Chapter Four
Rache stared. “You have got to be kidding.”
Moira smiled. “Nope. No cars in the village. We are going by princess coach all the way.”
She spoke to the crew, and her fabric was going to be brought to the launch first thing tomorrow. She hugged Joy one more time, and they all hopped into the carriage, and they were on the way.
Light was still bright, and the air was very warm. Moira smiled and smelled the scents of home.
The other two were smiling but had sheens of sweat on them. Moira coached them into breathing in and out slowly and to relax. Relaxing was part of the process here. “When you can relax, you can enjoy what the islands have to offer.”
Eden focused on breathing as the ride took them through the thick jungle. “Is it always this hot?”
“It is cooler on Wonder, but it is usually ten degrees hotter during the peak of the day. Folks do as little as possible and just laying in the sun or surfing breaks up the workday.”
Eden blinked. “Surfing?”
“Sure. I can teach you, or we can get you an instructor.”
Eden’s eyes were full of wonder. “Wow.”
Moira turned and saw the jungle giving way to a grassy hillside leading to the beach, then the open ocean, and sunset beginning its dance.
Rache exhaled. “That’s gorgeous. How could you leave a view like this?”
Moira said softly, “I thought my life would be on the mainland, and then when this happened, I just wanted to be home again. I don’t even know what my parents will say.”
Rache looked at her. “You are nervous.”
“Yes. I am ready to be rejected, which is why we all head to Wonder tomorrow. I built in an out.”
Eden touched her hand. “You will be fine. They will welcome you. I am sure of it.”
“Really? I am always the family screw-up. My impulses lead me to weird places. Like a dog that keeps messing in the house.”
Rache blinked. “Well, suck it up. I can hear people.”
Moira smiled. “Oh, yeah, greeting visitors is always a fun social event.”
The carriage went through thick trees, and then the warmth and open space of the royal village were suddenly all around them. The carriage rocked to a stop, and Moira smiled. “I have to do something.”
She vaulted out of the carriage, and there were exclamations as she walked toward the royal family, who were waiting. Moira went down on one knee. “King Syar, a traveller has returned.”
She kept her head down as Syar put things together. “Moira Barnes?”
She looked up and blinked. “They say travel changes you.”
He looked at her. “Oh, Mimi. Give us a hug. Welcome home.”
She got to her feet and hugged the king, who was now a few inches shorter than she was. Having an omega as king meant that a lot of formal greetings turned into hugs.
“Have you met Ven?”
“Yes, but not here. I brought a friend to the book club a few years ago, right after I moved out there.”
Ven looked at her and blinked. “Moira! There you are. Reynaldo, hold this.”
Ven took the toddler and handed it over to her alpha, and then Moira was wrapped in a hug. “I like the ears.”
“Yours, too.” Moira chuckled.
“You are going to have to turn around eventually,” Ven whispered.
“I know. You feel nice.”
“So do you.”
“Coconut lotion?” Moira asked casually.
Ven laughed and turned her around.
Moira exhaled and looked at the Barnes family. “Hey, Mom, Dad, Grandma, Edgar, Liam, and Bron. How are you doing? Lovely weather.”
Her mom looked at her, sobbed, and then rushed forward with arms open. “Baby!”
Her family surrounded her with her brothers asking how much she could lift now. She paused. “I don’t actually know.”
The guys immediately wanted to test her, and she paused and went to the ladies who were still waiting in the carriage. “You two are welcome. Come on down, and I will introduce you, and then my brothers want to see how much I can lift.”
Eden and Rache came out of the carriage and walked over as they were introduced to the royal family and all the babies.
Eden smiled at the children and said, “They are close in age.”
“Yes. Missus wanted to settle Syar and Reynaldo as fast as possible, and she used me to do it.” As Ven spoke, Syar wrapped his arms around her and nuzzled her neck. He was holding his daughter, and they looked so content.
Moira smiled. “Any more fowl showing up?”
Ven sighed. “Not yet, but she reacts to any of the three of us, so I am always on edge when she comes in.”
“She must be so happy about that.”
“Yeah, well, she doesn’t have to push out a human.” Ven smiled. “It isn’t horrible, I just don’t want to overpopulate the island with cat people.”
Reynaldo grinned. “I do.”
Ven looked at him and gritted her teeth to growl, but he was holding their twins, and she settled for pinching his cheeks really hard.
Syar laughed. “She’s trying not to curse in front of the kids. It is an uphill battle.”
Moira was pulled away, and her mother said, “So, who is he?”
She squeaked. “What?”
Her mother said, “Your kind only goes from beta to omega when they run into their mate, so who is he?”
“Oh, well, we actually are set off if we even bump into another elf, male or female.”
“Oh. So, you don’t know who your alpha is.” Her mother’s disappointment was palpable.
“Um, I know one of them.” She slumped in surrender.
“Well, who is it?”
She mumbled, and her youngest brother said, “Wait, isn’t he your boss?”
Her skin went pearly pink from head to toe. “Uh, yeah, but I am not sure he noticed, so I quit and came here until folks in the city forget about me. This is embarrassing, but I am stuck. I can’t go back to beta, and as far as I know, I am the only one in this situation.”
Her brothers did what brothers do. They laughed at her.
Huge tears fell as she tried to get herself together. Her brothers yelped suddenly as webbing covered their mouths.
Rache grinned. “I know what my mates are, and yet, I am still on vacation without them.” She looked at the guys. “Now, are you done laughing at your sister because she is in a position you couldn’t possibly be in? Unless there is an eight-foot-tall alpha coming after you with mating on his mind.”
The brothers looked up, blinked, and then nodded. Rache did something with her fingers, and the webbing disappeared.
Moira swallowed, “Dad, Eden and Rache need help setting up finances. Once that’s done, I thought we would grab some snacks and then sit on the beach.”
Her mother nodded. “We will join you. Now, boys, do you have any idea what your sister could do to you in her current state?”
Her brothers looked at her in surprise. Moira shrugged. “I could tear you down the middle like wet tissue. It’s a skill I wish I had earlier.”
Eden and Rache were talking with her father, and he went to his briefcase to get his tablet. They had accounts set up in ten minutes, and Eden’s cash was counted and added to her account while Reynaldo surrendered his babies and took the cash into the royal residence.
Eden looked at the account and smiled. “Thank you.”
He nodded. “You didn’t say why you were here, and I am sure your passport said Eden Smith.”
She cocked her head. “You didn’t ask for my passport.”
“I will later. Island time.” He winked.
Eden blinked. “How do I get a chip, and will the chip work on Wonder?”
“It will, but you can get a cuff here. It locks and only works when it’s on you.”
“I am in emigration talks to have a permanent home on Wonder.”
Rache looked at her. “Cool. A reason to come back.”
Eden smiled.
Moira grinned. “So, are you two good?”
Rache nodded. “Yes, and really thankful for the clothes.”
Ven asked, “Where did you get them?”
Eden smiled. “Moira made them. Called them in-between clothes. So, we can step down into less clothing, but frankly, I could wear this on any summer day at home. No one would bat an eye.”
Moira’s mom looked at their clothing. “It’s a little masculine but very pretty, Mimi.”
Rache smiled. “Mimi?”
Moira sighed. “Apparently, anytime they asked someone to volunteer, it was me, me. From the time I was three. Mimi.”
Her family all grinned.
Syar held his little girl and said, “It’s going to be hard for Penina. Pen or Nina.”
Moira nodded. “Unless she said something stupid, in which case you are going to put it on a T-shirt and sell it to tourists.”
Syar grinned. “That sounds like a nice income stream.”
Moira’s dad reached into his briefcase and came out with two flat cuffs. The girls snapped them onto their wrists. Just like that, they were able to buy whatever they wanted. They synced the cuffs to their accounts, and Moira smiled. “Do you want to grab something to drink? Test out the cuffs?”
The ladies agreed, went to a local shop, and got some ices. Syar, Ven, Reynaldo, and a whole bunch of locals followed them to the beach, where a fire was lit, and grilling had begun.
Rache looked around. “Does this happen often?”
Moira smiled as she saw her mother fussing over the bread, and her father was supervising the roasted meats.
Syar smiled. “Moira is one of those people who is well-known wherever she has been. And she is loved. She is very loved.”
“I tended to turn up when folks needed a circus monkey.” She wrinkled her nose.
Syar sighed. “You are an amazing performer. You just need confidence.”
“Yeah, being the whitest thing on this beach doesn’t really imbue me with confidence.”
Ven smiled. “No, shit. What could be worse, maybe being fuzzy and spotted?”
Moira looked at her. “I only changed a month ago.”
Ven winced. “Oh, right. Sorry. I have had years, and it still feels odd.”
“Good to know. I am just wondering how others can switch in between, and I am stuck.”
Syar smiled. “We won’t ask you to dance, but will you sing for us?”
“I don’t have a guitar.”
Reynaldo walked up and lifted a guitar. “Oh, look. Surprise.”
Moira sighed.
Syar grinned. “Oh, come on. For your king.”
“Wait, where are the babies?”
“With the nanny, getting ready for bed. We are going to stay out until eleven. You’ve been missed, Mimi.” Syar asked softly, “Why did you stay away so long?”