Healing Cherri (16 page)

“
Huh?” the Alpha said.

“
You heard me, why is my mark right here?” Calli huffed.

“
Because I'm the Alpha and I want everyone to know your ass belongs to me,” Kade growled and pulled her into a quick kiss.

Rissa sighed and looked at her friend and Cherri said, “Six more days!”

Rissa nodded and then said loudly, “My mates will be putting their mark on my tits too, great place.”

“
We'll see, what if they're all like, ‘Grr, I'm the King of the World and you're my woman’!” Calli said and smirked when her mate laughed.

“
We need to leave, seriously, too much kissing shit going on,” Kiki /Kristopher said and stomped to the landing.

Trina and Sabrina went with Kiki/Kristopher, and Thomas practically clapped when he was assigned to go with the Alphas. Cherri knew they were going to get an earful about what Kiki/Kristopher had been like last night. She could imagine. While she had her mates alone, she decided to bring up her mother.

“
Guys, I know we talked about this, but you really need to be prepared for meeting the family. I have to explain our mothers,” Cherri said.

“
We know, Kade told us, they're all like bat shit crazy and about the old Brat Pack thing and act like mobsters. We get it.” Declan laughed.

“
No, seriously, you can’t tell her I wasn't a virgin and you can’t tell her that she can’t throw a huge-ass wedding for us. I mean, she has had this planned since I was in the womb. She has ordered things; they're in the loft at the house. Hell, I think she demanded I not grow any taller when I was like thirteen because she had the dress she wanted picked out for me. I was like her little dress up doll. Thank goodness she had me and not Calli, I mean her mom swears that she's gonna tie her down to get her wedding dress on. But still, her taste is a little, you know, old.”

The men looked at each other and smiled. “We can handle it.”

“
No, I'm telling you we need to have a planning meeting, because if you have to face them without me or something, it could get ugly. I mean, she doesn’t even know I have found my mates,” Cherri said.

Her com link rang at that moment, and she looked down and frowned. Why was her mother calling her on a workday?

“
Shhh,” Cherri said and answered the link. “Hey ma, I'm a little busy, can I call you tonight?”

Her mates shook their head and softly chuckled. They knew she was putting off the inevitable.

“
Can you explain to me why a very nice Irish woman called me to welcome me into the family? And then said that she was looking forward to helping with your wedding to both of your mates. And then why Calli just called and said 'blood oath' and hung up the phone.”

“
Treacherous bitches,” she screamed and Wink startled in the purse. She looked ahead and saw Calli and Rissa laughing at her.

“
Don’t cuss, it's not lady like. Now, mates?” her mother said calmly. She knew it was a façade because her mother was probably sitting in the chair in the office pulling up her wedding profile, and drinking a gallon of coffee to start the phone calls.

“
Yes mother, I have found my mates, plural. It seems that we're following in the ancestor’s line and everyone but Calli will have two mates,” she said dryly. “Nikolas is a Gryphon from Ireland and that was probably his mom, and Declan is from Texas and his family is deceased.”

Her mother paused and sighed, “I expect Sunday dinner at the house and also sizes, so I can double the tux order. Make sure they list any likes and dislikes for food since I have it set, but I can add things. Also, I know you have probably done the claiming, but maybe we could refrain from any more sex until after the service, you know, so you will be still somewhat pure.”

“
MOM!” she cried and hung her head.

“
What? Just asking,” her mother said huffily.

“
Shit, I will call you later, and we will be there on Sunday as long as things are working out. You know we've had problems,” Cherri said.

“
I know. We all want you to bring Kiki so we can have our doctor look at him,” her mother said and Declan let out a loud laugh.

“
You do realize I'm a doctor with three separate degrees and hold the highest Doctoral license among shifters in New York, right?” Cherri said grimly.

“
Of course dear, we just thought fresh eyes may help. And you know Doc Simon will want to be here on Sunday,” her mother said and hung up.

“
I would kill her if I wasn’t sure she would come back from the dead and haunt my ass,” Cherri muttered and her mates laughed.

***

“
Fuck me sideways,” Kiki/Kristopher said when they walked into the place he used to work. Calli and the girls laughed as he walked around and looked at the place.

It was still the same bright, loud, Drag Queen bar, right now there was a woman/man on the stage singing to an old song that her mother said was popular in the old days. People tended to listen to the oldies music since the new stuff was all about humans, love and peace. Stuff that was like mind washing bullshit that Calli never really got into. Not too many of the shifters or magical people got into being on stage with millions of people looking at them. That would be like putting a target on your ass and saying ‘me first’ to the humans. No, the shifters and magical people played it low key and they were happy to do it. The bar they were in was mostly shifters and magical people anyway, so they were pretty safe. The occasional human police officer may come in to check on things, but they left right away. As long as the shifters didn’t draw attention to themselves, they were safe.

The music was actually one she knew and wanted to start singing, she saw that her friends were trying to stop from doing the same thing. Even Kiki had a slight twitch in her hips, and Cherri began to feel hopeful. The lights from the old-fashioned disco ball swam around the room to the beat, and Cherri grinned. She loved this fucking place.

The man who ran the place waddled out, looked at Kiki/Kristopher and frowned. He was an overweight Cougar and Cherri frowned. She had never actually met the man, but Calli and Kade had talked about him. Hell, he was a walking disaster zone. His hair unkempt and clothes rumpled.

“
Kiki, gods damn it, thank goodness you're back. Business has been slacking since you left, I need you back. Anything you want, name it. I just need you back up on the stage,” the man grunted out.

“
Sir, I have no clue what you're talking about. I would appreciate if you didn’t sweat all over me,” Kiki/ Kristopher said.

“
Hey, I even fixed the doors out front and didn’t charge you for the damage. Come on. I can hire more security.” The man begged and looked around, caught sight of Calli and Kade and he paled. “Shit, why are you here?”

“
Is that anyway to talk to your best friend?” Kade said and grinned. “Just kidding, we need to know if there had been anyone in here asking about Kiki.”

“
Nah, just some old couple who stuck their noses in the air, came in and made me take the picture down I had of Kiki. They took all of her stuff, holding a napkin over their mouth the whole time, like I would give them a disease or something. I mean, duh, then they told me Kiki was dead and wouldn’t be back. See, I knew they were lying because I already had been by the hospital. I tried to tell them, but they insisted. I figured it had something to do with your whole investigation thing. But I need my star back, man. I swear, I have lost a lot of money.”

Kiki/Kristopher looked around the place with a little interest but nothing seemed to register. Calli even suggested that they sit to have a drink with some of the people who were working.

The man, who was dressed as one of the popular singers of the time, came walking up. He had broad shoulders and a little waist. His muscles were defined and less feminine than Kiki’s had been when she was in Drag. He reminded Cherri of a football player dressed up with a lot of fucking make-up on.

“
So Kiki, you're back. Good to see you, but I'm not going to give up my spot just cause you're coming back. You have to work for it,” the man/woman said and kinda flexed his muscles. It defeated the purpose a little.

Kiki/Kristopher looked at the man with disinterest. “I don’t know what you are referring to, so whatever. By the way, your eyeliner is way too thick, and also you missed the notes, you should have hit in the first verse.”

Cherri looked at Kiki surprised; there was a hint of her old friend. She hoped that maybe this meant he was starting to come out of it. The music in the background began to play a new song, one she hadn't heard in a long time.

“
The fuck you say?” the singer said, and began to sing the song that filled the room, even though there was another Dragster up there singing. Cherri wanted to giggle her nervousness; they were going to be in a throw down with the Drag Queens, she could feel it. Damn, another thing for her mom to be embarrassed about.

It was something with a country beat. Cherri sat and listened trying to place the song, it was about burning pictures or something. It had a nice beat, but the other man had way too deep of a voice to sing it.

Kiki stood up and began belting out the song, and twitching his hips. “Oh shit, Drag Queen duel!” Calli whispered.

Kade and the guys seemed uncomfortable looking around at the scene they were creating. The Queen who was dressed up, began circling the table they were sitting at, singing, while Kiki seemed to be drawn in and circled also. Singing to each other across the table, while stalking each other at the same time. It was starting to get frightening. Cherri was getting whiplash watching them.

“
What they fuck do we do?” Kade said desperately.

Calli laughed and said, “Watch the train wreck, baby.”

Kade shook his head and made sure he was watching everyone that was in the place. They were drawing too much attention to the group. Just what they had wanted to avoid, and if the assholes got a hold of this, it would be fuel for the fire, even if they were trying to get Kiki to remember.

She was the only one who could identify
Mr. Twisted
and they were going to need to come up with something big if they wanted to even attempt to win the vote. The humans knew about the man, although they used a different name for him. Something about being a John Doe criminal. But if they captured him, it would be a feather in their cap; maybe they could get control of this.

By the second verse, the music had been turned off and everyone was watching their table. Kiki had begun snapping her fingers in the air while swinging her arm. It was getting a little out of hand. The Queen that was in full drag began getting angry; you could tell from the tones she/he was singing.

Rissa was clapping her hands to the tune and cheering for Kiki, and Calli slapped her on the back of the head. “What? Kiki's back.”

Cherri shook her head no, he wasn’t, he was just touching on his memories, but she was happy to see it. She turned to the bar ready to call for the tab when she saw the owner on the phone whispering and looking around.

“
Shit,” Cherri said and pointed Calli in that direction.

Kiki had caught up with the large Drag Queen and was standing before him dancing and moving her body in a much more seductive fashion than the clumsy man had been doing. The Queen yelled in frustration and held up her hand and snapped. Suddenly they were surrounded by Queens and Kiki was laughing manically.

Calli and the girls jumped up and stood in back of Kiki. The Football Queen made the first move and it was on. Each of them taking a Queen and pushing them back into the back room. All except for Kiki, who was ripping off the wig and dress of the Football Queen, yelling that being a gay man didn’t make him a Queen.

“
Time to go,” Calli called and stood up breaking the scene that was being played out around them. The Queen was not backing down and began to chase after Kiki while Thomas dragged him back. Kiki was laughing, and then all of a sudden snapped out of it, and looked around a little worried.

“
How did I know that?” he cried.

“
Cause we told you, you're a flaming Drag Queen. Damn, if you would have just listened to us all this shit would have been taken care of,” Calli called as Kade pushed them to the back door. The tunnel was out back and they could disappear fairly quickly.

Cherri laughed and shook her head. “Very scientific.”

“
Sometimes the Queen just needs a kick in the ass to make her the Queen again,” Calli yelled and Kiki began to argue, claiming they were planting things in his mind.

Calli looked at Kade and shook her head. “We need another plan.”

The group left the way they came, down the back corridor and went to the Drekinn Agency to talk and plan something else for Kiki. But they also had to find out what was going on with
Mr. Twisted,
because his silence made Kade nervous. He was sure the owner was calling him in their presence again.