Beltane was coming, and the energy rode us hard. The King Stag was in rut, ready to mate with the Goddess of Sovereignty in order to claim kingship, and nothing could keep them apart. And the Moon Mother was riding me high.

I kept phasing in and out. I was the goddess, I was myself, then back again. The Moon Mother laughed, and her laughter poured out of my throat, rich and heady.

Morio’s youkai side was on the verge of showing, but instead of shifting into demonic form, I could see the auric outline of antlers rising high above his head, and his lusty smile was backed by the power of the god.

As I drew back, leading him to the center of the pentagram, muffled sounds from the woods caught my attention. The night creatures had come out to watch. I scuffed through a scattered handful of leaves, and several pale moths—Pale Beauties—fluttered up around my face, then went winging overhead, glowing luminous white in the moonlight. They circled around, wings flickering in the night breeze, and then, as if raising a silent call, were joined by a kaleidoscope of their kin, swirling, dancing, diving, darting through the air. We watched, hand in hand, as they danced in silent unison, like a murmuration of starlings.

Laughing in wonder and joy, I turned to Morio. He gazed at me, holding my hands.

“When we mate…”

“Then I will be fit to be your priest. I will have earned the right.”

And then I understood. Tonight was really his initiation. He would walk beside me, under the Moon Mother, as my magical consort as well as my husband. I drew him into the center of the pentagram, and the candles at each point sparked, their flames flaring higher. I made him stand back, arms at his sides, naked beneath the moon, and knelt at his feet.

I kissed the tops of his feet softly. “Blessed are thy feet, that walk the path of the gods. May you never stray from the path.”

He swayed in the gentle breeze.

I kissed his knees. “Blessed are thy knees, that kneel at the altar of the gods. May they always remind you of those who watch over us.”

Morio sucked in a deep breath and then slowly let it out as I remained on my knees.

I leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on the pubic bone right above his cock and balls. “Blessed are thy loins, that plow the field and furrow and tend to the needs of the goddess. May you always remain virile and embody the god in your passion.”

As Morio gave a soft moan, his penis began to rise and I resisted the impulse to give it a long, slow lick. That would come later.

I rose to my feet and leaned forward, kissing his heart. “Blessed is thy heart, may you forever find passion and joy in the service of the gods.”

He was in trance, fully now. His eyes were brilliant topaz, and while he showed no signs of shifting, the energy shifted around him like a violet cloak, crackling and sizzling every time our bodies touched. I pressed my lips against his lips and kissed him fully.

“Blessed are thy lips, that voice the words of the gods. May you forever speak the truth of your path.”

And then, as I stepped back, I whispered, “May the Horned One bless you and guide you, may the goddess watch over you and dance with you, may the Elements hearken to your call, may the Magic ride you wild and free. May you be forever bound with the powers that embody the Earth. May your path be brilliant and true.”

Morio let out a low laugh, and then, with a delighted look on his face, he reached for me. I moved into his embrace and he caught me around the waist, lifting me into the center of the pentagram. I could feel the god looming large over him, his footprints all over Morio’s aura. He was riding his shoulders, the fecundity of the forest and the rut merging with my husband, my priest, to amplify his strength and his passion.

Magnetized, desiring him with an ache so deep it seemed to run straight through to my toes, I pulled him to me, fastening my lips to his, pressing my breasts against his chest, my hips against his erection. He was firm, and strong, and vibrant. Alive, in the way that the forest lived. Alive, in the fertile virility of springtime in the forest.

I was hungry for more than just sex. I wanted communion of the body and spirit, the merging of magic with magic, passion with passion, two halves coming together to form a whole.

He lowered his lips to my neck, and I tossed my hair back as he gently licked, then fastened onto my skin—not biting, not nipping—but trailing a path of kisses down my shoulder, then down to my breast.

We fell to our knees, and he leaned me back, his tongue working my nipple. I looked over his shoulder at the night sky, the stars shining down on us, as the rich scent of grass and loam filled my lungs. Nearby, a rustle in the brushes told me we were not alone, but I didn’t care. We were uniting in the Great Rite; let all of nature watch if it wanted.

My clit was burning, and I wanted him to thrust my knees apart, drive himself between them. Morio trailed his lips down the smooth skin of my stomach, down toward the V between my thighs. He glanced up at me, his eyes gleaming, and I groaned and began caressing my breasts as he watched. The light in his eyes flickered and he buried his head between my legs, licking, stroking, eating me out.

I began to laugh as he tickled and teased me and the pressure built. “Oh gods, I can’t stand it, hurry up please, let me come!”

Morio sat back on his feet, balancing himself by holding on to my knees. “What do you say, wife?”

“Please, please let me come!” I was so close, but I couldn’t stop laughing, and the tension was driving me crazy.

A twinkle in his look, he cocked his head. “I want to watch you touch yourself. Show me how you like it, Camille. Show me what you do.”

Mesmerized by his voice, his intoxicating scent, I reached down as he greedily watched, and slid one finger on my clit, gently stroking the fires to a heady flame. With my other hand, I stroked my breast, playing over the nipples. Shifting my hips, I squirmed, panting raggedly as I circled my clit faster and faster, rubbing hard enough to drive away the laughter and bring on that dark need.

His erection thick and pulsing, he wrapped his fist around his cock, rubbing hard as he continued to watch. Drops of pre-cum appeared on the tip of his penis—sex-sweat—and I licked my lips, hungry for him to fill me—to fill my mouth, my ass, my cunt.

Morio read my needs, and he crawled up me until he was able to kneel above me, his cock thrusting into my waiting mouth. I continued to masturbate, harder and faster as he pumped into me, my lips forming a tight seal around the head of his cock. He tasted of salt and brine and forest meadows, and I sucked eagerly, licking and nibbling until I suddenly found myself on the peak, cascading over in a series of waves, the orgasm tumbling me into the waiting rapids below.

Not done yet, Morio pulled out of my mouth and flipped me over, driving his cock deep into my pussy, the hardness forcing its way through the folds of my vagina. He worked one finger into my ass, slowly, methodically, and I let out another moan as I began to build again, faster this time.

“I want to fuck you, to drive so deep you never, ever forget I’ve been inside you,” he whispered. “Open to me, let me in, never ever turn me away.”

“Never…” I was building again, as the night seemed to pulse in time to our fucking. The breeze whipped up, faster, lashing against our skin, and as I looked up, the flurry of the Pale Beauty moths blotted out the sky except for the moon.

Morio beat a rapid tattoo against my ass, jarring me as he drove deeper and deeper with each thrust. I could feel the Horned God, riding him, riding me—as if superimposed over him. As the passion of the Horned One flowed from Morio’s aura into mine, I reveled in the communion. I was his consort, and he was mine. As I was Morio’s wife and he was my husband, I was his priestess and he was my priest. The god was connected to all men, and the goddess to all women, and the divine pair was reenacting their mating dance through us.

Honored and swept up in the cosmic dance—the union of male and female—I spiraled in and out of my body as we built toward the climax, and then Morio let out a great roar, holding tight to my waist, and I tumbled into orgasm again, set off by his pleasure, and the entire forest vibrated with our passion.

Morio pulled away and sat on the ground, looking dazed. I rolled to a sitting position, feeling more than satisfied but also a little dazed. The energy was starting to lift, leaving me a little chilly, too.

“Wow.” I stared at him. “I didn’t know you were going to be part of the ritual tonight. I expected something more…more…”

“Traumatizing?” He ducked his head, smiling. “They contacted me and told me that I needed to formally bind myself as your priest. Just working magic together isn’t enough. Neither was our Soul Symbiont ritual. I guess Beltane is going to be big, right?”

Slowly nodding, I wrapped my arms around my knees, huddling in the now-chilly darkness. “Aeval told me to be prepared for the Hunt…Beltane is on a full moon, and the Wild Hunt on a Sabbat night? I have no clue what to expect.”

Morio scooted over to me and wrapped his arms around my shoulders, his body heat warming me.

“I’ve run with the Hunt ever since I was first initiated into the Moon Mother’s service. But…this feels big, and cold, and different than anything I’ve ever done. It reminds me of when the Moon Mother caught me up, when I was held captive by Hyto. She took me on a rampage—I tore through the skies with her.” And it had felt good. Cleansing, to destroy, smash, take out my fury on the world.

Morio let out a murmur. “I do understand.”

“Tell me…what was the demon you fought? And the snake…unless, of course, they are private parts of your life you’d rather not share?”

He paused, then let out a long, slow breath. “The demon, I fought when I was younger. I was grown and on my own, but still naïve and still easily swayed. She presented herself as a beautiful woman and seduced me. I had been traveling with a companion—a very devout monk—and she used me to get to him, to make him break his vows. After she corrupted him, she tortured and killed him. I was helpless to intervene. I managed to track her down and kill her, but I’ve never forgiven myself for being so blind to the danger.”

Regret…it was in his voice. I knew my men had secrets they kept—just as I did, although Trillian and I were most open with one another. We talked about everything. But Morio had told me little of his past. I knew less about him than I did Smoky and far less than I knew about my alpha lover.

“I’m sorry.” There wasn’t much else I could say.

“No, it was long ago, and over. But I think…I think it will always haunt me. He didn’t have to die. If I’d been more cautious, he would have not been in danger. I was responsible for his safety on that journey, and I failed miserably.”

He hung his head.

I leaned forward, tipped his chin up, and kissed him lightly. “Some things can never be undone. We can only learn and move forward. And…the snake?”

A tear slipped down his face. He bit his lip and hung his head. “You know how my parents don’t blame all humans for the slaughter that happened in their families, and how Grandmother Coyote rescued my father and brought him up?”

“Yes. She sent him to live with Kimiko, the nature spirit who rules over the devas and flower faeries, right?”

“Right. Well, we were visiting her when I was in my teens. I loved attending to her shrine, and I loved it when she summoned us to her side. I met a young woman back then—my age. We were both…oh…teenagers, in our time frame. She was my first.” He dipped his head, smiling slyly. “She was brash and independent, and her family tried to rein her in, but it never worked. Anyway, we spent that summer at Kimiko’s, and Yoshiko and I fell in love, in that reckless teenage way where every look, every touch means something earth-shaking.”

I let out a small laugh. “Like Shamas and I did, before his family separated us.”

“Right.” Morio frowned. “Let’s leave Shamas out of this, okay? I still don’t trust that he’s not after you.”

Rather than argue, I shrugged and bit my tongue.

“Anyway, we were out exploring one day, and we came to a cave. We decided to explore, and when we entered the main chamber, we discovered a nest of magical sea vipers. We were near the cliffs, near the ocean.”

I’d never heard of the snakes before. “Were they poisonous?”

“Very.” He pressed his lips together for a moment, then let out a long sigh. “Long story short, they separated us. They were quick and large and managed to cut her off from me. I had no choice—if I didn’t get out of there, they’d kill me. I had to leave her behind. I can still hear her screams as they swarmed her. I glanced back, but all I could see was a mass of writhing scales and slithering bodies. I ran home to get help. Kimiko herself joined the search party. But we couldn’t find Yoshiko. We never even found a trace of her, though we found the nest and destroyed it. I knew she was dead, but the rest of the summer, I went out there every day, looking and hoping that somehow she managed to get away.”

“What about her family? How did they take the news?”

He shrugged. “They were pissed that she’d disobeyed them and gone with me. They had forbidden us to be together. They disowned her memory, cut her out of the lineage. They forgot her.”

The hairs on my arms stood up. How could parents be so cruel? I still hadn’t fully forgiven Father for disowning me, even though he’d been on his best behavior since he came around a few months ago. But it would take a long time to heal the wound he’d left on my heart.

I took Morio’s hand, held it tight. “And you’ve never forgiven yourself. It wasn’t your fault. Neither one of you knew that the cave had monsters in it.”