Pretty Spelled by K.A Knight

Khalid

Reaching over, I grab Remi’s thigh while she is driving. She glances down and smacks my hand away. “You are covered in blood, and I like these jeans. I’m sick of having to ask Atlas or Alejandra to fix them,” she warns.

Laughing, I lean over and run my face along hers, purposely covering her in blood until she jerks the wheel, throwing me back in my seat with a giggle. Just then, the phone rings, so I pick it up and put it on speaker so she can hear.

“Hey, how did it go?” Dawn greets. After the whole stopping the end of the world thing, Remi and I decided to take her up on the offer and cleaned up the mess after. Dawn seemed to like that, and we agreed to meet—mainly so my brothers and I could suss out the new head of the council…but she was good.

Dawn is fresh, young, and crazy as hell, but she’s what this world needs, and with those monsters at her back? No one will stand in her way. She has a long road ahead of her, but that isn’t our problem anymore. We help from time to time with random contracts, and Remi and her have gotten close—shared trauma, I think. Bella too, that crazy sister-in-law of mine, loves her, especially the fact that she tamed the devil and calls him Lucy. She thinks it’s hilarious.

“We shut down the experiments, helped the human to one of the homes you had set up, and freed the supernaturals,” Remi informs her, turning onto the long dirt road that will take us home. No matter where we travel in the world, for fun or work, we always come back home.

As soon as we cross the threshold and drive through the barrier that Cass and Atlas spelled around the land, we both relax. It’s the one place where we can be completely us, strong and powerful, without having to look over our shoulders. We love this world and exploring and hunting together, but there is nothing like the freeing feeling of home and being with the family again after all these years.

“Good. Griff, baby, shut the fuck up and stop trying to strangle him.” Dawn sighs and then comes back. “Sorry, men, am I right?”

“Yeah, I have my hands full with one, I don’t know how you do it.” Remi laughs. I narrow my eyes on her, letting her know she will pay for that later. She licks her lips, her eyes turning black with desire. She knows exactly how I’ll make her pay—with my cock in her tight cunt, my hands around her neck, chains, fighting…all of it, and she wants it. She slams on the gas pedal, making me smirk.

“It’s like Pokémon, you gotta catch them all—fuck, Lucy, no! Do not burn them—shit, Remi, okay, I gotta go. My mates are trying to burn a councilman alive! Bye!” She hangs up then, leaving us laughing as we skid to a stop outside of our home.

I spot Mishal flying overhead, Dabria no doubt riding him, as we get out and wave at him. I see Cass and Alejandra in the greenhouse, laughing, while Kyro sunbathes outside of it with Slate roaming around in his wolf form. Their usual routine. I hear fighting, and I’m betting it’s Bella, Ciar, and Atlas practicing. Lilith is too far along to fight anymore, but where Atlas is, that’s where she will be.

I don’t see Calder or Mira, but I’m betting they are out at sea, exploring, making friends, and probably conjuring a storm or two. We wave at the others before Remi smacks me on the ass and rushes past me. “Race you!”

“I’ll catch you, amore, and when I do, you’re mine!” I yell back, and she bursts into a sprint, running towards our home.

Our home.

It’s something neither of us have ever really had, and now we do. And a family. The world is at our feet. My face splits into a grin…my face. No one else’s. I stopped wearing their skins apart from on missions. My love likes looking at me too much and tasting my scars, and my family always finds ways of letting me know it’s good to see me.

The real me, not just a pretty face.

* * *

Remi

I have a pack now. It may not be a traditional one, but I wouldn’t change it for the world, they accept my shifts, and never question when there is a tiger, a wolf…or even my wendigo roaming around. I did have to set some ground rules and warn my animals they are family now, but all of them are very protective of my new family…especially of Lilith, now that she is pregnant.

I’m distracted from my thoughts when Khalid catches me, throwing me over his shoulder and storming up the stairs. He kicks open our bedroom door and tosses me onto the bed. In an instant, he is on me, tearing at my outfit, snarling. My eyes fade to black to match his, and my claws pop out, which I use to cut off his clothes.

That’s another thing that has changed—my wendigo and I are at peace. We are one, she even gets on with my other animals and the darkness lingering in me from the power we shared.

It’s a constant circle of pulsing power.

A power stealer. That’s what I am, I know that now. We are still researching what it means, but for now I’m happy, happier than I have ever been. I have an incredible family who watches each other’s backs. I have six sisters and six brothers. I have Slate to run with, Cassandra to drink tea with. Lilith to laugh with. Mira to teach me how to swim. Bella to fight with. Dabria to bond with…

It’s everything I didn’t know was missing, and that hole inside of me heals with their love.

We didn’t just save the world and Lilith, we saved me too, and it’s all thanks to the man staring down at me, gripping my waist. His black eyes lock me in place, his body pinning me down as love flows across our bond.

We are still covered in blood, hyped from the fight. We may not have the normal kind of relationship. We enjoy fighting and hurting each other, and we like to be moving and doing something. But to me?

We are perfect.

Who knew a man who could change his face like I change my animals would make me believe in love and family again? Would give me everything I was never searching for and more? He shows me every day just how much he loves me, making up for our past.

“I love you, amore,” he breathes, and I can’t help the grin that blooms on my lips.

“I know,” I reply, and he rolls his eyes, clenching his fingers around my throat, making me gasp as he pushes me farther back into the bed.

“Say it,” he demands, his voice low and deadly like I like it, so I smile wider.

“Make me,” I dare.

“Gladly,” he snarls, and then I’m flipped.

And then he does, over and over. I scream it so loudly our family must hear.

Lying in his arms a while later, I decide to remind him, so I look up with a smile. “I love you,” I say again, and he grins as those black eyes open and meet mine.

“I know,” he teases, making me snicker as we hear laughter from outside.

My heart overflows with it.

My life started off rocky, but it made me a survivor, a fighter, a hunter, and now I use those skills to protect my family and my love, and one day…one day, I’ll use it to protect my own children.

But we have a lot to do before then, asses to kick, people to kill…

Together.