Chapter Eight #4
She turned to Mia and said, “Just let me know when you want to leave.”
Meeda walked toward the house and began washing the remaining dishes. She felt better. She looked better, and he was bound to one of the elves. That was fine. Based on what she had learned, she was descended from two types of elves, which explained the mermaid tail and the wings.
She kept going and was drying everything when Mia came in. “What happened?”
“He gave me blood, and then he cuddled me, and I felt wanted, just for a minute.” She folded the towel and set it down. “And then it was gone. The elf instinct is fucking possessive.”
Mia came toward her and hugged her. “Aw, sweetie. Do you want someone?”
“Yeah, or I wouldn’t have tried to bite the hell out of that one guy.”
“Kazuya came over and explained that. There are aquatic courtship dances. He was waiting for you to follow him.”
“Yeah, I gathered that after listening to what Xletl said. I was starving. I would not have been safe to touch.” She sighed. “Maybe I should just drop myself into the deep and see what shows up.”
Mia leaned back and shook her. “Meeda, you are that depressed over a guy?”
She looked at her sister. “You are an omega, Mia. You have had lovers across your lifetime. I am too much of a freak to manage more than handholding. My body feels like it’s going to fly apart if someone doesn’t hold me, and it hurts more than I can describe.”
Mia looked at her and nodded. “We are going back to the islands.”
Meeda frowned. “Why?”
“Because if you can’t find a lover, you can fly and swim as much as you like. It makes you happy, and I will move operations to our offices on Wonder. It isn’t a bad idea to have the swimwear close to the water.”
Meeda started to cry and bent down, and Mia held her head as she crooned to her. “It will be okay, Meeda. I’ve got you.”
* * * *
V ine froze in the doorway and watched her hero collapse. The words spoke of haunting loneliness, and it echoed in Vine’s chest. A strange instinct to cuddle with Kazuya for comfort ran through her.
She stiffened her back and knocked on the door. Meeda straightened and rubbed her eyes like a child. “Sorry, Vine.”
Vine walked up to her and hugged her. Meeda whispered a request as they stood, hugging each other. Vine nodded. “You are leaving right away?”
Mia was looking at her phone. “The flight is booked, and we have clothing at the holiday house. We will grab our passports and get our asses to the airport.”
Meeda flicked her fingers, and the passports were there.
Vine leaned back. “You are a mage.”
“I am a muddle. I am not properly anything, and that creates confusion.” She sniffled. “Two parts dark elf, one part mage, and one part—”
Mia finished. “Omega.”
Vine leaned back. “You don’t know how to bottle your heats?”
Meeda shook her head, and fat tears flowed.
“Oh, fuck. Okay. We are going to do this before you go anywhere. Come to my workshop. I have the bottles there.” Vine grabbed her by the hand and hauled her out of the kitchen. Mia grabbed the passports.
* * * *
V ine’s mind boggled . She had always assumed that Meeda’s height meant she was a beta.
The emotional instability was pointing in a different direction.
All those years with no one to hold, and a raging fire in her bloodstream, should have driven her nuts, but Mia was her anchor and was a neutralized omega.
She knew what Meeda needed, and, as her older sister, she tried to make sure Meeda got it.
It was no mystery what had set her off. The first contact she had had with a male had been necessary, and, from what Mao had said to Kazuya, it was pleasant, but he was still ready to serve.
So he wasn’t attached to Meeda, and she knew it.
The first contact with the opposite sex and it was just something he did because he was bored.
That had to hurt. It would have crushed Vine if Kazuya had simply told her to make another appointment and that he would see her then and not after.
Meeda was still upset, and when they got into Vine’s workshop, the door shut and wards locked everyone out.
The schematic for the spell to bottle the heat came up, and Meeda looked at it. She sniffled. “I can do that.”
Vine gave her a bottle with a flip top, and Meeda looked at the schematic, pulled on the unruly emotions being caused by hormones, and stuffed them into the bottle until she felt calm. She corked the bottle and sighed. “May I have another bottle for my next one?”
“Sure.”
“Thank you. I am not sure where I can get them on the islands, and my heat is coming faster and faster. They are two months apart right now.”
Vine gasped. “Oh, that’s not good.”
“I know. The ocean will help. It slows it down if I can swim or fly.”
Vine touched her hand. “It’s good that you have somewhere like that. I was taught to do this early on. Very early on.”
“Lucky.”
“Yeah, I am feeling that now. Oh, Meeda. I wish we had gotten together sooner.”
“We have met for coffee.”
“You know what I mean.”
Meeda smiled. “I know. You had your village, and I didn’t want to add the idiot.”
Vine smiled softly. “You know better than that.”
“I could see you were happy. In pain but happy. Now, you are delighted, and it is very good to see. I am very happy for you. If you end up engaged, I want to be invited to the wedding, please.”
Vine grinned. “You will be my maid of honour.”
“I doubt it.”
They giggled and hugged again, and Vine opened the doors. Meeda took a few steps, and Vine said, “Your heat bottle.”
“Give it to Mao. He caused it. Oh, can I get the empty?”
Vine went and grabbed the empty bottle. She handed it over and said, “Get in touch with me every three days, or I will come and find you.”
“Yeah, yeah, but if I am in a good current, you will have to contact Mia. Don’t worry. I wear a beacon. It’s hilarious. I am usually being tailed by two yachts. One for Mia and one for her retrieval squad.”
Vine grinned. “That is amusing. I look forward to seeing it.”
“You going to bring tentacle-boy?”
“You know it.”
Meeda squeezed her hand. “See you in the big blue.”
She walked out with her empty bottle in hand and found Mia. They made their farewells to the hostess and promised a baby present, and Meeda walked her sister to their car, got behind the wheel, and drove off with Vine watching and holding the bottled heat.
She turned to Jennika, and her cousin walked toward her with a hug. The baby added his commiseration, and Vine sighed. “She’s an omega.”
“She’s fucking tall.”
“She’s two parts dark elf, one part mage, and the rest is omega. Knowing that makes so much sense now. I feel like an idiot for not figuring it out sooner.”
“What is Mia’s deal?”
“She’s a neutralized omega. Her family needed someone at the helm of their company, so she applied for and was granted neutralization so she could remain in control. I think she’s close to fifty now.”
Jenn blinked. “Where did you meet her?”
“Chamber of Commerce,” Vine smirked.
Jenn laughed. “Of course. Right.”
Vine wrinkled her nose and then said, “Enjoying the party?”
“Yeah. This is a lot for an impromptu gathering.”
“You know a lot of people who like food.”
Jennika looked around at all the tables and the people relaxing and socializing. “I do. More than I thought.”
“Just wait until we start doing the baby stuff. The gatherings will be enormous.”
Jennika nodded.
Vine smiled. “Isn’t having family fun?”