To Mai Surprise
Disclaimer: I do not own The Nine Lives of Chloe King, nor do I profit from any of my stories.
Warning: This story is rated M and is for mature audiences only. Reader discretion is advised.
Chapter 13
When I woke up in the morning, I felt someone watching me. About to go into defense-mode, I remembered last night's events. I opened my eyes to find Alek's sleepy gaze peering lazily at me across the pillow. After a smile and a kiss, we were ready to start the day.
I helped Alek pick out a nice tie, one that matched the dress I was going to wear to the council meeting. Amy made sure my makeup and hair were absolute perfection. She finished and left the room, heading off to go do cosmetics for the other girls.
Looking in the mirror, I was amazed how stunning I looked. Gold and a deep forest green are the color of the Petrov coat of arms, so my stilettos were gold and the dress I was wearing was green. It was sexy but still sophisticated; it was a backless silk down with a full A-line skirt that came down to my knees.
The United States Mai Council was meeting in the Hilton's convention center, disguised as a "Diabetic Feline Owners Association's 11th Annual Educational Seminar" to remain under the radar. We followed Aunt Valentina into the conference room. The room was absolutely silent when we walked through the door.
"Master Aleksander Benjamin Petrov has arrived." I raised an eyebrow as the bouncer announced our arrival. "Miss Chloe Diane King, the Uniter's mate and fiancé. Missus Valentina Bayar, their Pride leader." The people in the room all rose from their seats and bowed.
Alek sat down in a chair, Aunt Val next to him. Knowing my place, I stood behind him to drape my arms across his shoulders. The other council members sat down in their seats, all trying to speak at once.
"Ahhem," Alek cleared his throat to get their attention. "Please allow me to make an opening statement. I know there will be much competition between the Prides over who will train me and guard me. I will tell you now: I will live with the San Francisco Pride for as long as I can. When my home is threatened, I am prepared to go into hiding with one condition."
Alek paused, looking across the room to make eye contact with all the adults. "There are people that must come with me. Not all of them are Mai but, as the Uniter, I say who is to be trusted. These people would be in immediate danger if I were to go missing. Those that seek to end my lives would surely use them against me. My fiancé, her Aunt Valentina and cousin Jasmine, my adoptive mother Meredith Souza, Amy Cain and Paul Jeong, to name a few."
Those who disagreed were silenced by Alek standing up. He addressed the crowd, saying, "Come down to San Francisco. I will meet with those who would like to create an emergency protection plan." Alek turned to me. "Kitten, I'll talk to you in about a bit, we can for a swim or something. You don't have to stay here; Valentina and I are going to review the security force for flight tomorrow."
I nodded and leaned in for a kiss, then made my way down to the pool.
Not wanting to attract any unwanted attention, I opted for a one-piece swimsuit. There weren't very many people in the pool, so I decided to let my guard down. I walked over to a few of the New York Mai, introducing myself. Apparently word had already spread. The guys all kept their distance while the girls wanted to see the ring and here about how he proposed. Giving them vague answers, I sat down on the edge of the pool.
An autumn breeze made the water seem colder than it actually was. There was no one in the hot tub; there were hardly any people at the pool now in fact. I sunk down into the warm water, relaxing against the bench.
Looking up at the sky, all I saw were clouds. I sighed, disappointed.
"Even if the sky was clear, I doubt you would be able to see any stars…" The shy voice behind me startled me. "Um, sorry, I'm Kai," said the boy sitting on the edge of the hot tub. He was muscular and had an accent, but I had never met him before. He wasn't Mai; I knew that for a fact. None of the male Mai would go near me, because I had been claimed by their savior.
"Hi? I'm Chloe," I said as he sat down on the bench across from me.
"I know."
I looked up, startled. "How…?"
"I'm here to talk to Aleksander actually, and I figure he will probably show up eventually." He put his hands up in protest. "No, I'm not going to hurt him! My father wants to talk to him, so I'm supposed to set up a meet."
I looked in his eyes, he seemed sincere. My instincts told me that he wasn't an enemy, so I nodded.
"I'm not… human… if that's what you're wondering. You might be able to figure it out…" He brought a hand to his lips and pointed to his teeth. I raised an eyebrow; they looked normal. Suddenly, his canines grew and his jaw shifted. With a gasp, realization hit me. He was a Jackal!
Jackals were supposed to filthy murderers, the Mai's mortal enemy. Whenever one was sighted, we fought like cats and dogs. We hunted them down just as the Order hunted the Mai. This Jackal seemed more like the 'hit him over the head with a rolled up newspaper' kind.
"Um, well… Alek should be here soon, so…" I was worried. Just because I didn't see Kai as a threat didn't mean he was harmless.
"Yeah, I'm kinda freaking out… I honestly thought you would try to kill me when I approached you." He looked around, saying that "sneaking in here was hard enough…"
I laughed, and then heard a familiar heartbeat coming closer. "Alek is on his way," I told Kai.
He looked at me, confused. "How…?"
"Oh, well, I heard his heartbeat. It's a mate thing, I think."
Kai nodded, and then looked at me. "Should we get out?" When I frowned, he clarified. "Should we get out of the hot tub? If Alek is on his way."
I shrugged, saying, "Only if you want to. We can ask him actually." I pointed across the pool. "Alek, there's someone here to talk to you."
Alek slipped into the hot tub beside me. "Hello, how do you do?" He reaches out and shakes Kai's hand. I feel Alek tense.
"Alek?" What happened?
"You're the Jackal, aren't you? It's a pleasure to meet you. Calm your fears, I know your intensions."
Kai nodded. "You really are the Uniter. The rumors about your Empathy are true, aren't they? Well, father wants to meet with you; he's interested in forming an alliance."
Suddenly, the door slams open. Three men from the Mai Council are standing in the doorway, yelling.
Kai scrambled out of the hot tub. Alek and I follow behind him, confused. The shouting gets louder as panic ensued. Mai hunters ran after Kai, who was running down the stairs to take the emergency exit. Alek was yelling, telling the Mai to stop, but it was in vain. More fighters swarmed us, all trying to track the Jackal.
I felt a sharp pain in my leg and someone's hands on me, causing me to spin around. It was Whitley Rezza.
He pushed me down onto the concrete and stepped on my back. I screamed out in pain, causing my attacker to laugh manically. My skin scraped against the cement, my swimsuit providing absolutely no protection.
The shoe on my back lifted up, only to come down on my head. Then everything went black, the sound of Alek yelling my name was the last thing I remember.
Bright lights burned into my vision. "Chloe? Chloe!" I grumbled and pushed the flashlight-pen out of my face. Strong arms helped me up. Alek's heartbeat grew louder as he climbed onto the bed behind me, supporting my back as I leaned on him. I felt a slight sting on my face as the band-aid pulled at my skin.
"It looks like you have a mild concussion," said Aunt Valentina, putting away her emergency medical kit. "Your bandages need to be changed every day and take some antibiotics. I'll get you a three month's supply, which should be more than enough."
I had scratches on my face and shoulders, a huge bruise on my back and a deep gash on the side of my right thigh. Apparently Brian's father had used the riot as a distraction to go after me. His excuse being that I am "the only thing keeping the Uniter from fulfilling his destiny." Whitley Rezza was on the run, so the position of Pride leader in Las Vegas went to Brian.
Saying good-bye to Brian and Mimi at the airport, we all prepared to board our planes. The two lovebirds were catching the next flight to Vegas, but both promised to keep in touch. Aunt Val, Jasmine, Amy and Paul, and Alek and I were flying back to San Francisco.
We arrive at the San Fran International Airport at about noon, dropping Alek off at his house on our way back to the apartment. It was Wednesday, and tomorrow was Thanksgiving. Alek had decided to tell Meredith about being Mai, so Aunt Valentina and Jasmine were joining us for dinner tomorrow.
I slept at Alek's that night, no sex, yes sleeping. We didn't want to chance reopening my wounds. In the morning, I ran home to shower, and then headed back to Alek's house to help Mer with cooking. We cooked the turkey in a big roaster, made Jello salad, mashed potatoes, and steamed vegetables.
At 5pm, Aunt Val and Jasmine arrived. We had a wonderful meal, explaining to Meredith about Mai history and culture. She was shocked at first and thought we were joking. Alek showed her his claws and eyes, and finally she believed us. We had expected her to freak out, go into denial, or even faint.
Meredith surprised us by being entirely relieved. "Oh thank God. I was starting to worry about you son. We used to talk about everything but you have been so secretive lately. At least we don't have to talk about peer pressure and get you drug tested or anything," she laughed.
When Alek announced our engagement, it was Mer's turn to be surprised. She knew that we were in love, but it never occurred to her that Alek was going to propose. Getting a little bit angry, she yelled at Alek, asking him why he didn't tell her about it.
"I could have video-taped it or something! Why! How could you let me miss such a big moment in your life!"
The remainder of the evening progressed smoothly; Meredith decided to allow me to sleep over whenever I wanted. She hated to think that we were sneaking around behind her back. We promised to respect her wishes and to be responsible.
Helping Mer with the dishes, I told her that we planned to get married after high school, sometime in college. Knowing now that Mai fall in love for life, she simply told us that whenever we felt like it was fine. She said that as soon as Alek turned 18, he should get his own place so we could move in together. Meredith warned me about being responsible, but was satisfied when I told her that I was on 'The Pill.'
The next few weeks went by quickly, homework piling up as we prepared for winter break. Meredith made us promise to spend Christmas at home, so Alek insisted on planning a special trip together from the 26th through January 5th. We got reservations for a Medowside 1-Bedroom Condo at Kirkwood Mountain Resort.
Alek and I could finally get some much needed alone time. The scratches on my face were healed and the swelling on my back and shoulders had gone down. Even the gash on my leg was feeling better, though I still had to keep it bandaged up and take antibiotics. I had never gone skiing before, but Alek promised to teach me.
"Miss King, please stop day-dreaming. Your test won't take itself, you know." The teacher called out across the classroom. His usually malice was missing from his tone, probably because he wanted to get this exam over with just as much as I did. It was the last day of school before winter break, and I had three tests. And a PowerPoint presentation. And an 6-page essay. All due today.
Yep, can't wait for today to be finished.
Is anyone excited for Christmas? I sure am, and Chloe's getting a special gift this year. As always, feedback is important. I always take your advice into consideration. Let me know what you think of this chapter, and what you think will happen over winter break!