Surprise Mating (4 page)

“
Okay, then,” Kiki said loudly and held out his hand in front of her.  “Let’s go and meet the Drekinn Pack.”

For the next
hour, they preformed the introductions.  Sydney was polite and a little quiet, not from being shy, more from the fact she couldn’t get a word in edgewise.  If she didn’t have a mission, she would have been completely enthralled.  Sure they were a little crazy, and off the wall, but in a charmingly fun way.  She had never been to a meal like this one.  Especially when Rissa and Cherri began arguing over who was going to be the Godmother to the Alpha’s baby.  It was entertaining to say the least.

The table was full of f
ood, she was impressed by the spread and wondered where exactly they were getting supplies.  Sydney waited while both Kiki and Thomas put food on her plate, leaning in and whispering to her if she liked certain foods.  It unnerved her.  She could feel the tingle of awareness from the mating pull—it was making her squirm a little in her seat.

Sydney heard one of the mothers,
Shelly
, she thought, at the end of the table say loudly before her friends hushed her. 

“
I though Kiki was gay, are you sure he knows where to put it?”

“
Honey,” Vivi responded and laughed loudly.  “She only has two holes.”

“
Uh, no, three, and what if he gets confused?” Brenda said.

“
Maybe we should give her a few pointers,” Shelly said and smiled at Kiki and Thomas who were shaking their heads and groaning with embarrassment then waved a little.  “See? They are so nice, I think we should be talking to them about the whole mating thing. Thomas is probably feeling sad now that Kiki isn’t chasing his ass anymore.”

“
Are they aware we can hear them?” Sydney whispered out of the side of her mouth, staring at the three women who were speaking clearly.

“
Nah, that is their quiet voice, you should see them when they yell, scares the shit out of most people,” Kiki whispered back.

“
If the floor opened up and swallowed me whole right about now, I don’t think I would argue,” Thomas hissed.

“
Look, they are in a fight already.  Maybe we should stop making that blanket for them,” Shelly said and stared at them with pity.

“
Blanket?  What blanket?” Vivi asked.

“
You know the one that Selma from NYC is making us so we can pass it off as our own,” Brenda said.

“
Yeah, yeah, yeah… I remember,” Vivi said snapping her finger.  “We need her to make baby shit, too.  My grandbaby deserves the best.”

“
Kiki needs us!” Brenda said.  “Stop getting off subject.”

Sydney turned and looked at Kiki who blushed bright red and shrugged.  “
What, they love me.  It was like taking a group of kids to the zoo when I took them to the bar where I once worked.  They love drag queens.”

Sydney giggle
d and shook her head, she was still floored every time someone said Kiki was a drag queen.  It didn’t really matter to her, the man was hot and sexy, dressed in pants or skirts, either way she stared at his ass.

“
So,” Kade said across the table from Sydney.  “You were with Phillip.”

Sydney nodded.
  “Yep, I was on my way to the Drekinn Agency when they were taken down.  I joined Phillip and the others when they were heading here.  I was on the run from a few of the men
Ulfer
who decided I looked like someone they wanted to play with.”

Thomas hissed and looked at Kiki who was looking decidedly murderous. 
She knew she was going to have to talk about what happened when she arrived to NYC. 

“
Why were you going to the Drekinn?” Calli asked suspiciously.

Sydney lo
oked around the room and saw that most of them were waiting for her answer.  They may have allowed her to come into the compound with the others, but they still didn’t trust them all.  Shit, she was going to have to go out on a limb here.  Phillip was nodding slightly to her.  He didn’t know everything, only that she wanted to join the agency because she wanted to help. 

“
I was going to find a job,” Sydney said honestly and waited.

“
To do what?” Cherri asked.

Sydney looked Calli in the eyes and said
, “Investigation.”

The Alpha female
's eyes narrowed and she looked at her.  Kiki and Thomas were holding their breath, she could feel the tension in the air, but damn it, she needed to talk to Ms. Praton for a reason, one she really didn’t want to discuss at the dinner table. 

“
You want to be in Investigation?”

Sydney nodded,
“I need to speak to Ms. Praton about this first.”

Calli grinned and looked at her closely.  “
Really?  Pilar, where is Ms. Praton right now?”

Sydney
shifted her gaze to the young woman she spent the afternoon with.  She seemed like she was amused, just like the others in the room.  “I can get her if you need me to.”

Calli cocked her head.  “
Why do you need to speak directly to her?”

Kiki and Thomas groaned
aloud and she refused to turn and look at them.  Instead, she kept eye contact with the Alpha female.  She would not be intimidated.  It was time for her mates, and everyone in the place, to know she was not a little cowering flower they all thought she was.  It was pissing her off playing this game.  She could either be making a huge fucking mistake, or solidifying her place in the Drekinn.

“
Because I have certain powers she may feel will be extremely useful, and in addition to that, I have some other information which may or may not be pertinent as well,” Sydney said carefully and refused to break eye contact.

Kiki leaned over and whispered in her ear
, “Darling, you are playing a dangerous game with my best friends.  They will kill you.”

Thomas said in the other ear
, “When I count to three, make a run for it.  We will protect you.”

Sydney chuckled coldly, “
Cute as you may be, I can take care of myself.  I am sorry if I misled you in anyway, but trust me, I got this.”

Calli grinned evilly
, tilted her head to the side, and opened her mouth to say something, but she was interrupted.

Vivi stood and said quickly
, “Hang on, before there is bloodshed and crying, we have been talking down here and are wondering something.”

Neither of the women flinched at the change in subject.  Although Sydney co
uld feel some of the Pack members backing up and scooting against the walls.  Far enough away to miss the carnage that was about to happen, or close enough to see the show.  Either way, it looked like there was going to be a hellish fight.

“
Calli,” Kiki said warningly to his friend.  “Damn it, don’t you dare.”

Thomas stood and looked at Kade with a glare
.  “Get her under control.”

“
Yeah, sure, I will get right on that one,” Kade laughed.  “Besides, she won’t kill your mate, maybe maim her, but not kill.”

“
She is so tiny, it would be like beating a child or something,” Rissa whined.  “You know, there are some lines even we don’t cross.”

“
I’ll get the bag,” Cherri said briskly.

“
Billy,” Rissa called and grabbed the dog that was under the table.  “Take cover, boy!”

The small dog barked and apparently listened to his master
as Sydney heard the scurry of little feet run out of the room. 
What wolf shifter had dogs anyway
?
  It's weird
, Sydney thought but continued the stare down without a flinch.

“
Syd, honey, please,” Kiki begged.  “You don’t really know them.”

“
Oh, I know them alright, been dealing with their kind my entire life,” Sydney murmured.

“
What the hell does that mean?” Cherri said, standing and putting her hands on her hips.  Rissa mimicked her, and went and stood next to her friend in the same stance.

“
Yeah, what the fuck does that mean?” Rissa screeched.

“”
Hmmm, I don’t know, it seems like the midget over here is saying we are evil or something,” Calli said lowly.

“
There is no 'seems like it' at all. I am saying you are an Alpha who leads by fear, not by understanding and kindness like a good Alpha would be.  I mean, my mates seem to be terrified of you,” Sydney said dryly and she stood, putting her hands on the table and leaned over a little toward the Alpha in a clear, challenging way.  “However, I can make this a little clearer in case the hormones, from the spawn of the devil, are actually clouding your thoughts.”

Calli snorted and narrowed her eyes.  “
Please do, pocket princess. I am sure I am going to take this conversation to heart and change my nasty ways because of it.” 

“
Oh shit,” Kade groaned.

“
Damn it, Calli, knock it off!” Kiki yelled.

“
Hey, I didn’t start this, but I damn sure am going to finish it,” Calli growled and Sydney wanted to laugh when her eyes shifted.  She wouldn’t bow to intimidation no matter who it came from.

“
Well, we better move the tables, people, there is gonna be a knock-down drag-out,” Vivi said and her friends began to move food and the dinner stuff out of way.

“
The problem is, this pack has lost sight of what is important,” Sydney said.

“
Oh really?  Enlighten me,” Calli laughed.

“
Yep, the way I see it.  The Chosen had it right.  They were committed to their cause, making sure all magical creatures were protected, and they made the humans aware of the fact that we had been living amongst them without reason to fear.  I came here to look for Ms. Praton with the sole purpose of offering my help to her and the Drekinn.  Instead, I have been sitting here being ignored like a child.  You have overlooked one of your best assets because you are so narrow-minded that you refuse to believe no one could possibly be as good as you.  And bring it, your pregnant ass couldn’t take me with one hand tied behind my back,” Sydney snarled.

Calli grinned and sat back.  Sydney knew she was trying to
lull her into a false sense of security.  When she cocked her head to the side and began speaking through her clenched teeth, Sydney knew she had pissed off the crazy Alpha.

“
Hey, did she just call my ass fat?” Calli asked.

Cherri and Rissa laughed, “
Girlfriend, she called your
pregnant
ass fat,” one of them said.

“
Well, princeAss, let me fill you in on a few things around here.  We are accepting, as long as people don’t lie to us.  However, if what you are telling me is correct, you have and did lie to us in the last few weeks.  I was told you were a harmless Fae who needed protecting.  As for leading by fear, you could not have it more wrong.  I admit that we are a little forceful, but every single one of our members of this pack know we would protect them with our life, and stand up for them every time if they needed it.  They are like a family type of afraid, you know like I am the big sister who puts lipstick on them when they sleep and shit like that,” Calli gritted out.  “I will not have anyone, especially a fucking lying, backstabbing bitch, walk into my home and question what the hell I am doing and how I am running things, especially when we are the ones with fucking bounties on our heads for standing up for the Drekinn as a whole.  I don’t care if someone can fight better than me or is smarter than me, hell, half the fucking people here can.  An Alpha is not only made up of strength and skills, but because we can combine the two and use it.  Besides, I get little fucking party favors with the name ‘Head Bitch in Charge’ on them.  Trust me when I say that is the coolest thing about being an Alpha.  As for being narrow-minded, you judgmental bitch, I am not, nor have I ever been, narrow-minded.  I accept people for who they are, not lead them around by the nose, lying to them and covering who I really am, in a nice little snack-size package.  You are lying to my friends and pack mates, and I am calling black-black, and white-white, you treacherous whore.  You are not worthy of Kiki and Thomas, not the other way around.”

Sydney
’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, the Alpha had called her on the whole lying thing, but she would still not back down.  This was not about that, this was about completing her goals.

“
Nice speech,” Sydney scoffed.  “It would have been better if you would have gotten up on the pedestal that you seem to put yourself on.  Sure, I may have left out a few things when I came here, like what I wanted and what my powers were.”  She heard Kiki and Thomas make noises behind her, and felt them shift a little to the side. 
Damn it, she was fucking this up
.  This is why she didn’t want to mate, she had to be responsible for someone else, or in her case,
two
someone else’s.  It sucked, and she was going to have to explain all this later.  “But that has no bearing on the fact that you have an obligation to seek out and ask for help from those who also believe in this cause.  I can help, and Ms. Praton is the head of the Drekinn Agency, not you, or your overgrown baboon of a mate.  So forgive me if I don’t bow down and kiss your feet because you are an Alpha.  I don’t belong to this pack or whatever you want to call it.  It is by sheer coincidence that I am some descendant of the Chosen, cool yes, life-defining, not so much.  Now, if you don’t want to help me find Ms. Praton, fine, I never asked for your help, but step your dingy ass, dyed hair out of my way, because I have a purpose to fulfill and it doesn’t include sitting in this nice posh castle watching while the people of my race are killed off one by one. I am more of an action type of girl.”