Page 86 of Mated By Twilight

“You’re thinking too hard,” Corvidair interjected. “It can be anything. I can make any story good. Don’t doubt it for a moment. So? What kind of story do you want to tell?”

She wanted something happy. Something to broadcast this feeling she was enjoying now. Knowing that something this simple was powerful and wonderful. Something that wasn’t connected to the religion she was still grappling with – though that did significantly limit her options since that was all the media shewasallowed growing up.

Except…

“There was one story I liked when I was little,” she finally said slowly. “I saw the movie in school once. My parents would never have let me see it on my own. There was magic in it, and they thought that was bad. But I really liked the story, and I thought it was cute.”

“Well?” Corvidair smiled. “Don’t leave me in suspense, you little tease. What was it?”

“Thumbelina,” she smiled at her hand. “A story about a girl born in a flower that was so small, she could fit in the palm of your hand. It was about the adventures she went on and the trials of coming of age. She has to deal with a toad and a beetle and… It’s too silly, isn’t it?”

“Nonsense!” Corvidair boomed, opening all four of his arms. “I love it. Come, you will follow me. You will tell me the story, and I’ll see if I can buy a patch to connect to the Earth subnet to see if you can find it on there. You will have to translate for me, but it will be a start.”

“Oh, there’s a prince in it,” Leah stood and jogged after him. “But there’s just one. Er, is there any way we can, erm…”

“Re-write it for two?” Corvidair grinned at her. “You bet we can, little one. I think that will be a wonderful little change.”

It was a silly change, a selfish one, but Leah couldn’t stop herself from grinning in satisfaction as she followed Corvidair.

Chapter 40

Sollit

“Isn’t she precious?” Sollit asked, grinning down as Leah followed Corvidair out of the auditorium, a cute little pep in her step. He and his brother were on the second level. They had just spotted her down there when Corvidair called out to her. Instead of inserting themselves, they’d stayed back and watched them talk.

“She really is,” Tillos agreed, leaning against the railing with him. “She is expanding that part for us, isn’t she? The prince, I mean.”

Sollit laughed. “I can’t wait. It’s going to be fun to be presenting a human story. And one that clearly is special to her.”

“We must do our best.”

Sollit nodded his agreement. The human gesture was easy to use, so much so that incorporating it into his nonverbal body language was a simple thing. Kind of like the way it was so easy to incorporate Leah into their lives.

Their parents were eager to meet her in person. He was eager to show their fathers how much progress they had made with her. Even from here, he could see the difference in the clearness of her skin, the shine of her hair, the bounce in her step.

Tillos chuckled. Sollit didn’t need to ask to know he was amused by the pride filling his chest.

“You can’t say you don’t feel the same.” He stood straight, turning and leaning back against the railing instead, crossing his arms. “We should do something for her.”

“What did you have in mind?” Tillos asked, immediately agreeing with the sentiment.

“How about a bonding ceremony?”

“Hm. Do you think she’d go for it this soon?”

“This soon?” Sollit laughed. “We’ve been mated for tendays now. As far as I consider it, we’re overdue for our first one.”

“I would agree were our mate not human.”

“Please. She’s been willing to do everything else. This would be easy in comparison.” Sollit gave him a look. “I know you want it as much as I do.”

“Of course,” Tillos said without hesitation. “I would have already had us do one. I would have started when we were courting her if I thought she would do it.”

Sollit nodded eagerly, agreeing. “I say we do it while we’re in subspace, before the next station. No one will bother us then.”

Tillos thought about it a moment before nodding. “It’s a good idea.”

“Tonight?”

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