Chapter Six
X iroth smiled as Jennika emerged and walked back toward him. Xletl looked at him and grinned. “You look happy.”
“I feel happy, and I know what she tastes like, so I am extremely happy.”
Ivy looked up. “Taste?”
Xletl smiled. “We drink blood, like vampires but with better hygiene.”
Xiroth snorted. “We also don’t take much. Two ounces if we are hungry.”
Ivy paused. “That isn’t so bad.”
Sable called out, “Speak for yourself.”
Xiroth was grinning and glanced over, seeing a couple approaching their little group that seemed to have deterred others from watching the event.
Eudora and Sern walked toward them, and Eudora looked excited. She waved. “Hello. Wow. There are so many of you.”
Ivy grinned. “Would you like an introduction?”
“Please.”
“Right. Well, I am Ivy, and I work with luck. Good or bad. It is a handy thing for an event manager.” She smiled. “This is Sable. Sous chef for catering at the hotel. She’s currently in human form, but she defaults into a giant cat if she relaxes right now. She’s working on a plan with that guy.”
Xao laughed. “Hey, Sern.”
“Xao. Nice to see you again.”
Eudora flapped her hand in the air. “Yah, elf whatever.”
Ivy laughed. “This is Tuvel. You might not know her face, but you have two of her quilts at your house.”
Eudora’s eyes teared up, and she crouched next to Tuvel, speaking softly. Tuvel took her hands and held them, pressing her forehead to the other woman’s.
Eudora looked at Sable. “How large a cat? I was doing a video for the big cat rescue, and if you could manage an hour in the environments, I would love to get you in to support the very worthy cause.”
Sable paused. “When?”
“Tomorrow? I think my cameraman brother-in-law is around here somewhere. He’s with another one of us.”
Sern turned her to face the rear seats, where the dark elf and mage were making out. “Yeah, that tracks.”
Eudora laughed. “Den has a filter on. It’s only the elves and us that can see them.”
Ivy looked around, and Jenn and Vine were back. “You know Jenn as the chef from the hotel. She commands fire, and that is Xiroth’s bump.”
Jenn climbed back into his arms and sighed.
“And this is Vine. She’s our enchanter. She worked on the thread in the quilt and keeps Sable and Jennika on their feet. She and I work together to make charms and things, but she does the heavy lifting.”
Vine sat down slowly. “So to speak. Nice to meet you, strength.”
Ivy smiled. “Yes. She’s either sitting or walking.”
“I am also bitching.” She sighed and looked up. “Oh, my god. I am going to give her such a pinch.”
Xiroth looked up and grinned at what Vine was seeing. The four ladies with him were depicted in glowing colours as warriors battling each other. “Who are the two with the controllers?”
Vine smiled. “Van Housen and... Nimue.” She chuckled hoarsely. “Funny that the most beautiful of us all is seen only from the back.”
Xiroth frowned. “How do you know them?”
“Oh. Reasons.” Vine chuckled.
Xao asked, “You work with them?”
“Now and then. I may have introduced Nimue and what’s his face.”
Xiroth checked his email and the chat they had going in the city. “Evadon? He looks like he practiced sword fighting with his face.”
Vine smiled. “And Nimue sees beauty where it is. No hiding, no physical restraints.”
Kazuya brought up his own phone, and Vine stared. “Do you have an elf group chat?” She started to read over his shoulder, and Kazuya let her, with a small grin at Xiroth.
“Don’t smirk, Kazuya, it’s unbecoming in a lady,” Vine muttered in her harsh voice and kept reading the file.
The pixies burst into laughter.
The murals were over halfway done. Both artists were being energized by their communities. Xiroth looked down at Jennika, and she was sleeping softly against him, her hand curled on his chest.
They watched the painting slowly growing in dimension and realism, and Xiroth kept a light hand on Jenn’s belly, the child moving lazily.
The couples were chatting and testing attractions. Xiroth had his lover in his arms after months of searching. This was possibly the best Saturday ever.
He watched the crowd around them for threats, but they were protected. When the other side of the event began playing music, he smiled. Jenn breathed deeply and relaxed a little more.
A song started on their side. A woman curled into a ball, who let the sound weave out and around those listening.
The watchers began to smile and look at each other, relaxed and cheerful. Emhara took a break and looked at the woman singing in a voice strong enough to eradicate the music from the other side.
Vine looked up and smiled. “She’s one of ours.”
Sable asked her, “Do you know her?”
Tuvel looked up, nodded, and lowered her head to her work. “I know her. She sews with me. Sally.”
Sally kept singing, and the voice was haunting, but at the same time, it warmed the soul and made them feel lighter.
Xiroth looked around and smiled. Imagining this moment when they first arrived would have been impossible.
Hell, imagining it six months ago would have been impossible.
He looked down at Jennika and stroked her hair from her cheek.
Every moment of his life had been leading him to her, to them.
He gently put his hand on her belly. Nine hundred years of life, and he had seventeen days to get ready to be a father.
He really hoped he was good under pressure because he had never been around babies and was going to have to learn on his feet. He was going to enjoy it.
* * * *
V ine looked toward the woman who was singing and asked Tuvel, “She’s song?”
“She’s sound.” Tuvel didn’t look up. “Audio. If part of your body can hear it, she can make the noise.”
“Why haven’t I learned about her yet?”
“Well, like you, she learned to scream, but she hasn’t been able to be around people since.” Tuvel kept sewing. “She’s amazing with clothing designs, though. Her place is full of dressmaker dummies wearing clothing for video games. I do comfort; she does impact.”
She looked over to where the woman was curled up around herself again. She was still singing, but it was softer, even though it still blanked out the sound from the other side.
Vine knew the cadence of that sound. That was a self-soothing sound.
Vine got up and walked over to Sally and held out her hand. They started crooning together, and a wave of relaxation and calm spread through the space.
Time slipped away, Sally kept singing, and Vine croaked along with her. When a bell rang, they ended their song, and Sally smiled at Vine and stood to her full height near six feet.
Sally said, “Thank you for the harmony. I am heading out now.”
Vine blinked. “You aren’t staying to see the winner?”
“Oh, I know she won. She’s still in the first fire of her skills. Nothing could beat her.”
Vine smiled. “Hug?”
Sally chuckled. “This looks weird.”
“I know, but we both need it.”
Sally snorted but hugged her. Vine’s head was face-first in her cleavage, but the hug was comfortable.
Vine tried to track the damage, and Sally tapped her on the head. “I didn’t ask for an injury assessment. Stop.”
“Right. Sorry. It’s habit by now.”
“I know. Go to your friends; they look concerned. Well, except for Tuvel, she’s in the middle of a Celtic knot.” Sally smiled, broke their contact, walked Vine to the group, and then continued walking.
Vine looked at her. “Stay.”
Sally took in a shuddering breath. “I got here. I stayed here. I sang here. I know two people in this crowd, and I stayed for hours. That is enough for today.” She smiled. “Baby steps.”
Vine whispered as she saw the agony in Sally’s eyes. “Baby steps.”
Sally nodded and walked out. The twenty dark elves in the crowd watched her.
Vine blinked and looked back at the very damaged woman and back at the elves.
A few had sad expressions, one or two had simple admiration in their expressions, and one in particular looked thoughtful.
Vine headed back to look at Jennika, and she nodded.
“Come on, Jenn. Time to go so that we can watch the finale.”
Jennika sighed and got out of her living chair, and they walked over to the restroom.
Jenn said, “She didn’t want to stay?” She did what she came for and was relieved.
“She’s done enough for tonight. She got herself here, sat alone, sang in defence of Emhara’s side, and then she sang with me. She’s done enough for the night.”
Jennika looked up from washing her hands and smiled. “It is night, isn’t it?”
“After eleven. We are just waiting for Amble to finish.”
“Huh. From what I have heard, that is on schedule for him.” Jennika smiled. “Finishing last.”
“How do you know that?”
“Eudora works for a media company. They work with Amble’s pack-mate’s company. The gossip is extreme.”
“It always is, especially when packs are happy.” Vine sighed.
Jennika asked, “Did you want one? Out of all of us, you are the one most suited for a pack.”
“Nope. Maryella died of an overabundance of rutting alphas. They let her die.” Vine smiled. “If I get pregnant, I just want him to be paying attention and my friends in the room with me to sound an alarm.”
“Well, I want you in the delivery room with me. You and Ivy. Nothing can go wrong.”
“What about Xiroth?”
“He will be there, and he will know if blood starts to show up, but my family is famously good for childbirth, as you know.”
“Yeah, cuz, I know.”
“Did you ever find out exactly what happened?”
“Yes. She had had three miscarriages before. The damage was never addressed before her last pregnancy. She wanted kids and was determined to have them. So, both sides of that equation were to blame if blame has to be assessed. I have a nephew that I will never see, and her pack has moved on with a series of betas.”
“Why have I never asked that before?” They were nearly back to the seats, where excitement was building.