Mingled: Chapter Four

The drive to the reservation was about an hour long. We didn't talk much. Kept the music turned up. I was kind of excited to visit, even under the circumstances. I hadn't been to the reservation in a few months. It was always sort of an escape for me to go there, just to get away from the hustle and the bustle of the city. The reservation was in the center of a thick forest, almost in a hidden fashion. Most of the residents lived in cabins they had built themselves. It was so beautiful in the fall when all the leaves turned. It was my favorite time to visit. We would eat there. A feast would be prepared for our arrival. It was almost surreal, like walking into an old-time village. When we pulled up, Michael's parents, Sue and Richard, were waiting for us. I jumped out of the car and ran up to them, hugging them.

"Hmm", Sue smiled, "Luke, huh?" On no, she smelled him on me. I shamefully looked down. "It's okay my dear. He's a good man with a good heart."

Richard greeted Luke and they shared a firm handshake. "You better treat her right or you'll be haunted forever."

"Yes, sir, I will."

Luke's parents joined us. "Well lookey here, trouble has returned." Luke's Mom, Judith, reached out and pulled her son in for a hug. His father, John shook my hand. "Good to see you, Rachel. How are you holding up?"

"Well, I'm surviving if that counts for anything."

"Good enough for today I guess", he said smiling comfortingly.

"Come on. We're meeting in the hall and then we'll eat after." Judith directed us down the dirt path to the meeting hall. The elders were already sitting at the head table. The elders included Michael's Grandfather, Luke's eldest uncle, and Margaret, an old blood werewolf from England. We took our seats across from them.

Margaret placed her hands over mine. She was strong-natured but caring. "I can sense your stress. Please share."

I told them everything I knew about the attackers and of the events that had occurred in the past two days, leaving out the details of Luke's and my entanglement. "Both attackers were mortals. Do you think we're being hunted by some upright anti-group?"

Michael's Grandfather arose from his chair. He was a tall and strong man. He had a neatly trimmed brown beard and short, cropped hair. "You say you spoke with the Elvin Tribe too?"

"Yes sir, but just the girls I grew up with. I've had no contact with the King. I am only aware of the one attack at Jeremy at the bar."

"There have been other attacks." Luke's uncle handled communications for the clan. He also worked with the government handling defense contracts so he managed to always keep up to date on all of the worldly news. "There was a couple that was out hunting in Minnesota last week that were found dead, hung from a tree and there was young were found stabbed nine times in his apartment in Philadelphia. This seems to be a new trend."

"We will need to set up more patrols around the reservation," ordered Margaret, "We should also send some of our best guard teams to the larger cities to investigate and we need to notify the other reservations of the dangers."

"Yes, Margaret is right. We need to be on high alert until we find out more about what is going on. Rachel and Luke, please keep me posted on any new information or findings. Also, I expect to see you more frequently at the training classes, even though it seems you held your own pretty well Rachel," he winked at me. Michael's Grandfather had always taken an interest in me and my progress. I was the first blend they had known and the clan welcomed me with open arms. Though I wasn't as strong as the purebred weres, I had other skills they couldn't compete with, such as my speed and agility.

We made final arrangements of order and then closed the meeting. Outside we gathered with the rest of the residing clan members at the picnic tables for dinner. It was a classic fall barbecue and I loved it. There were juicy chicken breasts, thick rib-eyes, grilled corn on the cobs, and tons more food. My mouth was watering just from the smell of it all. I licked my lips I was so excited. Luke caught me and laughed, "You are the hungriest girl I have ever seen." He was right, I loved to eat.

"You're just mad because you can't eat like me and still look this good." I grabbed a plate and sashayed to the buffet.

By the time we got back to Luke's it was eleven 'o clock. "Damn, I had planned to use my day off to catch up on sleep. I have to hit the sack, class starts at seven tomorrow morning."

"Do you want me to sleep on the couch?"

"To be honest I don't know Luke". To be really honest, I wanted him again and again and again. I loved the comfort and warmth I felt being in his arms but I hated the guilt I dragged along with that.

He smiled gently and scooped me up and carried me upstairs. He dropped me on the bed and pounced on top of me nuzzling the side of my neck with his nose like a puppy. I smacked his rear and called him a bad dog...boy was he a bad dog.