39. Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Morgan
The cottage was quiet when Morgan arrived home.
She smiled to herself. She liked the way that sounded: home.
Cody’s cottage already felt more like their cottage.
However, arriving home while Cody and Yana were still out somewhere wasn’t the greatest feeling.
It was too similar to the night of the incident.
But she told herself that wasn’t going to happen again.
Nyrah was in the guestroom, and had been following Cody’s instructions to stay there.
Doug had already texted to confirm that he and Gracie had made it home safely.
Doug also mentioned something about Cody being ridiculous and playing along with Gracie’s little games.
Morgan was beginning to wonder what was up with Gracie, now that she knew everything about Cody and his game stuff.
She suspected if Cody was still out, that meant Gracie had given him one of her little fetch quests, and he wouldn’t be returning until he completed it.
Morgan flicked on the kitchen light and was relieved when she saw the room was empty.
She headed down the hallway, stopping in front of the guestroom door.
Morgan rested her hand on the doorknob, hesitating a moment before pushing it open to peek inside.
The room was lit with the soft glow from the seashell nightlight, and she could see Nyrah sleeping in the bed.
Her iridescent-red fairy wings were folded and tucked in along her back, making them seem much more pliable than Morgan originally imagined.
One of Nyrah’s fluffy cat ears twitched as she slept. It was still a lot to get used to.
Morgan was just about to shut the door when Nyrah stirred, opening her eyes. “Yana?” Morgan froze as Nyrah blinked a few more times, and realization slowly dawned on her face. “Oh. It’s you.”
“Yeah. It’s me,” Morgan said quietly.
“Where’s Yana?”
“She’s out with Cody. I think they’re working on a fetch quest for Gracie.”
Nyrah pushed herself up to sit, her unsettling red eyes focusing on Morgan. “Did Cody talk to you? About Temica?”
“He did.” Morgan took a step into the room. She knew she should be afraid of this girl, she knew exactly what she was capable of, but she also felt the need to talk to her. “Can I ask you something?”
Nyrah’s fingers curled around the edge of the comforter, gripping it tightly as she watched Morgan come closer. “You can ask, but you might not like the answer.”
Morgan let out a long breath through her nose. “So, you know what I’m about to ask you.”
“I love him,” Nyrah said confidently. “I know you do, too. I am willing to accept that, if you are.”
Morgan shook her head, rolling her eyes. “You don’t even know him.”
“I know enough. I know he is my only chance at ever falling in love and being loved in return. I’ve been around him long enough to know that I love him.”
“Your only chance—are you talking about that Golden Heart stuff?” Morgan asked. Cody had talked to her about it, but it was still part of this fantastical story that felt extra weird.
“Yes. You have one, too. Did Cody tell you?”
“He told me.” Morgan looked the young woman over, trying to decide if she was telling the truth about all this stuff.
“So, in a way, we’re all meant to be together. There is potential for…love. Between us.”
Morgan felt extra unsure about that statement.
She certainly thought Nyrah was pretty, but she couldn’t imagine falling ‘in love’ with another woman.
It didn’t feel the same as falling in love with Cody.
She suspected nothing would feel the same as falling in love with Cody, because she was fully convinced he was her soulmate.
“Do you like girls, Nyrah?” Morgan asked, wanting to get the full picture of what Nyrah was suggesting.
“Why wouldn’t I like girls? I am a girl.”
“I meant, romantically.” Morgan wondered how things like same-sex marriage were viewed in a place like Velasarin. “Like when a woman marries another woman, because they’re in love.”
“Oh. That.” Nyrah clearly had some sort of understanding. She was suddenly more interested in the hem of the comforter she was holding than Morgan.
“Do you love Yana?” Morgan asked quietly.
Nyrah’s head snapped up. “Only platonically! We’re just friends. Who love each other. Platonically.”
Morgan smirked. She couldn’t help it: “Have you ever kissed Yana?”
“Of course not!” Nyrah said, but her cheeks turned pink. “What does that have to do with sharing Cody?”
“I guess I was curious how you think this is going to work.” Morgan didn’t feel ready to accept it, but she still wanted to know. “Are all three of us expected to share Cody? Like, emotionally and physically.”
“Yes. Nekofae share their husbands all the time. Females outnumber males, so it’s perfectly acceptable. Nekofae often marry males of other species because we simply don’t have enough.”
“Females don’t really outnumber males on Earth,” Morgan pointed out. “I mean, we kind of do in Cornerstone, but not the entire world. So, we don’t really do the harem thing here.”
“I’ve been informed,” Nyrah said sullenly. “But I would protect him. We all would. Together.”
“Protect him from what? We live in cottage country. No one even locks their doors.”
“But Temica is here.”
“Right. That creepy bitch.”
“And together we would make sure he never leaves,” Nyrah added quietly. “He’s not allowed to leave us.”
Morgan looked directly into Nyrah’s deep, red eyes. “He’s never leaving me ever again.”
“I know. You fought for him.”
“So did you.” Morgan understood that fierce devotion.
It was the part of Nyrah she could see reflected in herself.
If they could manage to be on the same ‘team’, that would be more of a comfort than a rivalry.
It wouldn’t just be her keeping Cody safe and tucked away in Cornerstone, she’d have help keeping him here.
Forever. This whole harem thing was beginning to become very appealing, but…
“How do I know I can trust you? What if you’re saying all this so I agree to share Cody, only to have you steal him from me? ”
“I couldn’t betray you even if I wanted to,” Nyrah said. “I am a Heartseer. You have a Golden Heart. We’re meant to be together. I did not know that before. It changes things. Besides, I’ve already promised Cody that I would never hurt you. I would never break a promise to Cody Hampshire.”
Morgan stood there, arms crossed over her chest, looking over Nyrah. On one hand, every single part of this proposition was insane. But on the other hand, the more she talked to the fairy catgirl, the more she felt it was the right direction.
“This is fucking ridiculous…” Morgan mumbled under her breath and ran a hand through her hair, trying to clear her head.
“All I’ve ever wanted was for Cody to come back to me.
He broke my heart when he left. I tried to move on with my life.
I left Cornerstone, and I went to school.
But circumstances pulled me back, and eventually he returned, too.
And apparently, he’s been off in a magical fantasy world, battling his way back—because he loves me.
He’s always loved me. And I finally have him, and now…
” Morgan waved her hand towards Nyrah. “For some insane reason, I’m seriously considering this new path. ”
“Because it’s the right path,” Nyrah insisted, sitting up straighter, a look of excitement animating her face.
Morgan frowned and recrossed her arms over her chest. She had read some of those paperbacks of Grandpa Sam’s after she found some in Cody’s bedroom.
There were certainly things that Morgan found…
appealing. She never wanted to actually date another woman, especially when she was unbreakably in love with Cody, but…
this whole ‘sharing’ thing was giving her butterflies.
The sexy kind of butterflies. But she didn’t want to just watch, she wanted to participate.
Morgan took a step back, eyeing Nyrah. “Fuck, how are you doing this?”
“Doing what?” Nyrah asked, all innocence.
“Is this some weird Heartseer magic shit? Are you manipulating me?”
“I’m not doing anything. Heartseers and people with Hearts of Gold share a connection, yes, but I can’t actively do anything to control people or their emotions. Cody is my only chance at true love. But I still have to prove to him that we have a future together. I still have to earn Cody’s love.”
“Huh…” Morgan really was at a loss for words.
She wanted something, anything, to explain her erratic feelings.
She would happily blame some magical bullshit for actually considering this crazy harem stuff.
And yet, something about it felt cozy, even if it was with Nyrah and Yana, two virtual strangers who also happened to be different species from a magical game world.
But Morgan certainly liked the idea of having back up when it came to protecting Cody.
Of course, she also needed to find out how Cody felt about all of this.
She didn’t want to assume he’d be okay with having three girlfriends.
“Besides…” Nyrah said. “If we really want to displease Temica, all of us getting along is the exact opposite of what she wants.”
“That’s true. I’ll um…I’ll think about it.”