BK 4 - Chapter 50 - Now I See
Kiersten was scared to open her eyes. She'd been dreaming about seeing Alex and everyone else, but now that the time had come, she was worried she would still be blind. She felt someone rubbing Malia's fur.
"Open your eyes, sweetheart." When she heard Alex's voice, she took a deep breath. It was now or never. Kiersten slowly opened her eyes, and at first, she thought she was still blind, but it was just the bright sunlight shining on her face. Once her eyes adjusted, she saw a group of people staring at her. She still didn't think it was real.
Suddenly, the one person she'd imagined seeing the most was right in front of her. He was smiling at her, and she felt like crying. Alex was even more handsome than she had imagined.
"Can you see me?" He asked. Kiersten wanted to speak but knew she couldn't while she was a bear. Malia nodded her head up and down to let him know Kiersten could see him. Alex wrapped his arms around Malia's neck. She was a beautiful grizzly with dark brown fur that had hints of red in it.
"You're beautiful. Let me introduce you to everyone." Alex turned to the family with tears in his eyes. "She can see us."
Everyone started cheering as they ran off the porch over to Malia. Kiersten was crying as she looked at each person she'd spoken to but had never seen. Lisa looked into Malia's eyes with tears running down her face. Kiersten couldn't believe how beautiful she was, it was a little intimidating.
"I'm so glad my sister gets to see me now. I have something I want to show you." Lisa held up her phone with a picture of Alex and Kiersten. "I figured you haven't seen yourself, so this is one I took of you and Alex when you first met."
Kiersten couldn't believe she was looking at herself. She knew her hair was red and her skin was pale, but that was all. Seeing how she looked now was incredible. She had to admit she was pretty, almost beautiful. Kiersten suddenly felt like she belonged with Alex and his incredible family. She wasn't the ugly duckling she had always thought.
Each person came up to her, and Kiersten could hardly see through her tears. After years of having no one, this amazing family had welcomed her with open arms, and she was finally getting to see them. She knew that may not be important to some people, but it was for her. Kiersten's birth mother blinded her, taking away something that would have let her lead a normal life. Alex had given that back to her. She wanted to stay as Malia, but she needed to talk to Alex.
*"Can we shift back?"* She asked her bear. Malia nudged Alex, pulling on his clothes so he would know what she wanted. Lisa ran into the house and came back out with some clothes. She then made everyone go inside so Kiersten could shift.
*"This won't hurt like it did before,"* Malia said. Kiersten waited, and when everything went black, she knew she was back to human.
"Alex?" She asked.
"I'm right here. Malia is incredible," He said as he pulled a shirt over her head. Kiersten put on the panties and shorts Lisa had brought and then threw her arms around Alex.
"I finally got to see you. You're so handsome," Kiersten said against his neck. Alex smiled as he held her tight.
"You're the one that's beautiful, angel. Now that you can shift and your transition is complete, are you ready to mark me?" He asked, kissing her so deeply it took her breath away. Kiersten giggled when he pulled away.
"Yes. Can we do it now?" She asked excitedly. Alex pulled her to the pool house and into their bedroom. Once inside, he stripped their clothes off and sat on the edge of the bed with Kiersten straddling his lap.
"I didn't think we had to be naked for me to mark you." She said, running her hands over his muscled back.
"We don't, but after you mark me, I want to spend some alone time with my mate so I can show her how much I love every inch of her gorgeous body." Alex ran his hands up her thighs, over her hips, and onto her back. Kiersten shivered from the sparks that she loved so much from his touch. When she felt his erection below her, she shifted slightly so she was positioned just right for him.
"What do I need to do to mark you?" Kiersten asked. Alex groaned as she rubbed over his tip.
"Bite my neck, sweetheart, and release your venom." Alex tilted his head and gently pulled her head to the right spot. Kiersten followed her instincts and hoped she was doing it right since she couldn't see. As she bit down, Alex pulled her hips, so she slid onto him. Kiersten felt their bodies connecting in so many ways that it was overwhelming. When she pulled back from his neck, he kissed her.
*"Now you're mine."* She heard Alex's voice in her head. As she started moving on him, she felt tingly all over.
*"I love you,"* Kiersten mindlinked as she began to pick up the pace.
*"I love you too."* Alex lay back on the bed and watched his mate ride him. He had never seen a more beautiful sight, and now she was all his.
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Lisa watched Alex and Kiersten go to the pool house. She and Jayce were going to stay in the main house that night so they could have the pool house to themselves.
Adelma was still in her room with Valerie, and Lisa didn't want to interrupt them. Wesley was working on the language for the laws they wanted to put in place. They planned to work on getting them passed in the United States and then present them all over the world.
Lisa started wondering about her birth father. Adelma was human, so who was the werelion that impregnated her. Was he her fated mate or someone else? She felt Jayce wrap his arms around her from behind as she was lost in thought.
"Are you doing okay?" He asked, kissing her cheek. Lisa leaned against him with a small smile.
"Yeah. Now that we found Adelma, I'm wondering about my birth father. She's human, so he has to be a werelion. I wonder where he is. Did he ever look for her or me?" Lisa sighed. She wondered if Adelma remembered anything about him.
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Adelma took a long hot shower as soon as Valerie showed her to her room. Cold showers with multiple people watching were all she'd had since being in Sycamore Place. Her body was starting to feel halfway normal again. When she got out, she put on the silky soft lounge pants and shirt Valerie had given her. Adelma felt guilty that they kept doing things for her. They had accepted her with no questions asked. She would find a way to repay their kindness one day.
When she walked out of the bathroom, Valerie was still there setting up a tray on a small table. Adelma's mouth began watering when she saw the homemade chicken soup and bread. At the facility, they had barely given them enough food to survive, and most of it wasn't meant for human consumption.
"I didn't know what you liked, so I thought we'd start with this," Valerie said with a smile. Adelma smiled back. She couldn't remember the last time she smiled. There had been nothing to smile about since the day her baby was taken.
"This is perfect. Thank you for the food and everything," Adelma said, as she took a seat. She wasn't used to being able to move around without someone watching her or telling her what to do.
"You're welcome. When Cat called and said they were able to get you out of there, I wanted to make sure you were comfortable. I know that place is horrendous, and if we'd known you were there all this time, we would have gotten you out sooner. We just learned about you yesterday evening." Adelma almost spit her food out at what Valerie said.
"You only found out about me yesterday evening and were already able to get me out of there? How is that possible?" She asked softly, taking another bite of the delicious soup.
"Our family has some special talents, and helping those that need it the most is one of them." Valerie smiled as she sat in the chair next to Adelma.
"Does everyone here know Lisa is a lion?" Adelma asked cautiously.
"Yes. Other than me and a few of the men out there, they are all shifters. Melanie is a lion, and Saxon is a vampire. Lisa's brother Alex is a grizzly. We also have wolves, panthers, and tigers in the family. You can say that we're diverse." Valerie chuckled. Adelma was impressed. She hadn't known any other shifters other than Lisa's birth father.
"I'm human too. When I told the people at the hospital about my cub and her father being a lion, they thought I was crazy. Once they put me in that place, I had to pretend to be crazy so they didn't make me insane." Adelma replied softly. She wondered what happened to the man that got her pregnant. She had always hoped he would come looking for her, but he never did. Valerie put her hand on Adlema's gently.
"We know the truth. You're safe here with us. You've been through more than most people in two lifetimes." Valerie could tell Adelma was still scared, and she understood.
"Do you think they may be able to find Lisa's birth father?" Adelma asked. She didn't know if it was fair to ask, but she had this burning desire to know why he disappeared.
"Maybe. We can certainly ask. Do you remember his name?" Valerie asked as she took a sip of tea. Her cup almost slipped from her hands when Adelma told her who Lisa's birth father was.
"Derrick Klausen."
