by Reina Torres
Katherine was there again, gently folding their fingers together under the table. “Who is she living with?”
Devlin’s expression was cautious, but he answered. “Graham Keith. Alina was his older sister. I spoke to him before I came across the bridge. Strangely enough, he seemed to be shocked to hear the news, but he was also expecting you.”
Katherine leaned closer to the table. “That doesn’t seem to make sense.”
Devlin’s expression mirrored hers. “Exactly what I’ve been thinking, but I’m a tiger. We’re a little less dramatic than lions.” He shrugged. “Paige tells me it’s Disney’s fault. If they’d made the movie Tiger King, everything would have been so much better for all the shifters.”
“Tiger King,” Katherine giggled, and Locke felt some of the tightness in his chest relax. “Yeah, if they’d done it before that reality TV show came out you may have stood a chance. But now? I’ve heard about that show. I’m thinking it wouldn’t do you much good to try to float that idea as a recommendation.”
“Don’t remind me.” Devlin sighed and turned to look back at Locke. “I’d like to drive you into the city and let one of my men take your car and leave it at one of the hotels. Graham has offered to have you stay with them at his home which would give you some time to talk without the Pride butting their noses in. Talking to Graham on your own, you can discuss what’s going to happen with Allie without your mother or the other lions getting involved.”
Locke looked at Katherine. “What do you think about that idea?”
She hesitated a moment and then she looked over at Devlin. “Is there a way that you can still check us into the hotel? I made a reservation online. They said they wouldn’t charge us until we checked in and I don’t want them to be stuck.”
Devlin nodded. “I’ll take care of it. We have funds in the city budget for things like this. Shifter relations can sometimes be a bit contentious even at the best of times. Just give me your information that you gave to the hotel and it will be taken care of for you.” He looked around the diner and then gestured to the menu board in the center of the table. “Do you want to stay here and eat or-”
“Go.” Katherine was the one who spoke and her cheeks blushed pink. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to steal your thunder, but I would really love to meet Allie and her uncle Graham.”
Locke agreed. “It’s already been more than a week. Allie shouldn’t have people remaking her world too many times. She needs a loving family, not a battleground.” Standing, he helped Katherine to her feet. He also noted how quickly Devlin stood. Old fashioned values from a law man who could turn furry in less than a second. Interesting.
Seeing the man’s respect and behavior, Locke was rethinking his old prejudices against Sylvan City. When he’d lived there, he’d spent much of his time with his mother and brother and had no real idea what the rest of the city was like.
That was also before shifters were common knowledge in the world. He shook his head. What would life had been like if they hadn’t been so isolated back then?
“Hey.”
He felt Katherine wrap her arms around him and he returned the gesture, pulling her close. Locke pressed a kiss to the crown of her head and whispered into her ear. “I love you so damn much.”
He swore he could feel her smile as they held onto each other. And when she lifted her chin to look up at him, he saw her love for him shining in her eyes. “Ready?”
“So ready.”
They followed Devlin outside and climbed into one of the waiting Sylvan City SUVs.
Katherine was trying to keep calm. No, it didn’t work when she was ordered to do it, but she did a fairly good job of it herself. As they pulled into the driveway of a fairly large property, Katherine stared in awe at the large house at the end of the drive. Two stories with columns at the front of the house and a gabled roof. It was huge and she found herself ridiculously happy she didn’t have such a house. Imagine, she thought to herself, how long it would take to clean something like that.
Locke leaned closer. “What’s going on in your head?”
She laughed. “I’ll tell you later.”
He shrugged and she liked that he didn’t press her for an answer. The last thing she wanted to do was look like a simpleton in front of Devlin Kerr. And she didn’t want to embarrass Locke in front of him either.
As they drove up to the porch, the front doors opened up and a blond man stepped out with a little girl in his arms.
As first impressions went, Katherine found herself liking him immediately. The little girl, Allie, she corrected herself, looked happy. She smiled and waved at the approaching car and when Graham reached the edge of the porch, he kept Allie from launching herself to the ground and running toward the car.
She nodded and smiled. She didn’t know Graham Keith personally, but he obviously cared for Allie and was as gentle with her as he was careful. “He’s a good man.”
Locke, sitting beside her, gave a single nod before opening his door and climbing out.
When he got around to her side, Katherine found herself almost vibrating with anticipation or was it nerves. The last thing she wanted to do was mess up the introduction to Allison. But Devlin had informed them that she liked to be called Allie-kat and Katherine tried to keep that foremost in her mind.
She just prayed that Allie wouldn’t hate her on sight.
A few moments later Allie launched herself into Katherine’s arms. “Hello!”
“Well, hello, Allie-kat!
Allie’s eyes went wide with shock. “You know who I am?”
She grinned down at the little girl and felt herself relaxing for the first time in days. “Just your name, but I think we have so much to learn about each other.”
Allie nodded enthusiastically, making her blonde curls bounce around her face. “Come inside and I’ll show you my room!”
Katherine hesitated. She hadn’t even introduced herself to Graham yet.
When she looked over at him, Katherine saw a bemused smile on his face.
“Be warned, Allie likes to take charge of things.”
“Oh?” Katherine looked back at the little girl. “Is that right?”
Allie nodded again. “Uncle Graham says things are so much easier when he lets me have my way.”
“Oh,” Katherine looked at the other man and saw his pained expression, “really?”
Graham cleared his throat. “Alpha or not, we’re trying to find a balance.”
Katherine saw Graham hesitate as he looked over at Locke. She could see why. Her mate wasn’t exactly smiling, but to his credit, he wasn’t exactly glaring either.
“Locke?”
Katherine saw Graham extend a hand. “There’s a video I found in the house. It’s addressed to you and me. Why don’t we start by watching that? Katherine, do you think you can let our niece order you around for a little while?”
“That sounds like great fun. Ready to show me your room, Allie-kat?”
“Duh!” The little girl wiggled out of Katherine’s arms and then grabbed a hold of her hand. “Come on!”
The room they entered was more of an in-home movie theater rather than a ‘media-room,’ but Locke didn’t say anything, he just watched.
Watched Graham. Watched himself. He was extremely aware of what this meant to all of them.
After he took his seat, Locke saw Graham move to the front of the room and turn on the electronic panel on the wall. “The Pride has its resources, and this house is one of them. From time to time the whole of our membership gathers on the grounds for events, but for the most part it’s quiet here at the house. Even when I came to visit at the holidays there isn’t a lot of activity.”
Locke nodded, smiling. “I bet Allie makes up for the lack of noise.”
The two men shared a smile.
“That she does,” Graham agreed. “I found this in my sister’s safe.” He held up a DVD. “It’s got both of our names on it. I’ve already seen it. I couldn’t wait.”
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Locke didn’t blame him. He seemed to have a good relationship with his sister, of course he’d watch something she left him.
“I think it explains the situation and you’ll probably understand my concerns at the end.”
The screen flickered to life and a picture flashed on the screen. The beautiful blonde woman sitting on the couch looked a lot like little Allie.
“That’s my sister, Alina.”
Locke nodded but made no comment. He didn’t really trust his voice. Especially when his brother entered the image and sat down beside his mate.
The connection between the two of them was undeniable. They leaned into each other for support, their hands reaching for the other’s to hold them together. It reminded him of his relationship with Katherine and that gave him some measure of relief. His brother had been happy with his mate. The two of them had been happy together. And had a child.
He mourned the brother that he never really knew, but he was also glad that Vance had found happiness with his mate.
The first few minutes had him sitting in stunned silence as Vance was the first one to talk. The things that he said really resonated with Locke. He credited the change in his life to Alina. Explained how they felt about each other and how that love had shown him that the family their mother had turned them into wasn’t a family at all. Not one built on love.
“You see, Lochlan, it didn’t take long for us to realize that my mother wasn’t happy in the background of the Pride. She had plans and those plans needed power. They needed money.”
Alina nodded. “And Ellen suggested that I focus on raising Allie and leaving the day-to-day business of the Pride in her hands.” She looked at her mate. “Your mother was never really good with ‘no’ as an answer.”
That pretty much summed it up.
Vance spoke again. “We started realizing that there was no real way to contain her, we just did our best to make her… not mad. Only now, we’re realizing that she might just have ingratiated herself to enough of our people to cause a problem. That’s why we’re making this video.
“If something happens to us, someone needs to keep Allie safe from my mother.” He let out a long, frustrated breath. “Locke? I want you to know how I felt all of these years. I felt like… I felt like I was a puppet at times and someone else was pulling the strings, but who? It never made any sense. And yet, I never understood why the thought of you brought up so much anger and even rage inside of me… things changed when Allie was born.”
Sitting beside him, Aline nodded. “For me too. I had always hated the idea that your brother left because of us. Why wouldn’t your mother put a stop to the rivalry? When we had Allie, things changed. I could see that the love your mother had for you wasn’t a selfless love.” Alina lifted a hand and touched the side of Vance’s face. There was no mistaking the tender look of love in her eyes or the fierce set of a lioness in the lines of her face. “I would do anything for Allie. You would too, Vance.”
Vance nodded and leaned into her touch, turning his head until he pressed a kiss on her palm. “My mother loves power and advancement. She was thrilled when we mated,” he shook his head, letting out a deep, shoulder shaking sigh, “but it wasn’t because I’d found you. It was because you were the Alpha. The leader of your own pride. But somehow my mother… Ellen. Somehow Ellen felt that once we were mated that I would take over. And through me-”
“She would have the power she wanted.” Alina’s voice almost ached with sympathy for her mate. She turned and nodded to Vance who turned to the camera, his jaw clenching in a way that reminded Locke of looking in a mirror.
“Brother,” he shook his head, “I never understood the canyon she carved between us. And I’m sorry I didn’t see it. I wish I could say that I hope to see you before this becomes necessary, but I think Ellen knows that we’re planning something. I can only hope that we survive it, but at least we know that she’ll keep Allie alive. She can’t hold the pack without her. Please,” he swallowed hard as he focused his attention through the lens, “we have no idea what Allie’s world will look like when we’re gone. So, we don’t know who would be better suited to take care of our cub. We’ll trust the two of you to make the decision that’s best for her.”
Alina smiled as she looked forward. “We have to trust you both. Please, love our little girl. That’s all we can ask.”
The video came to an end and Locke felt Katherine’s presence in the room. He turned and held out his hand to her. “Did you see that?”
Katherine looked at Graham and then back to Locke with a nod. “Enough of it.” She tilted her head back toward the bedroom. “Allie was going a mile a minute and then she wanted to show me her favorite pillow. A moment later and she was out like a light.”
Locke held out his hand to her and Katherine took it with a smile that only brightened when he pulled her down into his lap. “Thank you for taking care of her while we watched the video.” He brushed a few stray waves from her face and smiled at her. “I love you so damn much.”
“Are you taking her with you?”
Locke turned his head to look at the other man. Graham was every inch a strong lion shifter in his own right. Then he turned to look at Katherine.
She nodded to him and whispered a few words into his ear.
When he spoke, he spoke to Graham.
“Before we left Mystic, we had a long talk. Katherine had a firsthand experience with my mother’s anger; her evil. I can’t imagine the things she’s told the members of the Pride. I’d be lucky if she hadn’t already poisoned many of them against me.
“The last thing I want for Allie is to go through a takeover attempt if I was her guardian. Devlin told me that you’re a respected member of the Pride. I see from the comments in the video that Devlin’s assessment was right. They see you as a member, Graham. If I was here, taking care of Allie full time, they’d see me in the way that Ellen painted me and that’s not fair for that little girl.”
Graham nodded. “So, you’re saying-”
“We’d like you to raise her.”
Katherine squeezed Locke’s hand for comfort. “We would love to have you two visit us in Mystic. It really is a beautiful town, but we both know that Sylvan City is Allie’s home, and the Pride is her birthright.”
It seemed like the words hit Graham in delayed time. He went from a stoic, rock-like expression to breaking down into tears. “Thank you,” he repeated again and again, speaking into his hands as he struggled to breathe. “Thank you.”
Locke felt a huge weight fall from his shoulders. He and Katherine had been excited by the idea of raising Allie, but they both knew that Ellen’s vitriol would make it difficult and even dangerous for them to have a public role in raising her. Seeing how excited Graham was, hearing how much he cared for their niece made the choice that much easier for them.
It took a moment for Graham to compose himself, but when he did there was one more issue they had to address.
Ten
By the time they returned to Mystic the next morning, Katherine was feeling anxious. Having been extorted by the precious little girl that she could now call niece to return ‘really fast,’ they had been allowed by that same little girl to leave Sylvan City.
It had been a difficult decision on their part because they both wanted to stay, but a few pointed hints by Graham had sent them home to take care of one important thing.
Anticipation was great but waiting for something she wanted wasn’t fun for Katherine. She was the kind of child who shook her presents that were under the tree and peaked in closets looking for gifts.
Locke’s mood wasn’t making anything easier. Okay, maybe it wasn’t his mood, but those long, heated looks he gave her all the way home made her wish he’d been a shapeshifter capable of flight. It would have taken many… many hours off of their trip back to Mystic, but both of them agreed that when Locke marked her as his, they were not going to do it under another man’s roof.
When Locke put t
he car in park and turned off the engine beside their house, Katherine didn’t even wait for him to come around and open her door. She pushed open the door on the passenger side and jumped down to the ground.
Locke caught her around the waist and lifted her off of the ground, making it all but impossible for her to pull off her blouse.
“Hey!” She squirmed in his hold, but he didn’t let go. “Put me down!”
“Not yet.” She heard a bit of humor in his tone.
She managed to turn enough that she could see where they were going. “Uh, the house isn’t this way.”
Shifting his hold on her body, Locke gave her a single spank on her right cheek. “I know.”
She wanted to shout at him or give him a good, stiff glare, but she just couldn’t muster up the outrage. The swift crack had stung for a moment before melting into heat between her thighs. Still, she didn’t want to wait. For anything.
“Where are we going?”
He stopped on a dime and held her tight against his chest. “Right here, Kitten.”
Confused and more than a little aroused, it took her a moment to realize where he’d taken her.
He must have seen her eyes widen and shine brightly with recognition. “To where it all began.”
Katherine kicked off her sandals and felt the soft, verdant grass under the soles of her feet and in between her toes. It took Locke less than a heartbeat to drop his clothes to the ground and while she couldn’t find the words to express it, she knew her appreciation for his speed was written on her face.
Smiling at him, leaning toward his heat, she found her hands shaking and her heart pounding in her chest.
Locke didn’t seem to mind. “Let me.” He held out his hand and she took it.
She would never refuse the chance to hold his hand.
He pressed a kiss to each fingertip and then to her palm. Before she could focus her mind to predict his next move, he kissed the inside of her wrist. The sensation felt like a drug, lulling her into a kind of bliss that she’d never dreamed of. It felt like her pulse leapt into a faster rhythm from just that kiss alone.