Chapter 60 - Family
Cat woke up and could tell it was already early afternoon. When she stretched, she felt Saira purring inside her. She was still getting used to having a lion, but she wasn't as freaked out about it as she'd expected.
She turned so she could look at Trey, who was still sound asleep. As she stared at him, Cat began to worry. She was on a shot to keep from getting pregnant but would it still work when she is now a werelion?
*"No, it won't work, so you can stop getting those shots. Now that you have transitioned, you don't need anything to prevent pregnancy. You can only get pregnant when we go into heat."* Saira yawned tiredly after she answered Cat's silent question.
*"Saira, do you know when we'll go into heat? Does it usually happen quickly after being fully mated?"* She still needed clarification about the whole going into heat thing. All she could picture was a house cat rubbing against any male cat it came into contact with. She didn't want to be rubbing against random men. Saira's laughter brought her out of her thoughts.
*"Cat, it's not like that. You'll need Trey when you go into heat, but you won't be desiring every man you see. Your mate is the only one who can take care of your heat enough to satisfy you. I don't know when it will happen, but you can expect it any time now, most likely within the next month."*
Cat understood enough to know that if she and Trey had sex during her heat with no protection, she would get pregnant. She wanted to have cubs but wasn't sure she was ready to have them now. As she was lying there, lost in thought, she felt Trey move, and she looked up at him as his eyes opened.
"Good morning, beautiful." He said in his deep, sleepy voice.
"It's afternoon, handsome. We didn't go to sleep until the sun was up. I guess we should be getting ready so we can prepare for Aiden and Kittana." Cat kissed his cheek as she smiled. She didn't want to leave his arms but knew the others would be there in a few hours.
"I think we should cancel and just stay in bed. I know I could go for another couple of rounds." Trey rolled over until she was trapped underneath him.
"No, we promised them a homemade dinner, and I always keep my promises." Cat was getting breathless as Trey kissed her lips, followed by the spot where he marked her, getting her wet instantly. He nipped and sucked the area as she arched her back, moaning in pleasure.
"Cat, your mouth says no, but your body says yes. So which is going to win?" She was ready to protest, but his mouth moved lower to her breast, and she forgot what she was protesting against.
They finally got out of bed an hour later and took a shower. After they quickly dressed, they unloaded their luggage from the truck and ran to the store so Cat could pick up the things she needed for dinner. She was making steaks, loaded baked potatoes, salad and rolls. She was also going to make brownies for dessert.
When they got home, she started preparing the food while Trey unpacked their things from Monterey. Despite what happened while they were there, she couldn't wait to go back. Trey walked into the kitchen with a smile.
"Cat, I have some news for you. I just received a phone call that your mother's remains have arrived in Sacramento, and they're on the way to the burial site. If you would like, we can go there tomorrow to plant the lilac bushes and make sure the headstone is correct." She looked at Trey in surprise.
"She's here? That was fast. I can't believe I actually get to visit her." Cat felt something inside her change that made her feel free. She'd been waiting for this final piece in order to get closure, and now she would have it. She ran over to Trey and wrapped her arms around him.
"Thank you for coming into my life, loving me, making all of my dreams come true, and being the most fantastic man in the entire world. For a girl growing up not believing in love or having any hope of a future, you have given me all that and more. I can now hug others without fear and carry on casual conversations without feeling like I don't belong. You have given me the strength to fight for the things I want rather than accept my fate. I love you."
Cat pulled him down so she could kiss him. She could never thank him enough for all he'd given her, but she would spend the rest of her life trying.
They stood in the kitchen, hugging each other as they thought of everything they had been through from the first encounter at the hospital until now. So much had changed, but it was all for the good. A knock on the door pulled them apart.
Trey went to let Aiden and Kittana in while Cat went back to the kitchen. She smiled as the trio walked toward her. She was pulling the baked potatoes out of the oven and sticking the brownies in.
"Hello, you didn't have trouble finding us, did you? I know if I drove myself, I would still get lost." Aiden and Kittana both smiled at her in greeting.
"No, our GPS was on point. It's really beautiful out here." Aiden walked over and looked out the back door at the massive backyard.
"Come outside with me, Aiden." Trey led him out the door, giving Cat a wink. He knew she wanted to talk to Kittana alone.
"How was the apartment, Kittana?" Cat asked as she started pulling things out of the refrigerator to place on the table.
"It was great. It's nice to enjoy time with Aiden without worrying someone will find out. Can I ask you something, Cat?" She looked down, worried she might be crossing the line when she had just met her. However, she wanted to talk to Cat without the men around.
"You can ask me anything you want. After all, we're almost sisters?" Cat smiled to ease her nervousness.
"How did you handle going from a human to a werelion? I'm still having trouble understanding how this is all possible." Cat understood perfectly what she meant.
"It wasn't easy. To find out we live in a completely different world than we thought, where there are shifters, vampires, witches, and who knows what else. At first, it felt like all the monsters from the children's books had come to life. However, after talking with Trey and seeing how he is, I came to understand that even though all of these things are out there, most of them are good. If they were all bad, we humans would have known about them. I took it one day at a time, and Trey didn't mark me until I was ready and sure that this was the life I wanted."
"Aiden has been the same with me. He's giving me time to process everything, but when I think about turning into a lion, it scares me. Yet when I think about being without Aiden, that scares me even more. Do you feel like you're no longer you after you got your lioness?" Kittana hoped Cat knew what she was asking.
"I had the same worry about having another thing living inside of me, so to speak, but it's not like that at all. Saira and I are more partners. We have our own personalities and ideas. I'm still me, and she's still her, but we're stronger together. Does that make sense?" Cat didn't know if she was describing it correctly, but Saira said she was doing fine.
"Yes, I know what you mean. Thank you. I feel better being able to talk to someone who was also human. I wanted to ask you about your group home too. What made you decide to open a home for abused children?" Cat watched as Kittana looked away, and she knew she was right; Kittana was like her in more ways than one.
"I was abused as a child, starting at the age of six. I was placed in a group home when I was twelve, but it did nothing to help me. I want to make a place for children to feel safe and call home where they can get the help they need." Cat decided to leave it at that; no need to give her all the details.
Kittana looked at Cat with wide eyes. She would have never thought the strong independent woman she was looking at had a broken childhood. She felt comfortable opening up to her even more.
"I grew up in foster care from the time I was four. I had so many foster families I lost count. Some of them were nice, and I didn't want to leave. Others were terrible, some worse than others, depending on what form of abuse they wanted to dish out. When I turned eighteen last year, I aged out of foster care and was put on the streets. I have been living in different shelters, hotels, or on the street since that time. Aiden came across me one day when he was in San Francisco. We stayed in a hotel in Monterey until we could decide what to do because he was worried about his family. He's the only one I've ever said anything about my childhood to besides you. So you see, when you and Trey helped us, it gave us real hope that everything would be okay."
Kittana had tears running down her face as she looked at Cat. For the first time in her life, she felt like she had a friend who was a kindred spirit and understood what it was like not to have a happy childhood. Cat walked over and smiled.
"Kittana, can I hug you?" She nodded at her through her tears. When Cat hugged her, Kittana felt all the anxiety and fear she had been holding onto for years begin to leave her body.
"Cat, why did you ask if you could hug me? Most people would have just done it and not care whether you wanted it." Kittana pulled away from her new friend with a smile as she wiped away her tears.
"Up until recently, I couldn't be touched at all. No one had given me a kind touch since my mother died when I was six. I would never touch someone without their permission because I know how painful it can be. Trey and I are going to try and see the house we're buying for the group home. Would you like to come and see it with us? I would really like your input Kittana." Cat walked over to the oven and pulled the brownies out just as the two men came back into the house.
"Yes, that would be great. Please call me Kitty." The women finished setting the table, and they all sat down to eat. The conversation stayed on the lighter side, with Aiden and Trey telling stories of growing up. Cat and Kitty laughed at how Aiden would play pranks on his older siblings, but being the youngest, he always got away with it.
When they left later that evening, they all felt connected and happy. Cat and Kitty felt as though they had found a sister. Trey and Aiden felt as though they had rediscovered each other as brothers. It was the beginning of a positive future for all of them.
