“I hypothetically can’t, because I hypothetically have to train them, or we’ll be super behind, and I can’t let Valentine’s be ruined!” I argue.
“They can’t stay in our den, Emelle,” Sylred says calmly. “There isn’t room.”
“I know. Which is why I was hoping you’d be understanding and supportive, and help me figure out where to stash them when we aren’t working. Hypothetically,” I quickly add.
Based on the looks on their faces, I’m pretty sure my hypothetically isn’t fooling anyone.
Sylred cocks his head in thought. “We can find a place for them.”
“Don’t encourage her. She was supposed to do one small thing, finish in an hour, and then be on leave,” Ronak reminds him. “She was not supposed to agree to work for a week straight when she’s about to have our baby any minute.”
“Exactly,” Evert adds, crossing his arms.
This is what happens when you mate with a bunch of dominating males. “Well, I did agree, so if you won’t help me figure out where they can stay, I’ll just do it myself!” I snap, turning to storm away. “Hypothetically!” I toss over my shoulder.
I don’t even make it five steps before Okot intervenes. “My beloved,” he says, gently taking hold of my arms.
I don’t look up at him. I’m too mad.
“All of this arguing and stress is not good for you or the baby,” he murmurs.
“Then tell those genfins to stop arguing with me,” I retort.
Like a bad magic trick, all of those genfins step up so that I’m now surrounded by all four of my mates.
“I told you, of course we’ll find a place for them to stay,” Sylred says, moving my hair over my shoulder in a tender gesture.
Ronak wraps his tail around my waist, while Evert presses his chest against my back. Okot still has hold of my arms.
I narrow my eyes. “I know what you guys are doing, and it’s not going to work.”
Evert leans in and starts nipping at the back of my neck. “I don’t know what you mean. Enlighten us.”
“You’re trying to soften me up with your sneak-touches.”
“We aren’t sneaking, little demon,” Ronak says with a chuckle. “We upset you, and now we’re comforting you.”
“Why is Valentine’s Day so important to you?” Sylred asks.
“Because. It’s the one time of year where people actually seem to try. The dates. The thinking-of-you gifts. The flirting. The love. The sex. It’s beautiful to see everyone taking a day to celebrate love. It’s what we should do every day. Imagine what life would be like if everyone took the time to adore our loved ones—to express that love in whatever way is meaningful to them. As a cupid, that’s the dream. That love would be cherished, always. So that’s why Valentine’s Day is important, okay? It reminds us to take a moment and appreciate our loved ones.”
They all nod, like they get it, and they continue to rub on me. I frown and look down at all of their sweet touches, and my suspicion starts to build.
“Sorry for giving you a hard time, Scratch. We just want you to take a break and be able to relax,” Evert says. “We understand the Valentine’s thing.”
Wait. Evert is apologizing? Okay, something is seriously up. He didn’t even apologize for that time he left the toilet seat up, and I fell into the basin, getting gross toilet water all up in my business. I also got stuck. Yeah. Stuck. As in, I couldn’t get my ass back out. I had to call for help, and Evert had to yank me out. Do you have any idea how humiliating that is? And the fucker laughed!
I narrow my eyes on him. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing,” Evert says too quickly.
I swing my eyes to Sylred. He can’t keep anything from me. “Syl?”
He runs a hand through his pink hair a bit nervously. “Well, we received a message when we were walking back from town and—”
Evert slaps his hand over Sylred’s mouth before he can say more. He then pulls out a letter from his pocket, but when I try to snatch it, he holds it over my head and hands it to Ronak.
I watch Ronak’s brow furrow as his black eyes flit across the page. When he’s done, he passes the letter back to Evert—who’s still clamping a hand over Sylred’s mouth. Sylred just stands there like he’s glad he doesn’t have to be the one to tell me what’s going on.
“Well?” I ask, putting my hands on my hips.
Sylred and Evert both look to the alpha, and Ronak settles his gaze on me. “Our parents are back from vacation.”
Chapter 8
I’m sitting on the floor of our shared closet in our bedroom, completely naked.
Crying. I’m also crying.
That’s how Evert finds me.
He walks in, fresh out of the bath, and stops dead in his tracks. His blue eyes immediately go to my boobs. I mean, they’re gigantic, so it’s understandable. Still, it takes him a good five seconds to look up from them long enough to realize that I’m crying.
His eyes widen, and he immediately kneels down next to me. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing fits,” I sniffle, before digging into the food tin that’s on my lap.
Evert grimaces. “How many times have we told you to stop eating fish right out of the can?”
Meeting his eye, I slowly lift the small fish and slurp it up like it’s a spaghetti noodle.
“Fucking gross, Scratch.”
“I’m hungry.”
“It smells like rotten ass.”
“I’m feeling attacked right now.”
After eating the last of the fish, I tilt up the can and drink the juice out of it. Evert starts to gag.
He snatches the empty tin from me, storms out of the closet, and then stomps back in with a freshly warmed lime from the tree in our garden.
He tosses it to me, and I immediately peel it and start sucking on it like it’s my favorite lollipop. I’m pretty sure he only gave it to me to help my fish breath, but I appreciate any time someone brings me food, regardless of the reason.
“Stop eating that fish shit, or I’m not gonna let you suck my cock anymore.”
I snort. “As if.”
He blinks down at me for a second and then shrugs. “Yeah, you’re right. That was a bad bluff.”
I crack the teensiest smile, which I know was his intent all along. He always knows how to make me laugh.
“Did you guys get all the cupids settled?”
He nods and sits down on the floor in front of me, taking my finished lime and chucking it behind him, not caring that it goes rolling on the floor in the bedroom. “We put them all up in town. Sev reminded them that if they fuck up and do any cupid shit while you’re not around to supervise, he’ll send them back to Cupidville and force them to do paperwork for ten years. That seemed to scare the little shits enough to behave for the night.”
I nod and fidget with my hair.
“Scratch?”
I peer up at him through my lashes and sniffle. “Yeah?”
He presses his hand against my belly in a surprisingly gentle gesture and leans down so that we’re eye-to-eye. Like the baby senses the attention, my belly stretches with a very obvious limb as the baby kicks and punches me. I frown as my skin stretches. “It looks like I have an alien trying to break out of me.”
Evert just rubs everywhere the baby kicks. “He wants to come hang out with his Dad.”
I cock a brow. “He? You’re so sure it’s a boy?”
“It’s definitely gonna be a boy this time,” Evert says matter-of-factly.
I smile and rub my belly with him until the baby settles down. Kicking the hell out of me seems to really wear the poor thing out.
“So, you wanna tell me what’s really bothering you, Scratch?”
I wipe my nose on my arm and shake my head. “Nothing. I’m good. Just another hormonal freak-out.”
He gives me a look that says he’s not buying it, and his black tail wraps around my arm. “If you’re not up to going…”
“No, I want to go,” I say
quickly. He looks at my tear-streaked face dubiously. “I do. It’s just, Resha…”
Evert shakes his head. “Ronak’s mother is a bitch. Don’t pay attention to her. The rest of our parents love you.”
“Last time I saw Resha, I was five months pregnant with Amorette, and she told me that I was an unfit mate and that I must’ve tricked Ronak into bonding to me by using my ‘creepy love magic,’” I remind him.
Evert frowns at the memory. “Yeah, and Ronak banned her after that. She hasn’t been welcome here, but the letter made it sound like she’s ready to swallow her fucking pride and get over herself.”
“Yeah,” I concede, still feeling conflicted.
“Just say the word, Scratch. If you don’t want her there, we’ll take care of it.”
It’s a sweet offer, and I know he means it, but I shake my head. “No, I want her there. I just want this to go better than the last time.”
“Don’t worry too much about it. Resha is a bitch. Always has been. You don’t need to be worried about impressing her.”
I snort a bit and then look down at my daunting belly. “Look at me. The only thing I could impress right now is a measuring tape, because I am freaking wide,” I say, flopping my hands down my body.
“Hey, what are you doing in here?” I hear Sylred say as he, Ronak, and Okot all come walking in. Noticing my nude and puffy-eyed state, their expressions immediately turn concerned.
“What’s wrong, my beloved?” Okot asks, kneeling down in front of me. He takes my feet and gently starts to massage the arches with his thumbs, giving just the right amount of pressure.
I moan in appreciation.
“Don’t moan, or we’ll all be walking out of here with hard dicks,” Evert says.
“Can’t help it. Feels good.”
Okot smiles and continues to rub, while Evert catches them up on why he found me naked and crying in the closet.
“If this is too stressful for you, tell us, and I’ll cancel dinner,” Ronak tells me.
I shake my head. “No. I want to go. I just want to prove your mother wrong and show her that I am a good mate and a good mother,” I tell him. “But I look like a puffer fish, and none of my dresses fit right,” I admit, feeling self-conscious again.
“Then, it’s fortunate that we brought someone here to help you with that,” Ronak says with a playful smile.
Chapter 9
I look up at him curiously. “Someone to help me? Who?” I ask curiously.
Instead of answering me, Sylred passes me a robe, and Evert moves so that I can slip it on. Okot helps me to stand, and then they lead me to the front of the room where my friend, Mossie, is playing on the floor with my daughter.
I smile when I see her showing Amorette how to properly water her scalp where her vines and flowers grow.
Spotting me, Mossie stands and claps. “There you are! Just wait to see all the dresses your mates had me pick up. You’re going to look so pretty!”
The guys stay in the front room with Amorette while Mossie and I wander back into my bedroom. I hadn’t noticed before, but there’s a heap of dresses already lying on the bed, along with a row of new silk slippers.
“Okay,” Mossie says, wasting no time. “Let’s get you prettied up to meet the parents, so they can love you as much as I do.”
I strip off my robe as she starts tugging on my first dress choice. “What if they don’t?” I ask nervously.
Her bright green eyes narrow on the white dress, and she immediately yanks it off of me and goes through the pile to select another one. “If they don’t, then screw them. You’re the cupid. You single handedly killed our tyrannical prince with a Love Arrow through the heart. You helped set the realm back to the way it should be, where all fae are considered equal. Because of you, there are no more culling games or prison towers full of innocents. We actually got to have a say in who became our new monarch, and the new king and queen are the best we’ve had in centuries, because of you. You’re an awesome mother, and based on how much your guys are always getting stiff sticks in public, you’re a great mate, too. You are amazing,” she says, yanking on the ties at my back as she fits me into another dress.
“Thanks, Moss,” I say quietly. “Hey, how are things with...what was his name? Turny?”
“Oh, him,” she says dismissively. “I ended things.”
“Another one? That’s like, the fourth dump this month.”
She shrugs. “He wasn’t meeting my needs. Or the needs of my flowers,” she says, running a hand over the sunflowers popping out of her head.
I’m pretty sure I don’t want her to go into detail about that, so I let it drop.
Mossie walks around me, looking me up and down, her lips puckered together in thought. Finally, she shakes her head. “Yellow is not your color,” she says decisively, before yanking it off me.
She sorts through a few more options, muttering to herself about bodice styles, colors, and other crap, until she finally picks up a silvery dress. She pulls it over my head, and I immediately like the fabric. It’s soft and smooth and doesn’t feel heavy like the other options.
When Mossie finishes doing up the ties in the back, she comes around the front to inspect me, and a smile spreads across her green-tinged face. “This is the one.”
“Are you sure?” I ask, running my hands nervously down the front.
I move to walk over the full-length mirror, but she stops me by clamping a hand over my eyes. “Nope. No looking until I’ve done your hair and makeup. Now come on, I’ve got everything already set up in the bathroom.”
She tugs me out of the bedroom and into the bathroom, and I sit down at the vanity, facing away from the mirror.
Mossie sets to work with my hair first, combing it with precision as she winds parts of my pink hair to look like I have a band of roses stretching across the top. She adds crystals into the center and then smooths the rest of my frizzy waves with a lightly-scented oil, curling whatever wayward strands she finds with a small brass cylinder.
When she’s satisfied with that, she starts dusting my face with all types of powders, liners, and color stains.
She even comes at me with scissors and weird copper things that look like some form of medieval tweezers. She starts plucking away at my eyebrows, making me flinch back in surprise.
“Ouch!” I say with a frown.
She doesn’t stop or slow down, though, and starts plucking at me like a chicken. When she yanks out a particularly painful patch, I clamp my hand over my poor eyebrows and smack her hand away. “Okay! Enough! I can’t handle it.”
“Please. You pushed Amorette out of your vagina. Your vagina,” she stresses, as if I somehow forgot my sixteen-hour labor, where all I had for pain relief was some poppleberries and a shot of pixie juice. Pain relief my ass. I felt everything.
“You can handle this,” she assures me, right after smacking my hand away from my forehead and continuing to pluck. “Luckily, you have a lovely natural arch. But it’s all about the clean up. You’ve got to keep up on these things. Don’t think I didn’t notice your chickweeds. I’ll be stopping by to wax those for you.”
I immediately cover my crotch area with my hands. “You come anywhere near my vagina right now, and I will make you fall in love with that guy who liked to snack on his mother’s fingernail clippings.”
She wrinkles her nose in disgust. “Are threats really necessary?”
“When you want to pour hot wax on my girl grotto, then yes, threats are appropriate.”
She rolls her eyes and sets down the tweezers finally, before putting some finishing touches on my eyes and lips. “There,” she says proudly. “All done. You’re gonna dazzle them.”
She helps me stand, and I turn around to face the mirror. My jaw opens in surprise. I don’t even recognize my reflection. Instead of the slouchy hot mess I’ve been lately, I look like more than just a fat pregnant chick who can’t see her feet.
The dress accentuates my curves without making me
look bigger. The material hugs my body without it being tight, making it look like I’m not just a big ball of blob. The top of it dips down just barely between my breasts, highlighting my boobs while still somehow being somewhat modest. It ends in a train of soft silvery shimmers that drags behind me, and the sleeves flare out at my wrists.
My pink hair is perfectly coifed, and the rose twirls she’s created make me look like some kind of flower princess. My makeup isn’t too heavy, only being bold at the eyes where she’s lined them in black and added a subtle dusting of shimmer to the lids.
“Mossie, you made me look beautiful,” I say in surprise.
She rolls her eyes. “You’re always beautiful, I just helped polish you up a bit. You look like the best covey mate there’s ever been. Own it.”
When I start to tear up, she reaches up and smacks me on my cheeks. I flinch back, startled, and we blink at each other. “Sorry, I panicked,” she admits. “I didn’t want you to mess up the eye makeup I worked so hard on. No crying.”
I’m too afraid of getting slapped again, so I nod. “Okay. Noted.”
“Sorry, my lady garden has been growing thorns all week. I’ve been a bit on edge.”
I wince on her behalf. “That sounds awful.”
“It is,” she says seriously. She grabs my arm and starts leading me out of the bathroom. “Come on, let’s go make your mates drool. I’m watching Amorette tonight for you.”
“Thanks Moss. She always loves staying with you.”
“That’s because she has excellent taste,” Mossie replies primly.
Reaching the end of the hallway, Mossie stops me and walks in first. I hear her clap. “Okay, cupid mates, pay attention! Your female is ready to make her debut.”
Feeling jittery with nerves, I walk out, and all four of my mates stand up and turn around to face me.
Four sets of eyes lock onto me, and the air charges with intensity.
“…And that’s our cue. Come on, kid.” Mossie picks up Amorette and walks over.
“You look pretty, Mommy.”
I smile and kiss her. “Thank you, baby. Be good for Mossie, okay?”
For the Love of Cupidity Page 4