Chapter Nineteen
Kayos
The gate alarmbeeped, and before Kyllian could check the monitor, Nikita yelled, “I got it.”Quinn and Trenton had disappeared upstairs to go through a few of Finola’s things Trenton wanted her to have, so Kyllian and Nikita had offered to clean up after lunch.
“Uncle Ryker’s with them,” Nikita announced, surprising Kyllian.Nikita and Quinn had met most of the family via video calls.Hayden, Sadie, and Mateo had made the trip to meet them in person, but everyone else had decided to wait until they got moved.
Kyllian followed Nikita outside, and as soon as the vehicle stopped, she was pulling open Rory’s door.“Gram!I missed you.”She didn’t let Rory get out.Instead, she leaned in to hug her grandmother.
Sutton angled out of the van and sidled up to Kyllian.“That will never get old.”
Kyllian had to agree.Seeing his girl so excited was a joy to behold.Ryker and Mac got out of the SUV and joined them.“Mac, this is a pleasant surprise.”Kyllian opened his arms, and his niece walked into his embrace.She was still finding her place in the world, but she was no longer hesitant with all the touchy-feeliness of family.
“You’re different,” she muttered against his chest.
“Yeah?How so?”
Mac stepped back and angled her head, studying his face.“You’re smiling.”
“I smile,” he scoffed.
“No, you don’t.Not unless the twins are around.Or you’re antagonizing Uncle Hay.This is a real, honest-to-Zeus, not fake smile.”
Nikita, hand-in-hand with Rory, joined them.“Hey, Mac.It’s good to finally meet you in person.”
Mac pointed at Nikita.“And this is why.Oh, and her.”She looked over Kyllian’s shoulder.He already knew Quinn was there.He could feel her in their mate bond.That had taken some getting used to.Some of the couples had stronger bonds than others, but he and Quinn could mind-speak.The first time he heard her voice in his head, he thought it was his Gryphon, but the words weren’t any his beast would have said.When he mentioned it, she explained that wolves could communicate in their shifted form, so she figured it was a byproduct of being destined mates, shifted or not.
Kyllian held out his hand for Quinn.When she and Trenton joined them, he made the official introductions.Mac was a few years older than Nikita, but his girl latched on to her new cousin.Being wolfkind, Nikita was tactile, and she didn’t hesitate to hug Mac.When she pulled away, she touched the strand of red in Mac’s hair.
“This is so cool.Mom, I want to streak my hair.”
Quinn rolled with it.“It’s your hair.”
“Yes!Mac, where did you have this done?You have to go with me.Make sure I get the right color.Red looks great with your skin tone, but I think I want something different.Maybe purple.”Nikita hooked her arm through Mac’s and led her toward the house asking a million and one questions.If that had been a few months ago, Mac would probably be mortified, but the mates had been spending more time with the young woman, bringing her out of her shell.Elijah’s love helped too.
“What just happened?”Ryker asked.
“Trouble,” all the others answered in unison.
With six adults loading the van, it didn’t take long to be packed and ready to hit the road.Nikita opted to ride with Mac and Ryker instead of with Sutton and Rory like originally planned.Quinn hugged her dad, the two of them shedding a few tears.
“I’ll be fine, Sweetheart.I’m going to be busy packing.I want to be ready as soon as I find a new place.”
“Promise you’ll eat healthy,” Quinn begged.
“I promise.Nikita left several meals in the freezer, and I do know how to look up recipes.I’ll be fine.”
Nikita rolled down her window and leaned out.“Mom, chop-chop.Daylight’s burning.”
Quinn shook her head and hugged Trenton one last time.He brushed a kiss over her temple.“You heard the girl.Chop-chop.”
Kyllian handed Quinn her helmet before strapping on his own.They had ridden together several times over the past couple of weeks, and she was a pro at that point.While his bike had a small backrest, it wasn’t meant to double someone for long hauls.Hayden had already found Kyllian a larger Harley with a deluxe passenger seat.It had a tour pack as well as hard saddlebags for storage.He planned on taking his girls on many road trips, and they would need the space.Nikita’s sidecar was complete and attached to the new bike.Quinn didn’t know it was finished.He couldn’t wait to surprise them both.
As much as he loved riding with Quinn’s arms wrapped around his middle, he was happy when they arrived at his house.Their house.At least for the time being.The property he found was perfect for their need to shift and run.The three of them had pored over house plans similar to what Ryker built for his family.It was larger than they needed, but Kyllian planned on giving Nikita siblings at some point in the future.She admitted to missing Jake.On the rare occasions his girl’s mood turned melancholy, it was when she thought about her little brother.If Kyllian could get away with it, he’d kidnap the boy and make him part of their family.
Nikita was the first one out of the car, bouncing on her feet.Kyllian rolled to a stop beside the van and killed the engine.Quinn climbed off first, removing her helmet.She waited with their girl while Kyllian did the same.
“Come on, Dad.I want to see my new room.”Rory had let it slip that she had redone one of the rooms for Nikita.Not only that, but his mom, with Kyllian’s permission, had enlisted the help of the other mates and turned his bachelor pad into a warm, inviting space for his new family.Rory sent photos by text afterwards, and he was just as excited to see the changes.