BK 2 - Chapter 15 - The Brothers
As the weeks passed, Kitty and Aiden stayed in the hotel as much as possible. They had decided to keep Kitty's identity hidden from the FBI until they talked with Trey. If they couldn't reach him, then they would let the chips fall where they may.
The FBI was still putting on the news they were looking for the anonymous person who dropped off the evidence. However, they weren't letting it hold back Ricky's trial, so Kitty was breathing a little easier.
Aiden was on the verge of packing them up to go to Sacramento and look for his brother, but he knew Trey worked undercover. It would be impossible to find him if he were working a case. So they decided to wait and see what happened.
Helping people was important to Kitty and Aiden, so they'd started volunteering at a soup kitchen in Seaside. It was still in Monterey County, but where no one from his family ever went. Being there was emotional for Kitty because it wasn't long ago she was no better off than those she was serving.
She was still getting accustomed to having whatever she wanted without worrying about having enough to eat or a roof over her head. In some ways, it was overwhelming to her; in others, it was like a giant boulder had been lifted off her shoulders.
She wanted to work eventually but needed to figure out what she wanted to do. Kitty knew whatever it was, it would be something to help others.
She had started putting her art utensils to work. She did a charcoal drawing of Aiden and Harley. They both loved it because it was as though it showed how they were during shifting, half man and half lion. She also made pictures of the things she saw in Monterey. It had been a while since she was able to use real art supplies, and she found it very therapeutic to express her feelings through her art.
Kitty still hadn't decided on him marking her. She thought she would let him, but she was still nervous about the whole thing. He was supportive of her taking as long as she needed. They were basically living together, so that was enough for him while his mate came to terms with everything.
Aiden was making another trip to his parent's house in hopes of hearing something about Trey. When he got there, it looked like all hell had broken loose.
The front door was wide open, and he heard someone screaming. Aiden ran in and saw his sister Sonya on the wrong side of the large picture window in the living room, yelling in anger. It looked like she had fallen through it.
"What happened?" Aiden asked, taking in the scene.
"Trey was here and got upset because Sonya had his mate kidnapped. From what I understand, she's not hurt, but Trey threw Sonya through the window before we could stop him." Aiden looked from his parents to his sister. He would have loved to see Trey do that.
"If she kidnapped his mate, it looks like she got what she deserved. Why would she take his mate?" Aiden looked at his mom, who looked disgusted.
"He mated with a human girl and has already marked her. How could he do this to us and disgrace our family?" Gina was beyond furious with Trey. As far as she was concerned, he and his human better never step foot in her house.
"He mated with a human? Where is he now?" Aiden asked excitedly. He and Trey had both mated with humans. He wanted to talk to his brother before he got Kitty's hopes up. He knew she wanted to speak to another female about the human to werelion process, and Trey's mate may give her the perfect opportunity.
"Sonya saw them on the beach down from her beach house a few weeks ago. After he collects the human, I'm guessing he'll return there." Aiden didn't wait for his mother to finish her sentence. He ran out of the house and took off toward the hotel. He drove as quickly as he could, and when he got to the room, Kitty screamed as he burst through the door.
"You scared me. What's going on?" Aiden quickly relayed what he had found when he arrived at his parent's house. He purposely left out the part about Trey's mate being human until he saw her for himself.
"Get dressed. We're going to drive to the beach house they're renting to talk with Trey." Kitty quickly put on a pair of jeans and one of her new cashmere sweaters. She was nervous about meeting anyone in his family, but if he said this brother was nice, she trusted him.
Aiden drove to Sonya's beach house and looked for Trey's truck in the driveways near her house. He saw it a little piece down the road. He parked his car behind the truck and took a deep breath. He hadn't seen Trey in years and hoped he would be willing to help them.
"You wait here, let me talk to Trey first and then once I know it's okay, I'll come out and get you." He leaned over and gave her a soft kiss. Kitty smiled at him when he pulled away.
"Okay, I love you."
"I love you too." He gave her one last kiss to give himself courage.
After what happened to his mate, he knew Trey might not be happy to see anyone from the family. Aiden walked to the door and knocked. He waited a few minutes and felt relief when he saw his brother, who looked like a taller version of himself, looking back at him.
"Aiden, what are you doing here?" Trey looked surprised but not hostile, so Aiden felt a sliver of hope.
"I'm sorry to bother you, but can I come in for a minute? I need to talk to you about something." Aiden watched as his brother studied him for a second before holding the door open.
Trey led him to the living room, and they each took a seat. Aiden was a couple of inches shorter than Trey with the same dark blonde hair. The only difference was Aiden's eyes were blue, and Trey's were hazel.
"What did you want to talk about? My mate is waiting on me, and I'm sure you heard that we haven't had the best morning." Aiden could tell his brother was impatient, but he and Kitty needed him.
"Yes, I heard what happened, and that's why I'm here. No one knows this, but I've also found my mate." He saw a look of confusion pass over Trey's face.
"Congratulations, but why have you kept this a secret?"
"My mate Kittana is a human. I love her, but I'm afraid our family will treat us how they treated you and your mate. I don't know what to do. A part of me wants to leave here and start over somewhere away from all this. I see now why you preferred the company of humans over shifters."
Trey smiled as he got up and sat next to Aiden on the couch. He felt his weariness leave him as he and Trey hugged. He wasn't ready to say anything about the Ricky and FBI mess yet; they would cross that bridge later.
"You don't have to stay here. You can do whatever you want. Does your mate live in this area?" Aiden didn't want to reveal anything about Kitty's past and homelessness, so he decided to be vague.
"No, she lives near San Francisco but has no family, so she's willing to go anywhere."
"Let me go get Cat. I want to discuss something with you, but I want to check with her first." He nodded as Trey ran up the stairs. Aiden was anxious to meet the woman who had tamed his brother.
When they came downstairs, Aiden stood up. The small woman next to Trey was gorgeous. She was small like Kitty, with long silky black hair and the palest blue eyes he'd ever seen. She smiled kindly at him, making him feel warm all over. Something about her made him feel completely at ease already.
"Hi, Aiden. I'm Cat." She held her hand out to him, and he shook it as he smiled at her.
"Nice to meet you, Cat. So you were already a Cat, and now you're a lioness? My mate's name is Kittana, but everyone calls her Kitty." They all laughed that the two human mates already had names that showed they were destined to be werelions.
"If you and Kittana are willing, you can return to Sacramento with us. I'm staying with Cat, so you can have my apartment if you'd like. That way, you can have time to decide what you want to do and get away from here. Also, Cat is starting a group home for abused children, and we could use all the help we can get." Aiden stared at the couple in disbelief. He felt like crying with happiness.
"That sounds like a great idea. Thank you both. Let me get Kitty so you can meet her as well. She's waiting in the car." He ran out the door and to the car with a smile. Kitty saw him coming and felt herself relax. If he was happy, it had to be good.
"Trey and his mate have an idea. Let's go inside so you can meet them." Aiden pulled her out of the car and back to the house. Kitty was surprised when she saw the pair for the first time. Trey looked like Aiden, only taller, and Cat was absolutely beautiful.
"Trey, Cat, this is my mate Kittana."
"Hi, Kittana; it's nice to meet you," Cat said pleasantly. Kitty felt herself relax, looking at Cat. She felt she had known her for years, even though they had just met.
