Page 26 of The Feisty Omega

So naturally that was the reason I was so keen to catch up with Tal as soon as I arrived.

It had nothing to do with that weird connection we had but didn’t quite understand. Or the hormones that were starting to make themselves known racing around in my body.

As soon as I could, I raced down to the big house, feet pounding over the bare ground. This year I was confident that I would be welcome here. I burst through the open door, eager for the pre-Christmas mayhem.

And it was there. Chaos reigned in the living area, where the Christmas tree was propped up in its pot of sand. All the kids were dancing around the tree, digging baubles out of the boxes of decorations and finding places to hang them, voices chattering in excitement. Papers rustled, boxes scraped across floorboards, voices protested as kids argued over favorite decorations.

One of the little ones rushed up to me with a shiny blue ball in his hand. I recognized him, though he’d grown a lot since last year.

“Hey Irian, hang this for me!” he ordered, pointing to a branch high up in the tree that he couldn’t possibly reach.

“That’s your job,” I told him, lifting him up in my arms so he was tall enough to hang the bauble in the tree himself. He grinned happily, then wriggled free to run off and find another decoration that desperately needed to find its special place.

“Hey,” I addressed my greeting to the adults hovering over the kids’ chaos.

“Oh, my Goddess, you’re here already!” exclaimed Tal’s sister, rushing over. She smacked a wet kiss on my cheeks and nearly squashed me in a crushing hug.

I smiled at her, “Hey Jana! Yeah, we came early this year. Where’s Tal?”

“Oh, honey, he’s not…” thecrash!of shattering glass and the anguished cry of one of the kids had her dashing off before she could finish. The bloodied finger and prolonged wail meant she wasn’t coming back any time soon, so as Tal obviously wasn’t in here, I wandered off to look for him.

WherewasTal? Probably in his bedroom avoiding the mayhem, although I kind of expected him to be helping the kids hang their decorations. He was the favorite uncle, after all.

The stairs creaked under me, and I smiled as I remembered how unsuccessfully Tal had tried to creep silently down them that first Christmas Eve. By the time I’d finished my musings, I’d reached his closed door.

Knock! Knock!

No response.

If he was sleeping, I’d surprise him! This would be good.

The handle rattled despite my careful turning, the door creaking startlingly as it opened into a room shrouded in darkness. The blinds had been pulled, although it was light outside. My eyes flicked to the bed, but there was no Tal-shaped lump under the covers.

In addition, the room was extraordinarily tidy – no clothes on the floor, nothing out of place... I took a step inside, brows scrunching. Why was the room so neat? Tal wasn’t particularly messy but there should have been some signs of his presence.

But the bed was made up neatly and the room had an unoccupied feeling - as though no-one had been here for some time.Thatsent slivers of unease sliding through me. My nose flared, scenting the air… it could detect his scent here of course, but he hadn’t been here recently. Where was Tal?

I wandered back down to the living room, but the kids were still decorating and the chaos was continuing, so I didn’t stay.

Stepping outside, I drew a breath. Where could he be? Surely, he knew I’d be arriving today?

Perhaps he was with his friends. Swallowing down my disappointment that he hadn’t been waiting for me, I lifted my chin and went looking for the boys. There were shocks waiting for me there too.

Dar, Zern and Luke had matured greatly since last year. Their faces had thinned out, and their chins were covered in significant amounts of neatly groomed hair. And all the group had developed muscles - hair and muscles were literally climbing out of their shirts. Some of the group must surely have completed their transition to majority, with the others very close behind. There was a distinct alpha vibe about the group, but they didn’t intimidate me.

“Hey!” I called as I got up close. I wasn’t certain what to call them now.

“Heya, Irian!”

“Hoo-hoo, Irian!”

“G’day.”

The guys all greeted me enthusiastically. A lot of solid thumps to the back later, we lounged back under the tree.

“You’ve…” I trailed off, suddenly uncertain of what was acceptable conversation here. I shouldn’t have worried.

“Yep,” Luke smiled, a smug grin plastered across his handsome face. “Darius, Kalius and I have all reached majority. “You have to obey our commands now.”

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