Chapter 14 #2
Charlie smiled. “And there’s the woman I love, right there, in those eyes.”
Daisy shifted back to her human self and stood before him, completely naked. “That’s it? No freaking out and running to save your child from my father so you can make a quick getaway?”
Charlie’s eyes were wider than they’d been when she shifted into her Bear. “Daisy, you’re naked!”
“Well, yes.” She gestured toward the torn remnants on the ground at her feet. “They’re too small for my Bear and were ripped to shreds!”
“Oh, no. No, no, no,” he muttered as he pulled his own shirt off over his head and hurried to her, holding it up so he could slip it over her head.
He held it still as she slipped her arms inside, then tugged it down her body.
It just barely touched the tops of her thighs. “What if somebody saw you?”
Daisy laughed. “Charlie, we’re all shifters. We’ve run and played together since we were toddlers. We are all naked when we shift back from our beasts. Nakedness is nothing to a shifter. It’s just another state of being.”
He pursed his lips and focused on her face. “Forgive me for being a little possessive, but I haven’t even seen you naked yet, and we’re standing in your front yard.”
Daisy smiled at him. “This is the gist of it, Charlie. My Aunt Avaleigh used to say that we’re just people like everybody else.
We just have a little extra umph thrown in.
I’m no different than I was an hour ago, or a week ago, or the first time you met me.
But I get it if it’s too much and you don’t want any part of it.
I’ll take care of it so you won’t have to remember any of what I’ve told you if that would make it easier for you. ”
“Wait, you would wipe my memory?”
“If you have an issue with me, with us, I don’t have much choice.”
“You can do that?”
“Well, not me personally, but Brandt’s mate can. You’d never know, there’s no pain, she’d give you the suggestion that I’m just a nice lady from the art school that you are definitely not attracted to.”
Before she even finished speaking he was already shaking his head.
“I don’t want to let this go. I have no doubt that I’m going to be stupefied later, but I’m okay with that.
All that matters to me is that I want you in my life.
I want to be a part of yours. I don’t care what you are, as long as the soul inside you at any given time is you.
Truthfully, I already figured out that something very unusual was happening.
There’s been whispers of supernatural creatures rampant on social media since its inception.
People believe in ghosts, Bigfoot, and the Loch Ness Monster, why not shifters?
Native Americans have believed in skin walkers since the beginning of their civilizations.
So, really, how far out of the ordinary is it? ”
“There are more mysteries in the world than either you or I will ever encounter,” she said.
“True.” He stood there for a few seconds, hands shoved awkwardly in the pockets of his jeans. “So, everybody is a Bear shifter?”
“My immediate family is as well as others, but we also have Foxes, Lions, Wolves, and even Dragons. Oh, there’s also an Alligator who’s recently joined us.”
He stood there, his mouth slightly ajar, before he started laughing.
“Why are you laughing?” she asked. “I’m telling you the truth.”
“Havoc,” he said, still chuckling.
“Yes?”
“He’s a Wolf, isn’t he?”
Daisy grinned. “Yes, he is.”
“And Lucien is the Alligator.”
“He is.”
“Okay, so here’s the thing. It’s your soul that I’m drawn to. You’re as beautiful inside as you are outside. And everything that you are or have ever been exposed to, makes you who you are. So, as wild as it sounds, for me it’s simple. I’m involved with a girl who’s a Bear shifter.”
Daisy watched Charlie with a bit of awe flowing through her.
He was taking this unbelievably well. “I know it’s not fair to you, but I couldn’t tell you before.
It’s not exactly something we walk around advertising.
It’s just not safe. Some people would consider us a threat that had to be eliminated, so I couldn’t tell you until it was clear to me that we weren’t just casually dating.
And then we happened so fast that I didn’t have time to work it all out before everybody else just decided to assume you knew and talked in front of you like they did.
I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before you had to find out this way. If you want to just go…”
He stepped forward quickly, took her face gently in his hands and kissed her.
Not just a peck, he kissed her slowly, tenderly, taking the time to let her feel the power of the emotion he held inside for her.
When he finally gave her a chance to breathe, he looked deeply into her eyes.
“Again, I’m not going anywhere. Kind of freaked out a little, but not enough to let it keep me from having you in my life. ”
“If at anytime you change your mind, you’ll tell me?”
“Can’t you feel how sure I am?”
She shook her head as her eyes filled with tears. “I can’t read you. And I couldn’t read him either. I don’t know what’s wrong.”
“I promise I’ll tell you, but I’m not changing my mind. Your dad can read me, and he knows I’m for real.”
“Dad!” Carson called from the front door. “You should come see Captain America! He’s awesome!”
“Okay. I’ll be there in just a minute, alright?”
“Okay.” Carson closed the door, then opened it immediately. “Miss Daisy, what happened to your clothes?”
“Oh, they got mud on them, Carson. And your dad was nice enough to loan me his shirt.”
“Dad is nice,” he said, closing the door again.
They both laughed.
“Are you okay?” she finally asked.
“I am. If you hadn’t shifted, I’d be thinking I was in love with a woman that needed a lot of psychiatric help. But there’s nothing to say after seeing your Bear, other than, I’m in love with a female who has a little extra umph. That’s what your aunt said, right?”
“You’re in love with me?”
“Have been for a while. Been unable to think about anything other than you. Been unable to get you to go out with me until a couple of weeks ago.”
“I was attracted to you, too. I was just afraid. Thank you for not giving up.”
“Couldn’t. Maybe we’re mates.”
Daisy’s smile fell and she looked at him with a surprised expression.
“Would that be so bad?” Charlie asked.
“No, just, maybe we are.”
“I hope we are,” he admitted.
She stood quietly for a few seconds before she met his gaze again. “Me, too.”
~~~
It was well past dark when Cristie turned off the highway and onto Kaid’s land.
She followed the familiar gravel road up through the property, and waved politely at an unfamiliar vehicle that waited for her to pass before it turned from the fork that led to Bane’s and Bam’s houses onto the gravel road and headed toward the highway.
She pulled up in front of Avaleigh and Daniel’s house and took a moment to compose herself before she went to the door.
Second guessing herself was not usually in her nature, but she’d been doing a lot of it the last couple of days.
She eyed the door and considered her options once more.
Finally shaking her head she opened her car door and got out.
“Didn’t come all this way for nothing,” she grumbled.
Cristie walked up to the front door and knocked on it.
A few moments later the door opened and she smiled brightly at the handsome face of one of the most steady, trustworthy males she’d ever known. “Hi, Uncle Daniel.”
“Cristie?!” he exclaimed, surprised by her arrival.
“I got a phone call from someone that urged me to come see if I could make any difference at all,” she explained.
The big strong male seemed to falter a bit before he reached for her and pulled her into a hug. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
Cristie hugged him back, and patted his back while she allowed him to hold her. “I don’t know if it’ll make a difference at all, but I couldn’t not try.”
“I know. And thank you for coming.” Daniel finally let go of her and stepped back so she could enter the house. He closed the door and turned to call out to Avaleigh, but chuckled when he found Avaleigh already holding onto Cristie.
“I’m so happy to see you,” Avaleigh said tearfully.
“I’m sorry it has to be under these conditions. But I had to come back to try to help.”
“I’m so glad you did. Are you hungry baby?” Avaleigh asked.
“Actually, I really need to pee. Then I’d love some of whatever you have. I’m not particular.”
“You know where the bathroom is. Go right ahead. Take a shower even if you want to after your drive. Make yourself at home.”
“Thank you, Aunt Avaleigh,” Cristie said. She hurried to the bathroom, relieved herself, freshened up a little, though she decided to forgo a shower, and went back out to talk to Daniel and Avaleigh.
They were both in the kitchen, as was Angelle, who was finishing her dinner.
“Hey, Angelle. How are you?”
“I’m okay. How are you?”
“I’m tired,” Cristie said. “It’s a long drive.”
“I could never make a drive like that all by myself,” Angelle said.
“Well, you get used to it, doing things on your own, I mean. And you’d be surprised what you can do when you have to.”
“I guess,” Angelle said.
“Oh, I know you could do whatever you needed to. You might not like it, but you could. Your mom and dad are some of the strongest. I know they taught you to be the same.”
Angelle smiled gently. “They tried. I hope we never have to put it to the test, though.”
“Me, too!” Cristie said.
“You going to talk to Remi?” Angelle asked.
“I’m going to try.”
“We’ll have to find him first,” Daniel said. “I have a few ideas of where to check, though.”
“Have a seat, Cristie. We had leftover roast for dinner. I made you an open-faced sandwich with toast and mayo,” Avaleigh said.
“And lots of gravy?” Cristie asked.
“Of course. I know how you loved it when you were little,” Avaleigh said, placing a plate with two slices of toast slathered with mayo, then drowned in tender beef roast and a thick brown gravy. “Root beer?” Avaleigh asked.
“Actually, could I have just ice water?”
“Of course,” Avaleigh said, filling a glass with ice and water and putting it next to her plate.
Cristie took a bite of her food and moaned with her eyes closed. “Just as good as I remember.”
Avaleigh smiled delightedly. “I’m glad.”
“So, Cristie, who told you that Remi is struggling?” Daniel asked, unable to contain his curiosity any longer.
“Bailey. But she didn’t say he was struggling. She said he’s crashing and burning. My words, not hers. But she made it clear that he needs some kind of intervention, and nobody’s stepping in because he and Brandt had a face off and now Remi’s out of the clan.”
“That’s true. I went to see him, found him at his girlfriend’s house and we had a come to Jesus meeting out front right before she marched outside dressed provocatively trying to come on to me.
I’m not sure what happened after, but he reached out,” Daniel said, tapping his temple to let her know Remi contacted him telepathically, “and told me he left his phone, his boots, and his wallet at her house. I went back for it and had to practically threaten her to get her to give it to me. I don’t know where he is now. Nobody’s heard from him since.”
“Bailey said that she was hoping that if I speak to him, he’ll listen.
If nothing else it’ll give him a wake up call.
She said he was so focused on me when I was here for Analise and Havoc’s wedding he couldn’t force himself to look away from me.
I’m hoping that rather than react defensively, he’ll actually hear me out. ”
“I’m hoping the same thing,” Daniel said.
“Same,” Avaleigh said.
Cristie kind of laughed. “Bailey said that she wasn’t sure why no one else had thought of calling me, but if it was because of some crap with clan dynamics, she really wasn’t worried about it because she wasn’t clan, and could do whatever the hell she wanted to do.
So, she called and left me a message. I thought about not returning her call, but I’m glad I did.
I don’t know what’s going to happen, or not happen, but regardless, I care about Remi. We’ve been friends all our lives.”
“Brandt tried to handle it within the clan — I think he was trying to protect him from the fallout if everyone in our generation heard about it so he kept it among his own branch of the clan. We didn’t even find out until just the other day when it came to a head.
We’ve been trying to bring him back to us, without antagonizing him further,” Daniel said.
“It’s a tightrope to walk. Push too much, he pulls back even more.
Don’t push enough he doesn’t hear you. Finally, he just stopped responding.
I don’t know why it didn’t occur to us to try to contact you. But I’m thankful you’re here.”
“God bless Bailey,” Avaleigh murmured.
“Yep. I like that girl,” Cristie said.
“If this works; I, we, owe her a debt of gratitude,” Daniel said.
“I don’t think she wants a thing except to see Remi happy and thriving, his usual self.”
“What if what he wants is you?” Angelle asked.
“Angelle, that’s none of our business at this point,” Avaleigh chided.
“No, it’s okay,” Cristie told Avaleigh. She shifted her attention to Angelle.
“He’s refused me once already. I hold no silly expectations.
I’m not here as his mate, I’m here as his lifelong friend.
But if I have to use the mate thing to make him pay attention to the advice I plan to give him, I’m not above manipulation where it’s necessary. ”
“That’s my girl!” Avaleigh said.
Cristie smiled sadly. “I just don’t want anyone to expect this to end in a happily ever after for Remi and me. He doesn’t want me as a mate, and I’ve accepted that. I’m here as a friend.”