Page 64 of Battling Bright
Hannah watched, stunned, as four girls of very different races came around the corner of the house.Elida stepped aside and spoke to Hannah.“I adopted the girls after I recovered from that last mission.”
“What happened?”
“They were trafficked.Two had already had children.They were in rough shape, so I called the hospital, and then I shifted, and Neekil got them onto my back.You probably know about the tiger run.”
“Yeah, but rumour has it the tiger was sixteen feet tall.”
“Well, I am a big fucking tiger.I learned the shape before I knew how large they were supposed to be.A bit embarrassing, but no one held it against me.”
Neekil was hugging the girls, all adults now.“I used to ride her into situations where the cars couldn’t go.You should see the expressions on the face of perpetrators when a seven-hundred-pound tiger jumps into their midst.”
Elida snorted.“He nearly peed himself laughing.Which was unfortunate since he was on my back at the time.”
Neekil lifted his head, beaming.“It was still funny.”
“Shadow-skinned twit.”
Hannah suddenly understood the relationship between them.Elida was the grown-up.
Neekil looked at Hannah.“Can they come to the wedding?”
Hannah blinked.“Of course they can.Geez!They will help the balance get away from the sausage fest it is turning into.Sure, some of the agents have girlfriends and a few are married, but aside from the dancers, we aren’t going to have a lot of ladies at the event.Even my family is full of dudes.”
Elida laughed.“Well, I will have to find something appropriate.Vaia is on break, I think.”
“Yeah, she just got married Saturday.Her assistant is still manning the shop, I think.”
“I will swing by there and see what they can scrounge up for me.I’m a tricky fit.”She smiled.“Now, do you need anything?Is your dress sorted?”
“It is.Thankfully, I am a fairly standard fit.”
“Do you need a place to stay the night before?I have a few empty houses that we could take over.No chickens.”
Hannah smiled.“I will let you know by Wednesday.Why do you have so many empty houses?”
“Oh, I wanted to have chickens, and it is a neighbourhood decision, so I bought the neighbourhood.Yes, I have more money than sense.”She smiled.
The young women were all telling Neekil what they had been up to...at the same time.
“Why did you take them out of Redbird?”
Elida paused and beckoned for Hannah to follow her.“I am going to be very blunt because there is no shame in our house, but do you know what sex trafficking is?”
“Yes, of course.”
“These young ladies were all snagged around the age of twelve as breeders.Two of them had children who have been adopted out.If they want to know their mothers, they will, but that will be their choice, far down the line.”
Hannah was ill.“All of them?”
“Yup.When I got them to the hospital, I was in rough shape.They stayed with me, tried to keep me from bleeding out while the staff tried to put me together again.I had been hit by just about every magical projectile they could manage, but the girls helped keep me alive, all the dark fae in the XIA came to donate blood, including the wonder weasel that you are marrying.”
Hannah chuckled as they sat in the gazebo.“There is something about you.”She leaned forward.“Are you pregnant?”
Elida paused.“Wow.You are insightful.Yes.I am.”
Neekil was there in a moment.“You are what?”
“Pregnant.”
