BK 4 - Chapter 16 - Meeting Remy
Alex led Kiersten off the porch and down into the yard. He let go of her hand and took his clothes off.
"Remy will make a sound after I shift to let you know he's there. Don't be scared. He won't hurt you." Alex said. He could see the excitement on her face.
"I'm not scared. This is incredible." Kiersten responded anxiously. She couldn't wait to touch Remy. In her wildest dreams, she never thought she would be petting a bear.
Alex smiled at her response. How was it possible that he had been gifted such a perfect mate? Remy was getting impatient, so he quickly shifted.
Kiersten held her breath as she waited. When she heard a light growl, she knew Remy was there. She was unsure what to do, so she held her hand out.
"Hi, Remy. I'm happy to meet you." Kiersten felt fur touch her hand. She rubbed a little and realized she was touching Remy's head. She walked slowly, running her hands down his back and over his side to get a feel for his massive size.
"Wow, you're really big. I wish I could see you. I bet you're magnificent," Kiersten said as she walked around the bear, keeping her hands on him at all times. She heard a noise from the porch.
"Holy crap. Is that Alex?" Breanne asked, looking at the large grizzly that Kiersten was petting. Jayce and Lisa came out with her.
"Yeah, that's his bear, Remy. He's a big softy." Lisa said. Remy growled at her lightly, making Kiersten laugh.
"I think you're tough." She said, scratching behind the bear's ear. He licked her face with his enormous tongue as she giggled.
"He's huge," Jayce said, not getting too close. He was still trying to process this amazing family he was now part of.
"Alright, Alex, come back so we can finish going through Grandpa's file. If you don't want me to tell Kiersten anything embarrassing about you, I suggest you hurry up." Remy growled at Lisa as she laughed. "Breanne, Jayce, let's go inside. Seeing Alex naked isn't something any of us want."
"What do you mean?" Kiersten asked in confusion. Lisa turned with a smirk.
"Oh, didn't Alex tell you? He has to take his clothes off when he shifts so they don't shred. He was standing out here in the yard with nothing on but his birthday suit." Lisa laughed as she went inside while Remy growled. Kiersten felt her face flaming, even though she couldn't see Alex when he had stood in front of her naked. She wondered what running her hands over his body would feel like. As she rubbed her hand on Remy's head, she noticed it had changed from fur to hair.
"Alex?" She asked as she touched his hair again.
"Yes, it's me. I shifted back." He answered, taking her hand. He swore he was going to pay Lisa back.
"Uh, are you naked?" She questioned, feeling her face get hot again.
"Yes. Let me get dressed, and then we can go inside." Alex tried to let go of her hand, but Kiersten stopped him. He looked at her and saw her biting her lip nervously.
"Is everything alright?" He asked.
"Yeah, I just wanted to know if I could touch you." For once, Kiersten was glad she couldn't see his face.
"Where do you want to touch me?" Alex asked hoarsely, temporarily forgetting that he was standing naked in the yard with his sister and the others just inside.
Kiersten raised her hands and started at his neck. She ran her hands over his chest and abdomen, trying to learn every inch of him. She walked around to run her hands over his back.
Alex felt like his body was on fire from her soft touch. It was taking everything in him not to get aroused. When she returned to his front, her hands were dangerously low, making him shiver.
"I think that's good for now," Kiersten said breathlessly. She had wanted to touch more but thought waiting until they were somewhere more private would be better. Alex quickly put his clothes on and then took her hand.
"You can touch me anytime you want." He said before kissing her softly. Kiersten smiled when he pulled back.
"Don't tempt me." She replied as they walked into the house.
"Well, look who finally decided to grace us with his presence. I take it she's accepted you, and everything is all rainbows and roses." Lisa teased her brother, who glared at her.
"One day, when you least expect it, I will pay you back," Alex said as he helped Kiersten into a chair at the table. He took the one next to her as Lisa stuck her tongue out at him.
"While you were outside doing a little show and tell, we separated Grandpa's research. We have news articles, case files, and his notes. We need a lot more, but we have to be careful. We've noticed that there are those that don't like people sniffing around, questioning what they're doing. In everything we've read, people have gone missing if they've spoken against those killing or torturing shifters, vampires, or witches. Grandpa noticed the same thing, and it's in his notes. I think the best thing to do is take this stuff to Wesley and have him go through it with us." Lisa said as she glanced around at everyone else.
"Who's Wesley?" Jayce asked. Everything they had read in the file had sickened him. It also hurt him that most of what they read hadn't seemed to surprise Lisa.
"He's our uncle, and he worked for INTERPOL. He still helps them with the division he created to protect shifters, vampires, and witches from being trafficked. I give him a hard time, but he's a good guy," Lisa answered. "Grandma Cat wants us to go to her house for dinner tonight."
Alex could tell in Lisa's smirk that she was testing him. He glanced at Kiersten and saw her biting her lip. He realized she did that when she was nervous.
"Kiersten, are you okay with having dinner with our family?" He asked. When he saw her sigh in relief, he realized she had been nervous they would go without her. He was going to make it clear that she was his mate and would never be alone or left behind again.
"I would love to. Will they be okay with me going?" She asked. Kiersten had expected Alex to tell her he would drop her off at her hotel, but she didn't want to be away from him. When he asked her to go with them, she felt relieved and nervous at the same time. What if they didn't like her?
"Trust me, Grandma Cat's motto is the more the merrier. Once you meet her, you'll be part of the family whether you want to be or not. She has a way about her that makes everyone love her immediately." Alex replied with a chuckle.
They put everything back into the file and prepared to leave. Lisa and Jayce planned on returning to the pool house, so they left their things there. Kiersten sat in the front of the SUV with Alex while the others sat in the back.
"Are your grandparents shifters too?" Kiersten asked.
"Grandpa Trey is a werelion, Grandma Cat is a werelion caladrius hybrid, Grandpa Thatcher and Grandma Janel are vampires. Our family is a mixture of everything." Alex replied.
"It must have been nice growing up with such a large family," Kiersten said softly. She had always dreamed about being adopted into a family that would love her.
"It was nice most of the time. Sometimes I would get overwhelmed by too much noise. That's when Grandpa Roger would take me somewhere quiet." Alex said as they pulled into the driveway. He saw his parents were there too. At least he could introduce Kiersten to everyone at the same time. He helped her out of the vehicle and led her to the porch.
Kiersten could hear people talking as they went up the steps. When they walked into the house, her mouth began watering. Whatever they were cooking smelled delicious.
"Hi, everyone. I want to introduce you to my mate Kiersten," Alex said as they walked into the kitchen. Cat, Valerie, Melanie, Saxon, Trey, Kitty, and Aiden turned to them.
"You found your mate? That's wonderful," Cat walked over to the couple with a smile. She took Kiersten's hand.
"It's nice to meet you, sweetheart. I'm Cat, or Grandma Cat, whatever you prefer." Kiersten felt her apprehension leave as soon as Cat took her hand.
"It's nice to meet you." She replied quietly. Everyone introduced themselves, and Kirsten began to relax. They were all kind and treated her like one of the family.
"Hey, everyone," Jade said as she entered the house with a young man. It was almost her eighteenth birthday, and she couldn't wait. She would be going to college in the fall.
"Hi honey," Cat said, kissing Jade's cheek and eyeing the man at her side.
"This is my friend, Scott," She answered everyone's unasked question. He wasn't her mate; he was just someone she hung out with sometimes.
"Hello, it's nice to meet you all. Jade has told me a lot about all of you," Scott said, shaking everyone's hand.
Kiersten's smile froze on her face. She knew that voice. Why was he there? She began shaking with fear. Please don't let him see her. She clutched Alex's hand tightly as tears stung her eyes. Was he part of this family? Had she made a mistake coming here?
