Free White Winter (The Black Year Series Book 2) by D.J. Bodden Page B

them, and it’s my fault for choosing you.” He sniffed, then wiped his nose with the back of his wrist. “So if you don’t mind, clan leader, I’d rather not speak.”
    “I… Okay,” Jonas said. Kieran started walking again, and Jonas hurried to keep up. He kept thinking of questions he wanted to ask, or ways they might get around whatever was going to happen, but every time he opened his mouth to speak, he saw the set of Kieran’s shoulders and stayed quiet.
    The trail took a few turns, and Jonas realized there was camouflage netting hanging between some of the trees. After a few more minutes, they emerged into a clearing. Jonas felt a tingling in the back of his head. Leticia Macready was waiting about 100 yards away, hands clasped in front of her.
    “Keep moving,” Kieran whispered, and fell in to his right, a step behind. “Try to look confident.”
    Kieran’s family stood to Leticia’s right, facing the asphalt walkway to the three-story mansion like a colonnade of people. Children as young as five or six stood next to their older siblings, sorted from smallest to tallest so Jonas could see all of them, even though they weren’t looking in his direction. At a gesture from Phillip’s widow, all 30-or-so of them went down on their left knee. He could hear their surface thoughts like he was standing in a crowded room, talking and questioning and crying and shouting… he clamped down on his barrier, but he couldn’t shut out all the noise. The tingling in Jonas’ head spread to his hands and face, and his heartbeat picked up.
    Leticia bowed at the waist, eyes downcast, bringing her head to his level. “Welcome, clan leader,” she said, her face stiff, her voice resigned. “May I present-”
    But Jonas knew exactly what to do. He grabbed her by the back of the neck and pressed his forehead to hers. Kieran sucked in a breath. “It’s good to see you, Lettie,” Jonas said. She stiffened, eyes widening, but before she could respond he let go, moved toward the line of people, and grabbed the first little boy into a bear hug. “Oh my goodness you’re heavy! Why did they put the heaviest Macready at the head of the line?” The boy giggled with joy. The little girl next to him looked up in surprise, then blushed and looked down at the ground. “It’s okay, Julie,” he said, touching her cheek.
    He moved down the line, greeting Phillip’s kids by name, and it felt like a sort of magic. Their thoughts went from a susurration to panicked babble, but he knew who to touch, who to shove a bit, who to punch in the shoulder. He crouched in front of a fourteen-year-old who was probably his height and outweighed him by 20 pounds. “Look at this one, Leticia! Probably ready to start Agency training soon.”
    “Y-y-yes, clan leader,” she stammered. The youth fought to keep a proud smile from his face.
    The babble dimmed to a whisper, and he noticed they were already grinning and relaxed when he got to them, even though he was now dealing with people older than him. He stopped between the twins and said, “Sean, you’re looking twice as pretty as your brother today.”
    “That’s Sean, clan leader. I’m Ryan.”
    “Of course you are! If I thought you were Sean, I would have called you Ryan.”
    The man next in line snorted, and the twins guffawed.
    It was all going perfectly until the third woman from the end met his eyes. He felt Kieran stiffen behind him; her eyes burned gold, and she tensed to stand; Jonas put all his training, strength, and blood-fueled power into the punch.
    There was a loud snap, like the sound of a dry twig breaking.
    The blow knocked her sideways into the next man in line. Jonas’ right hand went numb. Blood streamed from her split cheek, and her eyes were wild as she pushed off the ground.
    “Stay down, Nell. Haven’t your mother and brother suffered enough?”
    She froze, glanced behind Jonas, and her shoulders slumped. He recognized her now; she’d almost challenged Kieran