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“Offerings to the goddess,” Flare said, proudly displaying his catch, purposefully shaking his package, but I didn’t succumb to his teasing.
Shadow formed three circles by the fire with the berries. “Something for the hunters’ journey to the other plane.”
I didn’t quite understand what that meant, but I assumed it was some gift for the dead hunters in the afterlife. “But they tried to kill you. Why would you honor them?”
“We honor all our fallen,” Shadow explained.
So did humans. Just not the murderers. “When I destroy my stepmother, will you honor her, too?”
Flare and Shadow exchanged a heated glance.
“It is our way,” Shadow said.
I didn’t begin to understand that, but I respected what they’d been taught as part of their culture. Still, I promised myself that when that evil witch met her maker, she’d not get a grave or a prayer. She deserved no more than a funeral pyre to consume every part of her.
Flare deposited one dead rabbit in the first ring and ripped apart another, placing a half in the other two. Shadow decorated each altar with flowers. All three shifters kneeled on their shins, their palms on their thighs.
Curiosity had me spellbound to their ritual as each shifter selected an item, holding it up to the sky, as if offering it to the goddess Herself. They commenced a chant, and green swept across their eyes.
The fact that three hunks sat in front of me—still naked from shifting into their panther forms—didn’t pass me by, either. I’d be lying if I denied admiring their chests, arms, and strong legs. Flare’s were broad and powerful, Shadow’s were more defined and sculpted, and Phantom’s were toned and fit. Why not look? I might never be surrounded by such handsome men again after tonight.
Sea God!Trust the old Snow to sneak another peek at their packages, forever burning the images of their ample endowments into my mind. No doubt, each man would give pleasure to their future mates.
Suddenly, their chants turned grave, reverberating in my ribcage, loosening the sorrow trapped there. Raw emotion hit me like a panther crashing into me. The ultimate demise of the hunters brought up all my pain and grief over the loss of my father. How many more families needed to suffer the loss of their loved ones? A hiccupped sob flew from me, and I covered my mouth. I had to save Phantom’s and Shadow’s families before it was too late for them, too.
My cry broke Phantom’s trance, and he turned to me.
“Snow?”
I waved a hand at him, indicating he shouldn’t worry about me and to continue his ritual.
He picked up a flower and carried it over to me. “Want to make an offering to the departed hunters?”
Was that even allowed if I wasn’t a panther? Would the goddess consider my prayers for Her fallen? Surely, it couldn’t hurt for me to pay my respects.
“Sure,” I said. “Do I need to say anything before I lay the flower in a circle?”
“Wish them well on their journey.” He gave me one of his bright smiles, which swept away my heartache. Just this small act, along with his devotion to me, made me want to be in his company more than ever.
Our fingers lightly brushed as I accepted the flower. My whole body vibrated from the touch.
The mirror jiggled from inside the pocket in my cape. It mirror called to me again, probably wishing to speak to me and reveal more secrets, but I wasn’t ready just yet for the revelations it promised.
Right now, I just wanted to say farewell the hunters and pray to the sea god and panther goddess that no more hunters happened upon us, and that the rest of our journey transpired without interruption. But the scratching in my gut, told me my prayers wouldn’t come true.
