Page 35 of Fated or Knot

“Trade you,” Kauz remarked.

“No,” both Marius and Tormund said at the same time. The latter snuggled me tighter to his chest.

“We’ll rotate places during the day. Give us all some respite from one annoyance or another,” Marius added in a mutter.

He didn’t look my way, but for a sensitive moment, I figured I was one of the annoyances to dodge. Given that I was a doormat and all.

Kauz tilted a smile toward me. “Now that, I insist on. I’m going to need more time with Lark.”

My lips tilted up in a shy echo. “I would like that,” I said.

“You’ve had your time with her. Now it’s my turn,” Tormund groused. “I have your gift ready once we’re settled, li’l bird. You can have it after the launch.”

I shifted in his hold, looking over at the pile of bags. They’d already bought me so much. What could possibly be in the four bags in this mix that were now mine? Tormund’s nostrils flared, and his maroon brows drew in to form a line through his pack mark. “Your smell changed. No feeling guilty. We all wanted to buy you things. Kauz just got to buy you the most.”

I covered my face. That was definitely not helping. “It’s just—I don’t know if I can?—”

“Accept that we’re going to spoil you?” Kauz interrupted.

“Just wait until we’re home and build your permanent nest together, li’l bird. You’re going to be the happiest omega in Serian.” Tormund ran his hand down my back, teasing the sensitive membranes of my wings with his broad palm. They wiggled at the stimulation, fluttering to give away my reaction. What omega in her right mind turned down being spoiled?

The giant watched my wings as they opened and closed slowly, tilting his head. “You don’t sparkle much,” he commented. “Don’t pixies have sparkle dust?”

“Pixie dust, yes. I just don’t have much,” I said carefully, hoping he wasn’t about to ask why my wings weren’t also a gemstone color. Most pixies were dazzling from the diamond-like powder they shed from their wings. It was made of spare essence, and I rarely had enough to shed more than a mote here and there. I saw it as a blessing in disguise, since the sparkles got over everything.

Tormund quizzed me about pixie dust while we slowed and joined a line of fae catching the evening trains out of the city. I quieted down to nothing, since we naturally formed a cluster with Fal and my stepfamily. From my vantage in the big alpha’s arms, I watched one of the trains launch along a magirail with a deep, vibrating hum of essence.

Magirails weren’t physical. They were thick rails of mostly transparent essence, twisting and weaving off from the straight lines in and out of the massive stone platform ahead of us. The trains floated over the rails they were on, and the one that’d launched had lifted another foot off it and coasted like it was repelling the rail by magnetic force. With a big push of essence behind it, it launched into a speeding blur.

“Do close your mouth, dear stepdaughter. You don’t want to catch flies.” Cymora hadn’t quite wedged herself between our cart and Tormund, but she was trying.

“Yes, Stepmother,” I muttered, closing off the awed expression I had. Our group inched forward.

Tormund breathed a low growl I felt more than heard. Cymora’s tone softened, as if she’d felt it too. “And perhaps you would spare this poor male’s arms and walk on your own,” she suggested.

“Ach. She weighs nothing,” he practically rumbled. “I could carry her anywhere.”

“Carry her to my arms?” Fal suggested.

He shook his head. “It’s my turn with her.”

Fal flashed a cheeky grin and responded in Serian. Tormund leaned down and whispered, “He called me greedy, li’l bird.” He nuzzled into my neck and scented my skin. “He’s right. I amverygreedy for more of you.”

Face flaming, I opened my mouth to reply, only to be spoken over.

“I’m sure we’re all going to spendplentyof time together,” Cymora interjected.

“I can’t wait to get to know you all as my new family,” Laurel added.

Fal, who had his back to them for the moment, let his smile become brittle. His sapphire cat’s eyes fixed on me, and he mouthedsave mebefore putting on his polite face again. “Of course! What better time than on a magirail over the Doras Sea? You haven’t lived until you’ve felt the saltwater breeze between cars?—”

Marius coughed and cleared his throat over the sound of him possibly saying, “Avoiding others.”

“—and seen the sun rise and set over the waterline,” the dark elf finished.

“It sounds quite lovely. I am looking forward to the trip, and seeing Serian, of course,” my stepmother said.

Fal nodded. “I suggest you brush up on your Serian. Many in our capital, Neslune, do not bother to learn the tongue of the Seelie.”

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