by Moxie North
Pushing himself up, Kellan tried to even consider what that would mean. “You can’t do that. Can you?”
“It’s rare. But if you were Kindred, we’d have to decide which Clan to join.”
“But I’m not Kindred, that’s what makes this easy. I go to Dagaz, right?”
“Usually, yes. But sometimes, depending on circumstances, you can move.”
“Eden, honey, your family is in your Clan. Your friends, why would you leave that behind?”
She gave him a shy smile. “My family is my family. KSI is my family, and now you’re my family. I want to join your Clan. The one that has become part of who you are.”
Kellan felt a lump in his throat. She’d called Odal his Clan. Like he was Kindred. “I––would they let you do that?”
“I have to open a negotiation. My Clan Head would need to contact Ritch. They’d discuss it and consult the Crones. If everyone is in agreement, then yes. Once I join Odal, I can present you as a mate. Then you’ll be Odal too. Forever.”
“Eden, I’d be proud to join Dagaz for you. I don’t want your family to resent me.”
Eden laughed and shook her head. Looking at him with loving eyes, she said, “They wouldn’t resent you. They would want me to be happy. And part of that would be knowing that you and I are together. You can still work for Odal, and being a member they would afford you much more freedom to work away from their offices. You could go on tour with Bliss and me. LA isn’t a bad place if you don’t mind the constant sunshine and detox juice cleanses.”
Kellan had to think for a moment. Never in a million years did he think he could be part of any Clan, let alone the one he’d grown up around. It was like the universe had set everything in motion to end up with him being right where he started. Just happier, in love, and vindicated.
“I really want to say this is a terrible idea, because it makes me feel selfish for being so excited by the idea. If you can be happy with Odal then I can’t say no.”
“I’ll be happy with you. My family stays the same, my job stays the same, and my love for you stays the same. I just get to join a predominantly lupine Clan. That should be fun,” she said with a grin.
“Damn, I love you, honey.” Kellan would never again doubt that someone bigger than him had a plan for his happiness. He was going to take his lucky ass and enjoy every minute of his life with Eden.
“You are my forever, Kellan.” Eden stared into his eyes, the connection between them snapping together like a chain that would only grow stronger every moment they were together.
Kellan kissed her gently, reverently, sealing them with a kiss that would always feel like their first.
Epilogue
“Let me get this straight, you’re leaving us?” Cora stood glaring at her. Van’s mate had her hands full, with two glasses of wine in each fist, and a bottle under her arm.
“I’m not leaving, I’m relocating, temporarily,” Eden said.
“She’s leaving us, she’s a horrible friend,” Piper sniffed.
Eden had flown back to Seattle with Kellan. He’d braved the meeting with King and he’d told her later that he’d come out feeling shorter than when he went in. Eden knew the sense of power that emanated from King and how intimidating he could be. Her own first meeting with him put her bear on alert. Now she knew he was just a big teddy bear, at least to the people he liked. He was able to meet Anson, Van, Hudson, and the rest of her KSI family. He’d held his own and earned respect from the guys. He didn’t even flinch when each of them threatened him with pain and dismemberment if he ever harmed Eden in any way. She loved that they always had her back.
Then she introduced him to her family. She had warned her brothers to not scare him and not make him regret being her mate, but her family did her proud; they had welcomed him with open arms, literally. Each of her four brothers took turns picking him up in literal bear hugs as they pounded on his back and welcomed him to the family. They shared a huge meal then she asked Kellan if he’d mind taking the nieces and nephews in the other room for a movie. She kept baby Zelda in her arms to give her courage.
That was when she broke the news that she was thinking of changing Clans. After the shock wore off, and the small amount of disagreement a few of her brothers tried to put up, the family settled, or at least were resigned to her decision. They were sad but all swore they understood how hard her choice would be and they supported her. She couldn’t have loved them more.
“I’m still working for KSI, I’m just going to be… homeless for a while,” Eden explained. With her schedule the way it was, she lived out of a suitcase and kept a few things at her parents’ house. Her nomadic lifestyle was going to continue for a while, it seemed.
“Hello, am I late?” Nadia, the KSI receptionist, peeked her head through the door to Cora’s closet.
Eden couldn’t get over the size of the ridiculous closet that Cora used for clothes, but she loved the fact that it had also turned into a hangout. Her mate, Van, had installed low couches along the back wall so she and her girlfriends could gather in privacy. Eden was invited after Piper, Anson’s wife, had joined the KSI family. This was the first time they’d included Nadia, not that they didn’t like her, they just didn’t think she would show. And to their surprise she almost looked excited to be there.
Cora jumped up. “Of course not! Glad you could make it.”
Nadia handed a bag over to her she was carrying. Looking like she had just come from the office, she was still dressed in a crisp suit.
“Thank you for inviting me,” she said nervously.
Eden patted a cushion next to her. “Come sit by me, Nadia. This is a girl’s only domain.”
Nadia kneeled down beside her. “You know the guys are out there right now, don’t you?”
Piper let out a snort. “Yeah, did they ask you to spy on us?”
Nadia frowned. “They did! They also said If I wasn’t comfortable I could come watch football with them and they’d let me have the remote if I reported back what you were talking about. I’d never do that, you know.”
Cora flopped down on the low couch. “We know. I’ve started sweeping the room for bugs. They just can’t get over not knowing what’s going on.”
“I hope they are being nice to Kellan. He’s had a long couple of days.”
“Please, he made it through your brothers, he can make it through our mates,” Piper said grinning.
“Pussycats,” Eden agreed.
“So, back to you leaving us,” Cora said.
“I’m not leaving. I’m having my Clan Head start negotiation to allow me to switch Clans. It’s no different than if Kellan was Kindred.”
“But he’s not,” Nadia said seriously.
“No, but we’d have to choose if he was, and Odal is, for all intents and purposes, his Clan. I’m not leaving my Clan because I’m unhappy. I’m leaving for love. I think that the Great Mother will understand.”
“No presentation ceremony then?” Piper asked. “I loved mine. What a party!”
“Not until I have a Clan to present him to,” Eden sighed. “That could take some time.”
“What about getting married?” Nadia asked, sipping the wine that Cora handed her.
Eden shrugged, they’d talked about it briefly, but they didn’t see the point with everything else up in the air. “We just don’t see the need right now. We have this,” she said covering her mate mark with her hand. “That’s all we need.” Eden knew that Kellan felt the same, she’d catch him touching his mark and they’d make eye contact and smile at each other like besotted fools.
Nadia let out a long sigh. “That’s just like in that book you loaned me, Her Kindred Knight. I love all of Delilah Grant’s books. I’ve been reading them at home.” Nadia said this with a whisper like it was naughty.
“Be proud of your love of Kindred romance!” Eden said. “I used to hide that shit from the guys. Didn’t want them to think me soft. Now, I don’t give a flying fuck what they think. Being mated has really loo
sened me up,” she grinned.
“Well, as long as you visit frequently. I want you to meet this little one when it’s born,” Cora said rubbing her belly.
“I’ll be here. I have to go to LA and try to make peace with Bliss’s mom and evil manager. Kellan has already started back at work with Odal trying to track where the money went. It’s making him feel better to be on this side of the investigation.”
“I bet, that whole thing sucked!” Piper said a little wine drunk already.
“He’s tough, he made it through,” Eden said proudly.
“Oh! That reminds me. I had something made up for us. It will drive the guys crazy.” Cora jumped up as much as her belly would allow and pulled open a drawer in the all-white closet. She pulled out five shirts all in a pretty plum color. Holding one up, she was grinning crazily over the neckline.
Eden cocked her head to the side. The front said KSISI in a script font. “Okay…” Eden said. Then Cora flipped them over. On the back it said, KSI Sisters Incorporated.
“King is going to love that,” Eden said with a laugh.
“Oh, dear,” Nadia said, chugging her wine.
“I love it,” Piper jumped up and grabbed one.
Cora handed them out. “Clubhouse rules. You don’t have to wear the shirt, but you can if you want. What goes down in the closet, what’s said in the closet, does not leave the closet. No mates, no sharing, this is our vault of secrecy. Agreed?”
“Agreed!” Piper said, pulling the shirt over her head.
“I’m in,” Eden said, taking hers.
They looked at Nadia who was fingering the shirt. She glanced up with a small smile on her lips. “I can keep secrets.”
Eden looked around to the woman that would be her future. They were becoming her family too. She couldn’t have been luckier. She had a man who adored her, a job she loved, and a new Clan to prove herself in. The Great Mother and the Crones knew what they were doing.
Fannie slapped her hand down on her desk. “I knew she was up to something!”
The faces of her sister Crones looked back at her from her computer screen.
“We don’t know that there is anything to worry about,” Ida chided.
“Don’t we? Humans attacking Kindred? Are we back in the Dark Ages?” Betty said, throwing her hands up.
“This stinks. They’re still planning on marrying Harlow off to that sad sack Ollie. I don’t like it.” Fannie crossed her arms defiantly.
“We have to believe her that she is doing what’s best,” Mary, ever the optimist, offered.
“And if she’s not? If this doesn’t have anything to do with what the Great Mother wants? How do we handle this? I have never heard of a Crone not providing conscientious guidance for her Clan. It’s an honor what we do. It’s who we are. How can she be taking a selfish route?” Fannie sighed and rubbed her forehead.
Velma cleared her throat before offering, “We won’t know. But I do know that we aren’t done yet in New York.”
“Really? What have you seen?” Ruth asked, her face much too close to her screen.
Velma stared hard at her sisters. “I saw night and day, sunset and sunrise. I saw the two passing, but never meeting in the same sky. It was as if they were bound together yet pushing away from one another. It has to be with Harlow. I had a dream about her mother, Great Mother rest her soul. Her beautiful face was pleading with me, tears in her eyes. I’m not sure what she wanted from me, but there is much discord in Clan Odal. The Clan Varou Crone agreed to meet with me and discuss Odal. But I don’t like doing it behind Saria’s back.”
Ida let out a moan. “I don’t think we have a choice about hurting feelings right now. My gut tells me that we have a lot of challenges ahead. I just hope that we’re all ready for what’s to come.”
The women nodded and took a moment each to pause and contemplate the future. It was coming and it wasn’t going to be smooth sailing for anyone.
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