Standing

Chapter 11: Blood is thicker than water

RECAP: LUKE, GABE & RIKI BOND EVEN CLOSER. AND GABE NOW HAS A MATE MARK. RIKI IS NOT DISTANCING HERSELF EMOTIONALLY FROM THE GUYS ANYMORE.

CHAPTER 11

BLOOD IS THICKER THAN WATER

RIKI POV

The guys decided that Ash and I needed some girl time before going to see my dad and sent her up to eat breakfast with me. Both of them are a lot more relaxed around me, now that our bond is firmer. I take a bite of my eggs as Luke's chuckle slides through my mind. I smile at Ash. She grins back at me and takes a bite of her pancakes. Her twitching foot, is the only sign of her nervousness. I reach my hand out and stop her foot. She blushes as I look at her expectantly. 

"Well..." She blushes deeper and swallows her pancakes.

"It was mind blowing until I freaked out. Then..." A tear slides down her cheek and I set my food aside and open my arms. She sobs and throws herself in them. I brush the hair from her hair as she speaks.

"...I walked out of the bathroom after 'hell yeah sex' and he was on the phone, saying I was a screamer and that we were nothing serious. I mean I know that but..." I sigh and bite my tongue to keep from saying how much of an ass Kade is. Instead I say what she needs to hear right now.

"...but he was your first consensual sexual encounter and it meant something to you." She sobs again as the guys growl in my head, having heard the whole conversation. Ash looks up at me and for a second her pale blue eyes look caribean blue, just like her fathers. I blink and Ash's eyes are a pale blue just like always. I kiss the top of her head. Suddenly fury is rolling over me in waves and my leopard takes me over to speak aloud.

"I will kill him for you cub. I will sink my teeth into the flesh of his neck and tear out his throat. On this Re and I agree." Ash stops crying to stare at us. I feel the guys in my mind, tensing as if to shift.

"Um, Riki?" We shake our heads.

"I am Re, Riki's leopard and Ti is Riki's wolf. Now, should I go eat the boy? No one hurts our cub." Ash hurriedly places her hands on my chest, silently pleading for me to stay silent.

"You can talk? And you have names?" We smile down at our little cub's curious nature.

"Us talking is a gift from the goddess. As for names, what do you think the birthing ceremony is for?" Our cub looks at us curiously and we see her eyes flash caribbean blue again.

"We mean that the birthing ceremony is to discover what your animal's name is so that you can be named for them. Riki's real name is Realtin. I am Re and wolf is Ti, see? Now, we kill Kade." We looked up, at that moment to see Kade come in the room. Cub gasps and Kade looks from her tear swollen eyes to our flashing yellow eyes. We stand, red clouding our vision. Cub scrambles in between us and we look down at her, confused. We growl warningly at Kade, who is edging towards our cub. Cub starts to speak.

"It's okay..." Then Kade put his hand on our cub. We snarl and pull her back as our canine and claws extend. Then our mates are there, in front of us. We smile until we remember Kade, who is standing behind them. We leap forward, snarling in rage, only to be caught by our mates. Lucas and Gabriel look down at us, frowning as Lucas speaks.

"Re, let Riki back." We ignore him and try to leap through the space in between their shoulders to get at Kade. He warily steps back as Gabriel wraps his arms around us. We look up at Lucas only to find yellow eyes staring down at us. We freeze immediately as Lu, Lucas's wolf speaks.