Chapter Nine
Krys stood and checked her earrings in the mirror in the hotel restroom. It was almost time to start the gala, so she needed to check on the entertainment. The DJ was in place, but Elida wasn’t in yet.
A woman in a cloak said, “Don’t fret, Krys. I made it. This will just keep it from being a riot, so I will keep it on during the song.”
“Oh, Elida. Thank goodness. Okay. You are going to project the video?”
“Yes. I have both of the events. I took them from Neekil and Hannah on Monday.”
“And you know the other.”
“Yup. I am going to keep the cloak on until the end of the night.”
“Will you be comfortable?”
“Yup. I don’t want to disrupt the festivities. Tonight is for them, and Neekil is getting the back from the dead award.”
“Excellent. Well, do what you have to and get to your seat.” Krys grinned. “We are about to start the show.”
“I just came in to tell you. I will head to my seat.” She washed her hands, dried them, and then headed back to the ballroom.
Krys headed out with a light step and a bright smile. It was time to celebrate the XIA.
Krys sat as the back from the dead award was celebrated with Elida singing and the journey of Hannah and Neekil from the first splinter until the hammer came down on the ancient evil with a splat.
Elida’s voice invited everyone to join her in the wonder, and Krys blinked and wondered if Hannah would mind if she sang at the wedding.
When the song was over, she put the mic aside when the captain stopped her. “Sing the other one. The one about the tiger.”
Elida’s eyes met Krys’s. Krys nodded, and Elida spoke to the DJ.
She sang the song about the tiger, showing Neekil and a woman getting ready for an assault.
He was putting a stab vest on, and she took hers off, putting a web of straps around her torso.
Once she was ready and the webbing was settled, she turned into the largest shifter Krys had ever seen.
Neekil and two other shadow-based operatives climbed on her back and gripped the webbing.
The white tiger ran in a blur of speed to a large house outside the city limits with three agents on her back.
She punched through a ward so hard, the mage must have passed out, and then she charged through the well-lit building, smashing lights and letting her passengers off to go and begin the arrests of the traffickers.
The tiger chewed her way through attackers until she reached the room with the four girls.
They were being guarded, and he bravely took Akra by the neck and threatened to kill her.
Elida returned to two feet, but now she had white blades.
The fight was brutal, bloody, and short, but Elida had been run through at short range twice, talked to the girls, and they agreed to get on her back.
There was a radio moment, and she changed back to her tiger.
The girls crawled onto her back. She roared, and it blew the wall out.
The tiger was suddenly down in a firefight, but nothing hit her passengers.
The run through the city had the tiger moving faster than traffic and weaving through Redbird.
Her arrival at the hospital and handover of the two pregnant girls, as well as the younger two with injuries, was highlighted with her shift into a bullet-riddled Elida trying to keep to her feet.
The final image as she sang was the tiger lying bandaged on the ground with four young girls asleep on her, each tethered to their own IVs.
The captain was grinning and said, “Sing another.”
Elida calmly said, “No. I was asked for one, I sang two. That’s it.”
The captain reached for her shoulder, and she ducked and dodged, flipping the captain until he was face down on the ground.
Krys froze and could hear her say, “You don’t touch me if I don’t agree, and you never grab a pregnant shifter. All they have is human attacks, and as you remember, I was always good at those.”
“You’re pregnant?”
“Yeah. So, be nice to me, or I will vomit or cry all over you. It’s a toss-up.” She hauled him to his feet.
He paused. “It’s good to have you back in town, Elida.”
“It’s nice to be home.”
“Will you be coming back?”
“No, but child protective services has my resume, and we are working to get me set up the moment I finish maternity recovery.”
“How long will you be off?”
“I will be ready for duty winter holidays next year.”
“Will you go out with a team?”
“They had better be sturdier stuff than the ones you used to send out with CPS.”
He grinned. “I will pick a team for you. Who’s the father?”
“No clue. Long story. Now, go give Neekil his award. That is why we are all here.”
She smiled, patted his cheek, and receded toward the shadows.
A round of applause rang out, and Elida ignored it, slipping back to the vendor’s table.
The award was given, Hannah kissed Neekil, and he returned the favour, and then the music began, and dancing kicked off.
Krys walked over to Elida and looked at her. “You have an amazing voice.”
“Thank you. My father is a love-talker. I get my eyes from him as well.”
Krys leaned back. “Oh, that makes sense. It’s also why you put down or ignore your impact on others.”
“I pull it in as much as I can.” Elida smiled. She looked around, smiling at familiar faces.
“It’s easier for them to forget you if they can’t see you.”
Elida looked at her. “You have a few layers yourself.”
“I do. Are you going to stay for the party?”
“Nope. I sang the song and drank my soda. Time to head out. Let them have their gala.”
A woman with white hair and pale blue eyes walked up. “Hi. I am Amy. I am dating Emmers. Were you on his team?”
“Occasionally. The thug squad occasionally needed folks to use more than two syllables. Kairek had to learn that he could only take his head off in rooms with kids who were more than eight years old. That kind of thing. The first graders were not up for it.”
Amy chuckled. “He has a ten-year-old who thinks that his own head coming off is the coolest thing.”
Krys watched Elida slowly smile. “The wedding.”
Amy said, “What?”
“We were all at a wedding, and Kairek was the best man, and a young woman had a few shots for courage and then stalked up to him, grabbed him by the tie, and hauled him off. He didn’t resist.”
Amy chuckled. “She didn’t describe it that way, but he always gets a pleased smile when it’s mentioned.”
“The greatest thing is to be desired by your partner for just being yourself in the moment.”
Amy’s cheeks got pink. “Yeah, I am feeling that. It’s pretty hot.”
Krys looked across the room to where Kairek and Emmers were standing and Emmers was watching Amy with a frown.
“Emmers wants to know if you will dance with him?” Amy said with a smile. “I am good with it. You have a little sister vibe for the guys, you know?”
Elida nodded. “I know. Fine. One dance, but only because you asked. I may have little sister vibes, but my body begs to differ.”
Krys saw Amy’s confused expression until the cloak slithered off and was folded over Elida’s chair. A wave of silence rippled through the room, with only the music still playing.
Amy snickered. “Ah. Got it. You finished developing after you left?”
“Yup. Elf genes. The curves fixed in around twenty-six. So, now, I am going to borrow your dancing bear.” She linked arms with Amy, who was laughing outright as they crossed the dance floor toward Emmers.
Krys was grinning as she watched Elida and Emmers take to the dance floor, and they started to move.
There was grace and affection, and they talked, and Emmers was blushing as they cruised around the floor and the dancers who began to move.
When the song ended, Kairek stepped up, and then Neekil and Krys were laughing outright when Reymark bowed and carefully danced with Elida.
Krys didn’t hear what was said, but the two were talking and moving in elaborate patterns as if their minds and bodies each had a separate task.
When that song was over, Reymark brought her over to Jennor, and she reached up, cupped his jaw and rocked his head left to right. She obviously talked about his horns, and Jennor pointed to the dance floor, where Jennel was dancing with Day-ek.
Krys grinned, and when Miika came over, she put her arm around Elida’s waist and pressed her head against Elida’s shoulder. It was sweet, and Elida smiled at Reymark and Jennor and introduced her daughter to both of them. Soon, more agents were coming by for introductions.
Krys considered the night a triumph. Now she could get back to the wedding.
Krys made the first dessert and took a photo of it. The isomalt had been the key to making a lot of domes quickly. The balloons on the counter were covered in clear and glossy edible isomalt, and they were gorgeous.
Reymal came into the catering kitchen. “So, this is where you are.”
“Yeah. I had to figure out a problem, and now I have it. Check this out.” She went to the cool storage and pulled out one of the statues. “Isn’t it gorgeous?”
“Is that...” He leaned in and stared. “That is Neekil and Hannah having sex.”
“Yup. His brother sculpted the details with his tongue, so I am not looking into that one too far.”
He grinned. “Chocolate?”
“Yup. Her hair is strawberry and his is vanilla, which is the only thing vanilla about him as far as I can tell,” she muttered.
Reynal watched as she put the statue away with all of its little friends. “Is that appropriate for a wedding?”
“A couple in love having sex standing up? Why not?”
“Is it appropriate for an event organizer?”
“Definitely not. I have no idea how I would take to the procedure, so I would rather have some recovery time.”
“Sensible.”
She finished removing her apron and stripping off her gloves. “Come on. Time to lock these little fellas up. Want to walk the yard with me?”
“Of course. Are you here alone tonight?”
“Yes and no. Steer clear of the quarry. Sable and Benko are having a date night. They are watching a movie on her tablet.”