13. Chapter 13

Chapter thirteen

K ing was going to throw up.

Not just a little. Not only in his mouth. He was going to full-on The Exorcist everything he'd ever eaten in his entire life.

After that, he was going to pitilessly murder his mate.

Yeah, fine, he got it. After nearly a week of believing he didn't even have a family, Storm now remembered them and wanted to see them. Awesome. Fantastic. A twenty-four-hour notice might have been nice.

And what the hell was wrong with his family? Who just woke up and decided to travel across state lines without any planning or preparation?

Hey, honey, what do you want to do today?

Let's drive four hours to another state. Sound good?

Hell yeah. I'll pack snacks.

Sweet baby angels, he was going to have a proper mental breakdown.

While he knew Storm's real name was Steven, he had become accustomed to calling him Storm. Would his parents take offense to that? Did he call them Mr. and Mrs. Blackburn? Fuck, he didn't even know their names. And what about the twins?

Well, according to his mate, the girls thought he was cute. So, at least that was something.

"Darlin', you need to breathe."

"I'm breathing!" Hell, he was practically hyperventilating. How much more breathing did the guy want from him? "When are they going to be here?"

"Probably half an hour or so."

"Oh, god." The cramping in his stomach intensified, and his pulse rocketed as his heart made a valiant attempt to explode out of his chest.

"Please calm down." Uncaring that they stood in the middle of the hotel lobby, Storm took his hand and pulled him into his arms, surrounding him with warmth and strength. "My family is going to adore you, and if they don't, I'll eat them."

Despite the tsunami of nerves crashing inside him, he couldn't help but chuckle. "I will never forget the look on my mom's face."

"I do feel bad about that."

King rolled his eyes. "No, you don't, but it's okay. She deserved it."

The shifter didn't agree with him outright, but his lack of comment spoke volumes.

He had spent his entire life trying to live up to his mother's unreasonable expectations. Of course, he still loved her, but the previous evening had been the wake-up call he'd needed.

Just because he didn't want the life his mother pushed on him didn't make him flawed or broken. Beating himself up over ever perceived infraction didn't serve any purpose, other than to make him miserable. He loved his job, his apartment, and everything about his life. Hell, he was even happy with the way he looked, and frankly, he fucking hated green tea.

While Storm's eruption had been the catalyst, his siblings had played a big role in helping him see the truth. They'd stood by him, and they had taken his side against their mother. That wasn't something easily brushed aside.

After he'd awoken from his mini coma, he'd spent a lot of time during the night replaying old conversations from a new perspective. Instead of scorn and disdain, he tried to view them through a less resentful lense. One that came from a place of love and gentle teasing.

There had also been a constant flow of messages coming into the group chat since early that morning, and he had to give his brother and sisters credit. They were trying, and the least he could do was to meet them halfway. It wouldn't happen all at once, but he had hope that they could repair the broken parts of their relationship.

As for his parents, well, that depended on them. He didn't want to cut them out of his life completely, but he was done being either an afterthought or a punching bag. Besides, he had a feeling Storm wouldn't be welcomed at family dinners again, which was a deal breaker as far as he was concerned.

"I found her!" Arlo came rushing down the grand staircase, dragging Nita behind him.

"Damn it, Arlo! Let go of me. What is wrong with you? Aren't you supposed to be babysitting the wolf boy?"

Clearing the last step, he rushed over to join their group, where they stood out of sight from the windows that looked out onto the front portico. "He's in a meeting. Just trust me."

"I definitely don't."

"That's fair." Even as he spoke, he grabbed Nita by the elbow and shoved her toward Owen. "Get with the fixing."

King loved his best friend, and he would do anything for him, but the guy had the subtlety of a nail gun to the face. "Nita, I apologize for Arlo's…" He trailed off, trying to think how to word what he wanted to say, then gave up and shrugged. "I'm sorry for Arlo."

"Still fair."

Apart from the twitching at the corner of his lips, King ignored him. "My friend here wanted to thank you for helping him at the last fan meet. Do you remember Owen?"

Nita's expression slowly morphed from irritation to recognition. "Of course! I didn't know you were coming back. How are you?"

The witch looked a little pale, but he pasted on a smile. "I'm great. How are you?"

"Can't complain. So, you wanted to thank me for something?"

"Yeah, I was really struggling with deciding on my major, but you said I should do what I love. So, I've decided to major in graphic design."

Ah, so that's what they'd been talking about in the security footage. Damn, how young was this kid?

"That's fantastic! I know you're going to be great at it, and when you graduate, I expect a discount on your services."

Owen laughed, and some of the tension drained from his shoulders. "That goes without saying." He took a deep breath and extended his right hand. "So, thank you for listening."

"It was my pleasure." Batting his hand away, Nita pulled him into a tight hug. "I'm so proud of you."

While still technically physical contact, maintaining it for any length of time without coming off as creepy was going to be a problem. Not knowing what else to do, King flung his arms around both of them.

"We're all proud of you! Group hug!"

Thankfully, Arlo had no reservations, but Storm still held back.

"Uh, King? Should you be touching him?"

"I'll explain later. Just get in here."

After another second of hesitation, Storm wrapped his arms around all four of them. King just prayed it worked.

When they finally broke apart, everyone stood in a loose circle around Nita, watching her for any signs that the hex had been lifted. At first, nothing happened. Her face was scrunched, and her eyes kept darting around the group, but that was probably because they were all staring at her like a bunch of psychos.

Slowly, however, her expression changed, fell, and her gaze turned soft and unfocused. "Oh, no," she whispered. "Kief." Then her head popped up, her eyes rounded, and she began digging furiously into her pocket for her phone. "I have to go."

"Kief?" Arlo asked as they watched her dart off toward the registration desks. "That's rough. Can you imagine introducing yourself, and everyone thinking you have a lisp?"

"There's nothing wrong with having a lisp," King argued.

"Yeah, but an accidental one because your parents named you Kief? Come on!"

"It's probably short for Kiefer," Owen said. "You know, like the actor."

"Oh, right. Or the yogurt."

King rolled his eyes. "That's Kefir."

"Whatever. Tomato, tomato." And he pronounced it the same both times.

Deciding Arlo had received enough attention for one day, King turned to Owen. "Thank you for helping Nita."

"I'm sorry this happened in the first place." He shoved his hands into the pockets of his ripped jeans and hung his head. "I guess thanks for not arresting me."

"Out of curiosity, how old are you?"

"I just turned eighteen last month."

Poor fucking kid. "Well, good luck with college. I'm sure you're going to make a hell of a graphic designer."

"Thanks, I appreciate that." He looked up when the front doors opened, and people began filing into the lobby. "I guess I better go register. Forgive me if I don't shake hands."

Probably for the best, but King didn't want to rub salt into an open wound. "I'll see you around."

"I feel bad for him," Storm said once he was out of earshot.

"Me, too. Isn't there anything we can do for him?"

"He'll figure it out," Arlo said. "You can't fix the world."

"I know that, but he seems to really be struggling."

"Captain Save a Beau, listen to me. You." Clap. "Can't." Clap. "Fix." Clap. "The." Clap. "World."

King chuckled at his antics, though he knew better than to encourage him. "Yeah, yeah, I've got it."

Besides, he had bigger problems at the moment. Like the fact that he had just spotted a pair of identical blonde-haired, blue-eyed girls walk through the huge double doors. Right behind them was a man who looked exactly like his mate, holding hands with a beautiful woman who could have been another sister instead of Storm's mom.

Good genes clearly ran in the family.

"I thought you said I had half an hour!"

"That was at least fifteen minutes ago," Storm responded calmly. "They made good time."

"Good time? Good time!"

"Let's go say hello."

Thankfully, training and common sense overrode whatever malfunction he was currently having. "Are you crazy? You'll get mobbed before you make it halfway across the room."

"Yeah, but—"

"No. Come on, we need to get you out of here." They were still partially hidden in the alcove by the stairs, but they definitely needed to move. "Arlo, can you send them to the piano lounge?"

"I'm on it." He didn't move, though. "Uh, which ones belong to him?"

"The ones that look just like him!"

"Oh, right. Yep, I see it now."

"And don't tell them he was cursed!"

"Damn, there goes my opening line." The sarcasm was thick enough to cut with a knife.

"Fine. Go."

Leaving Arlo to deal with the Blackburns, he rushed Storm around the corner and down the wide corridor. With the only guests being those associated in some way with the film, the typically noisy establishments were blessedly quiet and unassuming.

They passed a couple of restaurants and a small shop that sold travel essentials like toothbrushes and deodorant. Toward the end of the hallway, they finally came to All That Jazz, a dimly lit lounge filled with the sound of soft piano music.

Inside, he waved to the bartender, a pretty fae with ruby-red hair, then headed straight to the sitting area in the back corner. With two leather loveseats and matching armchairs, it was cozy, but with enough room so they wouldn't be right on top of each other.

"It's going to be okay," Storm said again, still trying to calm him. Grabbing him by the shoulders, he twisted him around and planted a searing kiss on his lips. "I love you, yeah?"

King sighed. "I love you, too, but I'm still nervous."

"Come on. Let's sit while we wait."

A good idea in theory, but his butt had barely touched the cushion of the loveseat when Storm's family filed into the lounge.

"Uh, are my sisters allowed to be in here?"

"It's fine. They just can't enter the bar area."

Satisfied with the answer, he hurried across the room to meet his family. He hugged his dad first, a big, crushing embrace that looked kind of painful. Then he welcomed his mother by lifting her off her feet and spinning her in a circle before giving her a smacking kiss on the cheek. Finally, he turned to his sisters, threw one over each shoulder, and carried them to the sitting area.

It was the most insane reunion King had ever witnessed. Was this how normal families treated each other? He couldn't even remember the last time he'd hugged his mother.

"Everyone," Storm announced as he dropped the giggling twins to their feet. "I want you to meet my mate, Kingston. Darlin', this is the fam."

As if summoned to a roll call, they all lined up and introduced themselves one by one.

"I'm Robert." He stepped forward and grabbed King's hand in a firm grasp. "It's nice to meet you, son."

Son? "Likewise."

"And I'm Shelby." Storm's mother wasn't a hand-shaker. She was a hugger, and she held onto him like he might fall apart without her support. "Welcome to the family."

Okay, this wasn't so bad. A little overwhelming, but…nice.

"Bridget." The first twin gave him an exaggerated wave.

"And Bailey!" The second tucked one leg behind the other and lowered into a deep courtesy. "You are way too good—"

"For our brother. We saw you—"

"Online. OMG! It was a—"

"Total vibe!"

Heat rushed to King's cheeks and crept up to the tips of his ears. "Are they always like this?"

Storm chuckled and kissed the top of his head. "Yeah, but you'll get used to it."

"Oh, oh, are you doing—"

"The telepathic thing? That is highkey—"

"So cute!"

"Okay, girls, let the boy breathe," Robert admonished gently. "Let's sit."

King settled onto the back loveseat with Storm, while Robert and Shelby took the other, leaving the twins to curl up in the armchairs.

"So, Kingston, what is it you do?" Shelby asked.

"Please, call me King, and I work here at the hotel." He held his breath and waited for the fallout.

"This is such an interesting place. I bet you're never bored."

"No ma'am. Never a dull moment."

"Are you a concierge?" Bridget asked.

"Actually, I work in housekeeping." Great. Way to make an impression. "I like cleaning," he added lamely.

"It's so relaxing, isn't it?" Shelby laughed and snuggled close to her husband's side. "I bet you've met a lot of interesting people."

That was it? No judgment? No questions about when he was going to find a "real" job?

"I guess so. I tend to think everyone is interesting in their own way."

"Some people are just jerks," Bailey argued.

King shrugged. "Even jerks can be interesting."

The way he saw it, everyone had a story. Owen had just proven that.

"That's right." Robert pointed a finger at his daughters. "You two listen up. You might just learn something."

The girls rolled their eyes, but otherwise, didn't comment.

"I'm going to get a drink," Robert announced and pushed out of his seat. "You boys want anything?"

"Just water," Storm said. "I have to be on stage in a couple of hours."

"Yes, dear, and we don't want a repeat of the lake."

"Mom!"

Bridget and Bailey fell into a fit of giggles, and even King was having a hard time not laughing.

"What?" Shelby demanded.

"I can't believe you watched that."

"Oh, please, I was wiping that ass long before you even knew what to do with it."

That did it. King couldn't keep it together, and he fell against his mate, gasping for breath as tears streamed down his face.

"See?" Storm whispered into his mind. "I told you it would be fine."

It was more than fine. It was perfect.

It was family.