Page 68 of Patchwork Pixie

“I am Minoru, and this is my wife, Polly. Our children are with the nanny.” He grinned, and his hand extended to her.

She shook his hand, and he jolted at the contact.

Ruby heard steps behind her, and Polly’s mouth hung open. “Elves? You are elves?”

Marshall’s voice spoke softly. “We are. Hey, Minoru. You are looking well.”

Polly blinked. “Right. Let’s get going. It won’t do to disrespect Mama by being late.”

Minoru straightened. “May we join you for dinner?”

Marshall chuckled. “Please.”

“Good. I have so many questions.”

Ruby laughed and got into the car before Polly, who was followed by her husband.

“I don’t know how much I can tell you about the dark Elite, but I will answer what I can.”

Polly blinked. “Is that what they are?”

“Yup.”

Minoru asked, “What are you?”

“A creature the Elite have been trying to stamp out. I am an Elite omega.”

“I didn’t know that your kind existed,” Minoru murmured.

“They have been doing an excellent job of bribing people to hand us over before we hit puberty. They stall it, and by the time we are adults, we are just pale betas. But my parents helped me escape. They brought me here and found people to keep me safe until I could stand on my own. My sister was brought to the city in a similar way but placed with others. We just reconnected a few days ago. She has her own stories.”

Polly asked, “Do you have two forms?”

“Sure, but I have had a rough day, so getting down into beta form is going to take some doing.”

Polly blinked. “It doesn’t have to be today. I was just curious.”

“So, are you the ones in search of the tickets for thePatchwork Pixie?”

Minoru chuckled. “Yes. We want to bring our little ones, and I have family coming into town. They are eager to see it.”

“Oh, wow. I saw the video with you and one of your mates today.”

“We were just practicing lifts because Rayden wanted to try it. My treacherous ex-coach showed up early and commenced with the video.” She grimaced. “It was fun though. I feel very safe in Rayden’s hands.”

Minoru nodded. “And he must have great confidence to have those blades so close to his face.”

“Yeah. It was his suggestion, so he had to have known what was coming.”

Polly was grinning. “I am so excited to be seeing it.”

“Yes, well, next year, they are going to be looking for new sponsorship. If you know of any interested businesses, I am sure you can contact this year’s organizers.” Ruby smiled.

Minoru laughed. “I will keep that in mind.”

She nodded. “Good. The performers are all local volunteers, so the only people getting paid are the arena and the folks who sell popcorn. All profits are donated to children’s charities. I had a friend in school who was going through cancer therapy, and it stuck with me that kids like her needed help.”

Polly stared. “Stuck with you? Hang on.” Polly’s thumbs flew, and she laughed. “You wrote it. You wrote thePatchwork Pixie.”

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