Clayton

I leaned down to kiss her softly, moving slowly as I touched and kissed every inch of her body.

"Clay," she gasped

"I have to touch you, Little Bird. I need to know you're safe and in my arms again. I was scared when you were taken from me, and I would tie you to my bed or put you in the tallest tower if I knew it would keep you safe." I said as a sob broke free as I wrapped my arms around her as tightly as possible, laying my head on her stomach as I cried.

"Oh Clay, I'm here, big guy, right here in your arms," she said, running her fingers through my hair.

When I looked up, I sighed when I saw the tears falling down her face. I moved up higher to cup the back of her head and pull her in for a deep kiss.

A few hours later, I woke up to Eve screaming in her sleep, "Shh, Little Bird, you have a bad dream; you're not in that horrible place anymore."

Her eyes blinked open, then focused on my face. "Clay?"

"Yes, baby, it's me. I got you," I said, pulling her into my arms as I sat up in the bed. Tears fell down her face as she wrapped her arms around my neck.

It was a few hours later when we ventured out to the kitchen. When we walked in, my mother was behind the counter cooking at the stove. She turned and smiled when she saw us.

"Good morning, you two. I bet you're hungry," Mother said, pulling a stack of plates from the cabinet.

"Where is everyone?" I asked, pulling a chair out for Eve at the kitchen table.

"Your father is with the Chief. We got a call from the Elder Council." She said

"What's the Elder Council?" asked Eve

"The Elder Council is a group of five elders chosen by the Great Spirits to lead us. We usually only speak to Elder Okhamhka, representing our wolves and the coyotes. But with the world learning about what we are, the council will gather the American and Canadian Council together to figure out what to do,'' Ma explained to her.

"What are we going to do?" asked Eve. Ever since I connected to her through our bond, I've been able to feel her emotions, and right now, I can feel the turmoil running through her.

"I don't know, dove," Ma said, placing the food on the table.

Eve eyed the food, looking pale as I placed some bacon and eggs on her plate.

"Please try to eat, Little Bird; I don't want you getting sick."

"I will try Clay," she said, nibbling on a piece bacon.

I heard the sound of the front door opening, and closing, followed by the sound of footsteps as father and the Chief entered the room. They both looked exhausted, with deep circles under their eyes.

"Welcome home, dear, and welcome to my home Chief; why don't you join us for breakfast?" Ma asked.

After giving Ma a light kiss, Pa joined us at the table, followed by the Chief.

"Where are Flint and Cole?" asked Pa.

"Oh, they went out with Asher this morning to try and find Harmony," explained Ma.

"Why would they be looking for Harmony?"

Asked Eve.

With a sigh, I explained to her what Harmony did. Her face was white as a ghost when I finished.

"I knew Harmony was mean, but I didn't think she would stoop this low," She said softly.

"Me either, daughter; I'm sorry you had to deal with all her bullying. I'm not sure what to do with her after we find her. I would banish her, but right now, it would sign her death, and I couldn't bare that," said Chief

Eve nodded, then said, "I understand."

"What did the Elder Council have to say?" I asked the Chief.

He ran his hands over his face with a sigh, then looked at Eve. "They want me to bring Eve before the entire Elder Council."

Eve gasped, dropping her fork, sending eggs flying to the floor. Her face turned red as she scooted her chair back to pick them up. But I leaned down, scooped them up, and placed them on my plate.

"You didn't have to do that, Clay; I can clean up my messes," She said with a frown.

I took her precious face in my hands and looked straight into her eyes, "Little Bird, you are my mate and the love of my life. I don't care what it is, eggs on the floor or being forced to expose us to the world. I will always help you clean up your messes. We are in this together, my love; you are not alone."

My heart ached at the sight of her tears and the tremble in her lip. I leaned forward, pressing a kiss to her forehead. Then pulled away from her when someone clears their throat.

I scratched the back of my neck, embarrassed to be caught up in Eve, even when we were surrounded by our parents.

"Sorry, please continue, Chief," I said.

The Chief cleared his throat, then said, "The Elders want me to bring Eve to Kansas. If it was just a small matter, we would only have to visit Elder Okhamhka, but this is a worldwide situation, and the council wants to see what happened through Eve."

"How is that possible?" asked Eve.

"This is a long story, so I will try to explain quickly," said the Chief, "There is a reason why there are five members of each council. When the Elder Council was created, the Great Spirits were gifted with elemental power, each five representing the five elements; air, earth, water, fire, and spirit. Elu, the cougar Elder was gifted with the element of Spirit and can see into your mind, and she can see what happened at the church and tell the council what she saw."

"Wow, I didn't know magic was real," said Eve. "So does that mean witches are real?" she asked.

I nodded, "Yes, one of my ancestors was a gifted warlock with healing abilities; it's what makes my family such strong Shamans," I explained,

"What else is real? Werewolves, vampires?" she asked.

"Well, the legend of werewolves came from the Guardians. Guardians have a half-shift that isn't quite human but not an animal. It takes years to hold what we call our Battle Form," Explained Chief

"As for Vampires, they're real too, but they tend to stay in the big cities where there are more humans to feed on," I said.

"Wow, this is crazy." She said, "Umm… What happened to the people that were saved yesterday?"

"Three of them were picked up this morning by their families, but we are having trouble finding the boy's parents," said the Chief.

"Where is the boy now?" asked Eve.

"He is with my Beta for the moment," said the Chief, "We aren't sure what to do with him."

"Why don't you bring him here?" Said Ma, "I wouldn't mind having a little one around the house, as long as Chogan is okay with it."

"It's up to you, dear. If you're okay with the young fox boy staying here, I'm okay with it too. We have a spare bedroom he can stay in." Said, Father.

Eve smiled. "I would love it if he was here"

"Then that settles it," says Ma, "Have Wovoka bring the boy over."

With a nod, the Chief called Wovoka, and thirty minutes later, there was a knock on the door.

When we answered the door, the boy was screaming and kicking. Eve gasped and hurried to him. When he saw her, he stopped crying and reached out for her. I watched in awe as she rocked him and patted his back.

"Oh my." Said Ma, "She is going to make a wonderful mother someday, but I am still too young for grandbabies, so make sure you wrap it before you tap it."

"Oh, Graet Spirits Ma." I groaned, hiding my face in my hands as my face burned from embarrassment.

"Why is your face so red?" asked a worried Eve, reaching up to touch my face. I sighed, leaning into her touch.

"It's nothing to worry about, Little Bird; Ma was saying things she shouldn't."