Fated Forgiveness [Kindred of Arkadia 4] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour ManLove) (13 page)

chimed as it swung open and Rian and Damian walked in.

“Eight feet, six feet…two feet. Oh. Damn, it’s just Sebastian.” Rian sighed and dramatically flopped into

the empty chair. Damian was shaking his head and joined them.

Sebastian couldn’t help but stare at Kate’s face. He could almost see every thought racing across her

features. Felix, Rian and Rebecca looked at each other and the silence grew.

“That’s what happens when tornado meets a volcano,” Kate hummed.

Caleb and Bran nodded.

“Isn’t that Eminem?” Liam asked. Sebastian couldn’t help but agree.

“Tornado, volcano and hurricane,” Sebastian added, nodding at Felix.

Caleb, Bran, Aleks and Liam stared at the three. Tension grew in the diner as Rebecca, Felix and Rian

stared at each other.

“What were you saying when you came in the door, Rian?” Kate asked, unable to take the silence. Rian

looked over and held up his brand new phone, beaming.

“It’s a dating app,” Rebecca said.

“And how would you know that?” Aleks growled. She pointed to Rian.

“It’s an app to find gay shifters in your area. It lets you know how far away they are for a hook up,”

Sebastian added.

“And why do you have that app?” Liam demanded. Sebastian pointed to Rian.

“Do you have the app that shoots lube out of your phone for quickies?” Felix asked. Rian’s head

snapped around so fast, Sebastian winced.

“There’s an app for that?” Rian asked, wide eyed, staring at his phone in wonder. Felix broke out into a

fit of giggles. Rebecca joined in. Rian groaned and rolled his eyes, but had to smile.

“He is
so
going to fit in here.” Rebecca chuckled.

Felix looked around the table. “Do you guys know of a place where I can stay? I need a place to crash

until I can find a job and get my stuff sent here. That is if my friends didn’t throw it all away when I

disappeared.”

Sebastian looked at Liam with large, pleading eyes.

“Of course he’s welcome. He’s your best friend.” Liam leaned forward and kissed Sebastian’s temple.

“Thanks! You really are a good guy. You may deserve my Sebastian after all,” Felix said.

“Mine!” Liam rumbled and pulled Sebastian onto his lap. Sebastian rolled his eyes, and Rebecca

laughed and pointed.

“See! Now you know what I have to deal with. ‘Mine, my woman.’ Pound chest.” Rebecca yelped when

Aleks picked her up and sat her in his lap.

“The only way I know you’re not getting into trouble is to keep you on my lap,” Aleks said, nipping at

her ears playfully.

Suddenly someone’s phone went off, and the Bloodhound Gang’s “The Bad Touch” lyrics were filling

the diner.

Sebastian realized that everyone was staring at him and Rian was cracking up.

“That’s me?” He patted his pants down until he found his phone and pulled it out. It was Kent calling.

“Not funny.” He glared at Rian. “Hey, sweetheart, miss us?” Sebastian asked.

“Listen carefully. Lachlan and I are bringing a lawyer into town to meet with Liam. Lachlan thought it

would be best if the meeting took place with Ma and Rebecca there. He’s here to investigate how Liam is

running the pride and current complaints sent in to the council about Rebecca as Alpha Mother. Depending

on how we respond, he could take these complaints to the council to get Liam unseated as Alpha. You don’t

have a lot of time. Get Liam to bond with Rebecca. We’ll be there in less than thirty minutes. Love you

both.” Then the line went dead. Everyone was staring at the phone. Aleks and Liam were growling loudly,

their canines descended. Rebecca looked from person to person, being the only one who didn’t hear the

phone call.

“What! What is it? Is everyone okay?” she yelled, struggling to get out of Aleks’s lap.

“Becca, baby, you need to calm down. Remember what the doctor said about staying calm,” Aleks said

in a steady voice which belied his enraged state.

“Fuck calm! What in the hell is going on?”

“It sounds like the council has agreed to let a representative come to Arkadia to investigate how things

are being run and if they are in the best interests of the town,” Ma said in a tight voice.

“Call Gabriel, he should be here, too,” Pa said, hopping off his normal barstool and taking a seat next to

his son. Ma sat in a chair behind Liam, both older Arkadions showing their solidarity by supporting Liam

and Rebecca.

“But we haven’t done anything wrong!” Rebecca looked around, confused.

“I don’t think that is really why they are here. I think they are here because of Lachlan’s announcement

naming Liam as heir. There are still a lot of conservative animal group leaders that do not support Liam’s

Law, which not only makes it easier for gay men and women to get to safety, but it also helps abused wives,

mates and children escape their abusers,” Ma said.

“Aleks, take her gun,” Connor said as he took a seat strategically by the door.

“Becca, hand it over,” Aleks said, holding out his hand. She shook her head and pulled her purse to her

chest.

“I need it!”

“Not in a room full of shifters. Now please. You should be focusing on creating a bond with Liam,”

Aleks said through clenched teeth. Sighing, she handed him her purse, and he handed it off to Emmett, who

put it behind the counter. Emmett walked between the tables and took a seat next to Connor by the door.

Sebastian caught Felix looking at him, and knew what he was probably thinking.

“
I thought Arkadia would be safe.”

“This is our home now. We have to keep it safe,” Sebastian said out loud. Felix nodded, and Ma smiled

at Sebastian.

“You’re starting to sound like an Arkadian now, Sebastian,” she said.

“What in the ham sandwich is going on now?” Ashby cried as he barreled through the door.

“
Mon ange
, what have I told you about letting our security detail enter a building first?” Gabriel said,

walking quickly behind him.

“Then they better keep up!” Ashby said, and immediately went to Rebecca, who looked close to tears.

“We didn’t do anything wrong,” she whispered. Ashby nodded.

“I’m here, too.” Nic pushed past Gabriel and Baptista to get to Rebecca and Ashby. Kate changed her

seat, allowing the four of them to sit as close together as possible.

“Look, I’m new here and everything, but just point me in the direction of the bad guy,” Felix said,

flexing his small but lean arms.

“Thanks squirt, but us bigger guys have this covered.” Emmett winked at Felix.

“I knew you
lurved
me,” Felix teased, garnering a weak smile from Rebecca.

“Rebecca, Kent said we didn’t have a lot of time. We need to establish a bond. If my grandfather

suggested it then the pride is in danger,” Liam said, standing. Rebecca nodded but continued to frown.

Sebastian looked at the shifters she had next to her and in an epiphany he knew that the bonding with Liam

would never work. He pulled Liam’s hand until Liam sat down again abruptly.

“It won’t work with you,” Sebastian said.

“Why not? I love Rebecca,” Liam announced and blushed. Rebecca smiled and Aleks glared at Liam.

“I love you too, but I think he’s right. You’re too dominant. Even as laid back as you are, I think you

are Alpha enough to subconsciously try to take over the bond,” Rebecca said. “That and I don’t have the

fuzzy feeling thinking about bonding with you,” she said, rubbing her chest.

“The lions need a tie to the Alpha Mother,” Liam said, frustrated.

“Guys, no pressure, but we have about five minutes,” Connor said, watching the door.

“The wolves have a tie to Rebecca, but not through Bran,” Sebastian said, looking at Rebecca. She

smiled widely and nodded.

“I have that fuzzy feeling now. Come here, Sebastian.” She opened her arms wide, giving him the warm

smile that he had seen nearly every day for the past couple months. Sebastian was unable to stop the change

as he shifted from man to cat. It was as natural as breathing. He looked up and saw Liam looking down at

him with love in his eyes. He butted his head against Liam’s side and rubbed his face against his mate,

marking his territory. Satisfied that his mate had his mark and carried his scent, he jumped up on the table

and into Rebecca’s waiting arms. She sighed heavily and buried her face in his fur.

“I’ve missed you so much, Sebastian.” She squeezed him close, just like she used to do when she was

stressed and he was living with her as a cat.

“Sebastian can bond with Rebecca as Liam’s mate. It should be easy since they’re so close,” Nic said,

reaching forward to pet Sebastian. Sebastian soaked up every scrap of attention. He had to be honest with

himself, he did miss this. Being a cat made people drop their guards. He got to see their real personalities

and worries as he eased their spirits with his soft fur and purring. Looking up at Rebecca, he tilted his head,

exposing his furry neck. She leaned forward and she touched her lips to the downy fur right below his ear,

her favorite place to pet him.

They both sighed as a warm cascade of love seemed to envelop them. First it was Rebecca, then Ashby,

followed by Nic and finally Kate. The circle seemed to expand past them, and through Rebecca they felt the

bears. Strong, indomitable pillars that guarded every shifter in Arkadia. Through Ashby, they felt the dark,

terrible and beautiful power of the vampires, patient and waiting as time marched around them. Through

Nic they felt the solitary shifters as they reached towards the warmth promised by Arkadia, their souls

searching for a place to call home. Through Kate they felt the thrill of the hunt from the wolves, true to

their animals. They were the sentries of the night who patrolled the woods keeping their borders safe. And

through him and his mating bond with Liam, they felt the lions, noble and bold. Their simple joys and

bone-deep devotion to their Alpha. An unwavering steadfast loyalty as consistent as the sun. The circle

searched on and found prisms of colors dancing in the dark, scattered, lost. They were desperately trying to

find a way to safety. It was the other hybrids searching for Arkadia. Together, the five of them
became

Arkadia.

When the waves of power receded, Sebastian was in human form. He, Rebecca, Ashby, Nic and Kate

were huddled together on the floor beside the table where they had been sitting.

Rebecca sat up and yawned opening her mouth wide.

“That was freaking awesome,” she said, looking around the room. Everyone was smiling down at the

group, which in the shifter world should have represented the small, weak, beaten and abused. But here in

Arkadia they were the ones holding everyone together.

“Come on, Becca, up you go,” Aleks said, picking up his mate.

“Kate,” Caleb said as he and Bran each offered a hand to help her get up.

“You keep doing things that threaten to stop this old heart,
mon ange
,” Gabriel said as he and Baptista

helped Ashby and Nic off the floor. Nic blushed up at the large protector.

“Come here, kitten,” Liam said. When Sebastian looked up, Liam was holding out his clothes. He

quickly put them on and launched himself into Liam’s arms.

“It was the most amazing feeling. Not as sacred as a mating bond, but close.” Liam sat down, pulling

Sebastian in his lap. Sebastian snuggled close and began to purr happily.

“Well isn’t this a picture of domesticity. Or it would be if the lion Alpha were holding a woman,” a

snarky voice said from behind them. After the floating sense of warmth, acceptance and love they had all

just experienced, this man felt like a cold intrusion.

“We don’t discriminate against anyone here in Arkadia,” Ma said from her chair next to Aleks and

Rebecca, arms crossed over her chest.

“According to our records, you, Margaret Arkadion, are no longer Alpha Mother. I don’t have anything

to say to the diner’s owner. I was told that the lions fall under the Alpha Mother’s jurisdiction now.” The

man looked down his nose at her. Behind him Connor and Emmett stood growling.

“Boys, please,” Ma said, shaking her head.

“Hmm, it may be worse than I was led to imagine. The brutes here are barely civilized.” The man took a

step forward and looked around the diner, distaste clearly written on his face. “Elder, did we really have to

meet in such a plebian establishment? I mean, do they even clean here?” he asked, wiping a fingertip across

a table, shuddering.

“I assure you, Mr. Salsiby that this diner provides only the best,” Lachlan said, walking forward, kissing

Ma on either cheek before taking a seat on the barstool at the counter. Kent stepped quickly in the man’s

wake and made his way to his mates. He sat down and laid his arm across the back of Liam’s chair.

Wiggling, Rebecca made Aleks put her down. She walked over to Mr. Salsiby.

“I’m Rebecca Arkadion, the Alpha Mother here. Welcome to Arkadia. Elder Lewenhart is correct. Ma

serves some of the best food I have ever had. Would you like to sit down and see a menu?” She asked

brightly. The man eyed her as if she were a bug on the sidewalk. Sebastian felt the hair on the back of his