“I’ll need to personally read through the entire document before I sign it,” my father said. “I’d like to insist that Val do so as well.” He looked at me. “I’m still your father, still in charge of teaching you, and it’s important you never sign anything without reading it all the way through. For something as important as this, it’s good to have your attorney read it through again as well.”
“I’ll read it, but I’m hoping we can hug first.”
He stood and walked towards the King of Lions. I did the same, and we met behind the Amakhosi. Daddy opened his arms in invitation, and I went into them.
“I love you, Daddy. I’ve missed you. I thought I’d never have this again.”
“You tore my heart out, Princess. Part of me is still so angry with you I can’t see straight, and yet I’m also proud of you for finding your own way. I can’t promise the anger will stay below the surface, but I’m trying to get past it so we can salvage some kind of relationship. I can’t bear to lose you forever.”
“And I’m still angry with you for treating me as property instead of my own person, but I’m working to get past that, too.”
“Can I meet the man you’re dating?”
“No promises. I need to talk to him and see how he feels about it.”
“What does he know about me?”
I telepathed Brooke. It feels wrong to continue the lie. It was okay, before, when he was the enemy, but we’re trying to be father and daughter now.
He’s assuming it’s Bobcat. He thought it was Frost until you said mammal. He doesn’t believe either Squatch or Dementor are your type.
Is Squatch okay with me outing him as my lover?
Oh, yes. He’d step forward and introduce himself now if I gave him the go ahead, but I’m advising you to wait until the documents are properly signed before you make the introductions.
“We’ve had our hug, father. Let’s read through the documents and finish one thing before we start another. Give me that much time to think this through, and maybe we can share a meal in a restaurant when we leave?”
“It’s nearly four in the morning, Val.”
“So, Waffle House or Denny’s?”
Daddy’s hair was dyed the same color as mine, so there was no problem with us being seen in public. The question was whether Squatch would be with us or not.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Squatch
Watching the negotiations and controlling my emotions so my scent didn’t leak all over the room took more out of me than I expected. I’d have rather ran a double marathon with spikes in the bottom of my feet.
Every cell in my body wanted to proclaim that Kitty was mine, but that wouldn’t be helpful. I hated having to hide my relationship with Kitty from her father, but I’d do it if that’s what it took to keep her safe. Kendra and Eric had come to the party at the compound the night before, and they’d told me that my job during this is to make things easier on my kitten, not more difficult.
Stepping forward and claiming Kitty in front of her father would’ve caused problems, so my wolf and I stood down.
Brooke had invited me to sit with her while we ate. I’m comfortable with her. I’ve fed her more times than I can count. I’ve seen the dark side of her, too. She tortured a pedophile in my presence once, and invited me to help. I did, following her lead, but I didn’t want to rape the man, as she’d hoped. To her credit, when she understood how much it would bother me to do it, she’d brought others in to handle it. I had to watch, but she didn’t make me do it, so it was okay. She let me see in his head a little, and the bastard deserved every minute of the four days of torture she put him through before she finally allowed him the solace of death.
I never want Brooke on my bad side, but so long as I don’t do anything to put myself there, I trust her. Mostly. So I sat with her as her friend while I ate, and we talked of her night garden, and of a charity event the MC was planning — if we’d add in her favorite charity to the list of charities who’d benefit, she’d like to be a silent partner. I wasn’t authorized to agree to it, but I thanked her for the kind offer and assured her I’d take it to Mad Dog.
And now, once the signatures were in place, copies made, and the business was finished, Brooke stood and walked to an empty portion of the table. “Squatch, Val, could the two of you come here, please?”
We came to her, and she stood between us, holding our hands. “Vincenzo, let me be the first to formally introduce you to Sasquatch. His friends call him Squatch. He’s madly in love with your daughter, enough that he and his wolf stood quietly at her back, controlling his scent, in order to make life as easy on his true love as possible.”
Kitty’s father looked at me, and then his daughter, and then back to me. “True love?”
“Yes, Sir.”
His eyes went dark, nearly a flat black. His voice was carefully controlled, so there was zero emotion. “Wolves mate for life.”
“They do, Sir, but your daughter was not aware of this until recently. She knew we are monogamous. I assumed she knew we mate for life.”
He looked to Val. “You love him?”
“I do, Daddy.”
“You said it was new. You implied it might not last.”
“I said it was new. I didn’t imply how lasting it would be.” She looked at me and smiled. “It’s still new, but I guess things kind of went fast.”
Her father looked at me a few more seconds, nothing friendly about it. Finally, he shrugged and said, “She’s still stripping, so it must not be too serious.”
“I respect your daughter too much to take away her source of independence.”
Brooke was still standing between us, holding our hands, and he looked at the contact. “You were friendly with the child vampire while we ate.”
“Her name is Brooke, and if you think she’s a child, you haven’t been paying attention.”
He pursed his lips, as if he had so much to say, and was deciding how wise it was to share it. Finally, he said, “My daughter is an exotic creature. Vampires love to collect such things, and it would appear she’s done exactly what was needed to bring a golden tiger close enough to have as a regular meal. I’m not certain why she wants to drink a common werewolf down, unless perhaps the biker thing does it for her?”
“And what would you do for my favor, Vincenzo?” Brooke asked. “Would you bare your neck? Would you eat my pussy? Or perhaps even fuck me?”
The tiger recognized he was in danger, and he stood, but I didn’t think he understood the danger. If he wanted to fuck her, there’s a good chance she’d kill him where he stood, but the greater risk was that she’d take days to kill him slowly.
“I’m no one’s meal, and I’d never fuck a damned child.”
I heard Kitty let out a breath. She’d been afraid for him too.
Brooke looked at His Majesty and then back to Vincenzo.
“I’m not drinking you down as we speak because I won’t disrespect your king to make my point. You should thank him for the fact you don’t have to change to regenerate enough blood to walk out the door on your own feet.”
Brooke levitated between us, so her head was a little higher than Kitty’s. “I can find her, you know. No matter where you take her. If you take her against her will, I’ll see everyone dead who was a part of it, exotic creatures or not. She’s won her freedom. No one is taking that from her again. Not even me.”
She seemed to vanish, but the door was open now, so I knew she’d just left really fast. I stepped sideways, pulled Kitty into my side, and kissed the top of her head without taking my eyes off her father. “Tell me where you want me, Kitten, and I’m there.”
“Before she left, Brooke told me he’d kidnap me if he thought he could get away with it, but since he sees he likely can’t, he wants to try for whatever relationship he can salvage. Can you stay close enough at Denny’s to keep me safe, but still let my father and I have a meal together?”
“Kirsten and I will also be in th
e restaurant, watching over you,” His Majesty said from his spot near the door Brooke had used for her exit.
Brooke’s vampire guards had left, but the various shapeshifters under her employ were still just outside the door.
“Who’s riding with who?” I asked.
“You and Val can ride with Kirsten and me,” said the Amakhosi. “I assume Vincenzo will ride with his people.”
“Can we clear the room?” I asked. “I’d like a few moments with Kitty before we leave.”
Because if I didn’t get a chance to kiss her and hold her soon, my wolf was going to make a scene, and the human wasn’t of a mind to try to stop him.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Kitty
I sat in a booth at Denny’s with my father. Half the restaurant was made up of shapeshifters.
It’s possible I wouldn’t have been able to do this if Squatch hadn’t asked for those precious moments of privacy. Mostly, he’d sat in a chair and held me, but he’d also reminded me of my strength, my maturity, and the fact I’d played better politics than my father. I had the upper hand because I’d made higher contacts and better friends.
Some say supernatural society is all about survival of the fittest, and that’s true, but it’s also about choosing sides. The strong bring people into their protective circles, and the weak jockey to get into those circles.
Brooke is a champion for the underdog, especially young females with fathers who use them for profit. Or probably any older male. I hadn’t known that when I went to the Master Vampire, offering my blood in exchange for her help. But she’d heard me out plus been able to see inside my head — my father wasn’t selling me outright, but he intended to use my baby-making abilities in ways Brooke didn’t approve of. He saw me as property. His property. The vampire who’d been turned as a child didn’t approve, and she’d helped me more than I’d hoped.
She’d gotten me a job with the bikers, knowing they’d protect me as an employee, but she couldn’t have known I’d mate with one of them. The dancers are usually kept at arm’s length from the bikers — employees who are paid to fuck them occasionally, but no more. Somehow, I’d gained them as more of an ally than she’d expected, and then Kirsten and Kendra had decided to protect me, too. I hadn’t planned to gain so many defenders. It’d just kind of happened. I wasn’t some master strategist. I’d lucked out.
So, as I sat down to eat with my father, I wasn’t feeling terribly cocky. I felt as if I’d won by accident, and I wasn’t certain I should be spending time with him alone. I was terrified I’d fuck up and lose everything I’d just gained.
After we ordered, my father told me, “I gave you the education you’d need if you lived your life in the ambush. Your wolf friend is right that you don’t know everything you need to know if you’re going to live in the outside world. Will you give me an opportunity to fill in those holes?”
“How do you propose to do that from South Carolina when I’m living in Alabama?”
“Video classes? An hour class, three times a week?”
I wanted to tell him Squatch could teach me, but what if he couldn’t? What if there were things about being a tiger I needed to learn?
“What else do I need to know?”
“Did you know lone wolves aren’t allowed to use their magic? Do you know what to do if you find yourself in the presence of one of the former gods? Do you know the protocol if, say, Eagle royalty should happen into your little strip club?”
I didn’t know any of this, but I didn’t want to admit it, so I told him, “I’m never going to be in the presence of a former god, Daddy.”
“When you were at Homewood, did you meet a large man who made you want to drop to your knees, just being in his presence?”
I sat back, stunned.
“What should I have done?”
“How was he introduced to you?”
“Mordecai.”
He nodded. “Kneeling would’ve been proper, but it’s okay if you didn’t.”
“I did, at first, but then Kirsten took me to Alfheim, and when he followed us there, I couldn’t figure out how to do it gracefully because she was holding my hand.”
“You went to Alfheim?”
I nodded. “I didn’t see much of it, but it was wondrous. The air is saturated with magic.”
“You’ve had quite the adventure.” His smile told me he was both pleased and angry.
“Why does this make you angry?”
He shrugged. “It’s my job to protect and shelter you. I failed. You haven’t just been out in the world without a protector, you’ve been to other worlds.”
“I haven’t been without a protector since four days after I left the ambush.”
It’d taken me that long to get to Alabama and figure out how to get an audience with Brooke. I’d overheard a cousin talking about the Master Vampire of Birmingham owning so much property she’d bought a lumber yard, and that they were staying out of Alabama because of her. So, I’d gone to the lumberyard and refused to leave until someone took me to her. I’d had no idea she was a child until I saw her.
“The vampire?” Daddy asked. “She was your first protector?”
I nodded. “Brooke got me a job with the bikers, and that made them my protectors, too. Later, she sent me to Kirsten to help me get past some of my...” I sighed. “I guess I have some issues I needed to talk through, so I can function as a healthy adult, and not as one stunted from a warped childhood.”
“Warped. Childhood.” He bit the words out. His anger sizzled and bit along my skin like a swarm of fire ants.
“You know it’s true, Commandant. Women are property in the ambush, and I was raised to be okay with that. I’m not okay with it, and I had to figure out...” I sighed. “There’s no way I could sit here with you now, with the possibility of us having a relationship as two adults, if Kirsten hadn’t helped me. If that pisses you off, then...”
The look on his face when I said pisses stopped me in my tracks. It was the first time I’d ever cussed in front of my father, and I’d been about to tell him to go fuck himself. Probably not helpful.
“I’m not the same little girl who escaped, Daddy. You’re going to have to come to terms with that.”
“Kirsten and the Amakhosi are lovers, and this made him more partial to your side than mine.”
I shook my head. “No, it didn’t. He was clear from the beginning that his priority is the continuation of the golden tigers. The good of the species over what might be best for me. Kirsten and His Majesty went toe-to-toe, fighting because of me — that’s why she took me to Alfheim, to keep him from taking me from her. He was...” I almost said pissed again. “He wasn’t pleased.”
“Did you seduce the wolf, or did he seduce you?”
“It just kind of happened. I had a problem, and I called him to...” Squatch had told me never to speak of murder. Never admit it to anyone. “I had some metaphorical bodies to bury, and I needed help. I called him, and he came. It took a while for him to help me fix the problem, and things just kind of grew. I don’t think either of us seduced the other. I haven’t seen the bikers date their employees before. I’d assumed they weren’t supposed to, but it turns out, it’s discouraged, but not against the rules. They don’t do it lightly. Only if it’s someone they’re really, really drawn to.”
We both knew that every supernatural in the restaurant could hear our conversation. I figured if they didn’t want to hear us talking about them, they should step outside. I’m not sure what my father thought, but neither of us altered our conversation just because the people we were talking about might hear us.
“A common werewolf? Really, Princess? And he isn’t even Pack. He’s a lone wolf, and likely a criminal.”
“Because of his club? I know they look rough, but they have this...” I didn’t know how to explain it. “They’re a tight group. Loyal. When they give their word, you can take it to the bank. When they give their protection, it means so much more than I expected it
to mean. It’s more than just physical safety, with them.”
I knew a half-dozen of them were at a large table, behind me, so they had my back. There was no way to explain that Bobcat knew when I was having a bad day, and he always checked in with me. Dementor and Crush eyed the johns I took next door and listened to keep me safe. When I came out, after, I could sense them looking and smelling, making certain I was okay before I went back to Blaze. Sometimes, Crush would tell me to stop and get something to eat in the vending area before I headed back next door, and I’d see him touch his ear and let someone next door know, so they wouldn’t worry about me. It wasn’t an official break, but he knew I needed calories, and he made certain it happened. Once, I went back without stopping for food. Dementor had been on the door, and he’d sent me back after lecturing me about taking better care of myself.
And now that I belonged to Squatch, every biker and every ol’lady was there for me. They were my family now, but there was no way to explain any of this to my father.
So I asked him about my brothers and cousins, and others in the Ambush I was close to. We talked for an hour while we ate. I knew he wanted to know more about my life, but he let me keep the conversation steered to everyone else, and he gained a few points for doing it.
When we finished eating, I was directed into a van with Bobcat, Frost, and Squatch. Seven other bikers rode their motorcycles in a formation around us. Guarding us. They took me to the spa compound, and then to Squatch’s house. I’d seen it a few times, and I loved it. Huge, open living room and kitchen. The entire top floor was his bedroom. Well, except for the master bathroom in one corner, and his closet in another. One end was the bedroom area, the center was a small seating area, and the other end was free weights and a few odd-shaped benches. You don’t get those huge muscles by sitting around playing video games.
When we went upstairs tonight, though, the room was smaller and a wall had been put up, creating another room the width of his bedroom, but I couldn’t tell how deep it was without looking. Also, the seating area now included a Saint Andrew’s Cross. My eyes tracked to see what else was new. Stocks on the bottom of the bed, with holes for wrists and head. You’d be in doggie style position once locked in. There was also hardware on the bed frame — D rings. He’d turned his metal sleigh bed into a bondage bed.
Squatch (Rolling Thunder MC Birmingham Book 4) Page 21