Ki was better today. Normal. Not like yesterday when her
insides whirled faster than her industrial cake mixer. It
reminded her of the time before she, her daughter, her
sister and her niece escaped from Kergeron. Days when fear
chased circles around hope.
Thank the Great Mother they lived a calm life now in the
aptly named small town of Freedom, Kentucky. Six years
without a man, the best years in her life. At peace in her
routine. Baking her muffins before the early breakfast
crowd descended on their Tea & Comfort diner. Each woman
with her own specialty.
She hummed as she swirled blueberries into the muffin
mix with a wooden spoon, gently, as if they were newly laid
robin eggs. Sending love into the mixture with each twist
of the spoon. Her favorite part of the day. The reason she
didn't mind getting up while everyone but Andy at Freedom
Gas and Groceries slept and the April sun hovered at the
edges of the horizon in a red haze.
Far different from the harsh red of the two Kergeron
suns with their relentless heat. A place where men ruled
and women had no rights.
Her grip tightened on the spoon. Shutting off the
memories, she focused on her shiny kitchen. She inhaled the
calming scents of the batter. The mix of creamed butter and
sugar and blueberries.
Her grip relaxed. This was her world now, and she
treasured it the way a miser treasured gold bars.
She was normal again. She could—
A vision howled into her head. One second she was gazing
at the pale brown dough wrapping around blueberries. The
next she was in a familiar, grassy area. Two wolves
snarled, their eyes glowing yellow. Between them stood a
lamb they both wanted to sink their teeth into and devour.
She was inside the minds of all three animals. Their anger
and hunger and fears screamed at her, pounded at her nerves
and smashed down her mental barriers like plywood in the
path of a bulldozer.
The bowl crashed on to the floor. She dimly heard the
bounce of the metal bowl on the tile. Felt dough splash
against her pants legs. Heard whimpers coming out of her
mouth.
The vision snapped away, and she was in the kitchen
again. She grabbed the counter edge to keep from falling to
her knees onto the muffin batter. Bending over the
stainless steel surface, she sorted out the meaning of the
vision.
She knew three things.
The grassy area was her back yard.
The wolves were men.
The lamb was her.
The last time she'd been this frightened, she'd been
fourteen and her father told her that she was going to be
mated with a man old enough to be her father.
She hadn't been ready. Not matured. Not grown into her
powers.
It didn't matter to him. Nor did her mother's
objections. Someone saw her. Someone wanted her. Her father
gave her to his friend as easily as she gave away a muffin.
Slowly her whimpers changed to harsh breaths. A scrap of
strength returned to her arms that had gone as weak as her
unbaked bread. She flattened her hands on the counter and
pushed up.
Slowly, feeling like an accident victim, she stepped
carefully over the splatters of dough. In two hours the tea
shop would be open and her regular customers would be
strolling in. Depending on her to feed them the muffins and
breads she infused with love and good wishes.
Right now she could use a muffin like that. She could
use a dozen muffins like that.
But she had to do what the women of her family always
did.
Keep going. Never stop. Never give up.
If the wolves came, she knew what she had to do.
Keeping her head up, she opened the cleaning supplies
closet and then stopped. Something was starting inside her
womb. Something that warmed and heated and left her
quivering with need. Something that hadn't happened for
years and she'd hoped would never happen again.
She was ovulating.