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"How's that?"

In the dark,I felt his soft breath on my neck, and the gentle tickle of his lips. Then, the rustle of the sheets as his hand slipped underneath the waistband of mypajamas.

* * *

Ilookedout the car window as Stephen drove Perry and I to the White Tree Track. Grey clouds were rolling across the sky, casting the world in a solemn grey haze. I didn't necessarily believe in omens, but it wasn't exactly an upliftingfeeling.

"Looks like rain,"Perry said. "That wasn'texpected."

"No,"I said, absently. He touched myleg.

We pulledout of the private access highway into downtown Wolfheart. I saw the impressive dome of the temple off in the distance, and asked Stephen to make a quickdetour.

"Making an offering for luck, sir?"heasked.

"IthinkI'll need all the help I can get," I replied, but there was another reason I wanted to stop there. "We'll just be a couple minutes," I told him as we pulled into the parking lot. "Keep the carrunning."

"Yes, sir."

Perry and I hurried inside.One of the priests shuffled by, swinging a silver incense holder, the grey-red incense smoke flowing out of the intricate geometry cut into its sides. He stopped and turned towards us. I nodded to him respectfully, and he held up an open palm, and drew his hood to his shoulders. He was half shifted, his face part wolf, partman.

"Arthur Luna and Perry Houndfang,"he said in a lowvoice.

"Master?"I said. I wasn't expecting to beaddressed.

He shuffled slowlyover to us, his hands clutched at his waist. The incense holder dangled in front of him, giving the impression that he was drifting on a cloud ofsmoke.

"It isa day of great importance to you both," he said, and Perry and I exchanged a curiousglance.

"Yes, it is,"Perry said. "How did you know? Have you seen something in ourfutures?"

The priest chuckled,a low and dry sound. "No," he said. "Your challenge isn't exactly hidden knowledge. Word has been going around. We have a bet going, amongst the priests. I hope you win. Otherwise, I'm going to be out a fair sum ofmoney."

Isnorted a laugh."Well then maybe you can give us a blessing for the race. And another,too."

After he madean offering for us for the race, he took us to the fertility shrines and assisted us in a prayer for our child. Perry and I shifted into our wolf forms and touched noses to the tree. I closed my eyes, picturing the spark of life that had started to form insidePerry.

For this child,Ithought.