Ellison came out of the crowd in his big black Stetson and cowboy boots. He high-fived Liam, and then the two men shared a tight bear hug.

“Kim!” Ellison boomed, his arms opened wide, and before Kim could duck away, Ellison swept off his hat and spun her off her feet. Liam rescued Kim’s plate of half-eaten burger as Ellison swung Kim around. “Congratulations, woman.” Ellison set Kim down and gave her abdomen a gentle pat. “When’s it due?”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

Ellison looked shocked. “Liam, haven’t you touched her yet? What’s the matter with you? You’re already sun-blessed. Are you waiting for Christmas?”

“We’ve done it, trust me.” Liam handed Kim back her meal. “It will be soon.”

Kim’s face went hot. “Not that it’s any of your business.”

“Not my business? Hon, it’s every Shifter’s business whether a Shifter male can do the job. We have to be good at making babies, so we practice a lot.” He balled his fists and thrust his hips in a parody of sex.

“Ignore him, Kim. Lupines are disgusting.”

“Thank you,” Glory said. She stepped past Ellison, tall and sleek in skin-tight black pants and silk top, every blonde hair in place. “Fucking Felines.”

“Gobshite Lupines,” Liam said cheerfully.

Dylan approached. “Kim.”

Kim watched him in trepidation, but Dylan folded his arms around her and squeezed her in a very tight hug. She sensed something different in his hug than she had in the others’. Not happy exuberance—relief. Dylan held her close, and she smelled the damp cotton of his shirt and his shaving soap. But Dylan’s hold wasn’t in any way sexual. He held her as he’d cradle a child, as he might soothe Connor.

Dylan held Kim a long time, and his eyes were wet when he pulled away. He wiped them, unashamed, then turned and wrapped his arms around Liam.

Father and son stood still in the embrace, while Kim took her burger back from Ellison. To stem the tears that insisted on filling her eyes, she reflected that she needed to eat fast, before more people wanted to greet her with hugs.

Kim noticed that Glory didn’t try to hug her—the woman sauntered away to get food with Dylan when Dylan finally released Liam. Kim wondered whether Glory was showing her disapproval for Liam taking a human mate, or whether the woman didn’t feel like she was close enough to the family to join the hug-fest. Glory and Dylan might be hard at it, but sex did not necessarily mean intimacy, Kim knew from experience. The woman was a puzzle.

It took a while for the summer night to darken, but Liam and Dylan seemed in no hurry. Liam introduced Kim to all present, holding her hand or with his arm around her waist as they strolled from group to group. Kim met Lupines and other Felines, and bears.

The bear Shifters fascinated her, large-boned men and women who sported long manes of hair. Many of the bear-men were bearded, and both men and women obviously liked tattoos. They, too, welcomed Kim with hugs, though they were less intimate than the family’s hugs. Not all of them looked happy that Liam was bringing a human into their midst, but they were cordial.

By the time Liam walked Kim back to the center of the yard, the night was dark and mercifully cooler. The moon rose rapidly, and as it reached its zenith, the crowd grew quiet.

Liam’s neighbors silently formed two concentric circles, putting Liam, Kim, and Dylan in the middle of the inner one. The smaller, inner circle contained Liam’s immediate family and friends, along with Fergus’s two henchmen. The outer circle held the rest of Shiftertown.

Cool moonlight filtered through the trees, touching Kim’s face as Liam turned her toward him. As he had when they’d stood before Fergus in the San Antonio Shiftertown, Liam held his left hand up, palm out, and pressed it to Kim’s right one. He twined his fingers through hers and met her gaze with steady eyes.

Dylan closed both his hands around theirs and began chanting something in a language Kim didn’t recognize. Irish—Gaelic? Or some kind of Shifter language? The circles of Shifters answered, chanting in slow rhythm. The Shifters began circling around them, the first circle moving clockwise, the second one counterclockwise. They stepped in deliberate, slow movements, an ancient-looking dance that was simple and powerful.

Dylan finally stopped chanting. “By the light of the moon,” he said in a loud, grave voice, “I recognize this mating.”

Ellison howled. Soon all the wolves joined in, followed by wildcat roars and the loud growling of the bears. Liam drew Kim against him and buried her in a kiss.

“Thank you, love,” he grated. “Thank you.”

In the San Antonio Shiftertown, the Shifters had gone nuts with beer and an impromptu party, but that had been nothing compared to the revelry that exploded here. Shifters grabbed one another, hugging, laughing, dancing around like maniacs. Beer flowed, kids ran around shrieking, couples kissed. More than one shed clothes and Shifted, and soon the yard was filled with wildcats, wolves, and bears.

Kim looked around for Silas, wondering what he’d make of all this. The tall man stood with Annie, a bottle of beer in his hand. Annie and he were the same height, and Annie had draped her arm around his shoulders.

“Great party, Kim.” Silas grinned. He looked happy, not angry or scared. Good.

Glory approached, looking a little more relaxed. “Annie,” she said. “Caught a human? Liam’s starting a trend.”

Annie pressed herself closer to Silas. “He’s all right.”