Page 182 of Scars Like Wings

“Oh,girl.” Teddy rolled his eyes. “You are so sprung.Ve amo esa chola. Go love that chola.”

“But what about?—”

“Hey, what does Big Frieda say in ‘Break My Soul’?” Thompson interrupted.

“Forget this trade, leave the rest?”

“And has Queen Beyoncé ever led us astray?”

I smiled. “I’m going to need Everett to marry you ASAP.”

“That’s exactly what I’ve been saying.” Teddy winked.

I couldn’t wait for him to be my Guncle-in-Law. We were going to do such great crimes together.

We hung out for the rest of the day as he finished preparing Thanksgiving dinner. Everett soon woke up and got dressed. He offered to help, but Thompson banished him to sit next to me on the other side of the counter and just entertain him while he worked.

Soon, the others arrived, and we ate. As could only be expected from Thompson at this point, the food was ridiculously delicious and inspired. It was so good that I was excited for the leftovers. Given Uncle Everett’s and my appetites, I doubted they would last longer than two days, despite Teddy making enough for an army.

After dinner, we decided to play some games while we drank and chatted. We all playedCards Against Humanityin teams of three, and we ended up in tears from our laughter as the Archive Threesome demolished us with their twisted sense of humor and excellent matching skills to the prompts. It was very domesticbut still so fun. This was definitely a new tradition I wanted to maintain.

Hopefully, I would be able to maintain it with my fated mate, too.

I couldn’t wait to tell her.

Mercury in Retrograde

It was time for The Sleigh Belles and Brunch Extravaganza Drag Show at the Giggle Water. Multiple times during the year, the restaurant would host seasonal drag shows to benefit local LGBTQIA+ ventures like supporting the Rainbow Youth Center or keeping the libraries stocked with books about sexuality and gender. The singers, dancers, and comedians were always incredible to see, and they never disappointed in their fabulous costumes and makeup designed to match the theme like this was the Met Gala. Their energy was so infectious, their talent so prominent, it was hard not to be enraptured. Brunch drag shows were my favorites, and the girls and I always looked forward to them.

Not only that, but we showed up and showedoutevery time to match the occasion, looking for any reason to wear those outfits that were too cute not to buy, but that we knew damn well we would only wear to the drag shows. Simone wore a blazer dress that flared around her hips with thigh-high boots that made her look like a baddie girl boss. Maisie’s outfit was a three-piece, thick linen cargo pant, bandeau top, and suit jacket in a shade of purple that made her eyes pop like she was using her magic. My creamy white off-shoulder cropped sweater, wide-legged jeans, and boots were actually very sensible, but it was more of a symbolic outfit than anything. After all, it was my first time I had my wings out and proud for everyone to see. I had gotten so many compliments on them being an awesome tattoo that I knew I would definitely be wearing this outfit again.

As one of the performers closed out her set, Maisie’s phone vibrated on the table. She checked it and immediately rolled her eyes so hard into her head that I thought she was going to fall out of the chair. She mumbled under her breath, but loud enough for me and Simone to hear, “Dude, catch a hint.”

“What’s wrong?” I asked, after taking a sip of my mimosa.

“He’s trying to contact me still.”

“Who? Your father?” Simone’s eyes widened with a mix of concern and shock.

“Yep,” Maisie said, popping the P at the end for emphasis.

“What could he possibly want? And how did he even get your number?” I asked.

“Good questions.” Maisie pointed to me with a sarcastic smile. “One of them I know the answer to. Who wants to guess which one it is?”

“Given how absent he was your entire life and then the scene he caused when you had to force him to show his face, it’s crazy that he wants anything other than your forgiveness.” Simone rolled her eyes.

“Preaching to the choir here, sister.” Maisie took a long sip of her extra strong Bloody Maria. “But he wants information on Byrd.”

My jaw dropped. “Why is everyone so obsessed with me all of a sudden? What does he want to know aboutme?”

“I’m not sure what he wants exactly with you, but it has to do with you being a dragon-shifter. I do know that.”

My heart sank. “What?”

“He’s asking all sorts of questions about you, your powers, your family, everything. I haven’t responded to a single text from him.”

Simone snorted. “What makes him think that you would answer anything when, again, he’s the worst kind of deadbeat dad?”

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