Page 36 of Laid Bare

“I’ve got an idea. How about we pick out a name for you?” The pony shifts a bit, perking up and scooting a little further into my lap. Granted he may not be the size of a full-grown horse, but as some of his weight settles on me, I groan, not entirely imagining the creak in my bones. If he’s not careful, I’m going to be a curiomancer pancake here shortly.

Just breathe through the pain, Bailey. You got this.

Now, back to the matter at hand.

I tap my chin, my fingers brushing the soft pink fur of his neck. “Hmmm… what about… Sparkles?”

“Nope. No fucking way,” Luka interjects, plopping his butt on my coffee table, hitting me with a look full of annoyance. “He’s a damn Pegasus. A male one at that. You’re not naming him Sparkles.”

I roll my eyes. “He’s my damn pony,” I mutter under my breath, just not as quietly as I hoped if Luka’s growl is anything to go by. “Fine. What about… Bolt?”

“Lame.”

“Olaf.”

“Stupid.”

“Sebastian.”

“Seriously, goddess?” Luka shoots me the stink eye. “Stop referencing characters in oldDisneymovies,” he groans, scrubbing at his face before dropping his hands between his spread knees.

I raise a brow, absolutely dying inside to ask him how he even knows who these characters are. But I digress. We have more important things to deal with. Like giving my Pegasus a name.

I’ll just have to make sure to come back to that subject at a later date.

“Let’s hear your ideas and see if you can do any better since you’re against every one I’ve thrown out.”

Luka seems to mull it over for a moment, then a blinding smile lights up his face. “I got it. Thunder.”

The heavy as hell Pegasus in my lap huffs out a breath, that could easily be mistaken for agreeance, but somehow, deep in my soul, I know he hates it. No. Wait. The feeling is much stronger than hate. It feels suspiciously like he despises it.

Ha. He sucks at this just as much as I do. But instead of voicing those exact words, I shake my head. “Next.”

Luka blows a very unmanly raspberry, his lips popped out in a pout. “What do you mean next? That’s a cool ass name for a male Pegasus. If he were mine, I’d name him that.” The last of his words are quieter than the rest, more of a statement to himself rather than to me.

Well, that’s good for him, but this is my Pegasus we’re talking about, and he doesn’t particularly like the name. Not that I’d tell Luka that. I don’t need another person looking at me like I’ve got two screws loose because I get feelings from my flying pony.

My brows furrow, pondering those last two words. Flying…pony.

Flying.

Air.

“Oh my gods. I got it.”

“Well, don’t leave me in suspense, goddess.” Luka leans forward, his rapt attention focused solely on me.

“Aero.” It’s nothing more than a whisper on my lips, but it settles something deep inside my soul. Like just breathing the name has righted every wrong in the world. If only that were actually possible. “What do you think?”

“I think it’s great, godd?—”

“I wasn’t asking you,” I interrupt with a laugh, shaking my head. “I was asking him.” I nod toward the sleepy Pegasus, who’s slowly making me lose all feeling in my legs.

The look of indignation on Luka’s face has me laughing even harder, but it’s the way his eyes crinkle in the corners as he tries not to smile that tells me he isn’t all that upset.

Aero gives a happy little neigh, the sound tapering off into a snore that could rival the trash trunks that would pass through the human sectors.

“Well, now that that’s settled, I’ll run and grab us some dinner,” Luka murmurs, dropping a kiss on my forehead before he leaves me with the passed-out Pegasus to get us some sustenance for the night.

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