“I love you.” Shock registers on her face before she hugs me.
“Truly?”
“To infinity and beyond,” I whisper in her ear.
She chuckles at my Toy Story reference. “I love you, too.”
Callyn
It doesn’t take us long to reach my house. There is a moving van and a candy apple red SUV in the driveway when we pull up. I glance up, and my aunt is standing in the doorway of the front door giving directions to the movers. I can feel the tears welling up in my eyes at just the sight of her. She hasn’t changed a bit. Her long, brown hair is pin straight and pulled back into a ponytail. I’m actually surprised that she is wearing jeans and not her fifties style skirts she loves. She looks young and youthful in her t-shirt and sneakers. I didn’t realize how much I’ve missed her until now. I unbuckle myself and bolt out of the car, not bothering to close the door behind me. I take off at a run.
“Aunt Dahlia,” is the only warning I give her right before I launch myself at her. I wrap my arms around her as tight as I can, letting the tears flow. She hugs me back just as tight. “I’ve missed you so much.” She pulls back and cups my face. She is crying just as much as I am.
“Oh, sweet pea, I’ve missed you too.” She pulls me back in for another hug. I couldn’t tell you how long we hugged each other. I feel a hand touch the small of my back. I pull back and see the boys are standing nearby. My aunt follows my line of sight, “and who are these handsome young men?”
I clear my throat and blush. I’m about to introduce her to my mates, my boyfriends. I wonder how she is going to take that news. I step back from my aunt and walk to stand in front of my guys. Graydon puts one hand on my shoulder, and Zeke places his hand on my other. Lucian laced his fingers together with mine and Max does the same with my other hand. I love their comfort. I don’t think I could have done this without them. I’m so glad that they are here. I can see my aunt’s eyes bounce from hand-to-hand.
“Aunt Dahlia, I would like to introduce you to my mates. Graydon James, Zeke Montgomery, Lucian Harris, and Maximus Anderson.” As I say each name I gesture with my head to each boy. “Guys this is Aunt Dahlia.” They all say hello.
I was waiting for her to scream, yell, hell even have a shocked face. Instead, a smile crosses her face and barely above a whisper we hear her say, “It’s you, you found them.”
I frown at her. “What do you mean by that and why aren’t you more, oh I don’t know, upset about this?”
She waves her hand dismissively at me. “We can talk about this later. Let’s finish bringing the boxes in, and we can catch up, it’s been way too long.”
Oh God, this is it, the moment I’ve been dreading. Zeke must feel my anxiety because he lightly squeezes my shoulder before leaning down to whisper in my ear. “You got this, sweetheart. You are stronger than you think, and we will be with you every step of the way. You are not doing this alone.”
I nod my head. I look around me and see the love and support shining in all of their eyes. Squaring my shoulders, taking a deep breath, and quickly squeezing of Max and Lucian’s hands, I make my way into the house.
The memories hit me all at once. Every hit, every scream, every sound. They all come flooding back. I let out a whimper and close my eyes. I can’t do this. Why did I think I would be able to? I try to sink down to my knees, but a pair of strong arms wrap around my body from behind, holding me steady.
“It’s alright, Callie bear. You don’t have to do this. We’ll figure something else out.” Graydon’s voice is softer than I’ve ever heard it before. But instead of it making me fall apart, it gives me a little bit of strength.
I take a couple of deep breaths, trying to get myself under control. “No, I need to do this. I can’t let him have any more control over me.” Graydon drops his arms, and I walk slowly toward my living room. I was expecting to see the room in the same state that it was left, but I’m floored by what I see.
There is not a single beer can in sight. All of the furniture has been replaced. There are a few pictures on the wall. I walk closer to see of who and a flood gate of tears open. There are pictures of me and Mom on the wall and some of me and my aunt. I whip around searching for my aunt. She walks in the living room, coming from the kitchen. I meet her eyes.
“How? When?” I say through the sobs.
“I arrived late last night, and the movers got here pretty early this morning. They helped me get rid of all the old furniture. Did you think I would let you walk back into this house with it looking how you left? I knew this was going to be hard on you. So, I wanted to make some changes before you got here in hopes to make this easier on you.”
“Thank you,” I whisper. The boys walk over to me and look at the pictures. I can feel their question. “It’s my mother.” Each of them put a hand on me. They let me take all the time I need.
It doesn’t take long for the rest of the boxes to be moved into the house. The movers had the majority of it done by the time we got there. The entire time we helped, my aunt asked me questions about what I’ve been up to, and what my life has been like since the last time I saw her. She does the same. After all the boxes are in the house, she calls and orders pizza. We are all sitting in the living room, when my aunt gets up and goes outside. She returns a few moments later with a box in her hands.
Walking over to me, she places the box in front of me. I hesitantly open it and look inside. Journals. It’s filled with journals. I look up at my aunt; my eyes burning with questions. She goes back to her seat.
“These journals are very important. I should start off by saying that I know who and what you are, Callyn. I truly know who these boys are. Those journals,” she gestures to the box, “they hold some powerful information. No one other than who is in this room is to see the contents. Do you all understand me?”
We all nod our heads.
“There is a journal about your lineage, but the rest is a chronological list of events that has happened to every heir since the demise of the Alpha Queen. Oh, there will be one journal in there that talks about your abilities and that of your mates.”
We are all staring at her with shock on our faces. “But-but-but how do you know? Did my mom tell you?” I stammer out.
“Not exactly. Look, what I’m about to tell you will be a shock and just know that this doesn’t change anything, and I love you. Don’t you doubt that.” She takes a deep breath and a quick drink of water. “I’m not really your aunt, not biologically anyways.”
I gasp. “Then who are you?”
“When you read the first journal, the first passage is written by a girl named Bridgett. She was the Alpha Queen’s handmaiden. She writes about her escape from the castle with the Alpha Queen’s heir. She is also the one who started the journal about the abilities that the Queen and her mates had. Over the years, the other heirs, and what mates she could find, all added to the journals. You, Callyn, are a descendant from the Alpha Queen. It’s because of that handmaiden that the Alpha Queen’s line was able to continue.”
“I know that, Elder Harris was able to figure at least that much out because he found the necklace.” I pull the necklace from shirt, letting it rest against my chest. “But that doesn’t tell me who you are.”
“I am a descendant from Bridgett the handmaiden.”
Maximus
Holy shit. I did not see this coming. Mind officially blown.
“You’re a descendant from the handmaiden?” Callie questions.
“Yes. We have stuck by and aided every Alpha Queen since then. Bridgett was tasked with the job of keeping the heir safe. Every handmaiden that has come after her has done the same thing. I was trying to do the same until your father up and left with you without saying a word. I tried so hard to find you. I failed you, and I will forever be sorry for that.”
“You didn’t fail me. My father is an unstable man. I never knew what he was going to do; I doubt you would have known either.”
Callyn’s aunt sighs. Here
comes the bad news. No one makes that sound and follows it up with good news.
“There are two more things I need to tell you, and then, I will leave you and your mates to talk. Your father wasn’t really your father.” Callyn gasps.
“What do you mean? If he’s not my father, then who is?”
“Your mother meet one of her destined mates. He was in town on business, and they became close. He told her that he was pretty sure that the rest of her mates were back in his hometown. He was going to go back and get them. They were making arrangements and discussing if she should move to be with them or vice versa. On his way back, he was in a horrible accident. He didn’t make it. Your mother waited to see if one of her other mates would come for her, but she never heard a word. She packed up and moved. It wasn’t long before she met the man you would grow up thinking was your father. No sooner after she arrived, she found out she was pregnant. He told her that he would help raise you and treat you like you were his own.”
“We all know that was a fucking lie,” Graydon growled.
Ho. Ly. Shit. Callyn is a true shifter. A full-blooded shifter.
“Continue,” Lucian says.
“Yes, well, we all know how he turned out. He did start off treating you like his own daughter, but after your mother got sick,” she shakes her head, “I knew he was grieving, but I didn’t realize how far gone he was, and I’m sorry for that, Callyn.”
“He’s where he belongs now. What is the other thing?” Callie questions.
Callie is taking this news surprisingly well. I don’t buy it.
“By now you must have figured out that you can’t shift.” She has all of my attention now. Callie nods her head. “You will be able to. It’s written in the journal. In order to protect you, your mother had a witch put a suppressor spell on you. When the time came, should you have been the one the prophecy was talking about, your abilities would slowly manifest.”
“And exactly how does that work?” I ask. Don’t think that I missed the fact that she said witch. I mean that is pretty cool, that witches exist. Nothing is out of the realm of possibilities. Shifters and prophetess exist, why can’t witches and warlocks be real too.
“The closer and the stronger her bond grows with all of you, the more her abilities will transpire. The spell was made to only dissipate once you found your mates. Even if you would have only found one or two, the spell would have still broken a little. ”
“Is there any way to fast track this, because we may not have that much time,” Graydon say impatiently.
“Short of mating and claiming her, no.”
Well, butter my biscuit. No, seriously, I like butter on my biscuits. But yeah, I don’t think any of us are ready to claim her, as much as the idea appeals to my wolf. All of us fidget nervously, and Callyn picks up on it.
“Okay, why do all of you look like you’re embarrassed? What exactly does claiming and mating me entail?”
“Claiming is just a bite, but mating is sex,” her aunt says bluntly.
“S-s-sex,” Callie stutters. Oh, I’m so making her uncomfortable.
“Yeah, angel. You know the horizontal tango, knockin’ boots, bumping uglies, going to pound town, making the beast with two backs.” I would have kept going but I got smacked on the back of my head. I didn’t notice Graydon had walked up behind me.
“Shut. Up,” he says venomously.
I look at Callyn, and she is just staring at me with her mouth opening and closing like a fish. I couldn’t help it, I busted out laughing, which also earns me another smack from Graydon.
Totally worth it.
Graydon
I swear if Max doesn’t shut up I’m going to do more than smack him. Now is not the time for him to be playing games. I’m debating on if I should hold him down and shave his head as punishment when I can hear Callie stammering.
“But I… but we… we’re not… I’m not…” Damn, she can’t even form a complete sentence. I narrow my eyes at Max, ready to hit him again. “We haven’t even kissed yet.”
Well, Callie bear we can definitely change that.
“I volunteer as tribute,” Max says.
Like hell I would let him after the stunt he just pulled. I look at Callie gauging her reaction. She blushes harder than I have ever seen and that’s saying something. I can also hear the slight increase in her breathing. She is not opposed to the idea of him kissing her, but he needs to calm down. We all just literally said we loved her today. This is pushing too hard too fast. I’m usually okay with that, but not with Callie, not right now.
I roughly grab Max by the back of his neck, squeezing just enough so that he knows that I mean business. I lean down and whisper in his ear, “If you say or do one more inappropriate thing right now, I. Will. Hurt. You.”
“Okay, okay. Geez, take a chill pill. Don’t get your panties in a knot. I was just teasing her.”
“Yeah, well knock it off for now.”
“Okay, so sex is a no go right now. Is there anything else we can do to speed this up?” Callie questions.
“I’m afraid not. I’ll let you guys talk about it for minute. If you need me, I’ll be upstairs in my room.” We all watch Callie’s aunt leave.
The tension and the awkwardness in the room is stifling. No one makes a move. We sit there for a while longer just eyeing each other. This is going nowhere fast. Fuck it, I’ll be the first to talk since it looks like everyone else is too scared to.
“We need a course of action.” Everyone looks at me. “Obviously, we are not going to do anything until Callie is ready. I say we continue our training as we have been.”
“I agree with Graydon. We have been spending a lot of time together as it is, and Callie’s aunt said as our bond grows so will Callie’s abilities. Now, we have these journals to also help us. This is more than we could have hoped for since we found out who and what we are. These journals just gave us an edge we didn’t have before,” Lucian states.
“We need to know what’s in them, and once we have that information we can come up with a strategy. Until then, I vote that we all let our relationship progress naturally.”
“Agreed,” Lucian seconds.
“I agree,” Zeke says.
“You know I agree,” Callie says. We chuckle. We look at Max.
“Yeah, yeah. I agree,” he huffs.
“How are you doing with the rest of the information your aunt told you this evening about her and your father?” Lucian questions.
“I’m surprised and shocked. This is a lot of information to take in, and I’m having a little trouble processing it all right now. I think once it actually sinks in, I’ll be a mess. I’m so tired right now, and I honestly don’t want to think about it. Being in this house is hard enough.”
“You know we are all here for you if you need us. Just take it one day at a time, and now that your aunt is here, she can help you if we can’t,” Zeke says softy.
“I know. Thank you, for today and for tonight. I don’t know if I could have done any of this without you.”
“You never have to thank us for being there for you, sweetheart.” Everyone nods. Callie lets out the biggest yawn.
“Let’s revisit everything in the morning. It’s getting late, and we’re all tired.”
We all say goodnight to Callie before leaving and heading home. I did not expect to hear any of this tonight. Callie was not the only one shocked. She has been handling this extremely well. I’m proud of her. When her aunt dropped the bomb about the claiming, I was fighting my bear for control. He has wanted nothing but to claim her from the first moment he scented her. Hell, I want to, but this has to be at Callie’s pace. Though, I’m not sure how much longer I can go without kissing her. It takes everything I have not to pull her onto my lap and press my lips to hers. I’m only giving her a little bit more time before I take matters into my own hands.
I’ll make sure it’s a kiss she’ll never forget.
Callyn
I’m still reeling abou
t last night. Cat is on her way here so we can hang out. I’m actually really excited about this. This will be the first time I’m going to be hanging out with someone other than the boys, well since I have meet them as least. Cat is also the first girl that I’ve had as a friend. When we are done hanging out she’s supposed to drop me off at Graydon’s. We’re going to a party, much to Graydon’s disappointment. He really isn’t a people person, but I wouldn’t have him any other way. I wouldn’t change a thing about any of my boys. Man does it feel good to say that. A car horn sounding interrupts my thoughts. I go to open the front door but my aunt stops me.
“Callie, hold on one moment. Here.” She hands me money. I’m shocked. “I know you’re going to the mall. This is just in case you see something you want or you get hungry.”
I don’t know what to do. “I-I-thank you. I’m not use to receiving money. I’ll bring back whatever I don’t spend.” I have no intention of spending any of it.
“Don’t you worry about that, just go and have fun. Text me where you are, so I know that you’re okay.”
I nod. I shove the money in the pocket of my jeans. “Are you sure you’re okay with me going out today. I mean, you just got into town, and I’m just leaving you.”
“I’ll be fine. You made these plans, and after everything, you deserve to go out and act like a normal teenager. I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be here later when you come home, and we can hang out and talk tonight.”
I nod my head and give her a quick hug before I head out to Cat’s car. Okay, car was the wrong word to use. This girl drives a jacked-up, black truck with neon green rims. This truck sits higher than Graydon’s.
“You going to stand there all day or what,” Cat yells out of the passenger window. I smile and shake my head. Cat is pretty badass, so it only make sense that her car would match her and her personality. Luckily, she has runners on the side, so I can even get in the truck. “Let’s do this.”
Queen's Guard (Shifter Royalty Trilogy Book 2) Page 7
