.”

“Knowing you,” she let out a sigh, “that will be a really good one.”

“Just do it, please.” I told her and started to move upstairs. “It's bad, really bad. And the whole family needs to know about it.”

“All right, honey.” She answered to my already retreating back.

I found Carly cuddling Linda in the room that had been set aside as a nursery.

“Hey.” I said as I gently took the baby from her and cuddled her myself. “Meeting in the big parlor.

“And thanks for watching Linda while I was gone.”

“She is my niece, after all.” Carly smiled then caught my expression. “What's going on?”

“Stuff.” I answered while holding the baby against my breasts. “Bad stuff. The whole family needs to to know and be in on it.”

“I'm there.” Carly nodded and headed out of the room. “If it worries you, then it is something bad.”

I wasn't quite sure how to take that comment. Other than my older sister trusted my judgment and knew I'd dealt with the annoying things and not said anything about it.

Crap. So, okay, I was kind of a trouble magnet. Did that mean I was also the 'bad girl' of the family?

Well, if I was, it had damn well better be the tough kind that took no shit bad girl.

“Come on, Linda.” I kissed the baby's forehead and tickled her till she let out a happy little squeal. “We need to have a long talk with our family here.”

Linda responded to that by trying to get one of her thumbs into her mouth.

Kids. I ended up guiding one into her mouth. I'd worry about the thumb sucking later.

Half an hour later everyone I'd asked for was gathered in the big parlor, which was actually a comfortable meeting room.

“Hey everyone.” I greeted them and waved to the numerous comfortably plush chairs and couches in the place. “Have a seat, this could take awhile.”

The twins were dressed like they'd been on dates they really cared about and looked really pissed off. Chris was in his workout clothes and looked as if he was puzzled, Dad still had a file folder in his hand as all of them looked at me as if I'd just announced the end of the world was coming.

Mom was still in her casual stuff, and Carly hadn't changed clothes either. The one thing they all had in common was watching me.

“The Hunters threatened me.” I started out point blank. “And everyone I care for.”

I let that pandemonium go for a few minutes before interrupting. “But they also gave me an out.

“All I have to do is give them this baby.” I lifted Linda to show them. “If I do that, they say they'll go away.”

“And you believe the assholes?” Carly asked.

“No.” I shrugged. “But the chance was offered, I had to let you all know that, and that things could, will, get nasty if I don't give Linda up to them.”

“You can't do that.” Carly answered that one. She never once thought that I would do such a thing, bless her.

“No.” I agreed. “But I'd pull our clan, and others into a war here if I don't give them what they want.”

“Others?” Mom questioned.

“Carmilla has said she'll support me and give me backup.” I answered. “And Carson may not be able to bring his whole family into it, but he knows people who can advise and might help from the shadows.”

“You lined these up before coming to us” Dad questioned.

“You did that before coming to us?” Mom asked and looked a bit insulted.

“If I had just come to you with this,” I sighed, “You would have set me aside so I would be 'safe' and gone on without me. I won't let that happen. This involves ME. These bastards are after ME and my baby. No one, NO ONE, is going to keep me out of this fight, so yes. I found allies before I came to you with this. I wanted you to know that I wasn't without resources here.”

“But Vampires and Wolves?” Mom questioned.

“Both of them have lost a lot to the Hunters in the past.” I answered simply. “They have scores of their own to settle, could you find better allies at short notice?”

No one could come up with any, or any more powerful.

“You're sure of help from them?” Dad asked.

“I have Carmilla's personal assurances and I don't think that woman says things she isn't willing to back up.” I answered. “As for the Lockes, I at least have Carson and he knows people who could help in the planning of this thing even if they can't or won't help directly.

“So yes, I am sure of those.” I finished.

“You have us as well.” A new voice entered the conversation and all of us turned to see a young woman standing in the middle of a warded room as if she had just walked in with an invitation.

“Jessica Holden.” She introduced herself with a sardonic smile. “The Coven is very interested in that Grail the Hunters have with them. Not to mention the fact the the child has caught our attention, too.

“When the time comes, we will be there.” The young woman told us before she just vanished.

“Holy...” Chris started.

“Shit.” Carly finished.

“Another voice to add to the confusion.” An amused and familiar voice interrupted that. “Mama San is committed to all of this.”

We all turned to see Dani just standing in the middle of the room grinning at all of us. “Carmilla told me to give you this message. “My daughters are with you.

“Gotta go now!” She grinned, waved, and vanished as quickly as she'd shown up.

“Well, I can see that I need to improve the wards on this room.” Mom sighed.

“Witches and Vampires agreeing on something...” Dad shook his head. “When does the earthquake come?”

I had no answer for that one. The witches getting involved completely threw me for a loop there.

“So what do you want to do here?” Mom asked me and I had to shake off the shock to look at her and shrug.

“I have no idea.

“But let me talk to some people, think about stuff, and I should have at least the basic outlines by tomorrow.”

“It better be good.” Mom told me flatly. “The whole clan is behind you on this one.”

Oh great. Pressure anyone?

“Cindy,” Carson told me as he led me into a room in one of the motels that actually did exist in Ravencrest. “This is my cousin, Mason.”

Mason was one very scary person. He was big, with scars I knew he wasn't showing, and one of the most intense people I'd ever met.

“Miss Harper.” He greeted me pleasantly. “I understand you have a problem that I might be able to help with.”

I didn't beat around the bush. Somehow I knew this guy wouldn't put up with bullshit. I just told him the whole story up to now.

“You're hip deep in the shit.” He said after listening to my story. “So what do you want to do about this?”

“I won't hide.” I told him simply. “What I want is to hurt these Hunters badly enough that they'll think a few times before coming back here. I just don't know how to do that.”

“I can teach you the how.” He gave me a thin smile. “I can't teach you the 'do'.”

“I've already killed one of them.” I shot back. “They've threatened me, my family, my friends. I will not let that happen.”

“Good enough.” Mason nodded. “Come with me and we'll talk.”

Oh,yes. Mason was a very scary person. But a good friend.

“The family is dealing with problems right now.” He told me as we left that cheap motel room. “I probably won't be able to give you direct help right now. But if you have questions, you have my number. Call and if things aren't too crazy I'll answer.”

What in the Hell could have the Lockes in such a turmoil? I knew better than ask that, though. I smiled at Mason, and nodded. “Okay. Thank you.”

“You're welcome.” He smiled and that showed a completely different Mason. One who was warm and loving. “You and my cousin are mates, so you're family.”

Mates?! Me and Carson?

But you know what? No matter how I tried to refute that one, it fizzled out like a bad firecracker on the fourth of July.

Carson was the one I was meant for and he was the one meant for me.

Damn, more politics to deal with.

But that was for later.

Hey at the worst it was an alliance between the Lockes and Harpers.

How, just how? How do I get myself into these situations?

But the idea of being Carson's mate wasn't something I wanted to fight at all.

Damnit! I'd been a boy, a GUY for fifteen years of my life. Here I was just a month into being a girl and I thought I'd found a mate?

Damn those female hormones.

Or bless them?

I am so confused.

But I had other things to worry about there.

Just as well.

“You all have a connection with me that would let you find me if I'm lost, right?” I asked Carly, Dani, Carson and the invisible witch in the gathering.

“You're my mate.” Carson shrugged. “Of course I could find you.”

Okay moment of happy embarrassment there, but good enough.

Dani just shrugged and nodded. “Sure. And?”

Carly just looked at me and nodded. “You're my sister, of course I could find you.”

“Just making sure here.” I grinned at them.

“You're planning something really stupid here, aren't you?” Carly asked.

“It's only stupid if it doesn't work.” I answered.

“What makes you think it will work?” She asked.

“Because I know and trust all of you.” I told them.

Singing to the Moon Chapter 17 by Maggie Finson

“So what is this so wonderful plan you have?” Carly asked once they had all gotten over my telling them I would trust each of them with my life.

“Well, it works like this.” I told them.

“You are insane, you know that?” Carson told and asked me all at once after I'd outlined the plan to them.

“Does Chris know about this?” Carly asked since my twin was teaching a class at the dojo that evening and couldn't be here.

“I told him earlier.” I answered. “He thinks I'm nuts, too.”

“You are.” Dani put in then grinned. “But I like it. My sisters are really going to be entertained with this one, by the way.”

“I'm not in this to entertain people.” I grumbled but had to chuckle. “But do have to admit that it is kind of like those old roadrunner cartoons.

“Only this time, the coyote wins.” I told them all. “These Hunters are going to die. No one, NO ONE, threatens me and mine and gets away with it. The plan will work, I just need to set up a few more things before getting it started.”

“I can live with that.” Carly shrugged then grinned.

“I'll be with you all they way.” Carson put in as he snaked an arm around my waist and gave me a gentle squeeze. “Get it to happen, and I'll be there for the end. With pleasure.”

“”Get it going.” Dani told me with a wink. “And there will more vampires kicking ass than the bad guys can keep track of.”

“But what about that Grail they have?” Carson asked.

“Oh, got help on that one, too.” I told him with a little smile. “No one around here likes Hunters, and this bunch have overstepped the bounds of tolerance that have been enforced before. They're dead men and women, they just don't know that yet. And we aren't going to let them know that's the case until I can drop that anvil on them from out of nowhere.

“Hope it isn't an Acme anvil.” Dani said recalling all those roadrunner cartoons and the company that Wile E Coyote ordered things from.

“Why not?” I grinned. “They need some good press for a change you know.”

“An anvil is an anvil.” Carly noted with a giggle. “If it works it works.”

“Exactly.” I nodded.

“You people can do what I asked before this really gets rolling, right?” I asked the invisible witch in attendance.

“Easily.” That one assured me. “You have the word for activation of the spell. Just use it and we will be alerted and be ready for the next phase of the plan.”

What else could a girl want? I recalled an old television show about some outlaw mercenaries and one line came to me with that. 'I love it when a plan comes together'.

And this one had. I just needed to do a few more things, fine tune a bit, and it would be ready to go.

Thank you Mason. Next time I saw him he was getting a good hug and a better kiss.

It's nice having friends, but even nicer to have have friends who can be 'not so nice' about things when the need arises.

Besides, it never hurts to butter up future in-laws.

The next few days were interesting. I went to school, did the cheerleader practices (Yuck, but I'd said I'd do it and just couldn't do less than my best there.) and wandered around town while blithely ignoring the followers or dark SUVs that were always around.

Well I wasn't really ignoring them. But you get the idea.

“So is the place going to be open?” I asked after I'd just kind of wandered into a small real estate office that handled some warehouses and storage facilities where a friend of mine worked.

“For three days when I get your signal.” My friend, Constance nodded. “It will be empty as it is and no one will be taken to look at it.”

“Oh, great!” I gave her a hug and said. “Thanks.”

“Hey, Daddy runs this company and I am his daughter.” Connie grinned at me. “And I am good at the job, so no one bothers me about things like that. If I don't make the sale, well, it happens.”

“If this works.” I promised her, you've made the sale. I'll buy the place.”

“No need.” Connie gave me a hug. “I don't know much, but I know why you're doing this. Just do it right, okay? Don't get yourself killed over this.”

What had I told her? Not much. Just that a bunch of guys had been dogging me and I needed to get them somewhere that a few friends of mine could use to convince them to leave me alone. It wasn't wise to let humans know much, if anything where the unseen were concerned. Humans who poked their noses into unseen business generally died young and kind of messily. Even if they weren't really aware of what they'd stumbled into.

“That isn't in the plan.” I assured her and hugged her back. “But I'll owe you one after this.”

“Then you'd better live through it.” Connie grinned. “Having YOU owe me a favor would be awesome.”

Wow. Since when had I gotten a reputation like that in town? Though there were worse ones to have. I could have been the town slut or something. Nah, I would have kicked the guy's asses if they tried that on me.

Okay, maybe that's why I had the rep I was getting. Who knows?

I took great delight in shopping for clothes. The Hunter following me for that one was a guy, and I could feel his discomfort from yards away. Especially when he had to follow me into the intimate wear section and was getting those 'looks' from every female there.

I thought his brain was going to explode when I was trying on bras.

It was really fun when a clerk walked up and specifically asked him if he needed help.

Isn't it amazing how the little things can boost you?

Of course I had held off on doing that until a guy was tasked with watching me.

I'm evil. Sue me.

Oh, being evil is so much fun if you do it right.

I didn't look at them, didn't flip them off, grin at them, or do anything but ignore them for the next few days.

It was kind of fun watching them get frustrated and worried.

I even took Linda to the park one day. With suitable backup that wasn't so subtle that the bad guys couldn't see it. But there was other backup they didn't see.

Strange, a couple of them just kind of — disappeared that day.

Go figure.

Nice having vamps on your side, you know. Especially when the 'no kill' prohibition had been lifted in this case. I'm sure the girls were happy about that one.

At least I was pretty sure those guys had died happy.

This was almost too much fun.

Which meant it was time to move into stage two.

More of them 'disappeared' when they were following me. The attrition was good, but what I wanted was the uncertainty, the beginnings of fear that I could tell were being planted in the Hunters.

“They know someone here in town is taking them out piecemeal.” Dani told us at our next meeting. They're worried, but can't just strike back because getting the whole town involved in this would be suicidal and they know it.”

“That's the idea.” I nodded. “Up to now they have had to deal with specific targets, and to be honest the rest of the unseen in town just let it happen. It has always been easier to accept the losses and let them go away thinking they'd won.

“This time, though.” I smiled and it wasn't a pleasant one. “They are being attacked on multiple fronts from more than one of our kind. They're used to playing by rules that don't apply now but they aren't all that sure we know they violated those rules in the first place. So they're getting jumpy, which is what I want.

“Having them so twitchy is dangerous, but it is also an advantage for us.” I went on. “Now, they'll jump at the slightest provocation and chase anything that even comes close to looking like me.”

“Who the gods will punish, first they will make insane.” Dani quoted and grinned. “Nice one there Coyote.”

Okay, so I was being really nasty there, but I wanted those assholes to suffer a little bit, just like the suffering they had caused in the past. It isn't only one side that can play a game after all.

I fully intended for this bunch to pay more than blood.

“Well the time of just playing with them is about over.” I answered. “Time to up the ante here.”

Remind me to never, ever piss you off, love.” Carson told me.

“Keep that in mind, dear.” I grinned at him then outlined the next step in the plan.