Hybridization

Chapter 189 – You Did It!

“When interacting with paras, their senses might be sharper than ours. That means certain sounds like heart beats, tone of voice or volume are interpreted differently than a human would. In some races, things like smell are also a factor which means pheromones are a very real and telling thing to many of them.” – Interactions With Paranormal Society, Volume 1

“I can’t believe you bit her.” Rindi said as they walked back to the house along the road.

Kurt shrugged. “I’m kinda surprised she let me. But Calum was there and supportive which I think helped with Kate’s nerves.”

“Not like she could stop you if you forced yourself on her.” Rindi admitted with a considerate tone.

“That kinda makes me sound like a rapist…” Kurt stared at her, not sure if she was getting at something or if it was the translation device acting up. While she had been learning English, it was a slow process and not natural for her.

Her eyes went wide and she stopped in her tracks, tail lashing behind her and her ears flattening out on top of her head. “Nonononono. That is not what I meant.” She was waving her hands in the universal gesture for ‘I am so sorry I said that’.

“I don’t think that at all. I really dou-“ She began in a surprisingly high-pitched tone for her.

Kurt held up a hand and smiled. “It’s fine. I know you didn’t mean it like that.” He laughed at her expression as she let her arms fall limply to her sides.

Huffing, Rindi squared up and put her hands on her hips as she glared at him. Her tail lashed behind her as her ears flattened to the sides, going into airplane mode. “Kurt, that is not funny. It is insulting to the victims of those acts.”

Pausing, Kurt shook his head. “Rindi, I was laughing at your expression, not at the content of your, umm…unintended implication.”

“Oh.” Rindi stopped glaring. “Well… Ok then.”

They resumed walking and Kurt picked up where they had left off. “I don’t want to force anyone to be a werewolf. I especially don’t want to just go around and giving it to everyone that asks.”

“Then why did you offer it?”

“I could sense their child.” Kurt said, still awestruck about it. “I could tell it is a wolf. I guess I should say ‘she’ will be a wolf. I also knew that she had been talking to Jade about it, and she had agreed but wanted to wait till after the baby in case there were issues.”

Rindi padded along in silence for a moment. “And you offered it since there is no risk?”

Again unsure, Kurt thought about it for a moment before answering. “Not in turning her into a werewolf. I don’t think there would be a risk for the baby if she stayed human, but there might have been for her. I got the feeling that it was like that, anyway.”

“Like an instinct?”

“Yeah. You ever get those? An urge to do something or that you should be doing things a certain way?” Kurt was looking at the woods off to his right and missed the look Rindi was giving him.

“All the time.” She said, feeling a little heat rising into her face as her leg muscles tensed, changing her gait slightly. “It can be very distracting and difficult to resist.”

“Yeah.” Kurt agreed, turning his attention back to the road as they got to the bottom of his driveway. “Now I wonder what her mom is gonna say.”

Snorting, Rindi rolled her eyes. “Kate will probably tell her just to start a fight.”

“HA! Probably.” Kurt could just imagine how that conversation would go. “But that’s family for you.”

“You never fight with Val and Kristi though.”

“Sure, I do.” Kurt corrected her. “It just hasn’t been recently. I gave Kristi an earful about her taking on those angels, but it was more like a lecture since she agreed she messed up. Also I pissed off Val with something I did on our first coven raid.”

Rindi looked surprised. “But I haven’t seen it.”

As they reached the porch, Kurt turned to face her, reaching out to tap her hand like she did with him. “Rindi, just because we don’t have a screaming match doesn’t mean we don’t argue or disagree.” He said when she faced him. “Love and relationships aren’t always sunshine and rainbows. Sometimes things get tough and tensions get high. It doesn’t mean we love each other less or anything, just that we have different opinions.”

“Really?” Rindi asked. “I had thought that good relationships never struggled.”

Kurt sighed. “I am probably not the best person to give advice-“

“No that-“ Rindi began to object.

Holding up a finger to pause her, Kurt continued “Based on my previous experiences, I am frankly surprised things are going as well as they are. That said, I know a few things that help keep things going smooth.”

Leaning in, Rindi looked at him like he was the single most interesting thing she had ever seen. It was like the first time she had watched Lilo and Stich, completely engrossed. “What are they?”

Kurt started. “Keep talking to each other. Let them know when you like or dislike things. Physical contact helps a lot for emotional closeness. Remember that they probably don’t want to or mean to hurt your feelings.” He paused, debating whether he should share the last part.

He decided to just go for it, not wanting to keep Rindi behind the curtain on things as she was slowly entering their relationship. “And that sex helps with a lot.” He saw her eyes widen before flicking up and down his body as she blushed. “It can smooth things over and there is something that words and touches sometimes leave out. Plus, it’s fun.” He added a stupid smirk at the end, trying to lighten the mood a little.

“I-I will keep that… in mind.” She said, having to look away.

“Sorry to lay it on you like that but… just thought you should hear it and that I should be honest.” Kurt tapped her hand again. “You ok?”

Despite still having a very deep blush, Rindi turned back to him. “Yes. I was just not ready for such a frank conversation. You know that I umm…”

As she trailed off, Kurt took a guess at what she was going to ask. “Know how you feel about me? About us?” When Rindi nodded, Kurt sighed, leaning against the railing of the porch. “Yeah. Val and I had a chat.”

“A-and?”

Seeing the tigress starting to fidget and shrink in on herself, Kurt was having a hard time deciding on how to continue. He didn’t want to rush things if she wasn’t ready to talk about them but also couldn’t just blow her off at that point. He decided to make her the same offer he made Val.

“I did this with Val, at the beginning of this. I am going to make you the same offer.” Kurt began, noticing Rindi still staring at the ground while one ear rotated to face him. “Do you want to have this conversation now or do you want to put it off until later? Either way, it is happening. But if you need time to organize your thoughts we-”

Rindi reached out and tapped his hand, halting his words. “Now… Please? Befo-before I talk myself out of it.”

Gesturing to the bench, Kurt led them over and sat, Rindi sitting beside him. They weren’t quite touching but there weren’t more than a few inches between them.

Kurt felt Kristi’s mind brush his, likely sensing his emotions now he was in range. He sent her a message to be patient and that he was having a talk with Rindi. He also felt like he recognized some of the emotions from her and Val coming through the necklace at that moment.

Kurt decided to start the talk since he had suggested it and it didn’t look like she was going to. “Val told me about how you came to them. About wanting to be useful and to raise your status in the family.” He was deliberately not making eye contact with her but saw her nod at the edge of his vision. “It is probably a good thing you went to them since I am not exactly good at that stuff. While I noticed your attentions, I was not inclined to reciprocate, despite developing some… feelings of my own.”

“Obscenely loyal it what Val called it.” Rindi said, the corner of her mouth quirking up for a moment.

“Ha! What did Kristi say?”

“She called you dense.”

Kurt chuckled. “Yeah, that fits. Anyway, that isn’t why we are talking. Do you know the nature of our relationship?” Rindi nodded. “And you are OK with that?”

Rindi still didn’t look at him but answered. “I have thought about it a lot, recently, and I think I will be.” She paused. “I, ah, I can’t be sure though.”

“Honesty is good.” Kurt said, tapping her hand with his. “But now let me be really honest.”

Felling her tense despite the separation, Kurt pushed on. “I like you. I like you as a teammate, as a person and I think you are very pretty. I could see us in a relationship, all of us that is. All that being said, I was conflicted when Val told me about this.” He admitted his feelings. “I felt like… I felt like they were saying I wasn’t enough. That we weren’t… yeah.”

His voice had become thick with emotion as he talked and Rindi reached out, touching his hand with hers but not pulling away. Kurt turned his palm up and grasped her hand, holding it tight. “Ahem. I didn’t feel good about it. But she explained that it’s not that I wasn’t enough or that they wanted more.

“She told me that ‘we’ had the capacity for you. That you needed it as much as we need you for the things to come. I saw it as dividing our love for each other, but she showed me that we were only adding more.” Kurt paraphrased the conversation and added some subtext he had picked up on. “She told me how you asked and that they didn’t try to force you, but I would like to hear you tell me why you want this.”

“Because…Because this is the first time in my adult life, I have been truly ha-happy.” Rindi began slowly. “And not just happy, but safe, supported, cared for, and so much more. But fo-for all that, as close as we are, I am still outside. I want what you all have together. I want to take that step.”

“And you want that with me? With us?” He asked. “Are you so sure about us that you would do this?”

Rindi nodded. “Kurt, remember that I can not only see but also feel your soul. It is something my mother gave me and it remained after my change. Your soul calls, it entices, it pulls me in. I can feel who you are at a fundamental level.” She paused and took a breath to steady herself. “It is terrifying in its intensity but comforting in its presence. I feel like… It makes me feel sheltered from all the bad things in the world. I don’t want to lose that.

“I can do the same with the others but not as much. Ours got a head start and I don’t know why. My mother couldn’t explain much, and I was so young when she tried. I just feel so at peace when I am with you, all of you. It’s like I fit here and it’s not something I have felt from any of the other teams or people around us.”

They sat in silence after she finished. Kurt wanted to say something but had to think about how to say it without creating a problem. “Thank you for telling me. Val said I should reciprocate your feelings.”

“I would like that.” Rindi risked a look at him but saw his slight frown.

“Given that you can see my soul, can feel it, you have to know about my aspect.” Kurt began to talk about something he had come to realize. “I can not do this with you while you are a slave. It is like anathema to me.”

“I know.” Rindi whispered. The others had warned her and she was glad they did, since she had been able to expect this response and understand it wasn’t a rejection. “Can you? In the future? After I-… After I am f-f-free?” there was a barely restrained sob hidden in those words.

Kurt had to chew on that one. When he had thought about it while alone, he was able to be much more rational. He thought about things in a list. On one side, things he liked and things he didn’t on the other. One side didn’t have much on it.

While alone, Kurt was also able to better set limits. He knew what he would allow and what he wouldn’t. There had been a detachment that let him say he would not start any sort of relationship with the woman until she was free. But now that he looked at her, held her hand while having this conversation, those limits became less and less defined.

There was no way he could say that he didn’t have feelings for Rindi. He had been living and working with her for a few months. Recently they had been getting very close both physically and emotionally as she began expressing herself more.

Letting out an explosive sigh, Kurt let his head rest against the wall behind the bench. “If you had asked me that a couple weeks ago, I would have a different answer. Hell, if we had this conversation over the phone, it would be different.

“I think we are past that point. I can’t say I don’t have feelings for you, Rindi. But I have to have limits. Strong, firm limits set by my morals.” He turned to look at her and saw her pupils narrowed to pin pricks.

“What limits?”

Kurt had guessed that would be her question and had been ready for it. “I will not sleep with you. Sex I mean, not like if we all fall asleep on the couch or something.” He needed to clarify that since it had happened just the other day. “I also will not initiate anything between us.”

“Like ever? Do I have to go through Val or…” Rindi did not like the sound of that but also had a feeling it wasn’t exactly what Kurt meant.

“Not like that. I mean intimacy between us, as things stand with you being a slave.” Kurt waved his hand that wasn’t being held. “If you want your hand held, if you want a snuggle or a kiss goodnight, it will be on your terms.”

Holding up his arm with the magical tattoo, Kurt continued. “When this is taken care of, I need you to promise me that you will reconsider everything. Not just a quick check but an honest-to-god deep dive into how you feel and what you want.”

Rindi scrunched her face. “But I already know what I want. You and the girls haven’t forced or compelled me to do anything. Why would I think differently later?”

“Just… humor me.” Kurt grunted. He looked over to her, finding that she was already staring at him. “I have to be sure that there wasn’t anything manipulative going on with the contract.”

“Is that why you won’t… ‘do it’ with me?” Rindi was looking at him with that predatory intensity he had come to know was part of her nature.

Kurt nodded. “A big reason. Even a kiss seems a little much when I start thi-mmff-hmmmm.” His protest was smothered by Rindi’s lips crashing into his.

While he would never call their first kiss anything but amateurish, Kurt couldn’t deny that it contained a lot of passion. It had none of the subtly that Val or Kristi had but contained every bit as much emotion and intent, which he tried to reciprocate without pushing things further.

After only a few seconds, they parted. Both of them were panting but for very different reasons. While Rindi was worked up, as evidenced by her flushed face, Kurt was actually out of breath. That was to be expected, given when she had decided to kiss him.

“Sorry, wa-was that… ok?” Rindi asked.

“Yup. Fine. Totally, totally fine.” Kurt assured, noting she was till holding tight to his hand. “I told you to initiate so…”

“Good.” Rindi gasped before letting go of his hand and pulling him into a hug.

Unlike the kiss, the hug was soft and gentle. There was still a firmness to it, but it wasn’t the crushing embrace that Kristi liked when things started getting hot and heavy. Just like the kiss, the hug contained a lot of emotion… too much it seemed.

Patting her back, Kurt had to ask a question. “Rindi, are you crying?” his voice was slightly muffled by her fuzzy shoulder as he shook in her shuddering embrace. She had both arms wrapped around his back and he felt her pulling him into her rather large chest like a teddy bear.

“Yes.” She sniffled. “Is that ok?”

“What kind of tears are they?” Kurt wanted to be sure.

“Happy ones.”

“Then yeah, it’s ok.” He returned the hug and they stayed like that for several minutes until Rindi calmed down.

Kurt was glad that she did since he was starting to get choked up after the emotional conversation. When they finally broke the hug, he held her hands as he looked at her. “Just promise me that we talk.”

Rindi nodded. “Every day.”

Smiling, Kurt squeezed her hand. “And what are we going to talk about?”

“Our feelings and our… needs?” Rindi hedged.

“That and our limits.” Kurt added. “I still don’t want to cross any lines and regret it later.”

Giving him a nod and a smile, Rindi pulled him into another hug. This one was much shorter and they stood up afterward, walking into the house while holding hands.

*****

“Girls! We’re…” Kurt stopped as he smelled something that reminded him about what he had sensed earlier. “Hmm. About damn time.”

Barely having to follow his nose, Kurt sniffed his way down the hall. Rindi followed along, not yet giving up her graphic and uncensored hand holding while blushing as she recognized the smell. Still, she refused to let go of his hand.

When they reached the end of the hall, Kurt put his ear to their bedroom door. When he didn’t hear anything, he opened it a crack to announce himself. “Hey, were home.”

“Great. And I think you have some news for us?” Val said from inside the room.

Kurt pushed the door the rest of the way open and stepped inside. He was not at all surprised by what he found but was surprised it had taken so long. He had talked to both of his wives about their relationship with each other. He wasn’t trying to be pushy but encouraged them to explore their feelings without him having to be there. He relaxed his grip on Rindi, letting her decide if she wanted to stay, but she clung on and followed him.

“Well, I guess we both did some long overdue connecting today.” He said while looking down at the bed.

Tangled in the sheet was Val and Kristi. The kitsune was in her preferred position of little spoon while Kristi was behind her, laying soft kisses on her shoulder. The dragoness glanced up and smiled at them while pulling Val closer, almost in a possessive way. Her gaze landed on Kurt and Rindi’s linked hands.

“Hmm. Looks like we all took some big steps.” Kristi said with a smile.

Feeling the pressure on his hand disappear, Kurt turned to look back just as the door across the hall clicked shut. “Maybe this particular step was a little too big.”

“Hmm. She will get used to it.” Val said and made grabby hands at him. “Now hop in for a snuggle and we can talk about the first thing that pops up.” Her eyes flicked down to his waist and the obvious tenting happening. “I also want to hear about how you two connected.”

“I think I would rather do some connecting with both of you first.” In a flash, Kurt had dismissed his clothes to his storage ring and slid in the bed. Kristi pulled him over, so he landed atop both of them. The sudden switch to amorous activities meant that he had completely forgotten to shut the door, letting the sounds and smells spread out into the house.

Those sounds and smells that made their way across the hall to where Rindi was still peeking from her barely opened door. Pupils dilated and her nostrils flared before she shut it with a quiet click, hiding the nervous smile she wore.