Page 51 of Knocked up By the Minotaur

I don’t respond, scrolling through the list before me without seeing anything. “Looks good,” I mutter, handing the device back. “I trust your judgment.”

But when I turn to continue on my way, she slides in front of me again and places her hand on my chest.

“Oli, baby,” she hums, and her long nails scrape against my fur as she tucks a finger between my buttons. “I’ve never seen you like this. Has that silly little human, been treating you badly?”

I take her hand in mine and pull it away. “Don’t call me that.” It sounds so wrong coming from her.

She purses her red-painted lips, but doesn’t step back. “You deserve better than her.”

“That’s for me to decide.” I take a deliberate step around her, but her hand snatches out onto my chest again. I lower my horns and pull her hand away more firmly. “Sera.”

“Look, you’re in a relationship for the first time since anyone can remember,” she snaps, before taking a deep breath and plastering a suddenly sweet smile on her face. “Fine, I get it. We all have to experiment sometimes. But just know, relationship or not, I’ll always be here for you. Come and find me whenever you need, our time together can remain our own little secret.”

I shake my head and take a long step back from her. I don’t want a repeat of our conversations, I don’t want to explain myself to her again and again. She knows that our time together is over. She knows that I’m pursuing Grace. Bringing it up again would just prolong this moment needlessly.

“Have a lovely morning, Seraphina.” I try for a polite smile as my wrist tingles with a strange, sparking itch, and I rub it again as I stride purposely past her.

Spotting Rho once more I head straight towards him to cut off any further conversation with the harpy, and I place myself deliberately between him and Ismelda.

“I thought I saw you with Mal,” I say, swinging an arm over Rho’s shoulder as I smile at the witch. “Good morning, Isme.”

“I was.” Rho flicks my arm away, unbothered, as Ismelda greets me with a wave. “We finalized what we needed for security on Saturday. He said he was going to grab a coffee, and then finish his own preparations. Why, d’you need him?”

“No.” I have an urge to rub at my wrist again, and I shove it in my pocket to avoid it. “Did you know, he drinks his iced coffee without any ice?”

“Huh.” Rho thinks for a moment, then shrugs. “Odd.”

“How are we going with PR?” Ismelda asks, raising her brow and flicking her gaze towards where I was just talking with Sera.

“It’s great.” I smile, and feel suddenly like I don’t want to be around people anymore. “Everything’s coming along as planned.”

“Our Seraphina was looking mighty cozy with you, dearie,” she says with mild disapproval. “Are you sure that was a good idea?”

I let out a sigh, and even I can tell it doesn’t hold my usual flair of lighthearted drama. “I’d… really rather not talk about her.” I look over my shoulder, back towards the entrance where I’ve parked my car. “Do you need me for anything? I might head to the office, I’ve got work to do.”

Rho’s hand comes down over my shoulder, and I turn to see him squinting suspiciously at me. “I thought that’s what your staff were for.”

“Are you feeling alright?” When I turn to Ismelda, her disapproval has morphed to concern.

I rub at my wrist. “Yes.” When nobody says anything else, both just looking at me strangely, I begin to turn away. “If you need me, give me a call.”

“Oh, one thing before you leave,” Ismelda pipes up, although she’s still eyeing me with worry. “We’ll need you here a little early, all the owners and their partners have a photoshoot to get out of the way before the festivities.”

“Alright, I’ll be there.”

“Will Grace be your date?”

That’s what friends are for…

My rubbing turns to scratching against my inner wrist, and I notice a few tiny tufts of fur float up between us on the breeze. “Yes.”

Unfortunately, Ismelda notices too, and before I can stop her, she has my wrist in her hand and is gently turning it over. When she gasps, her eyes widening at what she sees, I turn my own gaze up towards the sky again, that strange ringing once more in my ears.

“Olistaire, love, you…”

I put my hands back into my pockets. My heart is beating with a strange, tugging sort of rhythm and I have every desire to simply turn and walk away, following wherever it leads me.

“For fuck’s sake,” Rhokar gruffs, before he grabs at my forearm and drags me away. Through the crowd of frantic staff setting up, past the beautifully built but still hollow lodge and beyond the borders of construction, until we hit the line of trees that signify the start of Boise National Park.

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