Page 28 of The Pixies' Chosen

My head bows as I wait for the puja to end and console myself that at least there will be plenty of food to eat and I won’t have to fight for my share because now I can only eat a fraction of what I once ate before. My lips twitch with amusement because I know exactly how skilled Inika is at putting away Mummi’s cooking. And Dishan is a good match. I press my lips tightly together so not to laugh, but I look up when I feel Havoc squeeze my hand. His eyes dance with amusement as his lips curl in a sexy smile.

I’m thoroughly distracted by that smile that I don’t notice when Havoc presses something into my hand until he curls my fingers around it. Caught off guard, I look down at it in surprise. I’m holding a small bowl carved from the shell of a nut, and inside there is a sort of confetti made of the same flower petals sitting in a bowl nearby. I glance down and see the open basket at my feet. That was what he was carrying. It was a gift for me after all. A gift of the best kind.

I blink rapidly as my eyes fill with tears at the realization that this male has restored something to me that I thought I wouldn’t have again. I don’t even think he realizes how important it is to me since I avoided my home mandir, unable to even open it at my new size. Nor would he know the disconnect I have felt to something so sacred to me. Tryst doesn’t even know, and he spent far more of those earlier days with me. And yet, by simple observation, he has fulfilled a need simply because he saw that I needed it.

Sucking my bottom lip in so that I don’t start crying, I give him a watery smile as Tryst wraps me in exactly the warm hugI needed. Havoc’s dark eyes soften, and his lovely violet lightens to a most beautiful hue as he nods in response to my silent thanks.

Without a word he and Tryst enclose around me at either side and hold me safely between them, and they lift me up high from the table as I cling tightly to that bowl and fly toward the mandir. Ganesh’s painted face seems even kinder in that moment, his trunk curled and at his knee a little mouse. And for a moment I feel like that mouse is me—so tiny and insignificant in this world that I now find myself in, and yet loved and worthy still in the eyes of god.

We hover there, the blue and violet lights of the pixies dancing over the mandir and the murti within as I dip my fingers into my bowl, sinking them in the flower petals. Gathering a handful, I lift the fragrant petals and then release them to dance on the tiny breeze created by Tryst’s and Havoc’s humming wings. They spin and curl through the air before floating daintily in front of Ganesh’s murti to fall upon his feet.

Clasping my hands in front of me, I close my eyes and pray, feeling at peace for the first time in weeks. And for the first time I can see the future open up before me that is filled with hope and happiness… and love.

“Thank you,” I whisper aloud as tears of gratitude slip down my cheeks.

“Ammayi,” Mummi whispers, her eyes softening as she holds the flame toward me, “don’t forget to take aarti.”

I smile, a deep contentment filling me as Mummi lifts the flame and gently wafts it over my head with the palm of her hand as I simultaneously waft it toward my eyes and the top of my head, feeling the warmth descend over me. I don’t know why I’m still crying, but I can feel the wet path of my tears streaking my cheeks when the flame is drawn away and the very tip of her fingernail brushes vermillion on my brow.

Unexpectedly, both males pounce on me, their lips chasing the tears, kissing them away until Papa clears his throat humorously.

“Okay, okay, let’s eat. Dishan, Inika, help us carry the plates. Havoc, Tryst, carry Ammayi,” he softly instructs, and I choke on the giggle as Havoc suddenly swings me up into a bridal carry and flits into the air.

“He said Havoc and Tryst, not Havoc the Lone Hive,” my other male protests as he takes off in hot pursuit, his chitin chiming merrily.

“Unbelievable,” Inika whispers confidentially to Dishan with a not so private, affectionate giggle as they trail after us. “Trust Ammayi to find a way to bring Halloween weirdness home as a regular feature.”

“She says that like it’s a bad thing,” I shout laughingly to Havoc, and he grins down at me in reply.

As if to prove her right, his pulsing shimmer flutters wildly as he darts forward, speeding down the hall. Tryst spins through the air beside us, his body arching wildly to send him rolling mid-flight over our heads. His shimmer entwines with Havoc’s as they fly, and their distinctive glows meld into an eerie, pulsing hue to light the way.

CHAPTER 23

AMMAYI

My eyes open slowly, and a satisfied smile curls the corners of my mouth as my gaze falls upon the male sleeping beside me, his wings gently rising and falling with his every breath. He has been sleeping with us for the last several days, ever since the pumpkin carving party, and I still can’t get used to it. His short hair tousled over his face, his sharp features seem softer and sweeter while he’s asleep.

He still hasn’t touched me, of course—at least not sexually—but his hand will sometimes graze my arm or shoulder in passing or touch briefly on my hip if he’s trying to get my attention. There has even been a time or two that I’ve woken up with his arm wrapped around me and his noticeable erections pressed against me. Privately, I’ve begun looking forward to those little moments. And plotting a way to encourage more.

If I’m going to be a pixies’ queen, then I want my whole hive in every way. My smile grows as I sit up and lift my arms over my head in a leisurely stretch. Sleeping between the warmth of mytwo mates is definitely a good start. Speaking of which… where is Tryst? I glance over to his side of the bed which apparently went cold some time ago.

“Zini, you are awake,” Tryst calls out in greeting to me.

I turn over onto my knees and grin as I see him flit inside with a fat crabapple in his arms. Thankfully, the nights had not quite gotten cold enough for a hard frost to ruin the fruits, and I can feel my stomach awaken at the prospect of a delicious breakfast. Noticing the direction of my gaze, he winks at me and carries it across the room to set it next to a quail egg. I give it a curious look as I try to remember which of the neighbors was raising quails in the small coop on the roof. Ah, Mrs. Denner. She once exclaimed over them as possessing a rich flavor, but it had always seemed a bit pointless for what would be less than a mouthful. Now, however, that useless little quail egg is now practically the size of an ostrich egg for me. I could kiss the woman since it is obvious that Tryst had raided the coop while I was sleeping.

Oh well. She’ll hardly miss a single egg which is why I didn’t put them on the forbidden list when speaking to my mates about not touching the domestic animals in the community. As long as it’s not a fully grown bird or a chick, there won’t be any kind of fuss made.

“What do you have there?” I whisper as I crawl out of the bed and make my way across the coffee table to him, noting other berries and seeds added to the pile.

“Breakfast,” he replies cheerfully. “I even fetched this for you,” he adds, producing a small wooden cannister that he had been laboriously hollowing out for days, complete with a screw-top lid and some sort of gummy seal.

Curious, I take it from him and open the lid. A fragrant steam immediately rises up, and I gasp aloud with pleasure.

“Coffee? Where did you get coffee?”

His smile widens, his wings humming with delight behind him. “I remember that you desired it, and since I have not yet fashioned all the proper cooking equipment to make it for you, I followed a bunch of humans and found the shop distributing it. The owner was gracious enough to provide a small amount for me. One of your human dollars provides me with coffee for you every day for a month.”

My eyebrows rise as I take a sip of the coffee. And not just regular coffee, but a foamy latte that I lick from my lips with a happy hum. I’m impressed. “Where did you get the dollar?”

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