Page 19 of Charisma

“Air Fryer, huh? I like it,” Airvyd provokes. “Get it? I can fly through the air, and I can fry a motherfucker.”

“Oh, Jesus Fucking Christ,” Drakko sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose and shaking his head. “He’s like a damn clown, making annoying faces, saying stupid as fuck shit, and never knows when nobody wants him around. He thinks he’s funny when he’s anything but.”

“I’m the comic relief, dude. Come on now, you’re so serious it’s like you’ve got a stick shoved up your ass and Buvor is laid back and complacent. Someone has to bring the hilarity to life, and I decided it was gonna be me!” Airvyd haughtily exclaims.

“But you’re not funny,Air Fryer,” Drakko hisses, his nostrils flaring and smoke steaming from his nasal cavity. “I knew we should’ve left him behind. Didn’t I say he should stay back, Maizy?”

“Yes, dragon, you did,” she coos. “But there’s safety in numbers and with us not knowing when a threat will strike, this was our best option.”

“I still say we should offer him up as a tribute. Maybe they’ll all leave us alone if he’s their sacrifice,” Drakko mumbles.

“I can breathe fire, for fuck’s sake!” Airvyd asserts. “Fire breathing dragon. That’s what I am and I’m big enough to take care of shit. I’m not volunteering as a tribute. You can fuck off with that nonsense and if you keep it up, I’m contacting Mom.”

“Ooh, he’s gonna tell Mom,” Buvor antagonizes his sibling.

“Children, that’s quite enough!” Esmerelda bellows.

I turn to her in astonishment because she’s not a particularly large woman but the volume she just spoke at has everyone stopping in their tracks.

CHARISMA

“Stop sniffing me, Ice!”Leigh screams as she smacks her mate in the back of his fuzzy head. “What is your damn problem anyway?”

“What’s going on, Leigh?” I ask my goddaughter as she comes storming up to us. “Why is Ice’s muzzle stuck up your twat?”

“Fuck if I know,” Leigh huffs, kicking the husky polar bear in the side as she swivels on her heels. “But he’s fixing to get my fist to his snout if he keeps it up.”

“Oh, my. This is fantastic news indeed,” Esme exclaims, glee swimming in her eyes as they stay trained on Leigh’s flat belly.

“No,” I say, wondering if my suspicions are correct.

“Yes,” Esme responds, cheerfully clapping her hands much to Leigh's utter annoyance.

“What has you acting all flamboyant?” Leigh asks Esme, while sending accusatory eyes toward her mate. “You’re like a damn tumor, Ice. Personal space. Know it, use it, or you’ll regret it.” Her eyes are aflame with indignation and it’s obvious to us all that she’s spitting mad as she practically shimmers with her aggravation.

“He can’t help it,” Baldwin, ever so helpful, supplies. “It’s what happens when a bear sniffs his pregnant mate.”

“Pregnant? I’m not pregnant!” Leigh yells, her face pinched tight and her pitch high, reminding me of nails on a chalkboard. “I’ll castrate you, Ice, if that’s right.” Her hissing has Ice’s bear mewling.

“Why don’t you want to be pregnant?” I ask, genuinely curious. “You’ll be a great mom, Leigh, and you’ve got all of us to help.” I feel bad for Ice who now looks so dejected he’s almost pitiful in his demeanor. “Plus, look at what your words are doing to your mate. He’s ecstatic about this news and you’re acting like a little brat right now.”

“Who’s acting like a brat?” Maverick questions as he comes closer to his sister and her mate. I have my own suspicions as to why she’s being bratty about this entire event. It’s not because she’s unhappy per se, but because there’s trouble brewing, and Leigh is a warrior who will be distraught if she has to sit this out.

“Your sister,” Esme replies, glaring at our friend, who’s been somewhat conspicuously absent lately. While we’ve all been busy helping Landry and Connelly prepare for their impending arrivals, Leigh has not been around. “Come to think of it, you’ve been avoidingallof us lately, missy, and that’s not going to work for me. Spill it. What the hell is going on with you?”

“It’s just not the right time,” Leigh interjects. “Ice is so fucking protective that he’ll sideline me.” As I thought, she’s not one to step aside and let her friends and family put themselves on the front line while she’s the support, the last in the line of defense.

“No matter what, your expertise is what we need more than your muscles,” I try to soothe the argument before it has a chance to combust into a mess and words are shared that can’t be taken back.

“Plus, you’ll be there with us since I can’t shift right now,” Landry argues. “You’re just as important as the rest of us, Leigh, so don’t negate your abilities just because you’re expecting. Esmerelda has a plan so we’re all able to help with this situation. Even us pregnant chicks.” Her giggle at the end has me rolling my eyes, because she’s almost giddy at the thought of her and Connelly, who are waddling penguins at this point, being able to thwart what the demons are plotting. Not that I’ll tell either of them they resemble anything because then they’ll cry, their mates will want to tear me apart, and my mate will get pissed and defend me. It’d be a clusterfuck of epic proportions. Keeping bloodshed to a minimum is a good plan as far as I’m concerned.

“I for one would feel better about being left behind if my badass sister-in-law were protecting her niece or nephew,” Connelly inserts, her eyes pleading for understanding.

“My sister is fierce,” Maverick states, pride for his sister ever present.

“Huh. Just this morning you told me I had two left feet and I hit like a girl,” Leigh argues, hands on her hips, ready to throw down with her brother if the need arises.

“Youdohit like a girl, but that’s not a bad thing because you are cunning, sneaky, and able to get behind someone’s defenses simply because of that fact. Face it, you’re never going to hit as hard as a man, it’s physically impossible. But your crafty and shrewd strengths outweigh any plausible weaknesses I point out, Leigh,” Mav emphatically retorts.

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