Chapter 19
Chapter Nineteen
As soon as Felix left the room, Olivia crawled over and reached for Khloe, letting her fingers trail down Khloe’s arm until she took her hand and squeezed it.
Khloe immediately lurched forward and wrapped her arms around Olivia, hugging her tight. “I’m scared.”
Olivia rubbed her back. “I know you are. I’ve been in your shoes. It’s so weird at first to find out you have some strange ability no one knew existed, but we have each other now. We aren’t alone.”
Khloe sniffled as she leaned back to look at her new friend. “Do you think the bears want to hurt us?”
“No. Not most of them. I think they’re fighting among themselves because some of them are concerned we pose a threat to their way of life, but most of them are kind and well-meaning. I have spoken to Surge and Thorn on several occasions. They’re nice. They’re doing their best to convince the rest of the bear shifters to share the land and not get greedy.”
“It sounds like several are not in agreement.”
Olivia smiled. “Doesn’t matter because you have the upper hand. You will know if they plan something even before they execute it.”
“I don’t know if that makes me feel better or worse,” Khloe admitted.
“Help me understand. There are two seemingly different forces at work here, right? One is that you can sense all the animals around you, shifters or not. In addition, when someone makes a plan to come toward you, you have a vision that alerts you of their upcoming arrival?”
Khloe nodded before realizing Olivia probably couldn’t see well enough to recognize the gesture. “Yes.”
“So maybe some of the bears you sense are just bears?”
“Or…maybe the squirrels are shifters,” Khloe joked.
The two of them started giggling, and it felt good.
“Why does your Daddy want you to stay on your bottom in the middle of the room?” Olivia asked.
“Because when I have a vision, I sort of leave my body. If I were standing, I could fall.”
“Ahhh. That’s a bummer. So, even if you were sitting, if you were near the corner of the dresser, you might hit your head.”
“Exactly.” Khloe looked around Olivia’s nursery. It looked pretty much like Khloe’s except there were bumpers on the corners of some of the furniture. “Maybe my Daddy wouldn’t feel so nervous if he put padding on the corners of my furniture like you have.”
Olivia sighed. “My Daddy is overprotective and afraid I will bump into things and get hurt since I can’t see.”
“Oh, but it’s not a bad idea. I’ll ask my Daddy to do it, too.” Khloe sensed that Olivia wasn’t too excited about the bumpers, but maybe if Khloe had them, too, it would make Olivia feel less frustrated.
Olivia’s cheeks flushed as she smiled.
“You have a lot of books. How do you read them?”
Olivia giggled. “In my wolf form. Usually Daddy reads me the paper books. It’s hard for me to turn the pages, but I have an electronic reader with a special attachment that lets me push a button with my paw to turn the pages.”
“That’s awesome. I wouldn’t be able to do anything in my nursery in my wolf form. I barely fit in my nursery when I’m shifted.” Khloe sighed.
Olivia grabbed Khloe’s hand again. “I’m sure there’s a reason why your wolf is so large. Maybe it’s to appear intimidating and imposing when you run into other shifters.”
“Maybe, but I’m nowhere near as large as a bear, so I’m not sure how it would help. Plus I don’t have the skills to defend myself.”
Olivia sat taller, her eyes going wide. “We need to learn defensive moves,” she nearly shouted. “All the Littles should learn to defend themselves. You never know when one of us might get into a bind. Self-defense is important.”
“You’re right. We should. It’s not as though we’re taught anything like that growing up. We’re only taught to obey our mates.”
Another giggle from Olivia. “I don’t know about you, but I’ve got that one nailed down.” She leaned to one side and rubbed her bottom, wincing.
Khloe laughed. “Yeah, these Alpha Daddies are pretty serious about their rules.”
They were both giggling when Felix’s frame filled the doorway. “Hey, Little one, I know you’re having fun with Olivia, but we have a new plan. Instead of inviting everyone to come here to meet you, we’re going to go to their homes one at a time. That way we won’t risk you having a dozen visions as people arrive.”
“Oh, that’s a good idea. Plus it will help me to know where everyone lives. I’ll have a better sense of distance and space. Maybe you could also show me where everyone lives on a map?”
“I sure can, Little one.” Felix bent down to scoop her off the floor.
Khloe twisted in his arms and pointed toward the padded corners on Olivia’s furniture. “Could you put bumpers on my furniture like Olivia has?”
He kissed her neck. “That’s an excellent idea, Little one.”
Khloe wrapped her arms around her Daddy’s neck and leaned in to whisper in his ear. “Please, can I use the potty before we go?” She wasn’t sure what his rule would be about using the bathroom when they were out, and she was wearing a pullup, but she hoped he wouldn’t insist on her wetting herself in front of people.
“Of course, Little one.” He carried her from the room and into a bathroom, closing the door behind him. “I’m sorry I didn’t think of this earlier.” He stood her in front of the toilet and lifted her dress. “Hold your dress up for me.”
“Daddy… Can I please go potty alone?”
He lifted her chin. “No, Baby girl. What if you had a vision while sitting on the toilet? I can either hold you while you go, or you can use your pullup and I’ll put a fresh one on you.”
Her bottom lip trembled. She was on the verge of tears. Always? Was she never again going to have any privacy in the bathroom for the rest of her life? She’d gotten used to using a diaper at home because her Daddy really liked to take care of her that way, but this was the first time she’d been in a situation like this. It hadn’t occurred to her that she wouldn’t be left to pee alone.
Daddy set his forehead against hers. “I’m sorry, Little one. I know it’s frustrating, but I’m not going to bend on this rule. I’ve been taking care of you for three weeks. Is it really such a big deal for you to pee while I hold you?”
She nodded, unable to speak. It was a big deal. Couldn’t he see? It felt like a life sentence. She loved him dearly, but she didn’t want him to wipe her butt every single time she went to the bathroom for the rest of her life. Soon she would get her period. Was he going to clean that up, too?
That answer hit her hard. Yes, he was. It made her shudder. How embarrassing. That thought added a new level to her concerns. She couldn’t breathe. She kept sucking in air, not wanting to sob out loud and risk everyone in the house hearing her have a little breakdown.
Daddy picked her back up and held her close to his chest, rocking her as he rubbed her back. “Baby girl, you’re my life, my everything. No part of you will ever go unattended by Daddy. I’ve been intimate with every inch of you, inside and out, Khloe. I don’t care a bit about your bodily functions. In fact, I prefer to be the one who takes care of everything. You know that.”
He continued to rock and bounce her.
Khloe tried to calm down, but it wasn’t working. It felt like the pressure of everything was hitting her all at once. She inhaled again, deeper, and held it, trying so hard not to ugly cry.
“Shh, Baby girl. I’ve got you. Always. Shhh.” He was trying to soothe her, but she needed to get this out, and this was not the time or place. Also she really needed to pee.
After a few minutes, she finally managed to pull it together and exhale fully. “Please, Daddy, I need to go potty.” She was going to have to live with this new rule for now. They could discuss it again later. She had to acknowledge he was right. If he left her in this bathroom alone, she might fall and hit her head on the tile. She understood the problem, she just didn’t like it.
Daddy set her back on her feet and wiped her cheeks. “Can I pull your pullup down so you can pee, Little one?”
She nodded and lifted the hem of her dress.
Daddy lowered her pullup and sat her on the toilet.
She couldn’t look at him. She leaned her forehead against his chest and willed herself to pee while he rubbed her back with one hand, keeping the other on her hip.
Finally she managed to pee, and Daddy quietly wiped her, stood her up, and fixed her pullup over her bottom. He lifted her, carried her to the sink, and held her in front of him so he could wash both their hands.
When he was done, he wiped stray tears from her cheeks and hugged her while she wrapped her legs around him. “I love you, Khloe.”
“I love you, too, Daddy.”
He kissed her temple. “Do you want to save visiting other homes for another day?”
She shook her head. “No. We should do it now. The sooner I have more information, the sooner I’ll be more prepared when I have a vision.”
“Such a brave Little girl.” He opened the door and carried her into the great room.
She was grateful that everyone had left except Damon and Olivia. Of course it was their home. Olivia was in her highchair coloring. Neither of them said a word about how long Khloe and her Daddy had been in the bathroom.
When Daddy got close enough, Khloe leaned over and watched Olivia color. It was fascinating. She was basically blind. It looked like the picture had raised lines outlining the image. Olivia was using one finger to keep track of the lines and the other to color. “That’s so pretty,” Khloe said.
Olivia grinned. “Thank you. The crayons have braille on them so I’ll know what colors they are.”
“I love it.”
“Maybe next time you can come over for a playdate, and we can color together.”
“I’d love that.”
Felix rubbed her back. “We’ll do that soon. We should get going now so we can visit as many homes as possible before it gets dark.”
Olivia waved. “It was so nice meeting you. Call me if you want to talk.”
“I will. Thank you.” Khloe felt calmer as her Daddy carried her outside. She was still upset, but she put it aside. There were more important things to deal with than her frustration over her bathroom issues. They could deal with that another time.