by Bianca D'Arc
“Wait. Did you say your great-grandmother?”
“Yep.” Slade shrugged out of his shirt and came over to sit on the bed beside her, drawing her close. “She taught me everything I learned about magic before I was twelve. I know she’ll come running the moment she learns I’ve finally found my mate. Be prepared. The entire Clan will descend upon us if I don’t take you home for a visit at the earliest opportunity.”
“Really?” Kate felt her heart fill with both hope and fear. She’d never had a family before. The prospect was both amazing and daunting. “Do you think they’ll like me? I mean, I’m not a shifter.”
Slade lowered his head to kiss her lips once, very gently. “They will love you because you’re the only woman in the world who can complete me. They will love your kind heart and gentle ways. Your fierce courage and Goddess-given magic. How could they not, when I love you with all my being? They’ll see what I see when I look at you.” He kissed her again, this time with more passion. “They will see a bright and loving future for not only us, but for the Clan. Great-grandmother will especially love the fact that you are a priestess.”
“I hope you’re right.” She bit her lip nervously, but Slade kissed her again, taking her lip between his own teeth for a quick, painless nip before letting her go again.
“Trust me, kitten. I know them as well as I know myself. Eventually, you will too. Snowcats live a very long time. You’ll have centuries to get used to them.”
“Centuries?” She pushed against his shoulders, needing to check that she’d heard him correctly.
Slade smiled at her. “Yeah.” He looked a little chagrinned. “It’s not widely known, but all that magic snowcats have…well, it brings with it a few perks. One of them is a longer life span for us and most of the time, for our chosen mates as well. I can already feel the way our magics are joining and twining, can’t you?”
“I—” She’d noticed the meshing of their magics, but hadn’t quite known what it could mean. The very idea of what he was suggesting boggled her mind.
“It’s okay. We have the rest of our lives to figure it out.” He kissed her again and pushed her back on the soft bed, coming over her to block out the soft glow of the light fixture on the ceiling.
He made love to her slowly. Gently demonstrating his love for her in the most sensuous way possible. He brought her to climax twice before joining her in bliss, then did it all over again.
Predictably, after the tumult of the night before, Slade and Kate slept in the next morning. They had just enjoyed a leisurely climax or two and were starting to make brunch in the kitchen downstairs when the doorbell rang.
Slade was flipping pancakes when Kate went to answer the door. He could hear the surprise in her voice as she welcomed the old owl into her home. He reintroduced himself and she invited him to join them in some refreshment, guiding him into the kitchen, which was at the back of the house. Slade added more batter to the griddle and turned to say hello as they entered the room.
“Good to see you again, Johan.” Slade held out his hand for a quick shake.
The owl’s gray eyes twinkled, taking in the domestic scene. “Likewise,” he answered shortly.
Kate invited him to sit at the kitchen table as Slade served up breakfast. They held off any serious topics of conversation until after they’d eaten the majority of the pile of pancakes and mound of bacon he’d prepared, for which Slade was grateful. He suspected whatever the strange shifter had to say, it would be significant.
“So what brings you here this morning?” Slade finally asked as he downed the last of his pancakes. Kate had finished eating long before the men, and was attentive as she sipped her coffee.
“It is a matter of solving a mystery and bringing news that I hope will be happy.” The owl was as inscrutable as his animal counterpart. “Katherine, what do you know of your birth parents?”
Kate sat up straight in her chair, clearly caught off guard by the question.
“Nothing, really. They died in an accident and I was given to a foster family to raise. It didn’t really work out. The first family was trying to adopt because they’d thought they couldn’t have children of their own, but then the woman got pregnant about two years after taking me in. I was only about three or four when I went to a second family. I stayed with them for a few years before Mr. Samuels died and his wife realized she couldn’t afford to keep me. I went to live with the Baxters next, then the Jeffersons until I turned eighteen. They were nice and we still keep in touch from time to time, but they raised about twenty different kids over the years and they don’t know anything about my religious beliefs. They are fundamentalists and I’d rather not upset them.” She looked down and away as if ashamed of her lack of any real connection to a parental figure.
Johan sighed. “I’m sorry, child. I had no idea until recently how tough you had it. To my shame, I had no idea until a few weeks ago that you even existed. You see, my daughter, Renee, married a mage named Albert. The Clan did not like Albert and felt he had only married Renee in order to gain our knowledge. I will never be certain of the truth of that, but I do have my suspicions.” Johan’s gray eyes narrowed, then his expression softened. “Regardless, Renee loved the mage and they ran away together to America. At the time, we were living in Breda. That’s in the Netherlands.”
Kate was intrigued by his story, but didn’t really see what it had to do with her, unless…
“About five years ago, we decided to come to America and see if we could reestablish communication with Renee. I found out recently that both Renee and Albert had died in an accident more than two dozen years ago.” His expression was one of deep sorrow. “I never got to reconcile with my girl and that I will always regret.”
Kate reached out to the older man, putting one hand over his on the table, offering comfort. “You will see her again, one day, and both of your spirits will rejoice.” Of that she had no doubt.
Johan turned his hand over and clasped hers tightly. “Until that time, I would like to make peace with you, Katherine. For I have little doubt, you are the daughter of Renee and Albert. You are my granddaughter.”
Kate was floored by his declaration, but she felt the truth of it as her magic reached out and recognized his. Their magic was alike in some ways—those subtle ways she had never been able to articulate to her priestess teachers, who had all been human.
She felt tears gather in her eyes to answer the matching wetness she saw in Johan’s gray eyes.
“I—” She had to pause to swallow her emotion. “I feel the truth of your words, but forgive me, I’m kind of astounded. I’ve never had any family before.”
“You do now, if you wish to claim us. You are a member of the Hager Clan of hibou shifters.” Johan spoke in softly accented English. His accent seemed to grow stronger when he was more emotional.
“So I have shifter blood after all?” Somehow that idea made her feel so much better about being with Slade. She wasn’t just a weak human with a little magic. She was part shifter too. Wouldn’t that make her more acceptable to his Clan?
But now she had a Clan of her own. Goddess be praised. This was turning out to be one of the happiest days of her life. Coming on the heels of such tragedy and one of the scariest things she’d ever participated in, this was like some huge reward—not only a life mate, but a long-lost family too?
“You are half hibou and half mage. You come by your magic from both sides of your heritage.”
“I can’t shift,” she stated baldly. He had to realize she wasn’t a shifter.
“That doesn’t make you any less my granddaughter. I’m sorry it took me so long to realize it. You would have been raised among your cousins and the rest of the Clan if we had known you were out there.”
“It’s okay.” She tried to comfort the older man who seemed to feel real distress over her past. “The Goddess works in mysterious ways.”
They spent an hour or two talking about the Hager Clan and Kate’s place in it. Slade
kept mostly silent, but he was happy for his new mate. She’d had a rough start to life but if he had anything to say about it, her future would be as happy as he could make it. Finding her family was just the first step. Joining his Clan would come in time and he knew his relatives would make her feel welcome.
Slade left them talking in the kitchen for a few minutes to make some calls. He had to begin the process of moving. He’d come to the conclusion that it would be much easier for him to join Kate here in Nevada than to ask her to give up her place with the Redstones and join him in Montana.
He didn’t really have much to offer her there anyway. He’d prowled from place to place for decades and hadn’t had a real home since he’d left his family so long ago. Leaving his position with the Lords was a small price to pay to be with his mate. He was sure Tim and Rafe would understand.
Slade called them first. As the highest ranking weres on the continent, they were the right place to start the ball rolling. He’d then go talk to Grif, if the Alpha would see him. Slade was sure the family would be sticking close together today. He didn’t want to intrude on their grief, but he wanted to ask Grif if he’d allow Slade to move into the neighborhood.
It was up to Grif, as Alpha, to grant Slade the right to live among his Clan or not. And Slade thought maybe he’d be able to offer some comfort to the Alpha. Being around Kate was rubbing off. His great-grandmother had always told him he’d embrace his snowcat heritage more fully when he found his mate. He hadn’t believed her, but now that his dual nature had been seen, the snowcat was bound to cause a shift in attitude.
He welcomed it…now. Though Slade had spent most of his life as a man of action, he found the idea of cultivating his compassionate side—in Kate’s company—was becoming more appealing.
Slade called the Redstone house and wasn’t surprised when Valerie answered.
“I’m glad you called,” she said, preempting his words.
“What can I do for you?”
“Grif wants to see you,” she replied quickly. “Can you come over for lunch? It’ll be quiet, but I’m making sure everyone eats.”
“Kate too?” Slade didn’t want to leave her alone. He wanted her around him constantly now.
“Sure. Bring her along,” Valerie said easily. “We’ll see you around one?”
“We’ll be there,” Slade confirmed. “Thanks.”
A half hour later, Johan had gone with the promise to return for dinner. He was calling his Clan and plans were being made to get together. Slade knew Kate was apprehensive about meeting her kin, but Johan had no doubts. He was open about wanting to bring her into the Clan she should have been part of all her life.
Regardless of how it worked out—whether Kate wanted to go visit them, or they came here to see her—Slade would be by her side throughout. She would not face this alone, but he privately thought she had little to worry about. If Johan was any indication, she would be welcomed with open arms by her mother’s people.
Slade and Kate walked to the Alpha’s home, only a few blocks away along the winding streets of the development. They had a little time to kill before the lunch appointment and the day was mellow with a golden sun that warmed without overheating. Living in the desert would take a little getting used to for Slade, but he was eager to try. He’d go anywhere to be by Kate’s side and he knew she was committed to the Redstone Clan at the moment.
When they arrived at the house, Keith greeted them at the door.
“Right on time.” Keith spoke in solemn tones. Slade figured there wouldn’t be much joy in this house for some time. The grief was too recent. Too strong.
It would lift in time. The matriarch would not have wanted her family to suffer and eventually they would realize that and be able to come to terms with her loss. It might take years, but healing would come.
Keith ushered them back to the big, family dining room. An informal meal was being laid out on the table and Kate immediately sought the kitchen, helping Valerie and an uncharacteristically quiet Matt Redstone lay out the meal.
Grif entered the room with his little sister and greeted Slade, inviting him to sit while the meal preparations continued around them. Belinda moved listlessly to help with the platters of salad and condiments while the other brothers straggled in, one by one.
“Thank you for coming,” Grif began, getting right to business. “I wanted to talk to you about your plans for the immediate future.”
Slade nodded. “Kate is my mate. If it’s agreeable to you, I would join her here since she is committed to your Clan and I’ve been roaming for the past few decades. I don’t have a permanent home outside my Clan lands and though eventually I’d like for us to move there, as of right now, I think we’re needed here.”
“More than you know.” Grif sighed and Slade could see the weight of responsibility wearing heavy on his shoulders. “I’m going away for a bit. I’m taking Belinda to the forest where she can run free and begin to heal. Being here isn’t very good for her right now.”
Slade was concerned. For an Alpha cat to leave his Clan to go prowl for a bit wasn’t unheard of, but Grif Redstone wasn’t just any Alpha cat. He had not only his Clan but an entire army of shifter construction workers and their families that looked to him for leadership.
“Steve and Robert will take over here while we’re gone, but they’re going to need help. I was hoping you would stay, Slade. Your snowcat will give them hope where little else can right now. My brothers are strong men. Good Alphas. But they are as grief stricken as I am. They’ll need guidance I can’t give right now. I’ve heard your people specialize in that.” Grif cracked a small, rueful smile as he looked at Slade.
“I’m only half snowcat,” Slade was careful to point out. “But I’ll do my best to help where I can. My days of prowling alone are over. And I have an ace in the hole.” Slade had to smile when he thought of the dynamo that would come at his call. “My great-grandmother will probably come running when she finds out about Kate. She’s the real snowcat, with all that implies.”
“She’s from Tibet?” Grif seemed impressed by the very idea.
“She hasn’t been back to the Himalayas since she left to mate my great-grandfather, but yes, she was raised in the mystic tradition and teaches it to every generation of our Clan. She is the most steadying influence I know. Where she travels, peace soon follows. I think she could be of great help here, during this time of upheval.”
“Call her,” Grif said with great finality. “Today, if possible. I’ll call the Lords and make this right with them. I know you run their security when you’re not doing special jobs for them. Maybe you could help Steve with that here, if you’re so inclined.”
“I already talked to Tim and Rafe,” Slade admitted. “Just preliminarily. They’d like me to be on-call for special assignments, if needed.”
Grif nodded. “That sounds more than reasonable. We’ll work out the details, but I’d say all that’s left now is to fill in your mate. She’s tapping her foot and her arms are crossed,” Grif noted, looking pointedly toward the wide entryway to the dining room. “Did you tell her you were moving here yet?”
Kate moved into the room, her expression tight. “No, he hasn’t,” she said in a very distinct, slightly angry tone. “In fact, we haven’t discussed it at all.”
Slade turned to her, tugging her down into his lap as he sat at the table. She didn’t resist, which was a good sign.
“Kitten, I’ve seen how committed you are to this Clan and I couldn’t ask you to leave them. Especially not right now. I’m way more mobile than you are, with fewer ties to bind me to a particular place. I’ve been roaming for decades. Let me settle down here with you. It’s okay with Grif. All I need now is your agreement and we can begin our life together. What do you say?”
She held out for all of thirty seconds before throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him in front of Grif and all of the Redstone family members who had gathered in the dining room.
“Okay,�
�� she whispered against his lips as she drew slowly away.
“Great,” Grif broke in. “Then it’s settled. Welcome to the Clan, Alpha Snowcat.”
Slade cringed a little at the title. Not that he wasn’t an Alpha snowcat, but he’d become so used to hiding his dual nature, it seemed odd to have it said out in the open like that. In a Clan like the one Redstone oversaw, with so many different kinds of shifters in it, there were designated Alphas for each species. Since Slade was the only snowcat—and likely would be until he and Kate started their family—he was it. And if they didn’t already know after his appearance at the construction site last night, the whole Clan would soon realize there was a rare and mystical snowcat in their midst.
Good thing he was mated to a priestess. When people started showing up looking for spiritual counseling, he could always call on Kate’s expertise to help. In fact, he suspected they were going to make a great team.
Everyone took their seats and Slade released Kate so she could sit on the chair by his side. They began eating and conversation turned more general until Grif startled Kate with his next words.
“I spoke with Johan Hager early this morning and extended visitor’s rights to him and his immediate family. He tells me that you, Kate, are his long-lost granddaughter.”
Kate cleared her throat before answering. “So I was told this morning.” She seemed uncomfortable talking about the subject that was so new and unfamiliar to her. Slade took her hand under the table, offering comfort.
Matt laughed from midway down the table, drawing their attention.
“What’s so funny, little brother?” Grif asked, seeming intrigued by the youngest brother’s reaction.
“I was just thinking of that old children’s story. We now have our own real life version of The Owl and the Pussycat.”
Slade groaned as the others chuckled. It was good to hear laughter—even the subdued kind—in this house that had seen so much tragedy of late.