Tied With a Bow

Diego—”
    “Which you have never explained—”
    “Except that Dya was involved somehow, but she left before we got to see her. You stayed at the lupi clanhome and you won’t tell anyone why—”
    “Even though you didn’t know any lupi before you went there—”
    “But you stayed at their clanhome and met Benedict, and while you were there a mountain sort of collapsed—”
    “When its node imploded, and I know you were involved, but you won’t talk about it, and you say Benedict can’t move here, but—”
    “You won’t explain why. You told Mom that you two are plighted—”
    “But he’s lupi, and everyone knows they aren’t monogamous—”
    “And you plighted after you’d known him a few days! No time at all for that kind of—”
    “Life-changing decision, and no one in the family had even talked to him, so—”
    “We think Benedict’s controlling you somehow.” Sammy finished with a scowl, which he aimed at Benedict.
    There was silence for a moment. Carmen broke it hesitantly. “Arjenie deals with top secret information, with sensitive information . . . I don’t think we can lump in her silence about the collapse of that mountain with her silence on other subjects.”
    “And yet,” Stephen said, his narrow face thoughtful, “they’re connected. Not directly, but there’s a connection.”
    “Stephen,” Arjenie said reproachfully. “You, too?”
    He spread his hands. “I’m not jumping on the twins’ bandwagon. Just saying that you’re keeping a lot of secrets, and those secrets are connected somehow.”
    Stephen Delacroix had a weak but well-trained patterning Gift, according to Arjenie. He must have picked up on the pattern that connected Arjenie to all those event and their common denominator: him. “If I understand correctly,” Benedict said, “open discussion means I can speak.”
    Robin nodded. “Yes, of course.”
    “Arjenie is a member of my clan now. She knows clan secrets that do connect obliquely to—”
    “What?”
    “She’s in your clan?”
    “Are you saying you turned her into a lupus?”
    “Don’t be an idiot. You can’t get turned into—”
    “Does that mean you’re married? And you didn’t tell us? I can’t believe you didn’t—”
    “Lupi don’t get married! Everyone knows that.”
    “So what’s he doing here if he isn’t Arjenie’s plighted partner?”
    “Enough.” That was Clay, not yelling but putting enough volume and certainty in his voice to cut through the exclamations and comments coming from everyone. “I think,” he said dryly as he claimed the pinecone, “we’d best go to directed discussion. Robin?”
    She nodded, and Clay continued. “First I’ll clarify that, yes, Arjenie plighted herself to Benedict, and he to her, so his place at our table is a given. Robin and I were aware she’d been welcomed into Nokolai clan. Arjenie had planned to announce that to everyone else herself, but I understand why Benedict felt he needed to tell you now. I believe the clans are pretty secretive, so she’s constrained from discussing some of that with us.”
    “I don’t like it,” Sammy muttered—maybe too low for the humans to hear, but Benedict did.
    “So the issue we are discussing,” Clay said, “is not whether Arjenie has secrets. She does. The question is whether or not she has been, ah, unduly influenced by Benedict.”
    “There’s a line,” Hershey said gruffly, “between personal and family. You bring someone into the family, fine, that’s family business. What’s between you and him, though, that’s not family business. Think we’re crossing the line.”
    Clay nodded. “I’m thinking that myself.”
    Seri’s face set stubbornly. “Which is exactly what I thought you’d say, which is why I didn’t ask for a family meeting in the first place. But you’re wrong. If she’s been given some sort of lupi emotional jujitsu, we need to do something about it.”
    “Oh?” Robin focused on her daughter. “And what would you suggest? Possibly inviting a Native Power onto our land?”
    Dead silence.
    “Seri?” Robin prompted. “Sammy?”
    It was Sammy who answered, his voice far too bland. “I haven’t been in contact with any Powers, Native or otherwise, since the equinox.”
    “No? And have you been in touch with any energies that I would consider a Native Power, even if you don’t?”
    Sammy gave himself away with a quick glance at his twin.
    Robin looked around. “Did anyone tell these