“And you, my Silver Kit, I wanted you the second I laid hands one you. You know what I was thinking on that first ride back to Misty Cove? How much I wanted to crawl up on you and call you Daddy if you looked at me right.” Darren swallows hard and reaches over to grip my hand.
“Then you? Bryan, you exuded this whole hot-for-teacher thing that I am just SO into, but you also took exquisite care of me when I got stung by a jellyfish. I was hooked.” Bryan grins at me and my core tightens. One left.
“And then there was you,” I wink at Earl, “The Big Bastard In Charge. I bit you then and I’ll bite you now. You make me want to spend hours giving you hell while we both try to tame each other. I don’t know if it will EVER be enough.”
“I chose you guys. I claimed you. Got the body art to prove it. But you need to remember something? I did not survive the last thirty-eight fucking years on this planet to submit to some men blindly. We’re a Pod, right? A team? That means spend less time trying to dominate me and control me and more time working with me. Leave the power struggles for the bedroom, boys.”
Satisfied that I have made my speech, I push away from the table and walk back towards my room. When I am positive I have all four sets of eyes on me, I untie my silky robe and let it fall from my shoulders as I walk.
The groans of appreciation from behind me make me feel like a Queen.
FOR A TINY TOWN, MISTY Cove can really turn out for events.
The beach along the cove has been completely transformed with a judging stage, dozens of colorful umbrellas and beach chairs, and assorted tents for vendors. The surfers are all warming up and I see rafts out beyond the breakers where otters and seals have swum out to get a better view. I can hear the band preparing to begin their set up in the amphitheatre, and the vendors calling out to passersby to try their wares.
It’s like a country fair and I love it. Bill pops up and scares the piss out of me, but he’s carrying cotton candy so I decide to forgive him.
We make a motley crew that attracts quite a lot of attention as we move through the crowd to the tent that Glenda and Asha have reserved for all of us. I don’t know that we are that unusual, but apparently, even for shifters and other Supes, the appearance of a Fated Pod wandering through town with a forest demon and their mostly-human mate is cause for gossip. That, or the Matestone around my neck is still attracting attention.
Whatever. I’m just here to enjoy myself.
The witches have strategically placed glowing orbs that spritz out cooling water along the boardwalk to keep the guests cool and there’s even a dark tunnel that has been erected so that vampires and other sun-sensitive folks can move about between the buildings and the beach. There are people everywhere and I want to explore and meet every single one of them.
“Enjoying yourself, Ronnie?” Bill asks solicitously. I side-eye him with suspicion but he seems to be genuinely curious so I shrug and nod as I peel off another piece of cotton candy and stuff it in my mouth.
“Good! This is a very important event for Misty Cove and your Pod. And for you.”
I roll my eyes. He’s been hinting at this nonsense for days but he won’t tell me anything concrete. At this point, I’m not sure I even believe him.
“Either shit or get off the pot, Bill. Are you going to tell me or not?”
Darren and Bill both stare at me with comical expressions on their face.
“What? That’s a totally legitimate expression. My Grandma Meryn used to say it all the time.”
Bill looks like he might have something to say but a flash of white light momentarily blinds us both.
“Ah, right on time,” he mutters before poofing back out of existence. My eyes are watering and I am blinking rapidly to try to focus again. When I do, I realize that it’s completely silent all around us.
The vendors have stopped hawking.
The band has stopped playing.
People have stopped chattering.
It almost sounds as if the ocean has lowered the volume of the waves. It’s creepy and weird.
There is a woman standing before me. She is ethereal in a long lavender gown tied up like a toga. A crown of flowers and greenery sits atop her head and cascades down her back, intertwining with her long silvery hair. Her eyes come to rest on the Matestone around my neck and she smiles before nodding to each of my mates in turn.
“Fate chose well, Veronica, Daughter of Summer.” Her voice sounds like wind chimes, delicate and melodic. She smiles even wider as she sees the Faery ring on my right hand and the black band from Bill.
“I am Dakira of the Summer Court. Come, join me in my tent. You may bring your consorts.”
With my heart lodged in my ribs, I nod and manage a squeaky, “Hi. OK.” before following her.
We move through the crowd and people give us a wide berth. The hiss of whispers rises as we pass. It’s super uncomfortable but what else can I possibly do? I don’t know much about the Fae but the general rule has been pretty clear: ‘if they deign to talk to you, listen.’ Plus, I really am curious about this mysterious Fae ancestry everyone keeps talking about.
“Bilexphiles speaks very highly of you,” Dakira begins as she shows me to
