Chapter 11 #4
Cameron, of course, panicked. Instead of taking her offered hand, he threw himself at her, awkwardly wrapping his arms around her in a hug.
She let out a surprised huff but then, ever so slowly, placed her arms around him.
Her lion energy settled on his skin, like stepping outside into a sweltering heat.
It was almost stifling in its potency, but also a little cozy.
This must be what it was like to be mated to a powerful alpha lion shifter.
It changed and enhanced even an omega’s energy.
“On first impressions alone, I can see why my boy likes you so much. As shocking as it may seem, his father was a hugger, too,” Emory’s mother said, her tone softer but just as powerful as before.
When she released him from their impromptu hug, Cameron tried to step back, but she held him steady with two firm hands on his shoulders.
“Let me look at you. Emory says you are just as hopeless with work/life balance as he is. Are you eating enough? Do you need me to order food service for you as well? Honestly, you two should just move in together. Maybe between the two of you, you can manage to feed yourselves,” she said, eyeing Cameron up and down.
Cameron blanched, and Emory choked on a laugh. They hadn’t officially discussed living together yet, but Cameron was beginning to think it was only a matter of time. In the past month, he’d spent more days in Emory’s building, either in his apartment or Christopher’s, than in his own apartment.
First things first, they needed to survive this week. Then maybe they could start planning for the future.
“Emory has been taking very good care of me. We eat very well, and…” He tried to maintain eye contact, but it was disconcerting, staring into pools of brown so like his fated mate’s. “I’m happier than I think I’ve ever been,” Cameron finished, his eyes firmly on the floor.
“Eyes up, dear. The aunts will eat you alive if you don’t show a bit of confidence.”
Cameron jerked his head up, and his cheeks heated.
He bit the inside of his cheek to keep his eyes from stinging as shame washed over him.
He was usually better at this, but meeting Emory’s family was throwing him off his game.
If this was a work event or even a formal social gathering, he’d be able to pull out the charm.
He sort of wanted Emory’s family to approve of the real him, though, not the show he put on.
Emory’s mother was still staring intently at him.
Her gaze wasn’t unkind; if anything, it was a little curious.
He tried to bring his inner socialite to the surface, but instead, all he could think about was how it wasn’t just eye color Emory and his mother shared.
It was as if their eyes shone from within, providing a small window into their inner power and strength.
It made Cameron’s chest feel warm, and his octopus shook out his tentacles.
He began to bob back and forth happily, feeling truly safe for the first time that day.
“Ahh, there it is. I can finally feel your energy…and what an energy it is. So playful and light. I figured there must be brightness in you for you to be fated mates with an alpha lion shifter. If you let that brightness show this week, I think you will do just fine.”
It felt like that first date with Emory, where he’d almost been in a trance, staring into piercing, all-seeing eyes. With a final squeeze of his shoulders, Emory’s mother released him, and he took a stumbling step back to Emory’s side.
“It is wonderful to finally meet you, Cameron,” his mother said as she took her seat at the table.
Emory put a steadying hand on Cameron’s back, and he leaned into it. “You too, Mrs. Rexford,” Cameron said.
Emory led Cameron to the table and pulled out his chair. Emory’s mother smiled a toothy grin, and Cameron wondered how he had ever thought Emory was anything but a lion shifter.
“You can call me Sabrina,” Emory’s mother said.
“I did not take Emory’s father’s last name.
Rather untraditional, I know, but I was the only child my parents had, and I wanted to have someone still carry our name.
I have to admit, I know embarrassingly little about sea shifter cultures, and even less so about octopus culture.
Do you plan on taking Emory’s last name when you mate? ”
Cameron responded without thinking. “I would like to, yes, but I think I’ll do so after we get married, not after mating.”
Sabrina’s eyes widened, and she turned to look at Emory. “Well, if you do have children, it will be nice for you to have the same last names. It caused a fair bit of confusion when I had to pick Emory up from school or travel with him to different countries.”
Emory squeezed Cameron’s shoulder with one hand as he began spooning out heaping bowls of stew with the other. “That depends on whether we have children, Mother, which is not our current desire nor plan,” Emory stated calmly.
“Yes, yes, I am aware, son, I was only making an observation.”
Cameron stared down into the bowl of stew Emory had set in front of him, willing his appetite to return. The second children were brought up, it seemed to flee, just like his octopus was trying to do.
Upon returning to his seat, Emory grabbed Cameron’s hand under the table. “I assume the aunts have been made aware of this as well?”
“Of course. I played my duty as the messenger and was nearly maimed for it. You will have to pay the price of their questions and concerns over your choice, but that seems a small price to pay to ultimately receive their blessing for your mating.”
“Will we?” Cameron asked, unable to hold his tongue.
Both lion shifters turned to look at him with varying degrees of concern. “You are his fated mate and quite clearly as in love with him as he is with you. Most of the family will take an immediate liking to you because of that. I think the rest will eventually fall in line.”
Cameron felt that old tingling start at the base of his neck. He glanced at Emory out of the corner of his eye and saw that his face had completely drained of color. “Mother, we haven’t—”
“Yes, yes, I am aware, son,” Sabrina said with an exasperated sigh and a very uncharacteristic eyeroll.
Her eyes landed on Cameron, and to his utter surprise, she winked at him.
“There is no need to be so uptight. I have informed the family of your wish to remain childless, your desire to declare your love before mating, and your agreement to come here to receive the traditional blessing for that mating. While I cannot guarantee they will be on their best behavior, everyone here is well aware of the circumstances. I am merely stating a fact that will probably be repeated throughout the weekend: you two are obviously in love, and your inner beasts are clearly ready to mate.”
Cameron gripped Emory’s hand, and Emory squeezed his fingers. Relief washed away all the obnoxious tingles, and Cameron couldn’t hide his grin.
“Truly, your father and I were just as enamored with each other, but I actually demanded my mate mark by our second date.”
Cameron leaned forward against the side of the table. “Would you… I mean… Could you tell me about him? When you mention him, you light up the same way Emory does.”
Mother and son shared a soft look, and Sabrina filled the rest of dinner with stories, both funny and serious, whimsical and romantic.
By the time they finished dessert, Emory had shed a few tears, and his mother had shed several.
Cameron wasn’t much of a crier, but even his eyes watered watching the two of them.
Emory had scooted his chair closer to Cameron, holding his hand tightly the entire time.
Sabrina hadn’t minded their close proximity; in fact, she’d cast their joint hands an approving looks.
“Cameron, I cannot say enough what an absolute pleasure it has been. I am looking forward to spending the week getting to know you better. If you need anything, or if anyone gives you too much trouble, please feel free to come to me,” Sabrina said.
Cameron nodded and wiped frantically under his eyes as they decided to water again. He blamed his octopus.
After wishing his mother goodnight, Emory led Cameron through another hallway and towards a smaller back staircase, presumably for staff.
They went up the stairs and down a large hallway until they came to a closed door.
The furnishing clearly matched Emory’s apartment, including the ornate picture frames and paintings of folks Cameron assumed were other family members.
Emory didn’t stop to explain any of the paintings. In fact, he was pointedly ignoring them, and Cameron wondered if it might be a holdover from childhood.
Through the door was what appeared to be Emory’s wing of the house.
There was a large couch that looked almost as fancy as the one in Emory’s apartment, with an enormous bean bag chair off to one side.
Both were facing a giant flat-screen TV mounted on the wall and hooked up to the original Xbox and PlayStation machines.
Next to the TV was a desk with a gaming chair and an old-school gaming computer.
Emory walked them through the sitting area towards one of the two doors on the far wall. They passed a small bar equipped with a mini fridge and bottles of alcohol ranging from cheap college dregs to some pretty expensive-looking stuff.
Emory opened one door, revealing a monstrously huge master bathroom, decked out with a tub big enough to hold their entire friend group, a walk-in shower with two waterfall heads, a vanity with three sinks, and a towel warmer.
Emory walked through the bathroom to another door, not narrating the tour but allowing Cameron to take everything in.
He opened the final door into what must have been his childhood bedroom.
There were posters on the wall of boy bands, sports teams, and shelves lined with soccer trophies and straight-A honor roll certificates.