Page 16 of Sequel to the Easter Bunny

“She’s new,” Minx reminds her. “She’s not used to the way they operate.”

“Want to clue me in?”

“The gods will give you what you ask for if you take their bargain, but they will leave every opportunity for loopholes and misunderstandings that they can.”

Calico finally takes the drink she’s been trying to get me to drink and downs it herself. “I imagine Ester thought she’d get her cake and devour you too. After all, who could have expected you to come back before the babe was born?”

Minx brushes my hair back over my ear. “Who could have expected that you’d fall in love with our prickly Eebie?”

“He’s not prickly with me.”

“I know!” Minx says, a little too excited. “It’s why I want a taste.”

I manage to keep myself from leaning into her palm. “What about the others? If Juun’s not usually so female….”

“Oh, Heim has been male-presenting since his wife was banished… eons ago.” Calico says shaking her head as if the god of winter I’ve been warned about is some passing irritation. “Gren… if you meet them, they tend to present somewhere in between. I assume they want to keep you on your toes and so, they are whoever you expect them not to be.”

Minx draws her hand over mine. “We can be whoever you need us to be… just say the word, Lily. One look at you always makes my mouth water.”

“Not just her mouth,” Calico says into her glass with a wicked smile.

A low sigh echoes from behind me. “Will I spend the rest of eternity keeping your mouth from my bride’s pussy?”

“Hi, Eebie.” Minx says, not looking even a little bit ashamed. “If she wants to give me an opportunity, I’m not going to say no.”

“And she’s going to keep asking,” Calico says, “Until one of you tells her to stop.”

I lean against him, letting him hold me upright and soaking in the possessive way his hands trace over my skin.

Talking is the last thing I want to do. But dragging him back to his bower and giving into this heat beneath my skin won’t get us anywhere.

“Any luck?” I ask, even though I already know the answer.

Jack shakes his head, but Calico laughs. “Luck belongs to the leprechaun… and if you’re bargaining with him, you’re in real trouble.”

“She’s determined to prove to me that you’re not worthy.” Jack turns me to face him hands brushing over my shoulders. “Are you alright? Do we need to get you cooled down?”

Calico straightens, eyes narrowing and tail twitching. “What’s going on?”

“Juun’s cursed me,” I say with a laugh… it’s better than crying. And then I hold up my arm. “Any chance the bartender can make a potion that will get rid of this?”

Both of them draw back. “You were scratched by a cat-ctus.”

“Is that what it was?”

Minx slides off her stool, and it melts into the floor. “Come on. You need to see Lako.”

“You know how to fix it?”

Calico nods, her tail wrapping more tightly around Minx’s. “She’s the only one who can get rid of that for you….” Her gaze slides to Jack, wary. “But you may not like the price.”

They turn and start for the far side of the space, tail in tail, heads close together.

“Can we trust them?” I ask as I slip from the stool and my feet touch the too cold ground.

“Bringing people to Lako to force bargains is part of their job… but they like you. And I think Lako will too.”

“Why does it sound like that might not be a good thing?”

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