A Queen Among Snakes: Chapter Fifteen - Mei

Kennedy does my makeup with just some concealer, a little shimmer on my eyelids, mascara, and clear lip gloss with pink and gold shimmer in it. She added some beach waves to my hair and then pinned it, so it flows over my left shoulder. She leaves me to get dressed and I zip myself into the dress along with a pair of silver strappy high heels – though I hate high heels – and then I put on some white gold tassel earrings.

I walk over to the full-length mirror to the right of the door, and I’m stunned by my reflection. No matter how many times I get dressed up, whenever I go to look in the mirror I still expect that broken and beaten slave to look back at me and it always throws me for a loop when I don’t see her there.

I feel him before the door opens. There’s a vibration in the air, like a pulsating beacon. I feel it whenever Chris is near, and it gets stronger the closer he gets to me. I originally thought everyone experienced this, but now I’ve learned it’s a snake thing. I feel his vibration because he’s my animai, and I like that. I smile with anticipation as the bedroom door opens and in walks Chris; my mouth instantly going dry.

He looks so handsome! His hair is up in a bun as always and his beard is immaculate. He’s wearing a grey suit jacket with a dark grey checkered print with matching pants and underneath he’s wearing a beige t-shirt. He always looks perfect in everything he wears; he takes such care of his appearance.

“Holy… I mean…” he gulps as his eyes rake over me.

My body curls into itself as I feel my cheeks become flushed. “Do you like it?” I meekly ask.

“You look like royalty,” he says in awe. He walks over and takes my hand and spins me around making me laugh. He pulls me close; his right arm wrapping around my waist as his-left hand cups my cheek. “You’re absolutely breathtaking,” he breathes as he leans down pressing his forehead to mine. My cheeks feel as though I’ve sat in front of an open flame for ten minutes.

“You look perfect,” I say smiling up at him, making his smile widen.

“Got to be on my A-game with such a beauty on my arm,” he winks, and I chuckle.

“Beauty is an understatement. You look magnificent, Sweet One,” I hear Axel’s voice in my mind.

“You’re the sweet one, thank you, Axel.”

“Naturally, I’m the sweet one, who do you think taught Chris?” He teases, and I can even hear the wink in his voice.

“Don’t you go taking all the credit, I’m plenty sweet on my own, thank you very much,” Chris argues, joining in the conversation.

“You wish,” Axel snorts, and again I can’t help but laugh.

“We’re almost ready to go, we’re just waiting on my sister – as usual,” he says rolling his eyes. He offers his arm and I gladly take it as I grab the purse off the bed and walk out into the communal area with him.

“Child, if you don’t quit wiggling around in that chair I’m going to stain your ass red,” Tyson’s mother Lacey warns Evalyn.

Evalyn blanches and immediately sits still, “Yes, ma’am,” she mumbles.

Chris and I can’t help but snigger.

Evalyn is sitting at the dining room table in a beautiful purple one-shoulder dress with sheer patches on the bodice, as Tyson’s mother does her hair.

When Lacey and James stepped down as the pack Gammas, Lacey needed something to occupy her time with when she wasn’t focused on being a pack warrior, so she started working in the pack salon. She’s great at everything, but her speciality is braids. Evalyn has hair that goes all the way down to her hips, so she is often getting her mother-in-law to braid her hair and Lacey enjoys trying out new styles on Evalyn; says her hair is the perfect canvas. Right now it looks like she’s doing what I’ve been told is a fishtail braid. It looks lovely.

“I will gladly volunteer to dish out that punishment,” Tyson says with a smirk on his face as he steps toward Evalyn. With great speed, Lacey grabs Tyson by the ear and twists it while holding Evalyn’s braid in place with her right hand. “Ow! Ow! Ow! Mamma let go!” Tyson cries as his body drops to his mother’s height.

Lacey is 5’9” and even though she’s shorter than Tyson’s 6’3”, the confidence and authority she exudes makes her seem ten feet tall. She has the most luxurious caramel skin, with black and brown dreadlocks which she likes to keep piled up on top of her head with a few strands hanging loose. It looks like a crown standing proudly.

Her eyes are a stunning golden brown that compliments her skin tone. She has thick, full lips, with her bottom lip being slightly fuller than the top and the cutest little ears. She’s very toned, which given she’s a pack warrior and who her animai is, is not all that surprising. She’s rather small chested, but her hips and butt dominate her figure. I look flat as paper compared to her. I know James loves her butt because he’s almost always got a hand on it.

“Don’t speak so intimately about your animai in front of other people, what is wrong with you?” She scolds her son, letting go of his ear. Evalyn rubs her ear – no doubt having felt what he felt – but is grinning up at Tyson smugly.

“Why you gotta do the ear thing? I’m the Gamma now, I’m not a little boy,” he pouts while rubbing his ear.

“Boy, I don’t care if you were a member of the Delegation and a hundred and fifty years old, I will still take you over my knee and whoop your behind,” she says matter-of-factly as she resumes braiding Evalyn’s hair. Tyson cowers a little. I try not to laugh at how intimidated he is by his mother.

“It’s okay, Mamma Lacey, I thought it was funny,” Evalyn says coming to her animai’s defence.

“A little manners around his mother wouldn’t kill him,” Lacey huffs.

“Annoying Amelia and your mother in a single day, you’re on a roll, Ty,” Chris teases.

“What did you do to Amelia?” Evalyn asks him through narrowed eyes.

“I didn’t do a thing, I swear,” Tyson says holding his hands up in surrender.

“Tried to steal her food again,” Chris answers.

Lacey throws her head back laughing while Evalyn sighs. “Baby, you know better than to steal her food. You’ll lose a hand or finger one day if you keep doing that,” Evalyn warns as she reaches out, taking his hand.

“In my defence, I didn’t know it was her plate,” he sulks.

“You’re a grown-ass man, other people’s plates of food are not for you,” his mother says.

All I can do is smile at the way everyone interacts with each other. I love this. The banter, the way they all know each other so well and love each other. I can’t believe this is my family, and I love them dearly. I’m going to keep getting stronger, not just for me, but so I can protect these amazing people because I refuse to lose any more family.

Once Lacey finishes Evalyn’s hair we’re finally ready to leave. We all split up into two cars. Amelia, Marcus, Vitali, and Eric get into Marcus’ truck and Chris, myself, Tyson, and Evalyn climb into Chris’ gold SUV with black chrome rims. It used to be black and silver, but he changed the colours to represent me.

I know it seems silly – especially since I don’t drive – but he said he just wanted to incorporate me more into his life. He looked so nervous and embarrassed when he showed me – It was adorable. I loved the gesture and honestly, I think it looks really cool.

I lost track of how long we were driving, I was busy just enjoying the scenery and the conversations, so before I knew it we were parked, jumping out and heading towards the club. We were parked around the corner and could hear the music before we even got out of the car – that’s advanced hearing for you. As we make our way toward the entrance I can feel the nerves starting to creep up on me. I’d managed to have them under control until now.

“You don’t have to do this. We can just turn around and go home and enjoy an evening together,” Chris reassures me through our link as he brings us to a stop. I look up at him and once again his face is full of concern. I hate how much I make him worry. I don’t want him always having to worry about me, but with our bond, he always knows when something is wrong, and I feel bad for that sometimes.

I shake my head, “I’m nervous, but I want to do this. I want to live a little like everyone else.”

He nods, “Okay, but the moment it’s too much for you give me the signal and we’re heading home to binge-watch stuff on the TV,” he says firmly.

I smile and reach up to place my lips on his. His arms wrap around me, and he lifts me off the ground with ease making me squeal against his lips. He doesn’t put me down or stop kissing me as he walks us to the entrance. I wrap my arms around his neck and bask in his excitement and his love that I can feel through our bond, letting it calm me. Our lips continue to move in perfect synchronicity, his kisses possessing and comforting me at the same time.

I can tell when we have stepped inside, and he slowly parts his lips from mine and sets me on my feet making me pout.

“We can pick up where we left off, at home,” he says with a gorgeous smile as he caresses my cheek. I smile happily at him, suddenly eager to get back home. I sometimes wonder if Chris has the gift of healing because his kisses sure are magical.

“Let’s go find somewhere to sit,” says Amelia to our group. Even though the music is blaring, she doesn’t have to yell, we can hear her just fine. I finally take the opportunity to take in the location and my jaw nearly drops to the floor.

Is this what a club looks like? I’ve never seen anything like it!

The space is enormous and illuminated with neon pinks and blues. To the left of the door is a bar with a lot of people lined up for drinks. The walls are painted black and mirrors with silver borders are spaced out on the walls around the club. There is a staircase to the right of the entrance that leads to a second floor, but I can’t see what’s up there.

People are everywhere – especially in the centre of the club. The dancefloor is a square space lower than the rest of the floor; you descend three steps that are illuminated with white lights that make up the dancefloor border and then the dancefloor itself also lights up. The lights under the floor match the beat of the music and against the far wall is a small semi-circular stage and a DJ booth. There are so many things to look at and take in that my eyes can’t stay in just one place.