Page 71 of Peacock Me Like a Hurricane

Lord and Lady, it isn’t Wilde.

My breath catches in my mouth; had it been Wilde at all? What had Laverna and Loki done to me? To us?

“Hello, my beautiful goddess,” Constantine smiles softly at me.

The Cat Closes The Circle

DELILAH

Sensing the circle’s completion, the satisfaction of the gods and goddesses, permeates even the total satiation that I’m wallowing in. Looking around, I can notice that the dawn is coming, and it makes me blink in surprise. I forget how time seems to stop when you’re in the circle—kind of like being stoned. Time passes in a vacuum. It feels like minutes have gone by and when you close the space and step into reality, it’s been hours.

We opened the circle at dusk and it floors me that it’s almost morning now. I collapsed like a rag doll on my mate for what must have been—god, I don’t even know how long. I have to get up and finish what we started, close the space, and thank the deities for their gifts and blessings this eve.

This was so much more than I anticipated when I started to plan it.

Moaning, I struggle to lift myself up from him, my body aching and bruised. The smell of blood lingers in the air, mingling with the sharp sting of alcohol. Despite the pain and discomfort, there is a strange sense of familiarity that washes over me as I peel myself away from him. It takes an immense amount of effort, and I let out a low groan as I do so.

His arms wrap around me, and I can feel his thoughts probing into my mind as he sits up next to me. As we stand up together, we both start to laugh, leaning against each other for support. We are both feeling the effects of the drinks we consumed earlier, which would usually keep us incapacitated for hours on end.

Standing tall in the center of our circle, I sense a powerful surge of energy building inside me. It radiates outward, connecting me to everything and everyone around me. With my mate by my side, our tails entwined, I open myself up to the sacred space around us.

I catch familiar scents in the air—Constantine, Mercury, and my mate. A snort escapes me at the thought of Sari trying to get my mate to move anytime soon; it’s a feat that could take years considering how lazy he can be on a normal day. But with the way our bodies are currently shaking, it’s safe to say we’ll all be laying down for quite some time

I'm unsure how he’s going to take this quirk of Fate—we’re in a bad place.

Luckily, I don’t need them to finish up. I can close the circle, pop my stuff in the car, and then we’ll be done. I see Aradia prowling around outside the circle, waiting for me and my Rex to cross the line. We’ll run, hunt, and feed before the dawn cracks and we head home.

Everyone else will have their own things to deal with, so I officially end the ritual. Though we are in a large group, this is a very private matter for the people involved—especially since some of us are still naked as the day we were born.

Or Petri dished. Or, uh, built. Whatever.

I reach my hands up and my eyes blink wide when my athame flies to my hand with a mere thought. Well, that’s new. Shaking my head, I decide to examine that later and move on to dismissing the quarters.

“Element of water, we thank ye for life-giving nourishment; air, giver of breath and wings of our dreams, we thank ye; flame of passion, and giver of comfort, we thank ye fire; and earth, supplier of the solid ground we stand on, our foundation, we thank ye and bid thee all hail and farewell on this blessed Beltane! Goddesses departed, we thank ye for your blessing this eve and all for the part of us you shall always be. So mote it be!”

With a swift, precise motion, I slice the air with my athame, completing the final uttering of the spell. As I watch, the air shimmers and sparks, charged with powerful energy. Breaking the circle, I can still feel the electrifying rush racing through my veins.

Suddenly, a second wind sweeps over me. My trusted familiar, Aradia, saunters up to me and nuzzles my hand, ready to run in the wind as we often do. Sending a mental caress to those I can reach, I pause for a moment to sense the presence of Taurus rejoining us. He had quickly moved the equipment to the car and returned with his characteristic speedy movements. Taking one last look at the balefire flickering in the distance, a small smile curls on my lips as I pat my loyal companion’s head affectionately. My heart swells with contentment and fulfillment from this magical evening spent in nature’s embrace.Turning to him, my tail twitches as I ask, “Ready to fly, baby?”

His grin is wicked. “Always.”

Calling to the circle, I say, “Until the next spin of the wheel of the year we part; bright blessings on this splendorous Beltane!”

With that, the night ends and the group breaks.

A new dawn is on its way for us all.

Internal Company Memo: Eyes Only, Clearance Level Alpha

DISTRIBUTION:

OPERATIONS DIRECTOR (MIKHAIL, 004); TRAINING DIRECTOR (TIBERIUS, 005); Oversight, ANALYSIS DEPARTMENT, INTEL DEPARTMENT, SECURITY DIRECTOR (BRUTUS, 006)

All-

We have chosen a new class of analysts and operatives for the honor of becoming part of the project that is one of the most important pieces in our future success as an organization. Project Reality is only shared with a fraction of a percent of the employees that work for the Company. This designation indicates that they have access to eyes only material that is typically shared only between department heads and Oversight.

This project has grown so rapidly that we have recruited the most elite recruits immediately following their completion of agent training to have teams to surveil, analyze, and gather intel. Our memo is to provide a quick summary for those entering the field. You will be required to review all files and all digital information over the next week.

---